This Psalm is made up of two different sorts of thoughts; the one arising out of particular experience, and the other, out of a general doctrine. Those drawn from experience, are set down in the verses preceding the text; and in it, with those that follow, is contained the doctrine, with a duty annexed to it, which two are faith's main supporters. Past experiences verify the doctrine, and the generality of the doctrine serves to explain the particular experiences to all wise observers. There is not a treasure of the merits of saints in the Church, as some dream, but there is a treasure of the precious experiences of the saints, which every believer hath right to make use of; and these we should be versed in, that we may have them in readiness at hand, in time of need, and know how to use them, to draw both comfort from them to ourselves, and arguments to use with God.

The words contain clearly two propositions, both of them concerning the wrath of man: the former hath the event of it, Surely the wrath of man shall praise Thee: the latter, the limitation of it, The remainder of wrath Thou wilt restrain.

That the virtues and graces of men do praise the Lord, all men easily understand, for they flow from Him: His image and superscription is upon them, and therefore no wonder if He has from them a tribute of glory. Who knows not that faith praises Him? Abraham believed and gave glory to God. Rom. iv. 20. Good works, the fruits of faith, praise Him too. Herein is my Father glorified, says our Saviour, that ye bear much fruit. John xv. 8. But that the inordinate wrath of man should praise Him, may seem somewhat strange. Were it God's own wrath, (since wrath is attributed to Him in Scripture,) that might praise Him, for it is always most just. Or were it a due and moderate anger of man, upon just cause, that were fit for praising Him too, in despite of the Stoics. But that wicked and disordered wrath, (which is undoubtedly here meant,) that the wrath of men, which is both uncomely and dishonourable for themselves, though they think otherwise, that even such a wrath should honour God and praise Him,

argues well both that He hath good right to praises, when every thing, even things that seem contrary to His nature, as well as to His law, do pay them to Him; and that He hath great power and wisdom, who obtains what is due to Him even from those persons and things which of themselves are most unwilling and unfit to pay it. This is the excellent skill of His wisdom, to draw that which shall go into the making up. of the precious composition of His praise, out of this poison; for so the word here used for wrathful heat, doth sometimes signify. And this wrath often proves so, a deadly poison both to those it is incensed against, and to the very breast that breeds it, and wherein it is kindled.

But for the clearer understanding of this, I conceive it will be requisite to consider more distinctly, first, what this wrath of man is; secondly, how it can praise God; and lastly, the infallibility of this event, Surely the wrath of man shall praise Thee.

I. In the cxlviiith Psalm, where David summons the creatures to meet in that song of praise, to keep that full concert, he calls not only the heavens and the inhabitants of it, angels and lights, but those of the lower world to bear their part in it; and not only men, beasts, cattle, creeping things, and the flying fowl, but those creatures which do most resemble this wrath here spoken of, fire, stormy tempest, and dragons, &c. The tenor of this Psalm doth shew, that by the wrath of man is to be understood, the undue rage of evil and ungodly men against those whom God owns for His people. The word here used, signifies a hot or inflaming wrath; and indeed, such is the feverish, distempered anger of the Church's enemies. And as too much heat is an enemy to solid reason, this hot wrath of theirs makes them incapable of wise delibeberation in themselves, and inflexible to the good advice of others. It is true, they take counsel how to execute their wrath, as we shall hear anon, but they take no counsel that may cool it. Anger, described by its material cause, is called a boiling of the blood about the heart; but this ariseth from

Why do the heathen That is, not only to

the apprehension of something offensive, kindling a desire of revenge. Now, it is a wonder what the powers of the world find in Christ and his harmless flock, that can incense them. St. James says of the tongue, that it is set on fire of hell. The same is the origin of this wrath. rage? saith the Psalmist, Psal. ii. 1. what purpose, intimating that it is a fruitless rage, and void of success, in regard of God's power, but Why, that is, upon what occasion, checking the rage as groundless and without cause, in regard of Christ and his Church's innocency. The cause is only within themselves, to wit, that unhappy antipathy of the serpent's seed against the seed of the woman. Thus, this wrath of man is, the causeless, malicious enmity of the wicked against the Church of God. And under the name of this passion I take to be here comprised likewise, all the attendants of it, all their crafty complotments and devices for the acting of their wrath. As there is mention of the nation's rage against Christ, in the second Psalm, so, likewise, of the consultations of those who are of quality fit for it: The rulers take counsel together. Further, this wrath is not barely their inward fire, but the vent of it, when it flames into cruel and outrageous practices, including likewise all the instruments they make use of. And of all these it is true, that God shall gain glory by them. Surely, the wrath of man shall praise Thee.

The wrath of man, says the Apostle, accomplisheth not the righteousness of God. Jam. i. 20. How then can it accomplish His praises? And this is the IId thing propounded.

Are grapes gathered of thorns, or figs of thistles? Surely not. Therefore I called this praise, not the fruit or proper effect of man's wrath, but the event or consequent of it, by the efficacy of Divine providence. The wrath of man shall praise Thee. That is, the use which Thou wilt make of it, shall tend to Thy praise. Thou wilt produce such effects from it, both in the Church and upon Thine enemies, when thou VOL. III. Q

sufferest Thy wrath to break forth, as shall furnish more matter of Thy praises than if Thou hadst altogether restrained it. To instance this in some few particulars:

It is the fury of the Church's enemies, that has made known to the world the invincible courage and patience of the saints. Those ages which have been most monstrous in persecution, have most of all graced Christianity. Had there been no persecuting emperors, who would have heard of those primitive martyrs who triumphed over the cruelty of their torments? Were there no persecution, nor peril, nor sword, against believers, we should not have heard the Apostle say, immediately after the mention of those, In all these we are more than conquerors. They could not have been so much as conquerors, had there been no conflict.

Again, as the wrath of man praises God in the invincible patience of the saints, so, likewise, in the immoveable stability of the Church. Is it not wonderful how so small and. weak a company as the Church hath often been reduced to, yea, hath always been in respect of the world, could escape the mouths of so many lions, so many enraged enemies that were ready to devour it? And that we may see that this tends solely to the praise of her great Protector, look to the Church's song penned by the royal prophet; it is the cxxivth Psalm: If it had not been the Lord that was on our side, when men rose up against us, then they had swallowed us up quick. The great monarchies and kingdoms of the world, which have risen with so much splendour, have had their periods, and been buried in the dust. That golden-headed and silverbodied image degenerated into worse metal as it went lower, and the brittle feet was the cause of the fall and breaking of all the rest. But the kingdom of Jesus Christ, though despicable in the world, and exposed to the wrath of the world. in all ages, stands firm and cannot be removed. There is a common emblem of the winds blowing from all quarters, and upon the globe of the earth, being in the middle of them, is written Immobilis. This fitly resembles the Church. Why,

it seems to be the sport of all the winds, but is indeed so established, that all of them, yea, the very gates of hell cannot prevail against it. Now, the more the Church's enemies labour and moil themselves to undo her, the more do their weakness and the power of her Lord appear; so that thus the wrath of man doth praise Him.

When was the Church free from the world's wrath? To say nothing of the Church of the Jews, did not those wicked emperors of Rome think to have made the Christian Church short-lived, to have drowned her newly born, in floods of her own blood? And in latter ages, who knows not the cruelties that have been practised by the Turk in the East, and the proud prelate of Rome in the West? By which she hath sometimes been brought to so obscure and low a point, that if you can follow her in history, it is by the track of her blood; and if you would see her, it is by the light of those fires in which her martyrs have been burnt. Yet hath she still come through and survived all that wrath, and still shall survive, till she be made perfectly triumphant.

Further men's wrath tends to God's praise in this, that God, giving way to it, doth so manage it by His sublime providence, that it often directly crosses their own ends, and conduces manifestly to His. Pharaoh thought that his dealing more cruelly with the Jews in their tasks and burdens, was wisdom: Let us work wisely, says he. But whereas their ordinary servility was become familiar to them, and they were tamed to it, that same accession of new tyranny did prepare and dispose the Israelites for a desire of departure, and their departure made way for Pharaoh's destruction. Undigestible insolency and rage, hastening to be great, makes kingdoms cast them off, which would have been far longer troubled with their wickedness, had it been more moderate. Surely, then, the wrath of man commends the wisdom of God, when He makes him by that contrive and afford the means of his own downfall. The steps of his strength shall be straitened, and his own counsel shall cast him down, says Bildad. Job