Davids Harp Strung and Tuned, Book 4 [i.e. 5] · Psalm 112
PSAL. CXII. foreign.
DAƲID having put it down for an infallible Maxim in the cloſe of the former Pſalm, That the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wiſdom; in this, ſets down the felicity of that man in many particulars.
Two parts there are of the Pſalm.
1. A Propoſition in general, that he is bleſſed, ver. 1.
2. An Enumeration of particulars, in which that bleſſedneſs doth conſiſt, from ver. 2. to the end.
1. To the firſt part, he prefixeth an Allelujah, Praiſe the Lord, Allelujah. The firſt part.which is the intent and ſcope of the Pſalm, That God be praiſed for thoſe rewards of piety, which God beſtowes upon ſuch as fear him; and ſo he enters upon the matter.
2. And delivers this one general Poſtulatum, or Propoſition, which by divers inſtances he proves through the whole Pſalm, that he may perſwade men to piety.
Bleſſed is the man that feareth the Lord, Ver. 1 that delights greatly in his Commandments.He that fears God, is bleſſed with an
1. Bleſsed is the man that feareth the Lord; that believes in him, honours him, ſerves him.
2. But becauſe a man ſhould not be miſtaken, ſuppoſing that he fears him, when he does not, he adds theſe three Reſtrictions to his Propoſition.
1. 1Obediential fear.That it muſt be an obediential fear: For he muſt keep his Commandments.
2. 2A filial fear.That it muſt be a filial, no ſervile fear; out of delight, not compulſion, He delights in them; is pleaſed with the equity of them, and loves them.
3. 3An affectionate fear.That it muſt be a chearful, ready fear, performed with all alacrity, earneſtneſs, care and ſtudy, He delights greatly in his Commandments. Done with all the heart, with all the affection, exceedingly well-pleaſed to do them.
2. The ſecond part.In the reſt of the Pſalm, he inſiſts upon that in which this bleſſedneſs doth conſiſt, and makes good St. Pauls words, That Godlineſs is great gain, and hath the promiſes both of this life, and that which is to come.
1. For temporal Goods in this, the wicked may have, but they have no promiſe made to them that they ſhall be bleſſings; but the righteous have a promiſe made to them both for theſe temporal Goods, and that they ſhall be bleſſings.
2. Then again, That for theſe temporal bleſſings they ſhall enjoy them, yet ſo, that they are not exempted from the Croſs, 2 Tim. 3.12.
3. That God in his certain counſel diſtributes them in this life, not to every perſon equally, but as may be moſt profitable for him; ſo that the promiſes made unto the Church for temporal things, He ſhewes, in what theſe bleſſings conſiſt.are confer'd upon every one, as God thinks fit for him. The promiſes for ſpiritual bleſſings to him that fears God, are abſolute; but for temporal, conditional only.
This being premiſed, Ver. 2 I come now to the bleſſings here promiſed.
1. 1His ſeed mighty.The firſt felicity, is for his ſeed and off-ſpring: His ſeed ſhall be mighty upon earth; the Generation of the upright ſhall be bleſſed, which was verified in Abraham and his poſterity, in them God made good his promiſe in the ſecond Commandment, I will ſhew mercy to thouſands in them that love me, and keep my Commandments.
2. 2Abundance.The ſecond felicity conſiſts in wealth, riches, honours: Wealth and riches, that is, Ver. 3 abundance of all things ſhall be in his houſe, and remain in it: For his mind is not corrupted with theſe things, content he is with what God beſtowes, and ſeeks not to amplifie them by ill means: And therefore his righteouſneſs, his Goods well-gotten, endures for ever, Phil. 4.11, 12. 1 Tim. 6.6. His juſt dealing preſerves his wealth to his poſterity.
3. 3Comfort in afflictions.The third felicity, is the comfort he finds in turbulent times, which the Prophet calls here darkneſs; but when this overſpreads the face of the Church, yet he that fears God, will acquieſce in him, and thence receive joy and comfort: Unto the upright there ariſeth light; the light of counſel, the light of conſolation, in the thickeſt darkneſs, of all doubts, tribulations, and afflictions, which the Prophet aſcribes here to the mercy of God; comfortable he is, becauſe God is his light, who is gracious, full of compaſſion, and righteous.
4. Ver. 4 The fourth felicity is, that he hath in him bowels of compaſſion, of which he ſhewes two effects.4Compaſſionate bowels.
1. Ver. 5 Hard-hearted he is not, but a good man, ſhewes favour, he eaſily forgives an injury, 1Forgiving Injuries.is eaſily reconciled to an enemy; forgives, that he may be forgiven, Luke 6.37.
2. 2Giving.Tenacious he is not; he thinks not that he was born for himſelf alone, but for the good of others, and therefore he exerciſes the acts of charity, and lends; and it is a part of happineſs to be able to do it, Luke 6.34.
5. A fifth felicity, is in his Diſcretion: Ver. 5 He will guide his affairs with diſcretion, with prudence, with judgment. 5Diſcreet in his words.Diſcreet he is to diſcern betwixt truth and falſhood, juſt and unjuſt acts; and therefore in judgment he is no accepter of perſons, nor in his bargains fraudulent and injurious, nor falſe in his teſtimonies, but true and conſtant in word and deed; diſcreetly he manageth all his Affairs.
6. A ſixth felicity, is h…s conſtancy and patience; Ve. 6 troubles and dangers may ſo increaſe, that his caſe may ſeem deſperate; 6Conſtant and patient.yet in theſe he looks for help from Heaven, and remains firm in his principles. Justum & tenacem propoſiti v…rum, non civium ardor prava j…ben…um, non vultus inſtantis tyranni mente quatit ſolidâ. Surely he ſhall not be moved for ever.
7. A ſeventh felicity is, that there is a Commemoration of him with honour: 7His Name remembred with Honour.The righteous ſhall be had in everlaſting remembrance. His name is written in the Book of life, his Name is precious in the Church. Records are kept of his doings and ſufferings, as are of the Martyrs; with much honour he ſhall be ſpoken of: His memory ſhall not live, as doth that of Judas, Cain, Pilate, &c. that are indeed mentioned, but with deteſtation; whereas at the mention of his name, all men ſhall have a veneration of him in his Grave. At the laſt day good men ſhall be called to, Come ye bleſſed; wicked men diſmiſſ'd with, Go ye curſed. Ver. 7
8. The eighth felicity is, that the ſcandals raiſed upon him, 8Not much moved with Scandals.calu…nies and falſe reports little move him: He ſhall not be afraid of evil tydings. He may be call'd a troubler of Iſrael, a ſeditious perſon, a wine-bibber, a gluttenous perſon, a murderer, an idolater, a ſuperſtitious perſon, a blaſphemer; he knowes that it was his Saviours caſe, the condition of his ſervants, the Prophets and Apostles; but he is not much moved at it, he bears it patiently. And the Reaſons are,1For his heare is fixed, confirmed.
1. Becauſe his heart is fixed, truſting in the Lord: He hath a ſure Rock to flie and truſt to, God will clear up his innocence.
2. His heart is eſtabliſhed, he ſhall not be afraid: Ver. 8 He knowes God will take care of him, and will be propitious to him, until be ſee his deſire upon his enemies, till God bring them to confuſion, which he knowes he ſhall either live to ſee now, or believes he ſhall ſee hereafter. Ver. 9
9. A ninth felicity is, 9He diſtributes his Charity wiſely.that God gives him a heart to put his Goods to a right uſe in his diſtribution of his charity.
1. He hath disperſed; he thinks not that he only lives to gather and reap; but he ſowes alſo, and that liberally, as men do their ſeed, never grudging that they commit to the earth; many, not one only, 1To many.are the better for him.
2. And he doth it freely, without looking for any thing again: He gives; 2Freely.and there is nothing freer than gift.
3. And he doth it wiſely; for 'tis not to ſuch as need it not, 3To the needy.but to thoſe that need it, 'tis to the needy; He hath given to the poor.
Now for this liberality, he is a great gainer in two reſpects, By this Charity a great gainer.for both which he may well be called a bleſſed and happy man.
1. Though he hath by it leſſened his money, 1His righteouſneſs thereby increaſed.yet he hath increaſed his righteouſneſs, his piety and charity is more conſpicuous. The good work he hath done endureth for ever, and ſhall in its time receive an ample reward, Prov. 28.27. & 22.9.
2. Nay by it increaſed his honour, and perhaps his wealth alſo: 2And his Honour.His Horn, that is, his power, dignity, glory, ſhall be exalted with honour.
10. Ver. 10 His laſt felicity is, that he ſhall exceed and overcome all envy; for it is moſt true:10He ſhall overcome all Envy.
1. That the wicked ſhall ſee it; conſider the proſperity and liberality of him that fears God, and be grieved with his felicity, and pine with envy.1For the wicked ſhall envy him.
2. That as a mad Dog, he ſhall gnaſh his teeth at it, and for very grief melt away, 2But not hurt him.and ſeek his ruine.
3. But yet he ſhall not be able to harm him, all his endeavours ſhall be fruſtrate, and his labours ineffectual: The deſire of the wicked ſhall periſh. He then that fears God, is a happy man; he that fears him not, moſt unhappy.
The Prayer collected out of the One hundred and twelfth Pſalm.
O On impotent God, it is thy fear alone that can make men truly happy; for where thy fear is truly rooted, Ver. 1 there piety and juſtice, there thy true worſhip, and all fruits of charity and juſtice will flouriſh; ſo therefore affect our bearts with a filial fear, that we may make it our delight, to run the wayes of thy Commandments. Make our will conformable to thy Will, and our affection… correſpondent to what thou doſt affect, ſo ſhall we find no labour or difficulty in thy precepts, but be greatly pleaſed to be thy obedient ſervants.
It is time of the greateſt of our deſires, Ver. 2 That our ſeed ſhould be mighty upon earth, which cannot be expected without thy bleſſing; create in us then an upright he art, that ſo the Generation which ſuccéed us may be bleſſed. We deſire that wealth, Ver. 3 and riches, and honour ſhould be in our houſe, let us aim to attain to theſe in thy fear, Ver. 3 in a juſt and a righteous way, that they may endure to our poſterity; make us content with what thou beſtoweſt, and know, That Piety is great gain, when the mind is ſatisfied with what thou giveſt.
We now live, O Lord, in a difficult time, we know not what to do, but our eyes are to thée: Ver. 4 Thou art a gracious God, and full of compaſſion, and righteous, let therefore thy light ariſe to us in this darkneſs, let thy counſel direct us, and thy comforts ſhine unto us, Ver. 5 that we may prudently carry our ſelves in theſe diſtrculties. Provocations we have had to anger and revenge, but touch our hearts with ſo much compaſſion, that we may ſhew favour toward our enemies, forgive them, as thou for Chriſts ſake, haſt forgiden us. And ſince we are compaſſed about with temptations, Ver. 6 enrich our hearts with prudence, That we may guide our Affairs with diſcretion, Ver. 7 diſcréetly putting a difference betwixt Truth and Falſhood, juſt, and unjuſt acts; and though we be violently aſſaulted, make us conſtant in thy fear, and patient in our ſufferings; O let us not be moved or ſeduced from the right way for ever: Fix our hearts, and make us truſt in thée; eſtabliſh our hearts, and never let any evil tydings make us afraid, but let us rely upon thy promiſes, till we ſée our deſire upon our enemies.
Let it not be our aim to heap up wealth, but give us grace to uſe it well, to diſperſe, as well as to gather, and to be content to give, as well as to receine; that ſo the loins of the néedy may bleſs us, and the bellies of the poor pray for us. With this unrighteous Mammon let us make our ſelves friends, that when they fall, we may be receiv'd into everlaſting habitations; this is a righteouſneſs that will endure for ever; this is a means not only to encreaſe our reward in the life to come, Ver. 6 but alſo in this, to exalt our Hor…, our power and dignity with honour: For a good man alwayes lives in the memory of good men, his name is precious, his memorial is honourable; whereas the memory of the wicked ſhall be buried in oblivion, or remembred with reproach, the righteous ſhall be had in everlaſting remembrance.
Write our names, O Lord, in the Book of life, Ver. 10 and conſerve them in the memorials of thy Saints, let the wicked ſée it, and be grieved at it; and let the adverſaries of thy fear, and the bleſſed eſtate of thy ſervants, gnaſh their téeth for envy, and melt away, to find that their deſires come to naught: O Lord, whoſoever he be that ſhall deſire the ruine of thoſe that fear thée, let him never be able to fulfil it, but together with him, let his deſire periſh: So ſhall thy people, and ſheep of thy paſture, that fear thee the Lord, Ver. 1 and delight greatly in thy Commandments, bleſs thy Name for bleſſing them, and call to all that love thee, and thy Church, to praiſe the Lord. Amen, Amen.