Davids Harp Strung and Tuned, Book 2 · Psalm 45
PSAL. XLV. An Epithalamium, or ſpiritual Marriage-Song, compoſed for the ſolemn eſpouſal of Chriſt and his Church.
THE Type of the Meſſiah is Solomon; of the Church, eſpecially of the Gentiles, to be eſpouſed, Pharaoh's daughter.
Three parts there are of the Pſalm.
1. A Preface, v. 1, 2.
2. The body of the Pſalm, containing two commendations.
1. Of the Bridegroom, from ver. 3. to 10.
2. Of the Bride, from ver. 10. to 18.
3. The Concluſion promiſſory and laudatory, ver. ult.
1. In the Preface, the Prophet commends the Subject he is to treat of, The firſt part. The Preface.ſignifying:
1. That is a good thing; good, as ſpeaking of the Son of God, Ver. 1 who is the chief good.
2. And good for us; for upon the Marriage of Chriſt to his Church depends our good.
2. That the Authour of this Pſalm, and the Subject of it, is God: He was but the pen, the inſtrument to write it, full he was of the Holy Ghoſt; therefore his heart was enditing, and his tongue followed the dictate of his heart, and preſently became the inſtrument of the ready Writer, viz. of the Holy Spirit: My tongue is the pen of a ready Writer.
And ſo having inſinuated into his Auditory, 1. The ſecond part.By the commendation of the matter of which he is to treat; viz. that it is good. 2. That it tends to a good end; viz. to the honour of the King: i. e. Chriſt the King of his Church. He falls upon the main buſineſs, which hath two particulars.
1. He turns his ſpeech to Chriſt the King, The excellency of Chriſt.and commends him for many eminent and excellent endowments, never was there ſuch a Spouſe.
1. For his beauty: Thou art fairer than the children of men.
2. For his elocution and ſpeech: Full of grace are thy lips. Ver. 2
3. For his valour and fortitude: Gird thee with thy Sword upon thy thigh, O moſt Mighty. Ver. 3
4. For his happy ſucceſs and proſperity in his Kingdom: Ver. 4 And in thy Majesty ride on proſperouſly.
5. For his equal adminiſtration of his Kingdom, in Truth, Meekneſs, Righteouſneſs: Ride on, becauſe of Truth, Meekneſs and Righteouſneſs. Ver. 5
6. For his Battels and Conqueſts: Thy right hand ſhall teach thee terrible things; thine arrows are ſharp in the heart of the Kings enemies, Ver. 6 whereby the people ſhall fall under thee.
7. For the ſtability and eternity of his power: Thy Throne, O God, Ver. 7 is for ever and ever.
8. For his juſtice and equity: The Scepter of thy Kingdom is a right Scepter; Thou lovest righteouſneſs, and hateſt iniquity.
9. For the fulneſs of his gifts and graces, ſuperlatively beyond all others: Therefore God, thy God, hath anointed thee with the oyle of gladneſs above thy Fellows.
10. For his ſplendour both in his garments and buildings: All thy garments ſmell of Myrrhe, Ver. 8 Cinnamon and Caſſia; out of the ivory Palaces, whereby they have made the glad.
There is nothing we can call good, The commendation of the Church.either internally, or externally, nothing praiſe-worthy in any Prince, that may not be found in this King.
2. From the Bridegroom he deſcends to commend the Bride, which is the Catholick Church, whom he ſets forth:
1. By her Attendance: 1. No mean perſons, but Kings daughters, and honourable women. Ver. 9
2. By her Name, Title and Dignity: A Queen.
3. By her Place: On the right hand did ſtand the Queen.
4. By her Attire and Veſture: She ſtood in a veſture of gold of Ophir.
And in the very midſt of this great Encomium, His counſel to the Church.he breaks off, and by an Apoſtrophe, turns his ſpeech to the Church, leſt ſhe forget her ſelf in the height of her honour, giving her this good counſel.
1. Ver. 10 O daughter of the moſt High, audi, hearken, mark what Chriſt ſaith.
2. Ʋide, look about, and conſider what is done for thee.
3. Incline thine ear, and be obedient.
4. Forget thine own people, and thy fathers houſe, leave all for Chriſt; thy old wayes, Ver. 11 thy old opinions; deny thy ſelf.
5. The conſequence, Gods favour and good will. Reaſons to perſwade to obedience.The conſequence of which will be this: So ſhall the King have pleaſure in thy beauty, ver. 11.
6. And there is all the reaſon in the World, that thou hear, that thou be obedient and conformable to his Will.
1. For firſt, He is the Lord thy God, and thou ſhalt worſhip him.
2. Then again, it will redound to thy benefit, for thence will accrue unto thee great wealth; Ver. 12 Tyre ſhall bring the purple, and rich gifts: The daughter of Tyre ſhall be there with a gift, and the rich among the people ſhall intreat thy favour, ver. 12.
The counſel and admonition being ended, The ſecond Encomium of the Church.he returns again to the Encomium of the Spouſe, and commends her:
1. For her inward vertues and endowments: The Kings daughter; i. e. the Church, Ver. 13 is all glorious within.
2. For her externals; whether doctrine, manners, offices, which are as it were, her cloathing; 'tis of wrought gold.
3. For her Rites and Ceremonies: They are as Needle-work, of divers colours, Ver. 14 in divers Churches.
4. Her Maids of Honour, Ʋirgins, holy and ſincere ſouls, men pure in heart, in life and doctrine, living in every particular Church, theſe her companions ſhall follow her.
1. Theſe from all Nations ſhall be brought to thee; i. e. the Church.
2. Ver. 15 They ſhall be brought with joy and gladneſs, and enter into the Kings Palace; Ver. 16 gladly and willingly they ſhall enter into his Courts on earth, and after be received to a Manſion in Heaven.
5. For her fruitfulneſs: Barren ſhe ſhall not be, for ſhe ſhall have many children, The Churches gratitude.good children, and great; for the Fathers, the Patriarchs, Prophets, Prieſts in the old Law; Apoſtles, Evangeliſts, and their Succeſſors in the New, that may be made Princes in all Lands; her Officers are not contemptible.
3. The third partThe concluſion, which is gratulatory; for for this honour the Church would,
1. Erect, as it were, a ſtatue; I will make thy Name to be remembred in all Generations.
2. Ver. 17 The praiſe ſhall be perpetuated: Therefore ſhall the people praiſe thee for ever and ever.
The Prayer collected out of the forty fifth Pſalm.
LET the words of my mouth, and meditations of my heart, be alwayes acceptable in thy ſight, O Lord, my ſtrength and my Redéemer; Ver. 1 grant that my heart may endite a good matter, and make my tongue a ready inſtrument of thy Spirit, nimbly and aptly, and ſolely to expreſs what thou ſhalt dictate to me of the King of glory.
O thou wonderful God and Man, the Meſſiah and Saviour of the World, Ver. 2 Thou wert fairer in thy conception, and more beautiful in thy birth, than all the ſons of men; born we were all in iniquity, and in ſin our mother conceived us; but thou wert holy in and from the womb, being fréed and purified by the Holy Ghoſt from the ſtain and ſpots of our original corruption; and when thou waſt pleaſed to manifeſt thy ſelf to the World, thy lips were full of grace, thy words drop'… as the honey-comb, never man ſpake like thée, never was there ſuch diſcourſes of mercy, ſuch calls and offers of love, by which thou didſt encourage the weary and heavy-laden to come unto thée, and we miſerable ſinners to be reconciled to God; for which, God hath bleſſed thee for ever, and given thée all power in Heaven and Earth; for which we bleſs thée for ever on Earth, and hope to do it in Heaven.
Now ſince thou art the Lord of power, Gird thy Sword I pray thee, Ver. 3 upon thy Thigh, O moſt Mighty; conquer and ſubdue thy enemies, whether impious Devils, or deviliſh men; take from the one, that dominion which they uſurp over thy people, and bring the other readily and willingly to ſubmit unto thée; this will increaſe thy glory, this will improve thy Majeſty and Renown; Ver. 4 and in thy power proſper, and ride on, that Truth and Meekneſs, and Righteouſneſs may flouriſh in thy Kingdom, which is eaſie for thée to do, becauſe the right hand of thy power, and Divine Omnipotence, ſhall wonderfully teach, and direct thée in this work, cauſing thée, to the admiration of all, not to deſiſt, till thou haſt obtained an abſolute victory, and lead in triumph thy enemies.
Let the words of thy Goſpel be ſharper than arrows, Ver. 5 with a wonderful quickneſs let them pierce the hearts of many Nations, that whereas now they are rebellious, and enemies to thy Kingdom, they may be wounded to their good, that they may fall under thée, even at thy foot-ſtool, yield to thy command, and be ready to do thy will, whoſe Throne is for ever and ever, Ver. 6 and the Scepter of whoſe Kingdom is a right Scepter.
Cauſe them to love that which thou loveſt, and hate that which thou hateſt: Thou loveſt righteouſneſs, make them then in love with equity; Ver. 7 thou hateſt iniquity, cauſe them to hate all injuſtice; and ſince thou waſt anointed with the oyle of gladneſs above thy fellows, yet for thy fellows, anoint alſo all thoſe that thou haſt taken into this fellowſhip, with a fragrant portion of this thy holy oyle, that they rejoyce to do thy will.
Let Kings Daughters, noble and princely ſouls, Ver. 9 ſtand among thoſe thy Saints whom thou haſt honoured, and brought to thy obedience; O let the Queen, thy Church, whom in mercy and loving-kindneſs, in judgment and juſtice, thou haſt eſpouſed to thée, ſtand on thy right hand cloathed in a golden Robe of thy Righteouſneſs: O let the ſmell of their garments be as a Field that the Lord hath bleſſed; Ver. 8 and the ſwéet of their vertues and graces more odoriferous in thy Noſtrils, than the perfumes of Myrrhe, Cinnamon, and Caſſia, compounded by the skilfulleſt art of the Apothicary.
And thou, O Daughter, ſo peculiarly beloved and elected by the Meſſiah, conſider and encline thine ear, attend, and give diligent héed what the King ſhall teach thée, concerning the true God, and his Service. Our eyes are heavy, and we cannot ſée; our ears are deaf, and we cannot hear; Lord, open our eyes that we may ſée, and ſay thou Ephatha to our ears, that we may hearken, and ſoften our hearts, that we may conſider of the great honour thou haſt done us. Teach us to leave father and mother, and houſe and land for thy ſake, to forget our own people, and our fathers houſe, and all that is moſt dear unto us, the bewitching luſts of our own wills, and the vanities of our former lewd converſation. Enrich our hearts with thy gifts of Grace, ſo ſhall the King have pleaſure in our beauty, and we ſhall acknowledge him for the Lord our God, adore, fear, reverence, and worſhip him.
Kéep our hearts, O Lord, in thy fear, for then the Nations round about us ſhall ſéek and ſue to us, the Princes of Tyre ſhall come and bow to us, and offer us gifts, the rich alſo among the people, ſhall intreat our favour, and deſire they may be united to our Communion. Adorn us, O Lord, inwardly with thy Graces, and outwardly with an orderly worſhip and diſcipline. Let our chief glory be that which is within, the hid man of the heart, and then make us beautiful without, in all the ornaments of true Religion, vertuous works, and Chriſtian lives, and over and above in the veſtments of outward Ceremonies, which are, as it were, the needle-work, and embroydery of Holineſs. By all which the Virgin-ſouls of the people may be brought unto thee, and accompany us to glorifie our Father which is in Heaven. This may move them to enter into the unity of the Church with joy and gladneſs, which is the door of thoſe manſions, which thou haſt prepared for them in Heaven, where they ſhall enjoy thy ſight and thy preſence for ever.
Raiſe up, O Lord, our King, inſtead of the fathers of our profeſſion the Patriarchs, Prophets, and Apoſtles, Apoſtclical men; Biſhops, Paſtours, and lawful Miniſters of thy Word, whom thou may'ſt make Princes to féed and guide, to govern and teach thy Church in all lands.
O Lord, thy Mercies are ſo great and manifold to thy Church, that I will make thy name to be remembred in all Generations. O let the people praiſe thee, and ſing of thy honour for ever and ever. Amen. Amen.