Davids Harp Strung and Tuned, Book 4 [i.e. 5] · Psalm 103
PSAL. CIII. foreign. A Pſalm to David.
THE Title ſhews the Pſalm to be inſpired into David by the Holy Ghoſt, and the end is to comfort a ſoul heavy and laden, but eſpecially with the burden of ſin. To him every word in it drops like an Honey-comb, ſo that had not the comfort been revealed and ſent from heaven, it could never have been believed, that Almighty God ſhould be ſo merciful to ſinful man.
Three parts there are of this Pſalm.
1. The Exordium, in which David by an Apoſtrophe turns to his own ſoul, and ſtirs it up to bleſs God, ver. 1, 2.
2. The Narration, or an ample Declaration of the Benefits, from the firſt to the laſt, conferred by God upon him, and others; and the cauſes of them, from ver. 3. to 20.
3. A Concluſion, in which he makes a motion to Angels, and all other Creatures, to joyn with him in the praiſe of God, from ver. 20. David ſtirs up his ſoul to praiſe God. The firſt part.to the laſt.
1. David being fully perſwaded that he was one of the number of the Elect, ſtirs up himſelf in the perſon of the Elect, to praiſe and ſpeak well of God in the two firſt verſes.
1. Bleſs God, think on the Benefit, and bleſs the Benefactor; Ver. 1 Extoll him with praiſes.
2. O my Soul bleſs him; becauſe the Soul alone can know, and inform the whole man what God deſerves for his bleſſings. 2. Again, he would not have it a lip-labour, but come from a heart affected with it: Heartily done; for, quod cor non facit, non fit.
3. Not the Soul alone, but that all that is within him: Totum hominis; And the whole man.whatſoever is within his skin, every part, every faculty about him; Will, Underſtanding, Memory, Affections, Heart, Tongue, Hand, Eyes, &c. All joyn.
4. And bleſs Jehovah; for he gave them their Being, and their Properties and Operations. 2. Praiſe his holy Name, his Eſſential Properties, his Wiſdom, Power, Goodneſs, Juſtice; for to oclebrate God in all theſe, is, To praiſe his holy Name.
5. Bleſs the Lord, O my Soul; for he comes over it again, Ver. 2 that he might preſs the Duty more emphatically, and ſhew his vehement deſire to have it done; it ſhewes we freeze, and are cold in the Duty, and need a Goad to quicken us.
6. And forget not all his benefits.He repeats it, and adds: That we forget not, His Benefits.
1. Forget not; He would not be guilty of the common Errour, forgetfulneſs of a good turn; for foreign Which if it happen, 'tis impoſſible to be thankful; and therefore, Omnium ingratiſſimus, qui beneficii accepti non reminiſcitur: Forget not then
2. All his benefits: Not all, no nor indeed any of them; for, not one but deſerves a bleſſing.
3. His benefits: Some read Munera, the Vulgar, Retributiones: If Munera, they are freely given; if Retributiones, they are more than we can deſerve, yet it pleaſes him to accompt them ſo. Let but a man well conſider, how many evils we return daily to God for his good things he freely beſtowes on us, and how many good things he returns to us daily, notwithſtanding the evil we return him, and we ſhall eaſily underſtand how great is the goodneſs of God, That retributes good for evil, and makes his Sun to ſhine on the juſt and unjuſt, Luke 6. And Beneficia they are to us, for we are the better for them.The ſecond part. Which now he begin… by an …, to number the Benefits: 1. Done to himſelf.
2. At the third verſe the Prophet begins his Declaration, and by an Induction of particulars, reckons up the benefits, and that in this order. 1. Thoſe done to himſelf, in which yet he excludes not others, as if they might not ſhare with him. 2. Done to the whole Church: But of the firſt he had a true ſenſe and experience what others felt, he could not ſay: Now theſe benefits to himſelf were either ſpiritual or temporal.
1. Ver. 3 The firſt spiritual Benefit was Juſtification, or Remiſſion of ſin; by which of an unjuſt man, Spiritual, as: 1. Juſtification.he made him juſt; of an enemy, a friend; of a ſlave, a ſon. Bleſs God, who forgiveth all thine iniquities, freely forgives thy Debt, or unjuſt Actions, although many. All, everyone, Original and Actual.
2. 2Regeneration.The ſecond Benefit, is Regeneration, by which the Power of Concupiſcence that dwells in us, is daily weakned and ſubdued, though not wholly aboliſhed. The full cure muſt be expected in the life to come, but ſuch a cure is done upon us in this life, That it ſhall not reign in our mortal bodies, and we obey it in the luſts thereof. And of this cure in himſelf, David was ſenſible, and therefore he ſaith, Who heals all thy diſeaſes, or infirmities, is daily cutting away, and ſnubbing theſe roots of ſin.
3. Ver. 4 The third Benefit, is Redemption, Who redeemeth thy life from destruction, 3Redemption.from the Pit, from the Grave, from Death, and that which followeth it, eternal Deſtruction.
4. 4Glorification, all out of mercy.The fourth Benefit, Glorification: Who Crowneth thee, gives a Crown of Glory; and the cauſe of this, and the other Benefits, be conceals not, it is with, or out of loving-kindneſs and tender mercies; ex viſceribus miſerecordiae.
Neither is he behind with thee for temporal Benefits; for however Bellarmine refers theſe and the following words to the felicity of the Soul, 2Temporal.and immortality of the Body in the life to come, which I diſlike not in the Anagogical ſenſe; yet I conceive the Literal ſenſe of the words may properly be referred to this preſent life, in which God feeds and nouriſheth our Bodies, and ſupplies what is neceſſary for Food and Rayment, and alſo conſerves us in this life, and gives us health and ſtrength; Ver. 5 both which the Prophet teacheth us in the following words.
1. 1Abundance.Who ſatisfieth thy mouth with good things: He gives not ſparingly, and with a Niggards hand, but gives abundantly to enjoy, 1 Tim. 6. He ſatisfieth; and good things they are, till we abuſe them.
2. 2Long life and health.So that thy youth is renewed like the Eagles: An Eagle is a youthful and luſty Bird in her old age, and of long life; and this often God grants to many of his, that they be long-liv'd, healthful and lively, active and vigorous old men, as to Moſes, Joſhua, Job; which if it happen, it is a Gift of God.
2. 2Benefits to the whole Church.As man is to pray, ſo alſo is he bound to bleſs God for the good that befalls his Neighbour, which courſe David here takes; for he bleſſeth God not only for the Benefits of God beſtowed upon himſelf, but ſuch as were common, and did belong to the whole Church; and in two he gives his inſtance. The firſt is, the defence of his people, and deliverance of all that are oppreſſed. The ſecond is, the Manifeſtation of his Will by his Servants, the Pen-men of Scripture to them.
1. 1Deliverance.Moſt juſt God is to his, and good, in puniſhing their Adverſaries. The Lord executes righteouſneſs and judgment for all that are oppreſſed with wrong, Ver. 6 which is a new Benefit: Two Alms he diſtributes.
1. A righteous portion to his ſervants.
2. Judgment, and a juſt revenge to his enemies, to all that are oppreſſed with wrong. The Iſraelites were preſerved in Aegypt, but Pharaoh plagued.
2. 2Manifeſtation of his Will.Moſt kind in making known his Will, which had he not declared to his ſervants, Ver. 7 we had never known it. It muſt then be acknowledg'd for another favour, That he made known his Wayes to Moſes, his Acts unto the children of Iſrael.
And here the Prophet interſerts four Epithers or Attributes of God, Both the Benefits beſtowed, becauſe God is,which declares unto us the true cauſe of all the former and following favours. The Lord is Merciful and Gracious, flow to anger, and plenteous in mercy.
1. Ver. 8 Merciful: Rachum, becauſe he bears a pate…nal Affection to pious men.
2. Gracious: Channum, the Giver of Grace and Benefits: For he that loves with a fatherly Affection, will give.
3. Slow to anger: Not eaſily drawn to ſtrike, he will bear long and much, as a Father, before he puniſh.
4. Plenteous in mercies: When he does us good, being moved by no merit of our's.
Of all which Attributes, the Prophet ſhewes the effects, and applies them ſingula ſingulis, in the following verſes.
1. He is merciful, bears a paternal Affection to his Children: 1Merciful.He will not alwayes chide, neither keep his anger for ever. Ver. 9 Angry he will be with his Children when they are untoward, yea, and chaſtiſe them too: For every father chastiſes the ſon that he loves. But his anger ſhall not laſt long; for in his heart there remains the love of a Father from whence the ſtripes proceed.
2. He is gracious; Ver. 10 and therefore out of meer Grace he will give us a Pardon: For if he ſhould deal with us according to our deſerts, 2Gracious.who could abide it? Pſal. 130. For what doth a ſinner deſerve, but death? Rom. 6. Whereas he forgives us, and gives us Life, Grace, Glory; and therefore we may truly ſay with David here, He hath not dealt with us after our ſins, nor rewarded us according to our iniquities. Ver. 11
This Grace and Favour the Prophet amplifies by two Compariſons.
1. The firſt is, the diſtance of the Heaven from Earth, which from the Center. to the higheſt Orb, is of an immenſe Altitude: Yet look, As high as the Heaven is above the Earth, ſo great is his mercy toward them that fear him.
2. The ſecond is, the diſtance of the Eaſt from the Weſt, which is of an immenſe Longitude; and yet look, Ver. 12 As far as the Eaſt is from the West, ſo far hath he ſet our ſins from us: Let the ſin be of what extent it will, it is not the interpoſition of our ſin, ſo it be repented, and left, that can hinder his Grace to ſhine upon us, and remove it.
3. He is ſlow to anger; and he hath this of a Father alſo: 3Slow to anger.For no men more patient than Fathers, in tolerating the infirmities and childiſhneſs of their Children; this in him alſo: For like as a Father pieth his Children, Ver. 13 ſo the Lord pitieth them that fear him.
4. Plenteous in mercy: 4Plenteous in mercy.He takes into his conſideration what frail Creatures we are, and fading; For he knoweth our frame, he remembreth we are duſt. Ver. 14 As for man, his dayes are as graſs, as a flower of the Field, ſo he flouriſheth; for the wind paſſeth over it, and it is gone, and the place thereof ſhall know it no more: And this fragility and inſtability of our's, cauſeth him to be exceeding merciful to us; which David expreſſeth in the next verſe by way of Antitheſis: But the mercy of the Lord is from everlaſting to everlaſting; ab aeterno in aeternum, from the Eternity of our Predeſtination, to the Eternity of our Glorification; yet not beſtowed hand over head, it is with thy Reſtriction and Limitation.But to thoſe that fear him, and keep his Covenant.
1. Upon them that fear him.
2. And his righteouſneſs; that is, veracity and faithfulneſs in performing his Covenant; not to the Fathers alone, but to Childrens children.
3. To ſuch as keep his Covenant; Yea, and are obedient.obſerve the conditions of Faith and Repentance.
4. Yea, and of obedience alſo: That remember his Commandments to do them.
Theſe Benefits are many and wonderful, and the mercy from which they proceed, infinite; but that no man doubt of the performance of it, Ver. 19 that God will do for thoſe, That fear him, and keep his Commandments, This mercy God is able to make good.what he hath promiſed; and in the Cloſe of this Part, the Prophet puts us in mind of his Power.
1. He is Dominus in Coelo; not like our Lords on Earth, his power is no where circumſcribed.
2. He hath prepared his Throne in the Heavens; there he fits pro Tribunali, can ſee and judge the World.
3. And that we ſuſpect him not to be ſome under-Judge ſet over us, and appointed by another, David tells us, His Kingdom ruleth over all: The Supremacy is his, he is the Supreme Monarch.
3. The third part. For theſe Benefits he invites all Creatures to praiſe God.And thus the Prophet having particularly remembred Gods Goodneſs and Benefits to his People, as being not able to return ſufficient thanks alone, he invites all the Creatures to joyn with him in his praiſe, and firſt the Angels: Bleſs the Lord ye his Angels; whom he deſcribes:
1. 1Angels.From their excellency, Ye that excel in ſtrength.
2. From their obedience, And do his Commandments.
3. From their celerity, readineſs, and chearfulneſs in it; That hearken to the voyce of his words, that you may ſhew you ſelves faithful Miniſters and Servants.
2. 2Armies of God.He invites all the Armies of God to joyn with him, by which, Bellarmine underſtands all the Superiour Order, Archangels, Principalities, Dominations and Powers, which is the Militia of Heaven, Luke 2. together with the Angels before-named: Bleſs the Lord all his Hoſts; ye, who how glorious ſoever, yet are but Miniſters of his that do his pleaſure, faithfully receive your charge, and do it diligently, and daily execute it.
3. 3All his works.He invites all the Creatures of God to joyn with him alſo, as if they had ſenſe, 3All his works.and underſtood him; Bleſs the Lord all his works: All; for that no man ſhould think, that he meant only rational Creatures in Heaven and Earth. 2. He adds, in all places of his Dominion, which extends over the whole world: All Creatures then without exception, and all in all places he deſires would do it; and good Reaſon, for he made all, and rules over all, and is in all places, with all, and fills all, and preſerves all, and moves all; and in their kinds they have done it, the Water at the Flood, the Fire at Babylon, the Crowes in feeding Eliah, the Lyons in ſparing Daniel, &c. And they do it, when all keep their own ſtations, and work according to that Law of Nature which God hath put upon them.
4. 4Himſelf.Laſtly, That no man ſhould imagine that he that called on others, would be backward in performing the Duty himſelf, as he began, ſo he concludes this excellent Pſalm, Bleſs the Lord, O my Soul. At all times let his praiſe be in thy mouth.
The Prayer collected out of the one hundred and third Pſalm.
BOund I am, Ver. 1 O Omnipotent God, and moſt merciful Father, for thy great favours unto me, with heart, with ſoul, with all powers of my mind, and all ſtrength of my body, perpetually to acknowledge thee, to praiſe thee, and laud thy holy Name: Wherefore, O my Soul, Bleſs thou the Lord, and all faculties within me, and parts about me, bleſs his holy Name: Bleſs the Lord, O my Soul; Bleſs the Lord, O my Soul, and forget not all, or any one of his Benefits.
My actual ſins are many and grievous; but thou, O Lord, in mercy haſt forgiven my iniquities; Thou haſt juſtified me by the death of thy Son, cleanſed me by his blood, of an unjuſt perſon, made me juſt, of an enemy, a friend, of a ſlave a ſan. I conſeſs, O Lord, that the bitter root of ſin is ſo graffed in my nature, that I carry it about me in my mortal body, and I lament; yet I give thanks to thy grace, which hath ſo healed my infirmities, and ſo ſubdued them by the power of thy Spirit, that I féel it daily dying, and the ſtrength thereof ſo decayed, that it cannot reign, rule, and command within me: And this gives me aſſurance, Ver. 4 That thou haſt redeemed my life from death, hell, and deſtruction, and that at laſt out of thy loving-kindneſs and tender mercies, I ſhall be Crowned with a Crown of Glory. Lord, what was I? or what could I deſerve, that thou ſhouldſt beſtow theſe wonderful Benefits upon me? when I think upon them, I am not able to comprehend them; and when I comprehend them, I ſhould be never able to believe them, had'ſt thou not revealed them, and aſſured them to my foul by thy boly Spirit. O my Soul, then bleſs the Lord, bleſs his holy Name, and forget not all his Benefits.
But as if all theſe high favours had been too little, Thou haſt over and above added many temporal bleſſings: I enjoy by thy bounty, food and rayment, Ver. 5 which are good things, ſo long as well uſed; with theſe thou haſt ſatisfied my mouth, and given me health and ſtrength to make uſe of them: So that my youth is renewed as the Eagles, in this my old age. I find my body healthful, my ſenſes not altogether impaired, my underſtanding quick, and my judgement bettered. Bleſs the Lord, O my tongue, and all that is within me, bleſs his holy Name.
But what do I inſiſt upon the Benefits which thou haſt beſtowed upon me in particular, when thou haſt béen merciful to thy whole people? Ver. 6 for thoſe alſo I bleſs thée, and for thoſe now I pray; many of them ſuffer injuries from the hands of Tyrants, many of them are in want and neceſſity; Execute righteouſneſs and judgment, help the afflicted, comfort them who are in want, and deliver all that are oppreſſed, as thou didſt thy people Iſrael by the hand of Moſes: And becauſe ignorance and errour hath brought a miſſy darkneſs over thy Truth, ſhine forth again, and make thy wayes known, as thou didſt to thy people by Moſes; direct them in the right way of a good and a happy life, and by the Acts already done for thy children of Iſrael, aſſure them, what in all Ages thou wilt do for thy people.
Thou, O Lord, art merciful and gracious, flow to anger, and plenteous in mercy; Be merciful then to the ſins of thy children, and be not alwayes chiding; let it ſuffice, that thou correct and chaſtiſe them as a Father, but keep not thy anger for ever. Why ſhould thy Spirit alwayes ſtrive with thoſe to whom thou beateſt a paternal love and affection? Be gracious then, and out of méer grace ſeal them a pardon, Deal not with them after their ſins, neither reward them according to their iniquities. Make it appear, That as the Heaven is high above the Earth, ſo great is thy mercy immenſe and true toward them that fear thee; that as far as the Eaſt is from the Weſt, that ſo far thou wilt remove their tranſgreſſions from them: Shew that it is not the interpoſition of any ſin, how dark, how ſwelling ſoever, if repented, and left, that can kéep off the light of thy countenance from them. Thou art ſlow to anger, let not then thy wrath be kindled againſt the ſheep of thy paſture: Pity them then, O God, pity them, and me an undutiful Child with them: Yea, as a Father pitieth his own Children, ſo pity us that fear thee. Remember, O Lord, our frame, how thou haſt faſhioned us; Remember, that we are but duſt, and muſt return to duſt; Remember we are but graſs, that ſuddenly ſhoots up, or as a flower of the Field, which is to day in its pride and beauty, and to morrow flags and falls; a nipping ſharp wind paſſeth over it, ſhrivels it up, and it is gone, ſo that the place thereof ſhall know it no more, nor it the place. Thus frail, thus vaniſhing is man, when the Spirit of thy indignation, and thy ſevere ſentence paſſeth upon him: But thou art plenteous in mercy; it is not ſo with thy mercy, as with the life of man, that fades and decayes; But thy mercy is from everlaſting toward them that fear thee.
O Lord, we deſire to live in thy fear, and to kéep thy Covenant; and as we are the Children of thoſe who have dyed in and for the Truth, ſo to remember thy Commandments, and to do them. Bring theſe deſires into Acts, that ſo kéeping thy Covenant, and performing thy Commandments with a filial fear, we may be partakers of thy righteouſneſs, and that mercy which had no beginning, and knowes no end; no more end than thou canſt have, no more be circumſcribed than thou canſt be: For thou haſt prepared thy Throne in Heaven, and thy Kingdom ruleth over all. To thée then we his as Supreme, for pardon and mercy.
Thy mercy is above thy works, and the Benefits flowing from the Fountain of thy mercy infinite, as it cannot be exhauſted; ſo I deſire the praiſe for it ſhould not be dryed up. Men are ſinful, and praiſe is not comely in the mouth of a ſinner: Men are frail, and vanity it ſelf, and the praiſe would be everlaſting. O ye Angels of God, then joyn with me, Bleſs ye the Lord, ye that excel in ſtrength, ye that do his Commandments (which I to my grief kéep not) and chearfully and readily hearken to the voyce of his words. Ye are the multitude of the heavenly Hoſt, that ſung in the Fields of Galilee, Glory to God on High; Bleſs ye then the Lord, all ye his Hoſts, ye Miniſters of his that do his pleaſure. And you alſo all ye works of his, joyn with the Angels, and do what you can: Bleſs ye the Lord, and ſound forth his praiſes by your obedience and ſubjection to his Will in all places of his Dominion.
Laſtly, O my Soul, ſo fréely pardoned and juſtified, ſo graciouſly regenerated and ſanctified, ſo dearly bought, and wonderfully redéemed, ſo undeſervedly to be glorified with this my body, which in the mean time is ſatisfied by him with good things, and ſhall at laſt in youth be renewed as an Eagle: Bleſs the Lord, O my Soul; Bleſs the Lord, the Lord who is merciful and gracious, flow to anger, and plenteous in mercy. Thou never canſt do enough, that haſt received ſo much; Tender then unto him all laud, all honour, all praiſe, all glory, through Jeſus Chriſt thy Lord, thine only Saviour and Redeemer. To God the Father that created us, to God the Son that redeemed us, to God the Holy Ghoſt who ſanctifies us, three Perſons and one God, be aſcribed all Glory, Honour, Power, and Dominion, for ever and ever. Amen.