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<TITLE>Matthew Henry's Complete Commentary on the Whole Bible [Psalms XLV].</TITLE>
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<center><h1>Matthew Henry's Complete Commentary
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Matthew Henry<BR><I>Commentary on the Whole Bible</I> (1710)
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<CENTER>
<BR><FONT SIZE=+3><B>P S A L M S</B></FONT>
<BR>
<BR><FONT SIZE=+2>PSALM XLV.</FONT>
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<P> &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;
This psalm is an illustrious prophecy of Messiah the Prince: it is all
over gospel, and points at him only, as a bridegroom espousing the
church to himself and as a king ruling in it and ruling for it. It is
probable that our Saviour has reference to this psalm when he compares
the kingdom of heaven, more than once, to a nuptial solemnity, the
solemnity of a royal nuptial,
<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Mt+22:2,25:1">Matt. xxii. 2; xxv. 1</A>.
We have no reason to think it has any reference to Solomon's marriage
with Pharaoh's daughter; if I thought that it had reference to any
other than the mystical marriage between Christ and his church, I would
rather apply it to some of David's marriages, because he was a man of
war, such a one as the bridegroom here is described to be, which
Solomon was not. But I take it to be purely and only meant of Jesus
Christ; of him speaks the prophet this, of him and of no other man; and
to him
(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Ps+45:6,7">
ver. 6, 7</A>)
it is applied in the New Testament
(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Heb+1:8">Heb. i. 8</A>),
nor can it be understood of any other. The preface speaks the
excellency of the song,
<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Ps+45: ">
ver. 1</A>.
The psalm speaks,
I. Of the royal bridegroom, who is Christ.
1. The transcendent excellency of his person,
<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Ps+45:2">ver. 2</A>.
2. The glory of his victories,
<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Ps+45:3-5">ver. 3-5</A>.
3. The righteousness of his government,
<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Ps+45:6,7">ver. 6, 7</A>.
4. The splendour of his court,
<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Ps+45:8,9">ver. 8, 9</A>.
II. Of the royal bride, which is the church.
1. Her consent gained,
<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Ps+45:10,11">ver. 10, 11</A>.
2. The nuptials solemnized,
<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Ps+45:12-15">ver. 12-15</A>.
3. The issue of this marriage,
<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Ps+45:16,17">ver. 16, 17</A>.
In singing this psalm our hearts must be filled with high thoughts of
Christ, with an entire submission to and satisfaction in his
government, and with an earnest desire of the enlarging and
perpetuating of his church in the world.</P>
</FONT>
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<A NAME="Sec1"> </A>
<TABLE WIDTH="100%" BORDER=0>
<TR><TD><FONT SIZE=+1><I>Nuptial Song; Glories of the Messiah.</I></FONT></TD>
<TD ALIGN=RIGHT><FONT SIZE=-1> <! -- Date --> </FONT></TD></TR>
<TR><TD COLSPAN=2><HR SIZE=1></TD></TR>
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<CENTER>
<P>To the chief musician upon Shoshannim, for the sons of Korah, Maschil.
A song of loves.</P>
</CENTER>
<P> &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;
<FONT SIZE=+1>1 My heart is inditing a good
matter: I speak of the things which I have made touching the
king: my tongue <I>is</I> the pen of a ready writer.
&nbsp; 2 Thou art fairer than the children of men: grace is poured
into thy lips: therefore God hath blessed thee for ever.
&nbsp; 3 Gird thy sword upon <I>thy</I> thigh, O <I>most</I> mighty, with thy
glory and thy majesty.
&nbsp; 4 And in thy majesty ride prosperously because of truth and
meekness <I>and</I> righteousness; and thy right hand shall teach thee
terrible things.
&nbsp; 5 Thine arrows <I>are</I> sharp in the heart of the king's enemies;
<I>whereby</I> the people fall under thee.
</FONT></P>
<P> &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;
Some make <I>Shoshannim,</I> in the title, to signify an instrument of
six strings; others take it in its primitive signification for lilies
or roses, which probably were strewed, with other flowers, at nuptial
solemnities; and then it is easily applicable to Christ who calls
himself the <I>rose of Sharon and the lily of the valleys,</I>
<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=So+2:1">Cant. ii. 1</A>.
It is <I>a song of loves,</I> concerning the holy love that is between
Christ and his church. It is a <I>song of the well-beloved,</I> the
virgins, the companions of the bride
(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Ps+45:14"><I>v.</I> 14</A>),
prepared to be sung by them. The virgin-company that attend the Lamb on
Mount Zion are said to <I>sing a new song,</I>
<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Re+14:3,4">Rev. xiv. 3, 4</A>.</P>
<P> &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;
I. The preface
(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Ps+45:1"><I>v.</I> 1</A>)
speaks,
1. The dignity of the subject. It is <I>a good matter,</I> and it is a
pity that such a moving art as poetry should every be employed about a
bad matter. It is <I>touching the King,</I> King Jesus, and his kingdom
and government. Note, Those that speak of Christ speak of a good
matter, no subject so noble, so copious, so fruitful, so profitable,
and so well-becoming us; it is a shame that this good matter is not
more the matter of our discourse.
2. The excellency of the management. This song was a confession with
the mouth of faith in the heart concerning Christ and his church.
(1.) The matter was well digested, as it well deserved: <I>My heart is
inditing it,</I> which perhaps is meant of that Spirit of prophecy that
dictated the psalm to David, that Spirit of Christ which was in the
prophets,
<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=1Pe+1:11">1 Pet. i. 11</A>.
But it is applicable to his devout meditations and affections in his
heart, out of the abundance of which his mouth spoke. Things concerning
Christ ought to be thought of by us with all possible seriousness, with
fixedness of thought and a fire of holy love, especially when we are to
speak of those things. We then speak best of Christ and divine things
when we speak from the heart that which has warmed and affected us; and
we should never be rash in speaking of the things of Christ, but weigh
well beforehand what we have to say, lest we speak amiss. See
<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Ec+5:2">Eccl. v. 2</A>.
(2.) It was well expressed: <I>I will speak of the things which I have
made.</I> He would express himself,
[1.] With all possible clearness, as one that did himself understand
and was affected with the things he spoke of. Not, "I will speak the
things I have heard from others," that is speaking by rote; but, "the
things which I have myself studied." Note, What God has wrought in our
souls, as well as what he has wrought for them, we must declare to
others,
<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Ps+66:16">Ps. lxvi. 16</A>.
[2.] With all possible cheerfulness, freedom, and fluency: "<I>My
tongue is</I> as <I>the pen of a ready writer,</I> guided by my heart
in every word as the pen is by the hand." We call the prophets the
<I>penmen</I> of scripture, whereas really they were but the pen. The
tongue of the most subtle disputant, and the most eloquent orator, is
but the pen with which God writes what he pleases. Why should we
quarrel with the pen if bitter things be written against us, or idolize
the pen if it write in our favour? David not only spoke what he thought
of Christ, but wrote it, that it might spread the further and last the
longer. His tongue was as the pen of a ready writer, that lets nothing
slip. When the heart is inditing a good matter it is a pity but the
tongue should be as <I>the pen of a ready writer,</I> to leave it upon
record.</P>
<P> &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;
II. In these verses the Lord Jesus is represented,</P>
<P> &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;
1. As most beautiful and amiable in himself. It is a marriage-song; and
therefore the transcendent excellencies of Christ are represented by
the beauty of the royal bridegroom
(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Ps+45:2"><I>v.</I> 2</A>):
<I>Thou art fairer than the children of men,</I> than any of them. He
proposed
(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Ps+45:1"><I>v.</I> 1</A>)
to speak of the King, but immediately directs his speech to him. Those
that have an admiration and affection for Christ love to go to him and
tell him so. Thus we must profess our faith, that we see his beauty,
and our love, that we are pleased with it: <I>Thou are fair,</I> thou
art <I>fairer than the children of men.</I> Note, Jesus Christ is in
himself, and in the eyes of all believers, more amiable and lovely than
the children of men. The beauties of the Lord Jesus, as God, as
Mediator, far surpass those of human nature in general and those which
the most amiable and excellent of the children of men are endowed with;
there is more in Christ to engage our love than there is or can be in
any creature. Our beloved is more than another beloved. The beauties of
this lower world, and its charms, are in danger of drawing away our
hearts from Christ, and therefore we are concerned to understand how
much he excels them all, and how much more worthy he is of our
love.</P>
<P> &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;
2. As the great favourite of heaven. He is <I>fairer than the children
of men,</I> for God has done more for him than for any of the children
of men, and all his kindness to the children of men is for his sake,
and passes through his hands, through his mouth.
(1.) He has grace, and he has it for us; <I>Grace is poured into thy
lips.</I> By his word, his promise, his gospel, the good-will of God is
made known to us and the good work of God is begun and carried on in
us. He received all grace from God, all the endowments that were
requisite to qualify him for his work and office as Mediator, that from
his fulness we might receive,
<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Joh+1:16">John i. 16</A>.
It was not only poured into his heart, for his own strength and
encouragement, but poured into his lips, that by the words of his mouth
in general, and the kisses of his mouth to particular believers, he
might communicate both holiness and comfort. From this grace poured
into his lips proceeded those gracious words which all admired,
<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Lu+4:22">Luke iv. 22</A>.
The gospel of grace is poured into his lips; for it <I>began to be
spoken by the Lord,</I> and from him we receive it. He has the words of
eternal life. <I>The spirit of prophecy is put into thy lips;</I> so
the Chaldee.
(2.) He has the blessing, and he has it for us. "Therefore, because
thou art the great trustee of divine grace for the use and benefit of
the children of men, <I>therefore God has blessed thee for ever,</I>
has made thee an everlasting blessing, so as that in thee all the
nations of the earth shall be blessed." Where God gives his grace he
will give his blessing. We are blessed with spiritual blessings in
Christ Jesus,
<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Eph+1:3">Eph. i. 3</A>.</P>
<P> &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;
3. As victorious over all his enemies. The royal bridegroom is a man of
war, and his nuptials do not excuse him from the field of battle (as
was allowed by the law,
<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=De+24:5">Deut. xxiv. 5</A>);
nay, they bring him to the field of battle, for he is to rescue his
spouse by dint of sword out of her captivity, to conquer her, and to
conquer for her, and then to marry her. Now we have here,</P>
<P> &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;
(1.) His preparations for war
(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Ps+45:3"><I>v.</I> 3</A>):
<I>Gird thy sword upon thy thigh, O Most Mighty!</I> The word of God is
the sword of the Spirit. By the promises of that word, and the grace
contained in those promises, souls are made willing to submit to Jesus
Christ and become his loyal subjects; by the threatenings of that word,
and the judgments executed according to them, those that stand it out
against Christ will, in due time, be brought down and ruined. By the
gospel of Christ many Jews and Gentiles were converted, and, at length,
the Jewish nation was destroyed, according to the predictions of it,
for their implacable enmity to it; and paganism was quite abolished.
The sword here girt on Christ's thigh is the same which is said to
<I>proceed out of his mouth,</I>
<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Re+19:15">Rev. xix. 15</A>.
When the gospel was sent fort to be preached to all nations, then our
Redeemer girded his sword upon his thigh.</P>
<P> &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;
(2.) His expedition to this holy war: He goes forth <I>with his glory
and his majesty,</I> as a great king takes the field with abundance of
pomp and magnificence--his sword, his glory, and majesty. In his gospel
he appears transcendently great and excellent, bright and blessed, in
the honour and majesty which the Father had laid upon him. Christ, both
in his person and in his gospel, had nothing of external glory or
majesty, nothing to charm men (for he had no form nor comeliness),
nothing to awe men, for he <I>took upon him the form of a servant;</I>
it was all spiritual glory, spiritual majesty. There is so much grace,
and therefore glory, in that word, <I>He that believes shall be
saved,</I> so much terror, and therefore majesty, in that word, <I>He
that believes shall not be damned,</I> that we may well say, in the
chariot of that gospel, which these words are the sum of, the Redeemer
rides forth in glory and majesty. <I>In thy majesty ride
prosperously,</I>
<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Ps+45:4"><I>v.</I> 4</A>.
<I>Prosper thou; ride thou.</I> This speaks the promise of his Father,
that he should prosper according to <I>the good pleasure of the
Lord,</I> that he should <I>divide the spoil with the strong,</I> in
recompence of his sufferings. Those cannot but prosper to whom God
says, Prosper,
<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Isa+52:10-12">Isa. lii. 10-12</A>.
And it denotes the good wishes of his friends, praying that he may
prosper in the conversion of souls to him, and the destruction of all
the powers of darkness that rebel against him. "<I>Thy kingdom
come;</I> Go on and prosper."</P>
<P> &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;
(3.) The glorious cause in which he is engaged--<I>because of truth, and
meekness, and righteousness,</I> which were, in a manner, sunk and lost
among men, and which Christ came to retrieve and rescue.
[1.] The gospel itself is <I>truth, meekness, and righteousness;</I> it
commands by the power of truth and righteousness; for Christianity has
these, incontestably, on its side, and yet it is to be promoted by
meekness and gentleness,
<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=1Co+4:12,13,2Ti+2:25">1 Cor. iv. 12, 13; 2 Tim. ii. 25</A>.
[2.] Christ appears in it in his <I>truth, meekness,</I> and
<I>righteousness,</I> and these are his glory and majesty, and because
of these he shall prosper. Men are brought to believe on him because he
is true, to learn of him because he is meek,
<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Mt+11:29">Matt. xi. 29</A>
(the gentleness of Christ is of mighty force,
<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=2Co+10:1">2 Cor. x. 1</A>),
and to submit to him because he is righteous and rules with equity.
[3.] The gospel, as far as it prevails with men, sets up in their
hearts <I>truth, meekness, and righteousness,</I> rectifies their
mistakes by the light of truth, controls their passions by the power of
meekness, and governs their hearts and lives by the laws of
righteousness. Christ came, by setting up his kingdom among men, to
restore those glories to a degenerate world, and to maintain the cause
of those just and rightful rulers under him that by error, malice, and
iniquity, had been deposed.</P>
<P> &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;
(4.) The success of his expedition: "<I>Thy right hand shall teach thee
terrible things;</I> thou shalt experience a wonderful divine power
going along with thy gospel, to make it victorious, and the effects of
it will be terrible things."
[1.] In order to the conversion and reduction of souls to him, there
are terrible things to be done; the heart must be pricked, conscience
must be startled, and the terrors of the Lord must make way for his
consolations. This is done by the right hand of Christ. The Comforter
shall continue,
<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Joh+16:8">John xvi. 8</A>.
[2.] In the conquest of the gates of hell and its supporters, in the
destruction of Judaism and Paganism, terrible things will be done,
which will make <I>men's hearts fail them for fear</I>
(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Lu+21:26">Luke xxi. 26</A>)
and great men and chief captains call to the <I>rocks and mountains to
fall on them,</I>
<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Re+6:15">Rev. vi. 15</A>.
The next verse describes these terrible things
(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Ps+45:5"><I>v.</I> 5</A>):
<I>Thy arrows are sharp in the heart of the king's enemies. First,</I>
Those that were by nature enemies are thus wounded, in order to their
being subdued and reconciled. Convictions are like the arrows of the
bow, which are sharp in the heart on which they fasten, and bring
people to fall under Christ, in subjection to his laws and government.
Those that thus fall on this stone shall by broken,
<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Mt+21:44">Matt. xxi. 44</A>.
<I>Secondly,</I> Those that persist in their enmity are thus wounded,
in order to their being ruined. The arrows of God's terrors are sharp
in their hearts, whereby they shall fall under him, so as to be made
his footstool,
<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Ps+110:1">Ps. cx. 1</A>.
Those that would not have him to reign over them shall be brought forth
and slain before him
(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Lu+19:27">Luke xix. 27</A>);
those that would not submit to his golden sceptre shall be broken to
pieces by his iron rod.</P>
<A NAME="Ps45_6"> </A>
<A NAME="Ps45_7"> </A>
<A NAME="Ps45_8"> </A>
<A NAME="Ps45_9"> </A>
<A NAME="Sec2"> </A>
<TABLE WIDTH="100%" BORDER=0>
<TR><TD><FONT SIZE=+1><I>Majesty and Glory of Christ.</I></FONT></TD>
<TD ALIGN=RIGHT><FONT SIZE=-1> <! -- Date --> </FONT></TD></TR>
<TR><TD COLSPAN=2><HR SIZE=1></TD></TR>
</TABLE>
<P> &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;
<FONT SIZE=+1>6 Thy throne, O God, <I>is</I> for ever and ever: the sceptre of thy
kingdom <I>is</I> a right sceptre.
&nbsp; 7 Thou lovest righteousness, and hatest wickedness: therefore
God, thy God, hath anointed thee with the oil of gladness above
thy fellows.
&nbsp; 8 All thy garments <I>smell</I> of myrrh, and aloes, <I>and</I> cassia,
out of the ivory palaces, whereby they have made thee glad.
&nbsp; 9 Kings' daughters <I>were</I> among thy honourable women: upon thy
right hand did stand the queen in gold of Ophir.
</FONT></P>
<P> &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;
We have here the royal bridegroom filling his throne with judgment and
keeping his court with splendour.</P>
<P> &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;
I. He here fills his throne with judgment. It is God the Father that
says to the Son here, <I>Thy throne, O God! is forever and ever,</I> as
appears
<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Heb+1:8,9">Heb. i. 8, 9</A>,
where this is quoted to prove that he is God and has a <I>more
excellent name than the angels.</I> The Mediator is God, else he
neither would have been able to do the Mediator's work nor fit to wear
the Mediator's crown. Concerning his government observe,
1. The eternity of it; it is <I>for ever and ever.</I> It shall
continue on earth throughout all the ages of time, in despite of all
the opposition of the gates of hell; and in the blessed fruits and
consequences of it it shall last as long as the days of heaven, and run
parallel with the line of eternity itself. Perhaps even then the glory
of the Redeemer, and the blessedness of the redeemed, shall be in a
continual infinite progression; for it is promised that not only of his
government, but of <I>the increase of his government and peace, there
shall be no end</I>
(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Isa+9:7">Isa. ix. 7</A>);
even when the kingdom shall be <I>delivered up to God even the
Father</I>
(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=1Co+15:24">1 Cor. xv. 24</A>)
the throne of the Redeemer will continue.
2. The equity of it: <I>The sceptre of thy kingdom,</I> the
administration of thy government, <I>is right,</I> exactly according to
the eternal counsel and will of God, which is the eternal rule and
reason of good and evil. Whatever Christ does he does none of his
subjects any wrong, but gives redress to those that do suffer wrong:
<I>He loves righteousness, and hates wickedness,</I>
<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Ps+45:7"><I>v.</I> 7</A>.
He himself loves to do righteousness, and hates to do wickedness; and
he loves those that do righteousness, and hates those that do
wickedness. By the holiness of his life, the merit of his death, and
the great design of his gospel, he has made it to appear that he loves
righteousness (for by his example, his satisfaction, and his precepts,
he has brought in an everlasting righteousness), and that he hates
wickedness, for never did God's hatred of sin appear so conspicuously
as it did in the sufferings of Christ.
3. The establishment and elevation of it: <I>Therefore God, even thy
God</I> (Christ, as Mediator, called God <I>his God,</I>
<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Joh+20:17">John xx. 17</A>,
as commissioned by him, and the head of those that are taken into
covenant with him), <I>has anointed thee with the oil of gladness.
Therefore,</I> that is,
(1.) "In order to this righteous government of thine, God has given
thee his Spirit, that divine unction, to qualify thee for thy
undertaking,"
<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Isa+61:1">Isa. lxi. 1</A>.
1. <I>The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me, because he has anointed
me.</I> What God called him to he fitted him for,
<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Isa+11:2">Isa. xi. 2</A>.
The Spirit is called <I>the oil of gladness</I> because of the delight
wherewith Christ was filled in carrying on his undertaking. He was
anointed with the Spirit <I>above all his fellows,</I> above all those
that were anointed, whether priests or kings.
(2.) "In recompence of what thou has done and suffered for the
advancement of righteousness and the destruction of sin God has
anointed thee with the oil of gladness, has brought thee to all the
honours and all the joys of thy exalted state." <I>Because he humbled
himself, God has highly exalted him,</I>
<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Php+2:8,9">Phil. ii. 8, 9</A>.
His anointing him denotes the power and glory to which he is exalted;
he is invested in all the dignities and authorities of the Messiah. And
his anointing him with the oil of gladness denotes <I>the joy that was
set before him</I> (so his exaltation is expressed,
<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Heb+12:2">Heb. xii. 2</A>)
both in the light of his <I>Father's countenance</I>
(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Ac+2:28">Acts ii. 28</A>)
and in the success of his undertaking, which he shall <I>see, and be
satisfied,</I>
<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Isa+53:11">Isa. liii. 11</A>.
This he is anointed with <I>above all his fellows,</I> above all
believers, who are his brethren, and who partake of the anointing--they
by measure, he without measure. But the apostle brings it to prove his
pre-eminence above the angels,
<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Heb:1:4,9">Heb. i. 4, 9</A>.
The salvation of sinners is the joy of angels
(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Lu+15:10">Luke xv. 10</A>),
but much more of the Son.</P>
<P> &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;
II. He keeps his court with splendour and magnificence.
1. His robes of state, wherein he appears, are taken notice of, not for
their pomp, which might strike an awe upon the spectator, but their
pleasantness and the gratefulness of the odours with which they were
perfumed
(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Ps+45:8"><I>v.</I> 8</A>):
<I>They smell of myrrh, aloes, and cassia</I> (the <I>oil of
gladness</I> with which he and his garments were anointed): these were
some of the ingredients of the holy anointing oil which God appointed,
the like to which was not to be made up for any common use
(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Ex+30:23,24">Exod. xxx. 23, 24</A>),
which was typical of the unction of the Spirit which Christ, the great
high priest of our profession, received, and to which therefore there
seems here to be a reference. It is the savour of these good ointments,
his graces and comforts, that draws souls to him
(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=So+1:3,4">Cant. i. 3, 4</A>)
and makes him <I>precious to believers,</I>
<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=1Pe+2:7">1 Pet. ii. 7</A>.
2. His royal palaces are said to be <I>ivory</I> ones, such as were
then reckoned most magnificent. We read of an ivory house that Ahab
made,
<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=1Ki+22:39">1 Kings xxii. 39</A>.
The mansions of light above are the <I>ivory palaces,</I> whence all
the joys both of Christ and believers come, and where they will be for
ever in perfection; for by them he is made glad, and all that are his
with him; for they shall enter into the joy of their Lord.
3. The beauties of his court shine very brightly. In public appearances
at court, when the pomp of it is shown, nothing is supposed to
contribute so much to it as the splendour of the ladies, which is
alluded to here,
<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Ps+45:9"><I>v.</I> 9</A>.
(1.) Particular believers are here compared to the ladies at court,
richly dressed in honour of the sovereign: <I>Kings' daughters are
among thy honourable women,</I> whose looks, and mien, and ornaments,
we may suppose, from the height of their extraction, to excel all
others. All true believers are born from above; they are the children
of the King of kings. These attend the throne of the Lord Jesus daily
with their prayers and praises, which is really their honour, and he is
pleased to reckon it his. The numbering of kings' daughters among his
honourable women, or maids of honour, intimates that the kings whose
daughters they were should be tributaries to him and dependents on him,
and would therefore think it a preferment to their daughters to attend
him.
(2.) The church in general, constituted of these particular believers,
is here compared to the queen herself--the queen-consort, whom, by an
everlasting covenant, he hath betrothed to himself. She stands <I>at
his right hand,</I> near to him, and receives honour from him, in the
richest array, <I>in gold of Ophir,</I> in robes woven with golden
thread or with a gold chain and other ornaments of gold. This is <I>the
bride, the Lamb's wife,</I> whose graces, which are her ornaments, are
compared to <I>fine linen, clean and white</I>
(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Re+19:8">Rev. xix. 8</A>),
for their purity, here to <I>gold of Ophir,</I> for their costliness;
for, as we owe our redemption, so we owe our adorning, not to
corruptible things, but to <I>the precious blood of the Son of
God.</I></P>
<A NAME="Ps45_10"> </A>
<A NAME="Ps45_11"> </A>
<A NAME="Ps45_12"> </A>
<A NAME="Ps45_13"> </A>
<A NAME="Ps45_14"> </A>
<A NAME="Ps45_15"> </A>
<A NAME="Ps45_16"> </A>
<A NAME="Ps45_17"> </A>
<A NAME="Sec3"> </A>
<TABLE WIDTH="100%" BORDER=0>
<TR><TD><FONT SIZE=+1><I>The Glory of the Church.</I></FONT></TD>
<TD ALIGN=RIGHT><FONT SIZE=-1> <! -- Date --> </FONT></TD></TR>
<TR><TD COLSPAN=2><HR SIZE=1></TD></TR>
</TABLE>
<P> &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;
<FONT SIZE=+1>10 Hearken, O daughter, and consider, and incline thine ear;
forget also thine own people, and thy father's house;
&nbsp; 11 So shall the king greatly desire thy beauty: for he <I>is</I> thy
Lord; and worship thou him.
&nbsp; 12 And the daughter of Tyre <I>shall be there</I> with a gift;
<I>even</I> the rich among the people shall intreat thy favour.
&nbsp; 13 The king's daughter <I>is</I> all glorious within: her clothing
<I>is</I> of wrought gold.
&nbsp; 14 She shall be brought unto the king in raiment of needlework:
the virgins her companions that follow her shall be brought unto
thee.
&nbsp; 15 With gladness and rejoicing shall they be brought: they
shall enter into the king's palace.
&nbsp; 16 Instead of thy fathers shall be thy children, whom thou
mayest make princes in all the earth.
&nbsp; 17 I will make thy name to be remembered in all generations:
therefore shall the people praise thee for ever and ever.
</FONT></P>
<P> &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;
This latter part of the psalm is addressed to the royal bride, standing
on the right hand of the royal bridegroom. God, who said to the Son,
<I>Thy throne is for ever and ever,</I> says this to the church, which,
upon the account of her espousals to the Son, he here calls his
<I>daughter.</I></P>
<P> &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;
I. He tells her of the duties expected from her, which ought to be
considered by all those that come into relation to the Lord Jesus:
"<I>Hearken,</I> therefore, <I>and consider</I> this, <I>and incline
thy ear,</I> that is, submit to those conditions of thy espousals, and
bring thy will to comply with them." This is the method of profiting by
the word of God. <I>He that has ears, let him hear,</I> let him hearken
diligently; he that hearkens, let him consider and weigh it duly; he
that considers, let him incline and yield to the force of what is laid
before him. And what is it that is here required?</P>
<P> &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;
1. She must renounce all others.</P>
<P> &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;
(1.) Here is the law of her espousals: "<I>Forget thy own people and
thy father's house,</I> according to the law of marriage. Retain not
the affection thou hast had for them, nor covet to return to them
again; banish all such remembrance (not only of thy people that were
dear to thee, but of thy father's house that were dearer) as may
incline thee to look back, as Lot's wife to Sodom." When Abraham, in
obedience to God's call, had quitted his native soil, he was not so
much as <I>mindful of the country whence he came out.</I> This shows,
[1.] How necessary it was for those who were converted from Judaism or
paganism to the faith of Christ wholly to cast out the old leaven, and
not to bring into their Christian profession either the Jewish
ceremonies or the heathen idolatries, for these would make such a
mongrel religion in Christianity as the Samaritans had.
[2.] How necessary it is for us all, when we give up our names to Jesus
Christ, to hate father and mother, and all that is dear to us in this
world, in comparison, that is, to love them less than Christ and his
honour, and our interest in him,
<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Lu+14:26">Luke xiv. 26</A>.</P>
<P> &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;
(2.) Here is good encouragement given to the royal bride thus entirely
to break off from her former alliances: <I>So shall the king greatly
desire thy beauty,</I> which intimates that the mixing of her old rites
and customs, whether Jewish or Gentile, with her religion, would
blemish her beauty and would hazard her interest in the affections of
the royal bridegroom, but that, if she entirely conformed to his will,
he would delight in her. The beauty of holiness, both on the church and
on particular believers, is in the sight of Christ of great price and
very amiable. Where that is he says, <I>This is my rest for ever; here
will I dwell, for I have desired it.</I> Among the golden candlesticks
he walks with pleasure,
<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Re+2:1">Rev. ii. 1</A>.</P>
<P> &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;
2. She must reverence him, must love, honour, and obey him: <I>He is
thy Lord, and worship thou him.</I> The church is to be subject to
Christ as the wife to the husband
(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Eph+5:24">Eph. v. 24</A>),
to call him <I>Lord,</I> as Sarah called Abraham, and to obey him
(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=1Pe+3:6">1 Pet. iii. 6</A>),
and so not only to submit to his government, but to give him divine
honours. We must worship him as God, and our Lord; for this is the will
of God, that <I>all men should honour the Son even as they honour the
Father;</I> nay, in so doing it is reckoned that they honour the
Father. If we confess that Christ is Lord, and pay our homage to him
accordingly, it is <I>to the glory of God the Father,</I>
<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Php+2:11">Phil. ii. 11</A>.</P>
<P> &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;
II. He tells her of the honours designed for her.</P>
<P> &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;
1. Great court should be made to her, and rich presents brought her
(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Ps+45:12"><I>v.</I> 12</A>):
"<I>The daughter of Tyre,</I>" a rich and splendid city, "the
<I>daughter of the King of Tyre</I> shall be <I>there with a gift;</I>
every royal family round about shall send a branch, as a representative
of the whole, to seek thy favour and to make an interest in thee;
<I>even the rich among the people,</I> whose wealth might be thought to
exempt them from dependence at court, even they shall entreat thy
favour, for his sake to whom thou art espoused, that by thee they may
make him their friend." The Jews, the pretending Jews, who are rich to
a proverb (as rich as a Jew), shall come and worship before the
church's feet in the Philadelphian period, and shall <I>know that
Christ has loved her,</I>
<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Re+3:9">Rev. iii. 9</A>.
When the Gentiles, being converted to the faith of Christ, join
themselves to the church, they then <I>come with a gift,</I>
<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=2Co+8:5,Ro+15:16">2 Cor. viii. 5; Rom. xv. 16</A>.
When with themselves they devote all they have to the honour of Christ,
and the service of his kingdom, they then <I>come with a gift.</I></P>
<P> &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;
2. She shall be very splendid, and highly esteemed in the eyes of all,
(1.) For her personal qualifications, the endowments of her mind, which
every one shall admire
(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Ps+45:13"><I>v.</I> 13</A>):
<I>The king's daughter is all glorious within.</I> Note, The glory of
the church is spiritual glory, and that is indeed all glory; it is the
glory of the soul, and that is the man; it is glory in God's sight, and
it is an earnest of eternal glory. The glory of the saints falls not
within the view of a carnal eye. As their life, so their glory, is
hidden with Christ in God, neither can the natural man know it, for it
is spiritually discerned; but those who do so discern it highly value
it. Let us see here what is that true glory which we should be
ambitious of, not that which <I>makes a fair show in the flesh,</I> but
which is in <I>the hidden man of the heart, in that which is not
corruptible</I>
(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=1Pe+3:4">1 Pet. iii. 4</A>),
<I>whose praise is not of men, but of God,</I>
<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Ro+2:29">Rom. ii. 29</A>.
(2.) For her rich apparel. Though all her glory is within, that for
which she is truly valuable, yet <I>her clothing</I> also <I>is of
wrought gold;</I> the conversation of Christians, in which they appear
in the world, must be enriched with good works, not gay and gaudy ones,
like paint and flourish, but substantially good, like gold; and it must
be accurate and exact, like wrought gold, which is worked with a great
deal of care and caution.</P>
<P> &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;
3. Her nuptials shall be celebrated with a great deal of honour and joy
(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Ps+45:14,15"><I>v.</I> 14, 15</A>):
<I>She shall be brought to the king,</I> as the Lord God brought the
woman to the man
(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Ge+2:22">Gen. ii. 22</A>),
which was a type of this mystical marriage between Christ and his
church. None are brought to Christ but whom the Father brings, and he
has undertaken to do it; none besides are so brought <I>to the king</I>
(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Ps+45:14"><I>v.</I> 14</A>)
as to <I>enter into the king's palace,</I>
<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Ps+45:15"><I>v.</I> 15</A>.</P>
<P> &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;
(1.) This intimates a two-fold bringing of the spouse to Christ.
[1.] In the conversion of souls to Christ; then they are espoused to
him, privately contracted, as chaste virgins,
<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=2Co+11:2,Ro+7:4">2 Cor. xi. 2; Rom. vii. 4</A>.
[2.] In the completing of the mystical body, and the glorification of
all the saints, at the end of time; then the <I>bride, the Lamb's
wife,</I> shall be made completely ready, when all that belong to the
election of grace shall be called in and called home, and all gathered
together to Christ,
<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=2Th+2:1">2 Thess. ii. 1</A>.
Then is the marriage of the Lamb come
(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Re+19:7,21:2">Rev. xix. 7; xxi. 2</A>),
and the virgins <I>go forth to meet the bridegroom,</I>
<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Mt+25:1">Matt. xxv. 1</A>.
Then they shall <I>enter into the king's palaces,</I> into the heavenly
mansions, to be ever with the Lord.</P>
<P> &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;
(2.) In both these espousals, observe, to the honour of the royal
bride,
[1.] Her wedding clothes--<I>raiment of needle-work,</I> the
righteousness of Christ, the graces of the Spirit; both curiously
wrought by divine wisdom.
[2.] Her bride-maids--<I>the virgins her companions,</I> the wise
virgins who have oil in their vessels as well as in their lamps, those
who, being joined to the church, cleave to it and follow it, these
shall go in to the marriage.
[3.] The mirth with which the nuptials will be celebrated: <I>With
gladness and rejoicing shall she be brought.</I> When the prodigal is
brought home to his father <I>it is meet that we should make merry and
be glad</I>
(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Lu+15:32">Luke xv. 32</A>);
and when the marriage of the Lamb has come <I>let us be glad and
rejoice</I>
(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Re+19:7">Rev. xix. 7</A>);
for the <I>day of his espousals is the day of the gladness of his
heart,</I>
<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=So+3:11">Cant. iii. 11</A>.</P>
<P> &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;
4. The progeny of this marriage shall be illustrious
(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Ps+45:16"><I>v.</I> 16</A>):
<I>Instead of thy fathers shall be thy children.</I> Instead of the
Old-Testament church, the economy of which had waxed old, and ready to
<I>vanish away</I>
(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Heb+8:13">Heb. viii. 13</A>),
as the fathers that are going off, there shall be a New-Testament
church, a Gentile-church, that shall be grafted into the same olive and
partake of its <I>root and fatness</I>
(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Ro+11:17">Rom. xi. 17</A>);
more and more eminent shall be <I>the children of the desolate</I> than
<I>the children of the married wife,</I>
<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Isa+54:1">Isa. liv. 1</A>.
This promise to Christ is of the same import with that
<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Isa+53:10">Isa. liii. 10</A>,
<I>He shall see his seed;</I> and these shall be made <I>princes in all
the earth;</I> there shall be some of all nations brought into
subjection to Christ, and so made princes, <I>made to our God kings and
priests,</I>
<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Re+1:6">Rev. i. 6</A>.
Or it may intimate that there should be a much greater number of
Christian kings than ever there was of Jewish kings (those in Canaan
only, these in all the earth), nursing fathers and nursing mothers to
the church, which shall <I>suck the breasts of kings.</I> They are
princes of Christ's making; for <I>by him kings reign and princes
decree justice.</I></P>
<P> &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;
5. The praise of this marriage shall be perpetual in the praises of the
royal bridegroom
(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Ps+45:18"><I>v.</I> 18</A>):
<I>I will make thy name to be remembered.</I> His Father has given him
<I>a name above every name,</I> and here promises to make it perpetual,
by keeping up a succession of ministers and Christians in every age,
that shall bear up his name, which shall thus <I>endure for ever</I>
(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Ps+72:17">Ps. lxxii. 17</A>),
by being remembered in all the generations of time; for the entail of
Christianity shall not be cut off. "Therefore, because they shall
remember thee in all generations, they shall praise thee for ever and
ever." Those that help to support the honour of Christ on earth shall
in heaven see his glory, and share in it, and be for ever praising him.
In the believing hope of our everlasting happiness in the other world
let us always keep up the remembrance of Christ, as our only way
thither, in our generation; and, in assurance of the perpetuating of
the kingdom of the Redeemer in the world, let us transmit the
remembrance of him to succeeding generations, that his name <I>may
endure for ever and be as the days of heaven.</I></P>
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