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英文原文
This is a thanksgiving-psalm, and it is of such a general use and application that we need not suppose it penned upon any particular occasion. All people are here called upon to praise God, I. For the general instances of his sovereign dominion and power in the whole creation, Ps 66:1-7. II. For the special tokens of his favour to the church, his peculiar people, Ps 66:8-12. And then, III. The psalmist praises God for his own experiences of his goodness to him in particular, especially in answering his prayers, Ps 66:13-20. If we have learned in every thing to give thanks for ancient and modern mercies, public and personal mercies, we shall know how to sing this psalm with grace and understanding.
1-7
All Mankind Exhorted to Praise God
劝勉全人类赞美神
歌或诗，交与伶长。
¹ 全地都当向神欢呼。
² 歌颂他名的荣耀，用赞美的言语使他的赞美显为大。
³ 当对神说：你的作为何等可畏！因你的大能，仇敌要投降你。
⁴ 全地要敬拜你，歌颂你，要歌颂你的名。（细拉）
⁵ 你们来看神所行的，他向世人所行的事，可畏可惧。
⁶ 他将海变成干地；众民步行过河；我们在那里因他欢喜。
⁷ 他用权能治理万民，直到永远；他的眼睛鉴察列国；悖逆的人不可自高。（细拉）
一、在这些经文里，诗人呼召一切世人赞美神——全地、一切地上的人，一切有赞美神之能的世界居民（诗66:1）。1. 这话说明了神的荣耀：他配被一切人赞美，因为他向一切人都是良善的，并为每一个民族提供了赞美的题材。2. 这话表明了人的本分：一切人都当赞美神；这是受造律例的一部分，因此也是每一个受造物当尽的本分。3. 这话预言了外邦人归信基督：时候将到，全地都要赞美神，这香的祭要在各处献给他。4. 这话表明诗人对赞美神这件善工怀有的真诚美意。他自己要在此中丰盛，又愿神得着地上万民向他当纳的贡——而非仅以色列地。他激发全地：（1）向神欢呼。圣洁的喜乐是那应当充满我们一切赞美的敬虔之情；虽然宗教中的喧嚷并非神所悦纳（论到伪善者，曾说他们使声音得以上达，赛58:4），但在赞美神时，〔1〕我们必须热切而恳切，凡我们所作的都要尽一切所能、尽我们里面一切的力量去作。〔2〕我们必须敞开而公开，如同不以我们的主为耻的人。这两者都含在"欢呼、喜乐的欢呼"之中。（2）以喜乐歌唱，并歌颂他名的荣耀——为造就别人——即他藉以显明自己的一切（诗66:2）。凡神的名得荣耀之处，也当是我们赞美的题材。（3）尽我们所能地使他的赞美显为大。在赞美神时，我们必须如此行，使他得荣耀——这必须是我们一切赞美的主旨与目的。"以赞美神为你最大的荣耀"——有人如此说。受造物所能得的最高尊荣，就是为造物主作名号、作赞美。
二、他曾呼召全地赞美神（诗66:1），此处又预言（诗66:4）他们必将如此：全地要敬拜你；地上各处——甚至最远的地区——都有人如此，因为永远的福音必传给各国各族；其要旨便是：当敬拜那创造天地的主（启14:6-7）。福音既被差遣，必不徒然返回，必或多或少使全地都来敬拜神，向他歌唱。在福音时代，神要藉着唱诗来受敬拜。他们要向神歌唱——即歌颂他的名——因为我们藉赞美所能贡献的，只是他的宣告性的荣耀（他藉以显明自己之荣），而非他本体的荣耀。
三、为叫我们有赞美的素材，此处召我们来看神所行的；因为他自己的作为赞美他，无论我们是否如此行；我们之所以不能更多更好地赞美他，原因在于我们没有当当地、专注地观察它们。所以让我们来看神的作为，观察其中他的智慧、权能与信实的实例（诗66:5），然后论说它们，并向他论说它们（诗66:3）：当对神说：你的作为何等可畏，你的作为何等可畏！1. 神的作为其本身就奇妙，正当受留意之时，足以叫我们充满惊奇。神在他的作为中可畏（即可钦可叹），是因他权能的伟大——这权能如此辉煌、如此有力地彰显于他所行的一切之中，以至于可以说他的作为无可比拟。所以他被称为在赞美中可畏的（出15:11）。他向世人所行的一切，都是可畏的，当以圣洁的敬畏看待。宗教的很大一部分在于对神圣护理的敬畏。2. 它们对他的仇敌是可惧的，并屡次强迫他们、惊吓他们作出虚假的归顺（诗66:3）：因你大能——无人能在其前站立——你的仇敌要投降你；他们要向你撒谎（原文如此），即他们必被勉强，违背本心，无论如何求和。因恐惧而强夺的归顺，鲜有真诚；所以武力并非传播信仰的合宜手段，而教会最终将发现那些如此归依者是向她撒谎的，对此种皈依者所得的喜乐也甚少（申33:29）。3. 它们对神的百姓是安慰、是益处（诗66:6）。当以色列出埃及时，他在他们面前将海变成干地，鼓励他们随从神的引导经过旷野；当他们要进入迦南时，为鼓励他们在争战中，约旦河也在他们面前分开，他们步行过河；如此蒙天特记的"步兵"，在主的争战中尽可被当作骑兵而非步兵看待。在那里仇敌在他们面前战抖（出15:14-15；书5:1），但我们在那里因他欢喜——既信靠他的权能（因倚靠神常以"在他里面喜乐"来表达），又歌唱他的赞美（诗106:12）。在那里我们欢喜——即我们的祖先欢喜，我们也曾在他们的身中。我们祖先的喜乐就是我们的喜乐，我们当看自己为其中有分的人。4. 它们对一切人有权威。神藉他的作为在世上维持他的统治（诗66:7）：他用权能治理万民，直到永远；他的眼睛鉴察列国。（1）神有命令的眼目；从天的高处，他的眼目统管世上一切居民，对一切都有清晰完全的视野。他的眼目遍察全地；最遥远最隐秘的列国都在他的鉴察之下。（2）他有命令的膀臂；他的权能治理，治理到永远，永不衰弱，永不被阻挡。他的手强壮，他的右手高举。由此他推论：悖逆的人不可自高——不可叫那些心怀背叛悖逆的人，胆敢以任何悖逆的明举起来抵挡神，如亚多尼雅自高说我必作王。不可叫那些悖逆神的人自高，仿佛他们真有可能得逞。不；让他们静默，因为神已说：我必被尊崇，人无法反驳。
英文原文
All Mankind Exhorted to Praise God
To the chief musician. A song or psalm.
¹ Make a joyful noise unto God, all ye lands:
² Sing forth the honour of his name: make his praise glorious.
³ Say unto God, How terrible art thou in thy works! through the greatness of thy power shall thine enemies submit themselves unto thee.
⁴ All the earth shall worship thee, and shall sing unto thee; they shall sing to thy name. Selah.
⁵ Come and see the works of God: he is terrible in his doing toward the children of men.
⁶ He turned the sea into dry land: they went through the flood on foot: there did we rejoice in him.
⁷ He ruleth by his power for ever; his eyes behold the nations: let not the rebellious exalt themselves. Selah.
I. In these verses the psalmist calls upon all people to praise God, all lands, all the earth, all the inhabitants of the world that are capable of praising God, Ps 66:1. 1. This speaks the glory of God, that he is worthy to be praised by all, for he is good to all and furnishes every nation with matter for praise. 2. The duty of man, that all are obliged to praise God; it is part of the law of creation, and therefore is required of every creature. 3. A prediction of the conversion of the Gentiles to the faith of Christ; the time should come when all lands should praise God, and this incense should in every place be offered to him. 4. A hearty good-will which the psalmist had to this good work of praising God. He will abound in it himself, and wishes that God might have his tribute paid him by all the nations of the earth and not by the land of Israel only. He excites all lands, (1.) To make a joyful noise to God. Holy joy is that devout affection which should animate all our praises; and, though it is not making a noise in religion that God will accept of (hypocrites are said to cause their voice to be heard on high, Isa 58:4), yet, in praising God, [1.] We must be hearty and zealous, and must do what we do with all our might, with all that is within us. [2.] We must be open and public, as those that are not ashamed of our Master. And both these are implied in making a noise, a joyful noise. (2.) To sing with pleasure, and to sing forth, for the edification of others, the honour of his name, that is, of all that whereby he has made himself known, Ps 66:2. That which is the honour of God's name ought to be the matter of our praise. (3.) To make his praise glorious as far as we can. In praising God we must do it so as to glorify him, and that must be the scope and drift of all our praises. Reckon it your greatest glory to praise God, so some. It is the highest honour the creature is capable of to be to the Creator for a name and a praise.
II. He had called upon all lands to praise God (Ps 66:1), and he foretels (Ps 66:4) that they shall do so: All the earth shall worship thee; some in all parts of the earth, even the remotest regions, for the everlasting gospel shall be preached to every nation and kindred; and this is the purport of it, Worship him that made heaven and earth, Re 14:6,7. Being thus sent forth, it shall not return void, but shall bring all the earth, more or less, to worship God, and sing unto him. In gospel times God shall be worshipped by the singing of Psalms. They shall sing to God, that is, sing to his name, for it is only to his declarative glory, that by which he has made himself known, not to his essential glory, that we can contribute any thing by our praises.
III. That we may be furnished with matter for praise, we are here called upon to come and see the works of God; for his own works praise him, whether we do or no; and the reason why we do not praise him more and better is because we do not duly and attentively observe them. Let us therefore see God's works and observe the instances of his wisdom, power, and faithfulness in them (Ps 66:5), and then speak of them, and speak of them to him (Ps 66:3): Say unto God, How terrible art thou in thy works, terrible in thy doings! 1. God's works are wonderful in themselves, and such as, when duly considered, may justly fill us with amazement. God is terrible (that is, admirable) in his works, through the greatness of his power, which is such, and shines so brightly, so strongly, in all he does, that it may be truly said there are not any works like unto his works. Hence he is said to be fearful in praises, Ex 15:11. In all his doings towards the children of men he is terrible, and to be eyed with a holy awe. Much of religion lies in a reverence for the divine Providence. 2. They are formidable to his enemies, and have many a time forced and frightened them into a feigned submission (Ps 66:3): Through the greatness of thy power, before which none can stand, shall thy enemies submit themselves unto thee; they shall lie unto thee (so the word is), that is, they shall be compelled, sorely against their wills, to make their peace with thee upon any terms. Subjection extorted by fear is seldom sincere, and therefore force is no proper means of propagating religion, nor can there be much joy of such proselytes to the church as will in the end be found liars unto it, De 33:29. 3. They are comfortable and beneficial to his people, Ps 66:6. When Israel came out of Egypt, he turned the sea into dry land before them, which encouraged them to follow God's guidance through the wilderness; and, when they were to enter Canaan, for their encouragement in their wars Jordan was divided before them, and they went through that flood on foot; and such foot, so signally owned by heaven, might well pass for cavalry, rather than infantry, in the wars of the Lord. There did the enemies tremble before them (Ex 15:14,15, Jos 5:1), but there did we rejoice in him, both trust his power (for relying on God is often expressed by rejoicing in him) and sing his praise, Ps 106:12. There did we rejoice; that is, our ancestors did, and we in their loins. The joys of our fathers were our joys, and we ought to look upon ourselves as sharers in them. 4. They are commanding to all. God by his works keeps up his dominion in the world (Ps 66:7): He rules by his power for ever; his eyes behold the nations. (1.) God has a commanding eye; from the height of heaven his eye commands all the inhabitants of the world, and he has a clear and full view of them all. His eyes run to and fro through the earth; the most remote and obscure nations are under his inspection. (2.) He has a commanding arm; his power rules, rules for ever, and is never weakened, never obstructed. Strong is his hand, and high is his right hand. Hence he infers, Let not the rebellious exalt themselves; let not those that have revolting and rebellious hearts dare to rise up in any overt acts of rebellion against God, as Adonijah exalted himself, saying, I will be king. Let not those that are in rebellion against God exalt themselves as if there were any probability that they should gain their point. No; let them be still, for God hath said, I will be exalted, and man cannot gainsay it.
8-12
The Saints Exhorted to Praise God
劝勉圣徒赞美神
⁸ 万民哪，你们当称颂我们的神，使人得听赞美他的声音。 ⁹ 他使我们的性命存活，不叫我们的脚摇动。 ¹⁰ 神啊，你曾试验我们，熬炼我们，如熬炼银子一样。 ¹¹ 你使我们进入网罗，把重担放在我们的身上。 ¹² 你使人驾车轧我们的头；我们经过水火，你却使我们到丰富之地。
在这些经文中，诗人特别地呼召神的百姓来赞美他。愿万国都如此行，但以色列之地尤当如此。称颂我们的神；当作我们的神称颂他——与我们立约的神，那把我们当作自己人看顾的神。愿他们「使人得听赞美他的声音」（诗66:8）；因为除了那些他特别恩待、特选侍奉他的人，这声音还当从谁而出呢？我们有两件事当称颂神：
一、寻常的保护（诗66:9）：「他使我们的性命存活」，使它不致自行脱落；因为它常常在我们手中，易于从指缝间溜走。我们必须承认，保全性命与灵魂相连的乃是神良善的护理，保守我们灵的乃是他的眷顾。「他把我们的性命存于活中」（原文如此）。赐我们存在的，借着常常更新的大能托住我们存在，而他的护理便是持续的创造。我们疲乏欲绝之时，他恢复我们的灵魂，便如同把它再置于新生命之中，赐下新的安慰。「活着并不算生命，活得快乐才配称为生命。」但我们易于绊跌仆倒，又暴露在许多毁灭性的意外——致命的灾祸和致命的疾病之中；所以在这些方面，我们也蒙神大能的保护。他「不叫我们的脚摇动」，预先阻止了许多我们未察觉其危险的、未料的灾祸。我们之所以迄今未坠入永远的沉沦，乃是亏欠于他。「他必保护圣徒的脚」。
二、从大患难中特别的拯救。请观察：
1. 患难与危险何等严重，诗66:11-12。此处指教会什么特别的患难并不明显；可能只是一些私人或家庭的患难。但无论是什么，他们如鸟被网罗抓住般受其突袭，如鱼在网中般被围困、被缠住；他们被压下，被压制如重担「放在身上」，诗66:11。但他们承认其中有神的手。我们落入网罗总是神把我们带入其中，受苦总是神把它加在我们身上。有什么比火与水更危险吗？「我们经过了二者」，即不同种类的患难；一种患难的末了便是另一种的开始；我们刚刚脱离一种危险，便发觉自己又陷入另一种危险。神最好的圣徒之患难可能就是如此，但他已应许：「你从水中经过，从火中经过，我必与你同在」，赛43:1。然而骄傲残忍的人可能如水火一般危险，甚至更甚。「防备人」，太10:17。当人起来攻击我们之时，那就是水火，并一切威吓（诗124:2-4），此处也是如此：「你使人驾车轧我们的头」，践踏我们、凌辱我们，威吓虐待我们，不，更要使我们沦为完全的奴仆；他们曾对我们的灵魂说：「『屈身，让我们过去』」（赛51:23）。良善的君王以在臣民心中掌权为乐，暴君则以践踏他们的头为傲；然而受苦的教会在此也承认有神的手：「你使他们这样虐待我们」；因为最狂暴的压迫者，除了从上头来的权柄，并无别权。
2. 神把他们带入这患难与危险之中，其设计何等恩惠。请看它的意义何在（诗66:10）：「神啊，你曾试验我们，熬炼我们」。我们若把患难看作这样，便很可能从中得益，因为这样我们便能在其根底看见神的恩典和慈爱，并能在其终局看见自己的尊荣与益处。借着患难，我们如银子在火中被试验。（1）我们的恩典经过试验便更显明，我们便得蒙称许，正如银子被试、被标为足色；这将是「在耶稣基督显现的时候，得着称赞」（彼前1:7），也许在今世也是如此。约伯的正直与恒忍因他的患难得以显明。（2）我们的恩典经过操练便更坚强、更活跃，我们便得以进步，正如银子经火炼净，更纯净无杂；这将是我们无可言喻的益处，因为我们借此「有分于神的圣洁」，来12:10。公众的患难是为洁净教会，但11:35，启2:10，申8:2。
3. 终局的结局何等荣耀。教会的患难必有好结局；此处就是如此，因为（1）患难的出口是可喜的。他们在火与水之中，却经过去了：「我们经过水火」，却未在火焰或洪水中灭亡。无论圣徒的患难是什么，称颂神，其中总有经过的路。（2）进入更好境况的入口更为可喜：「你却使我们到丰富之地」，到「滋润」之地（原文如此），「如同耶和华的园子」，因此肥沃多结果子。神把他的百姓带入患难，使他们后来的安慰更加甘甜，使他们的患难如此结出「平安的义果」，这便使世上最贫瘠之地成为丰富之地。
英文原文
The Saints Exhorted to Praise God
⁸ O bless our God, ye people, and make the voice of his praise to be heard:
⁹ Which holdeth our soul in life, and suffereth not our feet to be moved.
¹⁰ For thou, O God, hast proved us: thou hast tried us, as silver is tried.
¹¹ Thou broughtest us into the net; thou laidst affliction upon our loins.
¹² Thou hast caused men to ride over our heads; we went through fire and through water: but thou broughtest us out into a wealthy place.
In these verses the psalmist calls upon God's people in a special manner to praise him. Let all lands do it, but Israel's land particularly. Bless our God; bless him as ours, a God in covenant with us, and that takes care of us as his own. Let them make the voice of his praise to be heard (Ps 66:8); for from whom should it be heard but from those who are his peculiar favourites and select attendants? Two things we have reason to bless God for:—
I. Common protection (Ps 66:9): He holdeth our soul in life, that it may not drop away of itself; for, being continually in our hands, it is apt to slip through our fingers. We must own that it is the good providence of God that keeps life and soul together and his visitation that preserves our spirit. He puts our soul in life, so the word is. He that gave us our being, by a constant renewed act upholds us in our being, and his providence is a continued creation. When we are ready to faint and perish he restores our soul, and so puts it, as it were, into a new life, giving new comforts. Non est vivere, sed valere, vita—It is not existence, but happiness, that deserves the name of life. But we are apt to stumble and fall, and are exposed to many destructive accidents, killing disasters as well as killing diseases, and therefore as to these also we are guarded by the divine power. He suffers not our feet to be moved, preventing many unforeseen evils, which we ourselves were not aware of our danger from. To him we owe it that we have not, long ere this, fallen into endless ruin. He will keep the feet of his saints.
II. Special deliverance from great distress. Observe,
1. How grievous the distress and danger were, Ps 66:11,12. What particular trouble of the church this refers to does not appear; it might be the trouble of some private persons or families only. But, whatever it was, they were surprised with it as a bird with a snare, enclosed and entangled in it as a fish in a net; they were pressed down with it, and kept under as with a load upon their loins, Ps 66:11. But they owned the hand of God in it. We are never in the net but God brings us into it, never under affliction but God lays it upon us. Is any thing more dangerous than fire and water? We went through both, that is, afflictions of different kinds; the end of one trouble was the beginning of another; when we had got clear of one sort of dangers we found ourselves involved in dangers of another sort. Such may be the troubles of the best of God's saints, but he has promised, When thou passest through the waters, through the fire, I will be with thee, Isa 43:1. Yet proud and cruel men may be as dangerous as fire and water, and more so. Beware of men, Mt 10:17. When men rose up against us, that was fire and water, and all that is threatening (Ps 124:2,3,4), and that was the case here: "Thou hast caused men to ride over our heads, to trample upon us and insult over us, to hector and abuse us, nay, and to make perfect slaves of us; they have said to our souls, Bow down, that we may go over," Isa 51:23. While it is the pleasure of good princes to rule in the hearts of their subjects it is the pride of tyrants to ride over their heads; yet the afflicted church in this also owns the hand of God: "Thou hast caused them thus to abuse us;" for the most furious oppressor has no power but what is given him from above.
2. How gracious God's design was in bringing them into this distress and danger. See what the meaning of it is (Ps 66:10): Thou, O God! hast proved us, and tried us. Then we are likely to get good by our afflictions, when we look upon them under this notion, for then we may see God's grace and love at the bottom of them and our own honour and benefit in the end of them. By afflictions we are proved as silver in the fire. (1.) That our graces, by being tried, may be made more evident and so we may be approved, as silver, when it is touched and marked sterling, and this will be to our praise at the appearing of Jesus Christ (1Pe 1:7) and perhaps in this world. Job's integrity and constancy were manifested by his afflictions. (2.) That our graces, by being exercised, may be made more strong and active, and so we may be improved, as silver when it is refined by the fire and made more clear from its dross; and this will be to our unspeakable advantage, for thus we are made partakers of God's holiness, Heb 12:10. Public troubles are for the purifying of the church, Da 11:35, Re 2:10, De 8:2.
3. How glorious the issue was at last. The troubles of the church will certainly end well; these do so, for (1.) The outlet of the trouble is happy. They are in fire and water, but they get through them: "We went through fire and water, and did not perish in the flames or floods." Whatever the troubles of the saints are, blessed be God, there is a way through them. (2.) The inlet to a better state is much more happy: Thou broughtest us out into a wealthy place, into a well-watered place (so the word is), like the gardens of the Lord, and therefore fruitful. God brings his people into trouble that their comforts afterwards may be the sweeter and that their affliction may thus yield the peaceable fruit of righteousness, which will make the poorest place in the world a wealthy place.
13-20
David Resolves to Praise God; David Declaring What God Has Done for His Soul
大卫决意赞美神；大卫宣告神为他灵魂所行的事
¹³ 我要用燔祭进入你的殿；我要向你还我的愿， ¹⁴ 就是在急难的时候我嘴唇所发的、口中所许的。 ¹⁵ 我要把肥牛作燔祭，将公羊的香祭献给你；我也要把公牛和山羊献上。（细拉） ¹⁶ 凡敬畏神的人，你们都来听；我要述说他为我灵魂所行的事。 ¹⁷ 我曾用口呼求他；我的舌头也称他为高。 ¹⁸ 我若心里注重罪孽，主必不听。 ¹⁹ 但神实在听见了；他侧耳听了我祷告的声音。 ²⁰ 神是应当称颂的！他并没有推却我的祷告，也没有叫他的慈爱离开我。
诗人先前已激发众百姓，尤其是激发神的百姓，来称颂耶和华，如今又激发自己，决意如此行。
一、在他向神所献的敬拜上（诗 66:13-15）。他既已劝勉别人歌唱神的赞美，以喜乐的声音欢呼，他自己却更进一步：他决意赞美神，1. 以贵重的祭物——在律法之下所献为尊荣神的祭。并非人人都有力量献这些祭，也并非人人都有为赞美神而如此花费的热心；但大卫既能，便也愿，以这种代价重大的方式向神进贡（诗 66:13）：「我要用燔祭进入你的殿。」他的祭当是公开的，在神所选立之处献上：「我要带着它们进入你的殿。」基督就是我们的圣殿，我们必须将属灵的恩赐带到他那里，并藉他得蒙悦纳。它们当是上好的——「燔祭」全然烧在坛上归给神为尊荣，献祭者无分于其中；又是「肥畜」的燔祭，并非瘸腿或瘦弱的，乃是喂养最肥、在自己席上也最蒙悦纳的。神既是至善者，必以我们最好的来事奉。神为我们所摆设的筵席是「肥甘的筵席，满髓的筵席」（赛 25:6），我们也当如此献上给他。他要「把公牛和山羊献上」，可见他在赞美上何等慷慨，毫不吝啬：他不愿献上不费分文之物，而要献上代价极大的。又是「公羊的香祭」，即公羊的脂油，烧在坛上，其烟上升如香的烟一般。或说「带香的公羊」。香预表基督的代求，没有这，我们所献最肥的祭也不得悦纳。2. 以良心上履行所许的愿。我们若不在苦难中履行所许的愿，便不能蒙悦纳地为得蒙拯救而赞美神。这正是诗人的决心（诗 66:13,14）：「我要向你还我的愿，就是我在急难的时候我嘴唇所发的。」请注意，（1）我们在受任何苦难压迫之时，或在追求任何怜悯之时，许愿并在耶和华面前严肃地说出来，是非常常见、也非常可称赞的——藉此约束自己不犯罪，并更紧密地约束自己尽本分；这并非作为神恩惠的对等之物或宝贵的代价，而是领受那恩惠的凭据的资格。（2）我们在苦难中所许的愿，苦难过后也不可忘记，当小心履行，因为「宁可不许愿，不可许愿而不还」。
二、在他向朋友所作的宣告上（诗 66:16）。他招聚一群敬虔人，听他感恩地述说神向他施的恩：「凡敬畏神的人，你们都来听」，因为，1. 你们要与我一同赞美，帮助我献上感谢。我们当乐意地邀请敬畏神的人在为已得的怜悯献上感谢之时帮助我们，正如为所未得的怜悯祷告之时一样。2. 你们要因我所说的话得造就和勉励。「谦卑人听见，就要喜乐」（诗 34:2）。「敬畏你的人见我，就要欢喜」（诗 119:74）；所以让我与他们同聚，我要向他们宣告——不是向那些会讥诮、戏谑的虚妄属肉体之人（珍珠不可丢在猪前），而是向那敬畏神、要善用这话的人——「我要述说他为我灵魂所行的事」，并非出于骄傲和虚荣（以为自己比别人更蒙天恩眷爱），而是为神的荣耀（这是我们当尽的债），并为别人的造就。请注意，神的百姓当彼此分享自己的经历。我们当把握一切机会，互相述说神为我们所行的大而善的事，尤其是他为我们灵魂所行的事——他以属天的属灵福分所赐的福；这些我们当自己最受感动，因此也当最愿意用以感动别人。那么，神为他灵魂行了什么事？（1）神在他里面动工，使他爱祷告的本分，并以他的恩典在那本分上宽广他的心（诗 66:17）：「我曾用口呼求他。」神若在为我们灵魂所行的事中，没有赐我们儿子名分的灵——教导并使我们能以呼叫「阿爸，父」——我们就永不会如此行。神既赐我们祷告的许可、祷告的命令、祷告的勉励，并（最为要紧的）赐我们一颗祷告的心，这是我们当以感恩之心提及以赞美他的；更何况当我们用口呼求他之时，「我的舌头也称他为高」——意即当我们寻求他的怜悯和恩典之时，能以信心和盼望归荣耀给他，并（即使怜悯尚未得着）以盼望赞美他的怜悯。我们呼求他，便是尊崇他。他以谦卑、相信的众正直人之祷告为尊荣，这是他为我们灵魂所行的一件大事——他甚至乐得以如此方式与我们利益相联，使我们在寻求自己福祉之时，也寻求他的荣耀。「他的高举原在我的舌下」（也可如此读）；意即我在心中思量，当如何高举尊大他的名。祷告在口中之时，赞美必须在心里。（2）神在他里面动工，使他敬畏罪为祷告之敌（诗 66:18）：「我若心里注重罪孽，我深知道主必不听。」犹太作者中，有些怀有法利赛人之酵（即假冒为善）的人，对这些话有一种极败坏的解释：「『我若心里注重罪孽』——意即（他们说）若我只容让自己犯心中的罪，罪行并不发于言行；『主必不听』——意即他不会向我发怒，不会留意以致归罪于我」；仿佛心中的罪在神看来不算罪。这话的虚假，我们的主在他属灵的律法解释中已表明（太 5:7-48）。但本处的意思十分明白：「我若心里注重罪孽」——意即「我若对它存好感，我若爱它、放纵它、容让自己在其中，我若视它为友、欢迎它、为它预备、不愿与它分离，我若把它如甘甜之物含在口中，纵然只是心中之罪如此被纵容、被看重，我若按着里面的人喜悦它，神就不听我的祷告，不悦纳它，不喜悦它，我也不能指望平安的回答」。请注意，心中所注重的罪孽必破坏祷告的安慰和果效；因为「恶人的祭物是耶和华所憎恶的」。那些仍与罪相恋相交的人，在应许里、在中保里都没有分，因此不能指望祷告亨通。（3）神恩慈地赐他祷告得着平安的回答（诗 66:19）：「但神实在听见了。」虽然他自觉其中多有不当，开始恐怕祷告要被拒绝，却令他得安慰地发现，神仍愿意眷顾它们。神为他灵魂行了这事——藉着应允他的祷告，赐他恩惠的凭据，证明已在他里面动了善工。所以他结论说（诗 66:20）：「神是应当称颂的！」诗 66:18,19 是三段论法的大前提和小前提：「我若心里注重罪孽，主必不听」——这是命题；「但神实在听见了」——这是假设；他本可合理推论说：「所以我没有心里注重罪孽」；但他不把安慰归给自己，反而把赞美归给神：「神是应当称颂的。」无论前提是什么，结论总当是神的荣耀。「神听了我」，所以「神是应当称颂的」。请注意，我们藉祷告所得的，必须以赞美来佩戴。因祷告得应允而得的怜悯，特别使我们有感恩的义务。他「没有推却我的祷告，也没有叫他的慈爱离开我」。为免人以为拯救是因为他祷告的某种功劳，他便归功于神的怜悯。这是他加上的修正：「并非我的祷告招来了拯救，乃他的怜悯差来了拯救。」正因如此，神不推却我们的祷告，因为他不让自己的怜悯转离——那才是我们盼望的根基、安慰的泉源，因此也当是我们赞美的内容。
英文原文
David Resolves to Praise God; David Declaring What God Has Done for His Soul
¹³ I will go into thy house with burnt offerings: I will pay thee my vows,
¹⁴ Which my lips have uttered, and my mouth hath spoken, when I was in trouble.
¹⁵ I will offer unto thee burnt sacrifices of fatlings, with the incense of rams; I will offer bullocks with goats. Selah.
¹⁶ Come and hear, all ye that fear God, and I will declare what he hath done for my soul.
¹⁷ I cried unto him with my mouth, and he was extolled with my tongue.
¹⁸ If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear me:
¹⁹ But verily God hath heard me; he hath attended to the voice of my prayer.
²⁰ Blessed be God, which hath not turned away my prayer, nor his mercy from me.
The psalmist, having before stirred up all people, and all God's people in particular, to bless the Lord, here stirs up himself and engages himself to do it.
I. In his devotions to his God, Ps 66:13-15. He had called upon others to sing God's praises and to make a joyful noise with them; but, for himself, his resolutions go further, and he will praise God, 1. By costly sacrifices, which, under the law, were offered to the honour of God. All people had not wherewithal to offer these sacrifices, or wanted zeal to be at such an expense in praising God; but David, for his part, being able, is as willing, in this chargeable way to pay his homage to God (Ps 66:13): I will go into thy house with burnt-offerings. His sacrifices should be public, in the place which God had chosen: "I will go into thy house with them." Christ is our temple, to whom we must bring our spiritual gifts, and by whom they are sanctified. They should be the best of the king—burnt-sacrifices, which were wholly consumed upon the altar, to the honour of God, and of which the offerer had no share; and burnt-sacrifices of fatlings, not the lame or the lean, but the best fed, and such as would be most acceptable at his own table. God, who is the best, must be served with the best we have. The feast God makes for us is a feast of fat things, full of marrow (Isa 25:6), and such sacrifices should we bring to him. He will offer bullocks with goats, so liberal will he be in his return of praise, and not strait-handed: he would not offer that which cost him nothing, but that which cost him a great deal. And this with the incense of rams, that is, with the fat of rams, which being burnt upon the altar, the smoke of it would ascend like the smoke of incense. Or rams with incense. The incense typifies Christ's intercession, without which the fattest of our sacrifices will not be accepted. 2. By a conscientious performance of his vows. We do not acceptably praise God for our deliverance out of trouble unless we make conscience of paying the vows we made when we were in trouble. This was the psalmist's resolution (Ps 66:13,14), I will pay thee my vows, which my lips have uttered when I was in trouble. Note, (1.) It is very common, and very commendable, when we are under the pressure of any affliction, or in the pursuit of any mercy, to make vows, and solemnly to speak them before the Lord, to bind ourselves out from sin and bind ourselves more closely to our duty; not as if this were an equivalent, or valuable consideration, for the favour of God, but a qualification for receiving the tokens of that favour. (2.) The vows which we made when we were in trouble must not be forgotten when the trouble is over, but be carefully performed, for better it is not to vow than to vow and not pay.
II. In his declarations to his friends, Ps 66:16. He calls together a congregation of good people to hear his thankful narrative of God's favours to him: "Come and hear, all you that fear God, for, 1. You will join with me in my praises and help me in giving thanks." And we should be as desirous of the assistance of those that fear God in returning thanks for the mercies we have received as in praying for those we want. 2. "You will be edified and encouraged by that which I have to say. The humble shall hear of it and be glad, Ps 34:2. Those that fear thee will be glad when they see me (Ps 119:74), and therefore let me have their company, and I will declare to them, not to vain carnal people that will banter it and make a jest of it" (pearls are not to be cast before swine); "but to those that fear God, and will make a good use of it, I will declare what God has done for my soul," not in pride and vain-glory, that he might be thought more a favourite of heaven than other people, but for the honour of God, to which we owe this as a just debt, and for the edification of others. Note, God's people should communicate their experiences to each other. We should take all occasions to tell one another of the great and kind things which God has done for us, especially which he has done for our souls, the spiritual blessings with which he has blessed us in heavenly things; these we should be most affected with ourselves, and therefore with these we should be desirous to affect others. Now what was it that God had done for his soul? (1.) He had wrought in him a love to the duty of prayer, and had by his grace enlarged his heart in that duty (Ps 66:17): I cried unto him with my mouth. But if God, among other things done for our souls, had not given us the Spirit of adoption, teaching and enabling us to cry, Abba, Father, we should never have done it. That God has given us leave to pray, a command to pray, encouragements to pray, and (to crown all) a heart to pray, is what we have reason to mention with thankfulness to his praise; and the more if, when we cried to him with our mouth, he was extolled with our tongue, that is, if we were enabled by faith and hope to give glory to him when we were seeking for mercy and grace from him, and to praise him for mercy in prospect though not yet in possession. By crying to him we do indeed extol him. He is pleased to reckon himself honoured by the humble believing prayers of the upright, and this is a great thing which he has done for our souls, that he has been pleased so far to unite interests with us that, in seeking our own welfare, we seek his glory. His exaltation was under my tongue (so it may be read); that is, I was considering in my mind how I might exalt and magnify his name. When prayers are in our mouths praises must be in our hearts. (2.) He had wrought in him a dread of sin as an enemy to prayer (Ps 66:18): If I regard iniquity in my heart, I know very well the Lord will not hear me. The Jewish writers, some of them that have the leaven of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy, put a very corrupt gloss upon these words: If I regard iniquity in my heart, that is (say they), If I allow myself only in heart-sins, and iniquity does not break out in my words and actions, God will not hear me, that is, he will not be offended with me, will take no notice of it, so as to lay it to my charge; as if heart-sins were no sins in God's account. The falsehood of this our Saviour has shown in his spiritual exposition of the law, Mt 5:7-48 But the sense of this place is plain: If I regard iniquity in my heart, that is, "If I have favourable thoughts of it, if I love it, indulge it, and allow myself in it, if I treat it as a friend and bid it welcome, make provision for it and am loth to part with it, if I roll it under my tongue as a sweet morsel, though it be but a heart sin that is thus countenanced and made much of, if I delight in it after the inward man, God will not hear my prayer, will not accept it, nor be pleased with it, nor can I expect an answer of peace to it." Note, Iniquity, regarded in the heart, will certainly spoil the comfort and success of prayer; for the sacrifice of the wicked is an abomination to the Lord. Those that continue in love and league with sin have no interest either in the promise or in the Mediator, and therefore cannot expect to speed in prayer. (3.) He had graciously granted him an answer of peace to his prayers (Ps 66:19): "But verily God has heard me; though, being conscious to myself of much amiss in me, I began to fear that my prayers would be rejected, yet, to my comfort, I found that God was pleased to regard them." This God did for his soul, by answering his prayer, he gave him a token of his favour and an evidence that he had wrought a good work in him. And therefore he concludes (Ps 66:20), Blessed be God. The Ps 66:18,19 are the major and minor propositions of a syllogism: If I regard iniquity in my heart, God will not hear my prayer; that is the proposition: but verily God has heard me; that is the assumption, from which he might have rationally inferred, "Therefore I do not regard iniquity in my heart;" but, instead of taking the comfort to himself, he gives the praise to God: Blessed be God. Whatever are the premises, God's glory must always be the conclusion. God has heard me, and therefore blessed be God. Note, What we win by prayer we must wear with praise. Mercies in answer to prayer do, in a special manner, oblige us to be thankful. He has not turned away my prayer, nor his mercy. Lest it should be thought that the deliverance was granted for the sake of some worthiness in his prayer, he ascribes it to God's mercy. This he adds by way of correction: "It was not my prayer that fetched the deliverance, but his mercy that sent it." Therefore God does not turn away our prayer, because he does not turn away his own mercy, for that is the foundation of our hopes and the fountain of our comforts, and therefore ought to be the matter of our praises.
本篇是一首感恩诗,其用途与应用如此普遍,我们不必以为它是因任何特别场合而作。本篇呼召万民赞美神:一、为他在整个创造中其主权统治与大能的普遍证据(诗66:1-7);二、为他对他教会——他特别的子民——之恩眷的特殊凭据(诗66:8-12);于是三、诗人因自己特别经历神的良善——尤其是神应允他的祷告——而赞美神(诗66:13-20)。我们若已学会在凡事上为古时与今日的怜悯、为公众与个人的怜悯谢恩,便知道如何以恩典与悟性唱这首诗了。