Psalms 50

The design of this Psalm, is partly to reprove and protest against the common Miscarriages of many Professors of Religion, who satisfied their own Consciences, and fancied that they pleased God with their external and Ceremonial performances, notwithstanding their gross neglect of those more necessary and Fundamental duties of Piety, and Iustice, and Charity: Partly, to instruct men concerning the Nature of the true and acceptable Worship of God: and Partly, to prepare the Israelites, for and tacitly warn them of that Change, which would be made in the... outward form and way of Gods worship, under and by the Messias, and of the abolition of the legal Sacrifices, which God did not appoint for his own need, nor for his Peoples perpet... al use.

THe mighty God, even the LORD has spoken, and called the earth from the rising of the sun, unto the going down thereof (i. e.) All the Inhabitants of the Earth, from one end to the other. Whom he here summons to be Witnesses of his proceedings in this solemn Judgment, between him and his People, which is here poetically represented. For here is a Tribunal erected, the Judge coming to it, the Witnesses and Delinquents summoned, and at last, the Sentence given and Cause determined..

Out of Zion The place where he was supposed to reside, and where he would now sit in Judgment. Or, from whence he would come to a more publick and Conspicuous place, where all the World might see and hear the Transactions. the perfection of beauty The most beautiful and amiable place of the whole World, because of the Presence and Worship, and Blessing of God, which was there and there only (i. e.) Has appeared, or manifested himself in a glorious manner, as Judges do when they come to the Judgment seat., God has shined e.

Our God These Words are used here, as they are also, Heb. 12. 29. emphatically. The Prophet speaks this in the Person of the Israelites and Worshippers of God, whereof he was one, and thereby takes off their... ond Pretence, as if because God was their God, in Covenant with them, and nearly related to them, by Abraham his Friend for ever, he would bear with their Miscarriages, and would not deal so severely with them, as some fancied; which also was their Conceit, Ier. 7. 4. &c. Mat. 3. 9, 10. No, says he, though he be our God, yet he will come to execute Judgment upon us. shall come Either, 1. From Heaven, his dwelling place, to Zion, to sit in Judgment there. Or, 2. Out of Zion, to some other place, as was said on v. 2., and shall not keep silence So the Sense is he will no longer forbear, or Connive at the Hypocrisie and Profaneness, of the Professors of the true Religion, but will now speak to them in his Wrath, and will effectually reprove and Chastite them. But because the Psalmist is not now describing what God did, or would say against them, which he does below, v. 7. &c. but as yet continues in his Description, of the Preparation or coming of the Judge to his Throne, it seems more Proper to translate the Words, as some do, he will not cease, (for this Verb signifies not only a Cestation from Speech, but from Motion or Action, as it does, 2 Sam. 19 11. Psal 83. 1. Isa. 42. 14, 15.) (i. e.) Not neglect or delay to come. So here is the same thing expressed, both Affirmatively and Negatively (as is frequent in Scripture, whereof divers instances have been formerly given) for the greater assurance of the Truth of the thing.: a fire shall devour before him, and it shall be very tempestuous round about him This is a farther Description of that terrible Majesty, wherewith God clothed himself, when he came to his Tribunal in token of that just severity, which he would use in his Proceedings with them. He alludes to the manner of Gods appearance at Sinai, Exod. 19. and intimates to them, that, although Zion was a place of Grace and Blessing to all true Israelites, yet God would be as dreadful there, to the Hypocrites among them, as ever he was at Sinai. See Isa. 33. 14..

He shall call to the heavens from above, and to the earth Either, to the places themselves, and so it is a Figure called Prosopopaeia: Or, to the Inhabitants of them, all Angels and Men, whom he calls in for Witnesses and Judges, of the Equity of his present Proceedings. Comp Deut. 4. 26. and 31. 28. and 32. 1., that he may judge his people To wit, in their Presence and Hearing..

Gather O ye Angels, summon and fetch them to my Tribunal. Which is poetically spoken; not as if they were actually to do so; but only to continue the Metaphor, and Representation of the Judgment here mentioned. my Saints The Delinquents, the, whom he calls Saints; Partly, because they were all by Profession an holy People, as they are called, Deut. 14. 2. Partly, by an frony, intimating how unworthy they were of that Name: and Partly, as an Argument or Evidence against them, because God had chosen and separated them from all the Nations of the Earth, to be an Holy and peculiar People to himself, and they also had solemnly and frequently Consecrated and devoted themselves to God, and to his faithful Service; all which did greatly aggravate their present Apostacy. together unto me: those that have made a covenant with me by sacrifice (i. e.) Which have entred into Covenant with me, and have ratified that Coven... nt with me by Sacrifice, not only in their Parents, Exod. 24, 4. &c. but also in their own Persons from time to time, even as oft as they offer Sacrifices to me. This Clause seems to be added here, to acquaint them with the proper Nature, use and end of Sacrifices, which were principally appointed to be Signs and Seals of the Covenant made between God and his People; and Consequently to Convince them of their great mistake and Wickedness in trusting to their outward Sacrifices, when they neglect the very Life, and Soul of them, which was the keeping of their Covenant with God; and withal to diminish that overweening Conceit which they had of Sacrifices, and to prepare the way for the abolition of them, as being only necessary to confirm the Covenant: which being once for all confirmed by the Blood of Christ, they might without any inconvenience be laid aside and abrogated..

And the heavens shall declare his righteousness Which they were called to Witness, v. 4. So was the Earth also. But here he mentions the Heavens only, as I humbly conceive, because they were the most impartial and Considerable Witness in the Case; for men upon Earth might be false Witnesses, either through Ignorance and Mistake, or through Prejudice and Partiality, and Passion: But the Angels understand things more thoroughly and certainly, and are so exactly pure and sinless, that they neither can nor will tell a lye for God; and therefore their Testimony is more valuable. Or the meaning is, that God would Convince the People of his Righteousness, and of their own Wickedness, by terrible Thunders and Lightnings, and Storms or other dreadful Signs wrought by him, in the Heaven or the Air: by which he did Convince his People in two like Cases, Deut. 5. 22, 23. &c. 1 Sam. 12. 17, 18, 19.: for God is judg himself, Selah In his own Person, or immediately. God will not now reprove them, or contend with them by his Priests or Prophets, with whom they may easily strive, as they used to do, but he will do it in an immediate and extraordinary manner from Heaven; and therefore they shall be forced to acknowledge his Righteousness, and their own unrighteousness; as they must needs do, when the Contest is between them, and that God who is the great Judge of the World, and cannot possibly do any unrighteous thing, Iob 34. 13. Rom. 3. 6. who exactly knows all their Hearts, and Works, and cannot be deceived, nor Contradicted..

Hear, O my people, and I will speak Having brought in God, as coming to Judgment with them, he now gives an Account of the Process, and of the Sentence of the Judge, whose Words are contained in this, and the following Verses.; O Israel, and I will testifie against thee I will plead with thee, and declare my Charge, or Inditement against thee.: I am God, even thy God Not only in general, as thou art my Creature, but in a special manner, by many singular Favours and Obligations, and by that solemn Covenant made at Sinai; whereby I avouched thee to be my peculiar People, and thou didst avouch me to be thy God, Deut. 26. 17, 18..

I will not reprove thee for thy sacrifices, or thy burnt-offerings I do not Charge thee, or at least this is not the principal matter of my Charge, that thou hast neglected Sacrifices, which thou shouldest have offered; for although thou hast many times omitted thy Duty in that kind, yet I have greater things than these to Charge thee with., to have been Or, they have been. I Confess thou hast being frequent in that Work, and hast laid too great a stress upon it, and satisfied thy Conscience with it, as if thereby thou hadst made me amends for the Errors of thy Life. continually before me.

I will take no bullock out of thy house, nor he-goats out of thy folds But be not so vain and foolish, as to imagine that thou dost lay any Obligations upon me by thy Sacrifices; Or that I required them, because I had need of them, or took any Pleasure in them for themselves, or for my own satisfaction by them..

For every beast of the forrest is mine I could Command, or dispose them at my Pleasure, without thy leave or Assistance., and the cattle upon a thousand hills Which feed upon innumerable Hills, or in Vallyes and Fields..

I know Where they are, and whence I can easily fetch them when I think good. all the fowls of the mountains Not only tame and domestick Fowls, but even such as are Wild and fly up and down upon Mountains; which though out of mans reach, are at Gods Command.: and the wild beasts of the field are mine.

If I were hungry If I wanted or desired any thing, as I do not, being the Al-sufficient God., I would not tell thee That thou mightest supply my Wants., for the world is mine, and the fulness thereof (i. e.) All those Creatures wherewith it is replenished..

Will I eat the flesh of bulls, or drink the blood of goats If I did want any thing, hast thou such Carnal and gross Conceptions of me, that I need or delight in the Blood of Brute-Creatures.?

Offer unto God thanksgiving If thou wouldest know what Sacrifices I most prize, and indespensably require, in the first place, it is that of Thankfulness and Praise proportionable to my great and Glorious and numberless Favours, which does not Consist barely in Verbal acknowledgments, but proceeds from an Heart truly and deeply affected with Gods mercies, and is accompanied with such a Course of Life, as is grateful or Well-pleasing to God: all which is plainly comprehended in Thanksgiving, as that Duty is explained in other Scripture., and pay thy vows Either, 1. Ceremonial vows, the Sacrifices which thou hast vowed to God. Or rather, 2. Moral Vows: for the things here mentioned, are directly opposed unto Sacrifices, and preferred before them: for having disparaged, and in some sort rejected their Sacrifices and Burnt-Offerings, v. 8. it is not likely that he should have a better Opinion of, or value for their vowed Sacrifices; which were of an inferiour sort. He seems therefore to understand those substantial Vows and Promises, and Covenants, which were the very Soul of their Sacrifices, and to which their Sacrifices were but Appurtenances and Seals, as was noted above, on v. 5. whereby they did avouch the Lord to be their God, and to walk in his ways, &c. as it is expressed, Deut. 26. 17. and engaged themselves to Love, and serve and obey the Lord according to that solemn Vow and Covenant, which they entred into at Sinai, Exod. 24. 3. 7, 8. which they oft renewed, and indeed did implicitly repeat in all their Sacrifices, which were appointed for this very end to Confirm this Covenant. unto the most High.

And call upon me And make Conscience of that great Duty, of Constant and servent Prayer to me; which is an acknowledgment of thy Subjection to me, and of thy Trust and dependence upon me, and therefore is pleasing to me. in the day of trouble When trouble comes, do not avoid it by sinful shifts, nor trust to Creatures for Relief, as Hypocrites generally do, but give Glory to me, by relying upon my Promises, and expect Help from me, by Hearty and un... eigned Prayer.; I will deliver thee, and thou shalt glorifie me This is mentioned; Either, 1. As a Priviledge, thou shalt have occasion to Praise and Glorifie me for thy Deliverance. Or, 2. As a further Duty; thou shalt give me the Glory of thy Deliverance, by praising me for it, and improving it to my Service and Glory..

But unto the wicked (i. e.) The same ungodly and Hypocritical Professors, whom he calleth Saints, v. 5. in Regard of their Profession, and here wicked in respect of their Practise, and the truth of the thing, God says He told them what he would not reprove them, for, v. 8. and why, v. 9. 10. &c. now he tells them for what he did reprove and Condemn them, even for a vain and false Profession of Religion., What hast thou to do to declare my statutes, or that thou shouldest take my covenant in thy mouth With what Confidence darest thou make mention of, or boast of Gods Grace and Favour vouchsafed unto thee, in giving thee such a Covenant and Statu... es, pretending to embrace them, and to give up thy self to the Observation of them? This not only the Teachers (of whom some understand these Words) but all the Israelites in general: Of whom he rather seems to speak.?

Seeing thou hatest instruction Seeing thy Practise Contradicts thy Profession, and makes thee a Notorious and impudent Lyar. Though with thy Mouth shewest much Love (as is said of them, Ezek. 33. 31.) to my Statutes and Counsels, yet in Truth thou hatest them, as they are Curbs to thy beloved Lusts, and Instruments of thy just Condemnation, and a manifest reproach to thy Conversation. Or, Seeing thou hatest Reproof, as this Word is oft rendred. And this above all other parts of Gods word, is most hateful to ungodly Men, Prov. 9. 8. and 12. 1. and 15. 10. 12. A... os 5. 10. And therefore this is fitly alledged as an Evidence of their Wickedness., and castest my words behind thee As men do things which they abhor or despise..

When thou sawest Or, didst observe, or Consider: When he came into thy Presence and Company, and thou didst understand and Consider his ways and his Success and impunity, and he invited thee to a Participation of his Prophets. a thief, then thou consentedest with him Or, as many render it, then thou didst run with him, thou didst readily and greedily associate thy self with him, in his unrighteous Courses. Thou didst yield to his Motions, and that with great Complacency and Diligence., and hast been partaker with adulterers By joyning with them, in their lewd and filthy Practices..

Thou givest Heb. thou sendest forth, to wit free; for the Word is used of Mens dismissing their Wives, or their Servants; whom they left to their Freedom. Thou hast an unbridled Tongue, and castest off all restraints of God's law, and of thy own Conscience, and givest thy Tongue Liberty to speak what thou pleasest, though it be offensive and dishonourable to God, and injurious to thy Neighbour, or to thy own Soul. Which is justly produced as an Evidence of their Hypocrisie. thy mouth to evil Either to sinful or Mischievous Speeches., and thy tongue frameth deceit (i. e.) Uttereth Lyes or fair Words, wherewith to Circumvent those who deal with them..

Thou sittest and speakest Thou dost not only speak evil in a sudden Passion, or upon some great Provocation, but this is thy Constant and deliberate Practise and Business, which thou dost pursue with great Facilty and Complacency: all which this Phrase implies. against thy brother Strictly so called, as the next Clause explains it. Which is a great Aggravation of the sin, and a Proof of his inveterate and obstinate Wickedness., thou s... anderest Takest away his good Name, which is better than all Riches; yea, than Life it self. Which is contrary to my express and oft repeated Commands. thine own mothers son.

These things hast thou done, and I kept silence I did not express my Displeasure against thee, in such grievous Judgments as thou didst deserve. Or, I was deaf: I carried my self like one that did not hear thy sinful Speeches, nor see, or take any notice of thy wicked Actions.: thou thoughtest that I was altogether such a one as thy self Thou didst Misconstrue and abuse this my Patience and long suffering, as if it had proceeded from my Ignorance, or Regardlessness, or Approbation of thy evil Courses, which I seemed by my Connivence to justifie or allow; and thereupon didst grow more audacious and impudent in sin. See Eccles. 11, 9. Isa. 26. 10. Rom. 2. 4, 5.: but I will reprove thee Not with Verbal, but real Reproofs, (i. e.) By severe Punishments, as this Word is used, Iob 13. 10. Psal. 6. 1. and 38. 1. and 39. 71. and oft elsewhere. I will quickly undeceive and Convince thee, of the contrary to thy cost., and set them in order before thine eyes I will bring to thy Remembrance, and lay upon thy Conscience all thy sins, in full number and in their Order, with all their Circumstances; and thou shalt then see and know that I diligently observed and hated them all, and that none of them shall go unpunished..

Now consider this, ye that forget God Ye Hypocritical and ungodly Israelites, who have forgotten, (as Moses foretold you would do, Deut. 32. 18.) the God that formed you, and made you his People, and forgotten his Mercies and Judgments, by which you should have been instructed, and the Covenant which you made with him, and by which you stand obliged to him.. lest I... ear you in pieces L... st my Patience be turned into Fury, and I proceed to take on you., and there be none to deliver Or, for (as the Hebrew Particle is oft) is that can, or will deliver you. None can you from the Power of mine Anger..

Who so offereth praise Or, Thanksgiving, as this Word is rendred, v. 14. S... e the note there., glorifieth me He and he only gives me the Ho... our that I require and prize, and not he who loads my a multitude of Sacrifices; whereby you and... ceit that you please and glorifie me, in the time you live in the gross of the important... ties, of Piety and Justice, and Charity: greatly dishonour me, and my Worship and infamous Lives.: and to him that ordereth his... right Heb. (Pronoun is frequently understood) the, or his Life, (i. e.) That Lives order..., and according, for Sinners are said to walk, 2.. 3....,.... 11. by Chance, as it is in the Hebrew Text,. 20 21. 23. wh... ch is opposed to Order: and the Scripture owns no, but what God prescribes or approves; and therefore this, aright, is justly added in our Translation., will I show Heb. I will him to see, (i. e.) To enjoy, as that Verb have showed again and again. the salvation of God (i. e.) M... Salvation, that true and everlasting Happiness, which I have prepared for all my faithful Friends and Servants, and on... ly. So false is that Position of of the Jew... th, that every Israelite a..