Davids Harp Strung and Tuned, Book 1 · Psalm 33
PSAL. XXXIII. Is foreign. The Contents are,
1. AN Exhortation to the juſt to praiſe God, verſ. 1, 2, 3.
2. The Arguments he uſeth to perſwade to it, from verſ. 3. to 20.
3. The Confidence of Gods people in his Name. Their joy in him, and petition to him, verſ. 20, 21, 22.
1. David exhorts the righteous to praiſe God. The firſt part.In the three firſt verſes he exhorts to praiſe God. But whom?
1. The righteous, not all. For praiſe is comely for the upright.
2. That it be given with all zeal and affection, with exultation, with ſinging, Vers. 1 with voice, with inſtruments. Some new Song compoſed for ſome new mercy; Vers. 2 and that it be skilfully expreſſed.
2. His reaſons. The ſecond part.To this he perſwades upon divers good grounds.
1. The firſt in general, fetcht from the truth, the faithfulneſs, the juſtice, the goodneſs of God. 1. For the Word of the Lord is right. 2. Vers. 4 And all his works are done in Truth. 3. He loveth righteouſneſs and judgement. 1From Gods goodneſs, &c.4. The earth is full of the goodneſs of the Lord. Vers. 5
2. 2From his power.His ſecond Argument is fetcht from Gods power in the Creation of all things: and that by his Word alone, verſ. 6, 7, 9. and upon it interſerts, Let all the earth fear the Lord, let all the inhabitants of the world ſtand in awe of him.
3. Vers. 8 3His providence.His third Argument is fetcht from Gods providence in governing the world, which may eaſily be diſcerned by thoſe who will diligently conſider his wayes and proceedings both to other people, and to his Church.
1. 1In defeating his enemies.He makes void all ſtratagems undertaken againſt his Will, not of ſingle men, but whole Nations: The Lord bringeth the counſel of the heathen to nought: Vers. 10 He maketh the devices of the people to be of none effect.
2. Vers. 11 Whereas on the contrary, what he hath decreed ſhall be done, 'tis not poſſible to infringe it. 2In bringing to paſs his counſels.The counſel of the Lord ſtands for ever: the thoughts of his heart to all generations.
Upon the conſideration of which, he breaks out into this Epiphonema, Vers. 12 Bleſsed is the Nation, whoſe God is the Lord; and the people, For which he accompts his people bleſſed. He amplifies Gods providence; and illuſtrates it,whom he hath choſen for his inheritance.
After which he returns to his diſcourſe of Gods providence, and by an elegant hypotypoſis, amplifies his former Argument. For he ſets God before us, as ſome great King in his Throne, providing for all the parts of his Empire, examining all Cauſes, and doing juſtice to every one.
1. Vers. 13 The Lord looks from heaven, and beholds all the ſons of men.
2. That he ſees all.From the place of his habitation, he looks upon all the inhabitants of the earth. Vers. 14
3. And he is not …ioſus spectator neither. Vers. 15 He ſees and conſiders their hearts, their works.Conſiders in what men put their truſt.
And he ſees in what they put their confidence, in their Armies, in thei… ſtrength, in their Horſe, not in him; But all in vain. Vers. 16 For there is no King that can be ſaved by the multitude of an Hoaſt: Evacuates their deſigns.A mighty man is not delivered by much strength: An horſe is a vain thing for ſafety, neither ſhall he deliver any man by his great strength. Multitude, ſtrength, &c. without God are uſeleſs.
2. Hitherto he hath given a proof of Gods providence toward all men; 2But defends his Church.but now he deſcends to a particular proof of it, by his care over his Church, which he wonderfully guides, defends, protects in all dangers and aſſaults: And that notice be taken of it, he begins with an Ecce.
Behold the eye of the Lord, his tender'ſt care is over them that fear him, Vers. 18 upon them that hope in his mercy.
To deliver their ſoul from death, and to keep them alive in famine.Upon this Gods people The third part.
The three laſt verſes contain the Acclamation of Gods people, who believe and place all their hope and truſt in God. For being excited, as it were, by the former Arguments. They do three things. Vers. 20
1. They expreſs and profeſs their faith and dependance on God, 1Wait on him.Our ſoul waiteth on God, he is our help, and our ſhield. Vers. 21
2. They publiſh upon what hope they are held up, and how comforted, 2Publiſh his name, and rejoice in it.For our heart ſhall rejoice in him, becauſe we have truſted in his Holy Name. Vers. 22
3. Upon this hope, they commend themſelves by prayer to God, 3Commend themſelves to Gods mercy.Let thy mercy, O Lord, be upon us, according as we hope in thee.
The Prayer collected out of the thirty third Pſalm.
O God, thy goodneſs is ſo great, thy faithfulneſs ſo conſtant, thy power ſo wonderful, thy providence ſo univerſal, but thy care ſo Fatherly toward thy people, that we were unworthy of the leaſt of thy mercies, ſhould we not acknowledge them, and return thee due honour and thanks. For there is nothing in the whole world, which doth not witneſs thée to be a bountiful God, Vers. 4 and a moſt Merciful Father.
Thy Word, O Lord, thy Decrée, for the Creation and Government of the World, is right and equal, and all thy works are done in true wiſdom, righteouſneſs, and judgement. Vers. 5 For there is nothing that thou haſt commanded which is not juſt: Nothing that thou haſt promiſed, which thou wilt not make good, and bring to paſs. Out of that love thou beareſt to righteouſneſs and judgement, the earth is full of thy goodneſs, there being in it nothing ſo minute and vile, which one way or other doth not partake of thy bounty, Vers. 6 and commend thy goodneſs and mercy to us. By thy Word alone, and ſole Command, were thoſe incorruptible Orbs of the Heavens made and confirm'd, and all the hoaſt of them, that multitude of ſtarres ſo orderly and beautifully diſpoſed by the breath, the word, the Fiat of thy mouth. Thou haſt gather'd together thoſe unruly waters of the Sea, into one place, and ſhut them up with bounds and limits, that they return not again to cover the earth. And thou haſt hidden and laid up great ſtreams of waters in the bowels of the earth, as in a Treaſure-houſe, which at thy pleaſure thou bring'ſt forth to water a thirſty Land. He ſpake and all this was done, he commanded, and it ſtood faſt. For ſo great is thy power, that without any labour, without any delay, without any help, all this was done, and that by thy Will and Word only, and by thy Word and Will it is that it doth ſo now continue, and remain without diſſolution.
Therefore, O ye righteous, rejoice in the Lord; Praiſe is not comely in the mouth of a ſinner, Vers. 2 praiſe therefore a righteous God with an upright heart. Neither with your mouth only expreſs his praiſe, but ſet it forth with muſical inſtruments. Praiſe the Lord with the Harp, ſing unto him with the Pſaltery, and an inſtrument of ten ſtrings. And you who have ſo often ſung of his honour, now ſince he hath renew'd his mercies, ſet forth your joy with a New Song, play skilfully with a loud voice. So ſet forth his praiſe, his power, his wiſdom, his mercy, that all the earth may fear the Lord, and the inhabitants of the world ſtand in awe of him. For what he hath ordained by his eternal counſel, ſhall be fulfill'd, and ſtand faſt for ever, and the thoughts of his heart to all generations. Since then thou, O Jehovah, art moſt juſt, moſt merciful, moſt Mighty, bleſſed is that Nation, who have choſen and worſhipped thee, O Lord, for their God, and happy is the people, whom thou haſt choſen for thine inheritance. O make us, Lord, alwayes of this people, that we may be happy under thy protection: Dwell in the midſt of us, and bleſs us.
But, O Lord, bring the counſels of wicked men, againſt this thy people, to nought, and make the devices of the people of none effect. Look down from heaven, and behold all the ſons of men, from the place of thy habitation look upon the inhabitants of the earth. Thou ſearcheſt the very hearts and reins, and knoweſt all their plots and ſecret counſels they take againſt thy people, thou ſéeſt their preparations and proviſions. O Lord, make them know, and ſo faſhion their hearts, that they may perceive, that all hope and confidence is in vain which is not in thée. Becauſe there is no other can ſave beſides thy ſelf. For there is no King that can be ſaved by the multitude of an hoaſt, neither is a mighty man deliver'd by much ſtrength. An Horſe, whether in battle or flight, is a vain-deceitful thing to ſave a man, neither ſhall he deliver his rider by his great ſtrength. It is not in theſe vain helps we put our conſidence, our hope is in thée alone, on thée we relie, to thée we truſt, from thée we look for help. Let thy eye, therefore, O Lord, be upon us that fear thee, who relie not upon any merits and creatures, but on thy méer mercy, let thy everlaſting mercy then follow us, and deliver our ſouls from temporal and eternal death, and ſuffain us with a ſufficient livelihood in the time of famine.
Upon thee, O Lord, our ſoul doth wait, be our ſhield to protect us, our help to deliver us. So ſhall our heart rejoice in thee, and we ſhall have juſt occaſion to triumph, that we have truſted in thy Holy Name. O Lord, let thy infinite Mercy be upon us, according as we hope in thee. For thy Sons ſake we hope for mercy, and for his ſake let it deſcend upon us. Amen.