서론
无标题
英文原文
The first and last of the psalms have both the same number of verses, are both short, and very memorable. But the scope of them is very different: the first psalm is an elaborate instruction in our duty, to prepare us for the comforts of our devotion; this is all rapture and transport, and perhaps was penned on purpose to be the conclusion of these sacred songs, to show what is the design of them all, and that is to assist us in praising God. The psalmist had been himself full of the praises of God, and here he would fain fill all the world with them: again and again he calls, "Praise the Lord, praise him, praise him," no less than thirteen times in these six short verses. He shows, I. For what, and upon what account, God is to be praised (Ps 150:1,2), II. How, and with what expressions of joy, God is to be praised, Ps 150:3-5. III. Who must praise the Lord; it is every one's business, Ps 150:6. In singing this psalm we should endeavour to get our hearts much affected with the perfections of God and the praises with which he is and shall be for ever attended, throughout all ages, world without end.
1-6
An Invitation to Praise God; All Creatures Called to Praise God
赞美神的邀请；凡有气息的都当赞美神
¹ 你们要赞美耶和华。在神的圣所赞美他，在他显威严的穹苍赞美他。
² 要因他大能的作为赞美他，按着他极美的大德赞美他。
³ 要用角声赞美他，鼓瑟弹琴赞美他。
⁴ 击鼓跳舞赞美他，用丝弦的乐器和箫的声音赞美他。
⁵ 用大响的钹赞美他，用高声的钹赞美他。
⁶ 凡有气息的都要赞美耶和华。你们要赞美耶和华。
我们在此受到所能想象最热切的劝勉，要赞美神。若如某些人所推测，这篇诗主要为利未人而作，为激发他们在耶和华的殿中尽唱歌与奏乐之职，我们仍须把它视为对我们所说的话——我们已被造成归给我们神的属灵祭司。这样反复重申的呼召表明，这是一项重大而必要的本分，是我们当多多投入、大大扩充的本分；然而我们天生却在此退缩、冷淡，因此需要借着"命上加命、律上加律"被带到这本分中，并持守在其中。请注意，
一、这赞美的贡物从何而起，又特别从他权柄的哪一部分发出。它来自：1. 他的圣所；要在那里赞美他。愿他的祭司、愿在那里聚集的百姓，以赞美来侍候他。除了在那里他以特别的方式彰显荣耀并赐下恩典之处，他还该在哪里受赞美呢？因着他的圣所而赞美神，并因我们中间有这圣所所享的特权而赞美神（结37:26）。有人读作"在他的圣民中赞美神"；我们必须留意神形像如何在成圣之人身上显出，并为那形像的缘故爱他们；当我们称赞他们时，必须在他们里面赞美神。2. 他能力的穹苍。要赞美他，因他的权能与荣耀彰显于穹苍——它的辽阔、它的明亮、它辉煌的陈设，并因它对这地所发挥的大能影响。愿那些居住在他能力的穹苍之中的，就是圣天使，在这善工上带头。有人把圣所和他能力的穹苍都解作最高的诸天，即他荣耀的居所；那确实是他的圣所、他的圣殿，他在那里持续不断地受赞美，远胜过我们所能献上的赞美。当我们发现自己赞美得如此拙劣时，能得安慰的是：那里却赞美得如此美好。
二、这赞美的贡物当因什么缘由而献上——缘由甚多，尤其是：1. 他权能的作为（诗150:2）：要因他大能的作为赞美他；原文作"他的大能们"（his mightinesses），即他大能的一切实例——他护理的权能、他恩典的权能，他在创造、掌管、救赎世界中所行的事，既为普世之人，更为他自己的教会与儿女。2. 他本体的荣耀与威严：按着他极美的大德赞美他。哈蒙德博士（Dr. Hammond）如此读："按着他威荣的丰盛"。这并非说我们的赞美能与神的伟大相称，因为那是无限的；而是说，既然他比我们所能表达或构思的更伟大，我们就必须把意念与言辞提升到我们所能达到的最高境界。在赞美神时不必怕说得太过，像我们称赞伟人善士时常有的情形那样。Deus non patitur hyperbolum——我们对神不能言过其实；唯一的危险在于说得太少。因此，当我们尽了最大努力之后，仍须承认：我们虽按他的极美大德赞美了他，却远未能与之相称。
三、这贡物当以何种方式献上——用当时圣殿敬拜中所用各类乐器（诗150:3-5）。我们不必去查究这些究竟是何种乐器，幸而不是我们的事；只须知道它们当时为人所熟知便已够了。我们所当知道的乃是：1. 这表明诗人的心何等充满对神的赞美，又何等渴望这善工能继续下去。2. 在侍奉神的事上，我们当不惜代价、不辞劳苦。3. 神耳中最美的音乐，是敬虔虔诚的情感——non musica chordula, sed cor——不是悦耳的琴弦，而是悦耳的心。要以坚固的信心赞美他；以圣洁的爱与喜乐赞美他；以在基督里完全的信靠赞美他；以胜过黑暗权柄的信心夸胜赞美他；以向他热切的渴慕并在他里面的满足赞美他；以对他一切诫命普遍的尊重赞美他；以对他一切安排甘心的顺服赞美他；以因他的爱喜乐、因他的厚恩得安慰赞美他；以促进他恩典国度的利益赞美他；以对他荣耀国度活泼的盼望与期待赞美他。4. 既用各样的乐器赞美神，就当以精确完美的和谐来作；彼此不可妨碍，而当互相帮助。新约的合奏取而代之的，乃是一心一口荣耀神（罗15:6）。
四、谁当献上这贡物（诗150:6）：凡有气息的都要赞美耶和华。 他开始时是呼召那些在他圣所有份、在殿中供职的人；却以呼召全人类作结——预见外邦人将被纳入教会，在各处如耶路撒冷一样蒙悦纳地献上这香（玛1:11）。有人认为此处的凡有气息的当包括低等受造之物（如创7:22），即鼻孔里有生气之息的一切。它们各按其本性赞美神。鸟儿的歌唱也是一种赞美神。走兽实际上是对人说："我们若能，也愿赞美神；你替我们赞美吧。"约翰在异象中听见天上、地上、地底下、沧海里的一切受造之物所唱的赞美之歌（启5:13）。另有人认为这里只指人类；因为神是将生气特别吹在他们鼻孔里，他们就成为有灵的活人（创2:7）。如今福音既已吩咐传给凡受造的——传给每一个世人——便要求每一个世人都赞美耶和华。我们的气息、我们的灵，除了为赞美神而用，还有什么用呢？我们怎能比这用得更好呢？祷告被称为我们的呼吸（哀3:56）。凡向神呼吸祷告的人，既尝到其中的益处，也当把赞美向他呼出。既有气息，就让神的赞美作我们气息的馨香；让我们在这工中如鱼得水；让它如我们所呼吸的空气一般——我们离了便不能活。气息既在我们鼻孔里，就当想到它正不断外泄，不久便要离去不再返回。因此，我们既不久便要断气，就当趁有气息时赞美耶和华；这样我们断气时便觉安慰；当死亡使我们气息断绝，我们就要迁到更好的境地去，在更自由的空气中赞美神。
诗篇五卷（按希伯来分法）的前三卷以阿们，阿们结束，第四卷以阿们，哈利路亚结束；惟独末卷——并整卷诗篇在其中结束——只以哈利路亚作结，因为最后六篇诗全然用来赞美神，其中没有一句怨言或祈求。基督徒越接近终局，就越当充满对神的赞美。有人认为这末篇是要向我们描绘得荣耀的圣徒在天上所作的工——他们在那里不住地赞美神；而此处所说用的乐器，正如启示录中所说装饰新耶路撒冷的金子、珍珠、宝石（启21:18,19）一样，不应按字面理解。然而，正如那些事物表明天上的荣耀是最卓越的荣耀，这些也表明圣徒在那里所献的赞美是最卓越的赞美。在那里，祷告要被永恒的赞美吞灭；赞美神没有间断，也没有疲倦——哈利路亚永远重复，却仍是新歌。让我们常常以默想得荣耀的圣徒在天上的事为乐——默想那些我们在世上曾相识、却已先我们而去之人在作什么；这不仅当使我们渴望与他们同列，更当激励我们在地上照样遵行神的旨意，如同在天上遵行的人一样。我们也当尽可能多用时间在这善工上，因为我们盼望在其中度过喜乐的永恒。哈利路亚是那里的话（启19:1,3）；我们现在就当向它回应，如同盼望不久便要加入其中的人。哈利路亚，你们要赞美耶和华。
英文原文
An Invitation to Praise God; All Creatures Called to Praise God
¹ Praise ye the LORD. Praise God in his sanctuary: praise him in the firmament of his power.
² Praise him for his mighty acts: praise him according to his excellent greatness.
³ Praise him with the sound of the trumpet: praise him with the psaltery and harp.
⁴ Praise him with the timbrel and dance: praise him with stringed instruments and organs.
⁵ Praise him upon the loud cymbals: praise him upon the high sounding cymbals.
⁶ Let every thing that hath breath praise the LORD. Praise ye the LORD.
We are here, with the greatest earnestness imaginable, excited to praise God; if, as some suppose, this psalm was primarily intended for the Levites, to stir them up to do their office in the house of the Lord, as singers and players on instruments, yet we must take it as speaking to us, who are made to our God spiritual priests. And the repeated inculcating of the call thus intimates that it is a great and necessary duty, a duty which we should be much employed and much enlarged in, but which we are naturally backward to and cold in, and therefore need to be brought to, and held to, by precept upon precept, and line upon line. Observe here,
I. Whence this tribute of praise arises, and out of what part of his dominion it especially issues. It comes, 1. From his sanctuary; praise him there. Let his priests, let his people, that attend there, attend him with their praises. Where should he be praised, but there where he does, in a special manner, both manifest his glory and communicate his grace? Praise God upon the account of his sanctuary, and the privileges which we enjoy by having that among us, Eze 37:26. Praise God in his holy ones (so some read it); we must take notice of the image of God as it appears on those that are sanctified, and love them for the sake of that image; and when we praise them we must praise God in them. 2. From the firmament of his power. Praise him because of his power and glory which appear in the firmament, its vastness, its brightness, and its splendid furniture; and because of the powerful influences it has upon this earth. Let those that have their dwelling in the firmament of his power, even the holy angels, lead in this good work. Some, by the sanctuary, as well as by the firmament of his power, understand the highest heavens, the residence of his glory; that is indeed his sanctuary, his holy temple, and there he is praised continually, in a far better manner than we can praise him. And it is a comfort to us, when we find we do it so poorly, that it is so well done there.
II. Upon what account this tribute of praise is due, upon many accounts, particularly, 1. The works of his power (Ps 150:2): Praise him for his mighty acts; for his mightinesses (so the word is), for all the instances of his might, the power of his providence, the power of his grace, what he has done in the creation, government, and redemption of the world, for the children of men in general, for his own church and children in particular. 2. The glory and majesty of his being: Praise him according to his excellent greatness, according to the multitude of his magnificence (so Dr. Hammond reads it); not that our praises can bear any proportion to God's greatness, for it is infinite, but, since he is greater than we can express or conceive, we must raise our conceptions and expressions to the highest degree we can attain to. Be not afraid of saying too much in the praises of God, as we often do in praising even great and good men. Deus non patitur hyperbolum—We cannot speak hyperbolically of God; all the danger is of saying too little and therefore, when we have done our utmost, we must own that though we have praised him in consideration of, yet not in proportion to, his excellent greatness.
III. In what manner this tribute must be paid, with all the kinds of musical instruments that were then used in the temple-service, Ps 150:3-5. It is well that we are not concerned to enquire what sort of instruments these were; it is enough that they were well known then. Our concern is to know, 1. That hereby is intimated how full the psalmist's heart was of the praises of God and how desirous he was that this good work might go on. 2. That in serving God we should spare no cost nor pains. 3. That the best music in God's ears is devout and pious affections, non musica chordula, sed cor—not a melodious string, but a melodious heart. Praise God with a strong faith; praise him with holy love and delight; praise him with an entire confidence in Christ; praise him with a believing triumph over the powers of darkness; praise him with an earnest desire towards him and a full satisfaction in him; praise him by a universal respect to all his commands; praise him by a cheerful submission to all his disposals; praise him by rejoicing in his love and solacing yourselves in his great goodness; praise him by promoting the interests of the kingdom of his grace; praise him by a lively hope and expectation of the kingdom of his glory. 4. That, various instruments being used in praising God, it should yet be done with an exact and perfect harmony; they must not hinder, but help one another. The New-Testament concert, instead of this, is with one mind and one mouth to glorify God, Ro 15:6.
IV. Who must pay this tribute (Ps 150:6): Let every thing that has breath praise the Lord. He began with a call to those that had a place in his sanctuary and were employed in the temple-service; but he concludes with a call to all the children of men, in prospect of the time when the Gentiles should be taken into the church, and in every place, as acceptably as at Jerusalem, this incense should be offered, Mal 1:11. Some think that in every thing that has breath here we must include the inferior creatures (as Ge 7:22), all in whose nostrils was the breath of life. They praise God according to their capacity. The singing of birds is a sort of praising God. The brutes do in effect say to man, "We would praise God if we could; do you do it for us." John in vision heard a song of praise from every creature which is in heaven, and on the earth, and under the earth, Re 5:13. Others think that only the children of men are meant; for into them God has in a more peculiar manner breathed the breath of life, and they have become living souls, Ge 2:7. Now that the gospel is ordered to be preached to every creature, to every human creature, it is required that every human creature praise the Lord. What have we our breath, our spirit, for, but to spend it in praising God; and how can we spend it better? Prayers are called our breathings, La 3:56. Let every one that breathes towards God in prayer, finding the benefit of that, breathe forth his praises too. Having breath, let the praises of God perfume our breath; let us be in this work as in our element; let it be to us as the air we breathe in, which we could not live without. Having our breath in our nostrils, let us consider that it is still going forth, and will shortly go and not return. Since therefore we must shortly breathe our last, while we have breath let us praise the Lord, and then we shall breathe our last with comfort, and, when death runs us out of breath, we shall remove to a better state to breathe God's praises in a freer better air.
The first three of the five books of psalms (according to the Hebrew division) concluded with Amen and Amen, the fourth with Amen, Hallelujah, but the last, and in it the whole book, concludes with only Hallelujah, because the last six psalms are wholly taken up in praising God and there is not a word of complaint or petition in them. The nearer good Christians come to their end the fuller they should be of the praises of God. Some think that this last psalm is designed to represent to us the work of glorified saints in heaven, who are there continually praising God, and that the musical instruments here said to be used are no more to be understood literally than the gold, and pearls, and precious stones, which are said to adorn the New Jerusalem, Re 21:18,19. But, as those intimate that the glories of heaven are the most excellent glories, so these intimate that the praises the saints offer there are the most excellent praises. Prayers will there be swallowed up in everlasting praises; there will be no intermission in praising God, and yet no weariness—hallelujahs for ever repeated, and yet still new songs. Let us often take a pleasure in thinking what glorified saints are doing in heaven, what those are doing whom we have been acquainted with on earth, but who have gone before us thither; and let it not only make us long to be among them, but quicken us to do this part of the will of God on earth as those do it that are in heaven. And let us spend as much of our time as may be in this good work because in it we hope to spend a joyful eternity. Hallelujah is the word there (Re 19:1,3); let us echo to it now, as those that hope to join in it shortly. Hallelujah, praise you the Lord.
诗篇首末两篇节数相同,皆简短而极易记忆。但二者宗旨大不相同:第一篇是关于我们本分的精心训诲,为要预备我们享受敬虔的安慰;本篇则全是欢腾与狂喜,或许特为作这些神圣诗歌的结语而写,为要表明它们全部的宗旨,即是:扶助我们赞美神。诗人自己满了对神的赞美,在此他巴不得用这赞美充满全世界;他反复呼召:「你们要赞美耶和华,要赞美他,要赞美他」——在这短短六节中不下十三次。他所指明的有:一、为何事、为何缘故当赞美神(诗150:1,2);二、当如何、以何等喜乐的表达赞美神(诗150:3-5);三、谁当赞美主——这是各人当尽的本分(诗150:6)。我们唱这首诗时,当竭力使我们的心大受神的完美、并他现在直到永远所配受之赞美所感,世世无尽。