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<center><h1>Matthew Henry's Complete Commentary
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on the Whole Bible</h1>
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[<A HREF="MHC00000.HTM">Table of Contents</A>]<BR>
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Matthew Henry<BR><I>Commentary on the Whole Bible</I> (1710)
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<!-- (Begin Body) -->
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<CENTER>
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<BR><FONT SIZE=+3><B>P S A L M S</B></FONT>
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<BR>
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<BR><FONT SIZE=+2>PSALM XCII.</FONT>
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<HR SIZE=1 WIDTH=50>
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</CENTER>
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<FONT SIZE=-1>
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<P>
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It is a groundless opinion of some of the Jewish writers (who are
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usually free of their conjectures) that this psalm was penned and sung
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by Adam in innocency, on the first sabbath. It is inconsistent with the
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psalm itself, which speaks of the workers of iniquity, when as yet sin
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had not entered. It is probable that it was penned by David, and, being
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calculated for the sabbath day,
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I. Praise, the business of the sabbath, is here recommended,
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<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Ps+92:1-3">ver. 1-3</A>.
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II. God's works, which gave occasion for the sabbath, are here
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celebrated as great and unsearchable in general,
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<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Ps+92:4-6">ver. 4-6</A>.
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In particular, with reference to the works both of providence and
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redemption, the psalmist sings unto God both of mercy and judgment, the
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ruin of sinners and the joy of saints, three times counterchanged.
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1. The wicked shall perish
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(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Ps+92:7">ver. 7</A>),
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but God is eternal,
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<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Ps+92:8">ver. 8</A>.
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2. God's enemies shall be cut off, but David shall be exalted,
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<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Ps+92:9,10">ver. 9, 10</A>.
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3. David's enemies shall be confounded
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(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Ps+92:11">ver. 11</A>),
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but all the righteous shall be fruitful and flourishing,
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<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Ps+92:12-15">ver. 12-15</A>.
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In singing this psalm we must take pleasure in giving to God the glory
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due to his name, and triumph in his works.</P>
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</FONT>
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<A NAME="Ps92_1"> </A>
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<A NAME="Ps92_2"> </A>
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<A NAME="Ps92_3"> </A>
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<A NAME="Ps92_4"> </A>
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<A NAME="Ps92_5"> </A>
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<A NAME="Ps92_6"> </A>
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<A NAME="Sec1"> </A>
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<TABLE WIDTH="100%" BORDER=0>
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<TR><TD><FONT SIZE=+1><I>Incitements to Praise of God.</I></FONT></TD>
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<TD ALIGN=RIGHT><FONT SIZE=-1> <! -- Date --> </FONT></TD></TR>
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<TR><TD COLSPAN=2><HR SIZE=1></TD></TR>
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</TABLE>
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<CENTER>
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<P>A psalm <I>or</I> song for the sabbath day.</P>
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</CENTER>
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<P>
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<FONT SIZE=+1>1 <I>It is a</I> good <I>thing</I> to give thanks unto the
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L<FONT SIZE=-1><B>ORD</B></FONT>, and to sing praises unto thy name, O most High:
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2 To show forth thy lovingkindness in the morning, and thy
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faithfulness every night,
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3 Upon an instrument of ten strings, and upon the psaltery;
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upon the harp with a solemn sound.
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4 For thou, L<FONT SIZE=-1><B>ORD</B></FONT>, hast made me glad through thy work: I will
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triumph in the works of thy hands.
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5 O L<FONT SIZE=-1><B>ORD</B></FONT>, how great are thy works! <I>and</I> thy thoughts are very
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deep.
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6 A brutish man knoweth not; neither doth a fool understand
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this.
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</FONT></P>
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<P>
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This psalm was appointed to be sung, at least it usually was sung, in
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the house of the sanctuary on the sabbath day, that day of rest, which
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was an instituted memorial of the work of creation, of God's rest from
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that work, and the continuance of it in his providence; for <I>the
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Father worketh hitherto.</I> Note,
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1. The sabbath day must be a day, not only of holy rest, but of holy
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work, and the rest is in order to the work.
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2. The proper work of the sabbath is praising God; every sabbath day
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must be a thanksgiving-day; and the other services of the day must be
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in order to this, and therefore must by no means thrust this into a
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corner. One of the Jewish writers refers it to the kingdom of the
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Messiah, and calls it, <I>A psalm or song for the age to come,</I>
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which shall be all sabbath. Believers, through Christ, enjoy that
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<I>sabbatism which remains for the people of God</I>
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(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Heb+4:9">Heb. iv. 9</A>),
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the beginning of the everlasting sabbath. In these verses,</P>
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<P>
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I. We are called upon and encouraged to praise God
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(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Ps+92:1-3"><I>v.</I> 1-3</A>):
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<I>It is a good thing to give thanks unto the Lord.</I> Praising God is
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good work: it is good in itself and good for us. It is our duty, the
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rent, the tribute, we are to pay to our great Lord; we are unjust if we
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withhold it. It is our privilege that we are admitted to praise God,
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and have hope to be accepted in it. It is good, for it is pleasant and
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profitable, work that is its own wages; it is the work of angels, the
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work of heaven. It is good to give thanks for the mercies we have
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received, for that is the way of fetching in further mercy: it is fit
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to sing to his name who is Most High, exalted above all blessing and
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praise. Now observe here,
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1. How we must praise God. We must do it by <I>showing forth his
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lovingkindness and his faithfulness.</I> Being convinced of his
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glorious attributes and perfections, we must show them forth, as those
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that are greatly affected with them ourselves and desire to affect
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others with them likewise. We must show forth, not only his greatness
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and majesty, his holiness and justice, which magnify him and strike an
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awe upon us, but his lovingkindness and his faithfulness; for his
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goodness is his glory
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(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Ex+33:18,19">Exod. xxxiii. 18, 19</A>),
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and by these he proclaims his name. His mercy and truth are the great
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supports of our faith and hope, and the great encouragements of our
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love and obedience; these therefore we must show forth as our pleas in
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prayer and the matter of our joy. This was then done, not only by
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singing, but by music joined with it, <I>upon an instrument of ten
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strings</I>
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(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Ps+92:3"><I>v.</I> 3</A>);
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but then it was to be <I>with a solemn sound,</I> not that which was
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gay, and apt to dissipate the spirits, but that which was grave, and
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apt to fix them.
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2. When we must praise God--<I>in the morning and every night,</I> not
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only on sabbath days, but every day; it is that which the duty of every
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day requires. We must praise God, not only in public assemblies, but in
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secret, and in our families, showing forth, to ourselves and those
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about us, his lovingkindness and faithfulness. We must begin and end
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every day with praising God, must give him thanks every morning, when
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we are fresh and before the business of the day comes in upon us, and
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every night, when we are again composed and retired, and are
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recollecting ourselves; we must give him thanks every morning for the
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mercies of the night and every night for the mercies of the day; going
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out and coming in we must bless God.</P>
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<P>
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II. We have an example set before us in the psalmist himself, both to
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move us to and to direct us in this work
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(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Ps+92:4"><I>v.</I> 4</A>):
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<I>Thou, Lord, hast made me glad through thy work.</I> Note,
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1. Those can best recommend to others the duty of praise who have
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themselves experienced the pleasantness of it. "God's works are to be
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praised, for they have many a time rejoiced my heart; and therefore,
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whatever others may think of them, I must think well and speak well of
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them."
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2. If God has given us the joy of his works, there is all the reason in
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the world why we should give him the honour of them. Has he made our
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hearts glad? Let us then make his praises glorious. Has God made us
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glad through the works of his providence for us, and of his grace in
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us, and both through the great work of redemption?
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(1.) Let us thence fetch encouragement for our faith and hope; so the
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psalmist does: <I>I will triumph in the works of thy hands.</I> From a
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joyful remembrance of what God has done for us we may raise a joyful
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prospect of what he will do, and triumph in the assurance of it,
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triumph over all opposition,
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<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=2Th+2:13,14">2 Thess. ii. 13, 14</A>.
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(2.) Let us thence fetch matter for holy adorings and admirings of God
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(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Ps+92:5"><I>v.</I> 5</A>):
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<I>O Lord! how great are thy works</I>--great beyond conception, beyond
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expression, the products of great power and wisdom, of great
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consequence and importance! men's works are nothing to them. We cannot
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comprehend the greatness of God's works, and therefore must reverently
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and awfully wonder at them, and even stand amazed at the magnificence
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of them. "Men's works are little and trifling, for their thoughts are
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shallow; but, Lord, <I>thy works are great</I> and such as cannot be
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measured; for <I>thy thoughts are very deep</I> and such as cannot be
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fathomed." God's counsels as much exceed the contrivances of our wisdom
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as his works do the efforts of our power. <I>His thoughts are above our
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thoughts,</I> as his <I>ways</I> are <I>above our ways,</I>
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<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Isa+55:9">Isa. lv. 9</A>.
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<I>O the depth</I> of God's designs!
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<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Ro+11:33">Rom. xi. 33</A>.
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The greatness of God's works should lead us to consider the depth of
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his thoughts, that counsel of his own will according to which he does
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all things--what a compass his thoughts fetch and to what a length they
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reach!</P>
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<P>
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III. We are admonished not to neglect the works of God, by the
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character of those who do so,
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<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Ps+92:6"><I>v.</I> 6</A>.
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Those are fools, they are brutish, who do not know, who do not
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understand, how great God's works are, who will not acquaint themselves
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with them, nor give him the glory of them; they <I>regard not the work
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of the Lord</I> nor <I>consider the operation of his hands</I>
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(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Ps+28:5">Ps. xxviii. 5</A>);
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particularly, they understand not the meaning of their own prosperity
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(which is spoken of
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<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Ps+92:7"><I>v.</I> 7</A>);
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they take it as a pledge of their happiness, whereas it is a
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preparative for their ruin. If there are so many who know not the
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designs of Providence, nor care to know them, those who through grace
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are acquainted with them, and love to be so, have the more reason to be
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thankful.</P>
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<A NAME="Ps92_7"> </A>
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<A NAME="Ps92_8"> </A>
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<A NAME="Ps92_9"> </A>
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<A NAME="Ps92_10"> </A>
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<A NAME="Ps92_11"> </A>
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<A NAME="Ps92_12"> </A>
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<A NAME="Ps92_13"> </A>
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<A NAME="Ps92_14"> </A>
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<A NAME="Ps92_15"> </A>
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<A NAME="Sec2"> </A>
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<TABLE WIDTH="100%" BORDER=0>
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<TR><TD><FONT SIZE=+1><I>The Triumph of the Righteous; The Happiness of the Righteous.</I></FONT></TD>
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<TD ALIGN=RIGHT><FONT SIZE=-1> <! -- Date --> </FONT></TD></TR>
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<TR><TD COLSPAN=2><HR SIZE=1></TD></TR>
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</TABLE>
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<P>
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<FONT SIZE=+1>7 When the wicked spring as the grass, and when all the workers
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of iniquity do flourish; <I>it is</I> that they shall be destroyed for
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ever:
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8 But thou, L<FONT SIZE=-1><B>ORD</B></FONT>, <I>art most</I> high for evermore.
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9 For, lo, thine enemies, O L<FONT SIZE=-1><B>ORD</B></FONT>, for, lo, thine enemies shall
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perish; all the workers of iniquity shall be scattered.
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10 But my horn shalt thou exalt like <I>the horn of</I> an unicorn:
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I shall be anointed with fresh oil.
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11 Mine eye also shall see <I>my desire</I> on mine enemies, <I>and</I>
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mine ears shall hear <I>my desire</I> of the wicked that rise up
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against me.
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12 The righteous shall flourish like the palm tree: he shall
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grow like a cedar in Lebanon.
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13 Those that be planted in the house of the L<FONT SIZE=-1><B>ORD</B></FONT> shall
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flourish in the courts of our God.
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14 They shall still bring forth fruit in old age; they shall be
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fat and flourishing;
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15 To show that the L<FONT SIZE=-1><B>ORD</B></FONT> <I>is</I> upright: <I>he is</I> my rock, and
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<I>there is</I> no unrighteousness in him.
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</FONT></P>
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<P>
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The psalmist had said
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(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Ps+92:4"><I>v.</I> 4</A>)
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that from the works of God he would take occasion to triumph; and here
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he does so.</P>
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<P>
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I. He triumphs over God's enemies
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(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Ps+92:7,9,11"><I>v.</I> 7, 9, 11</A>),
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triumphs in the foresight of their destruction, not as it would be the
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misery of his fellow-creatures, but as it would redound to the honour
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of God's justice and holiness. He is confident of the ruin of sinners,
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1. Though they are flourishing
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(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Ps+92:7"><I>v.</I> 7</A>):
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<I>When the wicked spring as the grass</I> in spring (so numerous, so
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thickly sown, so green, and growing so fast), <I>and all the workers of
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iniquity do flourish</I> in pomp, and power, and all the instances of
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outward prosperity, are easy and many, and succeed in their
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enterprises, one would think that all this was in order to their being
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happy, that it was a certain evidence of God's favour and an earnest of
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something as good or better in reserve: but it is quite otherwise; it
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is <I>that they shall be destroyed for ever.</I> The very <I>prosperity
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of fools shall slay them,</I>
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<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Pr+1:32">Prov. i. 32</A>.
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The sheep that are designed for the slaughter are put into the fattest
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pasture.
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2. Though they are daring,
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<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Ps+92:9"><I>v.</I> 9</A>.
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They are thy enemies, and impudently avow themselves to be so. They are
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contrary to God, and they fight against God. They are in rebellion
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against his crown and dignity, and therefore it is easy to foresee that
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they shall perish; for <I>who ever hardened his heart against God and
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prospered?</I> Note, All the impenitent workers of iniquity shall be
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deemed and taken as God's enemies, and as such they shall perish and be
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scattered. Christ reckons those his enemies that will not have him to
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reign over them; and they shall be brought forth and slain before him.
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The workers of iniquity are now associated, and closely linked
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together, in a combination against God and religion; but they shall be
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scattered, and disabled to help one another against the just judgment
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of God. <I>In the world to come they shall be separated from the
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congregation of the righteous;</I> so the Chaldee,
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<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Ps+1:5">Ps. i. 5</A>.
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3. Though they had a particular malice against the psalmist, and, upon
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that account, he might be tempted to fear them, yet he triumphs over
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them
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(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Ps+92:11"><I>v.</I> 11</A>):
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"<I>My eye shall see my desire on my enemies that rise up against
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me;</I> I shall see them not only disabled from doing me any further
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mischief, but reckoned with for the mischief they have done me, and
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brought either to repentance or ruin:" and this was his desire
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concerning them. In the Hebrew it is no more than thus, <I>My eye shall
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look on my enemies, and my ear shall hear of the wicked.</I> He does
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not say what he shall see or what he shall hear, but he shall see and
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hear that in which God will be glorified and in which he will therefore
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be satisfied. This perhaps has reference to Christ, to his victory over
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Satan, death, and hell, the destruction of those that persecuted and
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crucified him, and opposed his gospel, and to the final ruin of the
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impenitent at the last day. Those that rise up against Christ will
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fall before him and be made his footstool.</P>
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<P>
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II. He triumphs in God, and his glory and grace.
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1. In the glory of God
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(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Ps+92:8"><I>v.</I> 8</A>):
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"<I>But thou, O Lord! art most high for evermore.</I> The workers of
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iniquity who fight against us may be high for a time, and think to
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carry all before them with a high hand, but <I>thou art high, most
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|
high, for evermore.</I> Their height will be humbled and brought down,
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|
but thine is everlasting." Let us not therefore fear the pride and
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power of evil men, nor be discouraged by their impotent menaces, for
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the moth shall eat them up as a garment, but <I>God's righteousness
|
|
shall be for ever,</I>
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<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Isa+51:7,8">Isa. li. 7, 8</A>.
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2. In the grace of God, his favour and the fruits of it,
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(1.) To himself
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(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Ps+92:10"><I>v.</I> 10</A>):
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"Thou, O Lord! that art thyself most high, <I>shalt exalt my horn.</I>"
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The great God is the fountain of honour, and he, being <I>high for
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|
evermore,</I> himself will exalt his people for ever, for <I>he is the
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praise of all his saints,</I>
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<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Ps+148:14">Ps. cxlviii. 14</A>.
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The wicked are forbidden to <I>lift up the horn</I>
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(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Ps+75:4,5">Ps. lxxv. 4, 5</A>),
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but those that serve God and the interest of his kingdom with their
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honour or power, and commit it to him to keep it, to raise it, to use
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|
it, and to dispose of it, as he pleases, may hope that he will <I>exalt
|
|
their horn as the horn of a unicorn,</I> to the greatest height, either
|
|
in this world or the other: <I>My horn shalt thou exalt,</I> when
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|
<I>thy enemies perish;</I> for <I>then shall the righteous shine forth
|
|
as the sun,</I> when the wicked shall be doomed to <I>shame and
|
|
everlasting contempt.</I> He adds, <I>I shall be anointed with fresh
|
|
oil,</I> which denotes a fresh confirmation in his office to which he
|
|
had been anointed, or abundance of plenty, so that he should have fresh
|
|
oil as often as he pleased, or renewed comforts to revive him when his
|
|
spirits drooped. Grace is the anointing of the Spirit; when this is
|
|
given to help in the time of need, and is received, as there is
|
|
occasion, from the fulness that is in Christ Jesus, we are then
|
|
anointed with fresh oil. Some read it, <I>When I grow old thou shalt
|
|
anoint me with fresh oil. My old age shalt thou exalt with rich
|
|
mercy;</I> so the LXX. Compare
|
|
|
|
<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Ps+92:14"><I>v.</I> 14</A>,
|
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|
|
<I>They shall bring forth fruit in old age.</I> The comforts of God's
|
|
Spirit, and the joys of his salvation, shall be a refreshing oil to the
|
|
<I>hoary heads that are found in the way of righteousness.</I>
|
|
|
|
(2.) To all the saints. They are here represented as <I>trees of
|
|
righteousness,</I>
|
|
|
|
<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Isa+61:3,Ps+1:3">Isa. lxi. 3; Ps. i. 3</A>.
|
|
|
|
Observe,
|
|
|
|
[1.] The good place they are fixed in; they are <I>planted in the house
|
|
of the Lord,</I>
|
|
|
|
<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Ps+92:13"><I>v.</I> 13</A>.
|
|
|
|
The trees of righteousness do not grow of themselves; they are
|
|
<I>planted,</I> not in common soil, but in paradise, <I>in the house of
|
|
the Lord.</I> Trees are not usually planted in a house; but God's trees
|
|
are said to be planted in his house because it is from his grace, by
|
|
his word and Spirit, that they receive all the sap and virtue that keep
|
|
them alive and make them fruitful. They fix themselves to holy
|
|
ordinances, take root in them, abide by them, put themselves under the
|
|
divine protection, and bring forth all their fruits to God's honour and
|
|
glory.
|
|
|
|
[2.] The good plight they shall be kept in. It is here promised,
|
|
<I>First,</I> That they shall grow,
|
|
|
|
<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Ps+92:12"><I>v.</I> 12</A>.
|
|
|
|
Where God gives true grace he will give more grace. God's trees shall
|
|
grow higher, like the cedars, the tall cedars in Lebanon; they shall
|
|
grow nearer heaven, and with a holy ambition shall aspire towards the
|
|
upper world; they shall grow stronger, like the cedars, and fitter for
|
|
use. <I>He that has clean hands shall be stronger and stronger.
|
|
Secondly,</I> That they shall flourish, both in the credit of their
|
|
profession and in the comfort and joy of their own souls. They shall be
|
|
cheerful themselves and respected by all about them. <I>They shall
|
|
flourish like the palm-tree,</I> which has a stately body
|
|
|
|
(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=So+7:7">Cant. vii. 7</A>),
|
|
|
|
and large boughs,
|
|
|
|
<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Le+23:40,Jdg+4:5">Lev. xxiii. 40; Judg. iv. 5</A>.
|
|
|
|
Dates, the fruit of it, are very pleasant, but it is especially alluded
|
|
to here as being ever green. The wicked flourish as the grass
|
|
|
|
(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Ps+92:7"><I>v.</I> 7</A>),
|
|
|
|
which is soon withered, but the righteous as the palm-tree, which is
|
|
long-lived and which the winter does not change. It has been said of
|
|
the palm-tree, <I>Sub pondere crescit--The more it is pressed down the
|
|
more it grows;</I> so the righteous flourish under their burdens; the
|
|
more they are afflicted the more they multiply. Being planted in
|
|
<I>the house of the Lord</I> (there their root is), <I>they flourish in
|
|
the courts of our God</I>--there their branches spread. <I>Their life
|
|
is hid with Christ in God.</I> But their light also shines before men.
|
|
It is desirable that those who have a place should have a name in God's
|
|
house, and within his walls,
|
|
|
|
<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Isa+56:5">Isa. lvi. 5</A>.
|
|
|
|
Let good Christians aim to excel, that they may be eminent and may
|
|
flourish, and so may adorn the doctrine of God our Saviour, as
|
|
flourishing trees adorn the courts of a house. And let those who
|
|
flourish in God's courts give him the glory of it; it is by virtue of
|
|
this promise, <I>They shall be fat and flourishing.</I> Their
|
|
flourishing without is from a fatness within, from the <I>root and
|
|
fatness of the good olive,</I>
|
|
|
|
<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Ro+11:17">Rom. xi. 17</A>.
|
|
|
|
Without a living principle of grace in the heart the profession will
|
|
not be long flourishing; but where that is <I>the leaf also shall not
|
|
wither,</I>
|
|
|
|
<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Ps+1:3">Ps. i. 3</A>.
|
|
|
|
<I>The trees of the Lord are full of sap,</I>
|
|
|
|
<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Ps+104:16">Ps. civ. 16</A>.
|
|
|
|
See
|
|
|
|
<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Ho+14:5,6">Hos. xiv. 5, 6</A>.
|
|
|
|
<I>Thirdly,</I> That they shall be fruitful. Were there nothing but
|
|
leaves upon them, they would not be trees of any value; but <I>they
|
|
shall still bring forth fruit.</I> The products of sanctification, all
|
|
the instances of a lively devotion and a useful conversation, good
|
|
works, by which God is glorified and others are edified, these are the
|
|
fruits of righteousness, in which it is the privilege, as well as the
|
|
duty, of the righteous to abound; and their abounding in them is the
|
|
matter of a promise as well as of a command. It is promised that they
|
|
shall bring forth fruit in old age. Other trees, when they are old,
|
|
leave off bearing, but in God's trees the strength of grace does not
|
|
fail with the strength of nature. The last days of the saints are
|
|
sometimes their best days, and their last work is their best work. This
|
|
indeed shows that they are upright; perseverance is the surest evidence
|
|
of sincerity. But it is here said <I>to show that the Lord is
|
|
upright</I>
|
|
|
|
(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Ps+92:15"><I>v.</I> 15</A>),
|
|
|
|
that he is true to his promises and faithful to every word that he has
|
|
spoken, and that he is constant to the work which he has begun. As it
|
|
is by the promises that believers first partake of a divine nature, so
|
|
it is by the promises that that divine nature is preserved and kept up;
|
|
and therefore the power it exerts is an evidence that the <I>Lord is
|
|
upright,</I> and so he will show himself <I>with an upright man,</I>
|
|
|
|
<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Ps+Ps+18:25">Ps. xviii. 25</A>.
|
|
|
|
This the psalmist triumphs in: "<I>He is my rock and there is no
|
|
unrighteousness in him.</I> I have chosen him for my rock on which to
|
|
build, in the clefts of which to take shelter, on the top of which to
|
|
set my feet. I have found him a rock, strong and stedfast, and his word
|
|
as firm as a rock. I have found" (and let every one speak as he finds)
|
|
"that there is no unrighteousness in him." He is as able, and will be
|
|
as kind, as his word makes him to be. All that ever trusted in God
|
|
found him faithful and all-sufficient, and none were ever made ashamed
|
|
of their hope in him.</P>
|
|
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