Davids Harp Strung and Tuned, Book 1 · Psalm 24
PSAL. XXIV. Of Chriſts Dominion, and the Church: and his Aſcenſion.
THE Subject of this Pſalm is Chriſt, calld, The King of Glory, verſ. 7. And it hath two parts.
1. The firſt that concerns Chriſts Lordſhip, which is in general over the whole world, verſ. 1, 2. But in particular, the Church, from verſ. 3. to verſ. 7.
2. An Exhortation to all men, to receive Chriſt for their King.
The firſt part of this Pſalm ſhews, that God is King of all the world, The firſt part. Chriſts Dominion.but in his Kingdom he hath two kind of Subjects.
1. Either all men in general, For the earth is the Lords, Vers. 1 and all that therein is; the compaſs of the world, and they that dwell therein. 1Over all.And of it he gives a reaſon, from the Creation of it. He ought to have the dominion of it, Vers. 2 and all in it: For he hath founded it upon the Seas, and eſtabliſh'd it upon the floods.
2. But all are not his Subjects in the ſame way. There are a people, 2Over the Church.whom he hath call'd to be his Subjects in another manner. A Mountain there is, which he hath ſanctified, and choſen above all other Hills, to make the Seat of his Kingdom, 'tis the Church, and over them that live in it he is in a more peculiar manner ſaid to be a Lord, than of the whole earth. And theſe are more properly call'd his Servants and Subjects. And yet among theſe there is a difference too. For ſome only profeſs to be his Servants, and call him Lord, as Hypocrites; ſome other there are, that are his Servants really and truly. And that this difference be taken notice of, the Prophet asks, Quis? Vers. 3 Who ſhall aſcend into the bill of the Lord? And, Who ſhall ſtand in his holy place? In which ſome of his Subject. are hypocritesAs if he ſhould ſay, Not Quiſquis. 'Tis not every one; for Infidels are not ſo much as in the Church. Hypocrites, howſoever in the Church, are no true Members of the Myſtical Church, and ſome which come to the Hill of the Lord, yet ſtand not in his Holy place; For many believe only for a ſeaſon, and few continue faithful to death.
3. That then it be truly known, 2Others true Subjects. Their Characters.who they are over whom he is truly Rex gloriae, The King of glory. The Prophet gives us their Character, and ſets down three diſtinctive Notes by which they may be known.
1. Cleanneſs of hands. He that hath clean hands: à cade furto, &c. Vers. 4 is free from all external wicked actions. 1Clean handsFor the hand is foreign.
2. Purity of heart. For external purity is not enough, except the heart, 2A pure heart.the Fountain of our actions, be clean. Hypocriſis eſt in cor conſentiat.
3. Truth of the tongue, is not guilty of lyes and perjuries. 3A true tongue.He that hath clean hands, and a pure heart, who hath not lift up his ſoul unto vanity: nor ſworne deceitfully. After that the Prophet had given the Character by which you may know the man, he then aſſigns his reward, and ends with an acclamation.
1. Their reward a bleſſing.This is he that ſhall receive the bleſſing from the Lord, and righteouſneſs, i. e. be juſtified, from the God of his Salvation.
2. Vers. 5 Vers. 6 This is the generation of them that ſeek thee: i. e. Theſe are the people of God: Becauſe theſe are alone the people of God.let other boaſt themſelves, and pleaſe themſelves as they liſt, yet theſe are the godly party, theſe they that ſeek thy face, O Jacob, i.e. O God of Jacob.
This part is an Exhortation to all men in the whole world, The ſecond part.eſpecially Princes, Nobles, He exhorts all to receive Chriſt.Magiſtrates, that they receive, acknowledge, and worſhip Chriſt as King.
1. Life up your heads, O ye gates, i. e. O you Princes that ſit in the gates, Vers. 7 lift up your heads and hearts, be ye lift up you everlaſting doors, portae mundi, and the King of glory ſhall come in.
2. Vers. 8 To which good counſel, the Prophet brings in the Princes asking this Queſtion in ſcorn and contempt, Which they deride,Who is the King of glory? To which he anſwers, The Lord, ſtrong and mighty, the Lord, mighty in Battle. I tell you who he is, To their ruine.one able to deſtroy you, and will deſtroy you if you reject him: For he is far beyond all the ſtrength and power of men. He is the Lord, mighty in Battle, Dominus excercituum. And that his Exhortation pierce the deeper, he ingeminates it with the anſwer, verſ. 9, 10. I know this laſt part is otherwiſe interpreted, and I diſlike it not. See Bellarmine.
The Prayer out of Pſalm 24. which was compoſed to be Sung on the Sabbath.
O Omnipotent God the Creatour and preſerver of the whole Vniverſe, Vers. 1 who art Lord of the whole earth, of whoſe fulneſs all partake, and to whom all that dwell in the world owe homage and ſubjection. For thou haſt created the Globe of this earth upon which we tread, Vers. 2 and ſo immoveably founded and fixed it upon the floods, that the violence of the Sea doth not overwhelm it, nor the waves thereof aſcend above it: We acknowledge that the whole ſtock of men, that walk upon this earth, and are ſuſtain'd from it, as they are thy creatures, ſo they are thy vaſſals, and that thou haſt a juſt dominion over them. This is an Argument of thy Power and Majeſty. But thy love to man-kind hath far more abounded, in that out of all Nations thou haſt caſt thy eye upon a ſelect company, vouchſafed to call them into thy Church, Vers. 3 in which thou haſt ſet thy Seat, as ſometime in Mount Zion, that thou wilt dwell among theſe, be adored by theſe, and give a favourable anſwer to the petitions that theſe ſhall make unto thée.
Of theſe thou requireſt integrity, purity, fidelity. Clean hands, a pure heart, Vers. 4 and a faithful tongue. Theſe are the generation that ſéek thée, and to theſe thou haſt promiſed thy bleſſing, thy mercy. Grant therefore, O Lord. that we may have hands clenſed from all impure actions, a heart frée from all hypocriſie, and baſe affections: a tongue, that will never take thy Name in vain, either raſhly, deceitfully, or maliciouſly, but that in heart, word, and déed, we may be ſo ſincere, that we may be accompted by thée of that number, who are worthy to aſcend into the Hill of the Lord, and dwell, remain, and continue in thy Holy place. O Lord, afford us thy grace thus to ſeek thee, and then we ſhall never deſpair of thy bleſſings, and notwithſtanding our failings, we ſhall have good hope to have thy righteouſneſs imputed to us for our juſtification, when we ſhall appear before the God of our Salvation.
O Lord, who art the Saviour of all thoſe that ſéek and open to thée, I lift up my heart to thée, being deſtrous to approach thy preſence in the right place, where thou may'ſt be found, and the right time, whileſt thou may'ſt be found: Open my dull ears, and hard heart, that thy Son, my Saviour, that King of Glory may come in and dwell with me. Grant me grace, Ver. 7 that I may ſtill hear while he calls, open while he knocks, and kéep him with me after he is entred, that I may aſcend thy Hill, and ſtand in thy holy place, that I may not only ſojourn in thy Tabernacle, but alſo reſt and dwell upon the Mountain of thy holineſs.
And, O Lord, give this Grace unto all Princes, that they ſhut not the gates, nor of their Cities, nor hearts, againſt thy Son, when he would enter, and bring the glorious light of the Goſpel; rather let them ſet them wide open, that there may be a frée paſſage for the King of Glory to enter; for then thou, Ver. 8 who art the Lord of Hoſts, and Mighty in Battle, wilt go forth with their Armies, and ſubdue before them their enemies.
O thou, who art the King of Glory, the Lord ſtrong and mighty, remember thy dwelling place that now lies waſte, and thoſe doors in which we do hope everlaſtingly to praiſe thée: By theſe we entred to offer unto thée our ſupplications before thée, in theſe houſes we were want to praiſe thée: But now they are thrown down, deſolate, and forſaken: Ariſe therefore, O Lord, thou and the Ark of thy ſtrength; build again the walls of Jeruſalem, and ſet up the gates of Zion, that thy people may enter in, and magnifie thy Name, ſinging with joyful lips, Thine is the Kingdom, the Power and the Glory, for ever and ever. Amen.