Page:An Exposition of the Old and New Testament (1828) vol 3.djvu/254

246 We had our lives at first from, and we owe the continuance of them to, that God who has life in himself, and is therefore fitly called the living God. The gods of the heathen were dead gods; the best friends we have among men are dying friends; but God lives, lives for ever, and will not fail those that trust in him, but, because he lives, they shall live also; for he is their Life. 2. As a finishing God; As for God, he is not only perfect himself, but his way is perfect, v. 30. He is known by his name Jehovah, (Exod. vi. 3.) a God performing and perfecting what he begins, in providence as well as creation, Gen. ii. 1. If it was God that made David's way perfect, (v. 32.) much more is his own so. There is no flaw in God's works, nor any fault to be found with what he does, Eccl. iii. 14. And what he undertakes he will go through with, whatever difficulties lie in the way; what God begins to build, he is able to finish. 3. As a faithful God; The word of the Lord is tried. "I have tried it," (says David,) "and it has not failed me." All the saints, in all ages, have tried it, and it never failed any that trusted in it. It is tried as silver is tried, refined from all such mixture and alloy as lessen the value of men's words. David, in God's providences concerning him, takes notice of the performance of his promises to him, which, as it puts sweetness into the providence, so it puts honour upon the promise. 4. As the Protector and Defender of his people. David had found him so to him; "He is the God of my salvation, (v. 46.) by whose power and grace I am, and hope to be, saved; but not of mine only; he is a Buckler to all those that trust in him; (v. 30.) he shelters and protects them all, is both able and ready to do so." 5. As a non-such in all this; (v. 31.) There is a God, and who is God, save Jehovah? That God is a Rock, for the support and shelter of his faithful worshippers; and who is a Rock, save our God? Thus he not only gives glory to God, but encourages his own faith in him. Note, (1.) Whoever pretend to be deities, it is certain that there is no God, save the Lord; all others are counterfeits, Isa. xliv. 8. Jer. x. 10. (2.) Whoever pretend to be our felicities, there is no Rock, save our God; none that we can depend upon to make us happy.

III. David looks forward, with a believing hope that God would still do him good. He promises himself, 1. That his enemies should be completely subdued, and that those of them that yet remained should be made his footstool. That his government should be extensive, so that even a people whom he had not known should serve him, v. 43. That his conquests, and, consequently, his acquests, should be easy; As soon as they hear of me, they shall obey me, v. 44. And that his enemies should be convinced that it was to no purpose to oppose him; even those that are retired to their fastnesses shall not trust to them, but be afraid out of their close places, having seen so much of David's wisdom, courage, and success. Thus the Son of David, though he sees not yet all things put under him, yet knows he shall reign till all opposing rule, principality, and power, shall be quite put down. 2. That his seed should be for ever continued in the Messiah, who, he foresaw, should come from his loins, v. 50. He shows mercy to his anointed, his Messiah, to David himself, the anointed of the God of Jacob in the type, and to his seed for evermore. He saith not unto seeds, as of many, but to his Seed, as of one, that is Christ, Gal. iii. 16. It is he only that shall reign for ever, and of the increase of whose government and peace there shall be no end. Christ is called David, Hos. iii. 5. God has called him his King, ii. 6. Great deliverance God does give, and will give, to him, and to his church and people, here called his seed for evermore.

In singing these verses, we must give God the glory of the victories of Christ and his church hitherto, and of all the deliverances and advancements of the gospel-kingdom; and encourage ourselves and one another with an assurance, that the church militant will be shortly triumphant, will be eternally so.

PSALM XIX.

 There are two excellent books which the great God has published for the instruction and edification of the children of men; this psalm treats of them both, and recommends them both to our diligent study. I. The book of the creatures, in which we may easily read the power and Godhead of the Creator, v. 1..6. II. The book of the scriptures, which makes known to us the will of God concerning our duty. He shows the excellency and usefulness of that book, (v. 7..11.) and then teaches us how to improve it, v. 12..14.

To the chief musician. A psalm of David.

HE heavens declare the glory of God: and the firmament showeth his handy-work, 2. Day unto day uttereth speech, and night unto night showeth knowledge. 3. There is no speech nor language where their voice is not heard. 4. Their line is gone out through all the earth, and their words to the end of the world. In them hath he set a tabernacle for the sun; 5. Which is as a bridegroom coming out of his chamber, and rejoiceth as a strong man to run a race. 6. His going forth is from the end of the heaven, and his circuit unto the ends of it: and there is nothing hid from the heat thereof.

From the things that are seen every day by all the world, the psalmist, in these verses, leads us to the consideration of the invisible things of God, whose being appears incontestably evident, and whose glory shines transcendently bright, in the visible heavens, the structure and beauty of them, and the order and influence of the heavenly bodies. This instance of the divine power serves not only to show the folly of atheists, who see there is a heaven, and yet say, "There is no God;" who see the effect, and yet say, "There is no cause;" but to show the folly of idolaters also, and the vanity of their imagination, who, though the heavens declare the glory of God, yet gave that glory to the lights of heaven, which those very lights directed them to give to God only, the Father of lights. Now observe here,

I. What that is which the creatures notify to us: they are many ways useful and serviceable to us, but in nothing so much as in this, that they declare the glory of God, by showing his handy-works, v. 1. They plainly speak themselves to be God's handy-works; for they could not exist from eternity, all succession and motion must have had a beginning; they could not make themselves, that is a contradiction; they could not be produced by a casual hit of atoms, that is an absurdity, fit rather to be bantered than reasoned with: therefore they must have a Creator, who can be no other than an Eternal Mind, infinitely wise, powerful, and good. Thus it appears they are God's works, the work of his fingers, (viii. 3.) and therefore they declare his glory. From the excellency of the work, we may easily infer the infinite perfection of its great Author. From the brightness of the heavens, we may collect that the Creator is Light; their vastness of