A brief commentary upon the CIII Psalme with the severall axiomes or doctrines therein conteined [sic], and uses thereupon inferred.

Vers. 20, 21.

Blesse the LORD ye His Angels, that excell in strength, that doe His commande∣ment, hearkening to the voice of His word.

Blesse the LORD all ye His hosts, ye ministers of His that doe His pleasure.

We have heard how David excited him∣self to blesse God 1 By way of thanksgiving for benefits bestowed

• upon himself, to the 6^th verse.
• upon others also, to the 19^th verse.

2 By way of praise, vers. 19.

Now by an Apostrophe he turnes his speech to the Angels, vers. 20, 21, and to all Gods works, vers. 22. which he closes with an iterated excitation of himself.

This figure Apostrophe (converting the speech in shew to persons absent, or to things without reason or life, when indeed it is di∣rected to men that are present) is frequent in other authours, and not unfrequent in Scripture. Moses Deut. 31.19. was com∣manded to teach the song, which followes chap. 32. to the children of Israel; and so the thing therein intended was their instruction: yet in the beginning of it he converts his

speech by an Apostrophe to the heavens and the earth. See also Isa. 1.2. Job 16.18. 1 Kings 13.2. Psalm. 114.5. &c. & 148.3. &c. 1 Cor. 15.55. And so here that there is an Apostrophe vers. 22. where he speaks to all the works of God, it is manifest; seeing very many, yea innumerable of Gods works have neither voice, wherewith to blesse God, nor yet eares, or at least not under∣standing, to be capable of the Psalmists ex∣hortation. And that the same figure is used in his speech to the Angels in these two ver∣ses, may plainly enough be gathered. 1 Be∣cause (beside that no man can ordinarily know what Angels are present, or where, or when) no man hath any warrant to exhort the Angels (the constant tenour of the Scri∣pture being, Exhort one another—teaching and admonishing one another &c.) 2 Because the holy Angels need not mans exhortation to blesse God, or to performe any part of their duty. This latter reason Calvin upon this place urges, Certè (saith he) Angeli ma∣gìs voluntarii sunt ad hoc officium & ala∣cres, quàm ut indigeant nostris stimulis. And to this sense he expounds the place, say∣ing, Sed quamvìs celeriter pracurrant An∣geli nos vix lentè sequamur; David tamen nostrâ causâ canendas Dei laudes illis com∣mendat,

ut eorum exemplo expergefaciat nostrum torporem. Although therefore Da∣vid converts his speech to the Angels, yet his intent is to declare unto us what they doe, that we may imitate them. So when he speaks to the sea, to Jordan, to the moun∣taines and hills, Psalm. 114. he doth not propound questions as if he were ignorant of what he inquires, much lesse as if he expected an answer from things without life. But the proper sense of the words (the figurative speech being explained) is this, O men, see how it behoves you to obey God and to feare before Him, taking example even from the sea and Jordan, which went back at His command, from the mountaines and hills, which so trembled at His presence (especially at the promulgation of the Law) that they seemed to skip like rammes and lambes. In like manner here, he speaking by Apostrophe to the Angels, the sense is, O men, know ye that the holy Angels blesse God, and there∣fore ye also ought to imitate them.