Davids Harp Strung and Tuned, Book 3 · Psalm 75
PSAL. LXXV. foreign.
IT is moſt likely that David compoſed this Pſalm upon his Inauguration or entrance upon the Kingdom, and he ſets out unto us in it an example of a good King.
The parts of the Pſalm are,
1. His Doxology, verſ. 1. repeated, verſ. 9.
2. His profeſſion to perform his Kingly office, verſ. 2, 3, & 10.
3. His rebuke and remove of miſtakes in fooliſh men.
1. Partly for their pride, when they riſe to great places, verſ. 4, 5.
2. Partly, that they know not whence their preferment comes, verſ. 6, 7.
3. And that they judge not rightly of afflictions, verſ. 8.
1. David begins with thankſgiving: and he ingeminates it, The Doxology. The firſt part.that it be often done.
1. Unto thee do we give thanks, unto thee do we give thanks. Vers. 1
2. His reaſon for it is. For that thy Name is near, thou, thy help is at hand; for God is near to thoſe that call on him.For Gods help, and his exaltation to the Kingdom.
3. Of which he had experience, who beyond all hope and expectation was now exalted to the Kingdom. Which he calls here Mirabilia Dei, This thy wondrous works declare.
2. And next he ſhews which way he would ſhew his thankful heart to God for his preferment, which was in doing the Office of a good King. The ſecond part. For which he promiſeth,When I ſhall receive the Congregation, or when I ſhall take a ſet time, when the people ſhall come to me for judgement, upon every ſeaſon and opportunity given.
1. I will Judge uprightly. Which is the firſt part of the Kingly Office. Vers. 2
2. I will reſtore, and ſet right what is out of order. 1To judge juſtly.Which is the ſecond part of a Kings duty.
1. Now, till I came to the Crown, the earth, 2To rectifie diſorders.and all the inhabitants are diſsolved. Vers. 3 In Sauls reign there was a diſſolution in Manners, Juſtice, Religion.
2. But I bear up the pillars of it. Religion and Juſtice are the pillars that ſupport a Kingdom, and David was reſolv'd to ſupport them.
3. From this profeſſion of his duty, he falls upon a Rebuke of fooliſh men; The third part. 3. To robuke bad men.Which is alſo the third part of the Kingly Office, it being for a Superiour to reprehend in the Inferiour what is amiſs. And he labours to rectifie in them three miſtakes.
1. The firſt was their Pride, which cauſed them to do fooliſh, unjuſt, 1For their pride.imous Acts. Vers. 4
1. I ſaid to the fools, (ſo David calls Sauls ambitious, arrogant Courtiers) Deal not fooliſhly, i. e. impiouſly, unjuſtly. Vers. 5
2. And to the wicked, Lift not up your horn. Vaunt not of your wealth, power, &c.
3. Lift not up your horn on high. Be not over-proud of your place.
4. Speak not with a stiff neck. Be not Rebellious, and Contumacious.
2. The ſecond was, that they thought their honour came from Saul, 2For ignorance, that they knew not the true fountain of honour.their wit, their good parts, and not from God, which was indeed the cauſe of their pride; To remove this, David tells them who is the fountain of Honour.
1. Negatively, Not any man in the whole world, no Prince in the Eaſt, none in the Weſt, none in the North, none in the South: 1Negatively. Not man.or elſe the wind blows no man to any high place. Vers. 6 No not David himſelf.
2. Poſitively, God is the Judge. He humbles, he exalts. Vers. 7 He puts down one, put caſe Saul, and ſets up another, 2Poſitively, God.me David upon the Throne.
3. 3For their miſtake in imputing afflictions to a wrong cauſe. Whereas they are from God.The third miſtake was about the calamities and afflictions that befall men in this life; Impute them they uſually do to wrong cauſes, whereas theſe, even theſe come from God. Is there evil in the City, and hath not God done it?
To prove this, the Prophet uſeth an Elegant compariſon, or Hypotypoſis, for he likens God to a Maſter of a Feaſt, who invites and entertains all kind of men at his Table, and that hath a Cup of mixt wine in his hand, by which he underſtands the miſeries that befall men in this life, and God reaching to every one good and bad, ſome portion of this Cup, to all ſome, but to all not equally, nor yet of the ſame wine. Vers. 8 For mark what David ſaith.
1. Who diſpenſeth them diverſly.For in the hand of the Lord there is a Cup. The Cup at his diſpoſe.
2. And the wine is red. 'Tis high colour'd, faeculent, or troubled wine, i. e. afflictions.
3. It is full of mixture. Not all ſour, nor all ſweet; The ſtrength of it is allay'd, and temper'd by God, that it intoxicate not the head, nor produce a feavour, there are ſome waters of comfort mixt with it.
4. And he, viz. God poureth out of the ſame, ſome of this mixt wine, even to his deareſt children. For you muſt drink of the Cup that Chriſt drank.
5. But for the dregs thereof, the lees that ſettles in the bottom of this Cup, all the wicked of the earth ſhall wring them out, and drink them. Becauſe they drink laſt, there is nothing left for them but the dregs of Gods wrath, in which there is none of the mixt ſweet wine.
He concludes the Pſalm with a double repetition. He concludes.Firſt, Of his thanks. Secondly, Then of a ſecond proteſtation of his duty.
1. Vers. 9 Thankful he would be. But I will declare for ever: I will ſing praiſes to the God of Jacob.1With thanks.
2. His Duty as King he would do, in both kinds.
1. Vers. 10 De bellabo ſuperbos. All the horns alſo of the wicked will I cut off.2With a manifeſt of his Duty.
2. Parcam ſubjectis bonis & favebo. But the horns, i. e. power, dignity, honour of the righteous ſhall be exalted.
An interceſſion out of the ſeventy fifth Pſalm for the King, thoſe that are in authority, and for the Church under affliction.
O Almighty God, Lord of all power, King of kings, and Lord of lords, who haſt taught us by thy holy Prophet, that promotion comes nor from the Eaſt, nor from the Weſt, nor from the North, nor from the South, but that thou art the righteous Judge, that puts down one, and ſets up another.
Eſtabliſh, we beſéech thée, in the Throne of this Kingdom, thy faithful Servant, our bread Soveraign. Let the dew of thy abundant bleſſings fall upon his head, give him the ſucceſs of David, the wiſdom of Solomon, and the zeal of Joſiah. Take pleaſure in him, O Lord, and reſtore him to his juſt right and people, and make him a moſt mighty Protector of thy heritage, a moſt religious Defender of thy Sacred Truth, and a gracious Governor to all his Subiects.
When he ſhall receive the Congregation, Vers. 2 and at any time ſit in judgement, Vers. 10 let him judge according to right; let him cut off the horn, the pride, the power of wicked men; and on the contrary, be ſtudious to honour and exalt the right and humble deſires of the righteous.
At this time the foundations of the earth are out of courſe, the earth, and all the inhabitants thereof are diſſolved. Vers. 3 The ſeats of juſtice are corrupt, all Laws are ſilenc'd, an indulgence is given to theft and rapine, Religion is trode under foot, and men in their manners are diſſolute, being guided by their own counſels, and ſwayed by their own affections. How is the faithful City become an Harlot? It was full of judgement, righteouſneſs lodged in it, but now Murderers. Our Princes are become rebellious, and companions of Thieves, every one loveth gifts, and followeth after rewards, they judge not the fatherleſs, neither doth the cauſe of the widow come unto them.
Set up then thy Servant upon the Throne, that he may reſtore our Iudges as at firſt, and our Counſellours as at the beginning. Religion and Iuſtice are the Pillars of the Land, they are now ready to fall, or rather fallen, O let him bear up theſe Pillars, repair the breaches of this diſtracted Church and Kingdom, and confirm both, Laws and Iuſtice being heard to ſpeak, and a right order for thy worſhip and ſervice being re-eſtabliſhes. So ſhall this our Land be call'd again, The City of righteouſneſs, the holy and faithful City.
Give him, O Lord, courage in the execution of his Office, Vers. 4 let him make the wicked to paſs under the whéel, and the ambitious, arrogant, and proud to know, that in his Kingdom they are not to deal fooliſhly, nor yet, being confident of their power, to exalt their horn, and in contempt of all Laws, exerciſe rapine and violence. Let ſuch as ſet their horn on high, be brought down by his hand, and thoſe that are contumacious and ſtiff neck'd, fort'd to bow to his yoke, and made to féel that he carries not the ſword in dain, but that as he is the Miniſter of God for good to thoſe that do good, ſo alſo he is the Miniſter of God, a revenger of wrath upon him that doth evil.
And now having preſented unto thée our ſupplications for our King, we are bold alſo to offer unto thy Majeſty our humble petitions for that part of thy Church which thou haſt committed to his care, this for many years thou haſt fed with the bread of tears, and entertain'd with the water of affliction. But it is our comfort, that the Cup is in thy hand. Thou meaſureſt out our draughts, and beginneſt ſuch a portion as thou pleaſeſt. The wine is indéed red, and of a high colour, but yet it is full of mixture, with the tartneſs of thy great diſpleaſure, there is mixt the ſwéetneſs of thy promiſes, engaged thou art, that we ſhall taſte and drink no déeper of it, than thou wilt make us able to bear. O Lord, make thy Word good unto us, ſtay thy hand, turn from thy fierre wrath, let it ſuffice, that we have drunk ſo déep of this Cup. There remains only the dregs behind, and as we have béen inebriated with this wine, ſo let the ungodly of the earth, wring out the dregs, and ſuck them out.
So ſhall we have juſt r…ſon to declare the equity of thy juſtice, Verſ. 9 and to ſing praiſes to the honour of the God of Jacob. Unto thee, O Lord, Vers. 1 will we give thanks, yea, unto thee will we give thanks, for that thou art near, and thy name is ready to help all that call upon thee, of which the exaltation of our King, and the deliverance of thy people, will be a miraculous declaration.
Thy Church ſhall for ever remember thy juſt judgements, and ſing forth with full voice thy praiſes, when they ſhall ſée the horns of the wicked broken, and thoſe preſerved and ſecured, who have wholly addicted themſelves to the ſtudy of juſtice and piety, as we are taught and commanded by our Lord and Saviour Ieſus Chriſt.