Davids Harp Strung and Tuned, Book 2 · Psalm 50
PSAL. L. foreign.
THE Prophet by a Proſopopeia brings in God preſcribing rules for his Worſhip. The foreign then, or the main debate in this Pſalm, is, How God will be honour'd in his Church, which becauſe that none can teach but God himſelf, therefore he brings him in ſpeaking to his people.
Two general parts it hath.
1. The Majeſty and Authority of the perſon that is to judge this debate, deſcribed, from verſ. 1. to 7.
2. The ſentence by him given, from verſ. 7. to 23.
The Prophet begins with an Elegant foreign, calls an Aſſize, The firſt part. The Majeſty and Authority of God the Judge.ſummons a Court, preſents us with a Judge, produceth Witneſſes, cites thoſe who are to anſwer, and having ſeated the Judge on the Throne, gives forth his charge.
1. He preſents the Judge in Authority and Majeſty, The mighty God, Vers. 1 even the Lord hath spoken. He is Deus Deorum, other gods there may be ſo called, ſo feined, but he is the God Almighty over them all, verſ. 1.
2. The place whence he comes to judge, is his Church, Out of Zion the perfection of beauty God hath ſhined; To Zion the Law was given, and out of Zion the Law was to come, according to which Law he would judge, and therefore it was rightly ſaid, That out of Zion the Lord hath ſhined.
3. His coming to judgement is like to be terrible. It was ſo, Vers. 3 when he gave his Law upon Mount Sinai, and 'tis like to be ſo, when he ſhall come to require it. Our God ſhall come, and ſhall not keep ſilence, a fire ſhall devour before him, and it ſhall be very tempeſtuous round about, 2 Pet. 3.10. Luk. 21.25, 26.
Secondly, Thoſe that are cited here to appear before him, Vers. 5 are call'd his Saints, not only thoſe, who are truly ſuch, but all that bear the name. Gather my Saints together unto me, thoſe that have made a Covenant with me with Sacrifice; i. e. undertaken to worſhip me as I have appointed. Not as if others were excluded, and ſhould not come to judgement, but becauſe thoſe they are who know his Will, with whom God hath the conteſt in this place. Vers. 1
Thirdly, Againſt theſe he produceth his Witneſſes. The heavens, the earth. The Lord hath called the earth from the riſing of the Sun, Vers. 4 unto the going down thereof. He ſhall call to the heavens above, and to the earth, that he may judge his people. And the heavens ſhall declare his righteouſneſs. Witneſs his judgement to be juſt; and other it could not be. For God is Judge himſelf.
Next follows the Charge given by God himſelf the Judge, to which, The ſecond part The charge at the Tribunal.that he might win attention, he thus prefaceth, Hear, O my people, and I will ſpeak; O Iſrael, and I will teſtifie against thee. I am God, even thy God. Vers. 7
1. I am God, therefore worſhip and obedience is due to me from all creatures.
2. I am thy God, thou my people, therefore due from thee eſpecially.
3. I will speak, judge and determine this Controverſie about my Worſhip.
4. I will teſtifie againſt thee, and convince thee for what is amiſs.
A double Worſhip there is. 1. Ceremonial and External. 2. 1About outward worſhip.Spiritual and Moral, and I will ſpeak, and teſtifie of both.
Firſt, A duty then there was owing in Sacrifices and Ceremonies of the Law, which indeed I expect, becauſe I have commanded, but let no man think that I am ſatisfied with the outward Act, except they be brought, perform'd, and offer'd with an honeſt heart.
1. I will not then reprove thee for thy Sacrifices, or thy burnt-offerings, Vers. 8 to have been continually before me. Theſe thou bringeſt, and theſe I accept, and that thou, according to my Ordinance, thou haſt brought, I reprove not. But that thou think'ſt, that by this External ſervice howſoever performed, 2About inward worſhip without the outward, rejected.I am pleaſed, and that for theſe thou deſerveſt a pardon, that is it, which I reprove.
2. For I without an inward reflexion upon that obedience unto my command, and a ſincere, and loving, faithful, penitent heart in the offer of them, will never think my ſelf honour'd. Vers. 9 I will take no Bullock out of thy houſe, nor he-goats out of thy folds. And that for two reaſons.
1. Firſt I need them not. I am rich and Opulent. For every beaſt of the Forreſt is mine, Vers. 10 and the Cattle upon a thouſand Hills. I know all the fowls of the Mountains, and the wild beaſts of the field are mine; Vers. 11 if I were hungry, I will not tell thee, for the world is mine, and the fulneſs thereof.
2. My perfection is ſuch that I need it not. The gods of the Heathen may be pleaſed and fed, as their Hierophantae taught, foreign, indore carnium, with the fumes of their Sacrifices, and complain of ſtarving when they were detain'd. But think'ſt thou, that I will eat the fleſh of bulls, Vers. 12 or drink the blood of goats? I need no meat of thy proviſion.
Upon theſe terms then, theſe Sacrifices, though of mine own inſtitution, pleaſe me not. Ex antitheſi then I ſhall acquaint thee with thoſe Sacrifices, that worſhip, which will pleaſe.
2. Inward worſhip required, which hath two parts.And here begins the ſecond part of the Charge concerning Moral and Spirit… Worſhip: which is Synecdochically declared by the two parts of prayer, Thanksgiving and Petition, or Invocation.
1. Vers. 14 Thankfulneſs he expects. Offer unto God thanksgiving, and pay thy vows unto the moſt High.
2. Vers. 15 Invocation he looks for. And call upon me in the day of trouble. Which being done, he makes an Indenture with us.
1. On his part, that he will deliver us. I will deliver thee.
2. On our part, that we return him the Glory of our deliverance. And thou ſhalt glorifie me.
3. No worſhip accepted from hypocrites.And yet here he puts in his exception againſt ſome men, viz. Hypocrites and impious men. For praiſe is not comely in the mouth of a ſinner, and a petition preſented by an obſtinate, rebellious, profane ſoul, ſhall not be heard.
To ſuch he ſpeaks in theſe following words. To the wicked God ſaith,
1. Vers. 16 What haſt thou to do to declare my ſtatutes, or that thou ſhouldſt take my Covenant in thy mouth?
2. They contemners of Gods Law.The reaſon is, becauſe in words thou profeſſeſt thou loveſt me, but in deeds thou denyeſt him. Thou hateſt inſtruction, in thy heart hateſt that Law, Vers. 17 that with thy mouth thou commendeſt, and haſt caſt my words. behind thee: Written I have to thee the wonderful things of my Law, and thou haſt counted them a ſtrange thing.
This I ſhall now prove and illuſtrate by a diſtribution.This proved.
1. Vers. 18 Thou haſt no regard of the eighth Commandment. When thou ſaweſt a thief, then thou conſenteſt with him. In the conſent is the more malice; it ſhews that it was not raſhly done, but on purpoſe, deliberation, counſel.
2. Vers. 19 Nor of the ſeventh. Thou haſt been partaker with the Adulterers.
3. Vers. 20 Nor of the ninth. Thou giveſt thy mouth to evil, and thy tongue frameth deceit. Thou ſitteſt and speakeſt againſt thy brother, thou ſlandereſt thine own mothers ſon. Againſt thy brother, not a ſtranger, and that not caſually neither, or in anger, but ſtudiouſly, thou ſateſt and ſpeakeſt.
4. No nor of the firſt. For thou haſt had a profane thought even of me, Vers. 21 and of my mercy, forbearance, and long-ſuffering. Theſe things haſt thou done, and I kept ſilence, aroſe not preſently to take vengeance on thee: And thou thought'ſt, that I was altogether ſuch a one as thy ſelf. A Patron, an approver of wickedneſs as thou thy ſelf art.
But from any ſuch imputation, God no Abetter of wickedneſs.here I purge my ſelf before the Heaven and Earth, and the whole World. For I will not ſuffer this thy wickedneſs to go unreveng'd. The day ſhall come, when I will reprove thee, Vers. 21 and puniſh this thy wickedneſs with ſevere puniſhments, and ſet in order before thine eyes, the villany that thou haſt committed, and labour'd to hide. Confeſs at that day thou ſhalt, that the ſentence pronounc'd againſt thee is moſt juſt.Yet He gives warning to the wicked, threatens, that he may ſpare.
And yet in judgement God remembers mercy. It becomes a Judge, even when he is pronouncing ſentence, to take unto him the bowels of compaſſion. And theſe, God, who is to be our Judge, here puts on. foreign. For he gives a fair warning to the wicked, that they repent, and periſh not.
1. Now, while you have time, conſider this, Vers. 22 that God is not pleaſed with outward Rites, Formalities, and Ceremonies only, that he is not to be pacified with long prayers, and preaching of his Law, if the life be wicked. For this is upon the point to forget, that he is a God of pur eyes, and cannot behold iniquity. Conſider this then, I ſay, lest like as an angry lyon, Promiſeth help to the ſincere.he break out upon you on a ſudden, and there be none to deliver. This is a fair warning to the wicked. Vers. 23
2. Now to thoſe who worſhip God in ſincerity, he makes a quite contrary promiſe, of defence, help, ſalvation. Who offereth with an honeſt heart, praiſe, glorifieth me, and to him that ordereth his converſation aright, goes the right way that Gods Word directs, I will ſhew the ſalvation of God: He ſhall be ſaved, and know that he worſhips not God in vain.
The Prayer out of the fiftieth Pſalm.
O Moſt Mighty and juſt God, who haſt appointed a day in which thou wilt judge the world, when all fleſh ſhall appear before thee to render an accompt of their wayes, whether good or evil, never let that ſtrict accompt that we muſt make, ſlip out of our memory, but let the ſound of that Arch-angels Trumpet ſound in our eares, Ariſe ye dead, and come to judgement.
God, to whom the ſecrets of all hearts are open, is then to be the Iudge, Vers. 6 the Mighty God, even the Lord is to ſit upon the Tribunal himſelf. Vers. 1 Our God, that hath been patient and long-ſuffering, ſhall then manifeſt himſelf: Vers. 3 Silence he will not keep, but by his judiciary power he will vindicate and revenge all the deeds and ſayings of perverſe ſinners. And he will come in a terrible manner, for before him ſhall go a fire that ſhall conſume and purge the whole world. A day it will be of darkneſs and gloomineſs, a mighty tempeſt will go before him, and the whole frame of the univerſe will be in a Commotion.
How ſhall then our hearts fail us for fear, Vers. 1 when the heaven and earth ſhall be call'd to as Witneſſes againſt us; the heaven whoſe light and influences we have enjoyed, but been unthankful; the earth whoſe various fruits and beneficence we might have uſed, but have abuſed. All his creatures at that day will declare his righteouſneſs, and proclaim, that we are a rebellious people.
Out of that celeſtial habitation, and that Zion which is above, Vers. 2 ſhall our God appear in perfect beauty. His Saints, Vers. 2 and thoſe who have made a Covenant with him, ſhall be gather'd round about him. When all the workers of iniquity ſhall call to the Hills to cover them, and the Mountains to hide them from the preſence of the Lord, and from the glory of his Majeſty.
O moſt Merciful and Gracious God, Vers. 22 give us an underſtanding heart to conſider this. Never ſuffer us to forget thee, that that day-come not upon us unawares, ſnatch us not away to condemnation, from which, if we dye in our ſins, no man is able to deliver us.
Keep us, O Lord, with thy mighty hand, that when in words we profeſs to know thée in déeds we deny not; let us never conſent to the Thief, nor partake with the Adulterer; far be it from us, to give our mouths to evil, and our tongues to frame deceit; let us not join with the malicious and factious, and ſit and ſpeak againſt our brother, or detract and ſlander our mothers ſon; never let ſuch obdurate obſtinacy ſeize upon our hearts, that we hate inſtruction, or caſt thy words behind us: Theſe are ſins inconſiſtent with grace, and evident Arguments of a reprobate ſoul; thoſe that abuſe thy patience and long-ſuffering, commit them; and that have profane thoughts of the Divine Majeſty, defile themſelves with them.
Againſt all ſinners, but theſe eſpecially thou haſt teſtified, theſe thou haſt reproved, keep me therefore O Lord, from theſe preſumptuous ſins.
Thou art God, even my God; when thou ſpeakeſt, give me an ear to hear; and what thou commandeſt, give me a will to do: O let me glorifie thee, and order my Converſation aright, that I may obtain ſalvation.
I have grievouſly ſinned, and wherewith ſhall I come before the Lord, and bow my ſelf before my God? Shall I come before him with burnt-offerings, with calves of a year old? will the Lord be pleaſed with thouſands of Rams, or ten thouſand Rivers of oyle? All the Beaſts of the Forreſt are his, and ſo are the Cattle upon a thouſand Hills; will he eat Bulls fleſh, or drink the blood of Goats? To what purpoſe are the multitude of ſacrifices, and the fat of fed Beaſts, theſe thou delighteſt not in; incenſe is an abomination unto thee, the calling of Aſſemblies, the new Moons, the Sabbaths, all external worſhip is hateful, and a trouble unto thée, ſo long as the perſons of thoſe who obſerve them are not accepted; ſo long as the men are Formaliſts, Hypocrites, and have their hands full of blood; 'tis the penitent ſoul to which thou wilt look, the ſincere heart which thou wilt regard.
Cleanſe me therefore, O Lord, and waſh my heart, give me power to put away the evil of my doings; let me ceaſe to do evil, and learn to do well, that ſo my perſon being pleaſing in thy ſight, thou may'ſt hear my prayers, and accept my thanks.
It is now a day of trouble, and as thou haſt commanded, I call unto thee for help; Ver. 15 Lord hear my prayers, and deliver me, as thou haſt promiſed; ſo ſhall I glorifie thy Name, be obliged to offer thee Thankſgiving, and pay my vows to the moſt High.
Remit Lord, and pardon the ſins of thy people, put our preſent ſufferings and extream afflictions before thy eyes, and return to us, who return to thée with faſting, wéeping, and mourning; ſo ſhall we have juſt occaſion to offer thée praiſe, and glorifie thée for this great mercy and deliverance for ever and ever; thy ſtatutes ſhall be our ſong in the houſe of our pilgrimage, and we will run the way of thy Commandments all the dayes of our life.