115 A brief Discourse upon the Hundredth Psalm. III. O BE JOYFUL IN THE LORD, ALL YE LANDS, &c. unto, WE ARE HIS PEOPLE, AND THE SHEEP OF HIS PASTURE] When we have heard the words of the holy gospel, we ought to consider how the divine providence dispersed the joyful sound thereof into all lands, Rom. x. 18; so that now we may justly summon all lands to rejoice for the mercy of our redemption, a blessing in which all mankind is concerned, and all the world is obliged to lay aside those vainer joys for lighter matters, in which it is so often employed, and to be joyful in the Lord, in the remembrance of his goodness. Whilst we were enemies, and without a reconciler, we could not serve him but with fear and terror; but now we may serve him with gladness. Hymns of praise are now become a chief part of our Christian worship, so that we must never come before him in our public addresses without acts of holy joy and eucharist. We have shewed you by the penitential part, how to unburden your conscience, and to make your peace with God, and now we invite you to give a demonstration thereof, by exciting you to come before this Great Majesty with a song of rejoicing: the carnal man can rejoice in worldly contents, but in God's presence he is sad and dejected; whereas the devout soul is never so full of delight as when before God; so that if any ask us, why we mingle so many hymns with all our duties, we here declare that the Holy Ghost enjoins us so to do, and the pleasure we find in so sweet an office doth still more recommend it. And yet, ver. 2, it is reasonable as well as pleasant, for us to rejoice in the Lord; for, as to his nature, he is the only true God; as to his works, he is our Maker and Preserver; we neither created ourselves at first, nor have we since sustained ourselves, and he who gave and continues our being, did and doth it, that we might glorify him, Isai. xliii. 7 ; and moreover the gospel hath shewed us that Christ is the good Shepherd, who feeds our souls with his word, and laid down his life for his sheep; and shall we hear of this, and not sing his praise? If we should be so ungrateful, we deserve to be driven out of his pasture, and destroyed, rather than defended by his hand. §. IV. Ver. 3. O, GO YOUR WAY INTO HIS GATES WITH THANKSGIVING, AND INTO HIS COURTS WITH PRAISE, &c. unto the end.] The mercies of God are so public and universal, that the private acknowledgments of single persons are not sufficient, but it is commanded that we shall all meet in sacred assemblies to join in this duty. The Jews entered in by the gates, and so passed into the courts of the sanctuary, and went no nearer, but worshipped there, Luke i. 10; but we are admitted into the house of God; and sure we ought to come thither with glad hearts, and souls full of thanksgiving. As soon as we come to the outmost gates of the church, we should begin to think with comfort upon the goodness of him whom we come to worship. And the nearer we come, the higher our gratitude should rise; but when we are before him, we must then give him particular thanks for all his mercies to us; and besides we must, in the general, speak good of his name, and declare how gracious he is in himself, and how loving to all the world beside. No creature can justly speak the least evil indeed of his blessed name, but our experience obligeth us to speak all imaginable good; and the last verse shews the reason, because he is so gracious and so merciful, so faithful and so true. He ever was so to former ages, he is so to this, and will be to all generations. His very providence doth prove all this; but the gospel which hath now been read doth manifest it still more clearly. Consider how freely he gave his own Son, and you will say he is most gracious. Think what unworthy and miserable creatures he gave him for, and you must confess his mercy is everlasting. Remember how fully every thing was accomplished which had been predicted or promised, and you must acknowledge his truth doth never fail. O how great a gift hath he given us! How admirable a pity hath he 116 shewed to us! How exactly are all his promises fulfilled! Not a lesson in this part of God's word, but doth evidence some or all of this; and therefore they ought to be concluded with such a hymn of praise. And finally, as in this great work of our redemption it doth appear, that the Father was so infinitely gracious, the Son so incomparably merciful, and the Holy Ghost in all the promises of scripture so infallibly true, we may justly conclude with Glory be to the Father, &c. A Paraphrase of the Hundredth Psalm. Ver. 1, O BE JOYFUL and rejoice with an holy joy IN THE LORD Jehovah ALL YE people of all LANDS; but you to whom the gospel is revealed, do ye more especially SERVE THE LORD WITH GLADNESS in your hearts, AND COME as his reconciled children BEFORE HIS PRESENCE WITH A SONG of praise in your mouths. 2. For there is reason both for heathens and Christians thus to praise him; for first, BE YE SURE, O ye Gentiles, THAT THE LORD HE IS the only true GOD; know ye IT IS HE THAT hath made us all, and gave us our being, AND NOT WE that made OURSELVES: so that all the world is bound to bless him upon this account; but we more peculiarly, because WE ARE those he hath chosen to be HIS PEOPLE. And since Jesus Christ is our Shepherd, we are his flock, AND THE SHEEP OF his particular care; for God hath put us into HIS HAND. 3. O do not then smother his praise in private, but GO YOUR WAY to his house upon all opportunities, and enter INTO HIS GATES with THANKSGIVING for your particular mercies, AND INTO HIS COURTS WITH PRAISE for his universal goodness. Whatever duties you perform there, be sure that you BE THANKFUL UNTO HIM in your hearts, AND let your tongues SPEAK all the GOOD imaginable OF HIS NAME, since all your praises will come far short of what he deserves. 4. FOR by the gospel now read it most fully appears, that THE LORD IS GRACIOUS in his own nature, AND HIS MERCY and pity towards us IS EVERLASTING, reaching to the end of the world and by the fulfilling these promises, his fidelity AND HIS TRUTH ENDURETH unshaken, being made good FROM one GENERATION TO another GENERATION; so that we may rely on him for ever. Glory be to the Father, &c. SECTION XIV. OF THE MAGNIFICAT, OR THE FIRST HYMN AFTER THE FIRST §. I. THIS is the first Divine canticle recorded in the holy gospel, and seems to have been composed by the Blessed Virgin, while she with unspeakable joy reflected upon all the promises of the Old Testament, 117 now about to be fulfilled in that holy conception and happy birth, of which God had designed her to be the instrument, and therefore is properly set after the first lesson; and since we have seen all those types verified, all those predictions completed, and all those promises made good, which are contained in the Law and the Prophets concerning Christ, doubtless this must be a very fit form for a Christian's joy after the hearing thereof. And truly this with the Benedictus and Nunc Dimittis have not only been used very anciently in the western church, but are still retained in the reformed churches, both of Germany and Holland, as well as in this church. But the internal glory of this blessed hymn will best appear by the following explication: The Analysis of the Magnificat. I. A general thanksgiving, expressing both 46, 47. My soul doth mag- For behold, from hence- 49. For he that is mighty And holy is his name. 51. He hath shewed strength 52. He hath put down the mighty from their seat, and hath exalted the humble and meek. 53. He hath filled the hungry with good things, and the rich he hath sent empty away. 54. He remembering his mercy hath holpen his servant Israel: 55. As he promised to our forefathers, Abraham & his seed for ever. |