Let all thy works, O lord, praise thee: and let thy saints bless thee.

“"Let all Your works, O Lord, confess to You, and let Your saints bless You" [Psalm 145:10]. How so? Is not the earth His work? Are not the trees His work? Cattle, beasts, fish, fowl, are not they His works? Plainly they too are. And how shall these too confess to Him? I see indeed in the angels that His works confess to Him, for the angels are His works: and men are His works; and when men confess to Him, His works confess to Him; but have trees and stones the voice of confession? Yes, verily; "let all" His "works confess to" Him. What do you say? Even the earth and the trees?...But there arises the same question in regard of praise, as in regard of confession. For if earth and all things devoid of sensation therefore cannot confess, because they have no voice to confess with; neither will they be able to praise, because they have no voice to proclaim with. But do not those Three Children enumerate all things, as they walked amid the harmless flames, who had leisure not only not to fear, but even to praise God? They say to all things, heavenly and earthly, "Bless ye the Lord, praise Him and magnify Him for ever." Behold how they praise. Let none think that the dumb stone or dumb animal has reason wherewith to comprehend God. They who have thought this, have erred far from the truth. God has ordered everything, and made everything: to some He has given sense and understanding and immortality, as to the angels; to some He has given sense and understanding with mortality, as to man; to some He has given bodily sense, yet gave them not understanding, or immortality, as to cattle: to some He has given neither sense, nor understanding, nor immortality, as to herbs, trees, stones: yet even these cannot be wanting in their kind, and by certain degrees He has ordered His creation, from earth up to heaven, from visible to invisible, from mortal to immortal. This framework of creation, this most perfectly ordered beauty, ascending from lowest to highest, descending from highest to lowest, never broken, but tempered together of things unlike, all praises God. Wherefore then does all praise God? Because when you consider it, and see its beauty, thou in it praisest God. The beauty of the earth is a kind of voice of the dumb earth....And this which you have found in it, is the very voice of its confession, that you praise the Creator. When you have thought on the universal beauty of this world, does not its very beauty as it were with one voice answer you, "I made not myself, God made me"?”

“All Thy works shall praise Thee: Even the various species of living creatures that lack knowledge to recognize the perfection of Your creation and the provision of their sustenance will praise You. Human beings who understand these things will also praise You as if they were all giving You thanks. And Thy pious ones shall bless Thee: In the script of the "Hei," it is said, "And who are the thankful pious ones, for they are always contemplating Your deeds, and they shall bless You continually. For at all times, upon seeing the innovations that are constantly renewed in the creations and the repairs within life and growth, they shall bless You. So too did the sages establish a blessing for every matter according to its needs, as they said, 'When one sees this and this, they bless in this way.' And [it] said, 'And Your pious ones, for each kindness is of the utmost value, and for those who are always contemplating the work of the deity and they will bless him always at all times of contemplation are the pious.'”

“All thy works shall praise thee, O Lord,.... Not all his works or creatures in general; though these do objectively praise him, or are the cause rather of others praising him on their account: but those who are in a special manner the works of his hands, of his powerful and efficacious grace; when he has formed for himself, that they may show forth his praise; such as are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people: these in an eminent sense, in the best way and manner, praise their blessed Saviour and Redeemer; see Isa 43:21; and thy saints shall bless thee: which are mentioned last, not as distinct from the former; but as explanative of them, as well as of their work: these are they that are set apart by the Lord, on whom his favours are bestowed; to whom Christ is made sanctification, and who are sanctified by his blood, and also by his Spirit; and, being sensible of the blessings of grace they receive from him, rise up and call him blessed, and ascribe blessing, honour, glory, and praise to him, for ever and ever.”