— W. Jackson.
Verse 1. The victory. The victories of God in judgment, and in mercy: especially the triumphs of Christ on the cross, and by his Spirit in the heart, and in and by the church at large.
Verse 2. The Lord hath made known his salvation.
1. The contents of which it is composed.
2. The reasons for which it has been provided.
3. The price at which it has been procured.
4. The terms on which it shall be imparted.
5. The way in which it must be propagated.
6. The manner in which its neglect will be punished. W. J.
Verse 2. ( first clause ).
1. What is salvation?
2. Why it is called the Lord's: "Salvation is of the Lord."
3. How he has made it known.
4. For what purpose.
5. With what results. E.G. Gange.
Verse 2. The great privilege of knowing the gospel.
1. In what it consists. (a) Revelation by the Bible. (b) Declaration by the minister. (c) Illumination by the Spirit. (d) Illustration in daily providence.
2. To what it has led. (a) We have believed it. (b) We have so far understood it as to growingly rejoice in it. (c) We are able to tell it to others. (d) We abhor those who mystify it.
Verse 2. Salvation's glory.
1. It is divine—"his salvation."
2. It is consistent with justice—"his righteousness."
3. It is plain and simple—"openly showed."
4. It is meant for all sorts of men—"heathen."
Verse 3. ( first clause ). The Lord's memory of his covenant. Times in which he seems to forget it; ways in which even in those times he proves his faithfulness; great deeds of grace by which at other times he shows his memory of his promises; and reasons why he must ever be mindful of his covenant.
Verse 3. ( last clause ). All the ends of the earth.
1. Literally. Missionaries have visited every land.
2. Spiritually. Men ready to despair, to perish.
3. Prophetically. Dwell on the grand promises concerning the future, and the triumphs of the church. E.G.G.
Verse 3. All the ends of the earth have seen, &c.
1. The greatest foreigners have seen it; many have "come from the east and the west; "Greeks, Peter's hearers, the Eunuch, Greenlanders, South Sea Islanders, Negroes, Red Indians, &c., &c.
2. The ripest saints have seen it; they are at the light end of the earth, stepping out of the wilderness into Canaan, &c.
3. The vilest sinners have seen it; those who have wandered so far that they could get no farther without stepping into hell. The dying thief. The woman who was a sinner. Those whom Whitefield called "the devil's castaways." W. J.
Verse 4. The right use of noise.
1. "Make a noise." Awake, O sleeper. Speak, O dumb.
2. "Make a joyful noise." The shout of deliverance, of gratitude, of gladness.
3. "Make a loud noise, all the earth." Nature with her ten thousand voices. The church with myriad saints.
4. "Make a joyful noise unto God." Praise him alone. Praise him for ever. E.G.G.
Verse 6. Joy a needful ingredient of praise. The Lord as King, an essential idea in adoration. Expression in various ways incumbent upon us, when praising joyfully such a King.
Verses 7-8. Nature at worship. The congregation is
1. Vast. Sea, earth, rivers, hills.
2. Varied. Diverse in character, word, aspect, each from each other, constant and alike in this alone, that all, always worship God.
3. Happy. In this like the worshippers in heaven, and for the same reason—sin is absent. E.G.G.
Verse 8. The song of the sea, and the hallelujah of the hills.
Verse 9. The last judgment as a theme for thankfulness.
Verse 9. Before the Lord. Where we are, where our joy should be, where all our actions should be felt to be, where we shall be— "before the Lord." Enquire—What are we before the Lord? What shall we be when he cometh?
WORK UPON THE NINETY-EIGHTH PSALM
In "The Works of John Boys, "1626, folio, pp. 34-6, there is a short exposition of this psalm.