chapter 3
, “And the Lord alone shall be exalted in that day.” For Christ alone is our “righteousness, our sanctification, and our redemption,” and that by the counsel of God, as it is written, “There is no other name given under heaven whereby we must be saved, but Jesus Christ and him crucified.”
Together also with these enemies of the gospel and these mountains of the world, the ceremonial kingdom of the Jews perisheth, and all the outward worship of the law, and, indeed, every thing that is not in Christ. For he (as the apostle Paul saith, Col. i.) “in all things hath the pre-eminence.” And again, “For there is one Mediator between God and man, the Man Christ Jesus.” And so also, in Daniel, The stone cut out of the mountain filled the world, and broke in pieces all other kingdoms.
PSALM XCVIII.
_The Psalmist exhorteth the Jews, the Gentiles, and all the creatures to praise God._
A Psalm.
O sing unto the LORD a new song; for he hath done marvellous things: his right hand, and his holy arm, hath gotten him the victory.
The LORD hath made known his salvation: his righteousness hath he openly shewed in the sight of the heathen.
He hath remembered his mercy and his truth toward the house of Israel: all the ends of the earth have seen the salvation of our God.
Make a joyful noise unto the LORD, all the earth: make a loud noise, and rejoice, and sing praise.
Sing unto the LORD with the harp; with the harp, and the voice of a psalm.
With trumpets and sound of cornet make a joyful noise before the LORD, the King.
Let the sea roar, and the fulness thereof; the world, and they that dwell therein.
Let the floods clap _their_ hands; let the hills be joyful together
Before the LORD; for he cometh to judge the earth: with righteousness shall he judge the world, and the people with equity.
This again is a prophecy concerning the preaching of Christ and the spread of his kingdom, and it is of the same subject as the two preceding Psalms; it calls upon us to rejoice in God, to triumph, to give thanks, and to praise God for that great salvation: that is, to preach the remission of sins, and those riches of grace which are by Christ Jesus.
In this Psalm you again have set before you what is the highest worship of God, namely, that of the New Testament; which standeth not in the offering of thanks in Jerusalem, but in knowing Christ,—that King who ruleth the people in righteousness; who is himself righteous, and who maketh the people righteous throughout the world; and who alone delivereth them from sin, from death, and from the power of the devil; and doeth it all without any merit of theirs.
PSALM XCIX.
_The prophet, setting forth the kingdom of God in Zion,—exhorteth all, by the example of forefathers, to worship God at his holy hill._
The LORD reigneth; let the people tremble: he sitteth _between_ the cherubims; let the earth be moved.
The LORD _is_ great in Zion; and he _is_ high above all the people.
Let them praise thy great and terrible name; _for_ it _is_ holy.
The king’s strength also loveth judgment; thou dost establish equity, thou executest judgment and righteousness in Jacob.
Exalt ye the LORD our God, and worship at his footstool; _for_ he _is_ holy.
Moses and Aaron among his priests, and Samuel among them that call upon his name; they called upon the LORD, and he answered them.
He spake unto them in the cloudy pillar: they kept his testimonies, and the ordinance _that_ he gave them.
Thou answeredst them, O LORD our God: thou wast a God that forgavest them, though thou tookest vengeance of their inventions.
Exalt the LORD our God, and worship at his holy hill; for the LORD our God _is_ holy.
This Psalm is a Psalm of blessed doctrine. It exhorts the people of God to preserve sacredly that true worship of the first commandment, the praising of God alone, and the continuing in the faith of him, although the nations on all sides and the whole world should roar against that people who glory in being the people of God, and who know that God is to be found no where but in this and that corner of the earth, in that tabernacle, in that sanctuary, and at that mercy-seat, where the word and the promise of God are preached. And the Psalm shows that this true people of God are exposed to the most bitter hatred of the world and of the devil, and to afflictions of every kind.
The Psalmist mentions, by name, Moses, and Aaron, and Samuel; those best of men among the people of God, who endured great afflictions, both inward and outward, for the sake of the name and the word of God. The Psalmist shows, however, (as is set forth verses 4 and 5.) and teaches this people of God, that the highest worship of God is not placed in ceremonial sacrifices: therefore he says, “Let them praise thy great and terrible name, for it is holy.” “In this kingdom of God, (says the Psalmist,) justice and judgment are loved.” “Thou justifiest,” says he, “thy people;” that is, thou deliverest from sin and death, and extendest unto them the remission of their sins.
And unto us, who are in and of the church of God, the present Psalm is a glorious prophecy of Christ, who governs and rules this church, the true Zion, in the Spirit, throughout the whole world, wheresoever she is. The holy Psalmist shews us, that Christ, sitting at the right hand of the Majesty in the heavens, is there continually as our Sacrificer and our Sacrifice. And he testifies that the whole world rages and roars against this people and church of God, and kills the saints, and loads them with all manner of afflictions, on account of their profession and worship of Christ.
PSALM C.
_An exhortation to praise God cheerfully, for his greatness and for his power._
A Psalm of Praise.
Make a joyful noise unto the LORD, all ye lands.
Serve the LORD with gladness; come before his presence with singing.
Know ye that the LORD he _is_ God: _it is_ he _that_ hath made us, and not we ourselves: _we are_ his people, and the sheep of his pasture.
Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, _and_ into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, _and_ bless his name.
For the LORD _is_ good, his mercy _is_ everlasting; and his truth _endureth_ to all generations.
This Psalm again is a prophecy concerning Christ. It calls upon all to rejoice, to triumph, and to give thanks; to enter his gates with thanksgiving, and his courts and sanctuary with praise: because, by the gospel and the preaching of the remission of sins, that kingdom of Christ is established and strengthened, which shall remain and stand for ever: and for the setting-up of which kingdom thanks are for ever to be given.
PSALM CI.
_David maketh a vow and profession of godliness._
A Psalm of David.
I will sing of mercy and judgment: unto thee, O LORD, will I sing.
I will behave myself wisely in a perfect way. O! when wilt thou come unto me? I will walk within my house with a perfect heart.
I will set no wicked thing before mine eyes: I hate the work of them that turn aside, _it_ shall not cleave to me.
A froward heart shall depart from me; I will not know a wicked _person_.
Whoso privily slandereth his neighbour, him will I cut off: him that hath an high look and a proud heart will not I suffer.
Mine eyes _shall be_ upon the faithful of the land, that they may dwell with me: he that walketh in a perfect way, he shall serve me.
He that worketh deceit shall not dwell within my house; he that telleth lies shall not tarry in my sight.
I will early destroy all the wicked of the land, that I may cut off all wicked doers from the city of the LORD.
This Psalm contains a most solemn and necessary doctrine: and David puts forth himself, so great a king, as an example. He teaches that impious members and courtiers ought not to be borne with by any godly magistrate or prince. He recounts also the iniquities, by which those who are in the courts of kings and princes, more especially harm the state and the church. He shews that they do the greatest evil when they are given to sin or to false doctrine; and when they injure the causes of good men by their hatred of them.
In the opening of the Psalm David says, “I will sing of mercy and of judgment:” that is as if he had said, ‘I will sing that God most certainly, according to the word of the first commandment, visits the godly with mercy, and the ungodly with judgment, at all times.’ Of this visiting mercy David was himself an example, seeing that he had been so many times delivered from the very claws and jaws of the devil. And of the divine visitations of judgment, Absalom, Ahithophel, Joab, and others, were examples. And every king and magistrate, who sets himself to defend the true religion, and to do good to his nation, is at once exposed to the hatred of all men, even of his own family and court: which is plainly seen in the case of Absalom, Ahithophel, and other persecutors of David.
Hence it is that David, having so often experienced God’s fulfilment of the word of his first commandment, sings in all places and at all times, ‘that God is God over all, exercising mercy and judgment.’ And it is with God alone that a kingdom and commonwealth can be rightly governed: for where God is not, there all things are scattered and in confusion, and neither families are subject to their heads, nor citizens to their rulers.
PSALM CII.
_The prophet in his prayer maketh a grievous complaint.—He taketh comfort in the eternity and mercy of God.—The mercies of God are to be recorded.—He sustaineth his weakness by the unchangeableness of God._
A Prayer of the afflicted, when he is overwhelmed, and poureth out his complaint before the LORD.
Hear my prayer, O LORD, and let my cry come unto thee.
Hide not thy face from me in the day _when_ I am in trouble; incline thine ear unto me: in the day _when_ I call, answer me speedily.
For my days are consumed like smoke, and my bones are burned as an hearth.
My heart is smitten, and withered like grass; so that I forget to eat my bread.
By reason of the voice of my groaning, my bones cleave to my skin.
I am like a pelican of the wilderness; I am like an owl of the desert.
I watch, and am as a sparrow alone upon the house-top.
Mine enemies reproach me all the day; _and_ they that are mad against me are sworn against me.
For I have eaten ashes like bread, and mingled my drink with weeping;
Because of thine indignation and thy wrath: for thou hast lifted me up, and cast me down.
My days _are_ like a shadow that declineth; and I am withered like grass.
But thou, O LORD, shalt endure for ever, and thy remembrance unto all generations.
Thou shalt arise, _and_ have mercy upon Zion: for the time to favour her, yea, the set time, is come.
For thy servants take pleasure in her stones, and favour the dust thereof.
So the heathen shall fear the name of the LORD, and all the kings of the earth thy glory.
When the LORD shall build up Zion, he shall appear in his glory.
He will regard the prayer of the destitute, and not despise their prayer.
This shall be written for the generation to come; and the people which shall be created shall praise the LORD.
For he hath looked down from the height of his sanctuary; from heaven did the LORD behold the earth;
To hear the groaning of the prisoner, to loose those that are appointed to death;
To declare the name of the LORD in Zion, and his praise in Jerusalem;
When the people are gathered together, and the kingdoms, to serve the LORD.
He weakened my strength in the way; he shortened my days.
I said, O my God, take me not away in the midst of my days; thy years _are_ throughout all generations.
Of old hast thou laid the foundation of the earth; and the heavens _are_ the work of thy hands.
They shall perish, but thou shalt endure; yea, all of them shall wax old like a garment; as a vesture shalt thou change them, and they shall be changed:
But thou _art_ the same, and thy years shall have no end.
The children of thy servants shall continue, and their seed shall be established before thee.
This Psalm is a prayer of an afflicted and tempted heart, miserably sighing and praying for deliverance and the coming of the kingdom of God. And indeed the whole sum and substance of this Psalm is, “Thy kingdom come.”
This Psalm may be used as a general prayer. It was used especially by the fathers under the law: who being most spiritual men, and knowing the infinite weight of sin, and the kingdom of death, longed for the coming and revelation of Christ, the kingdom of grace, and the blessing promised.
“Have mercy upon Zion (saith the Psalmist) for the time to have mercy upon her is come.” For thy servants (saith he) long for her to be built up again, and for the stones and cement to be made ready: that is, they long for that grace and that blessing to be revealed unto all nations, and to be preached in all kingdoms; that those who are captives and in chains under the power of the devil and of sin, and who are the sons of wrath and death, may be delivered; and that there may flow together into the true Zion, the church of God, those out of all nations and kingdoms, who may magnify the name of the Lord, and may preach and hear the gospel, and that all the rigid demands and ceremonies of the law, and the whole of the Old Testament dispensation, may cease. For out of and without Christ there is nothing but the kingdom of sin and death: that is, a continual misery and distress in this life, by various and hard temptations of the devil and the world: and also a shortness of life itself, and that life changeable and uncertain, full of sorrow and full of death; which life the godly consider it a “gain” to have shortened and finished: as the apostle saith, “to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.”
But amidst all this misery, in Christ is consolation and eternal life; for he is before every creature; he created the heaven and the earth, and by him all things consist; and he also, in the regeneration, will renew the heavens and the earth. Hence he is independent of and above all time and years, and of his years there is no end. He now dies no more, death hath no more dominion over him. For this kingdom of life and of salvation (saith the Psalmist) we pray and long. May this kingdom come. Amen.
PSALM CIII.
_An exhortation to bless God for his mercy, and for the constancy thereof._
A Psalm of David.
Bless the LORD, O my soul; and all that is within me, _bless_ his holy name.
Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits:
Who forgiveth all thine iniquities; who healeth all thy diseases;
Who redeemeth thy life from destruction; who crowneth thee with loving kindness and tender mercies;
Who satisfieth thy mouth with good _things; so that_ thy youth is renewed like the eagle’s.
The LORD executeth righteousness and judgment for all _that are_ oppressed.
He made known his ways unto Moses, his acts unto the children of Israel.
The LORD _is_ merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and plenteous in mercy.
He will not alway chide; neither will he keep _his anger_ for ever.
He hath not dealt with us after our sins, nor rewarded us according to our iniquities.
For as the heaven is high above the earth, _so_ great is his mercy toward them that fear him.
As far as the east is from the west, _so_ far hath he removed our transgressions from us.
Like as a father pitieth _his_ children, _so_ the LORD pitieth them that fear him.
For he knoweth our frame; he remembereth that we _are_ dust.
_As for_ man, his days _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.
But the mercy of the LORD _is_ from everlasting to everlasting upon them that fear him, and his righteousness unto children’s children;
To such as keep his covenant, and to those that remember his commandments to do them.
The LORD hath prepared his throne in the heavens; and his kingdom ruleth over all.
Bless the LORD, ye his angels, that excel in strength, that do his commandments, hearkening unto the voice of his word.
Bless ye the LORD, all _ye_ his hosts; _ye_ ministers of his that do his pleasure.
Bless the LORD, all his works, in all places of his dominion: bless the LORD, O my soul.
This is a glorious Psalm, and full of the most ardent feelings and exercises of faith, and of a believing heart, a heart acknowledging the infinite mercies of God, both temporal and spiritual. “Bless the Lord (saith the Psalmist), O my soul,” &c. The Psalmist embraces, in the first three verses, six kinds of divine mercies and benefits, for which he exhorts all the godly to give praise unto God with their whole heart, and to celebrate his great and holy name.
The first kind of mercy enumerated is the remission of all our sins in Christ, and for Christ’s sake, our only Mediator and High-priest: who by himself sustained the just and infinite wrath of God, which burned against our sins: who offered himself a sacrifice to God for them; by which offering he reconciled unto us the Eternal Father, and now pleads for us with an unceasing and prevailing intercession.
The second kind of mercy is the healing of those manifold, and by no means light infirmities, which shall remain in the flesh of the saints, as long as they live in this world: all which remnant of sins God, for Christ’s sake, imputeth not unto them that believe: nor does he only cover those sins by not imputing them, but he moreover purges them away, by the gift of his Holy Spirit.
The third kind of mercy is a continual and daily protection and defence against all the dangers of death, into numbers of which we continually fall; and into more and greater of which we should fall by fire, by water, by sword, by pestilence, and other means of destruction, and be destroyed by them on account of the deserts of our sins, if God did not in his mercy prevent and save and preserve our lives.
The fourth kind of mercy is a manifold dispensation of the grace of God, wherewith he covers and defends us with a shield, and crowns us, giving us the Holy Spirit, and strengthening our minds with the true doctrine against all doubts, and with true consolation in all perils and evils; and bestowing on the godly many and various gifts.
The fifth kind of mercy is that boldness wherewith by the aid and urgency of the Holy Spirit, we fearlessly preach before the world these great mercies of God toward us: whereby many others also may learn to acknowledge and lay hold of the goodness of God in Christ, and, embracing it themselves in the true faith, may, with us, magnify and call upon God.
The sixth kind of mercy is the restoration of our depraved nature by Christ into the image of God; into which image we being renewed by the Holy Ghost, begin with full purpose of heart to obey God; and so continue, until, being made perfect in the life to come, we may be able to render a full obedience with our whole unimpeded powers.
The Psalmist, therefore, first renders thanks to God for his spiritual benefits; and then he from his heart thanks God for bestowing blessings of every kind,—peace, good magistrates, good laws, good wives, good children, the fruits of the earth, and all needful provision. The Psalmist sets forth God as a most kind Father towards us (who are nothing but a loathsome sore, full of sin) and as not dealing with us according to our sins, but treating and protecting us, according to his infinite grace and mercy, as dear children: yet so that he will have us to keep his covenant and his counsel: that is, to believe in him, to fear him, and to have him for our God. For if we trust in our own works or righteousnesses, we thereby immediately break his covenant, and walk not in his counsel, and follow strange gods, and thus sin against the First Commandment.
Now this fulfilling of the law, and keeping the covenant of God, is in and through Christ alone, who was then promised to the fathers, but now in these last days has been given unto us; and manifested; whose kingdom shall rule over all.
At the end of the Psalm, when the Psalmist calls upon the angels and the hosts of God, the powers and the dominions, to praise and magnify him, he means Christ and the church and the apostles who cause his word to be heard. For all our salvation is in Christ, and there is no grace out of Christ; who is preached by the angels; that is, by the apostles.
PSALM CIV.
_A meditation upon the mighty power, and wonderful providence of God.—God’s glory is eternal.—The prophet voweth perpetually to praise God._
Bless the LORD, O my soul. O LORD my God, thou art very great; thou art clothed with honour and majesty:
Who coverest _thyself_ with light as _with_ a garment; who stretchest out the heavens like a curtain;
Who layeth the beams of his chambers in the waters; who maketh the clouds his chariot; who walketh upon the wings of the wind;
Who maketh his angels spirits; his ministers a flaming fire;
_Who_ laid the foundations of the earth, _that_ it should not be removed for ever.
Thou coveredst it with the deep as _with_ a garment; the waters stood above the mountains.
At thy rebuke they fled: at the voice of thy thunder they hasted away.
They go up by the mountains; they go down by the valleys, unto the place which thou hast founded for them.
Thou hast set a bound that they may not pass over, that they turn not again to cover the earth.
He sendeth the springs into the valleys, _which_ run among the hills.
They give drink to every beast of the field: the wild asses quench their thirst.
By them shall the fowls of the heaven have their habitation, _which_ sing among the branches.
He watereth the hills from his chambers: the earth is satisfied with the fruit of thy works.
He causeth the grass to grow for the cattle, and herb for the service of man, that he may bring forth food out of the earth;
And wine _that_ maketh glad the heart of man, _and_ oil to make _his_ face to shine, and bread _which_ strengthened man’s heart.
The trees of the LORD are full _of sap_: the cedars of Lebanon, which he hath planted;
Where the birds make their nests: _as for_ the stork, the fir-trees _are_ her house.
The high hills _are_ a refuge for the wild goats, _and_ the rocks for the conies.
He appointed the moon for seasons: the sun knoweth his going down.
Thou makest darkness, and it is night, wherein all the beasts of the forest do creep _forth_.
The young lions roar after their prey, and seek their meat from God.
The sun ariseth, they gather themselves together, and lay them down in their dens.
Man goeth forth unto his work, and to his labour, until the evening.
O LORD, how manifold are thy works! in wisdom hast thou made them all: the earth is full of thy riches;
_So is_ this great and wide sea, wherein _are_ things creeping innumerable, both small and great beasts.
There go the ships; _there is_ that leviathan, _whom_ thou hast made to play therein.
These wait all upon thee, that them mayest give _them_ their meat in due season.
_That_ thou givest them, they gather; thou openest thine hand, they are filled with good.
Thou hidest thy face, they are troubled: thou takest away their breath, they die, and return to their dust.
Thou sendest forth thy spirit, they are created; and thou renewest the face of the earth.
The glory of the LORD shall endure for ever: the LORD shall rejoice in his works.
He looketh on the earth, and it trembleth; he toucheth the hills, and they smoke.
I will sing unto the LORD as long as I live; I will sing praise to my God while I have my being.
My meditation of him shall be sweet; I will be glad in the LORD.
Let the sinners be consumed out of the earth, and let the wicked be no more. Bless thou the LORD, O my soul. Praise ye the LORD.
This is a most spiritual song and a Psalm of glory to God. It is drawn out of the First Commandment: and with a grand enumeration of all the creatures of God, it sets forth and exalts the whole work of creation. By this recounting of the works of creation the Psalmist’s design is to show, that all the creatures, whether those in the heavens, those in the earth, or those in the sea, are monuments of the goodness of God. And what orator or what poet ever has existed, or ever will exist, with an eloquence adequate to describe the infinite use and benefits of even one creature of God. If any one of those creatures were gifted with speech, so as to declare its own nature and value, it would praise God with a thousand tongues. Not only, therefore, the whole of God’s works together, as one glorious universe, but each one creature, if you would explain its nature and use, exceeds all the eloquence of men and angels.
What philosopher or sage could even open or utter the extent of the use and blessings of common light, in which we live? What one of them could ever explain what that is which we call light, in which we all breathe, all are nourished, and all live; by which the night and darkness are dispelled in one short moment; by which the whole creation is rendered visible, and as it were, recreated; and by which all creatures, from out of one same obscure darkness, receive each their proper hues and colours?
Who, again, can recount the benefit and blessings of that one creature the sun? and then those of the moon? Who can enumerate the blessings of fire, of water, of fountains and springs? If one creature were deprived for one short hour of the blessings of fire or of water, you would in a moment see the wide and infinite benefit of one of those creatures of God.
But alas! who can even touch one of these creatures with anything like a due comment or reflection! And yet, when heathen men have contemplated the whole universe of creatures so diligently, (as we see it done in Cicero’s second book ‘De Natura Deorum;’) and have thence gathered and concluded that there exists some eternal Deity who created and who governs all these things; it would be a shame in one professing the fear and worship of that God, to be cold and not affected with these same things, and not to meditate and reflect upon them.
This Psalm, therefore, is a Psalm of thanksgiving for all the creatures which God has created, whether in the heavens, in the earth, or in the sea; and a rendering of thanks unto God also, that he hath made a covenant with the day and the night, and hath given laws to the heaven and the earth; laws so certain that they cannot be moved, but continue in their appointed order. The moon, saith the Psalmist, distinguished the seasons; the sun knoweth his going down; the day cometh, and also the night; the summer returns at its appointed time, and the winter also in its season. Thou fillest, saith he, that immense space of the heaven with light: thou stretchest out the heaven itself like a curtain, which resteth not on any beams or columns: and thou suspendest the mighty range of clouds, at thy word, like a glorious canopy. The winds rise, and blow over and blow through all things, having neither wings nor feathers. And the angels whom thou sendest forth, saith he, fulfil their commands like the winds, and like a “flame of fire.”
Hence the prophet, as you see, has all these things depicted in his mind, and his faith is kindled by a meditation on this wonderful and ineffable work of creation. But, alas! how few, how very few, are there who thus look into, meditate on, and admire these created things? Here, therefore, with a view to reprove both the indolence and the wickedness of certain characters, I cannot help transcribing the words of Cicero, a heathen, who cites another heathen, Aristotle: ‘Aristotle,’ says Cicero, ‘has most greatly and beautifully spoken thus. “If there could be men, who had lived under the earth in grand and noble habitations; habitations adorned with paintings and works of art, and with all those embellishments which ornament the houses of those who are now accounted wealthy and happy; and if it could so be that such subterranean inhabitants had never been above ground, but had heard by fame and report that there was a certain Deity, and a certain Almighty power of that Deity; and then if it could so be, that, at a certain time, the doors of the earth’s surface should be thrown open, and they should come forth from their subterranean abysses into these above-ground regions which we inhabit:—when such men beheld, on a sudden, the earth, the sea, and the heavens; when they saw the expanded grandeur of the clouds, and felt the mighty power of the winds; when they looked up to the sun and beheld his glorious magnitude and his beauty, and knew something of his influence and efficacy in all creation,—that it is he, who, by diffusing his light through the whole heaven, makes the day; and when such mortals, newly admitted on earth, should see by the departure of the sun the whole creation veiled in the darkness of night, while the whole heaven was studded and bespangled with stars; and when they saw and understood the various degrees of the light of the moon, and the increasings and decreasings of that heavenly body; and the various risings and settings of all the celestial luminaries; and, finally, when such astonished and contemplating strangers on the earth’s surface should know the appointed and never-erring and never-varying courses and revolutions of all these glorious creatures,—they would, with one voice, confess that there was a God, and that all these creatures were the works of that God! But our minds, by daily use, become insensible to these things; and as we daily see all these creatures we inquire not their nature, nor wonder at their glory: as if the novelty of such things, and not their greatness and glory, is that which should lead us to meditate on their natures, and the ends of their creation.”’ Thus far Cicero, the heathen! I shall perhaps be deemed by some a silly man for bringing forth these things out of the books of a heathen! Let those that would fear God, then, remember what is required of them!
PSALM CV.
_An exhortation to praise God, and to seek out his works.—The story of God’s providence over Abraham,—over Joseph,—over Jacob, in Egypt,—over Moses delivering the Israelites,—over the Israelites brought out of Egypt, fed in the wilderness, and planted in Canaan._
O give thanks unto the LORD; call upon his name: make known his deeds among the people.
Sing unto him, sing psalms unto him: talk ye of all his wondrous works.
Glory ye in his holy name: let the heart of them rejoice that seek the LORD.
Seek the LORD, and his strength: seek his face evermore.
Remember his marvellous works that he hath done; his wonders, and the judgments of his mouth;
O ye seed of Abraham his servant, ye children of Jacob his chosen.
He _is_ the LORD our God: his judgments _are_ in all the earth.
He hath remembered his covenant for ever, the word _which_ he commanded to a thousand generations.
Which _covenant_ he made with Abraham, and his oath unto Isaac;
And confirmed the same unto Jacob for a law, _and_ to Israel _for_ an everlasting covenant:
Saying, Unto thee will I give the land of Canaan, the lot of your inheritance:
When there were _but_ a few men in number: yea, very few, and strangers in it.
When they went from one nation to another, from _one_ kingdom to another people;
He suffered no man to do them wrong: yea, he reproved kings for their sakes;
_Saying_, Touch not mine anointed, and do my prophets no harm.
Moreover, he called for a famine upon the land: he brake the whole staff of bread.
He sent a man before them, _even_ Joseph, _who_ was sold for a servant:
Whose feet they hurt with fetters: he was laid in iron:
Until the time that his word came: the word of the LORD tried him.
The king sent and loosed him: _even_ the ruler of the people, and let him go free.
He made him lord of his house, and ruler of all his substance:
To bind his princes at his pleasure; and teach his senators wisdom.
Israel also came into Egypt; and Jacob sojourned in the land of Ham.
And he increased his people greatly; and made them stronger than their enemies.
He turned their heart to hate his people, to deal subtilly with his servants.
He sent Moses his servant; _and_ Aaron whom he had chosen.
They shewed his signs among them, and wonders in the land of Ham.
He sent darkness, and made it dark; and they rebelled not against his word.
He turned their waters into blood, and slew their fish.
Their land brought forth frogs in abundance, in the chambers of their kings.
He spake, and there came divers sorts of flies, _and_ lice in all their coasts.
He gave them hail for rain, _and_ flaming fire in their land.
He smote their vines also and their fig-trees; and brake the trees of their coasts.
He spake, and the locusts came, and caterpillers, and that without number,
And did eat up all the herbs in their land, and devoured the fruit of their ground.
He smote also all the first-born in their land, the chief of all their strength.
He brought them forth also with silver and gold: and _there was_ not one feeble _person_ among their tribes.
Egypt was glad when they departed: for the fear of them fell upon them.
He spread a cloud for a covering; and fire to give light in the night.
_The people_ asked, and he brought quails, and satisfied them with the bread of heaven.
He opened the rock, and the waters gushed out; they ran in the dry places _like_ a river.
For he remembered his holy promise, _and_ Abraham his servant.
And he brought forth his people with joy, _and_ his chosen with gladness:
And gave them the lands of the heathen; and they inherited the labour of the people;
That they might observe his statutes, and keep his laws. Praise ye the LORD.
This is a Psalm of particular thanksgiving; and a song especially adapted to the people of the Jews; that in the use of this Psalm they might render thanks unto God for all those, his wonderful works, which he wrought from Abraham down to the time when they were led into the promised land of Canaan. And the Psalmist, having recounted all these glorious works in their order, concludes with that word of Moses, (Deut. ix.) “That God did not do all these mighty works on account of any righteousness or merit of theirs, but because of the covenant and the promise which he had made with their fathers, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob:” for how righteous they were and what they deserved at the hand of God, is sung in the Psalm following.
PSALM CVI.
_The Psalmist exhorteth to praise God.—He prayeth for pardon of sin, as God did with the fathers.—The story of the people’s rebellion, and God’s mercy.—He concludeth with prayer and praise._
Praise ye the LORD. O give thanks unto the LORD; for _he is_ good: for his mercy _endureth_ for ever.
Who can utter the mighty acts of the LORD? _who_ can shew forth all his praise?
Blessed _are_ they that keep judgment, _and_ he that doeth righteousness at all times.
Remember me, O LORD, with the favour _that thou bearest unto_ thy people: O visit me with thy salvation;
That I may see the good of thy chosen, that I may rejoice in the gladness of thy nation, that I may glory with thine inheritance.
We have sinned with our fathers, we have committed iniquity, we have done wickedly.
Our fathers understood not thy wonders in Egypt; they remembered not the multitude of thy mercies; but provoked _him_ at the sea, _even_ at the Red Sea.
Nevertheless he saved them for his name’s sake, that he might make his mighty power to be known.
He rebuked the Red Sea also, and it was dried up: so he led them through the depths, as through the wilderness.
And he saved them from the hand of him that hated _them_, and redeemed them from the hand of the enemy.
And the waters covered their enemies: there was not one of them left.
Then believed they his words; they sang his praise.
They soon forgat his works; they waited not for his counsel:
But lusted exceedingly in the wilderness, and tempted God in the desert.
And he gave them their request; but sent leanness into their soul.
They envied Moses also in the camp, _and_ Aaron the saint of the LORD.
The earth opened and swallowed up Dathan, and covered the company of Abiram.
And a fire was kindled in their company; the flame burned up the wicked.
They made a calf in Horeb, and worshipped the molten image.
Thus they changed their glory into the similitude of an ox that eateth grass.
They forgat God their Saviour, which had done great things in Egypt;
Wondrous works in the land of Ham, _and_ terrible things by the Red Sea.
Therefore he said that he would destroy them, had not Moses his chosen stood before him in the breach, to turn away his wrath, lest he should destroy _them_.
Yea, they despised the pleasant land; they believed not his word;
But murmured in their tents, _and_ hearkened not unto the voice of the LORD:
Therefore he lifted up his hand against them, to overthrow them in the wilderness:
To overthrow their seed also among the nations, and to scatter them in the lands.
They joined themselves also unto Baal-peor, and ate the sacrifices of the dead.
Thus they provoked _him_ to anger with their inventions; and the plague brake in upon them.
Then stood up Phinehas, and executed judgment: and _so_ the plague was stayed.
And that was counted unto him for righteousness, unto all generations for evermore.
They angered _him_ also at the waters of strife, so that it went ill with Moses for their sakes:
Because they provoked his spirit, so that he spake unadvisedly with his lips.
They did not destroy the nations, concerning whom the LORD commanded them:
But were mingled among the heathen, and learned their works.
And they served their idols; which were a snare unto them.
Yea, they sacrificed their sons and their daughters unto devils,
And shed innocent blood, _even_ the blood of their sons, and of their daughters, whom they sacrificed unto the idols of Canaan: and the land was polluted with blood.
Thus were they defiled with their own works, and went a whoring with their own inventions.
Therefore was the wrath of the LORD kindled against his people, insomuch that he abhorred his own inheritance.
And he gave them into the hand of the heathen; and they that hated them ruled over them.
Their enemies also oppressed them, and they were brought into subjection under their hand.
Many times did he deliver them: but they provoked _him_ with their counsel, and were brought low for their iniquity.
Nevertheless, he regarded their affliction, when he heard their cry:
And he remembered for them his covenant, and repented according to the multitude of his mercies.
He made them also to be pitied of all those that carried them captives.
Save us, O LORD our God, and gather us from among the heathen, to give thanks unto thy holy name, _and_ to triumph in thy praise.
Blessed _be_ the LORD God of Israel from everlasting to everlasting: and let all the people say, Amen. Praise ye the LORD.
This is a Psalm of acknowledgment, of confession, and of thanksgiving. The Psalmist confesses all those sins of murmuring and unbelief, and those other numerous transgressions against the first commandment, by which the people of Israel provoked God, and rendered themselves utterly unworthy of all his mercies.
At the conclusion of the Psalm, therefore, the Psalmist proclaims the exceeding greatness of the divine mercy of God; whereby he continued mindful of his counsel and his covenant, and did not pour forth all his wrath, but was merciful to them for his own name’s sake. As Moses saith also, (Deut. ix.) “Know ye, that not for your righteousness doth the Lord God give unto you this good land: for ye are a stiff-necked people.” Therefore as the Israelites, the whole of that people of God, could glory in nothing, but that they were saved by the mercy and grace of God; so also we cannot glory in any work or merit of our own, but in the mercy of God only!
PSALM CVII.
_The psalmist exhorteth the redeemed, in praising God, to observe his manifold providence, over travellers, over captives, over sick men, over seamen, and in divers varieties of life._
O give thanks unto the LORD, for _he is_ good: for his mercy _endureth_ for ever.
Let the redeemed of the LORD say _so_, whom he hath redeemed from the hand of the enemy;
And gathered them out of the lands, from the east, and from the west, from the north, and from the south.
They wandered in the wilderness in a solitary way; they found no city to dwell in.
Hungry and thirsty, their soul fainted in them.
Then they cried unto the LORD in their trouble, _and_ he delivered them out of their distresses.
And he led them forth by the right way, that they might go to a city of habitation.
Oh that _men_ would praise the LORD _for_ his goodness, and _for_ his wonderful works to the children of men!
For he satisfieth the longing soul, and filleth the hungry soul with goodness.
Such as sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, _being_ bound in affliction and iron;
Because they rebelled against the words of God, and contemned the counsel of the Most High:
Therefore he brought down their heart with labour: they fell down, and _there was_ none to help.
Then they cried unto the LORD in their trouble, _and_ he saved them out of their distresses.
He brought them out of darkness and the shadow of death, and brake their bands in sunder.
Oh that _men_ would praise the LORD _for_ his goodness, and _for_ his wonderful works to the children of men!
For he hath broken the gates of brass, and cut the bars of iron in sunder.
Fools, because of their transgression, and because of their iniquities, are afflicted:
Their soul abhorreth all manner of meat; and they draw near unto the gates of death.
Then they cry unto the LORD in their trouble; and he saveth them out of their distresses.
He sent his word and healed them, and delivered _them_ from their destructions.
Oh that _men_ would praise the LORD _for_ his goodness, and _for_ his wonderful works to the children of men!
And let them sacrifice the sacrifices of thanksgiving, and declare his works with rejoicing.
They that go down to the sea in ships, that do business in great waters;
These see the works of the LORD, and his wonders in the deep.
For he commandeth, and raiseth the stormy wind, which lifteth up the waves thereof.
They mount up to the heaven, they go down again to the depths; their soul is melted because of trouble.
They reel to and fro, and stagger like a drunken man, and are at their wit’s end.
Then they cry unto the LORD in their trouble, and he bringeth them out of their distresses.
He maketh the storm a calm, so that the waves thereof are still.
Then are they glad because they be quiet; so he bringeth them unto their desired haven.
Oh that _men_ would praise the LORD _for_ his goodness, and _for_ his wonderful works to the children of men!
Let them exalt him also in the congregation of the people, and praise him in the assembly of the elders.
He turneth rivers into a wilderness, and the water-springs into dry ground;
A fruitful land into barrenness, for the wickedness of them that dwell therein.
He turneth the wilderness into a standing water, and dry ground into water-springs.
And there he maketh the hungry to dwell, that they may prepare a city for habitation;
And sow the fields, and plant vineyards, which may yield fruits of increase.
He blesseth them also, so that they are multiplied greatly, and suffereth not their cattle to decrease.
Again, they are minished, and brought low, through oppression, affliction, and sorrow.
He poureth contempt upon princes, and causeth them to wander in the wilderness, _where there is_ no way.
Yet setteth he the poor on high from affliction, and maketh _him_ families like a flock.
The righteous shall see _it_, and rejoice; and all iniquity shall stop her mouth.
Whoso _is_ wise, and will observe these _things_, even they shall understand the loving-kindness of the LORD.
This is a Psalm of thanksgiving, in general; rendering praise for that infinite and incomparable mercy and goodness of God, wherewith he daily helps and succours all men, both the righteous and the wicked, under the various calamities of life, and defends them against the Devil: preserving also the public peace, giving healthfulness of air and climate, and blessing the earth to the springing of its productions; as Paul saith, 2 Tim. ii. “Who is the Saviour of all men, especially of them that believe.”
In the fourth verse, where the Psalmist says, “They wandered in the wilderness in a solitary way,” he refers to all kinds of calamities; and especially to the afflictions of those who are oppressed with poverty, who are exiles, and deserted, and wandering without any certain dwelling-place.
In the ninth verse by those “sitting in darkness,” &c. he means those throughout the whole world, who on account of their own crimes, or for other causes, are held in bonds and in prisons, and who are sometimes delivered by the interposition and help of God himself.
Then again, verse 6, he refers to those who live wickedly and fear not God; on whom God sends diseases and distresses to punish them; of whom some, although they call not upon God, are delivered by his pure mercy alone.
In verse 22, he speaks of those who are in perils on the seas, and there enduring storms and shipwrecks; under which calamities God often delivers wicked sailors, and preserves them from shipwreck and death, and from the power of the Devil, by his mere goodness and mercy.
Verse 32 has reference to those fields and vineyards that are visited with barrenness or any other calamity; unto whom God gives rain and fruitfulness, not according to their merits, but of his abounding mercy, whereby he sendeth rain upon the just and upon the unjust.
Verse 38 applies to those who are oppressed by the Turk or any other tyrants, or by wars and seditions, and whose all in this world is in peril; unto whom God often, on a sudden, gives peace and quietness, as he calmeth the waves of the sea.
This Psalm, therefore, shows that all salvation is to be sought and expected from God alone; who will never forsake his people, or his church, or those that trust in him; and that he often bestows these benefits on the Turks, and on the openly impious and profane; even when they are seeking all these great blessings from their idols of wood and stone. And we who profess the name of Christ also, not at all unlike the Turks, leave God our true and only Saviour and implore the help of saints. Hence St. Leonard is worshipped as the liberator of the imprisoned; St. Sebastian is invoked by those who are in dread of pestilence; St. George is the protecting saint of military troops of horse and foot; St. Erasmus is said to bless with riches those that call upon him; St. Christopher is openly worshipped as the god of land and sea; and his image is affixed to all doors of temples, and to all prows of ships, and adored by all sailors. And thus we have divided the glory of God and of his saving mercies, which is due to him alone, unto saints set up by idolatrous men; just in the same way as the heathens gave to their gods the attributes and functions which belong to God only. This Psalm, however, rightly ascribes all the glory to God alone.
PSALM CVIII.
_David encourageth himself to praise God.—He prayeth for God’s assistance according to his promise.—His confidence in God’s help._
A Song or Psalm of David.
O God, my heart is fixed; I will sing and give praise, even with my glory.
Awake, psaltery and harp; I _myself_ will awake early.
I will praise thee, O LORD, among the people; and I will sing praises unto thee among the nations.
For thy mercy is great above the heavens, and thy truth _reacheth_ unto the clouds.
Be thou exalted, O God, above the heavens; and thy glory above all the earth:
That thy beloved may be delivered, save _with_ thy right hand, and answer me.
God hath spoken in his holiness, I will rejoice; I will divide Shechem, and mete out the valley of Succoth.
Gilead _is_ mine; Manasseh _is_ mine; Ephraim also _is_ the strength of mine head; Judah _is_ my law-giver;
Moab _is_ my washpot; over Edom will I cast out my shoe; over Philistia will I triumph.
Who will bring me into the strong city? who will lead me into Edom?
_Wilt_ not _thou_, O God, _who_ hast cast us off? and wilt not thou, O God, go forth with our hosts?
Give us help from trouble: for vain _is_ the help of man.
Through God we shall do valiantly: for he _it is that_ shall tread down our enemies.
This is a Psalm of thanksgiving of the same substance, and almost in the same words as Psalm lx.; wherein the Psalmist gives thanks for the happy state of his kingdom, for the establishment of the true religion and good government, and for the increase of his dominions.
The first verses of the Psalm, however, refer to the kingdom of Christ. David prays that God would be pleased to set up this kingdom of Christ in all nations; that thus the kingdom and dominion of David may be extended far and wide throughout all nations, according to the promise. For this temporal kingdom of David was confined within very narrow limits in comparison with the whole world, and was a kingdom not likely to be extended over all the nations and people of the earth; and yet this kingdom God promised to enlarge and extend, as in Isaiah, “And in that day there shall be a root of Jesse, which shall stand for an ensign of the people,” Isa. xi. 10. And again,