_David professeth his joy for the church, and prayeth for the peace
thereof._
A Song of degrees of David.
I was glad when they said unto me, Let us go into the house of the
LORD.
Our feet shall stand within thy gates, O Jerusalem.
Jerusalem is builded as a city that is compact together:
Whither the tribes go up, the tribes of the LORD, unto the testimony
of Israel, to give thanks unto the name of the LORD.
For there are set thrones of judgment, the thrones of the house of
David.
Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: they shall prosper that love thee.
Peace be within thy walls, _and_ prosperity within thy palaces.
For my brethren and companions’ sakes, I will now say, Peace _be_
within thee.
Because of the house of the LORD our God I will seek thy good.
This is a Psalm of thanksgiving, it contains the feelings of a glad, a
rejoicing, and a thankful heart, for that unspeakable gift of God,—the
ministry of his word. This Psalm in the person of the Jews, rejoices
that God had appointed a certain place, namely Jerusalem, in the midst
of that people, where the name and the word of God had a certain
dwelling-place and could there be found: and where it was administered
by certain persons, the Levites and the priests, to certain disciples;
namely, to the tribes of Israel.
For what calamity or misery can be greater than to seek the word of
God anxiously, and not be able to find it? This calamity and misery
the children of Israel experienced in the times of God’s anger, when,
being forsaken by him, and left to their own inventions, they sought
and worshipped idols. And in these our times of monkery also, the
masses and the travellings about to so many Marys have given abundant
proofs of what it is to seek the word of God and not to find it.
Our Jerusalem, our certain place, is the church, and our temple is
Christ. Wheresoever Christ is preached and the sacraments are duly
administered, there we are sure God dwells; and there is our temple,
our tabernacle, our cherubim, and our mercy-seat; for there God is
present with us by his word.