Commentary on Ezra Nehemiah Ester Job and Psalms, Commentary 5 · Psalm 138
PSAL. CXXXVIII.
VErſ. 1 I will praiſe thee with my whole heart] Which no Hypocrite can do; though hee may pray in diſtreſs from the bottom of his heart. A gratefull manis a gracious man, viz. if hee come with a true heart, as the Apoſtle hath it, Heb. 10.22.Aben-Ezra.
Before the Gods will I ſing praiſe unto thee] That is, before Angels, who are preſent in holy aſſemblies, 1 Cor. 11.10. (as was repreſented by thoſe Cherubines pictured in the Temple) as alſo before Princes and Potentates; ſee verſ. 4.Kimchi.
Verſ. 2 I will worſhip toward thy holy Temple] Whereſoever I am, the face of my ſoul ſhall turn, like the needle of a Diall, by ſacred inſtinct,Abbot. towards thee in the Ark of thy preſence, in the ſon of thy love.
For thy loving kindneſs, and for thy truth] For thy grace and truth which come by Jeſus Chriſt: the Ark and Mercy-ſeat were never ſundred. Gods loving kindneſs in Chriſt moved him to promiſe, his truth binds him to perform, and hence our happineſs.
For thou haſt magnified thy Word above all thy Name] Or, Thou haſt magnified thy name in all thy Words. Or, Thou haſt magnified above all things thy Name by thy Word; that is, Thou haſt got thee a very great name, by fulfilling thy promiſes; and by ſetting on thy Word with power.
Verſ. 3 In the day when I cryed, &c.] This hee worthily celebrateth as a ſingular favour, a badge of grace, Pſal. 66.18. and pledge of glory, Act. 2.21.
And ſtrengthenedſt mee with ſtrength in my ſoul] With ſtrength in the inward man, Epheſ. 3.16, 20. with ſpirituall mettal, with ſupporting grace; keeping head above water: My body is weak, my ſoul is well, ſaid that dying Saint. I am as full of comfort as heart can hold, ſaid a certain Martyr. The Apoſtle ſpeaketh of the new ſupplies of the Spirit of Jeſus Chriſt, Phil. 1.19. the joy of the Lord is ſtrengthening,foreign Neh. 8.10.
Verſ. 4 All the Kings of the earth ſhall praiſe thee] Such of them as ſhall read theſe Pſalms of my compoſing: or otherwiſe ſhall hear of thy gracious dealing with mee, according to thy promiſe. Such alſo as ſhall hereafter bee converted to the faith; for though Not many mighty, not many noble are called, 1 Cor. 1.26. yet ſome are, and theſe ſhine in the Church, like ſtars of the firſt magnitude.
Verſ. 5 Yea they ſhall ſing in the wayes of the Lord] As having taſted the excellencie of the comforts of godlineſs (far ſurpaſſing thoſe of the Crown and Scepter) and felt the power of Gods Word ſubduing them to the obedience of faith, whereby they come to rule with God, to bee faithfull with his Saints, and to ſing their ſongs.
Verſ. 6 Though the Lord bee high, &c.] Even the high and lofty one that inhabiteth eternity, Iſa 57.15. See on Pſal. 113.6, 7.
Yet hath hee reſpect unto the lowly] This maketh that Ancient cry out, Videte magnum miraculum. See here a great miracle; God is on high: thou lifteſt thy ſelf up,Aug. de Temp. and he flieth from thee; thou boweſt thy ſelf down, and hee deſcendeth unto thee. Low things hee looketh cloſe upon, that he may raiſe them higher; lofty things he knoweth a far off, that he may cruſh them down lower. The proud Phariſee preſſed as near God as he could; the poor Publican not daring to do ſo, ſtood a loof of; yet was God far from the Phariſee, near, to the Publican. The Lord Chriſt is a door to Heaven,Aug. in Joha… but a low door: hee who will enter in thereby, humiliet ſe oportet, ut ſano capite intrare contingat, ſaith Auſtin hee muſt needs ſtoop to ſave his head-peece.
But the proud hee knoweth a far off] As not vouchſafing to come anear ſuch loathſome lepers. For pride is like a great ſwelling in the body, apt to putrifie, break, and run with loathſome and foul matter. Hence God ſtands off from ſuch, as odious and abominable; hee cannot abide the ſight of them; Superb…s à calo longè propellit, as the Chaldee here paraphraſeth, he driveth the proud far enough off from Heaven, yea hee thruſteth them into Hell, to their Father Lucifer, that King of all the children of pride, as Leviathan is called, Job 41.34.
Verſ. 7 Though I walk in the midſt of trouble] Even in the vale of the ſhadow of death, ſo that I ſeem little different from a dead man.
Thou wilt revive mee] That is, reſtore mee from ſo great a death, as 2 Cor. ….10.
Thou ſhalt ſtretch forth thine hand] Thou ſhalt interpoſe thy help betwixt mee and them, and ſave mee harmleſs; as the … feign their Gods did thoſe whom they favoured. Thou ſhalt ſtrike them with thy left hand, and ſave mee with thy right: ſo Tremellius ſenſeth it.
Verſ. 8 The Lord will perfect that which concerneth mee] Hee will not do his buſineſs to the halves, leave it in the midſt, but carry it on to a conſummation, and lay the top-ſtone of grace: this I am well aſſured of. See Phil. 1.6. Only I muſt pray, and do my part; having an eye ſtill to Gods everlaſting mercy in Chriſt.
Forſake not the works of thine own hands] Look upon the wounds of thine hands, and forſake not the works of thine hands, prayed Queen Elizabeth. And Luthers uſuall prayer was, Confirm, O God, in us that thou haſt wrought, and perfect the work that thou haſt begun in us, to thy glory: So bee it. Though the good work of grace bee begun in us, yet wee can neither perſevere in that grace, nor bring it forth to act, without new grace: Even as trees, though they bee fitted to bear fruit, yet without the influence of the heavens, they cannot put forth that fitneſſe in fruit, &c.