3. For thou prevented him with the blessings of goodness. The word prevent formerly meant to precede or go before, and
assuredly Jehovah preceded his Son with blessings. Before he died saints were
saved by the anticipated merit of his death, believers saw his day and were
glad. The Father is so willing to give blessings through his Son that, instead
of his being constrained to bestow his grace, he outstrips the mediatorial
march of mercy. “I say not that I will pray
to the Father for you, for the Father himself loveth you.” Before Jesus calls, the Father answers. Mercies may be bought with
blood, but they are also freely given. The love of Jehovah is not caused by the
Redeemer’s sacrifice, but that love, with its blessings of goodness, preceded
the great atonement, and provided it for our salvation. It will be a happy
thing for you if, like your Lord, you can see both providence and grace
preceding you, forestalling your needs, and preparing your path. Mercy, in the
case of many of us, ran before our desires and prayers, and it ever outruns our
endeavors and expectancies, and even our hopes are left to lag behind. All our
mercies are to be viewed as blessings, gifts of a blessed God, meant to
make us blessed; they are blessings of goodness—not of merit, but of
free favor; and they come to us in a way of prudent foresight, such as only “preventing” love could have arranged.
Thou settest a crown of pure gold on his head. Jesus wore the
thom-crown, but now wears the glory-crown. It is a crown, indicating
royal nature, imperial power, deserved honor, glorious conquest, and divine government.
The crown is of the richest, rarest, most resplendent, and most lasting order—gold,
and that gold of the most refined and valuable sort, pure gold, to
indicate the excellence of his dominion. Whereas other monarchs find their
diadems fitting loosely, his no power can move.
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