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The psalmist would have God praised for his condescension. 1 Praise ye the LORD. Praise, 0 ye servants of the LORD, praise the name of the LORD.

2 Blessed be the name of the LORD from this time forth and for evermore.

3 From the rising of the sun unto the going down of the same the LORD's name is to be praised.

4 The LORD is high above all nations, and his glory above the heavens.

our God, who dwelleth on high,
6 Who humbleth himself to
behold the things that are in
heaven, and in the earth!
7 He raiseth up the poor out
of the dust, and lifteth the needy
out of the dunghill ;

8 That he may set him with princes, even with the princes of his people.

9 He maketh the barren woman to keep house, and to be a joyful mother of children. 5 Who is like unto the LORD Praise ye the LORD.

LECTURE 964.

Of worshipping the true God in his right name.

In the psalm preceding, the blessedness of the righteous is insisted on, as a ground for praising God. Here they that are thus blessed, the "servants of the Lord," are exhorted to praise his name. "Praise, O ye servants of the Lord, praise the name of the Lord." And the psalmist as joining with those whom he exhorts, or willing to set them an example by beginning, declares in his own person, "Blessed be the name of the Lord from this time forth, and for evermore." He next declares, that this note of praise ought to ascend up to heaven from all quarters of the earth: "From the rising of the sun unto the going down of the same the Lord's name is to be praised." And the reasons which he gives are such as apply forcibly in all parts of the world. First, "The Lord is high above all nations, and his glory above the heavens." All nations then are alike bound to worship Him, yea, the heavens too, and all the powers therein. Next the Lord is above comparison with all other beings, whether with men, with angels, or with them that have been worshipped falsely as gods: "Who is like unto the Lord our God, who dwelleth on high?"

And

Next we have here set before us some particular points in which almighty God is beyond compare. He "humbleth himself to behold the things that are in heaven and in earth." this He does though He "is high above all nations, and his glory above the heavens." And what an, elevated notion does it give us of God's greatness, when we are told that it is an humbling of Himself to behold the things that are in heaven and in the earth? Yes, to see every thing and to know every thing, to number the hairs of our heads, to count the sparrows that fall on the ground, to weigh the earth in his balance, and to measure the heavens with his span, and even to know, such is his marvellous omni

science, all the thoughts and affections of all his creatures, in heaven and in earth; this in God is a humbling of Himself. Oh how high then must He be, how wise, how great! Oh how gracious is it in One that is so great to humble Himself at all!

As a proof of his condescending to notice things on earth, the psalmist mentions two instances of things manifestly providential; such as could not be brought about, as far as we can see into the nature of things, unless it were true that there is One above, who not only knows every thing, but also orders all things. "He raiseth up the poor out of the dust, and lifteth the needy out of the dunghill, that he may set him with princes, even with the princes of his people." And again, "He maketh the barren woman to keep house, and to be a joyful mother of children." And these are not only instances to prove that God vouchsafes to care for his unworthy creatures, they are also types of God's dealings with his church. They represent to us the fallen race of man, raised up from the degradation of sin, to be crowned with glory and honour and immortality. And again, they represent to us the fruitfulness of the church, of which it is written in Scripture, "Rejoice, thou barren that bearest not; break forth and cry, thou that travailest not: for the desolate hath many more children than she which hath an husband." Gal. 4. 27.

These things then are all strong reasons for praising the name of the Lord. And observe it no less than thrice in this psalm that "the name of the Lord" is mentioned as an object of praise. It cannot then be, as some suppose, a matter of indifference, by what name we worship God. The true name belongs to the true God, and truly expresses what He is, a self existing eternal Being. This is the meaning of the Hebrew word Jehovah, or "the Lord." And the reason why God would have his name to be praised is this, that He would have Himself and none other to be worshipped. Let us then desire earnestly to have all men worship the true God, and praise Him in his own most holy name. Let us endeavour to instruct the untutored heathen in the knowledge of the truth; and to win also the self satisfied philosopher of the world, from worshipping a God of his own invention, to a lowly and reverent adoration of the Lord God revealed in the Bible. He and He alone is God at all. He will not have his

honour given to another. He will not have other names set up in honour to be worshipped, as if there were other Gods but one. And as it has been justly said in other matters that names are things, considering how much they affect realities, so we may be sure that to reverence God's holy name is our way to honour God Himself.

The psalmist biddeth the earth tremble at God's presence.

1 When Israel went out of Egypt, the house of Jacob from a people of strange language; 2 Judah was his sanctuary, and Israel his dominion.

3 The sea saw it, and fled : Jordan was driven back.

4 The mountains skipped like rams, and the little hills like lambs.

that thou fleddest? thou Jordan, that thou wast driven back?

6 Ye mountains, that ye skipped like rams; and ye little hills, like lambs?

7 Tremble, thou earth, at the presence of the Lord, at the presence of the God of Jacob; 8 Which turned the rock into a standing water, the flint into

5 What ailed thee, O thou sea, a fountain of waters.

LECTURE 965.

That it is an awful thing for God to manifest Himself. The deliverance of the Israelites out of Egypt is very frequently referred to in Scripture, as a signal instance of the loving kindness of the Lord. Some of the circumstances connected with that event are here celebrated with thankfulness by the psalmist, as redounding to the glory of God. "When Israel went out of Egypt, the house of Jacob from a people of strange language, Judah was his sanctuary, and Israel his dominion." The sanc tuary of God, the dominion of God, these were set up and openly established in the tribe of Judah, in the people of Israel. There had been a separation commenced long before. Ever since the call of Abraham it had been evident that God designed to take unto Himself a peculiar people, by whom He should be worshipped, and amongst whom He should bear sway; when the rest of mankind, having been left to their own ways, would have turned aside from serving Him who made them. But whilst the posterity of Abraham were in bondage in Egypt, there seemed little prospect of any such consummation. The unbelieving

nations round about had probably begun to ask scornfully of this foreordained separation, Where is the promise of his coming? And the Israelites themselves must have greatly needed some striking encouragement on the part of the Most High, to assure their hopes, and to elevate their thoughts from the condition of oppressed bondservants to that of God's chosen people.

How seasonable then were the miracles here alluded to, the signs and wonders here most forcibly described! The waves of the Red Sea divided, the stream of Jordan stayed, mount Sinai and the hills around made to shake as though trembling with fear; how seasonably were these miracles adapted to give encouragement to the Israelites, and to manifest the power of almighty God to the nations which doubted of his being! How appropriately does the psalmist bid the whole earth tremble at the presence of that God, who could thus make its solid moun

tains shake, and at the same time turn its hardest rocks into fountains of waters! How profitably may we understand his exhortation, as addressed not to the earth itself, but to all them who dwell in every part thereof, who were in truth all concerned in the miracles wrought by God in behalf of his chosen people, and who might all have heard a true report of these marvellous works, had men but been as diligent in celebrating the praise of God, as in noising abroad the signal actions of each other!

There was indeed much of awful import to all the people of the earth, in the miraculous deliverance of the Israelites out of the hands of the Egyptians. And we shall not easily estimate this matter aright, unless we call to mind the very eminent place which Egypt then occupied in the scale of nations. Here was a people second to none, and probably at this time superior to any, in wisdom, wealth, and strength, except it may be the rising kingdom of Assyria; here was a people which in time of famine had supplied corn to all the countries round about them; here was a people from whom in after times the Greeks and Romans borrowed nearly all that made them the most celebrated nations of antiquity; and this people so great, so skilful, this people and their king in the plenitude of his power, are baffled and defeated by their own bondservants, the descendants within a few generations of a single family, that had been allowed to settle in their country. This alone would be marvellous in the eyes of all beholders. But when we add the miracles by means of which this deliverance was accomplished, we may well conceive that all who heard of it must have felt impressed with the conviction, The finger of God is here.

And why would it be an awful thing to them to feel certain that God was actually interposing? Because by this time they had for their own part begun to exchange the glory of God for the worship of images. And therefore instead of being glad to see his glory manifested they would view its manifestation with alarm. And so it is that the wicked view the tidings of God's having redeemed sinful men; so it is that they regard any plain instance brought before them of a sinner saved by grace. The finger of God is here also. And it fills them with terror to behold it. It is the God whom they have set at nought. It is the mercy which they have despised. It is the redemption which they have neglected. And how can they help reflecting, on seeing others saved from their sins, how can they help reflecting in themselves with shame and terror, how much they have lost at this present time, how much they have put in jeopardy for evermore?

The psalmist exhorteth to trust in God.

1 Not unto us, O LORD, not unto us, but unto thy name give glory, for thy mercy, and for thy truth's sake.

2 Wherefore should the heathen say, Where is now their God? 3 But our God is in the heavens he hath done whatsoever he hath pleased.

4 Their idols are silver and gold, the work of men's hands. 5 They have mouths, but they speak not: eyes have they, but they see not:

6 They have ears, but they hear not: noses have they, but they smell not:

7 They have hands, but they handle not feet have they, but they walk not: neither speak they through their throat.

8 They that make them are like unto them; so is every one that trusteth in them.

9 O Israel, trust thou in the LORD: he is their help and their shield.

10 O house of Aaron, trust in the LORD: he is their help and their shield.

11 Ye that fear the LORD, trust in the LORD: he is their help and their shield.

12 The LORD hath been mindful of us: he will bless us; he will bless the house of Israel; he will bless the house of Aaron.

13 He will bless them that fear the LORD, both small and great.

14 The LORD shall increase you more and more, you and your children.

15 Ye are blessed of the LORD which made heaven and earth. 16 The heaven, even the heavens, are the LORD'S: but the earth hath he given to the children of men.

17 The dead praise not the LORD, neither any that go down into silence.

18 But we will bless the LORD from this time forth and for Praise the Lord.

evermore.

LECTURE 966.

The blessedness of fearing God.

It would seem presumptuous in such as we are to deem that the glory of God is in any wise dependent on our behaviour or condition; if it were not that we are often taught so to view the matter in God's word. And as the Israelites in their trouble here pray to God to help them, not for their own glory's sake, but for his, so may we, as professing to be followers of Christ, beg God to give us grace to overcome the world, the flesh, and the devil, lest they who are professors of ungodliness should say of us, "Where is now their God?" In our age and country, enlightened as we deem them, most men agree to think it the height of folly to bow down before images and to worship them. But how little less foolish is it, to make to themselves idols, as many do, of their riches, or their reputation, of their success in life, or that of their children, of their sensual pleasures, or of their intellectual tastes. When we consider how soon all these things pass away, we shall feel that it is in reality as unwise to put our

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