Davids Harp Strung and Tuned, Book 1 · Psalm 2
PSAL. II. The prime Subject of this Pſalm, is Chriſt, the Type, David.
THE perſons we are chiefly to reflect on, are three, which make three parts of the Pſalm;
The Enemies of Chriſt.
Chriſt the Lord.
The Princes and Judges of the earth.
1. The enemies to Chriſt are great men, who are deſcribed here, The firſt part. The enemies of Chriſt deſcribed.partly from their wickedneſs, and partly from their weakneſs.
Firſt, Their wickedneſs is apparent. 1. They furiouſly rage. 2. They tumultuouſly aſſemble. 3. They ſet themſelves, ſtand up, 1By their wickedneſs.and take counſel againſt the Lord, and againſt his Anointed. 4. They encourage themſelves in miſchief, ſaying, Come, and let us caſt away their cords from us. Ver. 1 All which is ſharpned by the interrogative, Why?
Secondly, Their weakneſs; 2Their weakneſs for their plots vain.in that they ſhall never be able to bring their plots and conſpiracies againſt Chriſt and his Kingdom to paſs; for,
1. What they imagine, is but a vain thing. Ver. 1
2. He that ſits in Heaven ſhall laugh, and have them in deriſion. Ver. 4
3. He ſhall ſpeak unto them in his wrath, and vex them in his ſore diſpleaſure. Ver. 5
4. For maugre all their plots, Ver. 6 God hath ſet up his King upon his holy hill of Zion.
2. At ver. 6. begins the exaltation of Chriſt to his Kingdom, The ſecond part. Chriſt by God exalted to be King.which is the ſecond part of the Pſalm; in which, the Prophet by a foreign, brings in God the Father ſpeaking, and the Son anſwering.
Firſt, The words of the Father are, Ʋnxi te in Regem, I have ſet my King; Ver. 6 where we have the inauguration of Chriſt, or his calling to the Crown.1His inauguration.
Secondly, The anſwer of the Son, I will preach the Law; which ſets forth his willing obedience to publiſh and proclaim the Laws of the Kingdom; Ver. 7 of which the chief is, Thou art my Son, this day have I begotten thee.2His willing obedience.
Thirdly, The reply of the Father, 3His reward.containing the reward that Chriſt was to have upon the publication of the Goſpel, which was, Ver. 8
1. An addition to his Empire, by the converſion and acceſs of the Gentiles: 1The amplification of his Kingdom.Ask of me, and I will give thee the Heathen for thine inheritance, and the uttermost ends of the Earth for thy poſſeſſion. Ver. 9
2. And the confuſion of his Enemies; Thou ſhalt break them, 2The confuſion of his enemies.who would not have thee reign, that did rage and ſtand up againſt thee, with a Rod of iron, and break them in pieces as a potters veſsel.
3. In the third part, the Prophet deſcends to his Exhortation and Admonition, The third part. The Prophet exhorts.and that very aptly; for is Chriſt a King? is he a King anointed by God? is he a great King, a powerful King? ſo great, that the Nations are his Subjects? Ver. 10 ſo powerful, that he will break and batter to pieces his Enemies? Beſides, Kings. 1. tois he the only begotten Son of God? Be wiſe therefore O ye Kings; in which, Ver. 11
1. The perſons to whom this fair Caveat is given, Kings and Judges.1Know their Duty.
2. What they are here taught.2To do their Duty.
Firſt, To know their Duty; Be wiſe, be learned.
Secondly, To do their Duty; Serve the Lord in fear, rejoyce with trembling, Ver. 12 kiſs the Son.3Without delay; and that,
3. The time when this is to be done, even Now; the Reaſon double.
1. Drawn from his wrath, and the conſequent puniſhment: 1Leſt he be angry, and deſtroy them.Leſt he be angry, and ye periſh from the right way.
2. From the happy condition of thoſe who learn to know him, and fear, 2Becauſe they are happy that truſt in him.and ſerve, and adore him: For if his wrath be kindled, yea, but a little, bleſſed are all they that put their truſt in him.
The Prayer collected out of the ſecond Pſalm.
O Bleſſed God unto whom all hearts are open, and from whom no ſecrets are hid, whoſe eyes are ten thouſand times brighter than the Sun, and paſs through the World, and behold all the thoughts and conſpiracies, and actions of men: Encline thine ear and hear, open thine eyes and ſée the attempts of Satan, and wicked men: The Heathen have raged furiouſly, and the people have tumultuouſly aſſembled, Ver. 1 and imagine vain things; yea, the Kings of the Earth have riſen together, they have taken counſel, and joyn'd their power againſt God, Ver. 2 and againſt him, who is thy Anointed. Theſe many in number, Ver. 3 ſtrong in power, encourage themſelves in miſchief, ſaying, Come, let us break off theſe Bonds of Laws and Religion from off our necks, by which they would yoke us, and caſt away their cords in which they would bind us; for we will not that he or his Anointed reign over us.
For of a truth Lord againſt thée and thy holy child Ieſus whom thou haſt anointed, both Herod and Pontius Pilate: with the Gentiles, and the Nation of the Jewes, have gathered themſelves together, and do whatſoever thy hand and thy Counſel determined before to be done. And now O Lord behold their threatnings for thy Names ſake, for thy Sons ſake, for thy Promiſe ſake, let not the gates of Hell prevail againſt thy Church. Ver. 4 Thou that ſits in Heaven laugh them to ſcorn; Ver. 5 Thou which art the moſt High, have them in deriſion, ſpeak unto them in thy wrath, and vex them in thy ſore diſpleaſure.
Raiſe up thy power, Ver. 6 O Lord, and come amongſt us: Set thy King upon thy holy Hill of Zion; Ver. 7 He is thy only begotten Son from everlaſting; and yet was content for our Redemption to humble himſelf to the womb, and be born and made of a woman that he might preach thy Law, and make known the glad tidings of ſalvation to all people, Ver. 8 Give him therefore the Heathen for his inheritance, and the utmoſt parts of the Earth for his poſſeſſion. Merciful God, who haſt made all men, and hateſt nothing that thou haſt made, nor wouldeſt the death of a ſinner, but rather that he ſhould be converted, and live; have mercy upon all Iewes, Turks, Infidels, and Heretiques, and take from them all ignorance, hardneſs of heart, and contempt of thy Word, and fetch them home bleſſed Lord to thy ſtock, that they may be ſaved among the remnant of thy true Iſraelites, that there may be but one Fold, and one Shepheard.
As for ſuch who obſtinately and wilfully, and maliciouſly ſtop their ears that they may not hear, and ſhut their eyes that they may not ſée, leſt they ſhould hear with their ears, and ſée with their eyes, and thou ſhouldſt heal them: Theſe are the men, O Lord, who will not have thée reign over them, poure therefore thy indignation upon them, and bring them down in their pride and obſtinacy, Ver. 9 break them in pieces with a rod of iron, and daſh them into ſhivers like a Potters veſſel; of which being broken into ſmaller parcels, there is no uſe, nor hope or poſſibility of reparation.
Gracious God, Ver. 10 poure down the graces of thy holy Spirit upon all thy people, eſpecially upon the Kings and Rulers of the Earth; give them thoſe gifts that may make them wiſe, and thoſe graces that may make them good, let them learn their Duties, Ver. 11 and do their Duties to thée. O ſo encline all our hearts, that we may ſerve thee in fear, rejoyce before thee with reverence, that we kiſs, bow down, and adore thy Son, ſubmit and be obedient to him, receive his Doctrine, and acquieſce in his Laws, and never be at reſt till our heart aſſure us, that thou art reconciled unto us through him.
O who may ſtand in thy ſight when thou art angry, we tremble therefore to féel at this time the effect of thy hot wrath upon us, Ver. 12 for thou haſt ſuffered us to periſh from the right way; for truth, to embrace lying vanities; and for thy Goſpel, to worſhip our own imaginations. This is the juſt reward of our diſobedience; this is the juſt revenge and puniſhment of our ſin, in that we have not ſerved thée in fear, nor come into thy Courts, and rejoyced before thée with reverence, nor bow'd our knées and béen obedient to thy Son: Verſ. 12 For this thy wrath is kindled, and it burns not a little againſt us. O Lord, grant that this thy ſeverity may have a true impreſſion upon our hearts, let us be true penitents, and by our ſighs and groans give thée no reſt in heaven, till thou return and have mercy upon us. Recall us again to the right way, Vers. 12 and never let us more erre and wander from it. Confirm our hope, it rengthen our faith, alwayes let us put our confidence in thy mercy, knowing, that they alone who put their truſt in thée are bleſſed, for when thy wrath is kinded, they ſhall be gather'd under thy wings, and ſhall be ſafe under thy feathers.
Call us, O Lord, to thy truth, juſtifie us by thy Sons blood, ſanctifie us by his Spirit, and make us of that number to whom thou wilt ſay at the laſt day, Come ye Bleſſed of my Father, inherit the Kingdom prepared for you from the beginning of the world. Amen. Amen.