8. HE HATH FILLED most plenteously the souls of THE HUNGRY that earnestly desired the least favours, and satisfied their longings WITH GOOD THINGS beyond their expectations, AND THE RICH whose pride made them think themselves fittest objects of his bounty, and yet their abundance abated their desires after it, these HE HATH disappointed and SENT EMPTY AWAY. 9. And as in all other places, so now, HE REMEMBERING the constant method of HIS MERCY, and seeing his people's distress, HATH HOLPEN and again restored HIS SERVANT ISRAEL and all faithful people to his favour and the hopes of glory, as HE PROMISED to the saints of former ages, even to OUR FOREFATHERS; peculiarly assuring ABRAHAM that he would give a Saviour to redeem us, and bring deliverance to us AND TO HIS Seed for EVER. Glory be to the Father, &c. As it was in the beginning, &c. SECTION XV. OF THE NINETY-EIGHTH PSALM, OR THE SECOND HYMN AFTER THE FIRST LESSON. §. I. INSTEAD of the former hymn, made by the most excellent of the daughters of David, we have a Psalm of David's own composing, out of which some part of the Magnificat was taken, viz. ver. 54, out of ver. 4. He hath remembered his mercy and truth to the house of Israel, and as there the strength of God's arm is celebrated, ver. 51, so here his right hand and holy arm is said to have gotten the victory. So that they are not much different, only this is more proper to be used after a lesson which treats of some great and eminent temporal deliverance granted to the people of God, being made on the occasion of some of David's victories, and yet mystically directed to the times of the Messiah, as the Jewish doctors confess; but the particulars will best be discerned by a closer enarration. 123 124 §. II. This Psalm contains a twofold exhortation to praise God: (I. The for mer con taining, II. The lat- Ling, The Analysis of the XCVIIIth Psalm. 1. An exhortation to the doing of it, Ver. 1. O sing unto the For he hath done marvel- 2. With his own right hand and with his holy arm hath he gotten himself the victory. 3. The Lord declared his salvation, his righteoushath he openly ness shewed in the sight of the heathen. 4. He hath remembered And all the ends of the 6. Praise the Lord upon 7. With trumpets also and shawms: O shew yourselves joyful before the Lord the King. 8. Let the sea make a noise, and all that therein is: the round world and they that dwell therein. 9. Let the floods clap their hands, and let the hills be joyful together before the Lord: For he cometh to judge the earth. 10. Withrighteousness shall he judge the world, and the people with equity. A brief Discourse upon the XCVIIIth Psalm. §. III. Ver. 1 to 4. O SING UNTO THE LORD A NEW SONG, &c. unto ALL THE ENDS OF THE WORLD HAVE SEEN THE SALVATION OF OUR GOD] This Psalm being entitled a new Song, is said by the ancients to belong to the novum seculum, or the gospel-times, and as the lesson . doth every day present us with new wonders of God's wisdom and power, justice and mercy; so we should daily renew our song of praise, and though we sing this anthem frequently, yet a new devotion and a fresh sense of the miraculous works which God hath wrought for his church, will make it a new song every day. Wherefore let us reflect upon the chapter lately read, and consider how certainly God's enemies fall before him; he needs no assistant, his own right hand alone is able to get him the victory over all opposers; and though sometimes he use human powers, as instruments to suppress the ungodly, yet all mortal arms and forces are so weak and uncertain of themselves, that it is purely by his influence and aid they do prevail, so that his people freely confess, it is not their own arm that saves them, but his right hand, &c. Psalm xliv. 3, 4; and whereas when men are mighty, they are too often cruel and unjust, the Divine arm is holy as well as mighty, and he useth his power to destroy only those who deserve it. For his preserving of his own, and his righteous executions on the wicked, are so visible and clear, that the very heathens have observed it, and all the world may discern it; nor yet doth he give these salvations to his people for their merits, but purely in remembrance of his own mercy and truth; his mercy moved him to promise, and his a truth obligeth him to perform these things for the church; the house of Israel and all nations may discern it, but now that Jesus is come, we may well spiritualize this verse, and sing a new song to God, who hath not only remembered his mercy and his promise to the Jews, but manifested his Son for salvation to all the world, even to the utmost parts of the earth. a Misericordia præmisit promissionem, promissio reddidit veritatem. Aug. in loc. §. IV. Ver. 5, 6, &c. SHEW YOURSELVES JOYFUL UNTO THE LORD, ALL YE LANDS, SING, REJOICE, AND GIVE THANKS, &c. to the end.] Since the glory of God is manifested to all lands, they ought all to join in praising his holy name, and that by all due means which may express an hearty joy, particularly by all sorts of music, by stringed instruments and voices, and by wind instruments also; for music is the gift of God, and tends not only to express, but to beget the affection of joy; it doth compose the thoughts, calm the mind, and put the soul into a posture of grateful seriousness; and therefore we shall find it of as early use in Divine worship as any where else; and since all ages have used it so, we may use it in more solemn places, and on more extraordinary occasions, without just offence to any unprejudiced persons, especially being plainly commanded in this and other places of holy scriptures. Now as God is to be praised by all means, so also by all persons, who are understood by this figurative exhortation to seas and lands, rivers and hills, with all their inhabitants, who are properly meant by these places; and it is intended to stir up all people, great and small, wherever they dwell, to join in blessing and praising God, because by these marvellous deliverances he doth at present judge the earth; and when he punisheth evil doers and saveth those who do well, he declares himself to be even at the present a righteous and equal Judge among men; but besides, the eminent overthrows of the wicked, and rescues of the pious, are signs and evidences of the last dreadful but just judgment, when God shall come to deliver all his saints for ever, and to execute eternal vengeance on their enemies; when we hear out of the lesson instances of particular deliverances and judgments, we ought to re b Populi fluviorum, populi montium clament. Versio Arab. joice, not only in hopes that God will do the like here in this world, but by taking these as forerunners and assurances of the great day which is coming, when all our wrongs shall be righted, and all our losses repaired, and we shall begin an undisturbed felicity. We are indeed apter to tremble than to rejoice at this day, but 125 as St. Augustine notes, "We must amend our lives, and then we may joyfully expect it.-We pray," saith he, "that God's kingdom may come, yet we fear it should come; let us amend ourselves, lest we pray against ourselves.” (Enar. in Psalm xcviii.) We ought all to be holy, and if we were so, we might and ought to rejoice even in God's judgments. The Paraphrase of the XCVIIIth Psalm. 1. O you who have heard these new instances of God's power and mercy, SING unto the LORD with a renewed devotion, a NEW SONG of praise, FOR HE HATH in all ages DONE MARVELLOUS THINGS for his church. 2. When any enemies arose against it, WITH HIS OWN RIGHT HAND and power alone, AND WITH the only might of HIS HOLY ARM which is stretched out against none but sinners, HATH HE GOTTEN unto his church, and unto HIMSELF THE VICTORY Over all those ungodly opposers. 3. Nor are these things done in a corner, for THE LORD hath most illustriously DECLARED these deliverances to be HIS SALVATION, and they are most just, so that HIS RIGHTEOUSNESS by them HATH HE OPENLY SHEWED and manifestly declared IN THE SIGHT OF THE HEATHEN, yea, his very enemies give testimony to his equity in destroying the wicked ones. 4. And indeed he is good to all, for HE HATH REMEMBERED HIS MERCY in promising great favours, AND his TRUTH in performing them TOWARD THE HOUSE OF ISRAEL, namely his own church and people, and all the furthest corners and utmost ENDS OF THE heathen wORLD HAVE SEEN or heard of THE SALVATION both temporal and eternal, which is the proper work OF OUR GOD. 5. Wherefore as ye all partake of his mercy, O SHEW YOUR |