Davids Harp Strung and Tuned, 4 [i.e. 5] (cont.) · Psalm 145
PSAL. CXLV. Hallelujah, or an Hymn.
THis Hymn containeth excellent matter, and is penned after an excellent manner. The matter of it is Gods holy praiſe, which is the Alpha and Omega of all our actions. The manner of it, that of the Hebrew Alphabet, which is done to help our memory, in recording thoſe things which concerns our Makers praiſe. Of which there be,
Theſe three parts.
1. A Proem, or a proteſtation to praiſe God, ver. 1, 2.
2. And a celebration of divine praiſes through the whole Pſalm, and to that end, he produceth many arguments, which are reduced to theſe heads.
1. From the greatneſſe of God, ver. 3.
2. From his works of wonder, ver. 4. which works he diſtinguiſhes into three kinds;
1. Glorious and beautiful, of Majeſty, and therefore wonderful, ver. 5.
2. Marvellous, and full of terror, ver. 6.
3. Amiable, and full of goodneſſe, ver. 7, 8, 9. But all wonderful.
3. From his Kingdom and government of it and in it, from ver. 10. to. 21.
3. A concluſion, ver. 21. In which be performs his proteſtation praiſing God
1. Davids proteſtation to praiſe God. The firſt part.In the two firſt verſes David propoſeth what he will do through the whole Pſalm, acquaints us fully with his intention.
1. I will extoll, I will bleſs, I will praiſe.
2. Thee my God, my King. A King above me, Ver. 1 in compariſon of whom I am a ſervant, a ſubject: I will bleſs, I will praiſe thy Name, all vertues by which thou art known.
3. Every day will I praiſe thee: No day ſhall paſſe without a Hymn.
4. For ever and ever will I do it: It ſhall now begin and continue by a ſucceſſion of men, who ſhall ſing this and the like Hymns made to thy honour, to the conſummation of all things.
2. And ſo he ſets upon the praiſe it ſelf: The ſecond part. He praiſeth God for his greatneſs.And the firſt thing he praiſeth God for, is for his Eſſenſe, ſet forth under this word Great.
1. Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praiſed: This followes on the other; for if great, greatly to be praiſed.
2. And his greatneſs is unſearchable, Ver. 3 paſt our weak capacity it is to comprehend it; ſearch we may, but we ſhall never find it: Higher it is than the Heavens, as being higher than the Higheſt; deeper than Hell, as paſſing the depth of our underſtandings, Job 11.8, 9. Broador than the Sea, as meaſuring the waters thereof in his fiſt, Iſaiah 40.12. And longer than the earth, as having no end; there it no end of his greatneſs.
Or if Great, here to be refer'd to him as a King: Then a great King he is in reſpect of extenſion, for all creatures, from the higheſt Angel to the pooreſt worm are under him; great for length, for his Kingdom is an everlaſting Kingdom. Great for depth; for he rules even in the hearts of Kings, of all men, over-rules their thoughts, affections, nothing is hid from him. And great again for height, being a great King over other gods, ruling by his own abſolute Power and Authority; whereas all other have their Sword from him, and Rule by a delegated and Vicarious power.
2. From the Eſſence of God, David paſſeth to his works and effects, Ver. 4 which ſet forth his praiſe; which, becauſe no one man is able to do, 2For his works in generall.therefore David ſaith, One Generation ſhall praiſe thy works unto another, and ſhall declare thy mighty Acts. Every ſeveral Age is an eye-witneſs of ſeveral acts of wonder, and therefore as one ſucceedeth another in dayes, ſo ſhall they ſucceed in duty. The father ſhall declare them to the ſon, and the ſon again to his ſon, &c. So that no Generation that conſiders thy mighty Acts, but ſhall have juſt occaſion to admire them, and praiſe thee.
And ſo from the works in general, all which are mighty, he deſcends to the particulars, which he ranks into three ſorts.In particular. 1. His works of glory.
1. The firſt are thoſe which are marvellous, and full of glory, ſplendour, and beauty, ſuch as are his works in Heaven: For the Heavens declare his glory. The Sun, Moon, Stars, their variety, multitude, ſplendour, Ver. 5 conſtant and perpetual motions; their influences and effects, are all wondrous works, and they ſpeak of the glorious honour of his Majeſty: Why elſe did the Heathen take and worſhip theſe for gods? and theſe works David means in ver. 5.
2. A ſecond kind of works there are of God, 2His works of juſtice and terrour.which are full of Terrour and Juſtice, theſe are terrible Acts, and they ſpeak out his Might and Greatneſs; ſuch were the univerſal Deluge in Noahs dayes, the fire of Sodom, Pharaphs overthrow in the red Sea, Ver. 6 the opening of the earth to ſwallow Corah, Dathan, Abiram, &c. And theſe he points at in ver. 6.
3. Other works are marvellous, as being full of his abundant kindneſs, 3His works of love and mercy.love, mercy: And becauſe he would have us take more ſpecial notice of theſe, as thoſe which bring to us more comfort, and concern us more to know, therefore he in more words inſiſts upon theſe, ſpending three whole verſes in the explication of them; of which, pag. ſequents.
1. Ver. 7 They, i. e. Thy great works ſhall abundantly utter. Eructabun. Vulgar, The memory of thy great goodneſs. All Generations fill'd with the abundance of thy bounty, they ſhall be eloquent, and without any intermiſſion collect them in their memory, and commit them to poſterity to be remembred. 2. And ſing of thy righteouſneſs, in exhibiting thy promiſed bleſſings. Of this kind are all temporal benefits, night and day, the ſeaſons of the year, fertility, abundance of Fiſh, Fowle, Cattle, Rivers, Seas, Orchards, Gardens, Groves, &c. But theſe are light, if compared to the gifts of Grace. The incarnation, Death, Paſſion, Reſurrection, Aſcention of Chriſt, miſſion of the holy Ghoſt, calling of the Gentiles, Juſtification, Sanctification, eternal life. All which being brought to memory by a pious meditation, Eructubunt, ſcaturient, eloquentur, canent, men muſt abundantly utter Gods goodneſſe. And ſing here with David in the next verſe,
2. Ver. 8 The Lord is gracious, and full of compaſſion, ſlow to anger, and of great mercy; of which before, Pſal. 103.8.
3. Ver. 9 The Lord is good to all. For he rains upon the juſt and unjuſt. Slow to execute wrath upon the reprobates, 2 Tim. 2.4.2. Pet. 3.9. Prov. 1.21. Hoſ. 14.9. Ezek. 18.31, 32.
4. His mercies are over all his works. There is not any work of God but hath mercy in it, Pſal. 1.36. For whenas in rigour of juſtice for their ſins he might deſtroy the world, out of mercy he gives time of repentance.
3. The third part. He praiſeth God for a new mercy.The Prophet hitherto hath ſung of the marvellous works of God, both of Glory, Terror, and Mercy. And adds for the cloſe, All thy works ſhall praiſe thee, O Lord.
But now he begins to praiſe him for a New matter, viz. for the erection of his peculiar Kingdom in his Church, viz. The choice of his Church.in which he is to have for his Subjects a peculiar people, a holy nation, a royal Prieſthood, which he in this place calls Saints. Now be it that profane and impious men of the world ſhould neglect to praiſe God, and not admire his works of Glory, Terrour, and Mercy, yet theſe will not neglect their Duty. Ver. 10 And thy Saints ſhall bleſſe thee. They ſhall bleſſe thee for thy marvellous works before mentioned, In which he erects his Kingdom.but they ſhall not ſtay there, conſider they ſhall thy Kingdom in thy Church, and lay to heart the Quality of that Kingdom, and eſpecially praiſe thee for that.
Ver. 11 They ſhall speak of the glory of thy Kingdom, and talk of thy power.
Ver. 12 To make known to the ſons of men thy mighty acts, and the glorious Majeſty of thy Kingdom.
Ver. 13 Thy Kingdom is an everlaſting Kingdom, and thy Dominion endureth throughout all generations.
Now the power and glory of Chriſts Kingdom, 1The amplitude of it.from the Kingdoms of men may be known by this fourfold difference.
1. That Kings on earth have but few ſubjects, and ſmall wealth and treaſure, being Commanders perhaps but of one, or at moſt but of ſome few Provinces. But God hath for his ſubjects, Angels, Men, Devils, and the wealth of the whole world is his.2Independance.
2. Earthly Kings ſo reign over their ſubjects, that they muſt be ſervants to their people, they depend upon them, and are forced to yield to them: yea, though they abound in wealth, yet they want, and are forced to beg, or exact Subſidies, Contributions, Tributes, Taxes, &c. from them, being often indebted great ſummes. But God is ſo a Lord, that he ſerves none, he needs not their help, ſo abounds, that in a moment he can create of nothing much more than he hath.
3. Earthly Kings glory indeed in their power, 3Security.and rejoyce in their dignity and honour, but their crown is but a crown of thornes, for they are tormented with cares, anxiety, fear, ſorrows: But God is glorious without fear or care, he reigns in ſecurity, tranquility, peace and eaſe.
4. Earthly Kings reign but for a time. Chriſt for ever.4Eternity.
All which differences are found in theſe verſes.
1. The firſt in the eleventh verſe. They ſhall ſpeak of the glory of thy Kingdom, &c. They ſhall ſpeak of the power and glory of it, that in multitude of ſubjects, in wealth and riches it exceeds all other Kingdoms.
2. The ſecond and third in the twelfth verſe, They ſhall make known, &c. that they Acts are far beyond theirs, and thy magnificence no dependency, no needy, no thorny crown.
3. The fourth in the thirteenth verſe. Thy Kingdom Everlaſting, ſo not theirs.
And ſo the Prophet having deſcribed the Kingdom of Chriſt, The qualities of Chriſt the King.begins to ſet down the excellent Qualities and Vertues of a good King, which do moſt perfectly agree to Chriſt.
In this place after the thirteenth verſe, it is very probable that there is a verſe omitted in the Hebrew Copies we now uſe, which yet anciently were in it. For the Septuagint, the Arabique Copies, and the Vulgar out of them retain it: and ſo doth Kimhi. It is ſuppoſed it came to paſs incuria librariorum. And Bellarmine, Moller conceive it ſhould be admitted, becauſe when the Pſalm is diſpoſed according to the order and number of the Hebrew Alphabet, it will be imperfect without it. For the verſe will be wanting, that begins with the letter Nun. Muſculus receives it into the Text. In it are ſet down two excellent qualities of a good King,
1. Veracity, 1Veracity.and
2. Probity. The verſe is this. 2Holineſs.Faithful the Lord is in all his words, and holy in all his works. But I go on, Ver. 14 The Lord upholdeth all that fall, and raiſeth up all thoſe that be down.3Goodneſs.
3. This is another quality of a good King, which is Veri regia & Paſtoralis, ſo to govern his Subjects, that they fall not, and to raiſe them if fallen. This is Mercy, Goodneſs. And it is proper to Chriſt, who by his Grace ſuſtains and upholds his people that they fall not into ſin, or if fallen, raiſeth them up again, by a new Grace, when they are down. This verified in David, Peter, the Prodigal, &c. He ſuſtains, raiſeth them by his Goſpel and Spirit.
Ver. 15 The eyes of all wait upon thee, and thou giveſt them their meat in due ſeaſon.
Thou openeſt thy hand, and ſatisfieſt the deſire of every living thing.
4. This is Liberality and Bounty, and is an excellent vertue in a King, 4Liberality. and Bounty.whoſe care for his Subjects ought to be, that they want no neceſſaries. Benefacere regjum eſt, and moſt properly may be attributed to Chriſt, who provides for his Church all manner of things that are good. Temporal, Spiritual.
1. They are expectants. Their eyes wait upon him.
2. And he gives. 'Tis a gift, not a debt.
3. Their meat. Variety, to every one what is fit for him.
4. In due ſeaſon. Then when fit for them to eat. Wine oyle, corn, &c. as the ſeaſon fits. He crowns the year, Pſal. 65.11. He gives when fit to eat: for ſometimes 'tis fit that the meat be taken away, when men are wanton, exceed and riot in it.
5. Thou openeſt thy hand: He gives not ſparingly, but bountifully.
6. Thou ſatisfieſt: For a man may have, and not be ſatisfied; Avarui ſemper eget. The content and ſatisfaction is from God.
7. The deſire of every living thing: Giving to every living thing ſuch meat as is ſutable to his appetite; all which is much more true in ſpiritual bleſſings.
Ver. 17 The Lord is righteous in all his wayes, and holy in all his works.
5. 5Juſtice.This is another vertue of a good King to be juſt, which is moſt true of Chriſt; for juſt he is in diſtribution of puniſhments, and giving rewards.
Ver. 18 The Lord is nigh unto all them that call upon him, to all that call upon him in Truth.6Eaſie to receive Petitions of thoſe that call on him in Truth.
6. This is the ſixth quality of a good King, to ſhew himſelf eaſie to receive Petitions, and to them that implore his aid, which God doth, De…r. 4.7.2. But the Prophet corrects his works, and limits them; 'Tis to all that call upon him in Truth; which word includes all the conditions of a good prayer.
1. Faith: For he that prayes without faith, prayes to an Idol of his own brain.
2. Hope and confidence: He prayes not ſeriouſly, that hopes not to be heard.
3. Love: For no man can call on him ſeriouſly, whom he hates, or to whom hateful.
4. Deſire: For no man prayes heartily, that deſires not to obtain.
5. Attention and intention; without which, the prayer is babling, no true prayer.
Ver. 19 The Lord will fulfil the deſire of them that fear him, he alſo will hear their cry, and ſave them.
7. 7To grant Petitions.This is the ſeventh quality of a good King, to grant Petitions, ſo that they ask ſuch Petitions as is fit for the King to grant; this will Chriſt do.
1. He will fulfil the deſires: But with this limitation, So they fear him.
2. He will hear their cry: So it muſt be, a cry, vehement, earneſt.
3. And will ſave them: Hear he will, ad ſalutem ſemper, licet non ad voluntatem.
Ver. 20 The Lord preſerves all them that love him, but all the wicked will he destroy.8Clemency.
8. This is the laſt quality of a good King: Parcere Subjectis, & debellare Superbos. Which Chriſt will do; The Concluſion, a Doxologyhe preſerves his Martyrs in patience, conſtancy, faith, Ver. 21 receives them to glory, and takes revenge on their enemies. Martyres non eripuit, ſed nec deſeruit.
4. The Concluſion is an Epiphonema, and anſwers to the beginning of the Pſalm.
1. For all theſe things which I have ſaid, My mouth ſhall ſpeak the praiſe of the Lord: This ſhall be my work while I live.
2. And I wiſh it may be done by all others alſo. And let all fleſh bleſt his holy Name for ever and ever.
A Hymn collected out of the One hundred and forty fifth Pſalm.
I will ertol thée, O my God, and King, and Governour of the whole World; not that my words can make thée Higher, who art the moſt Higheſt; nor my praiſes make thée more Excellent, Ver. 1 who art of all Excellencies the moſt Excellent; but that I may inſinuate, and commend thy greatneſs to thoſe, that either know thée not, or do not honour thée; for this end I will bleſs thy Name through my whole life, every day will I praiſe thée, and leave upon Record a Hymn, that the people that are yet unborn, may magnifie thée; it is my deſire, That thy Name may be praiſed for ever and ever. Ver. 2
For thou, Lord, art truly great, great in Heaven, great on Earth, there is no end of thy greatneſs, it is unſearchable, it is incomprehenſible, and therefore my deſire is, That there may be no end of thy praiſe, Ver. 3 but that one Generation report it to another; that the father record it to the ſon, and the ſon deliver over to his ſéed thy works, and thy mighty acts, Ver. 4 for which thou art worthy to be praiſed.
Glorious, O Lord, are thy works; terrible, and yet full of mercy; not any of them but beget wonder in me. The Heavens above, the Sun, Moon, and Stars, ſpeak of the glorious honour of thy Majeſty. Thy creation of them, Ver. 5 declares thy power, thy providence for their conſtant courſe, thy wiſdom, their light, motion, influence, and their effects in and upon theſe inferiour bodies thy goodneſs. I never conſider thoſe ſtrokes of divine vengeance which thou haſt inflicted upon diſobedient, rebellions, and incorrigible ſinners, Ver. 6 but they declare thée to be a terrible and a jealous God. Thy hand was terrible upon the old World, mighty upon Pharaoh with his Aegyptians; juſt, but full of indignation againſt that gain-ſaying Rabble, that roſe againſt the King and the Prieſt. At the conſideration of theſe terrible acts I tremble, upon the meditation of theſe works of power I am horribly afraid.
That only which revives my heart, is thy mercy and goodneſs; for I know, Thou art a gracious God, and full of compaſſion, ſlow to anger, Ver. 8 and of great mercy; That thou art good to all, and thy mercy is above all thy works; which, Ver. 9 when I recount in my memory, I can no leſs than abundantly utter thy great goodneſs, Ver. 7 and ſing of thy righteouſneſs, that gives thy Word, and kéeps it, that in juſtice doſt adminiſter all things, inflicting ſevere judgments upon the rebellious, and ſparing thy ſervants, doſt reward their weak endeavours with thy choiceſt bleſſings. Ver. 10
For which, thy Saints ſhall bleſs thee, they ſhall ſpeak of the glory of thy Kingdom, and talk of thy power: They ſhall make known to the ſons of men thy glorious Acts, and commend to the ignorant the excellency of thy power, that it is far beyond any Monarchy on earth in extent of place, wealth, time. For whereas there's is limited, thine is univerſal, there's encumbred with troubles and wants, thine is quiet, peaceable and rich; whereas there's have had, and ſhall have their periods, thine ſhall be continual in duration. Thy Kingdom is an everlaſting Kingdom, and thy Dominion endureth throughout all Generations.
And ſince we are aſſured, That thy Church, in which thou reigneſt, ſhall continue for ever, O Lord, ſtir up thy ſtrength, and come amongſt us, O let thy Kingdom come. O Lord, uphold thoſe who are ready to fall, and raiſe up thoſe who are bowed down; Our eyes wait upon thee, O Lord, feed all thy faithful people with thy Word and Sacraments, in due ſeaſon; open thine hand, and ſatisfie with thy grace every hungry and thirſty ſoul. Thou, Lord, art righteous in all thy wayes, and holy in all thy works, be nigh therefore to all that call upon thee with a pure, true and honeſt heart, fulfil the deſires of them that fear thee, and hear their cry, and ſave them. Preſerve, gracious God, with a ſingular care, all them that love thée, from all evil; but for the wicked, which oppreſs them, and ſéek to trample them under their féet, bring them to a ſpéedy deſtruction.
So ſhall my mouth ſpeak forth the praiſe of the Lord; and I hope alſo, That all fleſh ſhall have juſt occaſion to bleſs thy holy Name for ever and ever. Amen. Ver. 21