rd

Psalm 78

¶ He ſheweth how God of his mercie choſe his Church of the poſteritie of Abrahám, 8 Reprochĩg the ſtubburne rebellion of their fathers, that the children might not onely vnderſtand, 11 That God of his fre mercie made his couenant with their ancetours, 17 But alſo ſeing them ſo malici us and peruerſe, might be aſhamed and ſo turne wholly to God. In this Pſalme the holie Goſt hathe comprehẽded as it were, the ſumme of all Gods benefites, to the intent the ignorant and groſſe people might ſe in fewe wordes the effect of the whole hiſtories of the Bible.
¶ A Pſalme to giue inſtruction committed to Aſáph.
1.HEare my doctrine, ô my people: incline your eares vnto the wordes of my mouth.
2.I wil open my mouth in a parable: I wil declare high ſentences of olde.
3.Which we haue heard and knowen, and our fathers haue tolde vs.
4.We wil not hide them from their children, but to the generacion to come we wil ſhewe the praiſes of the Lord, his power alſo, and his wonderful workes that he hathe done:
5.How he eſtabliſhed a teſtimonie in Iaakób, and ordeined a Law in Iſraél, which he commanded our fathers, that they ſhulde teache their children:
6.That the poſteritie might knowe it, and the children, which ſhulde be borne, ſhulde ſtand vp, & declare it to their children:
7.That they might ſet their hope on God, and not forget the workes of God but kepe his commandements:
8.And not to be as their fathers, a diſobedient and rebellious generation: a generation that ſet not their heart aright, and whoſe ſpirit was not faithful vnto God.
9.The children of Ephráim being armed & ſhooting with the bowe, turned backe in the day of battel.
10.They kept not the couenant of God, but refuſed to walke in his Law,
11.And forgate his Actes, and his wonderful workes that he had ſhewed them.
12.He did maruelous things in the ſight of their fathers in the land of Egypt: euen in the field of Zóan.
13.He deuided the Sea, and led them through: he made alſo the waters to ſtand as an heape.
14.In the daietime alſo he led them with a cloude, and all the night with a light of fyer.
15.He claue the rockes in the wildernes, and gaue them drinke as of the great depths.
16.He broght floods alſo out of the ſtonie rocke, ſo that he made the waters to deſcend like the riuers.
17.Yet they ſinned ſtil againſt him, and prouoked the Higheſt in the wildernes,
18.And tempted God in their heartes in requiring meat for their luſt.
19.They ſpake againſt God alſo, ſaying, Can God prepare a table in the wildernes?
20.Beholde, he ſmote the rocke, that the water guſhed out, and the ſtreames ouerflowed: can he giue bread alſo? or prepare fleſh for his people?
21.Therefore the Lord heard and was angrie, and the fyer was kindled in Iaakób, and alſo wrath came vpon Iſraél,
22.Becauſe they beleued not in God, and truſted not in his helpe.
23.Yet he had commanded the cloudes aboue, and had opened the dores of heauen,
24.And had rained downe MAN vpon thẽ for to eat, and had giuen them of the wheat of heauen.
25.Man did eat the bread of Angels: he ſent them meat ynough.
26.He cauſed the Eaſtwinde to paſſe in the heauen, and through his power he broght in the Southwinde.
27.He rained fleſh alſo vpon them as duſt, and feathered foule as the ſand of the ſea.
28.And he made it fall in ye middes of their campe, euen round about their habitations.
29.So thei did eat and were wel filled: for he gaue them their deſire.
30.They were not turned from their luſt, but the meat was yet in their mouthes,
31.When the wrath of God came euen vpon them, and ſlewe the ſtrongeſt of them, and ſmote downe the choſen men in Iſraél.
32.For all this, thei ſinned ſtil, and beleued not his wonderous workes.
33.Therefore their daies did he cõſume in vanitie, and their yeres haſtely.
34.And when he ſlewe them, thei ſoght hi & they returned, & ſoght God early.
35.And thei remembred that God was their ſtrength, & the moſte high God their redemer.
36.But thei flattered him with their mouth and diſſembled with him with their tongue.
37.For their heart was not vpright with him: nether were they faithful in his couenant.
38.Yet he being merciful forgaue their iniquitie, and deſtroied them not, but oft times called backe his angre, and did not ſtirre vp all his wrath.
39.For he remembred that thei were fleſh: yea, a winde that paſſeth and commeth not againe.
40.How oft did they prouoke him in the wildernes? & grieue him in the deſert?
41.Yea, they returned, and tempted God, and limited the Holie one of Iſraél.
42.Thei remembred not his hand, nor the daie when he deliuered them from the enemie,
43.Nor him that ſet his ſignes in Egypt, & his wonders in the field of Zóan,
44.And turned their riuers into blood, and their floods, that thei colde not drinke.
45.He ſent a ſwarme of flies among them, which deuoured them, & frogs, which deſtroyed them.
46.He gaue alſo their frutes vnto the caterpiller, and their labour vnto the graſhopper.
47.He deſtroied their vines with haile, & their wilde figgetrees with the haileſtone.
48.He gaue their cattel alſo to the haile, and their flockes to the thunderboltes.
49.He caſt vpon them the fiercenes of his angre, indignation and wrath, and vexation by the ſending out of euil Angels.
50.He made awaie to his angre: he ſpared not their ſoule from death, but gaue their life to the peſtilence,
51.And ſmote all the firſtborne in Egypt, euen the beginning of their ſtrength in the tabernacles of Ham.
52.But he made his people to go out like ſhepe, and led them in the wildernes like a flocke.
53.Yea, he caried them out ſafely, and they feared not, and the Sea couered their enemies.
54.And he broght them vnto the borders of his Sanctuarie: euen to this Mountaine, which his right hand purchaſed.
55.He caſt out the heathen alſo before thẽ and cauſed them to fall to the lot of his inheritance, and made the tribes of Iſraél to dwell in their tabernacles.
56.Yet they tempted, and prouoked the moſt high God, and kept not his teſtimonies,
57.But turned backe and delt falſely like their fathers: thei turned like a deceitful bowe.
58.And thei prouoked him to angre with their high places, & moued him to wrath with their grauen images.
59.God heard this and was wroth, & greatly abhorred Iſraél,
60.So that he forſoke the habitation of Shiló, euẽ the Tabernacle where he dwelt among men,
61.And deliuered his power in to captiuitie, and his beautie into the enemies hand.
62.And he gaue vp his people to the ſworde, and was angrie with his inheritance.
63.The fyer deuoured their choſen men, and their maides were not praiſed.
64.Their Prieſts fell by the ſworde, & their widowes lamented not.
65.But the Lord awaked as one out of ſlepe, and as a ſtrong man that after his wine cryeth out,
66.And ſmote his enemies in the hinder partes, and put them to a perpetual ſhame.
67.Yet he refuſed the tabernacle of Ioſeph, and choſe not the tribe of Ephráim:
68.But choſe the tribe of Iudáh, & mount Zión which he loued.
69.And he buylt his Sanctuarie as an high palace, like the earth, which he ſtabliſhed for euer.
70.He choſe Dauid alſo his ſeruant, & toke him from the ſhepefoldes.
71.Euen from behinde the ewes with yong broght he him to fede his people in Iaakób, and his inheritance in Iſraél.
72.So he fed them according to the ſimplicitie of his heart, and guided them by the diſcretion of his hands.

Notes

1:a.
Read pſalme 32
1:b.
The Prophet vnderthe name of a teacher calleth ye people his, & this doctrine his, as Paul calleth ye Goſpel his, whereof he was but ye preacher as Rom 2,16 & 16,25.
3:c.
Which were the people of God.
5:d.
By the teſtimonie & Law he meaneth y¹ Law writen, which they were commãded to teache their childrẽ, D-u 6.7.
6:e.
He ſheweth wherein y¹ children ſhulde be taught: that is, to maintaine Gods pure religion
7:f.
He ſheweth wherein y¹ vſe of this doctrine ſtandeth in faith, & y¹ meditation of Gods benefites & in obedience
8:g.
Thogh theſe fathers were the ſede of Abraham & the choſen people, yet he ſheweth by their rebellion, prouocation, falſehoode & hypocriſie, that the children oght not to followe their exãples.
9:h.
By Ephráim he meaneth alſo the reſt of the tribes, becauſe thei were moſte in nomber whoſe puniſhmẽt declareth that they were vnfaithful to God, and by their multitude and autoritie had corrupt all others
12:i.
He proueth that not onely the poſteritie, but alſo their forefathers were wicked and rebellious to God
13:*.
Exod. 14.21.
14:*.
Exod. 14.24.
15:*.
Exod. 17,6.
16:*.
num 20,11. Pſal. 105,41. 1.Cor.10,4. wiſd.11,4.
17:k.
Their wicked malice colde be ouercome by no benefites, which were great & manie
18:l.
Then to require more thẽ is neceſſarie, & to ſeparate Gods power from his wil, is to tempt God
19:*.
Nomb 11, 1
19:m.
Thus when we giue place to ſinne, we are moued to doute of Gods power, except he wil alwayes be ready to ſerue our luſt.
20:*.
Exod 17,6 nomb 20,11 pſal. 105,41 1 cor 10,4
21:*.
Nomb 11, 1
22:n.
That is, in his Fatherlie prouidence, whereby he careth for his and prouideth ſufficiently.
23:o.
So that thei had yⁿ, which was neceſſarie & ſufficient but their luſt made thẽ to couet that which thei knewe God had denied them.
25:*.
Ioh. 6,31. 1.cor 10,5.
26:p.
God vſed y¹ meanes of the winde to teach them, that all elemẽts were at his cõmandemẽt, & that no diſtãce of place colde let his working.
30:q.
Suche is the nature of concupiſcence, yⁿ the more it hathe, y¹ more it luſteth
31:r.
Thogh other were not ſpared, yet chiefly thei ſuffred, wᶜ truſted to their ſtrength againſt God
32:s.
Thus ſinne by continuance maketh men inſenſible, ſo yⁿ by no plagues thei can be amended
34:t.
Here appeareth their hypocriſie, that thei ſoght vnto God for feare of puniſhmẽt, thogh in their heart thei loued him not
37:u.
Whoſoeuer commeth not from the pure fountaine of y¹ heart, is hypocriſie.
38:x.
Becauſe he wolde euer haue ſome remnant of a Churche to praiſe his Name in earth, he ſuffred not their ſinnes to ouercome his mercie.
41:y.
That is, thei tempted him oft times.
41:z.
As thei all do yⁿ meaſure the power of God by their capacitie.
42:a.
The forgetfulnes of Gods benefits is the rote of rebellion & all vice
45:b.
This worde ſignifieth a confuſed mixture of flies and venemous wormes Some take it for all ſortes of ſerpents, ſome for all wilde beaſtes
46:e.
He repeteth not here all ye miracles that God did in Egypt, but certeine wc might be ſufficient to conuince the people of malice & ingratitude
49:d.
So called, ether of the effect: that is, of puniſhing the wicked, or els becauſe thei were wicked ſpirits, whome God permitted to vexe men
51:e.
The firſtborne are ſo called, as Gen. 49.3
51:f.
That is, Egypt: for it was called Mizráim, that was the ſonne of Ham
53:g.
That is, thei had none occaſion to feare, for aſmuche as God deſtroyed their enemies and deliuered them ſafely
54:h.
Meanig Canáan, wc God had conſecrate to him ſelfe, & appointed to his people Iſraél.
55:*.
Ioſh. 13.7.
57:i.
Nothing more diſpleaſeth God in ye children, then when thei cõtinue in ye wickednes, which their fathers had begõne
58:k.
By ſeruing God otherwiſe then he had appoynted
60:l.
For their ingratitude he ſuffred ye Philiſtims to take the Arke, wc was the ſigne of his preſẽce, frõ amõg thẽ
61:m.
The Arke is called his power & beautie, becauſe therby he defẽded his people, & beautifully appeared vnto them
63:n.
Thei were ſuddenly deſtroyed. 1 Sam 4.10
63:o.
Thei had no mariage ſongs: yt is, thei were not maried
64:p.
Ether thei were ſlaine before or taken priſoners of their enemies, & ſo were forbidden.
65:q.
Becauſe thei were drunken in their ſinnes, thei thoght Gods pacience to be a ſlombrĩg as thogh he were drunken: therfore he anſwering their affectiõs ſheweth yt he wil awake and take ſudden vengeance
67:r.
Shewing that he ſpared not altogether the Iſraelites, thogh he puniſhed their enemies.
69:s.
By buylding the Temple & eſtabliſhing ye kingdome, he declareth that the ſignes of his fauour were among thẽ.
72:t.
He ſheweth wherein a Kigs charge ſtãdeth: to wit, to prouide faithfully for his people, to guide them by counſel, & defend them by power.