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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 CIV.</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 very probable that this psalm was penned by the same hand, and at
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the same time, as the former; for as that ended this begins, with
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"Bless the Lord, O my soul!" and concludes with it too. The style
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indeed is somewhat different, because the matter is so: the scope of
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the foregoing psalm was to celebrate the goodness of God and his tender
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mercy and compassion, to which a soft and sweet style was most
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agreeable; the scope of this is to celebrate his greatness, and
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majesty, and sovereign dominion, which ought to be done in the most
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stately lofty strains of poetry. David, in the former psalm, gave God
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the glory of his covenant-mercy and love to his own people; in this he
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gives him the glory of his works of creation and providence, his
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dominion over, and his bounty to, all the creatures. God is there
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praised as the God of grace, here as the God of nature. And this psalm
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is wholly bestowed on that subject; not as
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<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Ps+19:1-14">Ps. xix.</A>,
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which begins with it, but passes from it to the consideration of the
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divine law; nor as
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<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Ps+8:1-9">Ps. viii.</A>,
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which speaks of this but prophetically, and with an eye to Christ. This
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noble poem is thought by very competent judges greatly to excel, not
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only for piety and devotion (that is past dispute), but for flight of
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fancy, brightness of ideas, surprising turns, and all the beauties and
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ornaments of expression, the Greek and Latin poets upon any subject of
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this nature. Many great things the psalmist here gives God the glory of
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I. The splendour of his majesty in the upper world,
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<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Ps+104:1-4">ver. 1-4</A>.
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II. The creation of the sea and the dry land,
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<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Ps+104:5-9">ver. 5-9</A>.
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III. The provision he makes for the maintenance of all the creatures
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according to their nature,
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<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Ps+104:10-18,27,28">ver. 10-18, 27, 28</A>.
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IV. The regular course of the sun and moon,
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<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Ps+104:19-24">ver. 19-24</A>.
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V. The furniture of the sea,
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<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Ps+104:25,26">ver. 25, 26</A>.
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IV. God's sovereign power over all the creatures,
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<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Ps+104:29-32">ver. 29-32</A>.
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And, lastly, he concludes with a pleasant and firm resolution to
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continue praising God
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(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Ps+104:33-35">ver. 33-35</A>),
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with which we should heartily join in singing this psalm.</P>
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</FONT>
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<A NAME="Ps104_1"> </A>
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<A NAME="Ps104_2"> </A>
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<A NAME="Ps104_3"> </A>
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<A NAME="Ps104_4"> </A>
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<A NAME="Ps104_5"> </A>
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<A NAME="Ps104_6"> </A>
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<A NAME="Ps104_7"> </A>
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<A NAME="Ps104_8"> </A>
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<A NAME="Ps104_9"> </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>The Divine Majesty.</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>1 Bless the L<FONT SIZE=-1><B>ORD</B></FONT>, O my soul. O L<FONT SIZE=-1><B>ORD</B></FONT> my God, thou art very
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great; thou art clothed with honour and majesty.
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2 Who coverest <I>thyself</I> with light as <I>with</I> a garment: who
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stretchest out the heavens like a curtain:
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3 Who layeth the beams of his chambers in the waters: who
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maketh the clouds his chariot: who walketh upon the wings of the
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wind:
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4 Who maketh his angels spirits; his ministers a flaming fire:
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5 <I>Who</I> laid the foundations of the earth, <I>that</I> it should not
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be removed for ever.
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6 Thou coveredst it with the deep as <I>with</I> a garment: the
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waters stood above the mountains.
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7 At thy rebuke they fled; at the voice of thy thunder they
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hasted away.
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8 They go up by the mountains; they go down by the valleys unto
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the place which thou hast founded for them.
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9 Thou hast set a bound that they may not pass over; that they
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turn not again to cover the earth.
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</FONT></P>
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<P>
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When we are addressing ourselves to any religious service we must
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<I>stir up ourselves to take hold on God</I> in it
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(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Isa+64:7">Isa. lxiv. 7</A>);
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so David does here. "Come, my soul, where art thou? What art thou
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thinking of? Here is work to be done, good work, angels' work; set
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about it in good earnest; let all the powers and faculties be engaged
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and employed in it: <I>Bless the Lord, O my soul!</I>" In these
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verses,</P>
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<P>
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I. The psalmist looks up to the divine glory shining in the upper
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world, of which, though it is one of the things not seen, faith is the
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evidence. With what reverence and holy awe does he begin his meditation
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with that acknowledgment: <I>O Lord my God! thou art very great!</I>
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It is the joy of the saints that he who is their God is a great God.
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The grandeur of the prince is the pride and pleasure of all his good
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subjects. The majesty of God is here set forth by various instances,
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alluding to the figure which great princes in their public appearances
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covet to make. Their equipage, compared with his (even of the eastern
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kings, who most affected pomp), is but as the light of a glow-worm
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compared with that of the sun, when he goes forth in his strength.
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Princes appear great,
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1. In their robes; and what are God's robes? <I>Thou art clothed with
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honour and majesty,</I>
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<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Ps+104:1"><I>v.</I> 1</A>.
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God is seen in his works, and these proclaim him infinitely wise and
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good, and all that is great. Thou <I>coverest thyself with light as
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with a garment,</I>
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<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Ps+104:2"><I>v.</I> 2</A>.
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God <I>is light</I>
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(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=1Jo+1:5">1 John i. 5</A>),
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the <I>Father of lights</I>
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(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Jam+1:17">Jam. i. 17</A>);
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he <I>dwells in light</I>
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(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=1Ti+6:16">1 Tim. vi. 16</A>);
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he clothes himself with it. The residence of his glory is in the
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highest heaven, that light which was created the first day,
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<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Ge+1:3">Gen. i. 3</A>.
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Of all visible beings light comes nearest to the nature of a spirit,
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and therefore with that God is pleased to cover himself, that is, to
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reveal himself under that similitude, as men are seen in the clothes
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with which they cover themselves; and so only, for his face cannot be
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seen.
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2. In their palaces or pavilions, when they take the field; and what is
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God's palace and his pavilion? He <I>stretches out the heavens like a
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curtain,</I>
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<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Ps+104:2"><I>v.</I> 2</A>.
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So he did at first, when he made the firmament, which in the Hebrew has
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its name from its being expanded, or <I>stretched out,</I>
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<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Ge+1:7">Gen. i. 7</A>.
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He made it to divide the waters as a curtain divides between two
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apartments. So he does still: he now <I>stretches out the heavens like
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a curtain,</I> keeps them upon the stretch, and they <I>continue to
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this day according to his ordinance.</I> The regions of the air are
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stretched out about the earth, like a curtain about a bed, to keep it
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warm, and drawn between us and the upper world, to break its dazzling
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light; for, though God <I>covers himself with light,</I> yet, in
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compassion to us, <I>he makes darkness his pavilion. Thick clouds are a
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covering to him.</I> The vastness of this pavilion may lead us to
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consider how great, how very great, he is that <I>fills heaven and
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earth.</I> He has his <I>chambers,</I> his <I>upper rooms</I> (so the
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word signifies), <I>the beams</I> whereof <I>he lays in the waters,</I>
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the waters that are above the firmament
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(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Ps+104:3"><I>v.</I> 3</A>),
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as he has <I>founded the earth upon the seas and floods,</I> the waters
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beneath the firmament. Though air and water are fluid bodies, yet, by
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the divine power, they are kept as tight and as firm in the place
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assigned them as a chamber is with beams and rafters. How great a God
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is he whose presence-chamber is thus reared, thus fixed!
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3. In their coaches of state, with their stately horses, which add much
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to the magnificence of their entries; but God <I>makes the clouds his
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chariots,</I> in which he rides strongly, swiftly, and far above out of
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the reach of opposition, when at any time he will act by uncommon
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providences in the government of this world. He descended in a cloud,
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as in a chariot, to Mount Sinai, to give the law, and to Mount Tabor,
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to proclaim the gospel
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(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Mt+17:5">Matt. xvii. 5</A>),
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and he <I>walks</I> (a gentle pace indeed, yet stately) <I>upon the
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wings of the wind.</I> See
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<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Ps+18:10,11">Ps. xviii. 10, 11</A>.
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He commands the winds, directs them as he pleases, and serves his own
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purposes by them.
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4. In their retinue or train of attendants; and here also God is very
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great, for
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(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Ps+104:4"><I>v.</I> 4</A>)
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he <I>makes his angels spirits.</I> This is quoted by the apostle
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(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Heb+1:7">Heb. i. 7</A>)
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to prove the pre-eminence of Christ above the angels. The angels are
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here said to be <I>his angels</I> and <I>his ministers,</I> for they
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are under his dominion and at his disposal; they are <I>winds,</I> and
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<I>a flame of fire,</I> that is, they appeared in wind and fire (so
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some), or they are as swift as winds, and pure as flames; or he
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<I>makes them spirits,</I> so the apostle quotes it. They are spiritual
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beings; and, whatever vehicles they may have proper to their nature, it
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is certain they have not bodies as we have. Being spirits, they are so
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much the further removed from the encumbrances of the human nature and
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so much the nearer allied to the glories of the divine nature. And they
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are bright, and quick, and ascending, as fire, as <I>a flame of
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fire.</I> In Ezekiel's vision they ran and returned <I>like a flash of
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lightning,</I>
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<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Eze+1:14">Ezek. i. 14</A>.
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Thence they are called <I>seraphim--burners.</I> Whatever they are,
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they are what God made them, what he still makes them; they derive
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their being from him, having the being he gave them, are held in being
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by him, and he makes what use he pleases of them.</P>
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<P>
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II. He looks down, and looks about, to the power of God shining in this
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lower world. He is not so taken up with the glories of his court as to
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neglect even the remotest of his territories; no, not the sea and dry
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land.</P>
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<P>
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1. He has founded the earth,
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<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Ps+104:5"><I>v.</I> 5</A>.
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Though he has <I>hung it upon nothing</I>
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(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Job+26:2">Job xxvi. 2</A>),
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<I>ponderibus librata suis--balanced by its own weight,</I> yet it is
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as immovable as if it had been laid upon the surest foundations. He has
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built the earth upon her basis, so that though it has received a
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dangerous shock by the sin of man, and the malice of hell strikes at
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it, yet <I>it shall not be removed for ever,</I> that is, not till the
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end of time, when it must give way to the new earth. Dr. Hammond's
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paraphrase of this is worth noting: "God has fixed so strange a place
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for the earth, that, being a heavy body, one would think it should fall
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every minute; and yet, which way soever we would imagine it to stir, it
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must, contrary to the nature of such a body, fall upwards, and so can
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have no possible ruin but by tumbling into heaven."</P>
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<P>
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2. He has set bounds to the sea; for that also is his.
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(1.) He brought it within bounds in the creation. At first the earth,
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which, being the more ponderous body, would subside of course, was
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<I>covered with the deep</I>
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(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Ps+104:6"><I>v.</I> 6</A>):
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<I>The waters were above the mountains;</I> and so it was unfit to be,
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as it was designed, a habitation for man; and therefore, on the third
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day, God said, <I>Let the waters under the heaven be gathered to one
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place, and let the dry land appear,</I>
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<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Ge+1:9">Gen. i. 9</A>.
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This command of God is here called his <I>rebuke,</I> as if he gave it
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because he was displeased that the earth was thus covered with water
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and not fit for man to dwell on. Power went along with this word, and
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therefore it is also called here <I>the voice of</I> his
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<I>thunder,</I> which is a mighty voice and produces strange effects,
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<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Ps+104:7"><I>v.</I> 7</A>.
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<I>At thy rebuke,</I> as if they were made sensible that they were out
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of their place, <I>they fled; they hasted away</I> (they called, and
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not in vain, to the rocks and mountains to cover them), as it is said
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on another occasion
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(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Ps+77:16">Ps. lxxii. 16</A>),
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<I>The waters saw thee, O God! the waters saw thee; they were
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afraid.</I> Even those fluid bodies received the impression of God's
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terror. But <I>was the Lord displeased against the rivers?</I> No; it
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was <I>for the salvation of his people,</I>
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<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Hab+3:8,13">Hab. iii. 8, 13</A>.
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So here; God rebuked the waters for man's sake, to prepare room for
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him; for <I>men must not be made as the fishes of the sea</I>
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(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Hab+1:14">Hab. i. 14</A>);
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they must have air to breathe in. Immediately therefore, with all
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speed, the waters retired,
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<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Ps+104:8"><I>v.</I> 8</A>.
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<I>They</I> go over hill and dale (as we say), <I>go up by the
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mountains</I> and <I>down by the valleys;</I> they will neither stop at
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the former nor lodge in the latter, but make the best of their way
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<I>to the place which thou hast founded for them,</I> and there they
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make their bed. Let the obsequiousness even of the unstable waters
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teach us obedience to the word and will of God; for shall man alone of
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all the creatures be obstinate? Let their retiring to and resting in
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the place assigned them teach us to acquiesce in the disposals of that
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wise providence which appoints us the bounds of our habitation.
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(2.) He keeps it within bounds,
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<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Ps+104:9"><I>v.</I> 9</A>.
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The waters are forbidden to pass over the limits set them; they may
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not, and therefore they do not, <I>turn again to cover the earth.</I>
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Once they did, in Noah's flood, because God bade them, but never since,
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because he forbids them, having promised not to drown the world again.
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God himself glorifies in this instance of his power
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(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Job+38:8">Job xxxviii. 8</A>,
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&c.) and uses it as an argument with us to fear him,
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<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Jer+5:22">Jer. v. 22</A>.
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This, if duly considered, would keep the world in awe of the Lord and
|
|
his goodness, That the waters of the sea would soon cover the earth if
|
|
God did not restrain them.</P>
|
|
|
|
<A NAME="Ps104_10"> </A>
|
|
<A NAME="Ps104_11"> </A>
|
|
<A NAME="Ps104_12"> </A>
|
|
<A NAME="Ps104_13"> </A>
|
|
<A NAME="Ps104_14"> </A>
|
|
<A NAME="Ps104_15"> </A>
|
|
<A NAME="Ps104_16"> </A>
|
|
<A NAME="Ps104_17"> </A>
|
|
<A NAME="Ps104_18"> </A>
|
|
|
|
<A NAME="Sec2"> </A>
|
|
<TABLE WIDTH="100%" BORDER=0>
|
|
<TR><TD><FONT SIZE=+1><I>The Divine Bounty.</I></FONT></TD>
|
|
<TD ALIGN=RIGHT><FONT SIZE=-1> <! -- Date --> </FONT></TD></TR>
|
|
<TR><TD COLSPAN=2><HR SIZE=1></TD></TR>
|
|
</TABLE>
|
|
|
|
<P>
|
|
<FONT SIZE=+1>10 He sendeth the springs into the valleys, <I>which</I> run among
|
|
the hills.
|
|
11 They give drink to every beast of the field: the wild asses
|
|
quench their thirst.
|
|
12 By them shall the fowls of the heaven have their habitation,
|
|
<I>which</I> sing among the branches.
|
|
13 He watereth the hills from his chambers: the earth is
|
|
satisfied with the fruit of thy works.
|
|
14 He causeth the grass to grow for the cattle, and herb for
|
|
the service of man: that he may bring forth food out of the
|
|
earth;
|
|
15 And wine <I>that</I> maketh glad the heart of man, <I>and</I> oil to
|
|
make <I>his</I> face to shine, and bread <I>which</I> strengtheneth man's
|
|
heart.
|
|
16 The trees of the L<FONT SIZE=-1><B>ORD</B></FONT> are full <I>of sap;</I> the cedars of
|
|
Lebanon, which he hath planted;
|
|
17 Where the birds make their nests: <I>as for</I> the stork, the
|
|
fir trees <I>are</I> her house.
|
|
18 The high hills <I>are</I> a refuge for the wild goats; <I>and</I> the
|
|
rocks for the conies.
|
|
</FONT></P>
|
|
|
|
<P>
|
|
|
|
Having given glory to God as the powerful protector of this earth, in
|
|
saving it from being deluged, here he comes to acknowledge him as its
|
|
bountiful benefactor, who provides conveniences for all the
|
|
creatures.</P>
|
|
|
|
<P>
|
|
|
|
I. He provides fresh water for their drink: <I>He sends the springs
|
|
into the valleys,</I>
|
|
|
|
<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Ps+104:10"><I>v.</I> 10</A>.
|
|
|
|
There is water enough indeed in the sea, that is, enough to drown us,
|
|
but not one drop to refresh us, be we ever so thirsty--it is all so
|
|
salt; and therefore God has graciously provided water fit to drink.
|
|
Naturalists dispute about the origin of fountains; but, whatever are
|
|
their second causes, here is their first cause; it is God that <I>sends
|
|
the springs into the</I> brooks, <I>which</I> walk by easy steps
|
|
between <I>the hills,</I> and receive increase from the rain-water that
|
|
descends from them. These <I>give drink,</I> not only to man, and those
|
|
creatures that are immediately useful to him, but <I>to every beast of
|
|
the field</I>
|
|
|
|
(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Ps+104:11"><I>v.</I> 11</A>);
|
|
|
|
for where God has given life he provides a livelihood and takes care of
|
|
all the creatures. Even <I>the wild asses,</I> though untameable and
|
|
therefore of no use to man, are welcome to <I>quench their thirst;</I>
|
|
and we have no reason to grudge it them, for we are better provided
|
|
for, though <I>born like the wild ass's colt.</I> We have reason to
|
|
thank God for the plenty of fair water with which he has provided the
|
|
habitable part of his earth, which otherwise would not be habitable.
|
|
That ought to be reckoned a great mercy the want of which would be a
|
|
great affliction; and the more common it is the greater mercy it is.
|
|
<I>Usus communis aquarum--water is common for all.</I></P>
|
|
|
|
<P>
|
|
|
|
II. He provides food convenient for them, both for man and beast:
|
|
<I>The heavens drop fatness;</I> they <I>hear the earth,</I> but God
|
|
<I>hears them,</I>
|
|
|
|
<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Ho+2:21">Hos. ii. 21</A>.
|
|
|
|
<I>He waters the hills from his chambers</I>
|
|
|
|
(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Ps+104:13"><I>v.</I> 13</A>),
|
|
|
|
from those chambers spoken of
|
|
|
|
(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Ps+104:3"><I>v.</I> 3</A>),
|
|
|
|
<I>the beams of</I> which <I>he lays in the waters,</I> those
|
|
store-chambers, the clouds that distil fruitful showers. The hills that
|
|
are not watered by the rivers, as Egypt was by the Nile, are watered by
|
|
the rain from heaven, which is called <I>the river of God</I>
|
|
|
|
(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Ps+65:9">Ps. lxv. 9</A>),
|
|
|
|
as Canaan was,
|
|
|
|
<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=De+11:11,12">Deut. xi. 11, 12</A>.
|
|
|
|
Thus <I>the earth is satisfied with the fruit of his works,</I> either
|
|
with the rain it drinks in (the earth knows when it has enough; it is a
|
|
pity that any man should not) or with the products it brings forth. It
|
|
is a satisfaction to the earth to bear the fruit of God's works for the
|
|
benefit of man, for thus it answers the end of its creation. The
|
|
<I>food</I> which God <I>brings forth out of the earth</I>
|
|
|
|
(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Ps+104:14"><I>v.</I> 14</A>)
|
|
|
|
is <I>the fruit of his works,</I> which <I>the earth is satisfied
|
|
with.</I> Observe how various and how valuable its products are.</P>
|
|
|
|
<P>
|
|
|
|
1. For the cattle there is grass, and the beasts of prey, that live not
|
|
on grass, feed on those that do; for man there is herb, a better sort
|
|
of grass (and a dinner of herbs and roots is not to be despised); nay,
|
|
he is furnished with <I>wine, and oil, and bread,</I>
|
|
|
|
<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Ps+104:15"><I>v.</I> 15</A>.
|
|
|
|
We may observe here, concerning our food, that which will help to make
|
|
us both humble and thankful.
|
|
|
|
(1.) To make us humble let us consider that we have a necessary
|
|
dependence upon God for all the supports of this life (we live upon
|
|
alms; we are at his finding, for our own hands are not sufficient for
|
|
us),--that our food comes all out of the earth, to remind us whence we
|
|
ourselves were taken and whither we must return,--and that therefore we
|
|
must not think to <I>live by bread alone,</I> for that will feed the
|
|
body only, but must look into the word of God for the meat that endures
|
|
to eternal life. Let us also consider that we are in this respect
|
|
fellow-commoners with the beasts; the same earth, the same spot of
|
|
ground, that brings grass for the cattle, brings corn for man.
|
|
|
|
(2.) To make us thankful let us consider,
|
|
|
|
[1.] That God not only provides for us, but for our servants. The
|
|
cattle that are of use to man are particularly taken care of; grass is
|
|
made to grow in great abundance for them, when <I>the young lions,</I>
|
|
that are not for the service of man, often <I>lack and suffer
|
|
hunger.</I>
|
|
|
|
[2.] That our food is nigh us, and ready to us. Having our habitation
|
|
on the earth, there we have our storehouse, and depend not on the
|
|
<I>merchant-ships that bring food from afar,</I>
|
|
|
|
<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Pr+31:14">Prov. xxxi. 14</A>.
|
|
|
|
[3.] That we have even from the products of the earth, not only for
|
|
necessity, but for ornament and delight, so good a Master do we serve.
|
|
<I>First,</I> Does nature call for something to support it, and repair
|
|
its daily decays? Here is <I>bread, which strengthens man's heart,</I>
|
|
and is therefore called <I>the staff of life;</I> let none who have
|
|
that complain of want. <I>Secondly,</I> Does nature go further, and
|
|
covet something pleasant? Here is <I>wine, that makes glad the
|
|
heart,</I> refreshes the spirits, and exhilarates them, when it is
|
|
soberly and moderately used, that we may not only go through our
|
|
business, but go through it cheerfully. It is a pity that that should
|
|
be abused to overcharge the heart, and unfit men for their duty, which
|
|
was given to revive their heart and quicken them in their duty.
|
|
<I>Thirdly,</I> Is nature yet more humoursome, and does it crave
|
|
something for ornament too? Here is that also out of the earth--<I>oil
|
|
to make the face to shine,</I> that the countenance may not only be
|
|
cheerful but beautiful, and we may be the more acceptable to one
|
|
another.</P>
|
|
|
|
<P>
|
|
|
|
2. Nay, the divine providence not only furnishes animals with their
|
|
proper food, but vegetables also with theirs
|
|
|
|
(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Ps+104:16"><I>v.</I> 16</A>):
|
|
|
|
<I>The trees of the Lord are full of sap,</I> not only men's trees,
|
|
which they take care of and have an eye to, in their orchards, and
|
|
parks, and other enclosures, but God's trees, which grow in the
|
|
wildernesses, and are taken care of only by his providence; they <I>are
|
|
full of sap</I> and want no nourishment. Even <I>the cedars of
|
|
Lebanon,</I> an open forest, though they are high and bulky, and
|
|
require a great deal of sap to feed them, have enough from the earth;
|
|
they are trees <I>which he has planted,</I> and which therefore he will
|
|
protect and provide for. We may apply this to the trees of
|
|
righteousness, which are the planting of the Lord, planted in his
|
|
vineyard; these <I>are full of sap,</I> for what God plants he will
|
|
water, and those that <I>are planted in the house of the Lord shall
|
|
flourish in the courts of our God,</I>
|
|
|
|
<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Ps+92:13">Ps. xcii. 13</A>.</P>
|
|
|
|
<P>
|
|
|
|
III. He takes care that they shall have suitable habitations to dwell
|
|
in. To men God has given discretion to build for themselves and for the
|
|
cattle that are serviceable to them; but there are some creatures which
|
|
God more immediately provides a settlement for.
|
|
|
|
1. The birds. Some birds, by instinct, make their nests in the bushes
|
|
near rivers
|
|
|
|
(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Ps+104:12"><I>v.</I> 12</A>):
|
|
|
|
<I>By the springs</I> that <I>run among the hills</I> some of the
|
|
<I>fowls of heaven have their habitation, which sing among the
|
|
branches.</I> They sing, according to their capacity, to the honour of
|
|
their Creator and benefactor, and their singing may shame our silence.
|
|
Our <I>heavenly Father feeds them</I>
|
|
|
|
(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Mt+6:26">Matt. vi. 26</A>),
|
|
|
|
and therefore they are easy and cheerful, and take no thought for the
|
|
morrow. The birds being made to <I>fly above the earth</I> (as we find,
|
|
|
|
<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Ge+1:20">Gen. i. 20</A>),
|
|
|
|
they <I>make their nests</I> on high, in the tops of trees
|
|
|
|
(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Ps+104:17"><I>v.</I> 17</A>);
|
|
|
|
it should seem as if nature had an eye to this in <I>planting the
|
|
cedars of Lebanon,</I> that they might be receptacles for the birds.
|
|
Those that fly heavenward shall not want resting-places. <I>The
|
|
stork</I> is particularly mentioned; <I>the fir-trees,</I> which are
|
|
very high, <I>are her house,</I> her castle.
|
|
|
|
2. The smaller sort of beasts
|
|
|
|
(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Ps+104:18"><I>v.</I> 18</A>):
|
|
|
|
<I>The wild goats,</I> having neither strength nor swiftness to secure
|
|
themselves, are guided by instinct to <I>the high hills,</I> which are
|
|
a refuge to them; and <I>the rabbits,</I> which are also helpless
|
|
animals, find shelter in <I>the rocks,</I> where they can set the
|
|
beasts of prey at defiance. Does God provide thus for the inferior
|
|
creatures; and will he not himself be a refuge and dwelling-place to
|
|
his own people?</P>
|
|
|
|
<A NAME="Ps104_19"> </A>
|
|
<A NAME="Ps104_20"> </A>
|
|
<A NAME="Ps104_21"> </A>
|
|
<A NAME="Ps104_22"> </A>
|
|
<A NAME="Ps104_23"> </A>
|
|
<A NAME="Ps104_24"> </A>
|
|
<A NAME="Ps104_25"> </A>
|
|
<A NAME="Ps104_26"> </A>
|
|
<A NAME="Ps104_27"> </A>
|
|
<A NAME="Ps104_28"> </A>
|
|
<A NAME="Ps104_29"> </A>
|
|
<A NAME="Ps104_30"> </A>
|
|
|
|
<A NAME="Sec3"> </A>
|
|
<TABLE WIDTH="100%" BORDER=0>
|
|
<TR><TD><FONT SIZE=+1><I>The Divine Bounty.</I></FONT></TD>
|
|
<TD ALIGN=RIGHT><FONT SIZE=-1> <! -- Date --> </FONT></TD></TR>
|
|
<TR><TD COLSPAN=2><HR SIZE=1></TD></TR>
|
|
</TABLE>
|
|
|
|
<P>
|
|
<FONT SIZE=+1>19 He appointed the moon for seasons: the sun knoweth his going
|
|
down.
|
|
20 Thou makest darkness, and it is night: wherein all the
|
|
beasts of the forest do creep <I>forth.</I>
|
|
21 The young lions roar after their prey, and seek their meat
|
|
from God.
|
|
22 The sun ariseth, they gather themselves together, and lay
|
|
them down in their dens.
|
|
23 Man goeth forth unto his work and to his labour until the
|
|
evening.
|
|
24 O L<FONT SIZE=-1><B>ORD</B></FONT>, how manifold are thy works! in wisdom hast thou made
|
|
them all: the earth is full of thy riches.
|
|
25 <I>So is</I> this great and wide sea, wherein <I>are</I> things
|
|
creeping innumerable, both small and great beasts.
|
|
26 There go the ships: <I>there is</I> that leviathan, <I>whom</I> thou
|
|
hast made to play therein.
|
|
27 These wait all upon thee; that thou mayest give <I>them</I> their
|
|
meat in due season.
|
|
28 <I>That</I> thou givest them they gather: thou openest thine
|
|
hand, they are filled with good.
|
|
29 Thou hidest thy face, they are troubled: thou takest away
|
|
their breath, they die, and return to their dust.
|
|
30 Thou sendest forth thy spirit, they are created: and thou
|
|
renewest the face of the earth.
|
|
</FONT></P>
|
|
|
|
<P>
|
|
|
|
We are here taught to praise and magnify God,</P>
|
|
|
|
<P>
|
|
|
|
I. For the constant revolutions and succession of day and night, and
|
|
the dominion of sun and moon over them. The heathen were so affected
|
|
with the light and influence of the sun and moon, and their
|
|
serviceableness to the earth, that they worshipped them as deities; and
|
|
therefore the scripture takes all occasions to show that the gods they
|
|
worshipped are the creatures and servants of the true God
|
|
|
|
(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Ps+104:19"><I>v.</I> 19</A>):
|
|
|
|
<I>He appointed the moon for seasons,</I> for the measuring of the
|
|
months, the directing of the seasons for the business of the
|
|
husbandman, and the governing of the tides. The full and change, the
|
|
increase and decrease, of the moon, exactly observe the appointment of
|
|
the Creator; so does the sun, for he keeps as punctually to the time
|
|
and place of his going down as if he were an intellectual being and
|
|
knew what he did. God herein consults the comfort of man.
|
|
|
|
1. The shadows of the evening befriend the repose of the night
|
|
|
|
(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Ps+104:20"><I>v.</I> 20</A>):
|
|
|
|
<I>Thou makes darkness and it is night,</I> which, though black,
|
|
contributes to the beauty of nature, and is as a foil to the light of
|
|
the day; and under the protection of the night <I>all the beasts of the
|
|
forest creep forth</I> to feed, which they are afraid to do in the day,
|
|
God having put the <I>fear</I> and <I>dread of man upon every beast of
|
|
the earth</I>
|
|
|
|
(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Ge+9:2">Gen. ix. 2</A>),
|
|
|
|
which contributes as much to man's safety as to his honour. See how
|
|
nearly allied those are to the disposition of the wild beasts who
|
|
<I>wait for the twilight</I>
|
|
|
|
(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Job+24:15">Job xxiv. 15</A>)
|
|
|
|
and have fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness; and compare
|
|
to this the danger of ignorance and melancholy, which are both as
|
|
darkness to the soul; when, in either of those ways, <I>it is
|
|
night,</I> then <I>all the beasts of the forest creep forth.</I>
|
|
Satan's temptations then assault us and have advantage against us. Then
|
|
the <I>young lions roar after their prey;</I> and, as naturalists tell
|
|
us, their roaring terrifies the timorous beasts so that they have not
|
|
strength nor spirit to escape from them, which otherwise they might do,
|
|
and so they become an easy prey to them. They are said to <I>seek their
|
|
meat from God,</I> because it is not prepared for them by the care and
|
|
forecast of man, but more immediately by the providence of God. The
|
|
roaring of the young lions, like the crying of the young ravens, is
|
|
interpreted <I>asking their meat of God.</I> Does God put this
|
|
construction upon the language of mere nature, even in venomous
|
|
creatures? and shall he not much more interpret favourably the language
|
|
of grace in his own people, though it be weak and broken, <I>groanings
|
|
which cannot be uttered?</I>
|
|
|
|
2. The light of the morning befriends the business of the day
|
|
|
|
(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Ps+104:22,23"><I>v.</I> 22, 23</A>):
|
|
|
|
<I>The sun arises</I> (for, as he <I>knows his going down,</I> so,
|
|
thanks be to God, he knows his rising again), and then the wild beasts
|
|
betake themselves to their rest; even they have some society among
|
|
them, for they <I>gather themselves together</I> and <I>lay down in
|
|
their dens,</I> which is a great mercy to the children of men, that
|
|
while they are abroad, as becomes honest travellers, between sun and
|
|
sun, care is taken that they shall not be set upon by wild beasts, for
|
|
they are then drawn out of the field, and the sluggard shall have no
|
|
ground to excuse himself from the business of the day with this, That
|
|
there is <I>a lion in the way.</I> Therefore then <I>man goes forth to
|
|
his work and to his labour.</I> The beasts of prey creep forth with
|
|
fear; man goes forth with boldness, as one that has dominion. The
|
|
beasts creep forth to spoil and do mischief; man goes forth to work and
|
|
do good. There is the work of every day, which is to be done in its
|
|
day, which man must apply to every morning (for the lights are set up
|
|
for us to work by, not to play by) and which he must stick to till
|
|
evening; it will be time enough to rest when the night comes, in which
|
|
<I>no man can work.</I></P>
|
|
|
|
<P>
|
|
|
|
II. For the replenishing of the ocean
|
|
|
|
(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Ps+104:25,26"><I>v.</I> 25, 26</A>):
|
|
|
|
As <I>the earth is full of God's riches,</I> well stocked with animals,
|
|
and those well provided for, so that it is seldom that any creature
|
|
dies merely for want of food, <I>so is this great and wide sea</I>
|
|
which seems a useless part of the globe, at least not to answer the
|
|
room it takes up; yet God has appointed it its place and made it
|
|
serviceable to man both for navigation (<I>there go the ships,</I> in
|
|
which goods are conveyed, to countries vastly distant, speedily and
|
|
much more cheaply than by land-carriage) and also to be his storehouse
|
|
for fish. God made not the sea in vain, any more than the earth; he
|
|
<I>made it to be inherited,</I> for <I>there are things swimming
|
|
innumerable, both small and great animals,</I> which serve for man's
|
|
dainty food. The whale is particularly mentioned in the history of the
|
|
creation
|
|
|
|
(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Ge+1:21">Gen. i. 21</A>)
|
|
|
|
and is here called the <I>leviathan,</I> as
|
|
|
|
<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Job+41:1">Job xli. 1</A>.
|
|
|
|
He is made to <I>play in the sea;</I> he has nothing to do, as man has,
|
|
who <I>goes forth to his work;</I> he has nothing to fear, as the
|
|
beasts have, that lie down in their dens; and therefore he plays with
|
|
the waters. It is a pity that any of the children of men, who have
|
|
nobler powers and were made for nobler purposes, should live as if they
|
|
were sent into the world, like leviathan into the waters, to play
|
|
therein, spending all their time in pastime. The leviathan is said to
|
|
<I>play in the waters,</I> because he is so well armed against all
|
|
assaults that he sets them at defiance and <I>laughs at the shaking of
|
|
a spear,</I>
|
|
|
|
<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Job+41:29">Job xli. 29</A>.</P>
|
|
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|
<P>
|
|
|
|
III. For the seasonable and plentiful provision which is made for all
|
|
the creatures,
|
|
|
|
<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Ps+104:27,28"><I>v.</I> 27, 28</A>.
|
|
|
|
1. God is a bountiful benefactor to them: He <I>gives them their
|
|
meat;</I> he <I>opens his hand and they are filled with good.</I> He
|
|
supports the armies both of heaven and earth. Even the meanest
|
|
creatures are not below his cognizance. He is open-handed in the gifts
|
|
of his bounty, and is a great and good housekeeper that provides for so
|
|
large a family.
|
|
|
|
2. They are patient expectants from him: They <I>all wait upon him.</I>
|
|
They seek their food, according to the natural instinct God has put
|
|
into them and in the proper season for it, and affect not any other
|
|
food, or at any other time, than nature has ordained. They do their
|
|
part for the obtaining of it: what God gives them <I>they gather,</I>
|
|
and expect not that Providence should put it into their mouths; and
|
|
what they gather they are satisfied with--<I>they are filled with
|
|
good.</I> They desire no more than what God sees fit for them, which
|
|
may shame our murmurings, and discontent, and dissatisfaction with our
|
|
lot.</P>
|
|
|
|
<P>
|
|
|
|
IV. For the absolute power and sovereign dominion which he has over all
|
|
the creatures, by which every species is still continued, though the
|
|
individuals of each are daily dying and dropping off. See here,
|
|
|
|
1. All the creatures perishing
|
|
|
|
(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Ps+104:29"><I>v.</I> 29</A>):
|
|
|
|
<I>Thou hidest thy face,</I> withdrawest thy supporting power, thy
|
|
supplying bounty, and <I>they are troubled</I> immediately. Every
|
|
creature has as necessary a dependence upon God's favours as every
|
|
saint is sensible he has and therefore says with David
|
|
|
|
(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Ps+30:7">Ps. xxx. 7</A>),
|
|
|
|
<I>Thou didst hide thy face and I was troubled.</I> God's displeasure
|
|
against this lower world for the sin of man is the cause of all the
|
|
vanity and burden which the whole creation groans under. <I>Thou takest
|
|
away their breath,</I> which is in thy hand, and then, and not till
|
|
then, <I>they die and return to their dust,</I> to their first
|
|
principles. The <I>spirit of the beast, which goes downward,</I> is at
|
|
God's command, as well as <I>the spirit of a man, which goes
|
|
upward.</I> The death of cattle was one of the plagues of Egypt, and is
|
|
particularly taken notice of in the drowning of the world.
|
|
|
|
2. All preserved notwithstanding, in a succession
|
|
|
|
(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Ps+104:30"><I>v.</I> 30</A>):
|
|
|
|
<I>Thou sendest forth thy spirit, they are created.</I> The same spirit
|
|
(that is, the same divine will and power) by which they were all
|
|
created at first still preserves the several sorts of creatures in
|
|
their being, and place, and usefulness; so that, though one generation
|
|
of them passes away, another comes, and from time to time they are
|
|
created; new ones rise up instead of the old ones, and this is a
|
|
continual creation. Thus the <I>face of the earth is renewed</I> from
|
|
day to day by the light of the sun (which beautifies it anew every
|
|
morning), from year to year by the products of it, which enrich it anew
|
|
every spring and put quite another face upon it from what it had all
|
|
winter. The world is as full of creatures as if none died, for the
|
|
place of those that die is filled up. This (the Jews say) is to be
|
|
applied to the resurrection, which every spring is an emblem of, when a
|
|
new world rises out of the ashes of the old one.</P>
|
|
|
|
<P>
|
|
|
|
In the midst of this discourse the psalmist breaks out into wonder at
|
|
the works of God
|
|
|
|
(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Ps+104:24"><I>v.</I> 24</A>):
|
|
|
|
<I>O Lord! how manifold are thy works!</I> They are numerous, they are
|
|
various, of many kinds, and many of every kind; and yet <I>in wisdom
|
|
hast thou made them all.</I> When men undertake many works, and of
|
|
different kinds, commonly some of them are neglected and not done with
|
|
due care; but God's works, though many and of very different kinds, are
|
|
all made in wisdom and with the greatest exactness; there is not the
|
|
least flaw nor defect in them. The works of art, the more closely they
|
|
are looked upon with the help of microscopes, the more rough they
|
|
appear; the works of nature through these glasses appear more fine and
|
|
exact. They are all made in wisdom, for they are all made to answer the
|
|
end they were designed to serve, the good of the universe, in order to
|
|
the glory of the universal Monarch.</P>
|
|
|
|
<A NAME="Ps104_31"> </A>
|
|
<A NAME="Ps104_32"> </A>
|
|
<A NAME="Ps104_33"> </A>
|
|
<A NAME="Ps104_34"> </A>
|
|
<A NAME="Ps104_35"> </A>
|
|
|
|
<A NAME="Sec4"> </A>
|
|
<TABLE WIDTH="100%" BORDER=0>
|
|
<TR><TD><FONT SIZE=+1><I>The Divine Bounty.</I></FONT></TD>
|
|
<TD ALIGN=RIGHT><FONT SIZE=-1> <! -- Date --> </FONT></TD></TR>
|
|
<TR><TD COLSPAN=2><HR SIZE=1></TD></TR>
|
|
</TABLE>
|
|
|
|
<P>
|
|
<FONT SIZE=+1>31 The glory of the L<FONT SIZE=-1><B>ORD</B></FONT> shall endure for ever: the L<FONT SIZE=-1><B>ORD</B></FONT> shall
|
|
rejoice in his works.
|
|
32 He looketh on the earth, and it trembleth: he toucheth the
|
|
hills, and they smoke.
|
|
33 I will sing unto the L<FONT SIZE=-1><B>ORD</B></FONT> as long as I live: I will sing
|
|
praise to my God while I have my being.
|
|
34 My meditation of him shall be sweet: I will be glad in the
|
|
L<FONT SIZE=-1><B>ORD</B></FONT>.
|
|
35 Let the sinners be consumed out of the earth, and let the
|
|
wicked be no more. Bless thou the L<FONT SIZE=-1><B>ORD</B></FONT>, O my soul. Praise ye the
|
|
L<FONT SIZE=-1><B>ORD</B></FONT>.
|
|
</FONT></P>
|
|
|
|
<P>
|
|
|
|
The psalmist concludes this meditation with speaking,</P>
|
|
|
|
<P>
|
|
|
|
I. Praise to God, which is chiefly intended in the psalm.</P>
|
|
|
|
<P>
|
|
|
|
1. He is to be praised,
|
|
|
|
(1.) As a great God, and a God of matchless perfection: <I>The glory of
|
|
the Lord shall endure for ever,</I>
|
|
|
|
<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Ps+104:31"><I>v.</I> 31</A>.
|
|
|
|
It shall endure to the end of time in his works of creation and
|
|
providence; it shall endure to eternity in the felicity and adorations
|
|
of saints and angels. Man's glory is fading; God's glory is
|
|
everlasting. Creatures change, but with the Creator there is no
|
|
variableness.
|
|
|
|
(2.) As a gracious God: <I>The Lord shall rejoice in his works.</I> He
|
|
continues that complacency in the products of his own wisdom and
|
|
goodness which he had when he <I>saw every thing that he had made, and
|
|
behold it was very good,</I> and <I>rested the seventh day.</I> We
|
|
often do that which, upon the review, we cannot rejoice in, but are
|
|
displeased at, and wish undone again, blaming our own management. But
|
|
God always <I>rejoices in his works,</I> because they are all done in
|
|
wisdom. We regret our bounty and beneficence, but God never does; he
|
|
rejoices in the works of his grace: his <I>gifts and callings</I> are
|
|
<I>without repentance.</I>
|
|
|
|
(3.) As a God of almighty power
|
|
|
|
(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Ps+104:32"><I>v.</I> 32</A>):
|
|
|
|
<I>He looks on the earth, and it trembles,</I> as unable to bear his
|
|
frowns--trembles, as Sinai did, <I>at the presence of the Lord. He
|
|
touches the hills, and they smoke.</I> The volcanoes, or burning
|
|
mountains, such as Ætna, are emblems of the power of God's wrath
|
|
fastening upon proud unhumbled sinners. If an angry look and a touch
|
|
have such effects, what will the weight of his heavy hand do and the
|
|
operations of his outstretched arm? <I>Who knows the power of his
|
|
anger?</I> Who then dares set it at defiance? God rejoices in his works
|
|
because they are all so observant of him; and he will in like manner
|
|
<I>take pleasure in those that fear him and that tremble at his
|
|
word.</I></P>
|
|
|
|
<P>
|
|
|
|
2. The psalmist will himself be much in praising him
|
|
|
|
(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Ps+104:33"><I>v.</I> 33</A>):
|
|
|
|
"<I>I will sing unto the Lord, unto my God,</I> will praise him as
|
|
Jehovah, the Creator, and as <I>my God,</I> a God in covenant with me,
|
|
and this not now only, but <I>as long as I live,</I> and <I>while I
|
|
have my being.</I>" Because we have our being from God, and depend upon
|
|
him for the support and continuance of it, as long as we live and have
|
|
our being we must continue to praise God; and when we have no life, no
|
|
being, on earth, we hope to have a better life and better being in a
|
|
better world and there to be doing this work in a better manner and in
|
|
better company.</P>
|
|
|
|
<P>
|
|
|
|
II. Joy to himself
|
|
|
|
(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Ps+104:34"><I>v.</I> 34</A>):
|
|
|
|
<I>My meditation of him shall be sweet;</I> it shall be fixed and
|
|
close; it shall be affecting and influencing; and therefore it shall be
|
|
sweet. Thoughts of God will <I>then</I> be most pleasing, when they are
|
|
most powerful. Note, Divine meditation is a very sweet duty to all
|
|
that are sanctified: "<I>I will be glad in the Lord;</I> it shall be a
|
|
pleasure to me to praise him; I will be glad of all opportunities to
|
|
set forth his glory; and I will <I>rejoice in the Lord always</I> and
|
|
in him only." All my joys shall centre in him, and in him they shall be
|
|
full.</P>
|
|
|
|
<P>
|
|
|
|
III. Terror to the wicked
|
|
|
|
(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Ps+104:35"><I>v.</I> 35</A>):
|
|
|
|
<I>Let the sinners be consumed out of the earth; and let the wicked be
|
|
no more.</I>
|
|
|
|
1. Those that oppose the God of power, and fight against him, will
|
|
certainly be consumed; none can prosper that harden themselves against
|
|
the Almighty.
|
|
|
|
2. Those that rebel against the light of such convincing evidence of
|
|
God's being, and refuse to serve him whom all the creatures serve, will
|
|
justly be consumed. Those that make that earth to groan under the
|
|
burden of their impieties which God thus fills with his riches deserve
|
|
to be consumed out of it, and that it should spue them out.
|
|
|
|
3. Those that heartily desire to praise God themselves cannot but have
|
|
a holy indignation at those that blaspheme and dishonour him, and a
|
|
holy satisfaction in the prospect of their destruction and the honour
|
|
that God will get to himself upon them. Even this ought to be the
|
|
matter of their praise: "While <I>sinners</I> are <I>consumed out of
|
|
the earth,</I> let <I>my soul bless the Lord</I> that I am not cast
|
|
away with the workers of iniquity, but distinguished from them by the
|
|
special grace of God. When <I>the wicked</I> are <I>no more</I> I hope
|
|
to be praising God world without end; and therefore, <I>Praise you the
|
|
Lord;</I> let all about me join with me in praising God.
|
|
<I>Hallelujah;</I> sing praise to Jehovah." This is the first time that
|
|
we meet with <I>Hallelujah;</I> and it comes in here upon occasion of
|
|
the destruction of the wicked; and the last time we meet with it is
|
|
upon a similar occasion. When the New-Testament Babylon is consumed,
|
|
this is the burden of the song, <I>Hallelujah,</I>
|
|
|
|
<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Re+19:1,3,4,6">Rev. xix. 1, 3, 4, 6</A>.</P>
|
|
|
|
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