96 lines
7.4 KiB
XML
96 lines
7.4 KiB
XML
<div2 id="Ps.cxviii" n="cxviii" next="Ps.cxix" prev="Ps.cxvii" progress="62.14%" title="Chapter CXVII">
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<h2 id="Ps.cxviii-p0.1">P S A L M S</h2>
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<h3 id="Ps.cxviii-p0.2">PSALM CXVII.</h3>
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<p class="intro" id="Ps.cxviii-p1">This psalm is short and sweet; I doubt the reason
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why we sing it so often as we do is for the shortness of it; but,
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if we rightly understood and considered it, we should sing it
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oftener for the sweetness of it, especially to us sinners of the
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Gentiles, on whom it casts a very favourable eye. Here is, I. A
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solemn call to all nations to praise God, <scripRef id="Ps.cxviii-p1.1" osisRef="Bible:Ps.117.1" parsed="|Ps|117|1|0|0" passage="Ps 117:1">ver. 1</scripRef>. II. Proper matter for that praise
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suggested, <scripRef id="Ps.cxviii-p1.2" osisRef="Bible:Ps.117.2" parsed="|Ps|117|2|0|0" passage="Ps 117:2">ver. 2</scripRef>. We are
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soon weary indeed of well-doing if, in singing this psalm, we keep
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not up those pious and devout affections with which the spiritual
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sacrifice of praise ought to be kindled and kept burning.</p>
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<scripCom id="Ps.cxviii-p1.3" osisRef="Bible:Ps.117" parsed="|Ps|117|0|0|0" passage="Ps 117" type="Commentary"/>
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<scripCom id="Ps.cxviii-p1.4" osisRef="Bible:Ps.117.1-Ps.117.2" parsed="|Ps|117|1|117|2" passage="Ps 117:1-2" type="Commentary"/><div class="Commentary" id="Bible:Ps.117.1-Ps.117.2">
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<h4 id="Ps.cxviii-p1.5">All Nations Admonished to Praise
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God.</h4>
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<p class="passage" id="Ps.cxviii-p2">1 O praise the <span class="smallcaps" id="Ps.cxviii-p2.1">Lord</span>, all ye nations: praise him, all ye people.
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2 For his merciful kindness is great toward us: and the
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truth of the <span class="smallcaps" id="Ps.cxviii-p2.2">Lord</span> <i>endureth</i>
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for ever. Praise ye the <span class="smallcaps" id="Ps.cxviii-p2.3">Lord</span>.</p>
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<p class="indent" id="Ps.cxviii-p3">There is a great deal of gospel in this
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psalm. The apostle has furnished us with a key to it (<scripRef id="Ps.cxviii-p3.1" osisRef="Bible:Rom.15.11" parsed="|Rom|15|11|0|0" passage="Ro 15:11">Rom. xv. 11</scripRef>), where he quotes it as a
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proof that the gospel was to be preached to, and would be
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entertained by, the Gentile nations, which yet was so great a
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stumbling-block to the Jews. Why should that offend them when it is
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said, and they themselves had often sung it, <i>Praise the Lord,
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all you Gentiles, and laud him, all you people.</i> Some of the
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Jewish writers confess that this psalm refers to the kingdom of the
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Messiah; nay, one of them has a fancy that it consists of two
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verses to signify that in the days of the Messiah God should be
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glorified by two sorts of people, by the Jews, according to the law
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of Moses, and by the Gentiles, according to the seven precepts of
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the sons of Noah, which yet should make one church, as these two
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verses make one psalm. We have here,</p>
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<p class="indent" id="Ps.cxviii-p4">I. The vast extent of the gospel church,
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<scripRef id="Ps.cxviii-p4.1" osisRef="Bible:Ps.117.1" parsed="|Ps|117|1|0|0" passage="Ps 117:1"><i>v.</i> 1</scripRef>. For many ages
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in Judah only was God known and his name praised. The sons of Levi
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and the seed of Israel praised him, but the rest of the nations
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<i>praised gods of wood and stone</i> (<scripRef id="Ps.cxviii-p4.2" osisRef="Bible:Dan.5.4" parsed="|Dan|5|4|0|0" passage="Da 5:4">Dan. v. 4</scripRef>), while there was no devotion at all
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paid, at least none openly, that we know of, to the living and true
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God. But here <i>all nations</i> are called to praise the Lord,
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which could not be applied to the Old-Testament times, both because
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this call was not then given to any of the Gentile nations, much
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less to all, in a language they understood, and because, unless the
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people of the land became Jews and were circumcised, they were not
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admitted to praise God with them. But the gospel of Christ is
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ordered to be preached to all nations, and by him the
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partition-wall is taken down, and those that were <i>afar off</i>
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are <i>made nigh.</i> This was the mystery which was hidden in
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prophecy for many ages, but was at length revealed in the
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accomplishment, <i>That the Gentiles should be fellow-heirs,</i>
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<scripRef id="Ps.cxviii-p4.3" osisRef="Bible:Eph.3.3 Bible:Eph.3.6" parsed="|Eph|3|3|0|0;|Eph|3|6|0|0" passage="Eph 3:3,6">Eph. iii. 3, 6</scripRef>. Observe
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here, 1. Who should be admitted into the church—<i>all nations</i>
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and <i>all people.</i> The original words are the same that are
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used for the <i>heathen that rage</i> and <i>the people that
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imagine</i> against Christ (<scripRef id="Ps.cxviii-p4.4" osisRef="Bible:Ps.2.1" parsed="|Ps|2|1|0|0" passage="Ps 2:1">Ps. ii.
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1</scripRef>); those that had been enemies to his kingdom should
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become his willing subjects. The gospel of the kingdom was to be
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preached <i>to all the world, for a witness to all nations,</i>
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<scripRef id="Ps.cxviii-p4.5" osisRef="Bible:Matt.24.14 Bible:Mark.16.15" parsed="|Matt|24|14|0|0;|Mark|16|15|0|0" passage="Mt 24:14,Mk 16:15">Matt. xxiv. 14; Mark xvi.
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15</scripRef>. All nations shall be called, and to some of all
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nations the call shall be effectual, and they shall be discipled.
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2. How their admission into the church is foretold—by a repeated
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call to <i>praise him.</i> The tidings of the gospel, being sent to
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all nations, should give them cause to praise God; the institution
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of gospel-ordinances would give them leave and opportunity to
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praise God; and the power of gospel-grace would give them hearts to
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praise him. Those are highly favoured whom God invites by his word
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and inclines by his Spirit to praise him, and so makes to be to him
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for a name and a praise, <scripRef id="Ps.cxviii-p4.6" osisRef="Bible:Jer.13.11" parsed="|Jer|13|11|0|0" passage="Jer 13:11">Jer. xiii.
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11</scripRef>. See <scripRef id="Ps.cxviii-p4.7" osisRef="Bible:Rev.7.9-Rev.7.10" parsed="|Rev|7|9|7|10" passage="Re 7:9,10">Rev. vii. 9,
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10</scripRef>.</p>
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<p class="indent" id="Ps.cxviii-p5">II. The unsearchable riches of
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gospel-grace, which are to be the matter or our praise, <scripRef id="Ps.cxviii-p5.1" osisRef="Bible:Ps.117.2" parsed="|Ps|117|2|0|0" passage="Ps 117:2"><i>v.</i> 2</scripRef>. In the gospel, those
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celebrated attributes of God, his mercy and his truth, shine most
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brightly in themselves and most comfortably to us; and the apostle,
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where he quotes this psalm, takes notice of these as the two great
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things for which the Gentiles should glorify God (<scripRef id="Ps.cxviii-p5.2" osisRef="Bible:Rom.15.8-Rom.15.9" parsed="|Rom|15|8|15|9" passage="Ro 15:8,9">Rom. xv. 8, 9</scripRef>), for <i>the truth of
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God</i> and for <i>his mercy.</i> We that enjoy the gospel have
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reason to praise the Lord, 1. For the power of his mercy: <i>His
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merciful kindness is great towards us;</i> it is <i>strong</i> (so
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the word signifies); it is <i>mighty</i> for the pardon of
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<i>mighty sins</i> (<scripRef id="Ps.cxviii-p5.3" osisRef="Bible:Amos.5.12" parsed="|Amos|5|12|0|0" passage="Am 5:12">Amos v.
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12</scripRef>) and for the working out of a mighty salvation. 2.
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For the perpetuity of his truth: <i>The truth of the Lord endures
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for ever.</i> It was mercy, mere mercy, to the Gentiles, that the
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gospel was sent among them. It was merciful kindness prevailing
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towards them above their deserts; and in it the <i>truth of the
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Lord,</i> of his promise made unto the fathers, <i>endures for
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ever;</i> for, though the Jews were hardened and expelled, yet the
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promise took its effect in the believing Gentiles, the spiritual
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seed of Abraham. God's mercy is the fountain of all our comforts
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and his truth the foundation of all our hopes, and therefore for
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both we must praise the Lord.</p>
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</div></div2> |