The Glory of God in His Works
Psalm 8:1-9
O LORD, our Lord, how excellent is your name in all the earth! who have set your glory above the heavens.…


The glory of God in His creatures, rightly considered, should, for the excellency of the work, strike an astonishment into us on the one side, and enforce us on the other to be thankful unto Him, that maketh His power and providence appear so clearly in them, and that not only for His glory, but for our good. God's power and providence seen in His creatures serveth for a double end — the comfort of His children, and the terror and confusion of the wicked. Ver. 4 serveth to humble man, and to beat him down; for if he be compared with other creatures, there is no such excellency and durableness in him as in them; neither yet such as he himself imagineth to be in himself. Vers. 5-8 set forth the graces and blessings that God hath bestowed upon man, not to the end that man thereby should wax proud, and swell above measure, but to enforce him —

1. To thankfulness to the giver;

2. To a right use of them in himself and for others;

3. The more and more to humble him.Let man consider what excellency he hath lost through Adam's fall, and bewail his misery; and let him, on the other side, well weigh the grace bestowed on him in Christ, and be joyful and thankful for mercy: knowing this, that if the creatures be not now subject to us, it is by reason of the body and relies of sin which yet remain in us; and that therefore, if we would have a conquest over the creatures, we must begin first to get a victory upon sin, or else we shall never profit or prevail that way. If any man will object and say that many creatures are subdued to many people that are without a God in the world, and which notwithstanding remain in their sin, I answer, that God's dispensing in mercy with our iniquity, or other men's, is no impeachment of the truth of this doctrine; nay rather, it should the more further us, not only in thankfulness to Him for His goodness, but in valiancy and courage to. combat against iniquity, and that unto blood, because we already have half a victory, and may be sure of all needful supply in order to complete the victory.

(Thomas Wilcocks.)



Parallel Verses
KJV: {To the chief Musician upon Gittith, A Psalm of David.} O LORD our Lord, how excellent is thy name in all the earth! who hast set thy glory above the heavens.

WEB: Yahweh, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth, who has set your glory above the heavens!




The Excellent Name
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