Davids Harp Strung and Tuned, Book 1 · Psalm 8
PSAL. VIII. This Hymn is a Meditation of Gods excellent goodneſs and glory ſhining in his Creatures, eſpecially in man.
IT begins and ends with a general propoſition, David admires Gads greatneſs, goodneſs, &c.figur'd by an exclamation, which contains an Admiration, for he doth admire what he cannot perfectly comprehend. O Lord our Governour, how excellent is thy Name in all the world? Vers. 1 who haſt ſet thy glory above the heavens. Such is the glory of thy Divinity, power, Vers. 1 goodneſs, that it fills not only the earth, but tranſcends the very heavens, in which Angels, and bleſſed Spirits, though they know much more than we on earth, yet cannot perfectly comprehend thy Majeſty which fills all, exceeds all.Of which he gives divers inſtances.
This general being premiſed, Of which he gives divers inſtances.the Prophet deſcends to ſome particular inſtances, in which the excellency of Gods name doth appear; and he gives forth three. Firſt, Infants. Secondly, The heavens, and the Luminaries therein. Thirdly, Man himſelf.
1. The excellency of Gods power, divinity and goodneſs, appears in infants; 1In infants,Out of the mouth of Babes and Sucklings haſt thou ordained ſtrength. 1. Vers. 2 The ſucking of babes, and ſpeaking of infants, are evident demonſtrations of Gods ſtrength and excellent name. For who taught the babe to ſuck, or the dumb infant to ſpeak, but the Lord our Governour? 2. Or the innocent babes that dyed for him by Herods hand were Martyrs, and declared his ſtrength. 3. Or the children that cryed Hoſanna. 4. Or by Babes is meant, ſuch as the worldly wiſe repute no better than children and fools; by ſimple Prophets, ignorant fiſhermen, humble confeſſours, hath he perfected his praiſe, and ſtill'd the enemy, and the avenger; confounded the wiſeſt Philoſophers, and ſtopp'd the mouth of Devils.
2. The next inſtance, 2In the heavens.in which the glory and excellency of Gods name is manifeſted, is, the Heavens, Moon, Stars. Theſe are the works of his fingers: Vers. 3 call'd here therefore, Thy heavens. Whoſe amplitude is great, order and Orbs wonderful, beauty admirable, matter durable, motion various, yet ſtable: Together with the ſtars, whoſe multitude is numerous, magnitude various, order admirable, influences ſecret and wonderful; and the conſtant courſe of the Moon, and the other great Luminary, all which thou haſt order'd and ordain'd. When, I ſay, I conſider this, then I think with my ſelf,
What is man, Vers. 4 that thou art mindful of him? or the ſon of man, that thou viſiteſt him? 3In Man.which is his third inſtance, to manifeſt the excellency of Gods providence and government of the world. In which he reflects upon man in his baſeneſs, and his dignity.
1. Whoſe vileneſs the Prophet conſidering,In his baſeneſs, vileneſs and miſery; ſignified by the queſtion, What is man? as if he ſhould ſay, What a poor creature? how miſerable? what except duſt and aſhes, when he was at the beſt? for he was taken from the duſt of the ground, even then, when God created him after his own image. But now miſerable duſt, while he lives; and to duſt he ſhall return when he dyes. What then is this miſerable creature, of what worth, of what value, that thou ſo great, ſo immenſe a Creatour of all other things, that dwelleſt above the ſtars, and celeſtial Orbs, ſhouldſt vouchſafe to viſit, and have a care of him?
2. Admires the love and care of God to him.For that is his Dignity, that above all other creatures thy love is greateſt to man. This thou haſt ſhew'd theſe wayes.
1. 1In viſiting him.In viſiting him. Thou viſiteſt him, and art mindful of him.
1. Thou viſiteſt him, by conferring many temporal bleſſings on him.
2. Thou wert mindful of him, and viſitedſt him firſt by thy Prophets, then in perſon by thy dear Son, that brought Redemption to him when he was utterly loſt.
2. Vers. 5 In making him thy ſecond creature. The Angels firſt, him next; and not in all things inferiour to them. 2In making him little lower than the Angels.Thou madeſt him a little lower than the Angels; Lower indeed according to his body and bodily neceſſities, but in the faculties of his ſoul reſembling thoſe celeſtial Spirits.
3. 3In adorning him with glory and worſhip.In creating him after thy own image: which when he had loſt, thou again repairedſt and reſtoredſt it, making him a partaker of the Divine Nature in thy Son. And ſo didſt compaſs, inveſt and adorn him with glory and worſhip.
4. Vers. 6 In making him Lord of all thy creatures, Thou mad'ſt him to have dominion over the works of thy hands, 4In making him Lord of all creatures.and putt'ſt all things under his feet, that they ſhould all obey, ſerve him, as their Lord, and turn to his uſe and profit; which though true of man, yet it eſpecially belongs to Chriſt when he took our humane nature; for he was heir of all things. And we in Chriſt are reſtored to our dominion over the creatures. Which the Prophet illuſtrates and amplifies in particular.
1. Vers. 7 All ſheep and oxen, yea and the beasts of the field.
2. The fowls of the air, the fiſhes of the ſea, &c.
He cloſes the Pſalm with that foreign he began, The foreignO Lord our Governour, how excellent is thy Name in all the world?
The Meditation or Prayer collected out of the eighth Pſalm.
O Lord our God and governour, Vers. 1 how great, how admirable, how ecxellent is thy Name not only in Judea, but in all the earth? Our words are too flat to expreſs, our ſenſes and reaſon too weak to comprehend the wiſdom of thy wayes, the immenſity of thy goodneſs, which thou haſt ſhew'd to the children of men. Thy name and thy will thou haſt made known in thy Word, thy name thou haſt magnified in thy works, both which as often as we conſider, we are put into aſtoniſhment and admiration. From this earth we caſt up our eyes to heaven, and in that Arch we behold nothing but matters of wonder, for thou haſt ſet thy glory above the heavens. There is thy Seat and Throne of Majeſty, there the Angels and Saints praiſe thée, there the Sun and the Moon with all the ſtars, proclaim thy glory. O Lord our God, how excellent is thy Name in all the earth? thou haſt ſet thy glory above the heavens.
And though this thy goodneſs is diffuſed, and may be ſéen in all things, yet it is in nothing more admirable, than in thy providence for infants and ſucklings, Vers. 2 for out of the mouth of theſe thou haſt ordained ſtrength. The child is no ſooner born, but thou haſt ordained a teat for it to ſuck, and a ſtrange inſtinct to ſéek after it: The young of any creature is no ſooner brought forth, but thou haſt provided for it milk and nouriſhment, by which it ſhould live, grow up, increaſe, and become ſtrong: So great is thy care, thy love, thy proviſion for all creatures.
But, which is yet more wonderful, theſe very infants and ſucklings could no ſooner ſpeak, but thou haſt taught their tongues to ſound forth Hoſannah to the Son of David. What were all thy Prophets, and Apoſtles, but, as it were, babes and ſucklings, rude and illiterate men? and yet in their mouths thou didſt perfect the praiſe. It was not by the power of arms, it was not by ſtrength, it was not by humane wiſdom and prudence, that thou didſt convert the world, and gather thy Church, but thou didſt make choice of thoſe ignorant and weak men, by whoſe mouths no better than Babes and Sucklings thou wouldſt ſtill that enemy of our ſouls the Devil, and put to ſilence that avenger of our ſins, Satan, who by thée is appointed to take, and is well pleaſed that he may take a juſt and cruel revenge upon us for our diſobedience.
Thou hadſt more glorious creatures in heaven to ſet thy love upon, thoſe great whéels which are the work of thy fingers, the Moon and the Stars, Vers. 3 which thou haſt ordained. And theſe are not, nor ever were diſobedient to thy word, they do their duties, they move in a conſtant courſe, and ſend forth their light and influences, they ſet and riſe, and riſe and ſet by that perpetual law that thou haſt preſcribed. Whereas Man is a rebellious creature, that diſobeys thy word, and daily provokes thée to diſpleaſure, the imaginations of his heart being evil continually.
What is man therefore, that thou ſhouldſt be mindful of him, Vers. 4 or the ſon of man, that thou ſhouldſt conſider him, and viſit him? Thou art potent, man is weak; thou wiſe, man fooliſh; thou the Lord of all, man poor and in want; thou inhabiteſt eternity, man is a mortal; thou art glorious, man baſe and vile, from the duſt, and to return to the duſt; thou holy, and man ſinful, and wilt thou open thy eye upon ſuch an one? wilt thou kéep him in mind? wilt thou remember ſo vile and diſobedient a wretch for good? and viſit him with thy grace and mercy? Was it a ſmall thing, that thou ſhouldſt create him after thine own image, that thou ſhouldſt cloath, féed and ſuſtain him in this life, but that when he had wilfully defaced this thy image, and was utterly loſt, thou ſhouldſt ſend thine own Son in the ſimilitude of ſinful fleſh to viſit and redéem him?
The Angels are the moſt glorious of thy creatures, Vers. 5 and thou haſt made man little lower than thoſe bleſſed Spirits. He fell from this high dignity, became deſtitute of grace, ſubject to ſin, vanity, miſery, and puniſhment, but in this forlorn condition thou didſt not forſake him, but haſt crowned him with glory and honour. Thou honouredſt him that deſerv'd to lie under diſgrace and ignominy; thou reſtoredſt him to life, that deſerv'd to dye; thou madeſt him partaker of the Divine Nature, who had blotted out the Divine Character from his ſoul; in a word, of a ſervant and have of ſin, thou framedſt him anew, and madeſt him a Lord, and preparedſt a Crown of glory for him.
To enjoy that, Lord, is our hope and expectation, becauſe it is thy promiſe; Vers. 6 and that our hearts fail us not in the way, thou haſt in the mean time left us a pledge and a pawn. Man by his fall loſt his Soveraignty over the creatures, but thou haſt reſtored him in thy Son to his command. Vers. 7 Thou haſt made him to have dominion over the works of thy hands, and haſt put all things in ſubjection under his feet. Thou haſt given him Sheep to cloath him, Oxen to labour for him, the beaſts of the field to obey and fear him, the fowls of the air, and fiſhes of the Sea, and whatſoever walketh through the paths of the Seas for varieties, and dainties to féed and ſupply him.
The conſideration of this thy bounty to mankind, that deſerv'd it, not enforceth from me, Vers. 9 that exclamation with which I began, O Lord, O Lord our governour, how excellent is thy Name in all the earth?
O our God, ſince thou haſt béen ſo mindful of us, never ſuffer us to be unmindful of thée: ſince thou haſt ſhew'd thy mercy in viſiting and redéeming us, never let us ſhew ourſelves unthankful for this thy viſitation and redemption. Suffer us not to abuſe thy creatures which thou haſt given us for food, nor thy gifts beſtow'd for clothing, nor wantonly and cruelly to make uſe of our dominion. But give us grace ſo highly to eſtéem of thy rich mercies, and with ſuch temperance and ſobriety to uſe thy creatures, that thy Name thereby may ſtill be the more magnified, thy bounty exalted, thy providence more declared, thy honour enlarged, thy perſon glorified, and our ſouls at laſt ſaved by the merits of our Lord and Saviour Ieſus Chriſt. Amen.