Davids Harp Strung and Tuned, Book 1 · Psalm 29
PSAL. XXIX. An Exhortation to praiſe God.
THERE be two parts of this Pſalm.
1. The Exhortation it ſelf, ver. 1, 2.
2. The Reaſons to perſwade, drawn,
1. From his Power, from ver. 3. to 11.
2. From the Protection of his people, ver. 11.
The Exhortation, which is rare, proceeds from a King, 1He exhorts Princes to praiſe God.and not from a common man; a Prince, a great Prince; minds Princes and great men, that there is one greater than they, and that therefore they yield unto him his due honour and worſhip.
1. That they withold it not from him, but freely yield it up, and give it; Ver. 1 for which he is very earneſt, as appears by the Anaphora, Give, give, give.
2. That in giving this, they yield him no more than his due; Give him the honour due unto his Name.
3. What they are to give, Glory and ſtrength: They muſt make his name to be glorious, give him ſuch glory as is fit for his name: 2. Then again, attribute their ſtrength to him.
4. That they bow before him, and adore him: Incurvate, Junius.
5. To perſwade this, he propoſeth two Reaſons.That they exhibit this honour in that place they ought, in atrii ſancto ejus: Vulg. In decoro ſanctitatis: Jun. In decore ſplendore, ornatu ſanctitatis: Moller. In the beauty of holineſs, his Temple.
And that they may the eaſilier be perſwaded to give the Lord this honour due unto him, he propoſeth two Reaſons to be conſidered.
1. 1His power ſhewn.His Power, a Power (though they be Filii fortium, high and mighty Potentates, far beyond theirs, which is ſeen in his Works of Nature; but paſſing by many other, he makes choice of the Thunder, and thoſe impreſſions that follow it; this he deſcribes,
1. From the nature of it; for however men of it do conceive natural cauſes, In the thunder, which is, Vox Jehovae.yet religious men will look higher, and when they hear thoſe fearful Murmures in the Aire, will confeſs with David, it is Vox Jehovae, Vox Jehovae, here ſeven times repeated; and this voyce hath affrighted the proudeſt, the mightieſt Tyrants.
2. From the place whence this voyce is given, the watery Clouds: The voyce of the Lord is above the waters, Ver. 3 upon many waters.
3. From the force and power: They are not vain and empty noiſes, but ſtrike a terrour; Humanas motura tonitrua mentes: The voyce of the Lord is powerful, Ver. 4 the voyce of the Lord full of Majeſty.
4. The effects of it.From the effects, which he explains by an induction.
1. Upon the ſtrongeſt Trees, the Cedars; the Cedars of Lebanon: The voyce of the Lord breaks the Cedars, &c.
2. Ver. 5 Upon the firmeſt Mountains, even Lebanus and Sirion; for ſometimes the Thunder is accompanied with an Earth-quake, and the Mountains dance, Ver. 6 and skip as a Calf.
3. Upon the Aire, which is no ſmall wonder; for when nothing is more contrary to fire, Ver. 7 than water, it is miraculous, that out of a watery Cloud, ſuch Balls of fire ſhould be darted: The voyce of the Lord divideth the flames of fire. Ver. 8
4. In the Creatures of all kinds, eſpecially the wild; for it makes them fear, and leave their Caves, and the Woods; yea, makes the Dear for fear abortive: The voyce of the Lord ſhaketh the Wilderneſs, &c. The voyce of the Lord maketh the Hindes to calve.
5. In the mighty Rains that follow upon it: When the Cataracts of Heaven are opened, and ſuch floods of water follow, that a man may juſtly fear a ſecond inundation would drown the World; out of all which he draws this concluſion, The Lord ſits King for ever. Ver. 10
2. 2His works of grace.His ſecond Reaſon, is drawn from his Works of Grace, when he moveth the hearts of his people to acknowledge his voyce, and to give him glory in his Temple; Ver. 10 in his Temple doth every man speak of his honour: Secondly, by the ſecurity he gives in people, even in that time he utters his voyce, and ſpeaks in Thunder; whereas the wicked then tremble and quake: The Lord will give strength unto his people; Ver. 11 the Lord will bleſs his people with peace: i. e. ſecurity, and peace of conſcience.
The Meditation collected out of the twenty ninth Pſalm.
O Omnipotent God, whereſoever we caſt our eyes, Ver. 1 we have occaſion to fall low before thy Foot-ſtool, to adore, worſhip, and praiſe thée, ſo admirable and illuſtrious is thy dignity and glory, which is apparent in all thy Creatures. Thy voyce, O Lord, is heard in the Clouds above, whence thou roareſt to us in Thunder, and whence being reſolv'd into Rain, thou ſendeſt many and mighty waters. In this murmur of the Aire, thy voyce is heard with ſo much power and Majeſty, that the greateſt Atheiſts have trembled at it, and hid themſelves; thy voyce hath béen ſo terrible to their ears, thy preſence in that voyce ſo full of horrour to their guilty conſciences: This thy voyce is of ſo great ſtrength, that it breaks the Cedars, and ſplits to pieces the ſtrongeſt Daks: Thoſe mighty Trées have béen torn by the voyce of thy Thunder, and rent aſunder by thy hot Thunder-bolts: The earth was alſo moved, and ſhook withall; and the rocky mountains, and ſtrong hills of Lebanon did tremble and quiver, and leap too and fro at thy voyce. At thy voyce it is, that thoſe bottles of Heaven at the ſame inſtant ſend down Rain, and dart flames of fiery lightnings mi…'c with that water: Thy voyce it is, that makes all the Beaſts of the Deſert to tremble and ſhake, and to leave for fear their Dens and Thickets, and to diſcover themſelves to purſuit and danger; yea, to abortion. The breath of thy mouth makes bare the Trées, and thy blaſts rend off the branches: The Rain ſometimes deſcends in ſuch Spouts and violence, as if it threaten to drown the World; but it is thy hand that preſerves the earth: For thou ſitteſt upon the flood, and kéepeſt in the waters, that they overflow not, nor paſs farther than thou haſt decréed. O Lord our God, thou remaineſt a King for ever.
O then all ye, who are mighty upon earth, give unto the Lord, give unto the Lord glory and ſtrength, acknowledge that you have your power and glory from him: Give unto the Lord the glory due to his Name, worſhip the Lord in the beauty of holineſs, adore him in his holy Temple, where his ſervice hath beauty in it, and in which every one doth ſpeak of his glory. O Lord, while the wicked do tremble at thy voyce, thy people are thereby confirmed againſt dangers and calamities: For thou, Lord, wilt give ſtrength unto thy people: Bleſs, O Lord, thy people with the bleſſing of peace.
A Prayer out of the ſame Pſalm.
O Almighty God, great hath béen thy mercy unto us, that by the voyce of thy Son, thou haſt made known unto us the great myſteries of our ſalvation: O let this thunder never ſound in our ears, but let it ſtrike a terrour into our hearts, that we deſpiſe not ſo great Redemption, and let it raiſe in our eyes a ſhowre of penitent tears, that our ſins ſhould crucifie the Son of God.
O let this thy voyce be full of Power and Majeſty; powerful, for the converſion of many people, and ſo full of Majeſty, that all the Potentates and wife men of the World fall low, and worſhip thée; make it of that ſtrength, that they be never able to reſiſt it; and of that efficacy, that hey be willing to yield to it: As for thoſe tall and proud Cedars, which obſtinately and maliciouſly refuſe to give thée the Honour due to thy Name, break them in pieces, and let them féel thy hand.
But for thoſe who are moved by this thy voyce, divide unto them the flames of thy ſpiritual fire, that may illuminate and melt, and puriſſe their blind, hard, and polluted cold hearts; diſtribute and divide unto them the gifts of thy Spirit, ſubdue their vices by thy Grace: Let them méet in thy Temple, and alwayes praiſe thée in the beauty of holineſs: Bleſs them with peace of conſcience while they are in this vally of tears and trouble, and receive them at laſt to an eternal peace in the life to come. Amen.