Davids Harp Strung and Tuned, Book 4 [i.e. 5] · Psalm 111
PSAL. CXI. foreign.
TIS conceived that this Hymn was ſet by David, to be ſung at the Paſſeover, and that it might be the eaſilier learned and remembred, the Colons of it are in number as many, and digeſted by order of the Hebrew Alphabet. The Sum of it, is an Exhortation to praiſe God for his wonderful favours and benefits beſtowed upon the World at large, and in ſpecial toward his people Iſrael, and the Church.
Three parts there are of this Pſalm.
1. A Proteſtation of David to praiſe God, and the manner how, and the company with whom he would do it, ver. 1.
2. An Expreſſion of the Reaſons that moved him to it, viz. his admirable benefits beſtowed, both general and ſpecial, which he enumerates from ver. 2. to 10.
3. A Concluſion, or Inference upon the premiſes, by way of a foreign, in which he commends the fear of God, ver. 10.
1. The Title of the Pſalm is Allelujah, Praiſe ye the Lord: Allelujah. The firſt part. He praiſeth God himſelf.And that this his Exhortation might pierce the deeper, and that his Subjects might the more readily follow his example, preſently he vowes and proteſts.
1. I will praiſe the Lord: And expreſſeth the manner how he would do it, and as indeed it ought to be done. Ver. 1
2. Not hypocritically, with the lips and mouth only, 1In ſincerity.but with the heart.2In unity, and with the Church.
3. Not with a heart and a heart, but with the whole heart.
4. Not ſeparately, or Schiſmatically, but in the Aſſembly of the upright, and in the Congregation.
1. Both in that Aſſembly, where good and upright men are met.
2. And alſo in the company of many, even with the mix't multitude; ſecretly among good men, and openly in the Congregation he would praiſe God.
2. And having made a pious confeſſion of his readineſs to practiſe the Duty, The ſecond part.next ſets down the ground and matter of his praiſe, which contains the Reaſons that moved him to it; as if he had ſaid, Which he doing, and perſwading, ſets down his Reaſons for it.There be great and urgent cauſes that may move me, and all others, to praiſe God.
1. The firſt of which is, His works of power, be it the Creation of the World, and its Conſervation; or, be they the favours ſhewed to his Church; theſe are his works, And theſe works of the Lord are great. Ver. 2
1. Great; not only for variety and beauty, 1Becauſe his works great. 1. Of Creationbut that alſo in the leaſt and moſt baſe creature, his Wiſdom admirable, his Power wonderful, there is nothing that came from his hand, which is not very great, and greatly to be admired.
2. Great; 2Of Electionfor it was a great work of his to take to himſelf a people out of another people, to make a Covenant with them, to them to reveal his promiſes, to give them a Law, to ſettle among them a policy for Church and State, &c. This was alſo a great and admirable work.
3. Fools and impious men indeed, little conſider theſe works; Which fools little think of, but wiſe men conſider.they think not of the Authour, and therefore eſteem them not much: But in the eyes of all wiſe men, they are exquiſite works, and they are ſought out, ſearched into, by all them that take pleaſure therein: That are pleaſed both with the Authour, the work, and the uſe, and end of them.
2. Ver. 3 The ſecond of theſe, is, His work of Wiſdom, in the governing of thoſe creatures which he hath created, 2His work of wiſdom, in governing the World, his Church, which is, 1. Honourable.and his Church, which he hath collected, and this his work is.
1. Honourable; worthy of honour, worthy of praiſe, and therefore much more the Authour.
2. And glorious: Many Princes have done very glorious works, but not to be compared to any work of God; the Glory, Magnificence, and Majeſty, far exceeds them all.2Glorious.
3. 3Is his work of Juſtice.The third work is, that of his Juſtice: He is a righteous God, and his righteouſneſs endureth for ever. Men may complain, that they ſee wicked men exalted, and his ſervants under the Croſs, oppreſſed and afflicted: But the judgments and wayes of God may be ſecret, and hid from us, unjuſt they can never be; for he never departs from the exact Rule of Juſtice, though we cannot diſcern it, nor ſearch it out.
4. 4His work of mercy.His fourth work, is a work of mercy, of which he would have a Record kept.
1. He hath made his wonderful works to be remembred, as in the Jewiſh Feaſts. Ver. 4
2. And theſe proceeded from his meer mercy: For the Lord is gracious, and full of compaſſion.1A gracious God.
1. Gracious, in doing theſe works; for they came from his meer grace, pity and favour, 2Full of compaſſion.and not from any deſert of mans.
2. And full of compaſſion; Rachum, affected with the bowels of a father toward his children; The inſtances of his mercy, are:gracious in habit, compaſſionate in act.
Of which the Prophet now deſcending to particulars, gives in ſeveral inſtances; gracious, and full of compaſſion he was, in that,
1. 1Manna givenHe hath given meat to them that fear him: He nouriſhed his people for forty years in the Wilderneſs, and gave them Manna from Heaven; this meat he gave eſpecially to thoſe that fear'd him, and for their ſakes to others; or elſe the whole Congregation might well be ſaid to fear him, becauſe at that time they took him for their God, and worſhipped him.
2. 2Keeping his Covenant.He will be ever mindful of his Covenant, which is his ſecond inſtance. A mercy it was, to make a Covenant with them; but notwithſtanding their high provocations, to be ever mindful of it, and keep it, is a higher degree of mercy.
3. 3Doing miracles for them.He hath ſhewed his people the power of his works, which is a third inſtance: His works were the turning of Jordan backward, the overthrow of Jericho, by the ſound of Rams Horns, the ſtaying of the Sun and Moon in the valley of Ajalon at Joſhua's prayer, &c. All theſe were works of power, which he then ſhew'd his people.
4. 4Giving them the land of Canaan.And theſe he did, That he might give them the heritage of the Heathen, which is his fourth inſtance: For who can deny, but it was a work of mercy to expel the Canaanites before them, and beſtow upon his own people their inheritances.
Now as before, he uſed an Acclamation, when he entred upon the works of God in the Creation of the World, Ver. 7 and the Conſervation and Governance of it: The works of the Lord are great, honourable, glorious: So after theſe inſtances of his works of mercy, leſt any man ſhould ſuſpect him unjuſt in this laſt inſtance, eſpecially, viz. ejecting the Canaanites, and giving away their inheritances, he aptly interſerts this Elogy of them.The Elogy of theſe done.
1. Ver. 7 The works of his hands are verity and judgment.
1. 1In verity. 2. In judgment The Elgoy of the moral Law.Ʋerity; theſe works had truth in them, for by it he had made good his promiſe made to Abraham, to give them the land.
2. And ſecondly, Judgment; for by it his Juſtice was executed upon Idolaters, and profane perſons.
2. Which ſhewes unto the whole World, that,
1. All his Commandments are ſure: That his Laws, 1It is ſure.eſpecially that which is Moral, are certainly true, and that he deceives none in the promulgation of them; but that they bring a puniſhment to the Tranſgreſſors, and a reward to the Obſervers of them; as it appears, by the example of the Canaanites, that were ejected for the breach of them, Levit. 18.24, &c.
2. That theſe Commands being but the Law of Nature, stand faſt for ever, Ver. 8 2Eternal.that they are indiſpenſable and immutable, and for this reaſon, becauſe they are done and establiſhed in truth and uprightneſs, containing in them the moſt abſolute Juſtice, Equity, Rectitude, and Truth, that is conceivable.
5. The Elogy of Gods Law being ended, 5His laſt inſtance of mercy, Redemptionhe at laſt inſtances in a work of mercy that exceeds all the reſt; to wit, the work of Redemption of all Mankind by his Son; for however it be true of the Redemption of Iſrael out of Aegypt, yet it is better, with the Fathers, to expound it, of that Redemption purchaſed by Chriſt, of which he ſaith:
1. He ſent Redemption, i. e. a Redeemer, ſo often promiſed, Ver. 9 ſo much expected, to his people, who redeemed them from the power of darkneſs.
2. And with them in him, he eſtabliſhed an eternal Covenant: For he hath commanded this his Covenant for ever, which is extant, Jer. 31.31. Hebr. 8.8.
3. Thus the Prophet having enumerated many of Gods works, both of Power, The third part. For all theſe his Name to be accounted,Wiſdom, and Mercy, concludes the Pſalm with three Epiphonema's, which ſhew us the manner how God is to be praiſed, holily, reverently, fearfully. Ver. 9
1. The firſt Epiphonema is, to the Name of God: 1Holy.Holy and Reverent is his Name, i. e. his Service, or any thing whereby he is ſignified: This is,
1. Holy: It may not then be polluted with a falſe hypocritical Service, the Command being, Be ye holy, for I am holy.
2. Reverent: Not then raſhly, careleſly, negligently to be performed, 2Reverent, Terrible.but with the greateſt Reverence that may be: Or, as ſome read it, Terrible; and it is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.
2. The ſecond Epiphonemn followes upon the other; Ver. 10 for if the Name of the Lord be Holy and Reverent, then it is wiſdom to fear him: Wiſdom therefore to fear him.Now,
1. This fear, is the beginning of wiſdom; for then men begin to be wiſe, when they begin to fear God, eſchew evil, and do good; and it is beſt out of filial fear, out of love, rather than dread of puniſhment.
2. This fear, if it be right, will be practical, And this fear will be practical.and this practice will proceed out of ſcience and knowledge of what is to be done; all other knowledge is but vain: For a good underſtanding have all they, that do his Commandments; for to him that knows what is good, and doth it not, to him it is ſin, Jam. 4.
3. The third Epiphonema, or Acclamation, is, His praiſe endureth for ever; Hi. praiſe and fear will continue for ever.which ſome refer to God, others, to the man that fears God, and both are true.
1. For the praiſe of God will and muſt continue for ever; his power, his wiſdom, his mercy is for ever, and then his praiſe must continue for over.
2. But if referr'd to the man that fears God, then the ſenſe will be, that,
1. His praiſe, that is, the praiſe with which a man that fears God, praiſeth him, will endure for ever; For they that dwell in thy houſe, will be alwayes praiſing thee, Pſal. 84.4.
2.And the praiſe of him that fears God. Or his praiſe; that is, the commendation of a good man will be had in everlaſting remembrance, Pſal. 112.6. The name of the wicked ſhall rot, but the memorial of the juſt is bleſſed, Prov. 10.7. The Lord will ſay to ſuch a man, Well done, thou good and faithful ſervant, Matth. 25.21. His praiſe is in this World laſting, in the future everlaſting.
The Prayer collected out of the One hundred and eleventh Pſalm.
O Omnipotent, moſt wiſe, and merciful God, it is our Duty to praiſe thée, not with the lips only in an hypocritical manner, but with the whole heart, Ver. 1 ſincerely and truly; yea, and to ſet forth thine honour, not privately only, but openly, in the Aſſembly of the upright, and in the Congregation of the faithful, for thy wonderful works expreſſ'd toward the children of men.
I never look upon the Creature, but I admire thy Power: How great a work was it, Ver. 2 to create all things of nothing, in ſuch variety, in ſuch beauty? How great a work, to preſerve the ſame, being created in ſo decent and conſtant an order? I take pleaſure in the ſearch of it, and the more I ſearch, the more I admire, and the more I admire, the readier I am to magnifie, praiſe, and adore the Author of it. Ver. 3 To me the work is honourable, but much more the Author of it. In my eyes the work is glorious, but much more the Lord of Glory.
For their ſins, O Lord, Thou oftentimes layeſt thy Rod heavy upon thy beſt ſervants, and for their ſins, Thou exalteſt the wicked, and ſuffereſt impious Atheiſts to have dominion over them, at which the hearts of thy beſt ſervants have béen troubled, and their treadings had well nigh ſlip't: But when we caſt our eyes upon our deſerts, Ver. 3 we muſt néeds confeſs, that thy judgments are juſt, though thy procéedings are hid from us, yet we know, they are moſt equal in themſelves, becauſe thy righteouſneſs endures for ever.
We never call to mind thy great works which thou haſt done for thy people, Ver. 4 but our hearts are raiſed in the greateſt extremities. The memorials of them, which thou wouldſt have kept upon Record, ſhew, That thou art a gracious Lord, and full of compaſſion; no fathers bowels can yearn more over the fruit of his own loins, than thy heart hath béen pitiful to thine own children; Ver. 5 though they have béen rebellious and froward ſons, yet thou haſt béen ever mindful of thy Covenant, and ſhew'd thy ſelf a merciful and compaſſionate Father.
O Lord, notwithſtanding our ingratitude, forſake us not in the depth of our ſufferings; remember the Oath that thou ſwaredſt to our fore-fathers, and eſtabliſhed for a thouſand Generations; and quench not the light of thy Goſpel that once ſhin'd amongſt us. This, O merciful God, is that, this is that chiefly which we beg at thy hands: Then ſend Redemption unto thy people, as thou didſt to thy afflicted in Aegypt; ſupply us that fear thy Name with neceſſary food, as thou didſt give them meat; ſhew thy people the power of thy work, reſtore to, and kéep us in our inheritances, of which men, worſe than the Heathen, have diſpoſſeſt us. And though we now ſuffer grievous things under thy hand, yet we complain not of thy juſtice; for we are aſſured, That all the works of thy hands are Verity and Judgment: Thy Truth hath béen verified upon us, in bringing a judgment upon a ſinful Nation; and we acknowledge thy judgments to be juſt, becauſe we have broken all thy Commandments: They are ſure, and the puniſhments which were threatned in them, is come upon us; by our abominations we had defiled the land, and therefore the land is ready to ſpue us out.
But, O compaſſionate Father, turn once more the light of thy countenance toward us, teach us to know, That thy Commandments muſt ſtand faſt for ever, that they are immutable and indiſpenſable, and that they are eſtabliſhed in truth and uprightneſs, containing in them an everlaſting truth, and the moſt abſolute equity that can be conceived: Quicken our hearts then with ſuch a meaſure of grace, that we may never diſpenſe with them, nor go about to change them, or bend them to our corrupt affections, making our depraved hearts the rule of our actions, and not thy eternal Law.
Eſtabliſh thy Covenant with us, which thou haſt commanded for ever; put thy Lawes in our minds, and write them in our hearts; be to us a God, and make us to be thy people; make us to know thee, from the leaſt to the greateſt; and when being compaſſed by infirmities, we fall from thée, then ſend us Redemption, and a Redéemer, thy Son, our Lord Ieſus Chriſt; and for his merits, be merciful to our unrighteouſneſs, and remember no more our ſins, and our iniquities, as thou haſt promiſed.
Thy Name, O Lord, is holy, make us a holy people. Thy Name, O Lord, is terrible, make us with reverence approach thy Hajeſty. And becauſe the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wiſdom, make us ſo wiſe, that we may alwayes begin in thy fear, and continue in thy fear, and practiſe and end all our actions in thy fear. Teach us to know thy Will, and thy Word, and to believe in thée, and love thée, and to truſt in thée, and to give thanks unto thée, according to that good underſtanding which thou ſhalt infuſe into us.
So let us live, and ſo let us dye, that whereas the name of the wicked ſhall rot in oblivion or ignominy, our memorial for the preſent may be bleſſed, and in the World to come, Thou with thine own mouth may'ſt call to us, and ſay, It is well done, thou good and faithful ſervant, enter into thy Maſters joy: Which we beſéech thée grant unto us, for the merits of our Lord and Saviour Ieſus Chriſt. Amen.