He mentioneth here praising God, instead of deliverance, because a heart enlarged to praise God is indeed the greatest part of the deliverance ; for by it the soul is delivered out of its own straits and discontent.
Chapter XXVIII. — Divers qualities of the praise due to God, with helps therein ; and notes of God's hearing our prayers.
Though this be God's due and our duty, and itself a delightful thing, yet it is not so easy a matter to praise God, as many imagine. Music is sweet, but the setting of the strings in tune is unpleasing. Our souls will not be long in tune, and it is harsh to us to go about the setting them in order. Like curious clocks, a little thing will hinder the motion ; especially pas- sion, which disturbs not only the frame of grace in us, but the very frame of nature, putting man out of the power and possession of himself ; and therefore David here, when he had thoughts of praising God, was fain to take up the quarrel betwixt him and his soul fii'st. Praising sets aU the parts and graces of the soul awork ; and therefore the soul had need gather itself and its strength together to this duty.
It requires especially self-denial, from a conscience* of our own wants, weaknesses, and unworthiness ; it requires a giving up of ourselves, and aU ours to be at God's dispose. f The very ground and the fruit which it yields are both God's ; and they never gave themselves truly up to God, that are not ready to give all they have to him whensoever he calls for it. Thankfulness is a sacrifice, and in sacrifices there must be killing before offering, otherwise the sacrifice will be as the oflering up some unclean creature. Thanksgiving is an incense, and there must be fire to burn that incense. Thanksgiving requires not only affections, but the heat of affec- tions. There must be some assurance of the benefit we praise God for; and it is no easy matter to maintain assurance of our interest in the best things.
Yet in this case, if we feel not sense of assurance, it is good we should praise God for what we have. We cannot deny but God offers himself in mercy to us, and that he intends our good thereby, for so we ought to construe his merciful dealing towards us, and not have him ia jealousy without ground. If we bring our hearts to be willing to praise God, for that we cannot but acknowledge comes from him, he will be ready in his time to shew himself more clearly to us. We taste of his goodness many ways, Rom. ii. 4, and it is accompanied with much patience ; and these in * That is, ' consciousness.' — Ed. f That is, ' disposal.' — G.
THE soul's conflict. 253
their natures lead us not only to repentance, but likewise to thankful ac- knowledgment ; and we ought to follow that which God leads us unto, though he hath not yet acquainted us with his secrets.
It is good in this case to help the soul with a finn resolution, and to back resolution with a vow, not only in general that we will praise, but particularly of something within our own power, provided it prove no snare to us. For by this means the heart is perfectly gained, and the thing is as good as done in regard of God's acceptance and our comfort ; because strong resolutions discover siacerity without any hypocritical reservation and hollowness. Always so much sincerity as a man hath, so much will his inward peace be. Resolution as a strong stream bears down all before it. Little good is done in religion v^ithout this, and with it, all is as good as done.
So soon as we set upon this work we shall feel our spii'its to rise higher and higher, as the waters in the sanctuary, Ezek. xlvii., as the soul grows more and more heated. See how David riseth by degi'ees. Be glad in the Lord, Ps. xxsii, 11, and then, rejoice, ye righteous, and then, shout for joy all ye that are upright in heart. The Spirit of God will delight to carry us along in this duty, until it leaves our spirits in heaven, praising God with the saints and glorious angels there. To him that hath and useth it shall be given, Mat. xxv. 29. He that knoweth God aright will honour him by trusting of him ; he that honours him by trusting him, will honour him by praying ; and he that honom's him by prayer, shall honour him by praises ; he that honom's him by praises here, shall perfect his praises in heaven ; and this will quit the labour of setting and keeping the soul in tune. This trading with God is the richest trade in the world. When we return praises to him, he returns new favours to us, and so an everlasting, ever increasing intercourse betwixt God and the soul is maintained. David here resolved to praise God, because he had assm-ance of such a deUverance as would yield him a ground of praising him.
Praising of God may well be called incense, because, as it is sweet in itself, and sweet to God, so it sweetens all that comes ffom us. Love and joy are sweet in themselves, though those whom v/e love and joy in should not know of our affection, nor return the like ; but we cannot love and joy in God but he wiU delight in us. When we neglect the praising of God, we lose both the comfort of God's love and our own too. It is a spiritual judgment to want or lose the sight or sense of God's favours, for it is a sign of want of spiritual life, or at least liveliness ; it shews we are not yet in the state of those whom God hath chosen to set forth the riches of his glory upon.