But, feeling that his sluggish heart did not obey the call as he could wish, he chides his soul : " Awake up, my glory," my tongue, by which alone I can ascribe to God the honour due unto his name : " awake, psaltery and harp," with which I am accustomed to celebrate his praise : " I myself," with all my faculties and all my powers, " will awake early," and reproach, as it were, the tardiness of the morning dawn.
Nor would he be content with praising God amidst his own family circle ; he would praise him among the whole Jewish " people," yes, and amidst " all the nations" of the world; that so the whole universe, both Jews and Gentiles, might learn to love and honour the God of his salvation.
Now here we see the way in which all our souls should be engaged. Under a deep sense of the goodness of our God, we should feel such a determination of heart as nothing can shake : we should be saying with Joshua, " Though all Israel should depart from God, I and my house will serve the Lord^." From time to time we should stir up ourselves to this holy exercise, and labour to bring our minds to a frame suited tothe occasion.
f Mai. iii. 6. s Josh. xxiv. 15.
Nor should we be satisfied with approving oru'selves to God in secret : we should honour him in the face of the whole world, and endeavour to prevail with all to unite with us in a duty so urgent, so reasonable, so delightful.]
2. He begs of God also to exalt and glorify himself —
[Sensible that, with all his efforts, he could affect but few, he entreats God to shew forth his own glory, and, by augmented displays of it, to " exalt himself above heaven and earth." Thus to the same effect he addresses Jehovah in another psalm ; *' Gird thy sword upon thy thigh, O most Mighty ! with thy glory and thy majesty; and in thy majesty ride prosperously in the cause of meekness and truth and righteousness ; and let thy right hand teach thee terrible things '\" In the 148th Psalm, his whole employment from beginning to end is to call on all the different creatures in heaven and earth, rational and irrational, animate and inanimate, to unite, according to their respective powers, in glorifying God.
Such then should be our prayer also : the manifestation of God's glory should be so dear to us, that we should have no wish, no thought, no desire in comparison of it.]
Address —
That you may attain a greater measure of David's piety,
1. Study the divine character, as illustrated in his dealings with you —
[To mark the dispensations of Providence and grace is good: but it will be of little service, unless we mark the per- fections of God as displayed in his dealings with us. See, for instance, how multiplied your transgressions against him have been, and how wonderful has been his forbearance in not cut^ ting you off in your sins, and making you monuments of his indignation, like the rebellious Israelites of old, or like Ananias and Sapphira in the A.postolic age ! Call to mind how ready he has been at all times to receive you to his favour; and, in answer to your prayers, to send you fresh supplies of grace, or mercy, or peace, according to your necessities. Mark your various backslidings ; and contrast with these the richness of his communications to you : and then say, " Who is a God like unto Thee, that pardoneth iniquity, and passeth by the transgression of the remnant of his heritage? He retaineth not his anger for ever, because he delighteth in mercy'." The sense of God's excellency which you obtain from other sources will be speculative, superficial, transient ; but that which you derive from his dealings with you will be deep, practical, abiding ]
h Ps. xlv. 3, 4. i Mic. vii. 18.