Works Volume 4, Book 5 · Psalm 146
The Hundred and Forty Sixth PSALM.
‖Hallelujah. See note on Pſal. 106. a. and 111. a.Praiſe ye the Lord.
The hundred forty ſixth is another form of ſolemn praiſing of God, his ſole and ſupereminent power and mercy, his patronage to all that are in diſtreſs, his judgments, and the eternity of his kingdom. The title of it is Hallelujah, and it is anciently thought to have been compoſed †foreign LXXII.at the return from the captivity.
1. PRaiſe the Lord, O my ſoul.
2. While I live will I praiſe the Lord: I will ſing praiſes unto my God, while I have any being.
3. Put not your truſt in Princes, nor in the ſon of man, in whom there is no help.
Paraphrase. 1, 2. I will excite and rouſe up all the faculties of my ſoul to the ſolemn performance of that great and neceſſary duty, of praiſing and magnifying the God of heaven. This is an office never to be intermitted by me, as long as I have a tongue or breath to proclaim the excellencies and glories of ſo great and gracious a Majeſty.
4. His breath goeth forth, he returneth to his earth: in that very day his thoughts periſh.
Paraphrase. 3, 4. As for any other, be it the greateſt and moſt powerfull Princes in the world (none born of woman excepted, ſave onelyonly the Meſſias, the Son of God as well as man) they being but mortal men, have no power to relieve any, and conſequently will deceive and diſappoint all thoſe that rely on them. For how able or willing ſoever they may be in the eyes of men, or in their own reſolutions forward to perform any office of charity to any; yet 'tis certain their whole being depends every minute upon the will of God: whenſoever he pleaſeth they die, their ſoul is ſeparated from the body, the one is gathered to the earth from whence it hath its firſt beginning (ſee Pſal. 90. note c.) the other to the hands of God that gave it (Eccl. 12.7.) and when this hour comes, 'tis then too late for them to help themſelves; whatſoever they deſigned for the relief of others, together with all their other worldly contrivances, are evacuated and fruſtrated.
5. Happy is he that hath the God of Jacob for his help, whoſe hope is in the Lord his God,
6. Which made heaven and earth, the ſea and all that therein is, which keepeth *or fidelity foreigntruth for ever;
Paraphrase. 5, 6. The onelyonly ſure hold, and never failing foundation of confidence, is the ſpecial mercy and protection of the one omnipotent Creatour of heaven and earth, the Lord of Iſrael, who as he is able to overrule all his creatures, and doe whatſoever he pleaſes, ſo he hath promiſed to protect thoſe that depend on him, and will certainly make good this promiſe to all that are carefull to make good their fidelity to him.
7. Which ‖or pleadeth the cauſe, ſee note on Pſ. 132. a.executeth judgment for the oppreſſed, which giveth food to the hungry: the Lord looſeth the priſoners.
8. The Lord openeth the eyes of the blind; the Lord raiſeth them that are bowed down; the Lord loveth the righteous.
Paraphrase. 7, 8. One peculiar property of his it is to interpoſe his aid moſt ſeaſonably when our diſtreſſes are the greateſt, to undertake the defence and patronage of thoſe which are moſt unjuſtly oppreſt, to work even miracles of mercy for them that ſtand in moſt need of them, ſignally to expreſs his favour to pious and charitable minded men, to provide food for ſome, as he did for Elias, to ſend others liberty from their reſtraints, as he did to Daniel, to reſtore ſight to the blind, to revive and comfort thoſe that are in the greateſt diſtreſs either of body or ſoul. (And this in a far more eminent completion by the incarnation of his Son, the Meſſias of the world. See note a.)
9. The Lord preſerveth the ſtrangers, he relieveth the fatherleſs and widow: but the way of the wicked he turneth upſide down.
Paraphrase. 9. If there be any more deſtitute than other, more ſhut out from all ſorts of humane ſupportation, thoſe that have neither houſe, nor parent, nor husband, to relieve and comfort them, (eſpecially the poor in ſpirit, the meek, the mourners, thoſe that hunger and thirſt after righteouſneſs, Matth. 5.3, &c. are the fitteſt objects for God to afford his grace, to ſhew his compaſſion on: Of ſuch he will have a peculiar care, (of ſuch the Kingdom of the Meſſias is made up) if in the abſence of worldly aids they ſincerely apply themſelves and conſtantly adhere to his obedience. But for all godleſs wicked men, he will as undoubtedly pour out his vengeance upon them, and bring them to utter deſtruction.
10. The Lord ſhall reign for ever and ever; even thy God, O Zion, unto all generations. †ſee Pſal. 147. Paraphr. on the Title.Praiſe ye the Lord.
Paraphrase. 10. God hath the onelyonly ſupreme dominion over the world, and in a moſt eminent manner exerciſeth it in the hearts of all his faithfull people under the Meſſias. His regal power is exerciſed in his Church of Jews firſt, and after of Chriſtians, and ſo ſhall continue to the end of the world. His glorious name be ever magnified for it. To this onelyonly King eternal be all honour and glory world without end.
Annotations on Pſal. CXLVI.
foreignV. 5. Happy] This Pſalm from this verſe to the end hath a moſt viſible remarkable aſpect upon the Meſſias, the eternal Son of God, in his Incarnation. It is acknowledged by the Jews themſelves; Sepher Ikkarim, foreign &c. What forbids us to ſay that there ſhall come a divine law that ſhall make moſt of thoſe things that are forbidden lawfull? This is the opinion of moſt of our Doctors, who in Tanchuma explain that of Pſal. 146.7. the Lord foreign looſeth or makes lawfull thoſe things that are forbidden. And on the 10th verſe, the Lord ſhall reign, &c. Sol. Jarchi ſaith, it belongs to the days of the Meſſias. And that it doth ſo indeed, it will beſt appear by comparing what here is added v. 7, 8. with the characters of the Meſſias delivered by Chriſt himſelf, Matth. 11.5, 6. There upon the demand of John Baptiſt by his Diſciples, whether he were the Chriſt or no, he returns this anſwer to John, The blind receive their ſight, the lame walk, the lepers are cleanſed, the deaf hear, the dead are raiſed up, and the poor have the Goſpel preached to them: And bleſſed is he whoſoever ſhall not be offended in me. Theſe words are ordinarily referred to, and lookt on as a completion of Iſa. 35.5, 6, 7. and 61.1, 2. and ſo no queſtion they are: And by the ſame reaſon may be reſolved alſo to reflect on this parcel of this Pſalm, which bears a full correſpondence with them in reſpect of the particulars mentioned in either. This is ſpecially obſervable in the firſt branch of Chriſt's anſwer. The blind receive their ſight. Of this ſort of miracles, as it refers to thoſe that perfectly want that ſenſe, were born blind, this Maxim is delivered by one that had received ſuch a cure, Joh. 9.32. Since the world began was it not heard that any man opened the eyes of one that was born blind. And the Phariſees, to whom this was ſo confidently delivered in an univerſal negative, were not, it ſeems, able to refute him. Nay it is obſervable, that God hath not left on record any example of his having wrought ſuch a miracle as this at any time by the hand of Prophet, or miniſtery of Angel, till his Son incarnate came into the world, and did it with his own hands, that ſo theſe propheſies which principally inſiſt on this, might appear to have their completion in the Meſſias. And when he wrought it, he did it by mixing Clay and Spittle; of which the Fathers obſerve, that he gave him eyes out of the *foreignſame and no other materials, out of which he firſt created man, viz. out of the duſt of the earth, to ſignifie it an act of creative power by which he did it. And ſo this and the other like miraculous acts of his are here introduced with Which made heaven and earth— And therefore our Saviour, when he again met this blind man whom he had thus cured, his queſtion to him is, Joh. 9.35. Doeſt thou believe on the Son of God? intimating that this miracle wrought on him was a competent teſtimony, that he which wrought it was no leſs than the Son of God, and ſo God himſelf. But it may here be demanded, what priſoners Chriſt looſed, of which the mention ſhould here be made, v. 7. The Lord looſeth the priſoners, and of which there is no mention either in Chriſt's anſwer to John, or in the prediction, Iſa. 35 to which that anſwer is thought to refer. To this I anſwer, 1. that this Objection would be of equal force againſt Iſa. 61.1. where there is expreſs mention of proclaiming liberty to captives, and opening the priſon to them that are bound, as here of looſing the priſoners: 2. that as in that place of Iſaiah the phraſe of opening the priſon to them that are bound, is by the learned thought to be a prophetick elegance, to ſignifie the cure of thoſe that are deaf and dumb, whoſe ſouls conſequently were ſhut up from being able to expreſs themſelves, as language inables others to doe; ſo here it may poetically ſignifie alſo, and then it will be directly parallel to that part of Chriſt's anſwer, the deaf hear, and accordingly at the curing of ſuch Chriſt's form of ſpeech was, Epphatha, be opened, as to the doors of a priſon, when thoſe which were under reſtraint there were to be let looſe out of it, their fetters being ſhaken off from them. But then 3. 'tis farther manifeſt, that thoſe that were under any ſore diſeaſe or lameneſs, &c. are ſaid to be bound by Satan, Luk. 13.16. and ſo to be looſed by Chriſt, when they were cured by him. So ſaith Chriſt v. 12. Woman, thou art looſed from thine infirmity: and immediately ſhe was made ſtreight. Her being made ſtreight was her being looſed out of her reſtraint, or bonds, or priſon. And in this latitude of the poetick or prophetick expreſſion, the Lord's looſing the priſoners here will comprehend the walking of the lame, the lepers being cleanſed, the hearing of the deaf, yea and the raiſing up of the dead, for thoſe of all others are faſteſt bound, and ſo when they are raiſed, the ſtyle is as proper as to Lazarus, in reſpect of the grave-cloaths looſe them, and let them goe. By this way of interpretation of this one phraſe, (which yet farther alſo may be extended to the ſpiritual ſenſe, of looſing us from the captivity of ſin) 'twill now be manifeſt how exactly parallel this of the Pſalmiſt is to that anſwer of Chriſt's, for then there be but two parcels of Chriſt's words behind, To the poor the Goſpel is preached, and Bleſſed is he that is not offended in or becauſe of me. To the former of theſe are anſwerable here theſe ſo many ſeverals to the ſame purpoſe, Which executeth judgment, or pleadeth the cauſe of the oppreſſed, Giveth food to the hungry, Raiſeth them that are bowed down (unleſs that literally belong to Chriſt's corporal cures) Loveth the righteous, Preſerveth the ſtrangers, Relieveth the fatherleſs and widow. All which are but ſo many prophetical expreſſions (to be underſtood in a ſpiritual ſenſe) of his exceeding mercies under the Goſpel to the poor in ſpirit, the humble and lowly in heart, the prime peculiar objects of Evangelical mercy, and thoſe which are effectually wrought on by his grace, and ſo Evangelized by him, in that ſenſe which belongs to that phraſe in that place (ſee note on Matth. 11. b.) To the latter the words of this v. 5. are parallel, Happy is he that hath the God of Jacob for his help, whoſe hope is in the Lord his God: for ſo to hope, and adhere, and place his full truſt in the one true God, is all one with not being ſcandalized or falling off from Chriſt, whatſoever befalls. And as that there is inferr'd from the other parts of the character of the Meſſias, as a Concluſion from Premiſſes, and ſo is ſet down in the cloſe of all; ſo here 'tis ſet down as a principle in the front, and (which is all one) proved by what follows in the inſuing verſes. By all which it is father evident that the Meſſias, whoſe character it is, is no leſs than the Creatour of heaven and earth, v. 6. and conſequently the Lord that ſhall reign for ever and ever, v. 10. the God of Zion, or his Church, unto all generations. The latter of which is but proportionable to Chriſt's words to the Apoſtles, Lo, I am with you to the end of the world: And the former the very ſtyle wherein Chriſt's Kingdom is expreſt both in the Pſalms (ſee Pſ. 93.1.) and in the New Teſtament 1 Cor. 15.25. and oft in other phraſes amounting to the ſame ſenſe, as, ſitting at God's right hand till he make his enemies his footſtool, Pſ. 110.1. Mat. 22.44. and Act. 2.34.