Project Psalms

Lovers of psalmody will be glad to know that Project Psalms is undertaking the first comprehensive Psalms recording project in English, using the Scottish Psalter of 1650. Their goal is to produce the most memorable way to learn the Psalms.

For a long time, my personal favorite audio recording from the 1650 Scottish Metrical Psalter has been that 5-volume CD set produced by the Northern Presbytery Choir of the Reformed Presbyterian Church of Ireland (available at Crown & Covenant Publications here). However, although it is a beautiful group recording, it does not cover all the Psalms in the Psalter.

For Project Psalms, an individual professional tenor, Neil Mason, is currently recording the entire Psalter, which means all 150 Psalms, which is projected to include 386 song segments over approximately 3 hours (15 audio CDs/4 MP3 CDs), and it is expected to be completed by the end of 2011, Lord willing.

The 1650 Scottish Metrical Psalter is the text being employed, but the tunes are primarily derived from the 1979 Reformed Presbyterian Church of Ireland split-leaf Psalter edition, and include many that will familiar to most, including, such as the tunes from "Amazing Grace," "Crown Him With Many Crowns" and many other favorites.

The work is ongoing and donations/pre-orders may be made via the Project Psalms website.

The final package from Project Psalms will include:

• A 15 Audio CD set with the first-ever comprehensive recordings of the metrical Psalms (including 2 versions for 13 of the Psalms) as found in the original Scottish Psalter of 1650 (sung unaccompanied by a professional tenor).

• A 4 MP3 CD set with the same recordings but in MP3 format.

• A hard-copy booklet containing the Scottish Psalter of 1650 text and also notes by John Brown of Haddington.

• A hard-copy booklet containing the sheet music for the tunes used throughout the recordings.

• A soft-copy booklet (on the last MP3 CD) with sheet music and the Scottish Psalter of 1650 text in one PDF for easy reading of both the tune and the text together.

Visit the Project Psalms website for more information including pricing and be sure to check out their Facebook page as well. This project is a wonderful contribution to the concert of praise to which we are called by our Heavenly Conductor: "Sing ye to him, sing psalms; proclaim / his wondrous works each one" (SMV).

HT: Edgar Ibarra

Devotional Psalters - Part 2

Back in January 2009, I wrote about versions of the (1650 Scottish Metrical) Psalter that were once published with the annotations of Biblical commentators included for the edification of psalm-singers. Since I blogged about that, three new editions of such devotional Psalters have been published.

• John Brown of Haddington, The Psalms of David in Metre: With Annotations, Explaining the Sense, and Animating the Devotion (Nabu Press, March 2010);
• Matthew Henry, The Psalms of David in Metre...Allowed by the Authority of the General Assembly of the Kirk of Scotland...With an Analysis by Matthew Henry (Gale ECCO, June 2010)
• David Dickson, The Psalms of David: In Metre with the Annotations of David Dickson (Nabu Press, January 2010)

How to Read History

John Brown, Select Remains of the Rev. John Brown, p. 121:

Often we read history as atheists or deists, rather than as christians. To read of events without observing the hand of God in them, is to read as atheists: to read, and not observe how all events conduce to carry on the work of redemption, is to read as deists.

A Bargain With the Devil?

John Brown of Haddington was a poor, orphaned shepherd boy in 1742 or so when, having been affected following a series of illnesses by a spiritual awakening in connection with reading the Bible and various theological works (he mentions the Westminster Larger Catechism and the expositions of the Shorter Catechism by Thomas Vincent and John Flavel, Joseph Alleine's Alarm to the Unconverted, William Guthrie's The Christian's Great Interest, Samuel Rutherford's Letters, and Thomas Gouge's Christian directions Shewing How to Walk with God All the Day Long), Brown was inspired to take it upon himself to learn the Latin, Greek and Hebrew languages. It is said that, leaving his sheep "on the braes of Abernethy" in the care of a trusted companion, he set off on a midnight hike to St. Andrews, twenty-four miles away. The next morning he visited a bookseller seeking to purchase a Greek New Testament. The bookseller only smiled at his request, but a Professor from the University of St. Andrews, having engaged him in conversation, told him that if he could read a passage from the Testament, he would buy the book for him. He did so, and obtained the book, which was the beginning of a life-long love of languages that would lead him to learn Greek and Hebrew without a tutor, and Latin, studying under a tutor for one month; as well as, later, Arabic, Syrian, Persian, Ethiopian, French, Spanish, Dutch, German and Italian.

After mastering the first three languages, he casually conferred with a student at the University about his accomplishments, but this individual took it amiss and accused him of having acquired his great linguistic learning by means of a compact with the Devil. Others supported his accuser, and in fact, the accusation, as outrageous as it sounds, dogged him over the years to such an extent that at one point he was denied a certificate of church membership based on this allegation. He was forced to vindicate his learning in a letter dated August 6, 1745 (when he was 23 years old), in which he gives an account of his studies and relates his thought processes in some detail, a published extract of which maybe found here (pp. 29-33). Despite the false aspersion, Brown would go on to become one of Scotland's greatest and most famous and godly ministers of the eighteenth century.

His great-grandson Dr. John Brown would later quip, speaking of the Devil, "That astute personage would not have employed him on the Greek Testament."

The Wonder Child

Dr. John Brown (1810-1882), physician and essayist (1810-1882), son of John Brown of Edinburgh the Biblical commentator (1784-1858) and great-grandson of John Brown of Haddington (1722-1787), wrote among other works an essay about the young child prodigy Marjorie Fleming (1803-1811), who died at the age of eight of meningitis. She kept a diary for the last eighteen months of her life which, along with her poems, provides a written testimonial to that which all who knew her could affirm: she knew life above and beyond her years. She was raised a Presbyterian, and records faithfully when she left off her prayers, and other thoughts that one might find in a diary. She knew her history lessons as well as current events and versified them in the most delightful, entertaining way. Sir Walter Scott was said to have considered her his "pet" and described her as "the most extraordinary creature" he had ever known. Mark Twain wrote his own essay about her and called her "the world's child," describing her as "thunderstorm and sunshine." Robert Louis Stevenson called her "one of the greatest works of God." Though largely forgotten today, her life (though brief) and writings touched so many. The day before she died -- it was the Christian Sabbath -- she sat up in bed and read Robert Burns' Stanzas on the Prospect of Death, which Dr. Brown describes as "the publican's prayer in paraphrase." So young to be pondering such verses and yet the very next day she went to be with her Maker.

Why am I loth to leave this earthly scene?
Have I so found it full of pleasing charms?
Some drops of joy with draughts of ill between-
Some gleams of sunshine 'mid renewing storms,
Is it departing pangs my soul alarms?
Or death's unlovely, dreary, dark abode?
For guilt, for guilt, my terrors are in arms:
I tremble to approach an angry God,
And justly smart beneath His sin-avenging rod.

Fain would I say, "Forgive my foul offence,"
Fain promise never more to disobey;
But, should my Author health again dispense,
Again I might desert fair virtue's way;
Again in folly's part might go astray;
Again exalt the brute and sink the man;
Then how should I for heavenly mercy pray
Who act so counter heavenly mercy's plan?
Who sin so oft have mourn'd, yet to temptation ran?

O Thou, great Governor of all below!
If I may dare a lifted eye to Thee,
Thy nod can make the tempest cease to blow,
Or still the tumult of the raging sea:
With that controlling pow'r assist ev'n me,
Those headlong furious passions to confine,
For all unfit I feel my pow'rs to be,
To rule their torrent in th' allowed line;
O, aid me with Thy help, Omnipotence Divine!

Midnight to Midnight - Part 2

To conclude this short series of quotes from Puritan and Reformed divines affirming the reckoning of midnight-to-midnight observance of the Christian Sabbath or Lord's Day, consider the following.

John Brown of Haddington, Systematic Theology, Book VI, Chap. 1, p. 475:

The Christian Sabbath begins in the morning after midnight. 1. Christ rose early in the morning, Matt 28:1; Mark 16:2,9. 2. It begins where the Jewish sabbath ended, which was when it began to dawn towards the first day of the week, Matt 28:1,3. 3. The evening which follows the day of our sabbath pertained to it, John 20:19.

Lewis Bayly, The Practice of Piety, pp. 163-164:

The Jews kept the last day of the week, beginning their Sabbath with the night (Gen 2:2; Lev 23:32; Neh 13:19), when God rested; but Christians honour the Lord better, on the first day of the week (Matt 28:1), beginning the Sabbath with the day when the Lord arose (Acts 20:7,11) They kept their Sabbath in remembrance of the world's creation; but Christians celebrate it in memorial of the world's redemption; yea, the Lord's day being the first of the creation and redemption, puts us in mind, both of the making of the old, and redeeming of the new world.

John Willison, A Treatise Concerning the Sanctification of the Lord's Day, pp. 78-79:

But all these things being absurd, I do upon solid ground, assert, that the whole natural day, consisting of twenty-four hours, is to be set apart for the Sabbath day; and that we ought to measure this day, and begin and end it, as we do other days, that is, from midnight to midnight; during which time we are abstain from our own works, and sanctify the Lord's Sabbath: For the fourth command binds us to consecrate the seventh part of every week to the Lord, who challengeth a special property in one of seven, and asserts his just title thereto, saying, "The seventh day is the Lord's:" And also Isa. lvii.13 he expressly calls it, "My holy day." It is all holy; and therefore no part must be profaned or applied to common uses. It is all the Lord': and so it is unlawful for us to rob him of any part of it, and alienate it to our private use.

John Willison, An Example of Plain Catechising Upon the Assembly's Shorter Catechism, p. 188:

Q. How much of the day appointed for the sabbath is to be kept holy to the Lord?

A. One whole day in seven; a whole natural day, consisting of twenty-four hours, commencing from midnight to midnight, ought to be dedicated unto the Lord, seeing he claims a seventh part of our time. It is true, time for eating and sleeping must be allowed upon the sabbath as well as on other days, being works of necessity, seeing without these we cannot perform the duties of the sabbath.

Thomas Boston, An Illustration of the Doctrines of the Doctrines of the Christian Religion, With Respect to the Faith and Practice, Upon the Plan of the Assembly's Shorter Catechism, Comprehending a Complete Body of Divinity, Vol. 2, p. 470 (Commentary on the Shorter Catechism, 1993 SWRB ed., pp. 189-190:

Thirdly, The day to be kept holy is one whole day. Not a few hours while the public worship lasts, but a whole day. There is an artificial day betwixt sun-rising and sun-setting, John xi.9; and a natural day of twenty-four hours, Gen. i. which is the day here meant. This day we begin in the morning immediately after midnight; and so does the sabbath begin, and not in the evening, as is clear, if ye consider,

1. John xx.19. The same day at evening, being the first day of the week: where ye see that the evening following, not going before this first day of the week, is called the evening of the first day.

2. Our sabbath begins where the Jewish sabbath ended; but the Jewish sabbath did not end towards the evening, but towards the morning, Matth. xxviii.1. In the end of the sabbath, as it began to dawn towards the first day of the week, &c.

3. Our sabbath is held in memory of Christ's resurrection, and it is certain that Christ rose early in the morning of the first day of the week.

Let us therefore take the utmost care to give God the whole day, spending it in the manner he has appointed, and not look on all the time besides what is spent in public worship, as our own; which is too much the case in these degenerate times wherein we live.

Alexander McLeod, The Ecclesiastical Catechism; Being a Series of Questions, Relative to the Christian Church, Stated and Answered, With the Scripture Proofs:

140. At what period of the twenty-four hours does the Lord’s day or sabbath commence?

Our Lord arose from the dead on the morning of the first day of the week [a]: it is more conducive to solemnity to observe one whole day, than parts of two labouring days [b]: the fourth commandment requires not a part of two days, but one whole day [c]; and the evening after Christ’s resurrection, upon which he appeared in the midst of his worshipping disciples, is called, in scripture, the evening of the same day [d]: the christian sabbath comprehends twenty four hours, from midnight to midnight.

[a] John 20. 1. "The first day of the week cometh Mary Magdalene early, when it was yet dark—and seeth the stone taken away from the sepulchre." [b] Deut. 5. 14. "The seventh day is the sabbath of the Lord—in it thou shalt not do any work." [c] Exod. 20. 8. "Remember the sabbath day to keep it holy." [d] John 20. 19. "Then the same day at evening, being the first day of the week—came Jesus and stood in the midst, and saith unto them, Peace be unto you."

John Wallis, A Defense of the Christian Sabbath, p. 28:

I have insisted the longer on this, because I find him afterward moving another question about what time the Sabbath is to begin and end, and lays great stress upon it, as we shall see anon.

Of which I think we need not be further solicitous than to begin and end this day, according as other days are accounted to begin and end in the places where we live....

...I take it to be very plain from what I have said, that at the time of Christs Death and Resurrection, it [the Christian Sabbath] was accounted to begin very early in the morning, while it was dark, and continue till very late at night, according as we now account our days, from Mid-night to Mid-night.

Alexander Smith Paterson, A Concise System of Theology: Being the Shorter Catechism of the Westminster Assembly of Divines, Analyzed and Explained, p. 221:

Obs. 220. -- The Fourth Commandment requireth us to sanctify one whole day in seven, which God hath expressly appointed to be a holy Sabbath to himself.

By one whole day, as the stated time of worshipping God, we are to understand the same that we are to understand by any other whole day -- namely, a period consisting of twenty-four hours, or what is commonly called a natural day. And this day we should begin and end at the same time that we begin and end any other day, -- namely, at midnight.

William Plumer, The Law of God, as Contained in the Ten Commandments, Explained and Enforced, pp.309-310:

When does the Sabbath begin?

There is some diversity in the Christian world respecting the time, at which the Sabbath begins. Some date it from sunset on Saturday till sunset on Sabbath. When asked for their authority, they refer to a phrase which occurs several times in the first chapter of Genesis: "And the evening and the morning were the first day." This has not been considered sufficient proof by the great mass of the Christian world. Nor ought it to be, as all the world knows that no day of creation began in the evening; but all of them began in the morning. That saying of Moses therefore only declares that the day was made up of two parts, the after part, and the fore part. Indeed the evidence in the New Testament seems to be clearly against this view. "Our Sabbath begins where the Jewish Sabbath ended; but the Jewish Sabbath did not end towards the evening, but towards the morning. Matt. 28:1. ‘In the end of the Sabbath, as it began to dawn towards the first day of the week,’ etc. In the New Testament, the evening following, and not going before this first day of the week, is called the evening of the first day, John 20:19. ‘The same day, at evening, being the first day of the week,’ etc. Our Sabbath is held in memory of Christ’s resurrection, and it is certain that Christ rose early in the morning of the first day of the week."

Brian Schwertley, The Christian Sabbath: Examined, Proved, Applied:

5. The time of the Lord’s day
The sabbath law teaches that man is to sanctify to the Lord one whole day in seven. A question that needs to be answered is: “When does the Christian sabbath begin?” Some argue that the Christian sabbath begins on Saturday evening, while others argue that it runs from midnight Saturday to midnight Sunday. Those who argue that it runs from evening to evening point to the Jewish ceremonial sabbaths for support: “On the fourteenth day of the first month at twilight is the Lord’s Passover” (Lev. 23:5). The Hebrew word translated “twilight” (NKJV, NASB, NIV, NTHSMT [114]) or “evening” (RSV) literally means “between the evenings.” “The meaning of the phrase is much discussed. Most commentators think it means ‘in the evening’ (cf. Deut. 16:6, ‘at sunset’), or more precisely, the period between sunset and complete darkness. The orthodox Jewish view is that it means ‘between midday and sunset,’ and this is supported...on the grounds that it would have been impossible to kill all the passover lambs in the temple between sunset and darkness. In NT times the passover sacrifice began about 3 p.m.” [115] The evidence for an old covenant evening-to-evening sabbath is quite strong (cf. Lev. 23:32; Ex. 12:6, 30:8). Hendriksen believes that the Jewish sabbath began at 6 o’clock Friday evening: “According to the ancient Hebrew way of speaking, there were ‘two evenings’ (cf. Exod. 12:6 in the original). The first ‘evening’ which we would call ‘afternoon’ began at 3 p.m., the second at 6 p.m. Something of this is probably reflected in the phrase ‘When evening fell,’ for we cannot imagine that Joseph of Arimathea, a Jew, would have approached Pilate on Friday, 6 p.m., asking for the body of Jesus when the sabbath was beginning.” [116]

Although the Jewish sabbath was probably from evening to evening (or sunset to sunset), the passages in the New Testament which discuss the Lord’s day (the new covenant sabbath) point to a midnight-to-midnight observance. A passage which indicates that the inspired apostles no longer held to the old covenant system of a sunset-to-sunset sabbath is John 20:19: “Then, the same day at evening, being the first day of the week, when the doors were shut where the disciples were assembled, for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood in the midst, and said to them, ‘Peace be with you’” John is very specific in noting that this event took place on the first day of the week. “‘On that day’ would be enough, yet John adds, ‘the first one of the week.’” [117] “It was evening. In light of Luke 24:29, 33, 36 we have a right to conclude that it was no longer early in the evening when the great event recorded in the present paragraph took place. As the Jews compute the days, it was no longer the first day of the week. But John, though a Jew, is writing much later than Matthew and Mark, and does not seem to concern himself with Jewish time-reckoning.” [118] It is very significant that John emphasizes that the disciples gathered on the first day of the week, yet also records that it was evening, for if the apostolic church had maintained a sunset-to-sunset sabbath, then John would not have regarded it as the first day, but as the second. There then would be no reason at all for John to emphasize the time, for while the New Testament often emphasizes and singles out the first day (Mt. 28:1; Mk. 16:2; Lk. 24:1; Jn. 20:1, 19, 26; Ac. 20:7; 1 Cor. 16:2; Rev. 1:10), the second day holds no significance at all.

Another passage which indicates that the apostolic church had forsaken the sunset-to-sunset sabbath for a midnight-to-midnight [119] sabbath is Acts 20:7: “Now on the first day of the week, when the disciples came together to break bread, Paul, ready to depart the next day, spoke to them and continued his message until midnight.” Luke describes a church service that occurred on the first day of the week, yet says very specifically that Paul did not finish his message until midnight. If the Christian church had followed the Jewish synagogue practice, Paul would have concluded his message before sunset on Sunday, and not late at night. [120] “Certainly, one would almost expect the midnight-to-midnight demarcation, not only in the light of the particulars surrounding Resurrection Sunday, but especially considering that Troas was a Roman colony possessing the Jus Italicum and which therefore certainly followed the Roman midnight demarcation as a colony. It is clear that the congregation at Troas met for worship at night well after sunset, for ‘there were many lights in the upper chamber, where they were gathered together’ (Acts 20:8). Seeing that ‘the disciples came together to break bread’ in ‘the upper chamber,’ and seeing that there is no instance whatsoever in Scripture of religious meetings on Saturday night after sunset, it is reasonably certain that the disciples at Troas gathered on Sunday nights perhaps even before and certainly after sunset, even as their risen Lord had appeared to His Emmaus disciples on Resurrection Sunday and broken bread with them in the late afternoon, and long after the sunset of ‘the same day at evening, (still) being the first day of the week,’ had congregated with the Jerusalem disciples in the upper room.” [121]

Furthermore, it is recorded that Paul departed at daybreak, or the break of the next day. If Luke had been following the sunset-to-sunset day demarcation system of the Jews, Paul would be described as leaving “later on the same first day of the week.” [122] But Luke says of Paul on Sunday evening that he was “ready to depart the next day” (i.e., early Monday morning at daybreak). Thus there is considerable evidence that the inspired apostles abandoned the Jewish method of day demarcation for a midnight-to-midnight system. Although the matter of sabbath day demarcation may seem trivial, it is important that the church and society follow the inspired apostles’ example for the sake of uniformity, determining when church discipline is appropriate, preparing properly for the Sabbath, and refuting heretics (such as Seventh-day Adventists). “The Jews are supposed to begin every day, and consequently their sabbaths, at the evening, in remembrance of the creation, Gen. i. 5, as Christians generally begin their days and sabbaths with the morning, in memory of Christ’s resurrection.” [123]

Francis Nigel Lee, The Covenantal Sabbath: The Weekly Sabbath Scripturally and Historically Considered, pp. 273, 327:

Counting the ‘three days’ as Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, it is clear that Christ must have been in ‘the heart of the earth’ on part of Friday as well as on part of Sunday. But as He was not buried until Friday evening (Mt. 27:57-60), it seems clear that the end of each of the three days does not run from evening to evening (as Jews and Seventh-day Adventists allege), but from a point between evening and dawn—probably midnight—to the corresponding point twenty-four hours later. The ‘three days and three nights in the heart of the earth’ of Matt. 12:40 etc. would then be: sunset on Friday to midnight after Friday = the first ‘day and night;’ the midnight after Friday to the midnight after Saturday = the second ‘day and night;’ the midnight after Saturday to the sunrise on Sunday = the third ‘day and night;’ and the whole period in the grave from sunset on Friday to before dawn on Sunday morning = ‘three days and three nights,’ which expression is an idiom denoting a period of exactly three days and three nights (seventy-two hours) OR denoting any consecutive shorter parts thereof, such as the approximately thirty to thirty-six hours during which Christ was in the tomb.
The answer to the fourth sub-query: "When was Sunday first observed, and how?", must be that Christ and His Spirit progressively taught its observance in the hearts of God’s children by example rather than by precept particularly from Resurrection Sunday onwards. And in so teaching, They then probably indicated that, like the Adamic sabbath before the fall and like the Resurrection Sunday of Christ the Second Adam, the New Testament Sunday observance was to run from midnight to midnight (Matt. 28:1,6,13; Mark 16:1-2,9; Luke 24:1, 13, 24-36; John 20:1, 19; Acts 20:6-7, 11 cf. Ex. 11:4; 12:6, 12-16, 27-29, 42 cf. Gen. 1:3-5, 31; 2:1-3);...

Antichrist

John Brown of Haddington, Brown's Dictionary of Bible Characters (2007), pp. 123-125:

ANTICHRIST

An adversary of Jesus Christ. Heretics who deny the doctrine of the Trinity, or the divinity or incarnation of Christ, etc., are called antichrist. Of this sort, there were many in the time of the Apostle John. (1 John 2:18, 23, 4:3; 2 John 7) But one particular system of wicked persons, principles, and practices, is chiefly referred to, in the daily fear of which the early Christians lived. The Scripture presents this Antichrist as a very man of sin, and son of perdition, as a strong delusion overspreading the whole Roman Empire like a terrible judgment introduced by ignorance and hatred of the truth, and apostasy from it. He springs from the bottomless pit amid the terrible smoke of superstition and error; as sitting in the Temple or Church of God; as exalting himself above magistrates, angels, and everything to do with God; as a despiser of the gods of the idolatrous heathen, and the God of his professed fathers in the early Church, and setting up a new class of Mahuzzim, deities to protect his different dominions, giving them over to the vilest blasphemy, error, cruelty, and persecution; as possessing civil and ecclesiastical power over the ten parts of the Roman Empire, and seizing upon three of them as his rightful domain; as establishing his abominations unnumbered with false miracles and lying wonders; as excluding from civil commerce those who do not more or less solemnly acknowledge, and submit to, his power.

United under one head - the destructive angel of the bottomless pit - the promoters of this delusion are many and mischievous, like locusts and scorpions, ruinous to those who know nothing of the true grace of God, having their conscience seared as with a hot iron, speaking lies in hypocrisy, propagating the doctrine of devils, forbidding to marry, or, on occasion, to use lawful and wholesome meats, while their hearers had itching ears, heaping up teachers, and giving attention to their fables. They are lovers of themselves, covetous, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, without natural affection, breaking their word, false accusers, despisers of those that are good, treacherous, headstrong, high-minded, lovers of pleasure more than lovers of God, creeping into houses and leading captive silly women burdened with sins. The chief residence of this monster would be Rome; his name, Mystery, Babylon the great, the mother of harlots, and abominations of the earth. The number of his name is 666, whose numeral letters constitute Latinus or Romish, denying the articles of the faith, and upholding many other things in the Romish church.

This antichrist began his work in the apostolic age, but was checked by the power of the Roman Empire till its destruction, when a fearful apostasy from the faith happened in the Church. His duration is 1260 years, during which he promotes idolatry, lies, and blasphemy; treads the church under foot; and persecutes the saints who, all along bear witness against his abominations. Nor do the terrible ravages of the Eastern angels loosed from the Euphrates in the least make his subjects repent of their idolatries, murders, sorceries, fornications, and thefts. At the end of his reign, he will, with craft and fury, almost entirely cut off faithful witnessing for Christ. But, all of a sudden, by the pure preaching of the gospel, by the pouring out of sevenfold plagues, or vials of divine wrath, by the revolt and opposition of his own subjects, he will be terribly destroyed, to the consternation of his adherents and the great joy of the saints, both Jew and Gentile. (Dan. 7:18-12, 20-26, 11:36-40; 2 Thess. 2:3-12; 1 Tim. 4:1-3; 2 Tim. 3:1-7, 4:3-4; Rev. 9:1-11, 20-21 and chs. 11, 13-19)

The above characteristics drawn from Scripture cannot be wholly found in the heathen Emperors of Rome, much less in the fanciful Danish-Antichrist of popish writers, or the Armillus of the Jews, or the Daggial of the Mahometans. The Mahometan system may indeed be considered as a lesser antichrist, but neither contain all the characteristics applicable to it. It does not sit in the Church, nor appear to men to have a power equal to God's. It allows no idolatry, nor is it notable for the persecution of the saints, nor was it established by lying wonders, but by the power of the sword. Actually, every characteristic is clearly found in the papacy.

If with the two great Newtons (Isaac and Thomas), and Moses Lowman, we date the rise of antichrist from the pope becoming a civil prince in AD 750 or 756. I rather incline to date the rise of Antichrist from his claim to universal headship over the Christian Church in AD 606, or 608, for in this, I suppose, his character of Antichrist chiefly consists. (See Antichrist: in 1 John 2:18, 22, 4:3; 2 John 1:7; and Antichrists in 1 John 2:18)

[See John Brown of Haddington's Dictionary of the Holy Bible for the expanded entry on Antichrist from which the extract above is derived.]

Done and Undone

Theologians distinguish between original and actual sin. Because sin is defined as "any want of conformity unto, or transgression of, the law of God," actual sin is further distinguished between what are known as "sins of omission" and "sins of commission."

Fisher's Catechism, Q.14:

Q. 15. How are actual sins divided?

A. Into sins of omission and commission.

Q. 16. What is a sin of omission?

A. It is a neglecting, or forgetting to do that good which the law commands, James 4:17.

Q. 17. What is a sin of commission?

A. It is a doing of what the law of God forbids, Psalm 51:4.

John Brown of Haddington's exposition of the Westminster Shorter Catechism:

Q. How may actual sin be distinguished? -- A. Into sins of omission and of commission.

Q. What understand you by a sin of omission? -- A. Our neglecting to perform that which God's law requires.

Q. What mean you by a sin of commission? -- A. Our doing that which God's law forbids, Hos. iv.2.

How humbling is it to realize that not only do we actively sin against God's perfect and law, but we also transgress by evading our duties. Who can keep the fullness of God's requirements to not only abstain from this or that, but to do all that we are supposed to do? We are all unprofitable servants. This must have been on the mind of James Ussher as he breathed his last. Ussher's last words on his deathbed on March 21, 1656 are reported to be: "O Lord forgive me, especially my sins of omission." The mercy of God, through Jesus Christ -- this is our only hope.

If thou, LORD, shouldest mark iniquities, O Lord, who shall stand?
But there is forgiveness with thee, that thou mayest be feared. (Ps. 130.3-4)

"A General Confession of Sin,” from the Anglican Book of Common Prayer (1552 edition), penned by Thomas Cranmer:

ALMIGHTY and most mercyfull father, we have erred and strayed from thy wayes, lyke lost shepe. We have folowed too much the devises and desyres of oure owne hearts. We have offended against thy holy lawes. We have left undone those things whiche we oughte to have done, and we have done those thinges which we ought not to have done, and there is no health in us: but thou, O Lord, have mercy upon us miserable offendors. Spare thou them, O God, which confesse theyr faultes. Restore thou them that be penitent, according to thy promyses declared. unto mankynde, in Christe Jesu oure Lorde. And graunt, O most merciful father, for his sake, that we may hereafter live a godly, righteous, and sobre life, to the glory of thy holy name. Amen.

Psalm 124

The setting to Psalm 124 that we know as Old 124th was composed by Louis Bourgeois and appeared in the 1551 Genevan Psalter entitled Pseaumes Octante Trois de David (Eighty-Three Psalms of David). The psalm itself is a song of hope and has been sung on many special occasions celebrating God's providential deliverances.

It sung by the Jews at the Feast of Purim to commemorate their deliverance from the schemes of Haman.

In Scottish church history, it is known as "Durie's Psalm" because it was sung after John Durie (1537-1600), who had been banished from Edinburgh for critical remarks against King James VI of Scotland, was readmitted to the city in 1582. James Melville wrote in his diary:

Within few days after the petition of the nobility, John Durie gat leave to ga haim to his ain flock of Edinburgh; at whase returning there was a great concours of the haill toun, what met him at the Nether Bow; and going up the street, with bare heads and loud voices, sang to the praise of Goed, and testifying of great joy and consolation, the 124th Psalm, "Now Israel may say, and that trewly," till heaven and earth resoundit. This noise, when the Duke (of Lennox), being in the toun, heard, and ludging in the Hiegate looked out and saw, he rave his beard for anger, and hasted him off the toun.

The event known to Genevans as L'Escalade, which occurred in 1602, was a great deliverance in the history of the Protestant Church. The Duke of Savoy launched a surprise attack on the night of December 11-12 and it was repelled by the city's defenders. Theodore Beza led the city in service of praise to God afterwards at which Psalm 124 was sung.

In 1900, as the Boxer Rebellion got underway, persecution against American missionaries intensified and many were killed. But in August, the American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions received a cable quoting Psalm 124.7: "Our soul is escaped as a bird out of the snare of the fowlers; the snare is broken, and we are escaped." The cable reported that twenty-missionaries and eleven children who had been missing for 73 days, and were believed to be dead, were in fact alive and safe.

Spontaneous singing of this psalm occurred in the English Parliament after the end of World War II and after Holland's liberation from the Nazis in May 1945.

Lewis Lupton, A History of the Geneva Bible, Vol. 5, p. 85:

This psalm to Bourgeois' tune is an impressive expression of joy at sudden deliverance and has preserved its vitality through the centuries. When liberation came so dramatically to Holland in 1945 Dutch people flocked into the streets and squares in their thousands singing this psalm (in Dutch of course) to this tune. The English version was sung at St. Margaret's, Westminster, on May 8th, 1945, when the House of Commons attended in state. Sir Winston Churchill and many other Members were much struck by it. For my own part the studies connected with the Geneva Bible have become part of my life, and on more than one occasion this psalm has meant as much to me as it did to oppressed believers in bygone days.

As we sing this psalm in our day, the counsel of John Brown of Haddington holds true:

This psalm is highly applicable to every remarkable deliverance which God works for his church, especially to the great redemption wrought for his people by Christ. In it, (1.) David magnifies the danger they were in, ver. 1-5. (2.) Ascribes the glory of their deliverance to God, ver. 1-2, 6-7. (3.) Improves the deliverance as an encouragement to trust in God, ver. 8.

Let me behold Jehovah as a present help in trouble. Let my waiting eyes be towards him, who, notwithstanding all the combined power and policy of hell and earth, is able and ready to pull my feet out of the net.

1 Now Israel
may say, and that truly,
If that the Lord
had not our cause maintain'd;
2 If that the Lord
had not our right sustain'd,
When cruel men
against us furiously
Rose up in wrath,
to make of us their prey;

3 Then certainly
they had devour'd us all,
And swallow'd quick,
for ought that we could deem;
Such was their rage,
as we might well esteem.
4 And as fierce floods
before them all things drown,
So had they brought
our soul to death quite down.

5 The raging streams,
with their proud swelling waves,
Had then our soul
o'erwhelmed in the deep.
6 But bless'd be God,
who doth us safely keep,
And hath not giv'n
us for a living prey
Unto their teeth,
and bloody cruelty.

7 Ev'n as a bird
out of the fowler's snare
Escapes away,
so is our soul set free:
Broke are their nets,
and thus escaped we.
8 Therefore our help
is in the Lord's great name,
Who heav'n and earth
by his great pow'r did frame.

At His Elbow

The story is told (in Hay and Belfrage's Memoir of the late Alexander Waugh, D.D.) that the noted skeptic David Hume was once prevailed upon to attend a pair of sermons. The first was preached by a young minister, whose eloquence was undeniable; the second by the elderly and famous John Brown of Haddington. Hume is reported to have said to a friend afterwards, "The first preacher spoke as if he did not believe what he said; the latter as if he was conscious that the Son of God stood at his elbow." The testimony of Hume rings true: "at his elbow." So should a minister preach, so should a Christian live.

To Glorify God and To Enjoy Him Forever

In answer to the query, "What is the chief end of man?" the Westminster Shorter Catechism responds thus: "Man's chief end is to glorify God, and to enjoy him forever." The chief end of man is articulated to consist of two clauses, and the relationship between those two clauses has been the subject of some interest and study, particularly in light of John Piper's "Christian Hedonism" philosophy. Below I have compiled the statements of some divines in order for us to better understand the nuances of this relationship between glorifying God and enjoying God.

John Brown of Haddington:

Q. Why is the glorifying of God placed before the enjoyment of him?

A. Because the glory of God is of more value than our happiness, Isa. xl. 17.

Q. Whether is our glorifying or enjoying of God first in order?

A. We must first enjoy God in his gracious influences, and then glorify him; and this leads on to further enjoyment of him, Psalm cxix. 32.

Q. Is our delight in the glory or glorious excellencies of God as satisfying to us, to be our chief end or motive in our actions, religious or moral?

A. No; but our shewing forth the honour of those glorious excellencies, Isa. ii. 11, Psal. xvi. 4, Isa. xliii. 21.

Q.Why may we not make our own delight in the glory of God as satisfying to our desires, our chief end and motive?

A. Because this would be a setting up of our own happiness above the glory of God.
...
Q. Why are the glorifying and enjoying of God joined as one chief end?

A. Because none can obtain or rightly seek the one without the other, 1 Cor. xv. 58.

Q. How do we most highly glorify God?

A. By receiving and enjoying him most fully.

William Gouge:

God's glory is the most principal and supreme end of all. As at the next (but subordinate) end, God in His Providence aimeth at His children's good.

Fisher's Catechism:

Q. 1.44. Why is the glorifying God made the leading part of man's chief end, and set before the enjoyment of him?

A. Because, as God's design in glorifying himself was the reason and foundation of his design in making man happy in the enjoyment of him, Rom. 11:26; so he has made our aiming at his glory, as our chief end, to be the very way and means of our attaining to that enjoyment, Psalm 50:23.

Q. 1.45. Is our happiness, in the enjoyment of God, to be our chief end?

A. No; but the glory of God itself, Isa. 42:8; in our aiming at which chiefly, we cannot miss the enjoyment of him, Psalm 91:14, 15.

Q. 1.46. Is not our delighting in the glory of God, to be reckoned our chief end?

A. No; we must set the glory of God above our delight therein, otherwise, our delight is not chiefly in God, but in ourselves, Isa. 2:11. Our subjective delighting in the glory of God belongs to the enjoyment of him, whose glory is above the heavens, and infinitely above our delight therein, Psalm 113:4.

Thomas Boston:

Glorifying of God is put before the enjoying of him, because the way of duty is the way to the enjoyment of God. Holiness on earth must necessarily go before felicity in heaven, Heb.12:14. There is an inseparable connection betwixt the two, as between the end and the means; so that no person who does not glorify God here, shall ever enjoy him hereafter. The connection is instituted by God himself, so that the one can never be attained without the other. Let no person, then, who has no regard for the glory and honour of God in this world, dream that he shall be crowned with glory, honour, immortality, and eternal life, in heavenly mansions. No; the pure in heart, and they who glorify God now, shall alone see God, to their infinite joy in heaven.

Thomas Watson:

If we glorify God, he will glorify our souls forever. By raising God's glory, we increase our own: by glorifying God, we come at last to the blessed enjoyment of him.

John Willison:

Q. Do we not promote our happiness, by making God's glory our chief end?

A. Yes; and therefore glorifying God, and enjoying him for ever, are connected in the answer.

Joseph Alleine:

Q. What is mans chief duty?

A. To glorifie God.

Q. What is mans chief happinefs?

A. To enjoy God.

John Flavel:

Q. 9. Why are the glorifying and enjoying of God put together, as making up our chief End?

A. Because no man can glorify God, that takes him not for his God; and one takes him for his God, that takes him not for his supreme Good; and both these being essentially included in this Notion of the chief End, are therefore justly put together.

Thomas Vincent:

Q. 7. Why is the glorifying of God and the enjoyment of God joined together as one chief end of man?

A. Because God hath inseparably joined them together, so that men cannot truly design and seek the one without the other. They who enjoy God most in his house on earth, do most glorify and enjoy him. "Blessed are they that dwell in thy house; they will be still praising thee." — Ps. 84:4. And when God shall be most fully enjoyed by the saints in heaven he will be most highly glorified. "He shall come to be glorified in his saints."— 2 Thess. 1:10.

A.S. Paterson:

Obs. 3. The glorifying of God, and the enjoyment of him, are inseparably connected.

The glorifying and the enjoyment of God are here connected as one chief end, because God hath inseparably connected them, and no one can truly design and seek the one, without, at the same time, designing and seeking the other. And we may here remark, that the glorifying of God is here set before the enjoyment of him for ever, to show that the former is the means by which the latter is obtained ; that holiness on earth must precede happiness in heaven ; and that none shall enjoy God for ever who have no desire to glorify him in this world. Heb. xii. 14; Matt. v. 8.

Thomas Doolittle:

Q. Is the principal to glorifie God? Yes.

Q. And the lefs principal to enjoy him for ever? Yes.

Q. Are thefe two joyned together with And? Yes.
...
Q. S.D. What is the firft Propofition?

A. Man's chief End is to glorifie God, I Cor. 10. 31. Whether ye eat or drink, or whatfoever ye do, do all to the Glory of God: Rom. 11. 36.

Q. What is the fecond Propofition?

A. Man's Chief End is, in, or next to to the glorifying of God, to enjoy him for ever, Pfal. 73. 25, to the end. Whom have I in Heaven but thee? and there is none upon Earth that I defire befides thee. 26. God is the ftrength of my Heart, and my Portion for ever: Joh. 17. 21, 22, 23.

Thomas Lye:

I. Mans chief end is,

1. To glorifie God; Proved out of 1 Cor. 10.31. Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatfoever ye do, Do all to the glory of God.

2. Next to the glorifying of God, to enjoy him for ever. Proved out of Pfal. 73. 25, 26. Whom have I in heaven but thee? and there is none upon earth that I defire befide thee, v. 26. My flefh, and my heart faileth, but God is the strength of my heart, and my portion for ever.
...
Q. How many Doctrines or diftinct Truths are there in this firft Anfwer?

A. There are Two.

Q. VVhat is the firft Doctrine in this Anfwer?

A. That Mans chief end is To glorify God.

Q. How is this Doctrine proved?

A. It is proved out of I Cor. 16.31. VVhether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatfoever ye do, do all to the glory of God.

Q. VVhere lies the force of this Text to prove this Doctrine?

A. In thefe words, Do all to the glory of God.

Q. How know you, that the force lies in thefe Words?

A. By two things.

1. By the fenfe of the words themfelves.

2. Becaufe thefe words are printed, with a different Character, or letter, from other words of the fame Text.

Q. Wherein lies the difference?

A. The words, wherein the force lies, are printed Text. with blacker, and lefs Characters: The others, in whiter, and bigger Letters.

Q. But what if at any time, as it is very often in the Catechifm, all the words of the Text are printed alike?

A. Then the Force lies not in any particular words of the Text, but in the whole.

Q. What is the fecond doctrine in this firft Anfwer?

A. Next to the glorifying of God, to enjoy him for ever.

Q. Why fay you fo? This is no Doctrine: for A Doctrine muft be full, and perfect fenfe.

A. It is fo printed in my Catechifm.

Q. It is fo indeed. But here you muft note with all Care, That when ever you are bid to draw A Doctrine, either from the Anfwer, or Scripture, you be fure to give full, and compleat fenfe.

A. Thats but fit indeed. But I know not how to help my felf herein.

Q. To help you therefore, look narrowly into your Catechifm, and there you fhall find immediately after the Anfwer to the queftion, fome other words, which being added to what you have faid, will make the fenfe full, and compleat.

A. I now fee thefe words -- Mans chief end is -- standing juft under the Anfwer.

Q. Adde them then to the words you faid before: and now tell me, what is the fecond Doctrine in this firft Answer?

A. That Mans chief end is, next to the glorifying of God, to enjoy him for ever.

Q. Now indeed you Anfwer rightly;
How is this Doctrine proved?

A. It is proved out of Pf. 73. 25, 26. Whom have I in heaven but thee! and there is none upon Earth that I defire befides thee. 26. My Flefh and my Heart faileth, but God is the ftrength of my heart, and my portion for ever.

Q. Where lies the force of this Text to prove this Doctrine?

A. In thefe words, -- Whom have I in Heaven but thee! none that I defire befides thee, 26. God is my portion for ever.

J.G. Vos:

5. Why does the catechism place glorifying God before enjoying God? Because the most important element in the purpose of human life if glorifying God, while enjoying God is strictly subordinate to glorifying God. In our religious life, we should always place the chief emphasis on glorifying God. The person who does this will truly enjoy God, both here and hereafter. But the person who thinks of enjoying God apart from glorifying God is in danger of supposing that God exists for man instead of man for God. To stress enjoying God more than glorifying God will result in a falsely mystical or emotional type of religion.

Henry Cooke and the Psalms: A Pilgrimage

Henry Cooke, Irish Presbyterian (1788-1868) was a prominent minister of his day, famous for his notes to John Brown of Haddington's Self-Interpreting Bible, among other works. He once published a collection of hymns with the perspective that it was wrong to limit song in worship to only the Psalms, but later repudiated this position and came to adhere to the position of exclusive psalmody, even writing a preface to a reprint of The True Psalmody in which he defended exclusive psalmody. That preface is worth reading because it includes a personal account as well as a theological reckoning of his pilgrimage on this issue.

All the John Browns

Besides well known John Browns such as the Abolitionist (American, 1800-1859), and the Spy (British, d. 1964), there are many other John Browns known particularly to students of Reformed Church history. In fact, it is a challenge to remember who is who, but each is worthy of individual recognition in the history of the church. The following are some notable John Browns on this list to help them straight in our collective memory:

John Brown of Wamphray (Scottish, 1610-1679) -- Covenanter pastor and theologian.

John Brown of Priesthill (Scottish, d. 1685) -- Covenanter martyr.

John Brown of Haddington (Scottish, 1722-1787) -- Presbyterian pastor, theologian and biblical commentator.

John Brown of Whitburn (Scottish, 1754-1832) -- Secession minister and son of John Brown of Haddington.

John Brown of Edinburgh (Scottish, 1784-1858) -- Presbyterian Minister and biblical commentator, son of John Brown of Whitburn and grandson of John Brown of Haddington.

John Brown the Physician (Scottish, 1810-1882) -- Doctor and essayist, son of John Brown of Edinburgh, grandson of John Brown of Whitburn and great-grandson of John Brown of Haddington.

John Brown of Bedford (British, 1830-1922) -- Biographer of John Bunyan.

How to Read the Word of God

John Brown of Haddington's Self-Interpreting Bible:

In order to the profitable reading of the Word of GOD it is necessary to approach its sacred pages with becoming reverence and humility. Some persons read the Bible as a book of amusement, while others peruse it for its antiquarian character and its historical records. Others again read thoughtlessly; being accustomed from childhood to see the Book in their households, they unconsciously come to treat it as a common thing. In order, however, to study it with saving benefit, the heart must be prepared with pious dispositions and with illumination of the HOLY GHOST, which is promised to those who ask it.

1. Read with reverence. Remember that it is an inspired revelation in which ALMIGHTY GOD sets forth His plan of grace and mercy. To read a message from the LORD with lack of reverence or with thoughtlessness is as unwise as it is dangerous.

2. Read with docility. Remember that GOD is the Teacher in the Word. Do not therefore use it so as to make it sustain favorite theories or preconceived opinions. To act thus is to assume that man knows beforehand what GOD should reveal, and that it is not dishonoring to GOD to compel His Word to speak as man pleases. So also to reject the teachings of the Bible because they are humiliating to man's supposed ability or dignity is to act as if GOD knew not our state and nature, and that man were wiser than GOD.

3. Read with intelligence and care. Compare passage with passage, and it will be found that the Bible will be its own interpreter. There are many difficult and profound places in the Bible. Do not reject or deal rashly with such passages. Lay them aside for thought and prayer and future reading, and in time it will be found that light will arise in unexpected quarters, and such portions will be made plain.

4. Read studiously. Let the earnest attention of the mind and all the faculties of the soul be applied, remembering that the Word is given to make wise unto salvation. Do not ignore the lessons of any book or part of a book. Realize the fact that the Bible is all from GOD, and that, though all the books are not of equal interest, they are all designed for our instruction, and they all unite to complete the revelation as a whole. Read the Bible so as to discern the system of truth which pervades the Book, and remember always that if natural things in the universe are worthy of study, much more so are the lessons of JEHOVAH, set forth in His Word, that reveal a Saviour and tell us of the inheritance of the saints in another world.

5. Read regularly. It is related of CHRYSOSTOM that he read the Epistle to the Romans twice every week, and of the Rev. THOMAS GOUGE, that he read fifteen chapters daily. Aim not so much as quantity as at regularity, so as daily to feed on the Word, and thus we shall experience its sustaining and controlling power. In the labors and cares of every-day duty, as well as in the temptations, we shall feel the benefit of such feeding on the Divine counsels in the Holy Word.

6. Study the design of each book. Errors and heresies generally arise from separating passages and reading them without regarding their relative bearing and connection, and applying a dogmatic meaning to them, instead of ever reading with the conviction that no one part and no one book can be opposed to any others, and that a spirit of unity pervades the whole.

7. Discern always the connection which is shown to exist between doctrine and duty, and strive after spiritual obedience. To receive right views of GOD, heaven, hell, the SAVIOUR, pardon and acceptance, will necessarily lead to right feelings, and where the affections and the heart are right, then right acting will follow. In other words, true doctrines, rightly apprehended, are inseparable from spiritual feelings and efforts after corresponding obedience. There is darkness in every mind where mere legality or notional formality prevails.

8. Remember that the Bible is given not only to teach, but to sustain under trial, and to cheer under affliction. This is a world of care, a scene of disappointments, bereavements, trials and distress. This is not the inheritance and the rest. Here the believer walks by faith, and the soul has to lean on an unseen stay, but a never-failing support. Of that support the Word is ever full, both of direction and promise. Read with faith and receive the promise with the simplicity and heartiness of a little child, and it will be found that the Lord is a present help in time of trouble. Study, then, the Word that teaches the soul how to cast the burden on the Lord.

9. Rely constantly on the teaching of the HOLY SPIRIT, and look for His gracious presence to shin on the Word and make the soul wise unto salvation. Remember that the "natural man receiveth not the things of the SPIRIT OF GOD. They are spiritually discerned." The HOLY GHOST has given the Word by His inspiration, and it is His office to interpret it to the soul, and to seal it on the heart. Ever look for that teaching. Read with humility, with a tender, docile spirit, being assured that if any man lack wisdom, let him ask of GOD, who giveth liberally, and it shall be given to him.

Devotional Psalters

In times past, some editions of the 1650 Scottish Metrical Psalter were specially prepared to include notes or annotations from notable commentators on the Psalms to help Christians follow the precept articulated in 1 Cor. 14.15 and also found in the Westminster Directory for Public Worship that one must "sing with understanding" when singing the Psalms of David.

I am aware of five such versions (there might be more) that have been published over the centuries. One includes the notes on the Psalms by David Dickson, a 17th century Scottish Presbyterian divine. Another includes the comments of Matthew Henry, an English Presbyterian divine who lived in the 17th and 18th centuries. John Brown of Haddington, an 18th century Scottish Presbyterian, published his notes on the Psalms in metre which are still available today. There is a 19th century edition of the Scottish Metrical Psalter with the notes of Matthew Henry and John Brown combined. And another 19th century edition includes the notes of William King Tweedie, Scottish Presbyterian, which was published by the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland soon after his death.

If one has Matthew Henry's famous commentary on the Bible, it is a useful exercise to pay particular heed to his directions (found in his annotations on each psalm) on how to rightly sing that psalm. His comments provide not only sound exegesis, but helpful application for the psalm-singer.

Each of these resources is helpful for the pastor or head of household in leading those under his charge in the singing of psalms, as well as for use in private devotions. I commend them all highly.

Happy Birthday Robbie Burns!

January 25, 2009 marks the 250th birthday of Scotland's national poet, Robert Burns. While not a man with a godly reputation, he was a gifted writer. Earlier, I posted my favorite of his poems, The Cotter's Saturday Night. Now, as a further tribute to his memory, with a glass raised high (skipping the haggis), here are a few more lines worth recalling from his skilled hand.

The Solemn League and Covenant

The Solemn League and Covenant
Now brings a smile, now brings a tear;
But sacred Freedom, too, was theirs:
If thou'rt a slave, indulge thy sneer.

Epistle to James Tennant of Glenconner:

My shins, my lane, I there sit roastin’,
Perusing [John] Bunyan, [John] Brown [of Haddington], an’ [Thomas] Boston,

Psalm for the New Year

Psalm 65 speaks of the faithfulness of God in saving and preserving his people, all of which redounds to his praise. It is a psalm that I think of especially as I consider the ways in which the Lord has provided for us according to our needs in the past year, and a reminder to meditate upon his wonderful works as we beseech him to continue his loving-kindness upon his servants.

John Brown of Haddington offered these remarks to those who sing this psalm (the psalm metre itself is from the 1650 Scottish Metrical Psalter):

Here we are directed to praise God, (1.) For his kindness manifested in his kingdom of grace ­ in hearing prayers; in pardoning iniquities; in satisfying the souls of his people with his blessings; and in protecting and supporting them in every exigence, ver. 1-5. (2.) For his kindness in the kingdom of Providence in fixing the mountains; in calming the seas; in preserving the regular succession of day and night; and in rendering the fields fruitful, and the flocks numerous and happy, ver. 6-13.

While I sing, let praise wait, in my soul, for the Lord; and let me pour out my heart before him. Under a deep sense of guilt and pollution, let me believe his unbounded forgiveness, and sanctifying influence. Let me come even to his seat, and enjoy ravishing fellowship with him. Let all my confidence be fixed on him; and, even in the blessings of Providence, let me discern the exceeding riches of his grace.

Psalm 65

1 Praise waits for thee in Zion, Lord:
to thee vows paid shall be.
2 O thou that hearer art of pray'r,
all flesh shall come to thee.

3 Iniquities, I must confess,
prevail against me do:
But as for our transgressions,
them purge away shalt thou.

4 Blessed is the man whom thou dost choose,
and mak'st approach to thee,
That he within thy courts, O Lord,
may still a dweller be:

We surely shall be satisfied
with thy abundant grace,
And with the goodness of thy house,
ev'n of thy holy place.

5 O God of our salvation,
thou, in thy righteousness,
By fearful works unto our pray'rs
thine answer dost express:

Therefore the ends of all the earth,
and those afar that be
Upon the sea, their confidence,
O Lord, will place in thee.

6 Who, being girt with pow'r, sets fast
by his great strength the hills.
7 Who noise of seas, noise of their waves,
and people's tumult, stills.

8 Those in the utmost parts that dwell
are at thy signs afraid:
Th' outgoings of the morn and ev'n
by thee are joyful made.

9 The earth thou visit'st, wat'ring it;
thou mak'st it rich to grow
With God's full flood; thou corn prepar'st,
when thou provid'st it so.

10 Her rigs thou wat'rest plenteously,
her furrows settelest:
With show'rs thou dost her mollify,
her spring by thee is blest.

11 So thou the year most lib'rally
dost with thy goodness crown;
And all thy paths abundantly
on us drop fatness down.

12 They drop upon the pastures wide,
that do in deserts lie;
The little hills on ev'ry side
rejoice right pleasantly.

13 With flocks the pastures clothed be,
the vales with corn are clad;
And now they shout and sing to thee,
for thou hast made them glad