A commentary on the book of Psalms

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BS 1430 .H815 1825 v.l
Home, George, 1730-1792.
A commentary on the book of
Psalms

SELECT
CHRISTIAN AUTHORS,

WITH

INTRODUCTORY ESSAYS.

23

UBLISHED 1- 1/."ILL:

COMMENTARY

ON THE

BOOK OF PSALMS.

By'
GEORGE HORNE, D.D.

LORD BISHOP OF NORWICH.

WITH

AN INTRODUCTORY ESSAY,

BY THE

REV. EDWARD IRVING, A.M.

MINISTER OF THE CALEDONIAN CHURCH, LONDON.

IN THREE VOLUMES.

VOL. L

GLASGOW:

PRINTED FOR CHALMERS AND COLLINS;

WILLIAM WHYTE & CO. AND WILLIAM OLIPHANT, EDINBURGH:

R. M. TIMS, AND WM. CURRY, JUN. & CO. DUBLIN;

AND G. B. WHITTAKER, LONDON.

1825.

Printed by W. Collins ^ Co.
Glasgow.

INTRODUCTORY ESSAY.

As in political affairs the enlightened Scottish pa-
triot and statesman, in order to work upon the peo-
ple, asked for the songs of a nation, rather than its
profound and laborious literature; and, in ecclesias-
tical affairs, the politic churchmen of Rome appre-
hended more danger to their craft and mystery, from
Luther's spiritual songs, than from all his writings
of controversial and popular theology; so, in spi-
ritual affairs, it is to be beheved that no book of
the sacred canon seizeth such a hold upon the spi-
ritual man, and engendereth in the church so much
fruitfulness of goodness and truth, of comfort and
joy, as doth the Book of Psalms. We say not that
the Psalms are so well fitted as the pure light of the
Gospel by John, and Paul's Epistles, which are the
refraction of that pure light over the fields of human
well-being, to break the iron-bone, and bruise the
millstone-heart of the natural man; but that they
are the kindliest medicine for healing his wounds,
and the most proper food for nourishing the new life
which comes from the death and destruction of the
old. For, as the songs and lyrical poems of a na-

VI

tion, which have survived the changes of time by
being enshrined in the hearts of a people, contain
the true form, and finer essence of its character,
and convey the most genial moods of its spirit, whe-
ther in seasons of grief or joy, down to the children,
and the children's children, perpetuating the strongest
vitality of choice spirits, awakened by soul-moving
events, and holding, as in a vessel, to the lips of
posterity, the collected spirit of venerable antiqui-
ty : so the Psalms, which are the songs and odes,
and lyrical poems of the people of God, inspired not
of wine, or festal mirth, of war, or love, but spo-
ken by holy men as they were moved by the Holy
Ghost, contain the words of God's Spirit taught
to the souls of his servants, when they were exer-
cised with the most intense experiences, whether of
conviction, penitence, and sorrow; or faith, love, and
joy ; and are fit not only to express the same most
vital moods of every renewed soul, but also powerful
to produce those broad awakenings of spirit, to create
those overpowering emotions, and propagate that ener-
gy of spiritual life in which they had their birth.

Be it observed, moreover, that these Songs of
Zion express not only the most remarkable passa-
ges which have occurred in the spiritual experience
of the most gifted saints, but are the record of the
most wonderful dispensations of God's providence
unto his church : — containing pathetic dirges sung
over her deepest calamities, jubilees over her migh-
ty deliverances, songs of sadness for her captivity,
and songs of mirth for her prosperity, prophe-
tic announcement of her increase to the end of
time, and splendid anticipations of her ultimate glory.

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Not indeed the exact narrative of tlie events as they
happened, or are to happen, nor the prosaic improve-
ment of the same to the minds of men ; but the po-
etical form and monument of the event, where it is
laid up and embalmed in honourable-wise, after it
hath been incensed and perfumed vvith the spiritual
odours of the souls of inspired men. And if they
contain not the code of the divine law, as it is writ-
ten in the Books of Moses, and more briefly, yet
better written in our Lord's Sermon on the mount,
they celebrate the excellency and glory of the Law,
its light, life, wisdom, contentment, and blessedness,
with the joys of the soul which keepeth it, and the
miseries of the soul which keepeth it not. And if
they contain not the argument of the simple doc-
trines, and the detail of the issues of the gospel,
to reveal which the word of God became flesh, and
dwelt among us: yet now that the key is given, and
the door of spiritual life is opened, where do we find
such spiritual treasures as in the book of Psalms,
wherein are revealed the depths of the soul's sin-
fulness, the stoutness of her rebellion against God,
the horrors of spiritual desertion, the agonies of con-
trition, the blessedness of pardon, the joys of resto-
ration, the constancy of faith, and every other vari-
ety of Christian experience? And if they contain
not the narrative of Messiah's birth, and life, and
death; or the labours of his apostolic servants, and
the strugglings of his infant church, as these are
written in the books of the New Testament; where,
in the whole Scriptures, can we find such declara-
tions of the work of Christ, in its humiliation and
its glory, the spiritual agonies of his death, and glo-

VIU

rious issues of his resurrection, the wrestling of his
kingdom with the powers of darkness, its triumph
over the heathen, and the overthrow of all its enemies,
until the heads of many lands shall have been wound-
ed, and the people made willing in the day of his
power? And where are there such outbursting re-
presentations of all the attributes of Jehovah, be-
fore whom, when he rideth through the heavens,
the very heavens seem to rend in twain, to give the
vision of his going forth, and we seem to see the
haste of the universe to do her homage, and to hear
the quaking of nature's pillars, the shaking of her
foundations, and the horrble outcry of her terror?
And oh! it is sweet in the midst of these soarings
into the third heavens of vision, to feel that you are
borne upon the words of a man, not upon the wings
of an archangel; to hear ever and anon the frail but
faithful voice of humanity, making her trust under the
shadow of His wings, and her hiding place in the se-
cret of His tent; and singing to Him in faithful strains,
" For as the heaven is high above the earth, so great
is his mercy toward them that fear him. As far as
the east is from the west, so far hath he removed our
transgressions from us. Like as a father pitieth
his children, so the Lord pitieth them that fear
him." So that, as well by reason of the matter
which it contains, as of the form in w^hich it is ex-
pressed, the Book of Psalms, take it all in all,
may be safely pronounced one of the divinest books
in all the Scriptures; which hath exercised the hearts
and lips of all saints, and become dear in the sight
of the church; which is replenished with the types of
all possible spiritual feelings, and suggests the forms

IX

of all God-ward emotions, and furnishing the choice
expressions of all true worship, the utterances of all
divine praise, the confession of all spiritual humility,
with the raptures of all spiritual joy.

If now we turn ourselves to consider the man-
ner or style of the Book, and to draw it into com-
parison with the lyrical productions of cultivated and
classical nations, it may well be said, that as the
heavens are high above the earth, so are the songs
of Zion high above the noblest strains which have
been sung in any land. For, take out of the lyrical
poetry of Greece and Rome, the praises of women,
and of wine, the flatteries of men, and idle in-
vocations of the muse and lyre, and what have we
left? What dedication of song and music is there to
the noble and exalted powers of the human spirit —
what to the chaste and honourable relations of human
society — what to the excitement of tender emotions
towards the widow and the fatherless, the stranger
and the oppressed — what to the awful sanctity of law
and government, and the practical forms of justice
and equity! We know, that in the more ancient
time, when mendvveic nearer to God, the lyre of Or-
pheus was employed to exalt and pacify the soul ;
that the Pythagorean verses contain the intima-
tions of a deep theology, a divine philosophy and
a virtuous life ; that the lyre of Tyrtceus was used
by the wisdom of Lycurgus, for accomplishing his
great work of forming a peculiar people, a nation
of brave and virtuous men: but in the times which
we call classical, and with the compositions of which
we imbue our youth, we find little purity of sen-
timent, little elevation of soul, no spiritual represen-
A3

tationsof God, nothing pertaining to heavenly know-
ledge or holy feeling: but, on the other hand, im-
purity of life, low sensual ideas of God, and the
pollution of religion, so often as they touch it. But
the Songs of Zion are comprehensive as the human
soul, and varied as human life; where no possible
state of natural feeling shall not find itself tenderly
expressed and divinely treated with appropriate re-
medies;.where no condition of human life shall not
find its rebuke or consolation: because they treat
not life after the fashion of an age or people, but life
in its rudiments, the life of the soul, with the joys
and sorrows to which it is amenable, from con-
course with the outward necessity of the fallen world.
Which breadth of application they compass not by the
sacrifice of lyrical propriety, or poetical method : for
if there be poems strictly lyrical, that is, whose spirit
and sentiment move congenial with the movements of
music, and which, by their very nature, call for the ac-
companiment of music, these Odes ofa people despised
as illiterate, are such. For pure pathos and tender-
ness of heart, for sublime imaginations, for touching
pictures of natural scenery, and genial sympathy with
nature's various moods; for patriotism, whether in
national weal or national wo, for beautiful ima-
gery, whether derived from the relationship of hu-
man life, or the forms of the created universe, and
for the illustration, by their help, of spiritual con-
ditions: moreover, for those rapid transitions in which
the lyrical muse delighteth. her lightsome graces at
one time, her deep and full inspiration at another,
her exuberance of joy and her lowest falls of grief,
and for every other form of the natural soul, which

XI

is wont to be shadowed forth by this kind of compo-
sition, we challenge any thing to be produced from
the literature of all ages and countries, worthy
to be compared with what we find even in the
English version of the Book of Psalms. Were the
distinction of spiritual from natural life, the dream
of mystical enthusiasts, and the theology of the Jews,
a cunningly devised fable, like the mythologies of
Greece and Rome, these few Odes should be dearer
to the man of true feeling and natural taste, than
all which have been derived to us from classical
times, though they could be sifted of their abo-
minations, and cleansed from the incrustation of
impurity which defiles their most exquisite parts.
But into these questions of style we enter no further,
our present aim being higher. Paulo major a cana-
miis. Let us employ the few pages which we have
devoted to this Essay, on something more noble than
questions of taste, and more enduring than the gra-
tifications of the natural man.

These Songs of Zion have always been very dear
unto Zion's cliildren, and the various churches of
the Christian faith, as by one harmonious and uni-
versal consent, have adopted the Psalms as the out-
ward form by which they shall express the inward
feelings of the Christian life. However much the
infinitely varying expositors of Christian doctrine
may differ in the opinions and views which they de-
duce from the Scripture at large; in this they are
agreed, that the effusions of the inspired Psalmist
must always be the true and expressive language of
the believing soul. An organ of utterance well and
rightly attuned to every aspiration, and to every

Xll

emotion of that soul which hath been quickened
from spiritual death, and made alive in Christ Je-
sus the Lord. The pious Arminian, who resteth
content with the infant state of Christ, and seeth no
more in the rich treasures of God's word than a free
gift to all men, shrinking back with a feeling of
dismay from such parts of the sacred volume as fa-
vour a system of doctrine suited to the manly state
of Christian liie, can yet trust himself without dis-
may or doubt to give back, from his inmost spirit,
the sentiments and thoughts which he finds embo-
died in the book of Psalms, veiled with no obscu-
rity of speech, and perplexed with no form of
controversy. He delighteth to read that " the Lord
is loving unto every one, and that his tender mercy
governs all his works." His spirit hath its liberty
amidst those unlimited declarations of the divine be-
neficence, sung by Zion's King, when he calleth
upon all nature's children to take part with him in
bis song of praise, and in his liberality includeth the
lower creatures, and the very forms of inanimate na-
ture; gathering the voice of all the earth into one,
and joining it in symph-ony with the hosannahs of
the unfallen and redeemed spirits which are around
the throne of God. And the more enlightened and
not less pious Calvinist, who is not content ever-
more to dwell in the outer court of the holy tem-
ple, but resolveth for his soul's better peace and
higher joy, to enter into the holy and most holy
place, which is no longer veiled and forbidden, finds
in this Book of Psalms, a full declaration of the
deepest secrets of his faith, expression for his in-
most knowledge of the truth, and forms for his

Xlll

most profound feelings upon the peculiar, and ap-
propriate, and never-lailing love of a covenant God
towards his own peculiar people; and in concert with
David, the Father of a spiritual seed, he doth cele-
brate the praises of that God, who freely and for
his own sake hath loved his people with an everlast-
ing love; '* visiting their transgressions with the
rod, and their iniquities v/ith stripes, but not suf-
fering his loving- kindness to fail, or his goodness to
depart for evermore." And from whatever point be-
tween these two extremes of spiritual life (the former
the infancy, the latter the mature and perfect man-
hood) any church hath contemplated the scheme of its
doctrine— by v»^hatever name they have thought good
to designate themselves, and however bitterly op-
posed to one another in church government, obser-
vance of rites, or administration of sacraments,
still find them v/ith one voice consentino; to em-

ou

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ploy those inspired Songs, as well fitted to express
the emotions of their spirits, when stirred up to
devout and holy aspirations of prayer and praise.
The reason why the Psalms have found such con-
stant favour in the sight of the Christian church,
and come to constitute a chief portion of every mis-
sal and liturgy, and form of worship, public or pri-
vate, while forms of doctrine and discourse have
undergone such manifold changes, in order to repre-
sent the changing spirit of the age, and the diverse
conditions of the human mind, is to be found in this —
that they address themselves to the simple instinctive
feelings of the renewed soul, vvhich are its most
constant and permanent part, whereas, the forms of
doctrine and discourse address themselves to the

XIV

spiritual understanding, which differs in ages and
countries according to the degree of spiritual illu-
mination, and the energy of spiritual life. For,
as those instincts of our nature, which put them-
selves forth in infancy and early life, towards our
parents, and our kindred, and our friends, and
derive thence the nourishment upon which they
live, are far more constant, than those opinions
wliich we afterwards form concerning society, civil
polity, and the world in general; and, as those im-
pressions of place, and scene, and incident, which
come in upon us in our early years, are not only more
constant in their endurance, but more uniform in
their effect upon the various minds which are sub-
mitted to them, than any which are afterwards made
by objects better fitted to affect us both perma-
nently and powerfully — so we reckon that there
is an infancy of the spiritual man, which, with all its
instincts, wanders abroad over the word of God, to
receive the impressions thereof, and grow upon their
wholesome variety into a maturity of spiritual reason,
when it becomes desirous to combine and arrann-e in-
to conceptions, and systems of conceptions, the mani-
foldness and variety of those simple impressions
which it hath obtained. During those days of its
spiritual infancy, the soul rejoiceth as a little child at
the breast of its mother ; feeds upon the word of
God with a constant relish ; dehghts in the views and
prospects which open upon every side, and glories in
its heavenly birthright and royal kindred ; and consi-
dereth with wonder the kinfrdom of which it is be-
come a denizen, its origin, its miraculous progress,
and everlasting glory: and as the infant life opens

XV

itself to the Sun of Righteousness, it delights
in its activity, and exhales on all around the odour
of its breathing joy. To this seiison of the
spiritual mind, the Psalms come most opportunely
as its natural food. We say not that they quicken
the life, to which nothing is so appropriate as the
words of our Lord recorded in the Gospels, but
being quickened, they nourish up the life to man-
hood, and when its manly age is come, prepare it
for the stronff meat which is to be found in the
writings of the prophets and the apostles. But
ever afterwards the souls of believers recur to
these Psalms as the home of their childhood, where
they came to know the loving-kindness of their
heavenly Father, the fotness of his house, and the
full river of his goodness, his pastoral carefulness,
his sure defence, and his eye that slumbereth not,
nor sleepeth, with every other simple representa-
tion of divine things, to the simple affections of the
renewed soul. Therefore are these psalms to the
Christian what the love of parents and the sweet af-
fections of home, and the clinging memory of infant
scenes, and the generous love of country, are to men
of every rank and order, and employment; of every
kindred, and tongue, and nation.

This principle which binds these psalms with cords
of love to the renewed soul, and the right use and
application of them to the bringing up of spiritual
children, will be more clearly manifested, if, from
the varieties of Christian experience, we select those
great leading features, which are common to all, and
show how fitly they are expressed in the Book of
Psalms, with how much beauty and tenderness of
feeling, with how much richness of allusion to the

XVI

ancient history of the church, and with whatever
other accompaniments which can make them sweet to
the present perusal of the soul, easy and dehghtful
to it in its recollective and reflective mood. There-
by we shall give, as it were, a fit spiritual introduc-
tion to the excellent Commentary of the good
Bishop Horne, whose book is full of the particu-
lars of such spiritual application.

Without dispute or controversy upon minor points
of difference, the church of the first-born whose
names are written in heaven, meet upon the com-
mon ground of a fallen nature. Once they had
supposed themselves upright before God, strong in
natural integrity, possessing an undoubted claim
to the final approbation of a righteous judge.
But it was in the days of their ignorance that they
thus conceived of their own worth ; and now that
the rays of divine light and truth have penetrated
the darkness in which their souls were shrouded,
they see an end of that perfection which was hereto-
fore their boast. The breadth of the divine com-
mandment is revealed to them, and being sorely
pressed with an even present sense of their defile-
ment, they afflict their souls together, fafling pros-
trate before the thrice Holy Majesty, who is of
purer eyes than to behold iniquity; and confess with
the royal penitent, " Behold, I was shapen in ini-
quity, and in sin did ray mother conceive me."
Whatever point of faith or doctrine any one of
Zion's children may seem to be deficient in, if he
be but a babe of Christ, able to feed only upon
the nourishment of babes, and rejecting the food of

xvu

riper years, yet shall he have come to the know-
ledge of the plagues of his own heart, and be moved
to spread forth his hands in supplication towards the
temple of the Lord, and to say, " I acknowledge
my transgression, and ray sin is ever before me*"
The universal church afflicteth her soul under the
abiding sense of the loss of her original beauty, and
under a deep feeling of her present misery, she de-
ploreth her bondage to the powers of darkness and
the God of this world ; and her children mingle
their tears together by the waters of their captivity,
and wail because of the oppression of their mother,
and they cry out of the depths of their desolation,
'' Let the sighing of the prisoners come before thee,
and according to the greatness of thy power preserve
those that are appointed unto death." " Save us,
O Lord, by thy name, judge us by thy strength,
for strangers are risen up against us, and oppressors
seek after our souls." Oh, how do the true mour-
ners with one accord come unto the Lord weeping
and with supplication, " that their captivity may be
turned, and salvation brought them out of Zion !"
How do they beseech the Lord, " giving him no
rest till he make Jacob to rejoice, and Israel to be
glad; till he do good in his good pleasure unto Zion,
and build up again the walls of Jerusalem!" and
when the Lord hath hearkened unto the voice of the
cry of his people, and turned their captivity, deliver-
ing them from the strong enemy that held them,
bringing them forth also into a large place, and
subduing under them the foes that were too mighty
for them; how do they with one accord magnify the
Lord, and extol his name together, and with one

XViU

harmonious voice celebrate the praise of him who,
strong to save them, hath trodden upon the lion and
the adder, the young lion and the dragon hath
trampled under foot. " Oh Lord of Hosts, who
is a strong God like unto thee? thou hast a mighty
arm, strong is thy hand, and high is thy right hand.
Thou hast broken Rahab in pieces, as one that was
slain. Justice and judgment are the habitation of
thy throne, mercy and truth shall go before thy face."
The true Israel of God, the spiritual worshippers
under the gospel dispensation, being rescued from
this worse than Egyptian bondage, by the strong
hand and outstretched arm of the God of their sal-^
vation, commemorate in many a song sung in Zion
of old, the interposition of divine love and grace,
and oft looking back upon the raging sea, which
was fain to yield them a safe passage; they proceed
onward in their course through the weary wilder-
ness, to the abode of their rest, and the promised city
of their habitation : and they had hoped they were
safe from the power of their cruel adversary, and
that their foot was safely planted upon their own
land. But now they find, to the travail of their
souls, that though they be no longer the wilHng
slaves of Satan, but partakers of the glorious liberty
wherewith Christ hath set his people free, they
must use the arms of freemen to retain their newly
acquired liberty, march militant, and build the
wall of their city in troublous times, and abide unto
the death the faithful soldiers of the Captain of their
salvation. " Each one had said in his prosperity,
I shall never be moved, thou. Lord, of thy favour
hadst made my mountain to stand strong." But

XIX

ere long, each one for himself exclaims, " Oh God,
the heathen are come into thine inheritance, thy
holy temple have they defiled, and made Jerusalem
a heap of stones." — ** Send thine hand from above,
rid me and deliver me from the hand of strange
children, whose mouth speakcth vanity, and their
right hand is a right hand of falsehood." And oh,
how do Zion's children cry out ever and anon to-
gether, in pain to be delivered from the remaining
and continually reviving power of that sin which
cleaveth to them with all the force of nature, and
is only kept in check and brought under subjection,
by the more powerful operation of the Spirit of grace
which dwelleth in them! And they continually cry
out with the king of Israel, " Create in me a clean
heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me:
purge me with hyssop, and 1 shall be clean ; wash
me, and I shall be whiter than the snow." The
experience of the Lord's saints is ever one. As
face answereth to face in a glass, so the heart of
man to man, whether it be the heart in its unre-
newed or renewed state, its workings will not be
found diverse, but the same, — moods of the mind
common to every child of tlie second as of the first
Adam. Whatever is written in Moses, and the
Prophets, and the Psalms, concerning the former
church, must be fulfilled in the experience of every
saint of the present church; and there is no spiritual
song, which they do not appropriate and make their
own. In them it is fulfilled. For, it is but the
Spirit of Christ speaking at various times; of whom
no word is mortal, but every word immortal. And
it is their constant work to search out the personal

XX

application of the Spirit, and appropriate it to them-
selves : and through every trial and stage of their
spiritual life, they say, with the Psalmist, " Thy
word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my
path; open thou mine eyes that I may discern won-
drous things out of thy law." Ah, how they me-
ditate thereon day and night ! and truly can every
child of David's kingdom say, " Lord, how I love
thy law ; it is my meditation all the day ; mine eyes
prevent the night watches, that I might meditate
on thy word." And the anxious and diligent tra-
vail of Zion's children in the study of their Master's
word, is repaid by the sweet and pleasant contem-
plations which they are continually deriving thence,
for the refreshment and consolation of their spirit.
And the language of their soul is ever, " How sweet
are thy words to my taste, yea sweeter than honey
to my mouth ! the law of thy mouth is better to me
than thousands of gold and silver."

But the saints of God mourn not for themselves
alone, nor do they rejoice only for themselves. Nor
is it for their own solitary rescue from the jaws of
the devouring lion, that they offer up strong cries
unto the Lord; nor for their single salvation, that
they sing the praises of redeeming love. They are
not altogether absorbed with the variety of their own
spiritual conflicts, or swallowed up in the sense of
their own manifold trials and temptations ; nor for
themselves alone do they study the precious word of
God, or dig for its hid treasure with the avarice of
the man who knoweth not the riches of communi-
cated wealth. The utterances of individual feeling,
of whatever kind, form but a part, perhaps the

XXI

lesser part, of the spiritual exercises of the man of
God. If he fears with a salutary fear, lest it be
said of him at any time, " The vineyard of others
hath he kept, but his own vineyard hath he not
kept :" he hath yet a heart to mourn with those that
mourn, and to rejoice with those that rejoice. He
is a member of the mystical body of his Lord,
whereof when any member suffers, all the members
suffer with it ; when any member is honoured, all
the members rejoice. Therefore it is a first in-
stinct of the spiritual man, to have a deep and
abiding sympathy with every brother of human kind,
upon whose renewed spirit he discovers the impress
of his Master's image: and he says, " All my de-
light is in the saints that are upon the earth, and
upon such as excel in virtue." Unlike the natural
man, who at his best estate is built up in selfish
feeling or unholy emulation, the man of God looks
not only at his own things, but at the things of
others. With the love that is peculiar to the true
saint, he desires the well-being of his brother, and
rejoiceth over it even as if it were his own. How
doth he continually make supplication for all saints,
that their faith and love may abound unto the glory of
God: how earnestly doth he desire their increase of
grace, and that they may be filled with all the
knowledge of God ! and he ever prays for the peace
of Jerusalem, saying evermore, " Peace be within
thy walls, and prosperity within thy palaces. For
my brethren and companions' sakes, I will now say,
peace be with thee. Because of the house of our
God, I will seek thy good. Do good, O Lord,
unto those that be good ; and strengthen the up-

xxu

right in heart." In Zioii's troubles his spirit is
troubled, and he hangeth his harp upon the wil-
lows, refusing the song of mirth, and preferring the
cause of captive Zion, before his own chief joy.
And he prayeth on her behalf continually, " The
Lord hear thee in the day of trouble, the name of
the God of Jacob defend thee." Send thou help
from the sanctuary, and strengthen thee out of
Zion. Remember all thy offerings, and accept all
thy burnt sacrifices. Grant thee according to thy
heart, and fulfil all thy counsel.

Now there hath grown up in these lean years, a
miserable notion, that the Psalms are not so appro-
priate for expressing the communion of the Christian
church, for the reason that they contain allusions to
places and events which are of Jewish, and not of
Christian association. And some have gone so far as
to weed out all those venerable associations, by intro-
ducing modern names of places in their stead. Why
do they not upon the same principle weed out the
Jewish allusions of the four Gospels, and the Epis-
tles ? But it is as poor in taste and wrong in feel-
ing, as it is daring in the thought, and bold in the
execution. In doing so, they consult for the Jiomely
feeling of the natural^ not of the sjnritual man, be-
cause the home of the spiritual was in Jerusalem, and
Mount Zion and the temple of God, with which the
soul connects her anticipations, no less than her re-
collections, being taught that the new Jerusalem
is to come down from heaven like a bride, decked for
her bridegroom, and that those who are sealed are
to stand upon Mount Zion with the Lamb of God.
Every name in the Psalms, whether of person or of

XXlll

place, hath a mystical meaning given to it in the
Christian Scriptures. Jerusalem is not the Jerusa-
lem that was, nor is Babylon the Babylon that was,
and even David hath lost his personality in the ever-
lasting David. Judah and Israel mean not now
the cast-away root, but the branch that hath been
grafted in. Besides, we hold at present only one
cycle of the revolution of God's purpose ; the
Jews shall yet be brought in, and Jerusalem become
glorious, and the dwelling of God be again wuth men.
Why then should any part of everlasting Scrip-
ture be made the property of an age or place, which
suppose every Christian nation to do, and where
were the community of the Christian church ! It is
heady innovation, and leanness of spirit which hath
brought this to pass, for no end that we can see, save
to gratify national vanity, and connect religion in a
strange league with patriotism; thereby breaking the
continuity of God's dispensation ; and destroying all
lyrical propriety. As if you would render the odes of
Horace into English, with English names of men
and places, in order to make them more edifying to
the English reader. But more need not be said upon
this blunder in piety, which will disappear when the
lean years are over and gone. If we take not our
forms for expressing spiritual patriotism, from those
inspired songs through which, in the old time, the
church breathed the spirit of her high privilege,
and separate community, where shall we obtain them
of like unction and equal authority, in the experience
of times during which no prophet hath arisen
in the holy city ? For though the church hath been
as sorely tried under the Gentile, as under the Jew-

XXIV

isli despensation, it hath not pleased the Lord to be-
stow upon any of her priests or people, the garment
of mspiration, with which to clothe in spiritual songs
the depths of he? sorrow, or the exultation of her
joy. And we are shut up to the necessity, either
of responding to the voice of the Spirit in the an-
cient Psalmist, or to re-echo the poetical effusions of
Hninspired men,— -either to address the living God
in the language of his own word, or in the language
of some vernacular poet, whose taste and forms
of thinking, whose forms of feeling, yea, and
forms of opinion, we must make mediators between
our soul and the ear of God, — which is a great evil
to be avoided, whenever it can be avoided. For
Christians must be forms of the everlasting and com-
mon Spirit ; not mannerists of mortal and individual
men.

But to return. Not only do the personal instincts,
and the social instincts of the child of God, find
in these Psalms the milk and honey of their existence,
a cradle and a home where to wax and grow, and a
multifarious world of imagery to awaken and enter-
tain its various senses; but also those instincts of pity,
and compassion, and longing charity, which it hath
towards the enemies of Christ, not indeed as his
enemies, but as the hopeful prodigals of the human
family, which he loveth in common with the rest, and
would, in like manner, save. The true disciples of
the compassionate and tender-hearted Friend of sin-
ners, adopt the language of Israel's king, when he
pours out his soul in anxious longings for the sal-
vation of the wicked, deprecating their stout-hearted
rebellion against the King of kings, and exhorting

XXV

to be timely wise, lest they fail of tlicir final and ever-
lasting rest. The new man in Christ Jesus, the re-
generate, adopted chikl of tlie second Adam, who,
under the sweet and enlightening influence of many
newly awakened feelings, perceives himself to be
linked in new and constraining bonds of sympathy
with every kindred soul in Christ, is, nevertheless,
not so absorbed in the joyful consciousness of those
newly formed relations into which he hath been in-
troduced by grace, as to forget that he is still united
by many dear and tender ties to his brethren in the
flesh. His original descent from the first Adam,
he does not cease to recollect; and the conviction
that, in virtue of this descent, he was by nature a
child of wrath even as others, stimulates his zeal in
behalf of those who appear to be less highly fa-
voured than himself, and will not suffer his love to-
w^ards them to fail. If, to the inexpressible peace
and consolation of his soul, he finds himself to be
now under the royal law of liberty, he grieveth to
behold his kindred, his friends, his neighbours, the
world at large, still oppressed with the yoke of bond-
£ige, heedless of their degradation, and careless to
take up their purchased redemption. If the law of
God be precious to him, and he discover in it a
beauty, and excellence, and a goodness ever com-
mending it to the love and admiration of his enligh-
tened spirit, how doth he weep and mourn on ac-
count of those by whom it is ignorantly set at nought
and utterly despised ! He adopteth the language of
Israel's king, " Horror hath taken hold upon me,
because of the wicked that forsake thy law. Rivers
of waters run down mine eyes, because they keep

B 23

XXVI

not thy law. Thou shalt break them with a rod of
iron : Thou shalt dash them in pieces like a potter's
vessel. Beware now, therefore, O ye kings ; be in-
structed, ye judges of the earth. Kiss the Son,
lest he be angry, and ye perish from the right way,
when his wrath is kindled but a little."

There are many passages in the Psalms which
seem to breathe an opposite spirit of hostility and
revenge upon the personal enemies of the Psalmist,
and to heap upon their heads all the curses which
are written in the book of the law of God. Con-
cerning this, and many other points, it is well
stated in the Preface to this Commentary, whereof
we would not repeat any thing, but add, for the
further explication of this matter, that though the
gospel law be " charity out of a pure heart," this
charity doth manifest itself under various forms, some
pleasant, but most of them painful to the natural man.
Rebuke is a form of charity; and censure, and ex-
communication, yea, and total abandonment for a
while. Truth is always a form of charity; or, to
speak more properly, truth is the soul of which
charity is but the beautiful, graceful, and lovely
member. Charity, therefore, is not to be known
by soft words, and fair speeches and gentle actions,
which are oftener the form of policy and cour-
tesy; but must be sought in the principle of the
heart, out of which all our words, speeches, and
actions come forth. It is love to God producing
love to all his family, by which we are moved; then
is it charity, be its form commendation or blame,
mildness or zeal, the soft and gentle moods of mercy,
or the stern inflictions of justice, or the hasty strokes

xxvu

of hot and fiery indignation: and wisdom must de-
termine the form which is proper to the occasion.
Is not God a God of love? and how diversified are
the moods of his providence even to his own heloved
children ? Christ brought mercy to the earth, and
in the gospel builded for her an ark, in which she
might swim over the deluge of cruelty which covereth
the earth. Yet how terrible is that gospel in its
revelation to the wicked, how unsparing of the world,
how cruel to the flesh, how contemptuous of good-
natured formality, how awfully vindictive against hy-
pocrisy; taking every one of its children, and swear-
ing him upon the altar to be an enemy, till death,
against the world, the devil and the flesh ! Against
the various forms then of the devil, the world and
the flesh we are sworn, and, in order to their de-
struction, must make war with the two-edged sword
which proceedetli out of the mouth of the word of
God. Of these strong actings of the soul against
the wickedness of the wicked, the Psalmist's lan-
guage of cursing is but the breath. The world is
the heathen whom he prays God to break in pieces.
And for ever let the Christian exercise himself with
that warfare, else he shall never know the fellowship
of the Redeemer's sufferings. It is the capital prin-
ciple of all sound doctrine. That the world is to be
destroyed. It is the deep-rooted source of all here-
tical doctrine. That the world is to be mended.
And to keep the one in mind, the other out of mind,
it is most necessary that no mean portion of the de-
votion of a Christian church should be to express the
desires of/their soul on this behalf. Charity being
unviolateci; yea, charity being edified; for until the
B2

XXVlll

sceptre of the world is broken in pieces, charity can
find no room, but is fain to flee into the wilderness.
Out of the same charity, therefore, ought the
Christian to adopt these expressions of his hatred to
the form, and fruits of wickedness, that he expres-
seth his longing desire that the souls of the wicked
should be set free and saved.

Such is the food, exercise, and entertainment
which the child of God receives in this precious
portion of his word, to all those instincts of the re-
newed spirit which regard self-preservation, the
communion of saints and the salvation of the world.
But beyond these objects which dwell upon the
earth, he is carried upward to hold communion with
the God and Father of his spirit, from whom he
hath obtained the new birth, and by whom this new
principle is kept alive in its uncongenial habitation.
Many are the conflicts of Zion's children in their
way to the heavenly city, and great the travail of
their souls, under the variety and might of which
they need appropriate encouragement from Him who
is greater than all their enemies, and in whom is their
trust. Their own individual salvation, their own
peculiar trials, their own besetting enemies, Zion's
well-being, and the share of all her sorrows till her
warf^ire is ended; the world's salvation, in which
they must travail till the number of the elect is
accomplished, and, as priests unto God, offer up
continual supplication : how shall they prosper in
such an arduous work, without constant communion
and fellowship with the Father, and with his Son
Jesus Christ? For which communion with the
Godhead, these divine songs of Israel furnish the

XXIX

most sublime, the most pathetic and the most
varied forms. Here the perfections of Jehovah are
revealed to all his saints, whether in his strength
as the God of Hosts, or in his righteousness, as
before whom the heavens are not clean ; or in his
intelligence as the pure light in whom is no deirk-
ness at all ; or in his all pervading presence in the
highest heavens, and the deepest hell, and the ut-
termost parts of the earth, and the dwelling place
of darkness; or as the Father of all life, and the
Creator of all wealth, and the liberal Provider for
the wants of every thing that liveth, as the Glory
of the hosts above, and the Terror of the hosts
beneath ; the Eternal, Unchangeable, without
variableness or the shadow of turning; who of old
laid the foundation of the earth, and the heavens
are the work of his hands ; which, when they wax
old, he shall fold up as a vesture, and cover them
with a new garment of creation, while he remaineth
the same and his years have no end. Oh, my soul!
that thou couldst tell how thou hast been enlarged
into the liberty of divine thought, and borne upon
the wings of contemplation beyond the bounds of
time and space, wrapt into the mysteries of the
divine life, and with a strong heart and serene
countenance, brought back to fight and finish thy
warfare, till thy change come, by the glorious re-
presentations of Jehovah and his acts, contained in
the Book of Psalms, which truly are the fiery
chariot, the vehicle sent from God to carry the saints
into the third heavens, that they may breathe an
imperial air, and return lightened of their troubles,
and quickened in their spirit, to finish the heavy
work which God hath given them to do.

XXX

Of this, indeed, no one will doubt, be he spi-
ritual or carnal, that these Psalms contain such re-
presentations of the great and mighty God, as mind
of man never conceived, or pen of man indited, but
more marvellous is it still to find in these Psalms,
which looked afar off at the day of Christ, all
the perfections and peculiar attributes of Messiah,
which form to his redeemed people the endless
theme of praise, issuing from the heart, and return-
ing into the heart again, like the waters which the
firmament draweth from the earth, and droppeth
again upon the earth in dews and refreshing showers.
These are set forth in a way most noble, most true,
and most full of feeling. In such a wonderful way
is the man Christ Jesus represented in these Psalms,
uttering his soul unto his Father, unto his people,
unto his persecutors, or unto his own bosom, that
the children are able to take part in them, and
find to their inexpressible joy that he is one with
them in mind, in heart, in deed and in very word.
And now, let us take free scope to set forth this,
the most soul-quieting, and soul-delighting virtue
of these Songs of Zion: that they contain the sym-
phonies of Messiah and his children, of Immanuel
and his people.

But first, like the bride who loveth to look upon
the face of the bridegroom, and to hear of all his
excellence, that she may with the more gladness
give herself into his bosom, and rejoice in his em-
brace; the church doth well love and much delight
to hear it said of him by Jehovah, " I will declare
the decree, Thou art mine only Son ; this day have
I begotten thee." " Thou wast set up from ever-

XXXI

lasting, from the beginning, or ever the earth was ;"
" from everlasting to everlasting thou art God,
the same who did appoint the foundation of the
earth, establish the clouds above, and strengthen the
fountains of the deep ; of old thou hast laid the
foundations of the earth, and the heavens are the
work of thy hands." And how her glory rejoiceth
to hear, that for the love of her that he might wash
her in his blood, and present her without spot or
wrinkle in the presence of his Father, he became a
partaker of flesh and blood, and was found in
fashion as a man, yea, took upon him the form of
a servant; that by toil, and servitude, and suffer-
ing, and death, he might purchase her love. Mak-
ing request unto his Father, thus — " Sacrifice and
offering thou wouldest not, but a body hast thou
prepared me : mine ears hast thou bored. Lo, I
come to do thy will, O God !" Remembering how
he fulfilled all righteousness for her sake, and re-
deemed her from the curse, by becoming a curse
for her, she thus sings her unbounded love, " And
he bowed the heavens and came down, darkness
was under his feet. He made darkness his secret
place, his pavilion round about him was dark waters
and thick clouds of the skies. He took me, he
drew me out of many waters. He delivered me
from my strong enemy, and from them which hated
me." And looking on him whom she caused to
be pierced, whose beauty was wasted by death,
and the joy of his soul drunk up by the fierce arrows
of his Father, she mourns and weeps, and her
eyes distil with tears, at the thought of those
stripes by which she was healed; and by the deepest

XXXll

of all sympathies, the sufFerings of Messiah became
the sufferings of the church, and she crieth out, with
her suffering Lord, " My God, my God, wliy hast
thou forsaken me ! O my God, I cry in the day
time, but thou hearest me not, and in the night sea-
son, and am not silent ! I am poured out like water,
all my bones are out of joint. My strength is dried
up like a potsherd, my tongue cleaveth to my jaws;
thou hast brought me to the dust of death."

But the symphonies which the Church singeth with
Christ out of this book, are not all a fellowship of suf-
fering. For, not only by the shedding of his blood did
Messiah make propitiation for her sins, and destroy
her writing of condemnation, and put a new song
in her mouth — " Who is he that condemneth,"
but also for her hath he purchased the raiment of
an everlasting righteousness, and the beauties of
holiness, and the spirit of a perfect obedience, which,
by precious justifying faith, she claimeth as her
own, and over which she singeth other symphonies
of gladness: " I have kept the ways of the Lord,
and have not wickedly departed from my God.
For all his judgments wexe before me, and 1 did
not put away his statutes from me. I was upright
before him, and I kept myself from mine iniquity.
Therefore hath the Lord recompensed me according
to my righteous dealing, according to the cleanness
of my hands in his eye sight." And in the great-
ness of her loyal love, how many a song singeth the
daughter of Zion, touching the things that belong
unto the King, when her tongue is as the pen of a
ready writer : " Thou art fairer than the children of
men ; grace is poured upon thy lips, therefore God

XXXlll

hath blessed thee for ever. Bless the Lord, O my
soul, and forget not all his benefits, who redeemeth
thy life from destruction, and crowneth thee with
loving kindness, and tender mercies." x\nd with
what a brave pulse of glory doth her heart exult
towards the accomplishment of Messiah's kingdom,
and the fulness of his power; when all lands shall
call upon his name, and all nations shall bow before
him, and there shall be given to him of Sheba's
gold, and his name shall endure for ever, and last
like the sun, and men shall be blessed in him, and
all nations shall call him blessed ! Then his people
sing in high symphony with their triumphant King,
and all-conquering Lord, in whom each one feeleth
himself to be a conqueror and a king, seated on his
throne, and sharing in his royal sovereignty, '^ Thou
hast made me the head of the heathen; a people
whom I have not known shall serve me, as soon
as they hear of me they shall obey me. The
strangers shall submit themselves unto me."

For what are the conquests of David, or the
greater conquests of David's everlasting Son, over
the kingdoms of the earth, but a shadow of that
inward conquest which Christ worketh over his ene-
mies within our soul, which is more valuable than the
earth, and to conquer which is a higher achievement
than to subdue the kingdoms of the earth ! The
history of the church is such a shadow of soul-
history, as creation is of the omnipotent Spirit
which made it. The soul is a thing for the Son
of God to conquer, the world is for Cesar, or the
son of Philip. The soul, the boundless world of
the soul to recover, to reconcile its warring powers,
B3

XX XIV

to breathe the life of God over its chaotic wastes —
this is a work whereof all outward works are only
fit to be the emblems; a work, in the execution of
which every spiritual man feels the going forth of his
Saviour conquering and to conquer. And he hath
every outward action of holy writ realized inwardly
every groan of the conquered, every struggle of the
conqueror, his toil, his sweat, his wounds, his death,
his resurrection, his second going forth in the pleni-
tude of the Spirit, his unconquered resolution, his
long-abiding labour, the turning of the tide of bat-
tle, his sword upon the neck of his enemies, the
shout of victory, the treading of the nations in the
wine-piess of his fury, his shivering them with his
iron sceptre like a potsherd, his driving them with
death, and the grave, and him that had the power
of death, into the bottomless pit. His reign of
peace, its joy, full contentment, and perfect assu-
rance, what are they all, but letters, words, and
similitudes, whereby the believer may better under-
stand, and better express the spiritual work which
is going on with his own soul, by the casting down
of imaginations, and every high thing, that exalteth
itself a";ainst the knov/led(ye of God, and brinmng
into captivity every thought to the obedience of
Christ? If a company of musical and melodious
souls feel in unison with the sounds which flow
from chords touched by the hands of a master mu-
sician, and a company of rich and poetical souls
feel in harmony, while the drama of a master
poet is rehearsed with true action in their ears,
shall not the souls of spiritual men be in harmony,
while perusing the outward action, whereof they

XXXV

are the subject ? Be in harmony ! aye, in truest
harmony. For they are the end of it all, the
meaning of it all. In them it hath its reality, and
till realized in them, it is an incomprehensible
world to words and images, a hieroglyphic with no
interpretation ; a musical instrument, with no hand
cunning enough to bring out its infinite streams
of liquid music. Therefore, by no mystery but
reality, though it be deep spiritual reality, deeper
far than nature's penetration, they sing, " He hath
ascended up on high, leading captivity captive, and
receiving gifts for us, even for the rebellious, that the
Lord our God may dwell among us. Lift up
your heads, Oye gates, and be ye lifted up, ye ever-
lasting doors, and the King of glory shall come in.
Who is the King of glory ? The Lord, strong and
mighty, the Lord mighty in battle. Lift up your
heads, O ye gates, even lift up ye everlasting doors,
and the King of glory shall come in. Who is
this King of glory? The Lord of hosts, he is the
King of glory." And in spirit they see the heavens
to have opened their glorious gates, and behold
the desire of their soul seated at the right hand of
God, and they hear the welcome of Jehovah to
the Son of man, " Sit thou at my right hand, until
I make thine enemies thy footstool, and thy peo-
ple willing in the day of thy power, when the rod of
thy strength shall be sent out of Zion."

But the sympathy of the church with her glorified
Head endeth not with his exaltation to the right hand
of the Highest, but from the new office to which she
heareth him appointed — " Thou art a priest for ever
after the order of Melchizedek," she doth derive an

XXXVl

assurance, a blessed confidence, that he standeth ever
on high, to revive the drooping faith of his peo-
ple. He is passed within the veil, to offer the
blood of his own sacrifice, and intercede for the
sms of his people, whose hope is passed in along with
him, and anchored within the veil. And when their
souls lanijuish even to the ffates of death, and the
adversary presseth sore upon them, that they might fall,
and for a moment darkness covereth their soul, and
they say, Will the Lord cast off' for ever, and will he
be favourable no more? Is his mercy clean gone for
ever? doth his promise fail for evermore? Hath
God forgotten to be gracious ? Hath he in anger
shut up his tender mercies ? Straightway, they re-
member their infirmity, and call to mind the years of
the right hand of the Most High; and are assured
that Messiah ever liveth to make intercession for
them, and that if any man sin, he has an advocate with
the Most High, even Christ Jesus, the righteous.
They remember the man of sorrows who was ac-
quainted with grief, and can be touched with the
feeling of their infirmities, having been in all points
tempted like as they are, yet without sin. And tak-
ing heart, they exclaim, " The Lord is the strength
of my life. Of whom shall I be afraid ? Though
a host should encamp against me, my heart shall not
fear. Though war should rise against me, in this will
I be confident, the Lord is my rock and my fortress,
my strength in whom I will trust, my buckler, the
horn also of my salvation, and my high tower." And
thus the children of God are exercised between the
troubles of life, and the consolations of faith, be-
tween a body of sin and death, and a life which is

xxxvu

born of God, and hidden with Christ in God.
The principaUties and powers of darkness would
fain overwhelm the light and life of their soul, but
they know that the powers of the flesh cannot op-
press the powers of the Spirit. They see the body
of Christ, which was rescued by the power of the
Spirit from the jaws of the grave, standing in the
presence of God on high. And they are assured
thereby that the holy seed, born within them of the
same Spirit, will, in like manner, quicken their
mortal flesh, and at length re-demand and rescue from
the grave the body, that it may live and reign with
Christ for evermore.

At length cometh the end of all trial and expe-
riences, for which there is an abundant preparation
made in this storehouse of spiritual feeling. Mes-
siah's spiritual seed, the heirs of many exceeding
great and precious promises, who know that to them
an abundant entrance shall be ministered into the
everlasting kingdom of the Lord and Saviour Jesus
Christ, anticipate with hope and joy, not with fear
and dismay, the time when their earthly house of
this tabernacle being dissolved, they shall enter
into the building of God, the house not made with
hands, eternal in the heavens. Many a dark and
gloomy valley have they passed through, since the
time at which they find all their faces Zionward, and
became pilgrims in the strait and narrow way which
leadeth unto life. The last sad and dismal vale
through which they have to pass, before their earthly
pilgrimage be accomplished, is the valley of the
shadow of death, which so many appalling shapes
and forms of terror, hover around. The deep shades

XXXVlll

of an eternal night seem evermore to rest upon it.
Dark and portentous clouds hang round about it,
and shut it in, impervious to mortal sight. Nature
looks upon the gloom, and attempts in vain to dis-
cover the limits of the inhospitable region. Know-
ledge is baffled, and discovery is set at nought.
Visions of terror trouble the eye which comes near
it. Unearthly sounds of horror strike upon his
ear who approach eth it. New and mysterious
emotions seize upon the appalled spirit, which feels
no capacity of dying, nor symptoms of death, while
the tabernacle is all crumbling into dust, and she
shrinks back aghast, and asks herself how she is to
fare alone, with no one to cheer or accompany her.
And though nature would fain nerve herself to it,
she feels how utterly weak she is, how profitless
strength, wealth, knowledge, friendship, and what
else she boasted in. " My heart is sore pained with-
in me, and the terrors of death are fallen upon me.
Fearfulness and trembling are come upon me, and
an horrible dread hath overwhelmed my soul." None
can wrestle with death but He who overcame death,
and those to whom he giveth power to overcome that
king of terrors. Whom he hath taught with the
eye of faith to peruse the dark vale, and pierce its
gloom, and know the bright and happy region which
to them lies revealed within, though to others it be
the mouth of the yavvning pit. And as the man of
God walks onwards through the valley, he says unto
his God, " I will fear no evil, for thou art with me, thy
rod and thy staff they comfort me. My heart is glad,
and my glory rejoiceth, my flesh also shall rest in
hope. For thou wilt not leave my soul in hell, nei-

XXXIX

ther wilt thou sufFer thy Holy One to see corrup-
tion."

Now the man of God looks to the end of the
race he has been patiently running, and beholds the
goal at hand. He looks upon the recompense of
reward which is awaiting him, the prize of his high
calling in Christ Jesus. The last enemy that he
has to overcome is death. The king of terrors is
to be met face to face. He cannot avoid the com-
bat if he would, and he would not if he could.
How often, in the travail of his soul, hath he ex-
claimed, " Wo is me that I am constrained to dwell
in Meshech, and to have my habitation amongst the
tents of Kedar ? O that I had the wings of a dove,
for then would I flee away and be at rest !" How
often hath he said, " In thy presence is fulness of
joy, and at thy right hand are pleasures for evermore !
As for me I shall behold thy face in righteousness.
Wlien I awake I shall be satisfied with thy likeness.'*
And now that his conflicts are about to cease for ever,
and his sorrows to have an end, he lifteth up his
head, because the day of his redemption draweth
nigh. In vision his spirit, already winged to take
its everlastinf^ flight, discerneth the throne of God en-
circled by a thousand times ten thousand sons of
light. In vision he mingles with the glorious throng.
He tunes his harp to the heavenly theme, and sings
the song of Moses and the Lamb. Sprinkled with
the blood of sprinkling, which speaketh better things,
than the blood of Abel, he ascends in spirit " to
the Mount Zion, the city of the living God, making
one with the innumerable company of angels, and
general assembly and church of the first-born, whose

xl

names are written in heaven. Ah ! how doth it
grieve his soul to wake once again out of the trance
of bUss, to open his eyes once again upon the dull,
cold, blank realities of life. The syren world hath
no longer charms for him. He hath proved the
falseness of her beauty: he hath seen the glory that
excelleth, and hath no eye to look upon fictitious
brightness. He hath seen the King in his beauty,
and the land that is afar off: how shall he endure to
soil his feet again with the base mould of the de-
generate earth, to breathe any longer the polluted
atmosphere of a world poisoned with sin, and full
of the voices of sorrow ! In this tabernacle he groans,
being burdened. And when the grisly king shakes
against him his terrible dart, he openeth his bosom
to receive the stroke of grace, saying the while,
'^ O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where
is thy victory?" And looking up to heaven, he
takes his departure, saying, " Into thy hand I com-
mend my spirit; for thou hast redeemed me, O Lord
God of truth !"

It has been our purpose to show, by the above
sketch and commentary of Christian life, that the
multiplied experiences of the soul, the various states
of mind through which the regenerate children of
the second Adam pass, from their first entrance upon
the life of faith, to the period when that life is swal-
lowed up in light, are all exemplified in the book of
Psalms. So that the believer cannot be in any con-
dition whether of joy or sorrow, but he will find in
this book most appropriate forms of utterance, ready
prepared for the expression of his feelings of what-

xli

ever kind. Wc have only brought to light a por-
tion of these feelings, tracing their genuine and ex-
pressive utterance, as it were with the Psalmist's pen.
But it would not be difficult to show, that in the
Psalms, the expressions of spiritual feeling are in-
finitely varied, and correspond to every emotion, and
to every aspiration of the soul, quickened to the
life of faith and holiness, yet groaning still under
the partial bondage of a fleshly nature, exposed to
the assaults of innumerable enemies, and compassed
upon every side with temptation and infirmity. So
that this Book is to be regarded as a spiritual world,
with which the new-born spirit may converse, and
acquire the knov/ledge and use of its faculties, as
well as the knowledge and use of those objects which
are revealed therein. And hence it hath a charm
-which it can never lose, being associated with the
simple and true affections of the spirit, and with the
joy and satisfaction which attend the revelation of
any new faculty within us. And this charm must
grow with our growth, and strengthen with our
strength; for according as we increase in spiritual
strength, we are able to make more of those feelings
our own ; and the more we become acquainted with
dialectic methods, the more we discern their diffi-
culty and uncertainty, and desire to return to the
simple impressions made upon the soul by the words
of the Holy Spirit. And we reckon also that the
more we advance in divine life, the simpler our dis-
course will become, and the more delivered from the
forms of human learning, into the forms of the Spi-
rit's teaching, until in the end, if by reason of ex-
treme age or languor, we can say no more, we will

xlii

say, as is reported of the Apostle John, " Little
children, love one another;" and when speech is de-
nied us to utter any thing, we will occupy our spi-
ritual musings with some simple forms of divine
truth, as the learned Baxter is reported to have said
upon his death-bed, that he had been meditating all
night long upon the great wisdom of the Lord's
prayer and the ten commandments. So that we very
much question if these Psalms, which have the charm
of having unloosed to us the secrets of our own spi-
ritual selves, may not, like a true and faithful friend,
continue to add to their first loveliness and value
unto the end. For, as was said in the beginning,
and hath been amply illustrated, the part of our be-
ing which they take hold upon, is not our opinions
or our reasonings, or any of our peculiarities, but
those universal feelings of the spiritual man, which
being constant in all, we have denominated spiritual
instincts', in the abiding of which is the abiding of
spiritual life, and upon the experiences of which all
spiritual knowledge is built up.

While executing this sketch of spiritual expe-
rience, in order to exhibit the proper character and
true value of the Book of Psalms, several questions
arose to our minds besides those we touched in pass-
ing, from the consideration of which we withheld
ourselves till we should have completed the main
purpose of our Essay, but which cannot be omitted,
without leaving it, in a good measure hypothetical,
and to which therefore we now address ourselves.

The first is, How far we are justified in applying
to Christian life in general, those feelings and ex-

xl

in

pfessions of feeling, whicli, in the first instance, per-
tained to individuals, and in general to one indivi-
dual— David, the son of Jesse. To this we answer,
that spiritual men are the only proper judges of that
which is appropriate to the expression of their feel-
ings, who, from the beginning of the church in
the days of Moses, even until now, have gathered
up, and preserved, and appropriated these morsels of
divine instruction, as they fell from the lips of the
men who spake them; and that not in the Jewish
church, but in the Christian church, and these not in
latter days, but in primitive days, and the days of the
Fathers, to an extent and depth of spirituality un-
known in our times. The universal church of
Christ hath therefore given its witness, that these
Psalms are not made for one age, but for all ages;
not for one place, but for all places; not for one
soul, but for all souls; time, place, and person, be-
ing only so far present in them, as to associate them
with that generation to which they were first given,
not to dissociate them from any other generation of
spiritual children, which, in after ages, was to be
born to the same Spirit by the seed of the word,
which liveth and abideth for ever. The temptations
of David's soul, and its experiences under them, are
as much the property of every saint, and of every
acre of the church, as are the discourses, remon-
strances, parables, and instructions of our Lord to
his untoward generation — as are the arguments, and
demonstrations, and Epistles of Paul to the early
churches which he planted or watered. They are
all equally personal, (for the Son of God himself
was a person,) and the personal runneth like a

xliv

thread of humanity through the heavenly hues of
their discourse. They are all equally secular, and
the conditions of the age are the frame-work upon
which the tissue of the web is woven. Which pre-
sence of the personal, and intermixture of the tem-
porary, instead of taking from the force and power
of the revelations, do only apply them with the more
force and power to the 2:»ersonality of every other
saint, and ihQ peculiarity of every other age. For,
had the revelations not breathed of the man who
spoke them, and told of the condition of the age to
which they were given, the former would have been
an automaton, and the latter a looker upon the won-
ders which the automaton spoke; neither the one nor
the other feeling any interest or concern in the mar-
vellous display of divine art. But God wished both
prophet and people to take heed, and to stand in awe
of fearful issues, if they heeded not; therefore, he
moulded his man to his purpose, and cast him into
the conditions which suited his ends, and still he was
a man, acted on by course of nature, and manifest
to the people as a fellow-man, through whom, in-
deed, they heard soul-stirring truths, uttered vvith
ear-piercing words, and, when need was, sustained
by attention -rivetting works; but still suited to their
case, and thrust in their way, and spoken to their
feelings, and pressed on their consciences, and riv-
etted there by the most mighty sanctions of life and
death, present and eternal. But they are not the
less spoken to us. No, not the less, on that ac-
count, spoken to us. Yet, that we might have no
shadow of excuse, nor shield of self-delusion, the
Lord appointed a race of prophets, or ministers, to

xlv

abide until his coming, who should be gifted of his
Spirit, to apply the universal and unchangeable,
in all his revelation, to the condition of every time,
place, and individual; and so far from abandoning
the iieculiarifij of the revelation, to use that no less
than the other, wherever it will accommodate itself
to the case in hand, and to bring it home with ten-
fold force, by the appHcation of the parable, " Thou,
even thou thyself, art the very man" — this, even
this, is the very season — this, even this in which we
live, is the very condition to which this revelation
was given. We do admire how this automaton-inspi-
ration can stand a thought, when it is the very rule of
heaven's communications, that in every word of God
there should be a humanity^ as well as a divinity
present. And as The Word which was in the
beginning took not voice — nor intelligence, but flesh,
human flesh, and the fulness of the Godhead was
manifested hodilij ; so, when that same word came
unto the fathers by the prophets, and discovered a
part of his fulness, it was through their flesh or their
humanity, that is, through their present conditions of
spirit, and mind, and body, and outward estate, that
he discovered himself to the flesh or the humanity of
tlie people, that is, their present conditions of spirit,
and body, and outward estate. Whence, if it be
said that Moses was Christ under the veil, and if
Paul says of himself, that not he but Christ lived in
him, then it may be said, that David was the humilia-
tion and the exaltation of the churcli under the veil.
Now, as the apostle, in writing to the Hebrews
concerning the priesthood of Christ, calls upon them
to consider Melchizedek, his solitary majesty, and

xlvi

singular condition, and remarkable honour; so call we
upon the church to consider David, the son of Jesse,
his unexampled accumulation of gifts, his wonderful
variety of conditions, his spiritual riches and his spi-
ritual desolation, and the multifarious contingencies
of his life; with his faculty, his unrivalled faculty of
expressing the emotions of his soul, under all the
days of brightness and days of darkness which passed
over his head. For thereby shall the church under-
stand how this the lawgiver of her devotion was pre-
pared by God for the work which he accomplished,
and how it hath happened that one man should have
brought forth that vast variety of experience, in
which every soul rejoiceth to find itself reflected.
For Moses was not more prepared by all the wisdom
and learning of Egypt, for becoming a fit vehicle to
carry from God unto the people an institution of law,
than David was prepared, by the experiences of his
life between the sheepcot and the throne, for becom-
ing a fit vehicle to carry from God unto his church,
an institution of spiritual experience, and devotional
feeling.

And we the more gladly enter upon the education
and gifts of this saint, the great revealer of the
moods of the renewed soul, that we may ashame
or silence the Rabshekas who rail upon this great
type of Messiah's humiliation and exahation, the man
after God's own heart. We call upon the Church,
and all reasonable men, to consider this man David,
how well furnished he was by nature, and educated
by providence, for the great honour to which the
Christian church hath preferred him.

There never was a specimen of manhood, so rich

xlvii

and ennobled as David, the son of Jesse, whom other
saints haply may have equalled in single features of
his character, but such a combination of manly, he-
roic qualities, such a flush of generous godlike ex-
cellencies, hath never yet been seen embodied in a
single man. His Psalms, to speak as a man, do
place him in the highest rank of lyrical poets, as they
set him above all the inspired writers of the Old
Testament, — equalling in sublimity the flights of
Isaiah himself, and revealing the cloudy mystery of
Ezekiel; but in love of country, and gloryings in its
heavenly patronage, surpassing them all. And where
are there such expressions of the varied conditions
into which human nature is cast by the accidents ol
Providence, such delineations of deep affliction, and
inconsolable anguish, and anon such joy, such rap-
ture, such revelry of emotion, in the worship of the
living God ! Such invocations to all nature, ani-
mate and inanimate, such summonings of the hidden
powers of harmony, and of the breathing instru-
ments of melody ! Single hymns of this Poet
would have conferred immortality upon any mortal,
and borne down his name as one of the most fa-
voured of the sons of men.

But it is not the writings of the man, which strike
us with such wonder, as the actions and events of his
wonderful history. He was a hero without a peer,
bold in battle, and generous in victory; by distress, or
by triumph, never overcome. Though hunted like a
wild beast, among the mountains, and forsaken like a
pelican in the wilderness, by the country whose armies
he had delivered from disgrace, and by the monarch
whose daughter he had won — whose son he had

xlviii

bound to him with cords of brotherly love, and
whose own soul he was wont to charm with the sa-
credness of his minstrelsy — he never indulged ma-
lice or revenge against his unnatural enemies.
Twice, at the peril of his life, he brought his blood-
hunter within his power, and twice he spared him,
and would not be persuaded to injure a hair upon
his head — who, when he fell in his high plaji^, was
lamented over by David, with the bitterness of a
son, and his death avenged upon the sacrilegious man
who had lifted his sword against the Lord's anointed.
In friendship, and love, and also in domestic affec-
tion, he was not less notable than in heroical endow-
ments, and in piety towards God he was most re-
markable of all. He had to flee from his bed-
chamber in the dead of night, his friendly meetings
had to be concerted upon the perilous edge of
captivity and death — his food he had to seek at the
risk of sacrilege — for a refucre from death, to cast
himself upon the people of Gath — to counterfeit idio-
cy, and become the laughing-stock of his enemies.
And who shall tell of his hidings in the cave of
Adullam, and of his wanderings in the wilderness
of Ziph; in the weariness of which he had power to
stand before his armed enemy with all his host, and,
by the generosity of his deeds, and the affectionate
language which flowed from his lips, to melt into
childlike weeping the obdurate spirit of king Saul,
which had the nerve to evoke the spirits of the
dead !

King David was a man extreme in all his excel-
lencies— a man of the highest strain, whetlier for
counsel, for expression, or for action, in peace and

xlix

in war, in exile and on the throne. That such a
warm and ebuUient spirit should have given way be-
fore the tide of its affections, we wonder not. We
rather wonder that, tried by such extremes, his
mighty spirit should not often have burst con-
trol, and enacted right forward the conqueror, the
avenger, and the destroyer. But God, who
anointed him from his childhood, had given him
store of the best natural and inspired gifts, which
preserved him from sinking under the long delay
of his promised crown, and kept him from contract-
ing any of the craft or cruelty of a hunted, per-
secuted man. And adversity did but bring out the
splendour of his character, which might have slum-
bered like the fire in the flint, or the precious
metal in the dull and earthy ore.

But to conceive aright of the gracefulness and
strength of king David's character, we must draw
him into comparison with men similarly conditioned,
and then shall we see how vain the world is to cope
with him. Conceive a man who had saved his coun-
try, and clothed himself with gracefulness and re-
nown in the sight of all the people, by the chivalry
of his deeds won for himself intermarriage with the
royal line, and by \inction of the Lord's prophet
been set apart to the throne itself; such a one con-
ceive driven with fury from house and hold, and,
through tedious years, deserted of every stay but
heaven, with no soothing sympathies of quiet life,
harassed for ever between famine and the edge of
the sword, and kept in savage holds and deserts:
and tell us, in the annals of men, of one so disap-
pointed, so bereaved and straitened, maintaining not
b 23

1

fortitude alone, but sweet composure and a heavenly-
frame of soul, inditing praise to no avenging deity,
and couching songs in no revengeful mood, according
with his outcast and unsocial life; but inditing praises
to the God of mercy, and songs which soar into the
third heavens of the soul: not indeed, without the
burst of sorrow, and the complaint of solitariness,
and prophetic warnings to his blood-thirsty foes, but
ever closing in sweet preludes of good to come, and
desire of present contentment. Find us such a one
in the annals of men, and we yield the argument of
this controversy. Men there have been, driven
before the wrath of kings to wander outlaws and
exiles, whose musings and actings have been recorded
to us in the minstrelsy of our native land. Draw
these songs of the exile into comparison with the
Psalms of David, and know the spirit of the man
after God's own heart : the stern defiance of the
one, with the tranquil acquiescence of the other;
the deep despair of the one, with the rooted trust of
the other; the vindictive imprecations of the one,
with the tender regret and forgiveness of the other.
Show us an outlaw who never spoiled the country
which had forsaken him, nor turned his hand in self-
defence or revenge upon his persecutors, who used
the vigour of his arm only against the enemies of
his country, yea, lifted up his arm in behalf of
that mother, which had cast her son, crowned with
salvation, away from her bosom, and held him at
a distance from her love, and raised the rest of her
family to hunt him to the death; — in the defence
of that thankless, unnatural, mother-country, find
us such a repudiated son lifting up his arm, and

spending its vigour, in smiting and utterly discom-
fiting her enemies, whose spoils he kept not to en-
rich himself and his ruthless followers, but dispensed
to comfort her and her happier children. Find us
among the Themistocles, and Coriolani, and Crom-
wells, and Napoleons of the earth such a man, and
we will yield the argument of this controversy
which we maintain for the peerless son of Jesse.

But we fear that not such another man is to be
found in the recorded annals of men. Though he
rose from the peasantry to fill the throne, and enlarge
the borders of his native land, he gave himself nei-
ther to ambition nor to glory; though more basely
treated than the sons of men, he gave not place to
despondency or revenge; though of the highest ge-
nius in poetry, he gave it not license to sing his
own deeds, nor to depict loose and licentious life,
nor to ennoble any worldly sentiment or attachment
of the human heart, however virtuous or honourable,
but constrained it to sing the praises of God,
and the victories of the right hand of the Lord of
Hosts, and his admirable works which are of old
from everlasting. And he hath dressed out relioion
in such a rich and beautiful garment of divine poesy
as beseemeth her majesty, in which, being arrayed,
she can stand up before the eyes even of her enemies,
in more royal state, than any personification of love,
or glory, or pleasure, to which highly gifted mortals
have devoted their genius.

The force of his character was vast, and the scope

of his life was immense. His harp was full-stringed,

and every angel of joy and of sorrow swept over the

chords as he past; but the melody always brcatl.ed

b 2

lii

of heaven. And such oceans of affection lay within
his breast, as could not always slumber in their
calmness. For the hearts of a hundred men strove
and stru£f"led together within the narrow continent
of his single heart : and will the scornful men have
no sympathy for one so conditioned, but scorn him,
because he ruled not with constant quietness, the
unruly host of divers natures which dwelt within
his single soul? Of self-command surely he will
not be held deficient, who endured Saul's javelin
to be so often launched at him, while the people
without were ready to hail him king; who endured
all bodily hardships, and taunts of his enemies,
when revenge was in his hand ; and ruled his des-
perate band like a company of saints, and restrained
them from their country's injury. But that he
should not be able to enact all characters without
a fault, the simple shepherd, the conquering hero,
and the romantic lover: the perfect friend, the inno-
cent outlaw, and the royal monarch ; the poet, the
prophet and the regenerator of the church ; and,
withal, the man^ the man of vast soul, who played
not these parts by turns, but was the original of
them all, and wholly present in them all; oh ! that
he should have fulfilled this high priesthood of
humanity, this universal ministry of manhood with-
out an error, were more than human. With the
defence of his backslidings, which he hath himself
more keenly scrutinized, more clearly decerned
against, and more bitterly lamented than any of
his censors, we do not charge ourselves, because
they were, in a manner, necessary, that he might be
the full-orbed man which was needed to utter every

liii

form of spiritual feeling : but if, when of these acts
he became convinced, he be found less true to
God, and to righteousness ; indisposed to repentance
and sorrow, and anguish; exculpatory of himself;
stout-hearted in his courses, a formalist in his
penitence, or in any way less worthy of a spiritual man
in those than in the rest of his infinite moods,
then, verily, strike him from the canon, and let his
Psalms become monkish legends, or what you
please. But if these penitential Psalms discover
the soul's deepest hell of agony, and lay bare the
iron ribs of misery, whereon the very heart dis-
solveth, and if they, expressing the same in words
which melt the soul that conceiveth, and bow the
iiead that uttereth them, then, we say, let us keep
these records of the Psalmist's grief and despon-
dency, as the most precious of his utterances, and
sure to be needed in the case of every man who es-
sayeth to live a spiritual life. For, though the
self-satisfied moralist, and the diligent Pharisee,
and all that pigmy breed of purists, who make unto
themselves a small and puny theory of life, and
please their meagre souls with the idea of keeping
it thoroughly, smiting upon their thigh, and pro-
testing by their unsullied honour and inviolate truth,
and playing other tricks of self-sufficiency, will little
understand what we are about to say, we will, never-
theless, for truth's sake, utter it; that, until a man,
however pure, honest, and honourable he may have
thought himself, and been thought by others, dis-
covereth himself to be utterly fallen, defiled, and sin-
ful in the sight of God, a worm of the earth and no
man, his soul cleaving to the dust, and bearing

liv

about with it a body of sin and death; and until, for
expressions of his utter ^yorthlessness, he seek those
Psahiis in which the Psahiiist describes the abase-
ment of his soul, yea, and can make them his own,
that man hath not known the beginnings of the
spirituallife within the soul : for (let him that read-
eth understand) a man must break up before there
is any hope of him; he must be contrite and broken
in spirit, before the Lord will dwell with him.

Of all the delusions with which Satan lulls man
into sweet security, this of our completeness and in-
tegrity is the most fatal. While we dwell in the
idea of our rectitude, our unsullied purity, our in-
flexible honesty, our truth, our moral worth, and
think that we implement any, the lowest, of God's
commandments, (but they are all equally high) we
are like the hard and baked earth, whose surface
haply some sward of greenness may cover, but which
will not wave with the rich and fruitful harvest, until
you bury that first crop of nature under the share
of the plough, and turn up the black rough mould
to the heat of the sun, and the genial action of the
air, and, the ancient roots being scorched up, sow
it anew with precious seed, and wait upon the same
with diligent husbandry. When this soul-tillage
hath taken place, and the integrity of selfishness is
broken up, and the poisonous weeds of selfishness
are cut down, and our shallow and insufiicient
righteousness trodden under foot; when the old
man hath broken into pieces, and we feel ourselves
murderers, adulterers, thieves, liars, in the sight
of God, then shall we come to use, and thank God
that we have at hand, the penitential Psalms of

Iv

David; the confessions, the groanings, the lan-
guishings of the desolate king of Israel. It boot-
eth not that we have not committed the acts, we
wanted power, we wanted opportunity, we wanted
means ; but ah ! we wanted not will. It was in
our heart, out of which proceed murders, adulteries,
thefts, false witness. It hath been all the while in
our heart, and we knew it not. It was rooted there,
and we fostered it. Ay, and it will cause us bit-
ter groans, ere it will leave the place of its roots.

But to return from these rebukes of the scorners,
to the instruction of the Christian church upon the
fitness of David to be their Psalmist. — Why were
such oceans of feeling poured unto David's soul,
such true and graceful utterance of poetry infused
into his lips, and such skill of music seated in his
right hand? Such oceans of feeling did God in-
fuse into his soul, and such utterance of poetry
he placed between his lips, and such skilful music he
seated in his right hand, in order that he might con-
ceive forms of feeling for all saints, and create an
everlasting psalmody, and hand down an organ for
expressing the melody of the renewed soul. The
Lord did not intend that his church should be with-
out a rule for uttering its gladness and its glory,
its lamentation and its grief; and to bring such
a rule and institute into being, he raised up his ser-
vant David, as formerly he raised up Moses to
give to the church an institute of Law. And to
that end he led him the round of all human con-
ditions, that he might catch the spirit proper to
every one, and utter it according to truth; he allowed
him not to curtail his being by treading the round

Ivi

of one function, but by every variety of functions,
he cultivated his whole being, and filled his soul
with wisdom and feeling. He found him objects
for every affection, that the affection might not slum-
ber and die. He brought him up in the sheep-pas-
tures, that the groundwork of his character might
be laid amongst the simple and universal forms of
feehng. He took him to the camp, and made him a
conqueror, that he might be filled with nobleness
of soul and ideas of glory. He placed him in the
palace, that he might be filled with ideas of ma-
jesty and sovereign might. He carried him io
the wilderness, and placed him in solitudes, that
his soul might dwell alone in the sublime concep-
tions of God, and his mighty works ; and he kept
him there for long years, with only one step be-
tween him and death, that he might be well schooled
to trust and depend upon the Providence of God.
And in none of these various conditions and avoca-
tions of life, did he take away from him his Holy
Spirit. His trials were but the tuning of the instru-
ment with which the Spirit might express the various
melodies which he designed to utter by him for
the consolation and edification of spiritual men. It
was the education of the man most appropriate for
the divine vocation of the man. John the Baptist
being to be used for rough work, was trained in the
rough desert ; Paul being to be used for contentious
and learned work, was trained at Gamaliel's feet;
Daniel being to be used for judgment and revelation,
was trained in the wisdom of the east; Joseph
being to be used as a providence to Egypt and his
Father's house, was trained in the hardest school

Ivii

of providence; and every one hath been discipHned
by the providence of God, as well as furnished in
the fountains of his being, for that particular work
for which the Spirit of God designed him. There-
fore, David had that brilliant galaxy of natural
gifts, that rich and varied education, in order to fit
him for executing the high office to which he was
called by the Spirit, of giving to the church those
universal forms of spiritual feeling, whereof we have
been endeavouring to set forth the excellent applica-
tions. And, though we neither excuse his acts of
wickedness, nor impute them to the temptation of
God, who cannot be tempted of evil, neither tempteth
any man, we will also add, that by his loss the church
hath gained; and that out of the evil of his ways,
much good hath been made to arise; and that if he
had not passed through every valley of humiliation,
and stumbled upon the dark mountains, we should
not have had a language for the souls of the peni-
tent, or an expression for the dark troubles which
compass the soul, that feareth to be deserted by its
God. So much for the fitness of the Psalmist to
have been made the organ of spiritual feeling unto
the church.

There is another question which remains for re-
solution, before bringing this Essay to a close. In
how far the good Bishop Home and others, are
justified in referring so much of these Psalms to
Messiah.

In maintaining for these Psalms the high place

which the universal voice of the Christian church

hath assigned to them, there is a tendency to pass

into the extreme of applying them wholly to Christ,

b3

Iviii

and finding some experience of Christ's soul in
every experience of the Psalmist's soul. Now, while
it is true, that all of these Psalms are still applicable
to the saints and to the church, because the saints
and the church are still compassed about with the
same fleshly nature, and worldly dispositions, Hable
to the same backslidings, idolatries, and oppositions
as heretofore, none of them which confess transgres-
sion, and lament over indwelling sin, are at any
time applicable unto Christ, who suffered indeed as
David, and all his seed have suffered from the plot-
tings of the world, and the enmity of the devil,
and was in all points tempted as they are, — yet
without sin, without sliding back, without opposing
himself to his Father, without yielding to the temp-
tation; wherefore, it is little short of blasphemy to
apply unto the spotless and blameless Saviour, any
or all of those spiritual experiences, any or all of
those deep self-accusations, any or all of those en-
treaties for forgiveness which compose so large a por-
tion of the Psalms of David, and the spiritual utter-
ances of David's seed. Surely no spiritual man
in these times would apply to Christ his personal
experiences of sin and sorrow for sin. No more
can the Psalmist's be applied unto Christ, without
confounding the workings of the first Adam with
the workings of the second Adam, and destroying
all those distinctions between good and evil, which
it is the end of revelation to define and demonstrate.
The workings of the second Adam, by which we
become convinced of sin, and desirous of holiness,
separate from the world, and hated of it, united to
God, and beloved of him, are in us as in David,

lix

all derived from Christ, and will apply to Christ's
own experience in the flesh. For the word of God
manifested in the Son of Mary, is the same word
of God which came by the Spirit unto the prophets,
and whicli is applied by the Spirit unto us who be-
lieve, who are only members of Christ suffering and
enjoying with our living and life-giving Head. And,
therefore, we may well apply to him, what by his
Spirit is revealed in us. But that other part within
us which holdeth of the first Adam, and which lust-
eth against the Spirit, loveth the world, and with
all its instincts warreth against God, whose evil
deeds a Christian, if he speak truth, must con-
stantly confess, and seek grace to overcome; — to
apply any of the foul deeds, or wicked experiences
thereof unto Christ, is a wonderful blindness which
hath come over certain holy men in the church,
from their eagerness to find Christ every-where in
these consecrated songs.

And yet the path to this error is open, and very
easily fallen upon. For in those Psalms which
have been applied in the New Testament unto
Christ, it is found difficult, if not impossible, to se-
parate the Psalmist's personal experience from that
of Christ, or to find how, without much violence, they
can be wholly appropriate to Messiah. Now, with
as little straining of interpretation, they judge that
another and another, and at length all may be ap-
plied to Christ, in a typical, or in a real signification.
But this is to err from ignorance of the prophetic
scriptures. Except the prophecies of Daniel, and
the prophecies of the ApocalypsOy^ and one or two
of the visions of Esdras, (especially that of the

Ix

three-headed ten-feathered eagle)/ the other pro-
phecies are always of a mixed cnaracter, belonging
partly to the times, and partly surpassing the con-
ditions of the times, and occasionally glancing through
to the very end of time. So that in Isaiah, Jere-
miah, Ezekiel, and the other prophets, even in our
Lord's prophecies of his second coming, and the
Apostles' constant reference thereto, you cannot by
any endeavour make a clear separation between that
which was then fulfilled, or hath been since fulfilled,
and that which still standeth over to be fulfilled.
The reason of which doubtless is explained by our
Lord, that the times and the seasons, the Father
hath kept in his own power, so that even the Son
himself was not permitted to reveal them. And
Pej;er saith, that the prophets inquired diligently,
but could not discover what and what manner of
things the Spirit which was in them did signify.
And I doubt not that the Apostles might themselves
be as ignorant of the time of the second coming of
Christ, as the prophets were of his first coming.
Which taken together, is an illustration of this
great law which may be gathered from the very face
of the prophetic writings. That they arose by the
suggestion of some condition of the church, present
in the days of the prophets, as the particular case,
but passing beyond this in time, and passing be-
yond it in aggravation of every circumstance, they
give, as it were, a consecutive glance of all the like
cases, and kindred passages in the history of the
church, and bring out the general law of God's
providence and grace in the present, and in all the
future parallel cases ; — yet with such mark of dif-

Ixi

ferent times interspersed as may be sufficient, by a
skilful comparison with the exact and historical pro-
phecies of Daniel and the Revelations, to draw the
attention of the wise to their coming, and suffice to
the convictions of the unwise when they are past.
Of this great law of prophetic writing, the confu-
sion of David and Messiah in the Psalms referred
to, are only one instance. David's prophecies of
Messiah which are jpersonal^ arose by suggestion
of the Spirit, from his own •personal experiences,
and include it. His prophecies of Messiah, which
are royal and kingly, arose out of his kingly ex-
perience, and the two persons are interwoven with
one another in such a manner as not to be separable,
just as in the other prophecies, the first, and
second, and third events to which they have re-
ference, are, in like manner, interwoven.

Which so far from being an evil, is a great
beauty in the Psalms ; so far from being an incon-
venience, is a great advantage to those who under-
stand aright. In connecting David with Messiah,
it connects the church and every particular saint who
adopts David's feelings with Messiah, the children
with their parent, the subjects with their king; so
that we cannot sing his praise or his triumphs, but
we must take ourselves in as a part, and be embraced
in the very praises of our great Head, and are not
permitted to separate ourselves from him; but at
once are we constrained to worship the objective
Saviour, who is at the right hand of God ; and the
subjective Saviour, who is in us; the objective Saviour
who humbled himself to the cross, and the subjective
Saviour who humbled himself to behold and redeem

Ixii

his servant ; the objective Saviour who ascended
up on high, leading captivity captive, and the sub-
jective Saviour who in us hath triumphed over death,
and raised us to newness of life, who liveth with us
and is seated in the throne of our hearts. Which
happy blending of our spiritual nature, suffering
or enjoying with Christ suffering or enjoying, we
should have lost, had we been able to separate
between David and Christ in those Psalms which
have a reference to Christ. For at one time we
should have sung objectively of Christ, and at
another subjectively of ourselves, as represented in
David, and so lost the intermarriage of the object
with the subject, which is the true propagation of
religion in the soul ; — a loss this which the Christi-
ans are beginning to experience in those modern
Hymns which are coming into use, and those metrical
versions which have the boldness to paraphrase the
Psalms, and new-model them to the present times,
(a most daring innovation upon a book of Scripture).
Therefore, while we reject the puerile conceit, and
most mischievous dogma which would make every
word of these Psalms to be applicable to Christ,
we feel greatly indebted to any commentator, who,
preserving sound principles of interpretation, can
find the Saviour present in the Psalms, which is
to give not only more sacred ness and spirituality to
them, but to increase that happy blending of sub-
jective and objective rehgion, which is the best
condition for true and spiritual worship. And if
the commentary of Bishop Home be more valuable
on one account than another, it is for this very rea-
son, that his strong spiritual senses have been able

Ixiii

to discern and point out the presence of Christ in
many Psahns, where the reader had not perceived
it hef'ore. In doing which, he hatli not strained
the sense of the passage, nor generalized and re-
fined upon the character and person of Christ, but
simply exercised that spiritual sense which was
strong in him to perceive, and to adore his Lord.

And now that we are brought to speak of this
Commentary of Bishop Home, we would, before
delivering our opinion of it, with which we shall
conclude, beg it to be understood, that we have
no such idea in our mind, as that any thing we
can say should commend a book which hath com-
mended itself to Christians ever since the time of its
publication ; and that we have had no such aim or
intention before us in this Essay. But in a Series
of Select Christian Authors, which should
present to the Christian world the spirit of Chris-
tian divinity in its most practical and profitable form,
we felt that it would have been a great blank in-
deed, if we did not offer some work which should
contain an enlightened and spiritual exposition of
the gospel as it is written in the Book of Psalms ;
for what are the Psalms but the poetical lyrical form
of the gospel? And what vvork could we put into
our Series so worthy of a place, and so fit to fill the
blank, as the Commentary of Bishop Home, from
which the souls of the pious have derived so much
edification? It is a book of a most orthodox and
evangelical odour, of great learning though not
displayed, of a sufficient knowledge and of a pure
classical taste, by which the whole man may be fur-
nished to every good word and work; his soul ele-

Ixiv

vated, his mind filled, his heart purified and re-
fined ; his knowledge enlarged, his faith quickened,
his new obedience enlarged; but above all, his
love and affections drawn out and fixed upon the
blessed Saviour and Redeemer of his soul. With
a too frequent reference to Messiah he hath been
charged, but this is the charge of those but half-
enlightened in spiritual truth, and far short of the
mark of Christian doctrine, and which will of itself
be forgotten, (as indeed it is already in a good mea-
sure forgotten,) when they shall have risen into the
comprehension of a more spiritual and enlarged
theology, and the divines of the church shall have
constructed out of the ruins, the noble shafts, and
columns, and massive remains of former systems of
theology, another building, which may represent
the glory of divine truth to the outward eye of
these present times, which differ widely from the
times in which those former buildings were erected.
If, instead of making collections of Hymns, many of
them disgusting both to taste and feeling, and all
of them beneath the mark of divine Psalmody, -{^ja^
which account we have deemed it for the edification
of the pious, to present, in our Series, a selection*
made by a Poet truly Christian, whose praise is in
all the- churches,) if instead of making other editions
of the Book of Psalms with improvements, if instead
of multiplying paraphrases and translations, the
churches would require of their ministers (what here-
tofore the ministers of their own accord were wont
to do,) to preface upon the Psalms, or set forth

* " The Christian Psalmist," by Montgomery.

Ixv

their spiritual significations to the people, their pro-
phetic anticipations, and their rich unction of hea-
venly poesy — that would be to do for the people every
Sabbath, what Bishop Home hath done for the
church in this excellent book ; then, from our old
metrical versions of the Psalms, however bald, and
especially from our Scottish version because of its
very baldness, that is its want of what they call
poetic diction, (but the simplest, truest diction is
the most poetical,) we would anticipate infinitely more
benefit to the spiritual life of the saints, and the con-
viction of the ungodly, than if you were to congre-
gate a whole sanhedrim of poets, (as that name
goes at present,) and require of them to work up
the remnant of their wits into Psalms, and hymns,
and spiritual songs. But there be a few poets of
the ancient seed still extant in the land, and of these
there are some who have shown themselves masters
in the simple stanza of the old song, and who add
thereto the faith and feeling of revealed religion,* to
whom we would recommend it as an object worthy
of their muse, to give to us an improved metrical
version of the Psalms, whose improvement should
consist in not sacrificing the true expression of the
original to mere poetical language, but in a close
adherence to the words of the original, even a more
dose condensation of them than in the prose version,
of which condensation our Scottish version contains
many admirable examples.

* We may only name Montgomery, Coleridge, and Words-
wofth.

Ixvi

But to return to the good Bishop Home. We
know of no Commentary upon the Book of Psalms,
more likely to be influential in awakening the natu-
ral heart to a due sense of their real signification,
than that which he hath gathered from all sources,
both of his own learning and experience, and those
of others, and combined together in this brief but
sufficient Treatise. He was eminently qualified to
perform the task which he had undertaken to exe-
cute. His spiritual elucidations, and deeply affect-
ing applications, must approve themselves to every
feeling and unprejudiced heart; to every mind which
is not altogether dead and callous to the words of
spiritual truth ; to every ear which is not deaf as the
adder to the sweet and pleasant voice of the charmer.
Here the man of polished taste will meet with no-
thing to discompose his nicest associations of intel-
lectual refinement with religion, but will find him-
self addressed in the language of the schools with
much beauty of style and harmony of diction. Good
taste in the widest and fullest acceptation of the term,
is a never-failing characteristic of the pious and clas-
sical Author of this Commentary. Himself a high
dignitary in the church of England, and the presi-
dent of one of the colleges of a learned university,
our author is at once upon a level with his most
critical and his most dignified readers. We cannot
therefore but rejoice, that a Christian Bishop should
be found consecrating his pen to the sacred cause of
spiritual truth, and presenting its sane and salutary
lessons to the religious votaries of rank, who love
an outward dignity in the church as in the world.

Ixvii

But the truly pious of all ranks will here find a food
well suited to their spiritual taste, a nourishment
proper to their growth in knowledge and in grace,
many a rich and precious cordial for the support of
their fainting spirits, many a sweet physician-like
application of the balm that is in Gilead, and of
the leaves which are for the healing of the nations.
And if the man of critical taste and dignified as-
sociations will never be shocked by vulgarity of
style or homeliness of diction, but rather attracted
by the grace and beauty oF the discourse ; so also
will the Christian, whose enlarged spirit hath been
set free to soar far beyond the narrow confines of
polemical theology, never find himself aggrieved by
the strait narrow moulds of a mind, or the angular
points of controversial bigotry. Every sentiment
in this exposition he will find free of that sickening
leaven, which leaveneth many a loaf of wholesome
food. Finally, we may venture to assert, that be-
lievers of all churches and denominations will be able
to peruse, with satisfaction and delight, this spi-
ritual exposition of the Book of Psalms, and that
whilst they read they will find themselves identified
after a nevv and delightful manner, with the inspired
son of Jesse : above all, if they drink deep into
the spirit of this Commentary, will they find them-
selves linked to the spiritual David by a thousand
minute and tender ties, whose existence they may
not hitherto have perceived, or of which they may
at least have been but faintly conscious. For every
line breathes of Messiah, and every sentiment leads
to him. In every thought the spiritual David

Ixviii

hath a share, who is here, what m all Christian
works he should be, the Alpha and Omega, the
beginning and the ending, the first and the last
of the Author's desire and delight.

E. I.

London, May, 1825.

PREFACE.

The Psalms are an epitome of the Bible, adapted
to the purposes of devotion. They treat occasion-
ally of the creation and formation of the world; the
dispensations of Providence, and the economy of
grace; the transactions of the patriarchs; the exodus
of the children of Israel; their journey through the
wilderness, and settlement in Canaan; their law,
priesthood, and ritual; the exploits of their great
men, wrought through faith; their sins and captivi-
ties; their repentances and restorations; the suffer-
ings and victories of David; the peaceful and happy
reign of Solomon; the advent of Messiah, with its
effects and consequences; his incarnation, birth, life,
passion, death, resurrection, ascension, kingdom, and
priesthood; the effusion of the Spirit; the conver-
sion of the nations; the rejection of the Jews; the
establishment, increase, and perpetuity of the Chris-
tian church; the end of the world; the general
judgment; the condemnation of the wicked, and the
final triumph of the righteous with their Lord and
King. These are the subjects here presented to
our meditations. We are instructed how to con-
ceive of them aright, and to express the different
affections which, when so conceived of, they must
Vol. I. C

38

excite in our minds. They are, for this purpose,
adorned with the figures, and set off with all the
graces, of poetry; and poetry itself is designed yet
farther to be recommended by the charms of music,
thus consecrated to the service of God; that so de-
light may prepare the way for improvement, and
pleasure become the handmaid of wisdom, while
every turbulent passion is calmed by sacred melody,
and the evil spirit is still dispossessed by the harp of
the son of Jesse. This little volume, like the para-
dise of Eden, affords us in perfection, though in
miniature, every thing that groweth elsewhere,
" every tree that is pleasant to the sight, and good
for food;" and above all, what was there lost, but is
here restored, the tree of life in the midst of the
garden. That which we read, as matter of specu-
lation, in the other Scriptures, is reduced to practice,
when we recite it in the Psalms; in those, repen-
tance and faith are described, but in these, they are
acted; by a perusal of the former, we learn how
others served God, but, by using the latter, we serve
him ourselves. *' What is there necessary for man
to know," says the pious and judicious Hooker,
" which the Psalms are not able to teach? They
are to beginners an easy and familiar introduction, a
mighty augmentation of all virtue and knowledge in
such as are entered before, a strong confirmation to
the most perfect among others. Heroical magnani-
mity, exquisite justice, grave moderation, exact wis-
dom, repentance unfeigned, unwearied patience, the
mysteries of God, the sufferings of Christ, the ter-
rors of wrath, the comforts of grace, the works of
Providence over this world, and the promised joys

39

of that world which is to come; all frood necessarily
to be either known, or done, or had, this one celestial
fountain yieldeth. Let there be any grief or dis-
ease incident unto the soul of man, any wound or
sickness named, for which there is not, in this trea-
sure-house, a present comfortable remedy at all times
ready to be found."* In the language of this divine
book, therefore, the prayers and praises of the church
have been offered up to the throne of grace, from
age to age. And it appears to liave been the manual
of the Son of God, in the days of his flesh; who, at
the conclusion of his last supper, is generally sup-
posed, and that upon good grounds, to have sung an
hymn taken from it;f who pronounced, on the cross,
the beginning of the xxii. Psalm; " My God, my
God, why hast thou forsaken me?" and expired wdth
a part of the xxi. Psalm in his mouth; " Into thy
hands I commend my spirit." Thus He, who had
not the Spirit by measure, in whom were hidden all
the treasures of \visdom and knowledge, and who
spake as never man spake, yet chose to conclude his
life, to solace himself in his greatest agony, and at
last to breathe out his soul, in the Psalmist's form
of words rather than his own. No tongue of man
or angel, as Dr. Hammond justly observes, can con-
vey a higher idea of any book, and of their felicity
who use it arij^ht.

Proportionable to the excellency of the Psalms,

* Hooker's Ecclesiast. Pol. b. v. sect. 37.

f St. Matthew informs us, chap. xxvi. 30. tliat he and his
apostles " sung an hymn;" and the liymn usually sung by the
Jews upon that occasion, was, what they called the " great Hal-
lel," consisting of the Psalms from the cxiii. to the cxviii. in-
clusive.

C2

40

liath been the number of their expositors. The
ancients were chiefly taken up in making spiritual or
evangelical applications of them; in adapting their
discourses on them to the general exigencies of the
Christian church, or to the particular necessities of
the age in which they wrote. The moderns have
set themselves to investigate with diligence, and
ascertain with accuracy, their literal scope and mean-
ing. Piety and devotion characterize the writings
of the ancients; the commentaries of the moderns
display more learning and judgment. The ancients
have taught us how to rear a goodly superstructure;
but the moderns have laid the surest foundation.
To bring them in some measure together, is the de-
sign of the following work; in which the author has
not laboured to point out what seemed wrong in
either, but to extract what he judged to be right
from both ; fo make the annotations of the latter a
ground-work for improvements like those of the
former; and thus to construct an edifice, solid as well
as spacious. Materials, and good ones, he cannot
be said to have wanted; so that if the building should
give way, the cement must have been faulty, or the
workman unskilful.

The right of the Psalter to a place in the sacred
canon, hath never been disputed; and it is often cited
by our Lord and his apostles in the New Testament,
as the work of the Holy Spirit. Whether David
therefore, or any other prophet, was employed as the
instrument of communicating to the church such or
such a particular Psalm, is a question which, if it
cannot always be satisfactorily answered, needs not
disquiet our minds. When we discern, in an epistle.

41

the well known hand of a friend, we are not solici-
tous ahout tlie pen with wliich it was written.

The number of Psalms is tlie same in the original,
and in the version of the LXX; only these last
have, by some mistake, thrown the ninth and tentli
into one, as also the hundred and fourteenth and the
hundred and fifteenth, and have divided the hundred
and sixteenth into two, as also the hundred and for-
ty-seventh. The Hebrews have distributed them
into five books; but for what reason, or upon what
authority, we know not. This is certain, that the
apostles quote from " the Book of Psalms,"* and
that they quote the " second Psalm" of that book, in
the order in which it now stands. f That division,
which our own church hath made of them, into thirty
portions, assigning one to each day of the month, it
hath been thought expedient to set down in the
margin; as persons may often choose to turn to the
commentary on those Psalms, which occur in their
daily course of reading.

In the titles, prefixed to some of the Psalms, there
is so much obscurity, and in the conjectures which
have been made concerning them, both in a literal
and spiritual way, so great a variety and uncertainty,
that the author, finding himself, after all his searches,
unable to offer any thing which he thought could
content the learned, or edify the unlearned, at length
determined to omit them; as the sight of them un-
explained, only distracts the eye and attention of the
reader. The omission of the word selah must be
apologised for in the same manner. The mforma-

* Acts i. 20. t Acts xiii. 33.

42

tion obtained from the historical titles will be found
in the Argument placed at the head of each Psalm;
though even that is not always to be relied on.

Where this information failed, the occasion and
drift of a Psalm were to be collected from the inter-
nal evidence contained in itself, by a diligent perusal
of it, with a view to the sacred history; the light of
which, when held to the Psalms, often dissipates the
darkness that must otherwise for ever envelop allu-
sions to particular events and circumstances. Some-
times, indeed, the descriptions are couched in terms
more general; and then, the want of such informa-
tion is less perceived. If it appear, for instance,
that David, at the time of composing any Psalm,
was under persecution, or had been lately delivered
from it, it may not be of any great consequence, if
we cannot determine with precision, whether his per-
secution by Saul and Doeg, or that by Absalom and
Ahithophel, be intended and referred to. The ex-
pressions either of his sorrow or his joy, his strains,
whether plaintive or jubilant, may be nearly the
same, in both cases, respectively. This observation
may be extended to many other instances of calamities
bewailed, or deliverances celebrated, in the Psalms,
sometimes by the prince, sometimes by the commun-
ity, and frequently by both together. Upon the
whole, it is hoped, that the design of each Psalm
hath been sufficiently discovered, to explain and
apply it, for the instruction and comfort of believers.

The result of such critical inquiries as were found
necessary to be made, is given in as few words as
possible; often only by inserting into a verse, or
subjoining to it, that sense of a word, or phrase,

43

which seemed upon mature deliberation to be the
best; as it was deemed improper to clog, with prolix
disquisitions of this kind, a work intended for gen-
eral use. The reader will, however, reap the bene-
fit of many such, which have been carefully consulted
for him. And he will not, it is presumed, have
reason to complain, that any verse is passed over
without a tolerable consistent interpretation, and
some useful improvement. — Where the literal sense
was plain, it is noticed only so far as was necessary
to make an application, or form a reflection. Where
there appeared any obscurity or difficulty, recourse
was had to the best critics, and that solution, which
seemed the most satisfactory, given in the concisest
manner. Much labour hath here been bestowed,
where little appears. The plan of every Psalm hath
been attentively studied, with the connexion and
dependence of its parts, which it is the design of the
Argument to exhibit at one view, and of the Com-
mentary to pursue and explain from beginning to
end.*

No person is more thoroughly sensible than the
author is, of the respect and gratitude due from all
lovers of the sacred writings, to those who have la-
boured in the field of literal criticism: great and
illustrious characters, whose names will be had by
the church in everlasting remembrance ! All, who
desire to understand the Scriptures, must enter into

* Nos Lectoris pium hunc laborem adjuvandum suscepimus:
dum constitutis argiimentis scopum attention! figimus; dum
scrutarum literam, et ex sacra historia, quantum possumus, om-
nia repetimus; dum annotamus qvae pietatem inflamment; alia
60 exemplo quEerenda indicamus. Bossuet Dissertat. in Psal.
cap. vii.

44

their labours, and make the proper advantage of
them, as he himself hath endeavoured to do. But
let us also bear in mind, that all is not done when
this is done. A work of the utmost importance still
remains, which it is the business of Theology* to
undertake and execute; since, with respect to the
Old Testament, and the Psalter more especially, a
person may attain a critical and grammatical know-
ledge of them, and yet continue a Jew, with a veil
upon his heart; an utter stranger to that sense of
the holy books, evidently intended, in such a variety
of instances, to bear a testimony to the Saviour of
the world; that sense, which is styled, by divines,
the prophetical, evangelical, mystical, or spiritual
sense. As it is one great design of the following
work to investigate that sense in many of the Psalms,
this is the proper place to lay before the reader those
grounds and reasons upon which such investigation
has been made.

That the spiritual interpretation of the Scripture,
like all other good things, is liable to abuse, and that
it hath been actually abused, both in ancient and
modern days, cannot be denied. He who shall go
about, to apply in this way, any passage, before he
hath attained its literal meaning, may say w^hat in
itself is pious and true, but foreign to the text from
which he endeavoureth to deduce it. St. Jerome,
it is well known, when grown older and wiser, la-
mented, that, in the fervours of a youthful fancy, he
had spiritualized the prophecy of Obadiah, before he

* Theologiae insignis hie usiis est, ut, verborum sensu exposito,
REM intelligas. Eisner. Prsefat. ad Observat. Sacr.

4.5

understood it. And it must be allowed, that a due
attention to the occasion and scope of the Psalms,
would have pared off many unseemly excrescences,
which now deform the commentaries of St. Augustin,
and other fathers, upon them. But these, and other
concessions of the same kind, being made, as they
are made very freely, " men of sense will consider,
that a principle is not therefore to be rejected, be-
cause it has been abused;"* since human errors can
never invalidate the truths of God.

It may not be amiss, therefore, to run through
the Psalter, and point out some of the more remark-
able passages, which are cited from thence by our
Lord and his apostles, and applied to matters evan-
gelical.

No sooner have we opened the book, than the
second Psalm presenteth itself, to all appearance,
as an inauguration hymn, composed by David, the
anointed of Jehovah, when by him crowned with
victory, and placed triumphant on the sacred hill of
Sion. But let us turn to Acts iv. 25. and there
we find the apostles, with one voice, declaring the
Psalm to be descriptive of the exaltation of Jesus
Christ, and of the opposition raised against his Gos-
pel, both by Jew and Gentile.

In the eighth Psalm we imamne the writer to be
setting forth the pre-eminence of man in general,
above the rest of the creation; but by Heb. ii. 6,
we are informed, that the supremacy conferred on
the second Adam, the man Christ Jesus, over all

• Bishop Kurd's Introduction to the Study of the Prophecies,
p. 64.

C 3

46

things in heaven and earth, is the subject there
treated of.

St. Peter stands up, Acts ii. 24. and preaches the
resurrection of Jesus from the latter part of the six-
teenth Psahn; and, lo! three thousand souls are
converted by the sermon.

Of the eighteenth Psalm we are told, in the course
of the sacred history, 2 Sam. xxii. that " David
spake before the Lord the words of that song, in
the day that the Lord delivered him out of the hand
of all his enemies, and out of the hand of Saul."
Yet in Rom. xv. 9. the 49th verse of that Psalm is
adduced as a proof, that " the Gentiles should glo-
rify God for his mercy in Jesus Christ, as it is
written. For this cause I will confess to thee among
the Gentiles, and sing unto thy name."

In the nineteenth Psalm, David seems to be speak-
ing of the material heavens, and their operations only,
when he says, " their sound is gone out into all the
earth, and their words unto the ends of the world."
But St. Paul, Rom. x. 18. quotes the passage to
shovv', that the Gospel had been universally pubhshed
by the apostles.

The twenty-second Psalm Christ appropriated to
himself, by beginning it in the midst of his sufferings
on the cross; " My God, my God," &c. Three
other verses of it are, in the New Testament, ap-
plied to him ; and the words of the 8th verse were
actually used by the chief priests, when they reviled
him; " He trusted in God," &c. Matt, xxvii. 43.

When David saith, in the fortieth Psalm, " Sa-
crifice and offering thou didst not desire — Lo, I
come to do thy will:" we might suppose him only

47

to declare in his own person, that obedience is better
than sacrifice. But from Heb. x. 5. we learn, that
Messiah, in that place, speaketh of his advent in
the fiesh, to abolish the legal sacrifices, and to do
away sin, by the oblation of himself, once for all.

That tender and pathetic complaint, in the forty-
first Psalm, " Mine own familiar friend in whom I
trusted, which did eat of my bread, hath lift up his
heel against me," undoubtedly might be, and pro-
bably was, originally uttered by David, upon the re-
volt of his old friend and counsellor, Ahithophel, to
the party of his rebellious son, Absalom. But we
are certain, from John xiii. 18. that this Scripture
was fulfilled, when Christ was betrayed by his apos-
tate disciple — " I speak not of you all; I know
whom I have chosen; but that the Scriptures may
be fulfilled. He that eateth bread with me hath lift
up his heel against me."

The forty-fourth Psalm we must suppose to have
been written on occasion of a persecution under
which the church at that time laboured ; but a verse
of it is cited, Rom. viii. 36. as expressive of what
Christians were to suffer, on their blessed Master's
account: "As it is written, For thy sake are we killed
all the daylong; we are counted as sheep appointed
to be slain."

A quotation from the forty-fifth Psalm, in Heb.
i. 8. certifies us, that the whole is addressed to the
Son of God, and therefore celebrates his spiritual
union with the church, and the happy fruits of it.

The sixty-eighth Psalm, though apparently con-
versant about Israelitish victories, the translation of
the ark to Sion, and the services of the tabernacle.

48

yet does, under those figures, treat of Christ's resur-
rection, his going up on high, leading captivity cap-
tive, pouring out the gifts of the Spirit, erecting his
church in the world, and enlarging it hy the acces-
sion of the nations to the faith; as will be evident
to any one who considers the force and consequence
of the apostle's citation from it, Ephes. iv. 7, 8.
" Unto every one of us is given grace, according to
the measure of the gift of Christ. Wherefore he
saith, When he ascended up on high, he led captivity
captive, and gave gifts unto men."

The sixty-ninth Psalm is five times referred to
in the Gospels, as being uttered by the prophet, in
the person of Messiali. The imprecations, or rather
predictions, at the latter end of it, are applied, Rom.
xi. 9, 10. to the Jews; and to Judas, Acts i. 20.
where the hundred and ninth Psalm is also cited,
as prophetical of the sore judgments which should
befal that arch-traitor, and the wretched nation of
which he was an epitome.

St. Matthew, informing us, chap. xiii. 34. that
Jesus spake to the multitude in parables, gives it as
one reason why he did so, " that it might be fulfilled
which was spoken by the prophet," Psalm Ixxviii.
2. " I will open my mouth in a parable: I will utter
things which have been kept secret from the founda-
tion of the world."

The ninety-first Psalm was applied, by the tempter,
to Messiah; nor did our Lord object to the applica-
tion, but only to the false inference, which his adver-
sary suggested from it. Matt. iv. 6, 7.

The ninety-fifth Psalm is explained at large in
Heb. iii. and iv. as relative to the state and trial of

49

Christians in tlie world, and to their attainment of
tlie heavenly rest.

The hundred and tenth Psalm is cited by Christ
himself, Matt. xxii. 44. as treating of his exaltation,
kingdom, and priesthood.

The hundred and seventeenth Psalm, consisting
only of two verses, is employed, Rom. xv. 11. to
prove, that the Gentiles were one day to praise God
for the mercies of redemption.

The 22d verse of the hundred and ei^jhteenth
Psalm, " The stone which the builders refused,"
&c. is quoted six different times, as spoken of our
Saviour.

And, lastly, " the fruit of David's body," which
God is said, in the hundred and thirty-second Psalm,
to have promised that he would place upon his
" throne," is asserted, Acts ii. 30. to be Jesus
Christ.

These citations, lying dispersed through the
Scriptures of the New Testament, are often suf-
fered by common readers to pass unnoticed. And
many others content themselves with saying, that
they are made in a sense of accommodation, as pas-
sages may be quoted from poems of histories merely
human, for the illustration of truths, of which their
authors never thought. " And this," as a learned
critic observes, " is no fault, but rather a beauty in
writing. A passage applied justly, and in a new
sense, is ever pleasing to an ingenious reader, who
loves to be agreeably surprised, and to see a likeness
and pertinency where he expected none. He has
that surprise, which the Latin poet so poetically gives
to the tree;

♦' Miraturque novas frondes, et non sua pona."

50

The readers, who have been accustomed to con-
sider the New Testament citations in this view of
accommodation only, must perceive the necessity of
such accommodation, at least, to adapt the use of the
Psalms, as a part of divine service, to the times and
circumstances of the Gospel; and cannot therefore
reasonably object, upon their own principles, to the
applications made in the following sheets for that
purpose. But not to inquire, at present, whether
passages are not sometimes cited in this manner,
surely no one can attentively review the above-made
collection of New Testament citations from the book
of Psalms, as they have been placed together before
him, without perceiving that the Psalms are written
on a divine, pre-concerted, prophetical plan, and con-
tain much more than, at first sight, they appear to
do. They are beautiful without, but all glorious
within, like " apples of gold in pictures, or network
cases, of silver;" Prov. xxv. 11. The brightness of
the casket attracts our attention, till, through it,
upon a nearer approach, we discover its contents.
And then, indeed, it may be said to have " no glory,
by reason of the glory that so far excelleth."* Very
delightful and profitable they are, in their Hteral and
historical sense, which well repayeth all the pains
taken to come at it. But that once obtained, a
farther scene begins to open upon us, and all the
blessings of the Gospel present themselves to the
eye of faith. So that the expositor is as a traveller
ascending an eminence, neither unfruitful, nor un-
pleasant; at the top of which, when he is arrived, he
beholds, like Moses from the summit of Mount Nebo,

* 2 Cor. iii. 10.

51

a more lovely and extensive prospect lying beyond
it, and stretching away to the utmost bounds of the
everlasting hills. He sees valleys covered over with
corn, bloomhig gardens, and verdant meadows, with
flocks and herds feeding by rivers of water; till,
ravished with the sight, he cries out, as Peter did at
the view of his Master's glory, " It is good to be
here !"

It would be unreasonable to suppose, that no parts
of the Psalms may by us be spiritually applied, but
such as are already expressly applied for us by the
inspired writers. Let any man consider attentively
a New Testament citation; then let him as carefully
read over, with a view to it, the Psalm from which
it is taken, and see if it will not serve him as a key
wherewith to unlock the treasures of eternal wisdom;
if it will not " open his eyes," and show him " won-
derful things" in God's laws. When we are taught
to consider one verse of a Psalm as spoken by Mes-
siah, and there is no change of person, what can we
conclude, but that he is the speaker through the
whole ? In that case, the Psalm becomes at once
as much transfigured, as the blessed Person, sup-
posed to be the subject of it, was on Mount Tabor.
And if Messiah be the speaker of one Psalm, what
should hinder, but that another Psalm, where the
same kind of scene is evidently described, and the
same expressions are used, may be expounded in the
same manner?

It is very justly observed by Dr. AUix, that " al-
though the sense of near fifty Psalms be fixed and
settled by divine authors, yet Christ and his apos-
tles did not undertake to quote all the Psalms they

52

could quote, but only to give a key to their hearers,
by which they might apply to the same subjects the
Psalms of the same composure and expression."*
The citations in the New Testament were made
incidentally, and as occasion was given. But can
we imagine, that the church was not farther in-
structed in the manner of applying the Psalms to
her Redeemer and to herself? Did she stop at
the applications thus incidentally and occasionally
made by the inspired writers? Did she stop, be-
cause they had directed her how to proceed? We
know she did not. The primitive fathers, it is true,
for want of critical learning, and particularly a com-
petent knowledge of the original Hebrew, often wan-
dered in their expositions; but they are unexcep-
tionable witnesses to us of this matter of fact, that
such a method of expounding the Psalms, built upon
the practice of the apostles in their writings and
preachings, did universally prevail in the church
from the beginning. They, who have ever looked
into St. Augustin, know, that he pursues this plan
invariably, treating of the Psalms as proceeding
from the mouth of Christ, or of the church, or of
both, considered as one mystical person. The same
is true of Jerom, Ambrose, Arnobius, Cassiodor-e,
Hilary, and Prosper. Chrysostom studies to make
the Psalter useful to believers under the GospeL
Theodoret attends both to the literal and prophetical
sense. But what is very observable, Tertullian, who
flourished at the beginning of the third century, men-
tions it, as if it were then an allowed point in the

» Preface to his Book of Psalms, p. 9.

53

church, that " almost all the Psalms are spoken in
the person of Christ, being addressed by the Son
to the Father, that is, by Christ to God."* In
this channel flows the stream of the earliest Christian
expositors. Nor did they depart, in this point, from
the doctrine held in the church of the ancient Jews,
who were always taught to regard Messiah as the
capital object of the Psalter. And though, when
the time came, that people would not receive Jesus
of Nazareth as their Messiah, it does not appear
that they ever objected to the propriety of the cita-
tions made by our Lord and his apostles, or thought
such passages applicable to David only and his con-
cerns. Nay, the most learned of their Rabbis, who
have written since the commencement of the Chris-
tian era, still agree w^ith us in referring many of the
Psalms to Messiah and his kingdom; differing only
about the person of the one, and the nature of the
other.

When learning arose, as it were, from the dead,
in the sixteenth century, and the study of primitive
theology by that means revived, the spiritual inter-
pretation of the Scriptures revived with it. It was
adopted at that time, by one admirably qualified to
do it justice, and to recommend it again to the world
by every charm of genius, and every ornament of
language. I mean the accomplished Erasmus, who
oraitteth no opportunity of insisting on the useful-
ness and even the necessity of it, for the right un-
derstanding of the Scriptures; for the attainment of

* Omnes pene Psalmi Christi personam sustinent. — Filium
ad Patrein, id est Christum ad Deum verba facientem represen-
tant.

54

that wisdom which they teach, and that hoHness which
they prescribe; seeming to think himself never better
employed, than when he is removing the earth and
rubbish with which those Philistines, the monks, had
stopped up the w^ells of salvation, opened by the
apostles and first fathers of the church, for the bene-
fit of mankind.* This great man was much impor-
tuned by his learned friends, as he informeth us in an
epistle to Cardinal Sadolet, to write a commentary on
the Psalms.f Such a work, executed by him, had
been one of the richest ffifts that were ever cast into
the Christian treasury; as we may judge from the
specimen which he hath left us, in his discourses on
eleven of them. Some of these were drav^ai up with
a view to enlarge upon the transactions of the times;
and in all of them he is more diffuse and luxuriant,
than, it is to be presumed, he would have been in a
general exposition. But they abound with a rich
variety of sacred learning, communicated in a man-
ner ever pleasing, and ever instructive. If at any
time he takes us out of the road, it is to show us a
fine country, and we are still in company with Eras-
mus. He considers a Psalm, as it may relate to
Christ, either suffering or triumphant : as it may con-
cern the church, whether consisting of Jews or Gen-
tiles, whether in adversity or prosperity, through the

* Enchirid. Mil. Christ, in Prsefat. Canon. 5. et passim.

f Lib. XXV. Epist. 11. edit. Froben. 10085, edit. Cler. Non
semel rogatus sum, quum ab aliis, tum ab Anglorum rege, ut in
omnes Psalmos ederem Commentaries; sed deterrebant me
qumn alia multa, tum ilia duo potissimum ; quod viderem hoc
argumentum vix posse pro dignitate tractari, nisi quis calleat
Hebraeorum literas, atque etiam antiquitates; partim quod vere-
bar ne turba Commentariorum obscuraretur Sermo Proplieticus,
eitius quam illustraretur.

55

several stages and periods of its existence ; and as it
may be applicable to the different states and circum-
stances ot individuals, during the trials and tempta-
tions which they meet with, in the course of their
Christian pilgrimage and warfare here below, till,
having overcome their last enemy, they shall sit
down with their Lord in his kingdom; when the
scheme of prophecy shall receive its final accomplish-
ment, and " the mystery of God be finished."*

It is obvious, that every part of the Psalter, when
explicated according to this Scriptural and primitive
method, is rendered universally " profitable for doc-
trine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in
righteousness;" and the propriety immediately ap-
pears of its having been always used in the devo-
tional way, both by the Jewish and the Christian
church. With regard to the Jews, bishop Chandler
very pertinently remarks, that " they must have un-
derstood David, their prince, to have been a figure
of Messiah. They would not otherwise have made
his Psalms part of their daily worship, nor would
David have delivered them to the church to be so
employed, were it not to instruct and support them
in the knowledge and belief of this fundamental
article. Was the Messias not concerned in the
Psalms, it were absurd to celebrate twice a day, in
their public devotions, the events of one man's life,
who was deceased so long ago as to have no re-
lation now to the Jews, and the circumstances of
their affairs; or to transcribe whole passages from
them, into tlieir prayers for the coming of the Mes-

» Rev. X. 7.

56

siah."* Upon the same principle, it is easily seen,
that the objections which may seem to lie against the
use of Jewish services in Christian congregations
cease at once. Thus, it may be said, Are we con-
cerned with the affairs of David and Israel? Have
we any thing to do with the ark and the temple?
They are no more. Are we to go up to Jerusalem,
and to worship on Sion? They are desolated and
trodden under foot by the Turks. Are we to sa-
crifice young bullocks, according to the law ? The
law is abolished, never to be observed again. Do
we pray for victory over Moab, Edom, and Philistia;
or for deliverance from Babylon? There are no
such nations, no such places in the world. What
then do we mean, when, taking such expressions into
our mouths, we utter them in our own persons, as
parts of our devotions, before God? Assuredly we
must mean a spiritual Jerusalem and Sion; a spiri-
tual ark and temple; a spiritual law; spiritual sacri-
fices; and spiritual victories over spiritual enemies;
all described under the old names, which are still
retained, though " old things are passed away, and
all things are become new."-]- By substituting Mes-
siah for David, the Gospel for the Law, the church
Christian for that of Israel, and the enemies of the
one for those of the other, the Psalms are made our

* Defence of Christianity, First Part, p. 241.

f 2 Cor. V. 17. Ergo arrige aures, Christiane Lector, et ubi
talia in Davide legeris, tu mihi fac cogitas, non Arcam, fragile
lignum, aut Tabernaculum contectum pellibus; r.on urbem lapi-
dibus compositam; non Templum divinse Majestati augustum :
sed Christi et Ecclesiae Sacramenta, sed vivos lapides, Christo
angulari lapidi coaptatos ; sed ipsam Eucharistiam prsesentis Dei
testem ; denique cifileste regnum et seternam felicitatem. — Bos-
SUET Dissertat. de Psal. cap. i. ad fin.

51

own. Nay, they are, with more fuhiess and pro-
priety, apphed now to the substance, than they were
of old to the '' shadow of good things then to
come."* And, therefore, ever since the commence-
ment of the Christian era, the church hath chosen
to celebrate the Gospel mysteries in the words of
tliese ancient hymns, rather than to compose for that
purpose n€w ones of her own. For, let it not pass
unobserved, that, when, upon the first publication of
the Gospel, the apostles had occasion to utter their
transports of joy, on their being counted worthy to
suffer for the name of their dear Lord and Master,
which was then opposed by Jew and Gentile, they
brake forth into an application of the second Psalm
to the transactions then before their eyes: see Acts
iv. 25. The primitive Christians constantly follow-
ed this method, in their devotions; and particularly
when delivered out of the hands of persecuting ty-
rants by the victories of Constantino, they praised
God for his goodness, and the glorious success and
establishment of Christ's religion, no words were
found so exquisitely adapted to the purpose, as those
of David, in the xcvi. xcviii. and other Psalms
— " Sing unto the Lord a new song: sing unto the
Lord, all the earth. Sing unto the Lord, and
praise his name: be telling of his salvation from day
to day. Declare his honour unto the heathen, his
worship unto all people," &c. &c. &c. In these,
and the like Psalms, we continue to praise God, for
all his spiritual mercies in Christ, to this day.

The Psalms, thus applied, have advantages which

* Heb. X. 1.

58

no fresh compositions, however finely executedj can
possibly have; since, besides their incomparable fit-
ness to express our sentiments, they are, at the same
time, memorials of, and appeals to, former mercies
and deliverances; they are acknowledgments of pro-
phecies accomplished; they point out the connexion
between the old and new dispensations, thereby
teaching us to admire and adore the wisdom of God
displayed in both, and furnishing, while we read or
sing them, an inexhaustible variety of the noblest
matter that can engage the contemplations of man.

Why is the mind more than ordinarily affected,
and either melted into sorrow, or transported with
joy, when on the days set apart for the commemora-
tion of our Saviour's birth, passion, resurrection, &c.
the Proper Psalms are read, which the church hath
appointed, following herein the directions of evan-
gelists and apostles, and the usage of the early ages?
Why, but because, by such appointment, we are ne-
cessarily put upon transferring our ideas from the
complaints or exultations of Da\id and Israel, to
those of a suffering or glorified Messiah, of whose
sufierings or glories we participate, as members of
his mystical body ! And how much more intense
would be the effect, if, in the sermons preached on
those occasions, such Proper Psalms were expounded
to the people, and their propriety evinced, as it
might easily be ! Discourses of this kind would make
the hearts of the auditors to " burn wdthin them;"
and men would cease to w'onder, that three thousand
Jews were converted to the faith by St. Peter's ani-
mated discourse on part of the sixteenth Psalm.
Were believers once brought well acquainted with

59

tliese Proper Psalms, they would be better enabled
to study and apply the rest, which might likewise be
explained to them, at different times, and certainly,
afford the finest subjects on which a Christian orator
can apply his eloquence. That this was done in the
primitive church, we learn from the exposition of
the Psalms left us by St. Chrysostom in the east,
and 8t. Augustin in the west, those expositions still
subsisting in the form of homilies, as delivered to
their respective congregations. Is it not to be feared
tiiat, for want of such instructions, the repetition of
the Psalms, as performed by multitudes, is but one
degree above mechanism ? And is it not a melan-
choly reflection to be made, at the close of a long
life, that, after reciting them, at proper seasons,
through the greatest part of it, no more should be
known of their true meaning and application, than
when the Psalter was first taken in hand at school?

Many sensible and well-disposed persons, there-
fore, who, when they read or sing the Psalms, de-
sire to read or sing " with the spirit and the un-
derstanding," have long called for a commentary
which might enable them to do so, which might not
only explain the literal sense of these divine compo-
sitions, and show how they may be accommodated
to our temporal affairs, as members of civil society;"*

* A concern for tlie present peace and prosperity of the world,
and of that kingdom in it to which we belong, ought ever to be
entertained and cherished by the most exalted Christian. And
if this part of the subject sliould, at anytime, in the following
work, appear to be but slightly touched upon, the reason is, be-
cause it lies obvious upon tlie surface, and has been so frequently
inculcated by other expositors. Nor are mankind indeed so lia-
ble to forget the relation they bear to the world, as tliey are to

60

but miglit also unfold the mysteries of the kingdom
of God, which are involved in them, and teach their
application to us, as members of that spiritual and
heavenly society of which Christ Jesus is the head,
and for whose use, in every age, they were intended
by their omniscient Author. A work of this kind,
though often desired, has never yet been executed,
upon any regular and consistent plan. The survey
of a province in theology, hitherto almost unoccu-
pied among the moderns, which promised a great
deal of pleasing as well as profitable employment,
gave birth to the attempt which had been made to
cultivate it, in the ensuing Commentary; in which
the author has only endeavoured to evince, by an in-
duction of particulars, the truth of what so many
learned and good men have asserted in general, con-
cerning the prophetical, or evangelical, import of
the Psalter. Dr. Hammond, in the preface to his
Annotations, tells us, he chose to leave every man to
make applications of this kind for himself, finding he
had work enough upon his hands in the literal way.
But so much having been done by him, and other
able critics, in that way, it seems to be now time
that something should be done in the other, and
some directions given, in a case where directions
cannot but be greatly wanted.

Very few of the Psalms, comparatively, appear to
be simply prophetical, and to belong only to Mes-
siah, without the intervention of any other person.
Most of them, it is apprehended, have a double

overlook that which subsists between them and their Creator
and Redeemer.

61

sense, which stands upon this ground and foundation,
that the ancient patriarchs, prophets, priests, and
kings, were typical characters, in their several of-
fices, and in the more remarkable passages of their
lives, their extraordinary depressions, and miraculous
exultations, foreshowing Him who was to arise, as
the Head of the holy family, the great Prophet, the
true Priest, the everlasting King. The Israelitish
polity, and the law of Moses, were purposely framed
after the example and shadow of things spiritual and
heavenly; and the events which happened to the an-
cient people of God, were designed to shadow out
parallel occurrences, which should afterwards take
place, in the accomplishment of man's redemption,
and the rise and progress of the Christian church.
For this reason, the Psalms composed for the use of
Israel, and Israel's monarch, and by them accordingly
used at the time, do admit of an application to us,
who are now " the Israel of God,"* and to our
Redeemer, who is the king of this Israel.f

Nor will this seem strange to us, if we reflect,
that the same divine Person, who inspired the Psalms,
did also foreknow and predispose all the events of
which he intended them to treat. And hence it is
evident, that the spiritual sense is, and must be, pe-
culiar to the Scriptures ; because of those persons
and transactions only, which are there mentioned

* Gal. vi. 16.

f That expressions and descriptions in liuman writings are
often so framed as to admit of a double sense, without any im-
propriety or confusion, is shown by the very learned Mr. Mer-
rick, on his excellent Observations on Dr. Benson's Essay con-
cerning the Unity of Sense, &c. subjoined to his Annotations on
the Psalms.

Vol. I. D

62

and recorded, can it be affirmed for certain, that they
were designed to be figurative. And should any one
attempt to apply the narrative of Alexander's expe-
dition by Quintus Curtius, or the Commentaries of
Cesar, as the New Testament writers have done, and
taught us to do, the histories of the Old, he would
find himself unable to proceed three steps with con-
sistency and propriety. The argument, therefore,
which would infer the absurdity of supposing the
Scriptures to have a spiritual sense, from the ac-
knowledged absurdity of supposing histories or poems
merely human to have it, is inconclusive; the sacred
writings differing, in this respect, from all other
writings in the world, as much as the nature of the
transactions which they relate differs from that of all
other transactions, and the author who relates them
differs from all other authors.

" This double, or secondary, sense of prophecy,
was so far from giving offence to Lord Bacon, that
he speaks of it with admiration, as one striking ar-
gument of its divinity. ' In sorting the prophecies
of Scripture with their events, we must allow,' says
he, ' for that latitude, which is agreeable and familiar
unto divine prophecies, being of the nature of the
Author, with whom a thousand years are hut as one
day ; and therefore they are not fulfilled punctually
at once, but have springing and germinant accom-
plishment through many ages, though the height or
fulness of them, may refer to some one age.'

" But that we may not mistake, or pervert, this
fine observation of our great philosopher, it may be
proper to take notice, that the reason of it holds, in
such prophecies only as respect the several successive

63

parts of one system; which being intimately con-
nected together, may be supposed to come within
the view and contemplation of the same prophecy;
whereas it would be endless, and one sees not on
what grounds of reason we are authorized, to look
out for the accomplishment of prophecy, in any casual
unrelated events of general history. The Scripture
speaks of prophecy, as respecting Jesus, that is, as
being one connected scheme of Providence, of which
the Jewish dispensation makes a part; so that here
we are led to expect, that ' springing and germinant
accomplishment,' which is mentioned. But had the
Jewish law been complete in itself, and totally unre-
lated to the Christian, the general principle — that
' a thousand years are with God but as one day' —
would no more justify us in extending a Jewish pro-
phecy to Christian events, because perhaps it was
eminently fulfilled in them, than it would justify us
in extending it to any other signally corresponding
events whatsoever. It is only when the prophet hath
one uniform connected design before him, that we
are authorized to use this latitude of interpretation.
For then the prophetic spirit naturally runs along
the several parts of such design, and unites the re-
motest events with the nearest: the style of the pro-
phet, in the mean time, so adapting itself to this
double prospect, as to paint the near and subordinate
event in terms that emphatically represent the distant
and more considerable. So that, with this explana-
tion, nothing can be more just or philosophical, than
the idea which Lord Bacon suggests of divine pro-
phecy,

" The great scheme of redemption, we are now
D2

64

considering, being the only scheme in the plan of
Providence, which, as far as we know, hath been
prepared and dignified by a continued system of pro-
phecy, at least this being the only scheme to which
we have seen a prophetic system applied, men do
not so readily apprehend the doctrine of double senses
in prophecy, as they would do if they saw it exem-
plified in other cases. But what the history of man-
kind does not supply, we may represent to ourselves
by many obvious suppositions; which cannot justify,
indeed, such a scheme of things, but may facilitate
the conception of it."*

In allegories framed by man, the ground-work is
generally fiction,f because of the difficulty of finding
one true series of facts, which shall exactly represent
another. But the great Disposer of events, " known
unto whom are all his works," from the beginning
to the end of time, was able to effect this ; and the
Scripture allegories are therefore equally true in the
letter and in the spirit of them. The events signi-
fying, no less than those signified, really happened
as they are said to have done.ij: Why the allegories

* Bishop Kurd's excellent Introduction to the Study of the
Prophecies. Serm. iii.

f I say, " generally," since, as the above-cited Mr. Merrick
justly observes, " It is possible (for example) in a complimental
address to a modern statesman, or general, to relate the actions
of some ancient patriot of the same character, in such a manner,
that the parallel intended to be dra^^^l between them, shall be
readily knowTi, and the praises expressly bestowed on the one,
be transferred, by the reader's own application, to the other."

\ Neque propterea ab historico, sive laterali atque immediate,
lit aiunt, sensu aberrare nos oportet: quin eo erit clarior et
fundatior secretioris illius intelligentiae sensus, quo typum ipsum,
hoc est, historiam ac literam figemus certius. — Bossuet Disser-
tat. in Psal. ad finem.

65

of this most perfect form, with which the book of
God abounds, and which are all pregnant with truths
of the highest import, should be treated with neglect
and contempt, while the imperfect allegories of man's
devising are universally sought after. and admired, as
the most pleasing and efficacious method of convey-
ing instruction, it is not easy to say. Why should
it not afford a believer as much delight, to contem-
plate the lineaments of his Saviour portrayed in one
of the patriarchs, as to be informed, that the charac-
ter of lapis was designed by Virgil to adumbrate that
of Antonius Musa, physician to Augustus? Or
why should not a discourse upon the redemption of
the church, as foreshadowed by the exodus of Israel,
have as many admirers among Christians, as a dis-
sertation, however ingeniously composed, on the de-
scent of ^neas to the infernal regions, considered
as typical of an initiation into the Eleusinian mys-
teries ?

A learned, judicious, and most elegant writer of
the present age, hath stated and illustrated the sub-
ject we are now upon, with a felicity of thought and
expression peculiar to himself. I shall endeavour to
gratify the English reader with a view of his senti-
ments. The beauties of his language are not to be
translated.

" It would be an arduous and adventurous under-
taking to attempt to lay down the rules observed in
the conduct of the Mystic Allegory; so diverse are
the modes in which the Holy Spirit has thought pro-
per to communicate his counsels to different persons,
upon different occasions; inspiring and directing the
minds of the prophets according to his good pleasure ;

66

at one time vouchsafing more full and free discoveries
of future events ; while, at another, he is more ob-
scure and sparing in his intimations. From hence,
of course, ariseth a great variety in the Scripture
usage of this kind of allegory, as to the manner in
which the spiritual sense is couched under the other.
Sometimes it can hardly break forth and show itself
at intervals through the literal, which meets the eye
as the ruling sense, and seems to have taken entire
possession of the words and phrases. On the con-
trary, it is much oftener the capital figure in the piece,
and stands confessed at once by such splendour of
language, that the letter, in its turn, is thrown into
shade, and almost totally disappears. Sometimes
it shines with a constant equable light; and some-
times it darts upon us on a sudden, like a flash of
lightning from the clouds. But a composition is
never more truly elegant and beautiful, that when
the two senses, alike conspicuous, run parallel to-
gether through the whole poem, mutually corres-
ponding with, and illustrating each other. I will
produce an undoubted instance or two of this kind,
which will show my meaning, and confirm what has
hitherto been advanced on this subject of the mystic
allegory.

" The establishment of David upon his throne,
notwithstanding the opposition made to it by his ene-
mies, is the subject of the second Psalm. David
sustains in it a twofold character, literal and allegori-
cal. If we read over the Psalm, first with an eye
to the literal David, the meaning is obvious, and put
out of all dispute by the sacred history. There is
indeed an uncommon glow in the expression, and

67

sublimity in the figures, and the diction is now and
then exaggerated, as it were on purpose to intimate,
and lead us to, the contemplation of higher and more
important matters concealed within. In compliance
with this admonition, if we take another survey of
the Psalm, as relative to the person and concerns of
the spiritual David, a nobler series of events instantly
rises to view, and the meaning becomes more evident,
as well as exalted. The colouring, which may per-
haps seem too bold and glaring for the king of Is-
rael, will no longer appear so, when laid upon his
great anti-type. After we have thus attentively
considered the subjects apart, let us look at them to-
gether, and we shall behold the full beauty and ma-
jesty of tliis most charming poem. We shall per-
ceive the two senses, very distinct from each other,
yet conspiring in perfect harmony, and bearing a
wonderful resemblance in every feature and linea-
ment, while the analogy between them is so exactly
preserved, that either may pass for the original from
whence the other was copied. New light is continu-
ally cast upon the phraseology, fresh weight and dig-
nity are added to the sentiment, till gradually as-
cending from things below to things above, from
human affairs to those which are divine, they bear
the great important theme upwards with them, and
at length place it in the height and brightness of
heaven.

" What hath been observed with regard to this
Psalm, may also be applied to the seventy-second;
the subject of which is of the same kind, and treated
in the same manner. Its title might be, ' The In-
auguration of Solomon.' The scheme of the allc-

68

gory is alike in both ; but a diversity of matter oc-
casions an alteration in the diction. For whereas
one is employed in celebrating the magnificent tri-
umphs of victory, it is the design of the other to
draw a pleasing picture of peace, and of that felicity
which is her inseparable attendant. The style is,
therefore, of a more even and temperate sort, and
more richly ornamented. It aboundeth not with
those sudden changes of the person speaking, w^hich
dazzle and astonish; but the imagery is borrowed
from the delightful scenes with which creation cheers
the sight, and the pencil of the divine artist is dipped
in the softer colours of nature. And here we may
take notice how peculiarly adapted to the genius of
this kind of allegory the parabolical style is, on ac-
count of that great variety of natural images to be
found in it. For as these images are capable of be-
ing employed in tlie illustration of things divine and
human, between which there is a certain analogy
maintained, so they easily afford that ambiguity
which is necessary in this species of composition,
vvhere the language is applicable to each sense, and
obscure in neither; it comprehends both parts of the
allegory, and may be clearly and distinctly referred
to one or the other."*

The scheme of exposition so beautifully delineated
and illustrated in two instances by this truly valuable
author, has been extended, in theory, by another
learned writer, to a great part of the Psalter ; and
that upon a principle deduced from the attributes of
God, and the nature and design of the divine dispen-

* Bishop Lowth on the Hebrew Poetry. Lect. xi.

69

sations ; though his own hibours, like those of Dr.
Hammond, were employed chiefly in literal criticism.
His reasoning is as follows :

" In this point (namely, the application of the
Psalms to the mysteries of the Gospel) I am very
clear. The Jews only, as a nation, acknowledged
the one supreme God, under the name of Jehovah ;
they must be, therefore, his peculiar people. There
is nothing capricious in this ; they are correlates,
and of necessity answer reciprocally to each other.
Hence that singular intercourse between God and
them. Hence, among other instances of his favour,
his communication of himself to them by superna-
tural ways of Oracles, Inspiration, &c. When the
acknowledgment of the one God branched itself,
from this Jewish stock, over the face of the earth,
and by that means he was become the God of all
mankind, they must all, for the same reason, become
his people. As God is ever the same, and his do-
ings uniform, his conduct towards mankind must
exactly be proportioned to his conduct towards the
Jewish nation. Let us, therefore, place God in
common over them both: and there will be — on
one side, the Jewish nation; and on the other, man-
kind : on one side, Canaan, and a national prosper.-
ity; on the other, heaven, and human happiness:
on one side, a redemption from Egyptian servitude,
and national evils; on the other, a redemption of
the w^hole human race from absolute evil: on one
side, national crimes atoned by national ceremonies,
sacrifices, priests ; on the other, sins expiated by the
one universal sacrifice of Jesus Christ : on one side,
national and temporary saviours, kings, prophets, &c.
D3

70

on the other, all this universal, and eternal : on
one side, the law, and every branch of it, adap-
ted to a favourite nation; on the other, the ever-
lasting Gospel, suited to all mankind. It is impos-
sible, therefore, that God can say any thing to David,
under the quality of king of this chosen nation,
which he does not speak, at the same time, to Jesus
Christ, as King of all the elect; and that in a truer
and nobler sense. To each of them he speaks in a
sense adapted to the nature of their respective king-
doms. Nor is the latter a bare accommodation of
words, but the first and highest meaning of them,
and which only, absolutely speaking, can be the true
sense of God; the other being this sense, confined
to a particular ch'cumstance; in other words, an ab-
solute truth, made history and matter of fact. This
is a principle, which shows, that, far from denying
the Christian application, I consider the literal and
historical sense only as a kind of vehicle for it."*

Upon this plan it is, that many of the Psalms are
interpreted in the following sheets.

In such of them as were written by David, and
treat of his affairs, that extraordinary person is con-
sidered as an illustrious representative of Messiah,
who is more than once foretold under the name of
David, and to whom are applied, in the New Testa-
ment, Psalms which do undoubtedly, in the letter of
them, relate to David, and were composed on occa-
sion of particular occurrences which befel him ; a cir-
cumstance in theology, to be accounted for upon no
other principle.

* Preface to an Essay towards a New English Version of the
Book of Psalms, by tlie Rev. Mr. Mudge.

71

When, therefore, he described himself as one hated
and persecuted without a cause ; as one accused of
crimes which he never committed, and suffering for
sins the very thoughts of which he abhorred; as
one whose life was imbittered by affliction, and his
soul overwhelmed with sorrows ; yet withal, as one
whom no troubles could induce to renounce his trust
and confidence in the promises of God concerning
him; when he repeated his resolutions of adhering
to the divine law, setting forth its various excellen-
cies, and the comforts which it afforded him in the
days of adversity; when he complaineth of that im-
placable malice, and unrelenting fury, with which he
was pursued by Saul and his attendants, by Doeg
the Edomite, by rebellious Absalom, traitorous Ahi-
thophel, &:c. and when, contrary to all appearances,
he predicteth their destruction, with his own final ex-
altation; in expounding the Psalms of this cast and
complexion, it hath been my endeavour to direct the
reader's thoughts to parallel circumstances, which
present themselves in the history of the true David;
his sorrows and sufferings; his resignation under
them all; his obedience to the will of his Father;
the temper and behaviour of his betrayers and mur-
derers ; the prophecies of judgments to be inflicted
upon them, and of glory to be conferred upon him.
As the Psalter was the liturgy of the Jewish church,
of which our Lord was a member, and to which he
therefore entirely conformed during his abode and
humiliation upon earth, he might pour forth his com-
plaints, and " offer up his prayers and supplications,
with strong crying and tears,"* in the very words

* II cb. V. 7. '

79

which his progenitor David had before used under
his own troubles, but which were given by inspira-
tion, with a view to the case of that blessed person
whom, in those troubles, he had the honour to pre-
figure.

Other Psalms there are, which disclose far differ-
ent scenes. In them, the sorrows of David are at an
end ; and the day of his deliverance hath already
dawned. The heavens are opened, and Jehovah ap-
peareth in the cause of his afflicted servant. He
descendeth from above, encompassed with clouds and
darkness, preceded by fire and hail, proclaimed by
thunder and earthquake, and attended by lightnings
and whirlwinds. The mountains smoke, and the
rocks melt before him; the foundations of the globe
are uncovered, and the deep from beneath is moved
at his presence. The adversary is dismayed and
confounded; opposition, in the height of its career,
feels the blast through all its powers, and instantly
withers away. The anointed of God, according to
his original designation, is at length elevated to the
throne; his sceptre is extended over the nations;
the temple is planned by him, and erected by his
son; the ser\ices of religion are appointed in perfect
order and beauty; Jerusalem becometh a praise in
all the earth; and the kingdom is established in
honour, peace, and felicity, if in Psalms of the
former kind the holy Jesus might behold those per-
secutions and sufferings, under which he was to be
humbled, and to mourn, during his pilgrimage here
below; in Psalms of this latter sort, he might
strengthen and console hunself, as a man " touched
with the feehng of our infirmities, and tempted in

73

all points like as we are," by viewing " the glory
that should follow;" by contemplating the manifes-
tation of the Father in favour of his beloved vSon;
his o^vTi joyful resurrection, triumphant ascension,
and magnificent inauguration; the conversion of the
world, and the establishment of the church; events
which were foreshadowed by those above-mentioned;
and to which, when the strongest expressions made
use of by the divine Psalmist are applied, they wiU
no longer appear hyperbolical ; especially if we bear
in mind, that these prophetic descriptions wait for
theii' full and final accomplishment at that day, when
the mystical " body of Christ," having " filled up
that which is behind of his afflictions,"* shall also,
amidst the pangs and convulsions of departing na-
ture, arise from the dead, and ascend into heaven ;
where all the members of that body, which have been
afflicted, and have mourned with their Lord and
Master, shall be comforted and glorified together
with him.f

In some of the Psalms, David appears as one suf-
fering for his sins. When man speaks of sin, he

* Col. i. 24.

f Neque praetermittendum illiid Augustini passim ; tunc Psal-
mos videri suavissimos, ac divinissima luce perfusos, cum in his
caput et membra, Christum et Ecclesiam, sive aperte propalatos,
sive latenter designates intelligimus — Quare iterum atque iterum
erigamus animos; atque iibi Davidem atque Solomonem; ubi
Davidis hostes, Saulem, Achitophelem, alios ; ubi bella et pacem,
captivitatem, libertatem, ac caetera ejusmodi audimus ; turn animo
infigamus Christum; et Ecclesiam labor ibus periculisque exerci-
tam, atque inter adversa et prospera peregrinantem ; turn sanc-
torum persecutores, non modo visibiles, seel etiam invisibiles illas
atque aereas potestates, pugnasque in hac vita perpetes, ac secu-
turam postea pacem sempiternam. Bossuet Dissertat. in
Psalm, ad fin.

74

speaks of what is his own; and, therefore, every
Psalm where sin is confessed to be the cause of
sorrow, belongs originally and properly to ns, as
fallen sons of Adam, like David and all other men.
This is the case of the fifty-first, and the rest of
those which are styled Penitential Psalms, and have
always been used in the church as such. Some-
times, indeed, it happens, that we meet with heavy
complaints of the number and burden of sins, in
Psalms from which passages are quoted in the New
Testament as uttered by our Redeemer, and in which
there seems to be no change of person, from begin-
ning to end. We are assured, for instance, by the
apostle, Heb. x. 5. that the sixth, seventh, and eighth
verses of the fortieth Psalm, " Sacrifice and offering
thou didst not desire," &c. are spoken by Messiah
coming to abohsh the legal sacrifices, by the oblation
of himself once for all. The same person, to ap-
pearance, continues speaking, and, only three verses
after complains in the following terms: " Innumer-
able evils have compassed me about, mine iniquities
have taken hold upon me, so that I am not able to
look up; they are more than the hairs of my head,
therefore my heart faileth me." So again, there are
no less than five quotations from different parts of
the sixty-ninth Psalm, all concurring to inform us
that Christ is the speaker through that whole Psalm.
Yet the fifth verse of it runs thus: " O God, thou
knowest my foolishness, and my cd^k guiltiness is
not hid from thee." The solution of this difficulty
given, and continually insisted on, in the writings of
the Fathers is this; that Christ, in the day of his
passion, standing charged with the sin and guilt of

75

his people, speaks of such their sin and guilt as if
they were his own, appropriating to himself those
debts for which, in the capacity of a surety, he had
made himself responsible. Tlie lamb which, under
the law, was offered for sin, took the name QiyK,
" guilt," because the guilt contracted by the offerer
was transferred to that innocent creature, and typi-
cally expiated by its blood.* Was not tliis exactly
the case, in truth and reality, with the Lamb of
God? " He did no sin, neither was guile found in
his mouth; but he bare our sins in his own body on
the tree.f He was made sin for us, who knew no
sin, that we might be made the righteousness of God
in him. "J Christ and the church compose one
mystical person, of which he is the head, and the
church the body; and as the body speaks by the
head, and the head for the body, he speaks of her
sin, and she of his righteousness; which considera-
tion is at the same time a key to any claims of righ-
teousness made in the Psalms by her, and to any
confession of sin made by him. This seems to be a
satisfactory account of the matter. Such, at least,
appears to have been the idea generally adopted and
received, in the first ages of the Christian Church;
a circumstance which, it is presumed, will be deemed
a sufficient apology for the author, if, in the explica-
tion of such passages, he hath ventured to proceed
accordingly. Nay, and even in reciting the Peni-
tential Psalms, when the unhappy sufferer is ready
to sink down under that weight of woe which sin
hath laid upon him, if he will extend his thoughts,

* See Levit. v. 6. f 1 Pet. ii. 22. ^ 2 Cor. v. 21.

76

as he is sometimes directed to do, to that holy and
most innocent person, who felt and sorrowed so
much for us all, he will thereby furnish himself with
the best argument for patience, and an inexhaustible
source of comfort. Nor can it, indeed, well be
imagined, that our blessed Lord, as a member of the
Jewish church, and an attendant on the service of
the synagogue, though conscious to himself of no
sin, did not frequently join with his " brethren ac-
cording to the flesh," in the repetition of the Peni-
tential, as well as the other Psalms, on the days of
humiliation and expiation, when the use of them
might be prescribed. If, from his circumcision to
his crucifixion, " he bare our sins in his own body;'*
why should it be thought strange, that he should
confess them on our behalf, with his own mouth?

The offence taken at the supposed uncharitable
and vindictive spirit of the imprecations, which occur
in some of the Psalms, ceases immediately, if we
change the imperative for the future, and read, not
" let them be confounded," &c. but, " they shall be
confounded," &c. of which the Plebrew is equally
capable. Such passages will then have no more
difficulty in them, than the other frequent predictions
of divine vengeance in the writings of the prophets,
or denunciations of it in the Gospels, intended to
warn, to alarm, and to lead sinners to repentance,
that they may fly from the wrath to come. This is
Dr. Hammond's observation; who very properly re-
piarks, at the same time, that in many places of this
sort, as particularly in Psalm cix. (and the same may
be said of Psalm Ixix.) it is reasonable to resolve,
that Christ himself speaketh in the prophet; as be-

77

iug the person there principally concerned, and the
completion most signal in many circumstances there
mentioned; the succession especially of Matthias to
the apostleship of Judas. It is true, that in the
citation made by St. Peter from Psal. cix. in Acts i.
20. as also, in that made by St. Paul from Psalm
Ixix. in Rom. xi. 9. the imperative form is preserv-
ed; " Let his habitation be void," &c. " Let their
table be made a snare," &c. But it may be consi-
dered, that the apostles generally cited from the
Greek of the LXX version; and took it as they
found it, making no alteration, when the passage, as
it there stood, was sufficient to prove the main point
which it was adduced to prove. If the imprecatory
form be still contended for, all that can be meant by
it, whether uttered by the prophet, by Messiah, or
by ourselves, must be a solemn ratification of the
just judgments of the Almighty against his impeni-
tent enemies, like what we find ascribed to the
blessed spirits in heaven, when such judgments were
executed: Rev. xi. IT, 18. xvi. 5, 6, 7. See Mer-
rick's Annotations on Ps. cix. and Witsii Miscellan.
Sacr. lib. i. cap. xviii. sect. 24. But, by the future
rendering of the verbs, every possible objection is
precluded at once. This method has therefore been
adopted in the ensuing Commentary.

Of the Psalms which relate to Israel, some are
employed in celebrating the mercies vouchsafed them,
from their going forth out of Egypt, to their com-
plete settlement in Canaan. These were the con-
stant standing subjects of praise and thanksgiving in
the Israelitish church. But we are taught, by the
writers of the New Testament, to consider this part

78

of their history as one continued figure, or allegory.
We are told, that there is another spiritual Israel of
God; other children of Ahraham, and heirs of the
promise; another circumcision; another Egyptj from
the bondage of which they are redeemed; another
wilderness through which they journey; other dangers
and difficulties which there await them; other bread
from heaven for their support; and another rock to
supply them with living water; other enemies to
overcome; another land of Canaan, and another
Jerusalem, whicli they are to obtain, and to possess
for ever. In the same light are to be viewed the
various provocations and punishments, captivities
and restorations, of old Israel afterwards, concerning
which it is likewise true, tliat they " happened unto
them for ensamples,"* types, or figures, " and were
written for our admonition."-}- Care has therefore
been taken to open and apply, for that salutary pur-
pose, the Psalms which treat of the above-mentioned
particulars.

What is said in the Psalms occasionally of the law
and its ceremonies, sacrifices, ablutions, and purifi-
cations; of the tabernacle and temple, with the
services therein performed; and of the Aaronical
priesthood; all this Christians transfer to the new
law; to the oblation of Christ; to justification by his
blood, and sanctification by his Spirit; to the true
tabernacle, or temple not made with hands; and to
what was therein done for the salvation of the world,
by Him who was, in one respect a Sacrifice; in an-
other a Temple; and in a third, an High Priest for

* Gr. Tvroi. f 1 Cor. x. 11.

79

ever, after the order of Melcbisedek. That such
was the intention of these legal figures, is declared
at large in the Epistle to the Hebrews: and they are
of great assistance to us now, in forming our ideas
of the realities to which they correspond. " Under
the Jewish economy," says the excellent Mr. Pascal,
" truth appeared but in a figure; in heaven it is
open, and without a veil; in the church militant it
is so veiled, as to be yet discerned by its correspon-
dence to the fio-ure. As the fififure was first built
upon the truth, so the truth is now distinguishable
by the figure." The variety of strong expressions
used by David in the nineteenth and the hundred
and nineteenth Psalms, to extol the enlivening, sav-
ing, healing, comforting, efficacy of a law, which in
the letter of it, whether ceremonial or moral, with-
out pardon and grace, could minister nothing but
condemnation, do sufficiently prove, that David
understood the spirit of it, which was the Gospel
itself.* And if any, who recited those Psalms, had

* Hsec inter, veri et spirituales Jiida?i, hoc est, ante Christum
Christ! discipuli, altiora cogitabant, et rerum ccelestium Sacra-
menta veneiati, novam Jerusalem, novum templum, novam arcam
iiituebantur. — Bossuet Dissertat. in Psal. cap. i. Lex, juxta
Spiritum accepta, ipsum erat Evangelium, sub veteribus figuris
dehtescens, et cerimoniarum velis obtectum, ab ipso quidem
Mose (imprimis in Deutcronomio) aliquatenus et pro temporum
ratione explicatum, a prophetis vero succedentibus (ut visum est
Divinse Sapiential) dihicidus ostensum, demum a Cbristo et apos-
toh's plenissime et luce ipso sole clariori patefactuin. — Bulli
Opera per Grabe, p. 6 14-. If the Jews, as our Saviour tells
them, " thought they had eternal life in their Scriptures," they
must needs have understood them in a spiritual sense: and I
know not what other spiritual sense, that should lead them to the
expectation of eternal life, they could put on their Scriptures,
but that proplietical or tyjjical sense, which respected the Mes-
siah. Jesus expressly asserts, at the same time, that their

80

not the same idea, it was not the fault of the Law
or of the Psalms, of Moses or of David, or of him
who inspired both, but it was their own; as it is that
of the Jews, at this hour, though their prophecies
have now been fulfilled, and their types realized.
" He that takes his estimate of the Jewish religion
from the grossness of the Jewish multitude," as the
last cited author observes, " cannot fail of making a
very wrong judgment. It is to be sought for in the
sacred writings of the prophets, who have given us
sufficient assurance, that they understood the law
not according to the letter. Our religion, ip like
manner, is true and divine in the Gospels, and in
the preaching of the apostles; but it appears utterly
disfigured in those who maim or corrupt it."

Besides the figure supplied by the history of
Israel, and by the law, there is another set of images
often employed in the Psalms, to describe the bles-
sings of redemption. These are borrowed from the
natural world, the manner of its original production,
and the operations continually carried on in it. The
visible works of God are formed to lead us, under
the direction of his w^ord, to a knowledge of those
which are invisible; they give us ideas, by analogy,
of a new creation rising gradually, like the old one,
out of darkness and deformity, until at length it
arrives at the perfection of glory and beauty; so that
while we praise the Lord for all the wonders of his

" Scriptures testified of Him." How generally they did so, he
explained at large, in that remarkable conversation with two of
his disciples after his resm'rection ; when, " beginning at Moses,
and all the prophets, he expounded unto them in all tlie Scrip-
tures, the things concerning himself." Kurd's Introd. to the
Study of the Prophecies, Serm. ii.

81

power, wisdom, and love, displayed in a system
which is to wax old and perish, we may therein con-
template, as in a glass, those new heavens, and that
new earth, of whose duration there shall be no end.*
The sun, that fountain of life, and heart of the world,
that bright leader of the armies of heaven, enthroned
in glorious majesty; the moon shining with a lustre
borrowed from his beams; the stars glittering by
night in the clear firmament; the air giving breath
to all things that live and move; the interchanges of
light and darkness; the course of the year, and the
sweet vicissitudes of seasons; the rain and the dew
descending from above, and the fruitfulness of the
earth caused by them; the bow bent by the hands of
the Most High, which compasseth the heaven about
with a glorious circle; the awful voice of thunder,
and the piercing power of lightning; the instincts of
animals,f and the qualities of vegetables and mine-

* Read nature ; nature is a friend to truth ;
Nature is Christian, preaches to mankind ;
And bids dead matter aid us in our creed. Young.

f " I beheve, a good natural pliilosopher might show, with
great reason and probabiUty, that there is scarce beast, bird, rep-
tile, or insect, that does not, in each particular climate, instruct
and admonish mankind of some necessary truth for their happi-
ness either in body or mind." Dr. Cheyne's Philosophical Con-
jectures on the Preference of Vegetable Food, p. 73. That
which a celebrated writer has observed concerning a poet, may
perhaps be equally applicable to a divine — " To him nothing can
be useless. Whatever is beautiful, and whatever is dreadful,
should be familiar to his imagination, he should be conversant
with all that is awfully vast, or elegantly little. The plants of
the garden, the animals of the wood, the minerals of the earth,
and meteors of the sky, should all concur to store his mind with
inexhaustible variety; for everj-^ idea is useful for the enforcement
or decoration of moral or religious truth ; and he who knows
most, will have most power of diversifying his scenes, and of
gratifying his reader with remote allusions, and uilexpected in-

rals; the great and wide sea, with its unnumbered
inhabitants; all these are ready to instruct us in the
mysteries of faith, and the duties of morality: —

They speak their Maker as they can,
But want and ask the tongue of man.

Parnell.

The advantages of Messiah's reign are represent-
ed, in some of the Psalms, under images of this kind.
We behold a renovation of all things, and the world,
as it were, new created, breaks forth into singing.
The earth is crowned with sudden verdure and fer-
tility; the field is joyful, and all that is in it; the
trees of the wood rejoice before the Lord; the floods
clap their hands in concert, and ocean fills up the
mighty chorus, to celebrate the advent of the Great
King.

Similar to these, are the representations of spiri-
tual mercies by temporal deliverances from sickness,
prison, danger of perishing in storms at sea, and from
the sundry kinds of calamity and death, to which the
body of man is subject; as also by scenes of domestic
felicity, and by the flourishing state of well ordered
communities, especially that of Israel in Canaan,
which, while the benediction of Jehovah rested upon
it, was a picture of heaven itself. The foregoing and

struction. By him, therefore, no kind of knowledge should be
overlooked. He should range mountains and deserts for images
and resemblances, and picture upon his mind every tree of the
forest, and flower of the valley; tlie crags of the rock, and the
mazes of the stream." Rasselas, chap. x. The reader may see
this exemplified in some " Disquisitions on Select Subjects of
Scripture," by my worthy friend, the reverend Mr. Jones, whose
labours make it evident, that true philosophy will ever be th«
handmaid of true divinity.

83

every other species of the sacred imagery, if there
be any other not hitherto included, it hath been the
author's main endeavour to illustrate. And a view
of what is done in this way will, it is humbly hoped,
afford some reasons to tliink, there may not be that
necessary connexion, which a late noble writer has
been pleased to suppose, between devotion and dul-
ness.

The Psalms which remain, are such as treat, in
plain terms, without figures or examples, of wisdom
and folly, righteousness and sin; the happiness pro-
duced by one, and the misery caused by the other;
of particular virtues and vices; of the vanity of hu-
man life; of the attributes of God; of that patience
with -which the faithful should learn to bear the sight
of wickedness triumphant in this world, looking for-
ward to the day of final retribution; and subjects of
the like nature. As Psalms of this kind call for little
in the expository way, the general doctrines or pre-
cepts implied in them, or suggested by them, are
drawn forth in short reflections, attempted after the
manner of those made by Father Quesnel on each
verse of the New Testam_ent. The opportunity of
doing this, where nothing else seemed to be required,
and indeed of doing, upon every occasion, what did
seem to be required in any way, was the reason for
throwing the work into its present form, rather than
that of a paraphrase, or any other. Some repeti-
tions, in a performance of this sort, are unavoidable.
But a Commentary on the Book of Psalms is not to
be read all at once;* and it was thought better to

* The most profitable way of reading it, perhaps, would be, by
«mall portions, often reviewing the text and the comment, and

84

give the evposition of each Psahn complete in it-
self, than to refer the reader elsewhere; which,
therefore, is only done, when passages of a consid-
erable length occur in two Psalms without any ma-
terial difference.

Such is the method the Author has taken, such the
authorities upon w^hich he has proceeded, and such
the rules by which he has directed himself. If con-
sistency and uniformity in the comment have been
the result, they will afford, it is hoped, no contempti-
ble argument on its behalf; since it is scarce possible
to expound uniformly, on an erroneous plan, so
great a variety of figurative language, as is to be
found in the book of Psalms.*

Let us stop for a moment, to contemplate the
true character of these sacred hymns.

Greatness confers no exemption from the cares
and sorrows of life. Its share of them frequently

comparing them carefully together; at times >vhen the mind is most
free, vacant, and calm : in the morning more especially, to pre-
pare and fortify it for the business of the day ; and in the even-
ing, to recompose, and set it in order, for the approaching season
of rest.

* The student in theology, who is desirous of farther informa-
tion upon a subject so curious, so entertaining, and so interesting
as that of the figurative language of Scripture, the principles on
which it is founded, and the best rules to be observed in the
sober and rational intei-pretation of it, may find satisfaction, by
consulting the following authors :

Lowth's Preface to his Commentary on the Prophets.

Lowth's Prselect. de Sacr. Poes. Heb. Prselect. iv. — xii.

Paschal' s Thoughts, sect. x. — xiv.

Kurd's Introd. to the Study of the Prophecies. Serm. ii. iii. iv.

Vitringa, Observat. Sacr. lib. vi. cap. xx. et lib. vii.

Vitringa, Praefat. ad Comment, in Jesaiam.

Glassii Philologia Sacra, lib. ii.

Witsii Miscellan. Sacra, torn. i. lib. iii. cap. iii. lib. ii. Dissert.
i. ii. (Econom. Feed. lib. iv. cap. vi. — x.

Waterland's General Preface to Scripture Vindicated.

85

bears a melancholy proportion to its exaltation. This
the Israelitish monarch experienced. He sought in
piety, that peace which he could not find in empire,
and alleviated the disquietudes of state with the exer-
cises of devotion.

His invaluable Psalms convey those comforts to
others which they afforded to himself. Composed
upon particular occasions, yet designed for general
use; delivered out as services for Israelites under
the Law yet no less adapted to the circumstances of
Christians under the Gospel ; they present religion
to us in the most engaging dress ; communicating
truths which philosophy could never investigate, in
a style which poetry can never equal; while history
is made the vehicle of prophecy, and creation lends
all its charms to paint the glories of redemption.
Calculated alike to profit and to please, they inform
the understanding, elevate the affections, and enter-
tain the imagination. Indited under the influence
of Him to whom all hearts are known, and all events
foreknown, they suit mankind in all situations, grate-
ful as the manna which descended from above, and
conformed itself to every palate. The fairest pro-
ductions of human wit, after a few perusals, like ga-
thered flowers, wither in our hands, and lose their
fragrancy; but these unfading plants of paradise be-
come, as we are accustomed to them, still more and
more beautiful; their bloom appears to be daily
heightened; fresh odours are emitted, and new
sweets extracted from them. He who hath once
tasted their excellencies, will desire to taste them
yet again; and he who tastes them oftenest will re-
lish them best.
Vol. I. E

86

And now, could the Author flatter himself, that
any one would take half the pleasure in reading the
following exposition, which he hath taken in writing
it, he would not fear the loss of his labour. The
employment detached him from the bustle and hurry
of life, the din of politics, and the noise of folly;
vanity and vexation flew away for a season, care and
disquietude came not near his dwelling. He arose,
fresh as the morning to his task; the silence of the
night invited him to pursue it; and he can truly say,
that food and rest were not preferred before it.
Every Psalm improved infinitely upon his acquaint-
ance with it, and no one gave him uneasiness but
the last : for then he grieved that his work was done.
Happier hours than those which have been spent on
these meditations on the Songs of Sion, he never ex-
pects to see in this world. Very pleasantly did they
pass, and moved smoothly and swiftly along: for
when thus engaged, he counted no time. — They are
gone, but have left a relish and a fragrance upon
the mind, and the remembrance of them is sweet.

— But, alas ! these are the fond effusions of paren-
tal tenderness. Others will view the production
with very different eyes; and the harsh voice of in-
exorable criticism will too soon awaken him from his
pleasing dream. He is not insensible, that many
learned and good men, whom he does not therefore
value and respect the less, have conceived strong pre-
judices against the scheme of interpretation here pur-
sued; and he knows how little the generality of mo-
dern Christians have been accustomed to speculations
of this kind; which, it may likewise, perhaps, be
said, will give occasion to the scoffs of our adversaries,

87

tlie Jews and the Deists. Yet, if in the preceding
pages it hath been made to appear, that the applica-
tion of the Psalms to evangelical subjects, times, and
cii'cum stances, stands upon firm ground; that it may-
be prosecuted upon a regular and consistent plan;
and that it is not only expedient, but even necessary
to render the use of them in our devotions rational
and profitable; will it be presumption in him to hope
that, upon a calm and dispassionate review of the
matter, prejudices may subside, and be done away ?
If men, in these days, have not been accustomed to
such contemplations, is it not high time they should
become so? Can they begin too soon to study, and
make themselves masters of, a science which pro-
mises to its votaries so much entertainment, as well
as improvement; which recommends the Scriptures
to persons of true taste and genius, as books intended
equally for our dehght and instruction; which de-
monstrates the ways of celestial wisdom to be ways
of pleasantness, and all her paths to be peace in^
deed? From the most sober, deliberate, and atten-
tive survey of the sentiments which prevailed upon
this point, in the first ages of the church, when the
apostolical method of citing and expounding the
Psalms was fresh upon the minds of their followers,
the Author cannot but be confident, that his Com-
mentary, if it had then made its appearance, would
have been universally received and approved, as to
the general design of it, by the whole Christian world.
And, however the Jews, in their present state of
alienation and unbelief, may reject and set at nought
such applications of their Scriptures to our Messiah
and his chosen people, as they certainly will do; he
E2

88

is not less confident, that, whenever the happy and
glorious day of their conversion shall come, and the
veil shall be taken from their hearts, they will be-
hold the Psalter in that light in which he has endea-
voured to place it.* As to the deists, they, while
they continue such, can have neither lot nor part in
this matter; for giving no credit to the Scripture ac-
count of things, either in the Old Testament or the
New, to discourse with them concerning a connexion
and analogy subsisting between the one and the other,
is to reason about a fifth sense with a man who has
only four. For the conviction both of the Jews and
deists, other arguments are to be urged; arguments
from undeniable miracles openly wrought, and plain
prophecies literally fulfilled. Such proofs are " for
them that believe not." And such have been re-
peatedly urged, in their full force, by the many able

* " If this appears to l)e the case in so many of the Psalms
(namely, that tliey are predictive of Messiah), how strongly does
it justify our Lord's appeal to them as treating of Him ! And
what a noble argument may hence arise, for the conviction and
conversion of that extraordinary people, to whom tliey were
originally communicated, when once the veil that is on their hearts
shall be taken awai/, as by the same Spirit of prophecy Ave are
assured it shall!" The Bishop of Carlisle's Theory of Religion,
p. 176, 6th edit. With what transports of zeal and devotion, of
faith and love, will the^ recite these lioly liymns, in the day when
the whole body of the Jews, returning to the Lord their God,
shall acknowledge their unparalleled crime in the murder of their
King, and their penitential sorrow for the same, perhaps as his
Lordship intimates, in the words of the filly-first Psalm : " De-
liver me from blood-guiltiness, O God, thou God of my salvation ;
and my tongue shall sing aloud of thy righteousness. O Lord,
open thou my lips, and my mouth shall show forth thy praise.
For thou desirest not sacrifice, else would I give it ; thou de-
lightest not in burnt-oi!ering. The sacrifices of God are a broken
spirit; a broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not de-
spise. O do good in thy good pleasure to Zion; build thou the
walls of Jerusalem !"

89

champions, who have stood forth (success evermore
attend their lahours!) in defence of the evidences of
Christianity. Expositions and meditations, hke those
in the subsequent pages, serve not, nor are intended
to serve, " for them who believe not, but for them
who behave;"* who will exercise their faculties in
discerning and contemplating the mysteries of the
kingdom of heaven, and who are going on unto per-
fection; to increase their faith, and inflame their cha-
rity: to delight them in prosperity, to comfort them
in adversity, to edify them at all times. Such effects,
the Author doubts not, will be experienced by be-
lievers, who will read this book with an honest and
good heart, with seriousness and attention; for though
he humbly trusts it M'ill not be deemed altogether
unworthy a place in the libraries of the learned, he
builds chiefly on that approbation which he is solici-
tous it should receive in the closets of the devout; as
considering, that it is love, heavenly love, wdiich
" never faileth; but whether there be prophecies,
they shall fail; whether there be tongues, they shall
cease; whether there be knowledge, it shall vanish
away. For we know in part, and we prophesy in
part: but when that which is perfect is come, then
that which is in part shall be done aw^ay."f They
who find not the wished-for satisfaction in one por-
tion, will find it in another; they who disapprove of
an interpretation at the first reading, may, perhaps,
approve of it at the second; and they who still con-
tinue to disapprove of some particulars, will not there-
fore disdain to accept the benefit of the rest. He

* 1 Cor. xiv. 22. f 1 Cor. xiii. 8.

90

has written to gratify no sect or party, but for the
common service of all who call upon the name of Je-
sus, wheresoever dispersed, and howsoever distres-
sed, upon the earth. When he views the innu-
merable unhappy differences among Christians, all
of whom are equally oppressed with the cares and
calamities of life, he often calls to mind those beauti-
ful and affecting words which Milton represents
Adam as addressing to Eve, after they had wearied
themselves with mutual complaints and accusations
of each other: —

But rise ; let us no more contend, nor blame
Each other, blam'd enough elsewhere ; but strive,
In offices of love, how we may lighten
Each other's burden in oui- share of woe.

B. X. V. 958.

Enough has been given to the arts of controversy.
Let something be given to the studies of piety and a
holy life. If we can once unite in these, our tempers
may be better disposed to unite in doctrine. When
we shall be duly prepared to receive it, " God may
reveal even this unto us." To increase the number
of disputes among us, is, therefore, by no means the
intent of this publication. The Author having, for
many years, accustomed himself to consider and ap-
ply the Psalms, while he recited them, according to
the method now laid down, has never failed to expe-
rience the unspeakable benefit of it, both in public
and in private; and would wish, if it so pleased God,
that death might find him employed in meditations
of this kind.* He has likewise frequently taken oc-

♦ i(

I have lost a world of time," said the learned Salmasius, on
his death-bed; " if I had one year more, 1 would spend it in
reading David's Psalms, and Paul's Epistles.

91

casion, in the course of his ministry, to explain a
Psalm, upon the same plan, from the pulpit; and
whenever he has clone so, whether the audience were
learned or unlearned, polite or rustic, h-e has gene-
rally had the happiness to find the discourse, in an
especial manner, noticed and remembered. But still
many may be of a different opinion, who may con-
scientiously believe the doctrines, and practise the
duties of the Gospel, whether they see them shadow-
ed out in the Psalms or not. Such will enjoy their
own liberty, and permit their brethren to do the same.
Or, if they shall think it necessary to take up the
polemical pen, he desires only to receive that treat-
ment, which he has himself shown to every writer,
cited or referred to by him.* Instead of engaging
in a tedious, and, perhaps, unprofitable altercation
upon the subject, he feels himself at present much
rather inclined, in such a case, to follow, at his pro-
per distance, the amiable example of his greatly re-
spected Diocesan, who reprinted in England the ob-
jections made by a foreign professor, to some parts
of his Lectures on the Hebrew Poetry, and left the
public to form its own judgment between them.f

* Detur igitur erratis meis venia: ipse demum exemplo meo
mihi prosim, qui neminem eorum, aquibus dissenserim, contume-
liis affeci; qui non, vitio criticorum, in diversae sententise propug-
natores acriter invectus sum ; qui denique earn veniam anteces-
soribus meis libens tribui, quam ab iis, qui haec in manus sumturi
sint, velim impetrare. Pearce in Prcefat. ad edit. Cic. de Oratore.
f " In his si quae sunt, quae mihi minus persuasit Vir Clarissimus,
ea malui hoc modo Ubero lectorum nostrorum judicio permittere,
quam in disceptationem et controversiam injucundam, etfortasse
infructuosam, vocare." Lowth in Praef. ad. edit. 2dam Prselect.
de Sacra Poesi Hebraeorum. — " Authors should avoid, as much
as they can," says another very learned critic, " replies and re-
joinders, the usual consequences of which are, loss of time and

92

From that public, the Author of the following work
is now to expect the determination of his fate. Should
its sentence be in his disfavour, nothing further re-
mains to be said, than that he has honestly and
faithfully endeavoured to serve it, to the utmost of
his power, in the way in which he thought himself
best able; and to give the world some account of that
time, and those opportunities, which, by the provi-
dence of a gracious God, and the munificence of a
pious Founder, he has long enjoyed in the happy
retirement of a college.

loss cf temper. Happy is he who is engaged in controversy with
his own passions, and comes off superior; who makes it his
endeavom-, that his follies and weaknesses may die before him,
and who daily meditates on mortality and immortality." Jortin's
Preface to his Remarks on Ecclesiastical History, p. xxxiv.

93

That the Reader may the more easily tm-n to such
Psahns as will best suit the present state of his mind,
according to the different circumstances, whether
external or internal, into which, by the changes
and chances of life, or the variations of temper and
disposition, he may, at any time, be thrown, the
common Table of Psalms, classed under their seve-
ral subjects, is here subjoined.

PRAYERS.

I. Prayers for pardon of Sin. Psalm 6, 25, 38, 51, 130. Psalms
styled Penitential, 6, 32, 38, 5J, 102, 130, 143.

II. Prayers composed when the Psalmist was deprived of an
opportunity of the public exercise of religion. Psalm 42, 43,
63, 84.

III. Prayers wherein the Psalmist seems extremely dejected,
though not totally deprived of consolation, under his afflictions.
Psalm 13, 22, C9, 77, 88, 143.

IV. Prayers wherein the Psalmist asketh help of God, in con-
sideration of his own integrity, and the uprightness of his cause.
Psalm 7, 17, 26, 35.

V. Prayers expressing the firmest trust and confidence in GOD
under afflictions. Psalm 3, 16, 27, 31, 54, 56, 57, 61, 62, 71, 86.

VI. Prayers composed when the people of God were under afflic-
tion or persecution. Psalm 44, 60, 74, 79, 80, 83, 89, 94, 102,
123, 137.

VII. The following are likewise Prayers in time of trouble and
affliction. Psalm 4, 5, 11, 28, 41, 5b, 59, 64, 70, 109, 120,
140, 141, 142.

VIII. Prayers oi Intercession, Psalm 20, 67, 122, 132, 144.

PSALMS OF THANKSGIVING.

I. Thanksgivings for mercies vouchsafed to particular persons.
Psalm 9, 18, 22, 30, 34, 40, 75, 103, 108, 116, 118, 138, 144..
E3

94

II. Thanksgivings for mercies vouchsafed to the Israelites in
general. Psalm 46, 48, 65, 66, 68, 76, 81, 85, 98, 105, 124,
126, 129, 135, 136, 149.

PSALMS OF PRAISE AND ADORATION, DISPLAY-
ING THE ATTRIBUTES OF GOD.

I. General acknowledgments of God's Goodness and Mera/, and
particularly his care and protection of good men. Psalm 23,
34, 36, 91, 100, 103, 107, 117, 121, 145, 146.

II. Psalms displaying the Power, Majesty, Glory, and other attri-
butes of the Divine Being. Psalm 8, 19, 24, 29, 33, 47, 50,
e5, 66, 76, 77, 93, 95, 96, 97, 99, 104, 111, 113, 114, 115, 134,
139, 147, 148, 150.

INSTRUCTIVE PSALMS.

I. The different characters of good and bad men : The happiness
of the one, and the miseries of the other, are represented in
the following Psalms, 1, 5, 7, 9, 10, 11, 12, 14, 15, 17, 24s 25,
32, 34, 36, 37, 50, 52, 53, 58, 73, 75, 84, 91, 92, 94, 112, 119,
121, 125, 127, 128, 133.

II. The Excellence of God's Law. Psalm 19, 119.

III. The Vanity of Human Life. Psalm ,39, 49, 90.

IV. Advice to Magistrates. Psalm 82, 101.

V. The Virtue of Humility. Psalm 131.

PSALMS MORE EMINENTLY AND DIRECTLY
PROPHETICAL.

Psalm 2, 16, 22, 40, 45, 68, 72, 87, 110, 118.

HISTORICAL PSALMS.
Psalm 78, 105, 106.

t
^ ■ .'tLOGU

COMMENTARY

ON THE

BOOK OF PSALMS.

PSALM I.

First Day. — Morning Prayer,

ARGUMENT.— This Psalm, which is generally looked upon by
expositors as a preface or introduction to the rest, describes
the blessedness of the righteous, consisting, verse 1, negatively,
in their abstaining from sin ; 2. positively, in holy meditation
of the Scriptures, productive of continual growth in grace,
which 3. is beautifully represented under an image borrowed
from vegetation; as, 4. is the opposite state of the unbeliev-
ing and ungodly, by a comparison taken from the threshing-
floor. The last two verses foretel the final issue of things,
with respect to both good and bad men, at the great day.

Verse " 1. Blessed is the man that walketh not
in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the
way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scorn-
ful."

The Psalter, like the Sermon on the Mount,
openeth with a " beatitude," for our comfort and

96 [Ps. 1.

encouragement, directing us immediately to that
happiness which all mankind, in different ways, are
seeking, and inquiring after. All Would secure
themselves from the incursions of misery; but all
do not consider that misery is the offspring of sin,
from which it is therefore necessary to be delivered
and preserved in order to become happy, or " bles-
sed." The variety of expressions, here used by
David, intimateth to us, that there is a gradation in
wickedness; and that he who would not persist in
evil courses, or commence a scoffer at the mystery of
godliness, must have no fellowship with bad men :
since it is impossible for any one who forsakes the
right path, to say, whither he shall wander; and
few, when they begin to " walk in the counsel of
the ungodly," propose finally to sit down in the " seat
of the scornful." O thou second Adam, who alone,
since the transgression of the first, has attained a
sinless perfection, make thy servants " blessed," by
making them " righteous," through thy merits and
grace !

" 2. But his delight is in the law of the Lord;
and in his law doth he meditate day and night."

He who hath once brought himself to " delight"
in the Scriptures, will find no temptation to exchange
that pleasure for any which the world or the flesh
can offer him. Such a one will make the lively
oracles of God his companions by day and by night.
He will have recourse to them for direction, in the
bright and cheerful hours of prosperity; to them he
will apply for comfort in the dark and dreary seasons
of adversity. The enemy, when advancing to the

Ps. 1.'

97

assault, will always find him well employed, and will
be received with — " Get thee behind me, Satan I"
When the law of God is the object of our studies
and meditations, we are conformed to the example
of our Redeemer himself, who, as a man, while he,
" increased in stature," increased likewise " in wis-
dom," and grew powerful in the knowledge of the
law which he was to fulfil, and of those prophecies
which he was to accomplish; so that, at twelve years
of age, he appeared to " have more understanding
than all his teachers; for the divine testimonies had
been his meditation." Ps. cxix. 99.

" 3. And he shall be like a tree planted by the
rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his
season ; his leaf also shall not wither ; and whatso-
ever he doeth shall prosper."

By continual meditation in the sacred writings, a
man as naturally improves and advances in holiness,
as a " tree" thrives and flourishes in a kindly and
well- watered soil. All the " fruits" of righteous-
ness show themselves at their proper " season" as
opportunity calls for them; and his words, which are
to his actions what the " leaves" are to the fruit,
fall not to the ground, but are profitable as well as
ornamental. Every thing in him and about him
serves the purpose for which it was intended; his
brethren are benefited by him, and his Maker is
glorified. How eminently is this the case with that
TREE OF LIFE, which Jehovah planted in the midst
of his new paradise, by the waters of comfort; a tree
which sprung out of the earth, but its heighth
reached to heaven, and its breadth to the ends of the

9^ LPs. 1.

world ! its shadow is for the protection, its fruits for
the support, and its leaves for the healing, of the
nations. It flourishes in immortal youth, and
blooms for ever in unfading beauty. See Rev.
xxii. 2.

" 4. The ungodly a?^e not so; but like the chafiP,
which the wind driveth away."

In the foregoing description of the righteous, all
appeared verdant and fruitful, lovely and enduring;
but here, by way of contrast, we are presented with
nothing but what is withered and worthless, without
form or stability, blown about by every wind, and
at length finally dispersed from the face of the earth,
by the breath of God's displeasure, and driven into
the fire prepared for it. Such is the state, such the
lot of the " ungodly ;" and so justly are they com-
pared to « chaff*."

" 5. Therefore the ungodly shall not stand in the
judgment, nor sinners in the congregation of the
righteous."

A day is coming when the divine Husbandman
shall appear with his " fan in his hand," and shall
'' thoroughly purge his floor." The wheat, which
shall stand the winnowing of that day, will be ga-
thered into the celestial granary; while the chaff*, for
ever separated from it, shall be hurried out of the
floor, and carried, by a mighty whirlwind, to its
own place. Then shall there be a " congregation of
the righteous," in which " sinners shall not stand."
At present, wheat and chaff* lie on one floor; wheat
and tares shall grow in one field; good and bad fishes

Ps. 2.] 99

are comprehended in one net ; good and bad men are
contained in the visible church. Let us wait with
patience God's time of separation.

"6. For the Lord knoweth the way of the righ-
teous: but the way of the ungodly shall perish."

In the present scene of confusion, we may be,
and often are, deceived in the judgments we form of
men. But it cannot be so with the Omniscient.
" The foundation of God stand eth sure, having this
seal. The Lord knoweth them that are his:" 2 Tim.
ii. 19. Their good deeds are not unobserved, nor
will they be forgotten by him. His eye seeth them
in secret, and his hand will reward them openly, in
the day of final retribution: when crowns of glory
shall sparkle on the heads of the righteous, but
shame and torment shall be the portion of the wicked;
" the way of the ungodly shall perish."

PSALM IL

ARGUMENT.— David, seated upon the throne of Israel, not-
withstanding the opposition made against him, and now about
to carry his victorious arms amongst the neighbouring heathen
nations, may be supposed to have penned this, as a kind of in-
auguration psalm. But that " a greater than David is here,"
appears not only from the strength of the expressions, which
are more properly applicable to Messiah, than to Da\ad him-
self; but also from the citations made in the New Testament;
the appointment of the Psalm by the church to be read on
Easter day ; and the confessions of the Jewish Rabbis. It treats
therefore, 1 — 3. of the opposition raised, both by Jew and
Gentile, against the kingdom of Jesus Christ; 4< — 6. of his
victory, and the confusion of his enemies ; 7 — 9. after his re-

«

100 [Ps. 2.

surrection, he preaches the Gospel, and 10 — 12. calls the kings
of the earth to accept it ; denouncing vengeance against those
who shall not do so, and pronouncinga blessing on those who
shall.

" 1. Why do the heathen rage, and the people
imagine a vam thing? 2. The kings of the earth
set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together,
against the Lord, and against his Anointed, say^

The true David is introduced, like his ancestor
of old, expostulating with the nations, for their vain
attempts to frustrate the divine decree in his favour.
These two verses are cited. Acts iv. 27. and thus
expounded—" Lord — of a truth, against thy holy
child Jesus, whom thou hast anointed, both Herod
and Pontius Pilate, with the Gentiles, and the people
of Israel were gathered together, for to do whatso-
ever thy hand and thy counsel determined before
to be done." Persecution may be carried on by the
people, but it is raised and fomented by kings and
rulers. After the ascension of Christ, and the ef-
fusion of the Spirit, the whole power of the Roman
empire was employed in the same cause, by those
who, from time to time, swayed the sceptre of the
world. But still, they who intended to extirpate the
faith, and destroy the church, how many and how
mighty soever they might be, were found only to
" imagine a vain thing." And equally vain will
every imagination be, that exalteth itself against the
jppunsels of God for the salvation of his people.

" 3. Let us break theii' bands asunder, and cast
away their cords from' us."

Ps. 2. 1

101

These words, supposed to be spoken by the powers
in arms against Messiah, discover to ns the true
ground of opposition, namely, the unwillingness of
rebelhous nature to submit to the obhffations of di-
vine l«AVs, v/hich cross the interests, and lay a re-
straint upon the desires of men. Corrupt affections
are the most inveterate enemies of Christ; and their
language is, " We will not have this man to reign
over us." Doctrines will be readily believed, if
they involved in them no precepts; and the church
may be tolerated by the world, if she will only give
up her discipline.

" 4. He that sitteth in the heavens shall laugh:
the Lord shall have them in derision."

By these, and such like expressions, which fre-
quently occur in the Scripture, we are taught, in a
languacre which we understand, because borrowed
from ourselves, and our manner of showing con-
tempt, how the schemes of worldly politicians appear
to him, who, sitting upon his heavenly throne, sur-
veys at a glance whatever men are doing, or contriv-
ing to do, upon earth. This is the idea intended
to be conveyed; and from it we are to separate all
notions of levity, or whatever else may offend when
applied to the Godhead, though adhering to the
phrases as in use among the sons of Adam. The
same is to be said with regard to words which seem
to attribute many other human passions and affec-
tions to the Deity: as, for instance, these which
follow :

" 5. Then shall he speak unto them in his wrath.

102 [Ps. 2.

and vex them in his sore displeasure. 6. Yet have
I set my King upon my holy hill of Zion."

The meaning is, that hy pouring out his indigna-
tion upon the adversaries of Messiah, as formerly
upon those of David, God would no less evidently
convict and reprove their folly and impiety, than if
he had actually thus spoken to them from his eternal
throne above: " Yet, notwithstanding all your rage
against him, have I raised from the dead, and ex-
alted as the Head of the church, my appointed
King Messiah; in like manner as I once set his
victorious representative David upon my holy hill
of Sion, in the earthly Jerusalem, out of the reach
of his numerous and implacable enemies." Let us
reflect for our comfort, that He who raised up his
Son Jesus, has promised to raise up us also who be-
lieve in him; and that the world can no more prevent
the exaltation of the members, than it could prevent
that of the Head.

" 7. I will declare the decree: the Lord hath said
unto me, Thou art my Son; this day have I begot-
ten thee."

Jesus, for the suffering of death, crowned with
honour and immortality, upon the holy hill of Zion,
in the new Jerusalem, now " declares the decree,"
or preaches the Gospel of the everlasting covenant.
His part in the covenant was performed by keeping
tJie law, and dying for the sins of men. Nothing
therefore remained, but the accomplishment of the
promise made to him by the Father, upon those con-
ditions. One part of this promise was fulfilled, saith

Ps. 2.]

103

St. Paul, " ill that he had raised up Jesus again; as
it is written in the second psalm, Thou art my Son,
tliis day have I begotten thee:" Acts xiii. 33.
Anothedfcart was fulfilled in the ascension of Christ,
and his iBiuguration to an eternal kingdom, and an
unchangeable priesthood, as the true Melchizedek,
King of righteousness, King of peace, and Priest of
the most high God. The next article in the cove-
nant, on the Father's side, was the enlargement of
Messiah's spiritual kingdom, by the accession of the
nations to the church. And accordingly, this was
the next thing which " Jehovah said unto him," after
having proclaimed his Sonship and pre-eminence; as
we find by the following verse:

" 8. Ask of me, and I shall give thee the heathen
for thine inheritance, and the uttermost parts of the
earth y^r thy possession."

Christ was to enter upon the exercise of the inter-
cessorial branch of his priestly office, with a request
of the Father, that the " heathen world might be
given for his inheritance, and the uttermost parts
of the earth for his possession," in return for the
labours he had undergone, and the pains he had en-
dured: as also to supply the place of the Jews, who
were his original " inheritance and possession," but
were cast off because of unbelief. That such re-
quest was made by Christ, and granted by the Fa-
ther, the person who writes this, and he who reads
it, in a once Pagan, but now a Christian island, are
both witnesses.

" 9, Thou shalt break them with a rod of iron;

104. [Ps. 2.

thou shalt dash them in pieces like a potter's
vessel."

The irresistible power and inflexible^fcstice of
Christ's kingdom are signified by his " rujng with a
rod of iron;" the impotence of those who presume
to oppose him, is compared to that of " a potter's
vessel," which must fly in pieces at the first stroke
of the iron rod. The power of Christ will be mani-
fested in all, by the destruction either of sin, or the
sinner. The hearts which now yield to the im^es-
sions of his Spirit, are broken only in order to be
formed anew, and to become vessels of honour, fit-
ted for the Master's use. Those which continue
stubborn and hardened, must be dashed in pieces by
the stroke of eternal vengeance.

" 10. Be wise now, therefore, O ye kings; be
instructed, ye judges of the earth. 11. Serve the
Lord with fear, and rejoice with trembling."

The decree of the Father, concerning the king-
dom of the Son, being thus promulgated by the lat-
ter, an exhortation is made to the kings of the earth,
that they should learn true wisdom, and suffer them-
selves to be instructed into salvation; that they would
bow their sceptres to the cross of Jesus, and cast
their crowns before his throne; esteeming it a far
greater honour, as well as a more exalted pleasure,
to serve Him, than to find themselves at the head of
victorious armies, surrounded by applauding nations.

" 12. Kiss the Son, lest he be angry, and ye per-
ish ^'ow the way, when his wrath is kindled but a

3.]

105

little: blessed are all they that put their trust in
him."

Chri^^eseeches kings no less than their subjects,
to be recSciled to him, and by him to the Father;
since a day is at hand, when mighty men shall have
no distinction, but that of being mightily tormented.
And then will be seen the " blessedness" of those
who " put their trust in" the Lord Jesus. For
when the glory of man shall fade away as the short-
lived flower of the field, and when all, that is called
great and honourable in princes, shall be laid low in
the dust, he shall give unto his faithful servants a
crown without cares, and a kingdom which cannot
be moved.

PSALM IIL

ARGUMENT. — This Psalm is said to have been composed by
David, when he fled from his son Absalom. Thus circum-
stanced, he expressed himself in terms well adapted to the
parallel case of the Son of David, persecuted by rebellious
Israel ; as also to that of his church suffering tribulation in the
world; 1, 2. he complains in much anguish, of the multitude
of his enemies, and of the reproaches cast upon him, as one
forsaken by God ; but, 3. declares, notwithstanding, his sure
trust in the divine promises; 4, 5. he relates the success of
his prayers, 6 — 8. derides the impotent malice of his enemies,
and ascribes salvation to Jehovah.

" L Lord, how are they increased that trouble
me ? Many are they that rise up against me."

David is astonished to find, that " the hearts of

106 LPs. 3.

the men of Israel are after Absalom," 2 Sam. xv.
13. that his counsellors are revolted, and his friends
falling off continually; and that the king of Israel is
forced to leave his capital mourning an^^eeping.
Thus, led forth out of Jerusalem by his o\^ children
in arms against him, the holy Jesus went forsaken
and sorrowing, to the cross, in the day of trouble.
Thus is the church oftentimes opposed and betrayed
by her sons, and the Christian by his passions and
affections. So true it is, that " a man's foes are
they of his own household." But he who by prayer
engages the assistance of Jehovah, will rise superior
to them all.

" 2. Many thei^e he which say of my soul, Thei'e
is no help for him in God."

Affliction and desertion are two very different
things, but often confounded by the world. Shimei
reviled David, as reprobated by heaven? and the
language of the Shimeis afterward, concerning the
Son of David, was, " He trusted in God; let him
deliver him now, if he will have him." See 2 Sam.
xvi. 8. Matt, xxvii. 43. The fearful imaginations
of our own desponding hearts, and the suggestions of
our crafty adversary, frequently join to help forward
this most dangerous temptation, in the hour of sor-
row. What therefore hath faith to offer? We
shall hear —

" 3. But thou, O Lord, art a shield for me;
my glory, and the lifter up of my head."

Such is the answer of David, and of all the saints,
but above all, of the King of saints, to the temptation

Ps. 3.] 107

before-mentioned. Jehovah is a " shield" against
this, and all other fiery darts, shot by Satan and his
associates: he is the " glory" of Christ and the
church, jith which they will one day be seen in-
vested, niough for a season it appear not to the
world, any more than did the royalty of David,
when, weeping and barefoot, he went up to Mount
Olivet: 2 Sam. xv. 30. The same Jehovah is '' the
lifter up of our heads," by the gift of holy confi-
dence, and the hope of a resurrection, through that
of Jesus Christ, prefigured by the triumphant and
happy return of David to Jerusalem.

" 4. I cried unto the Lord with my voice, and he
heard me out of his holy hill."

David, driven from Jerusalem, still looked and
prayed towards the " holy hill" of Sion. Christ,
when a stranger on the earth, " made supplication
with strong crying," to his Father in heaven. Christ
was heard for his own sake: David was heard, and
we shall be heard through him.

•fc>*

'' 5. I laid me down and slept; I awaked, for the
Lord sustained me."

Behold David, in the midst of danger, sleeping
without fear; secure, through the divine protection,
of awakening to engage and vanquish his enemies.
Behold the Son of David composing himself to his
rest upon the cross, that bed of sorrows; and com-
mending his spirit into his Father's hands, in full
confidence of a joyful resurrection, according to the
promise, at the time appointed. Behold this, O
Christian, and let faith teach thee how to sleep, and

108 [Ps. 3.

how to die; while it assures thee, that as sleep is a
short death, so death is only a longer sleep; and
that the same God watches over thee, in thy bed, and
in thy grave. -

" 6. I will not be afraid of ten thousands of
people, that have set themselves against me round
about."

Faith, revived and invigorated by prayer, and fix-
ed on God alone, is a stranger to fear, in tlie worst
of times. The innumerable examples of saints res-
cued from tribulation, and, above all, the resurrec-
tion of the Son of God from the dead, render the
believer bold as a lion, although the name of his
adversary be " Legion."

" 7. Arise, O Lord ! save me, O my God !
for thou hast smitten all mine enemies upon the
cheek-bone; thou hast broken the teeth of the un-
godly."

The church, through Christ, prayeth in tliese
words of David, that Jehovah would arise, as of old
time, in the pow^r of his might; that he would
finally break the power of Satan and his adherents;
pluck the spoil out of the jaws of those beasts of
prey; and w^ork that glorious deliverance for the
members, which is already wrought for the Head, of
the body mystical.

" 8. Salvation helongeth, or, be ascribed, unto
the Lord; thy blessing is, or be, upon thy people."

The Psalm ends with an acknowledgment, which
ought always to fill the heart, and upon every proper

Ps. 4.] 109

occasion, to flow from the mouth of a Christian;
namely, that " salvation" is not to be had from man,
from the kings of the earth, or the gods of the hea-
then, froin saints or angels, but from Jehovah alone:
to whom Hlone, therefore, the glory should be ascribed.
If He will save, none can destroy; if He will de-
stroy, none can save. Let Balak, then, curse Israel,
or hire Balaam to curse them for him; be but " thy
blessing," O Lord, upon thy people, and it sufficeth.

PSALM IV.

ARGUMENT. — Tlie person speaking in this Psalm, 1. prayeth
to be heard by God; 2. convinceth the world of sin; 3. de-
clareth the righteous to be under the divine protection ; 4, 5.
prescribeth solitude and meditation, as the proper means to
lead men to repentance and faith ; 6. showing that in God
alone peace and comfort are to be found, and, 7, how superior
the joys of the Spirit are to those of sense; 8. reposeth him-
self, in full assurance of faith, on the loving kindness of the
Lord.

"I. Hear me when I call, O God of my righ-
teousness: thou hast enlarged me "when I was in
distress; have mercy upon me, and hear my prayer."

The church, like David, " calls" aloud, as one in
great affliction, for God's assistance; she addresses
him as the " God of her righteousness," as the foun-r
tain of pardon and grace; she reminds him of that
spiritual liberty, and " enlargement" from bondage,
which he had purchased for her, and oftentimes
wrought in her; and, conscious of her demerits,
makes her prayer for " mercy."

Vol. I. F

110

[Ps. 4.

" 2. O ye sons of men, how long mil ye turn my
glory into shame? How long will ye love vanity,
and seek ^ter leasing, or, falsehood?"

If the Israelitish monarch conceived he had just
cause to expostulate with his enemies, for despising
the royal majesty with which Jehovah had invested
his Anointed; of how much severer reproof shall
they be thought worthy, who blaspheme the essen-
tial " glory" of King Messiah, which shines forth
by his Gospel in the church? Thou, O Christ, art
everlasting Truth ; all is " vanity and falsehood,"
transient and fallacious, but the love of thee !

" 3. But know that the Lord hath set apart
him that is godly for himself; the Lord will hear
when I call upon him."

Be the opinions or the practices of men what they
will, the counsel of the Lord, that shall stand. Is
David " set apart" for the kingdom of Israel? Saul
shall not be able to detain, nor Absalom to wrest it
from him. Is Messiah ordained to be King of the
Israel of God? death and hell shall not prevent it.
Are his disciples appointed to reign with him? infal-
libly they shall. Our Intercessor is already on high;
and for his sake, the Lord will hear us when " we
call upon him." What, then, can be said for us, if
we neglect to call upon him?

" 4. Stand in awe, Heb, tremble, and sin not;
commune with your own heart, upon your bed, and
be stiE."

The enemies of Christ, as well as those of David,

Ps. 4.]

Ill

are here called to repentance, and the process of con-
version is described. The above-mentioned consid-
eration of the divine counsel, and the certainty of its
being carried into execution, by the salvation of the
righteous, and the confusion of their enemies, makes
the wicked " tremble." " The fear of the Lord is
the beginning of wisdom:" it arrests the sinner in
his course, and " he sins not," he goes no farther in
the way of sin, but stops and reflects upon what he
has been doing: he " communes with his own heart
upon his bed, and is still;" his conscience suffers
him not to rest in the night, but takes the advantage
of solitude and silence, to set before him his trans-
gressions, with all the terrors of death and judgment;
stirring him up to confess the former, and deprecate
the latter, with unfeigned compunction and sorrow of
heart; to turn unto the Lord, and to do works meet
for repentance; to learn to do good, as well as to
cease from doing evil.

" 5. Offer the sacrifices of righteousness, and put
your trust in the Lord."

Tlie Jews are no longer to offer the shadowy
sacrifices of their law, since He, who is the substance
of them all, is come into the world. The Gentiles
are no more to offer their idolatrous sacrifices, since
their idols have fallen before the cross. But return-
ing sinners, whether Jews or Gentiles, are to offer
the same sacrifices of evangelical " righteousness ;"
not " putting their trust" in them, but " in the Lord"
Jesus, through whose Spirit they are enabled to
offer, and through whose blood their offerings are
acceptable unto God. Faith, hope, and charity,
F2

112

[Ps. 4.

mutually strengthen each other, and compose " a
threefold cord," which is not easily broken.

" 6. There be many that say, Who will show us
any good? Lord, lift thou up the light of thy
countenance upon us!"

The two former verses were addressed to rebel-
lious sinners, inviting them to repentance and refor-
mation. This seems to relate to the righteous, who,
in times of calamity and persecution, like the friends
of distressed David, are tempted to despond, on see-
ing no end to their troubles. The Psalmist, there-
fore, prescribes prayer to all such, as an antidote
against the temptation; he directs them, in the
darkest night, to look towards heaven, nor doubt the
return of day, when the rising sun shall diffuse hght
and salvation, and sorrow and sighing shall fly away.
How many are continually asking the question in
this verse ! How few applying to Him, who alone
can give an answer of peace and comfort !

" 7. Thou hast put gladness in my heart, more
than in the time that their corn and their wine in-
creased."

No sooner is the prayer preferred, but the answer
is given; and the devout soul declares herself to ex-
perience a joy in the midst of tribulation, far supe-
rior to the joy with which men rejoice in the time of
harvest, or that of vintage; a joy bright and pure,
as the regions from whence it descends. Such is
the difference between the bread of earth, and thcit
of heaven; between the juice of the grape, and tlie
cup of salvation. Teach us, G Lord, to discern tliis
difference, and to choose aright.

Ps. .5.]

113

" 8. I will both lay me down in peace and sleep;
for thou, Lord, only raakest me dwell in safety."

This conclusion affords ample matter for profitable
and delightful meditation, if it be considered, first, as
spoken by David, or any other believer, when lying
down to rest, full of the joys of a good conscience,
and faith unfeigned; secondly, as pronounced by the
true David, when composing himself to his rest, in
certain hope of a resurrection. And happy the Chris-
tian, who having nightly, with this verse, committed
himself to his bed, as to his grave, shall at last, with
the same words, resign himself to his grave, as to his
bed, from which he expects in due time to arise, and
sing a morning hymn, with the children of the resur-
rection.

PSALM V.

ARGUMENT.— The Psalmist in affliction, 1—3. continues and
resolves to continue instant in prayer ; 4 — 6. declares the irre-
concilable hatred which God bears to sin, and, 7. his own
confidence of being accepted ; 8. he petitions for grace to direct
and preserve him in the way ; 9. sets forth the wickedness of
his enemies; 10. foretels their punishment, and, 11, 12. the
salvation of the faithful.

" L Give ear to my words, O Lord; consider
my meditation, or, my dove-like mournings."

Although nothing can really hinder or divert the
divine attention, yet God is represented as " not
hearing," when either the person is unacceptable, or
the petition improper, or when he would thoroughly

114 [Ps. 5.

prove the faith and patience of the petitioner. Christ,
the church, and the beheving soul, are all in Scrip-
ture styled "doves," from their possessing the amiable
properties of that bird of meekness and innocence,
purity and love. The " mournings" of such are al-
ways heard and attended to in heaven.

" 2. Hearken unto the voice of my cry, my King
and my God: for unto thee will I pray."

The voice of the suppliant's cry will be in propor-
tion to the sense which he hath of his sin. Whom
should a subject solicit, but his King? to whom should
a sinner pray, but to his God? Let us often' think
upon the strong cryings of him who suffered for the
sins of the world, and upon that intercession by which
the pardon of those sins was procured.

" 3. My voice shalt thou hear in the morning, O
Lord; in the morning will I direct my prayer^
Heb, dispose, or, set myself in order, unto, or, for
thee, and will look up."

He who is good in earnest, and hath his heart
fully bent upon the work of salvation, like other
skilful and diligent artificers, will be " early" in his
application to it; he will get the start of the world,
and take the advantage of the " sweet hour of prime,"
to " dispose," and " set himself in order," for the
day. What is a slothful sinner to think of himself,
when he reads concerning the holy Jesus, that " in
the morning, rising up a great while before day, he
went out and departed into a solitary place, and there
prayed!" Mark i. 35.

Ps. 5.

115

" 4. For thou art not a God that hath pleasure
in wickedness; neither shall evil dwell with thee."

The Psalmist was encouraged to make his early-
prayers to God in the day of trouble, upon this con-
sideration, that his righteous cause must finally pros-
per, and the divine counsels be accomplished in his
exaltation, and the depression of his enemies, who
were likewise the enemies of God. The same was
the case and the confidence of a suffering Messiah;
and such is that of his church and people in the
world, where " wickedness" may prosper, and " evil"
not only live, but reign. Nevertheless, we know
that " God hath no pleasure" in them, nor shall
they " dwell with him," as we hope to do.

" 5. The foolish, Heb. mad, shall not stand in
thy sight; for thou hatest all workers of iniquity.
6. Thou shalt destroy them that speak leasing, or
falsehood; the Lord doth abhor the blood-thirsty
and deceitful man."

No objects of the senses can be so nauseous to
them, as the various kinds of sin are in the sight of
God. O could we but think, as he does, concern-
ing these, we should rather choose " madness" than
transgression, and as soon fall in love with a plague-
sore, as a temptation. " Falsehood, blood-thirsti-
ness, and deceitfulness," are marked out as charac-
teristical of the enemies of David, of Christ, and the
church; and history evinces them so to have been.
Let us never go within the infection of such pesti-
lential crimes.

" 7. But as for me, I will come into thy house

116

[Ps. 5.

in the multitude of thy mercy; and in thy fear will
I worship towards thy holy temple."

Wisdom, righteousness, truth, mercy, and sin-
cerity, form a character the reverse of that drawn in
the preceding verses, and such a one as God will
accept, when appearing before him in his house, and
offering with humility and reverence, the sacrifices of
the new law, as David did those of the old, through
faith in Him who alone filled up the character, and
procured acceptance for believers, and their oblations.

" 8. Lead me, O Lord, in thy righteousness,
because of mine enemies; make thy way straight be-
fore my face."

The child of God, admitted into his holy temple,
there prefers this petition, praying to be led by the
divine Spirit in a course of holy obedience, all impe-
diments being removed out of the way, which other-
wise might obstruct the progress, or cause the fall,
of one beginning to walk in the path of life; of one
who had many " enemies" ready to contrive, to take
advantage of, to rejoice and triumph in, his ruin.
Thus a man's enemies, while they oblige him to pray
more fervently, and to watch more narrowly over his
conduct, oftentimes become his best friends.

" 9. For there is no faithfulness in their mouth ;
their inward part is very wickedness; their throat is
an open sepulchre; they flatter with their tongue."

A part of this verse is cited, Rom. iii. 13. to-
gether with several other passages from the Psalms
and Prophets, to evince the depravity of mankind,

Ps. 5] 117

whether Jews or Gentiles, till justified by faith, and
renewed by grace. It is plain, therefore, that the
description was designed for others, besides the ene-
mies of the literal David, and is of more general im-
port, reaching to the world of the ungodly, and to
the enemies of all righteousness, as manifested in
the person of Messiah, and in his church. The
charge brought against these is, that " truth" and
" fidelity" were not to be found in their dealings
with God or each other; that their " inward parts"
were very wickedness; their first thoughts and ima-
ginations were defiled, and the stream was poisoned
at the fountain; that their " throat was an open
sepulchre," continually emitting, in obscene and im-
pious language, the noisome and infectious exhala-
tions of a putrid heart, entombed in a body of sin;
and that, if ever they put on the appearance of good-
ness, they " flattered with their tongue," in order
the more effectually to deceive and destroy. So low
is human nature fallen ! " O thou Adam, what hast
thou done? for though it was thou that sinned, thou
art not fallen alone, but we all that come of thee."
2 Esd. vii. 48.

" 10. Destroy thou them, O God; let them fall
by their own counsels: cast them out in the multi-
tude of their transgressions, for they have rebelled
against thee."

Concernii^ passages of this imprecatory kind in
the book of Psalms, it is to be observed, that they
are not spoken of private and personal enemies, but
of the opposers of God and his Anointed; nor of any
among these, but the irreclaimable and finally im-
F3

118

[Ps. 5.

penitent; and this by way of prediction, rather than
imprecation; which would appear, if the original
verbs were translated uniformly in the future tense,
as they might be, and indeed, to cut off all occasion
from them which desire it, should be translated.
The verse before us would then run thus — " Thou
wilt destroy them, O God; they shall perish by their
own counsels: thou wilt cast them out in the mul-
titude of their transgressions, for they have rebelled
against thee." The words, when rendered in this
form, contain a prophecy of the infatuation, rejec-
tion, and destruction of such as should obstinately
persevere in their opposition to the counsels of hea-
ven, whether relating to David, to Christ, or to the
church. The fate of Ahithophel and Absalom, of
Judas and the Jews, should warn others, not to of-
fend after the same example.

"11. But let all those that trust in thee rejoice;
let them ever shout for joy, because thou defendest
them; let them also that love thy name be joyful in
thee. Heb. All they that trust in thee shall re-
joice," &c.

As the last verse foretold the perdition of the un-
godly, this discribes the felicity of the saints; who,
trusting in God, rejoice evermore, and sing aloud in
the church the praises of their Saviour and mighty
defender; the love of whose name fills their hearts
with joy unspeakable, while they experience the com-
forts of grace, and expect the rewards of glory.

" 12. For thou. Lord, will bless the righteous;
with favour wilt thou compass him as imth a shield."

Ps. 6.] 119

The " blessing" of God descends upon us through
Jesus Christ "the righteous," or "just one," as of
old it did upon Israel through David, whom, for the
benefit of his chosen, God protected, delivered, and
placed upon the throne. Thou, O Christ, art the
righteous Saviour, thou art the King of Israel, thou
art the blessed of Jehovah, the fountain of blessing
to all believers, and thy " favour" is the defence
and protection of the church militant.

PSALM VL

First Day. — Evening Prayer,

ARGUjMENT. — This is the first of those Psalms which are
styled penitential. It contains, 1. a deprecation of eternal
vengeance, and 2, 3. a petition for pardon ; which is enforced
from the consideration of the penitent's sufferings; 4. from
that of the divine mercy j 5. from tliat of the praise and glory
which God would fail to receive, if man were destroyed ; 6, 7.
from that of the penitent's humiliation and contrition; 8 — 10.
the strain changes into one of joy and triumph, upon the suc-
cess and return of the prayer.

" 1. O Lord, rebuke me not in thine anger, nei-
ther chasten me in thy hot displeasure."

Let us suppose a sinner awakened to a true sense
of his condition, and looking around him for help.
Above is an angry God preparing to take vengeance;
beneath, the fiery gulf ready to receive him: without
him, a world in flames; within, the gnawing worm.
Thus situated, he begins, in extreme agony of spirit,
" O Lord, rebuke me not in thine anger, neither
chasten me in thy hot displeasui'e." He expects
that God will " rebuke" him, but only prays that it

120

LPs. 6.

may not be " in anger" finally to destroy him; he
desires to be chastened, but chastened in fatherly
love, not in the " hot displeasure" of an inexorable
judge. As often as we are led thus to express our
sense of sin, and dread of punishment, let us reflect
on Him, whose righteous soul, endued with a sensi-
bility peculiar to itself, sustained the sins of the
world, and the displeasure of the Father.

" 2. Have mercy upon me, O Lord, for I am
weak: O Lord, heal me; for my bones are vexed,
Heb. shaken, or, made to tremble."

The penitent entreats for mercy, first, by repre-
senting his pitiable case, under the image of sickness.
He describes his soul as deprived of all its health and
vigour, as languishing and fainting, by reason of sin,
which had eat out the vitals, and shaken all the
powers and supporters of the spiritual frame, so that
the breath of life seemed to be departing. Enough
how^ever was left, to supplicate the healing aid of
the God of mercy and comfort; to petition for oil
and w^ine at the hands of the Physician of spirits.
How happy is it for us, that we have a physician,
who cannot but be touched with a feeling of our in-
firmities, seeing that he himself once took them
upon him, and suffered for them, even unto the
death of the cross, under which he " fainted," and
on which " his bones were vexed!"

" 3. My soul is also sore vexed: but thou, O
Lord, how long?"

Another argument is drawn from the sense which
the penitent hath of this his woful condition, and the

Ps. 6.] 121

consternation and anxiety produced thereby in his
troubled mind. These cause him to fly for refuge to
the hope set before him. " Hope deferred maketh
the heart sick;" he is therefore beautifully repre-
sented as crying out, with a fond and longing im-
patience, " But thou, O Lord, how long?" His
strength is supposed to fail him, and the sentence is
left imperfect. What, blessed Jesus, were thy
" troubles," when to thy companions thou saidst,
" My soul is exceeding sorrowful, even unto death?"
By those thy sorrows we beseech thee to hear the
voice of thine afflicted church, crying to thee from
the earth, " My soul also is sore troubled; but thou,
O Lord, how long?"

" 4. Return, O Lord, deliver my soul: O
save me for thy mercies' sake."

A third argument is formed upon the consideration
of God's " mercy;" for the sake of which, as it is
promised to penitents, he is requested to " return,"
or to turn himself towards the suppliant; to lift up
his countenance on the desponding heart; to deliver
it from darkness and the shadow of death, and to
diffuse around it light and life, salvation, joy, and
gladness, like the sun in the morning, when he re-
visits a benighted world, and calls up the creation,
to bless the Maker of so glorious a luminary, so
bright a representative of redeeming love.

" 5. For in death there is no remembrance of
thee: in the grave who shall give thee thanks?"

The fourth argument proceeds upon a supposi-
tion, that God created man for his own glory, which.

12£

[Ps. 6.

therefore, would be so far diminished, if man were
permitted finally to perish. The body could not
glorify God, unless raised from the dead, nor could
the soul, if left in hell. The voice of thanksgiving
is not heard in the grave, and no hallelujahs are
sung in the pit of destruction. This plea, now
urged by the church, was urged for her without all
doubt, by her Saviour in his devotions, and prevailed
in his mouth, as, through him, it will do in hers.

" 6. I am weary with my groaning; all the night
make I my bed to swim : I water my couch with my
tears."

The penitent is supplied with a fifth argument, by
the signs and fruits of a sincere repentance, which
put forth themselves in him. Such was his sorrow,
and such revenge did he take upon himself, that for
every idle word he now poured forth a groan, like
him that is in anguish through extremity of bodily
pain, until he was " weary," but yet continued
groaning; while the sad remembrance of each wanton
folly drew a tear from the fountains of grief. The
all-righteous Saviour himself wept over sinners; sin-
ners read the story, and yet return again to their
sins!

" 7. Mine eye is consumed because of grief: it
waxeth old because of all mine enemies."

Grief exhausts the animal spirits, dims the eyes,
and brings on old age before its time. Thus it is
said, concerning the man of sorrows, that " many
were astonished at him, his visage was so marred
more than any man, and his form more than the

ft. 6.1 123

sons of men:" Isa. Hi. 14. How long, in these
times, might youth and beauty last, were godly sor-
row their only enemy?

" 8. Depart from me, all ye workers of iniquity,
for the Lord hath heard the voice of my weeping.
9. The Lord hath heard my supphcation; the
Lord will hear, or, hath heard, my prayer."

Repentance, having performed her task, having
taught her votary to forsake sin, and to renounce all
communication with sinners, now gives place to faith,
which appears with the glad tidings of pardon and
acceptance, causing the penitent to rejoice in God
his Saviour, with joy unspeakable: and inspiring his
heart with vigour and resolution to run his course in
the way of righteousness. Risen to newness of life,
he defies the malice, and predicts the final overthrow
of his spiritual adversaries.

" 10. Let all mine enemies, or, all mine enemies
shall be ashamed, and sore vexed; let them, or, they
shall return, a7id be ashamed suddenly."

Many of the mournful Psalms end in this manner,
to instruct the believer, that he is continually to look
forward, and solace himself with beholding that day,
when his warfare shall be accomplished; when sin
and sorrow shall be no more; when sudden and ever-
lasting confusion shall cover the enemies of riffhteous-
ness; when the sackcloth of the penitent shall be ex-
changed for a robe of glory, and every tear become
a sparkling gem in his crown: when to sighs and
groans shall succeed the soncrs of heaven, set to an-
gelic harps, and faith shall be resolved into the vision
of the Almighty.

lU [Ps. 7.

PSALM VII.

ARGUMENT. — David is said to have composed this Psalm
concerning the words, or the matter of Cush the Benjamite.
Whether Saul, or Shimei, or any one else, be intended under
this name, it is sufficiently clear, that David had been mali-
ciously aspersed and calumniated by such a person ; that the
Psalm was written to vindicate himself from the imputation,
whatever was the nature of it; and, consequently, may be
considered as the appeal of the true David and his disciples,
against the grand Accuser and his associates. The person
speaking, 1, 2. declares his trust to be in God; 3 — 5. protests
his innocence ; 6 — 8. desires that judgment may be given in
the cause; 9, 10. prays for the abolition of sin, and the full
establishment of righteousness; 11 — 13. sets forth the divine
judgments against sinners ; 14 — 16. describes the beginning,
progress, and end, of sin, with, 17. the joy and triumph of the
faithful.

" 1. O Lord my God, in thee do I put my trust;
save me from all them that persecute me, and de-
liver me:"

To a tender and ingenuous spirit, the " persecu-
tion" of the tongue is worse than that of the sword,
and with more difficulty submitted to ; as indeed a
good name is more precious than bodily life. Be-
lievers in every age have been persecuted in this
way; and the King of saints often mentions it as one
of the bitterest ingredients in his cup of sorrows.
Faith and prayer are the arms with which this for-
midable temptation must be encountered, and may
be overcome. The former assures us, that God can
" save and deliver" us from it; the latter induces
him so to do.

Ps. 7.] 125

" 2. Lest he tear my soul like a lion, rending it
in pieces, while there is none to deliver."

The " lion," of whom David stood in fear, was
probably Saul, roused, by a false accusation, to de-
stroy him. The rage of tyrants is often in the same
manner excited against the church. And we all
have reason to dread the fury of one who is " the
roaring lion," as well as the " accuser of the breth-
ren." From him none can deliver us but God
only.

*' 3. O Lord my God, if I have done this; if
there be iniquity in my hands;"

David makes a solemn appeal to God, the searcher
of hearts, to judge of his innocence, with regard to
the particular crime laid to his charge. Any person,
when slandered, may do the same. But Christ only
could call upon heaven to attest his universal up-
rightness. In his " hands" there was no " ini-
quity;" all his works were wrought in perfect righ-
teousness; and when the prince of this world came
to try and explore him, he found nothing whereof
justly to accuse him. The vessel was thoroughly
shaken, but the liquor in it continued pure.

" 4. If I have rewarded evil unto him that was
at peace with me: (yea, I have delivered him that
without cause is mine enemy :)"

David probably alludes to the life of Saul, which
was twice preserved by him, when he had been
pressed by his attendants to embrace the opportunity
of taking it away. See 1 Sam. xxiv. xxvi. Of the

1S6

[Ps. 7.

Son of David, St. Paul says, " In this he com-
mended his love to us, that when we were sinners,
he died for us:" Rom. v. 8. In so exalted a sense
did he " deliver him that without cause was his
enemy." Wretched they who persecute their bene-
factor; happy he who can reflect, that he has been a
benefactor to his persecutors.

" 5. Let the enemy persecute my soul, and take
it; yea, let him tread down my life upon the earth,
and lay my honour in the dust."

These are the evils which David imprecates on
himself, if he were such as his adversaries represented
him; persecution, apprehension, death, and disgrace.
Christ, for our sakes, submitting to the imputation
of guilt, suffered all these; but being innocent in
himself, he triumphed over them all; he was raised
and released, glorified and adored; he pursued and
overtook his enemies, he conquered the conquerors,
and trampled them under his feet; and he enableth
us, through grace, to do the same.

" 6. Arise, O Lord, in thine anger, lift up thy-
self, because of the rage of mine enemies; and awake
for me to the judgment that thou hast commanded."

To a protestation of innocence succeeds a prayer
for judgment upon the case, which is formed on these
two considerations: first, the unreasonable and unre-
lenting fury of the persecutors ; secondly, the justice
which God has '' commanded" others to execute,
and which therefore he himself will doubtless exe-
cute upon such occasions. How did he '' awake,"
and " arise," and " lift up himself to judgment;"

Pb. 1.] 127

on the behalf of his Anointed, in the day of the re-
surrection of Jesus, and the subsequent confusion of
his enemies ! And let injured innocence ever comfort
itself with the remembrance of another day to come,
when, every earth-born cloud being removed, it shall
dazzle its oppressors with a lustre far superior to that
of the noon-day sun.

" 7. So shall the congregation of the people com-
pass thee about : for their sakes therefore return thou
on hitrh."

o

The meaning is, that a visible display of God's
righteous judgment would induce multitudes, who
should behold, or hear of it, to adore and glorify
him. For their sakes, therefore, as well as that of
the sufferer, he is entreated to re- ascend the tribunal
as formerly, and pronounce the wished-for sentence.
Thus the determination of the cause between Jesus
and his adversaries, by his resurrection, and " return
on high," brought " the congregation of the na-
tions" around him, and effected the conversion of
the world. Nor, in human affairs, does any thing
more advance the reputation of a people among their
neighbours, than an equitable sentence in the mouth
of him who sitteth in judgment.

" 8. The Lord shall judge the people: judge
me, O Lord, according to my righteousness, and
according to mine integrity t/iat is in me."

Conscious of his '' righteousness" and " integ-
rity," as to the matter in question, David desires to
be judged by him who is to judge the world at the
last day. How few, among Christians, have seriously

128 [Ps. 7.

and deliberately considered, whether the sentence
of that day is likely to be in their favour ! Yet,
how many, with the utmost composure and self-
complacency, repeat continually the words of this
Psalm, as well as those in the Te Deum^ " We be-
lieve that thou shalt come to be our judge !" Legal,
or perfect righteousness and integrity, are peculiar
to the Redeemer; but evangelical righteousness and
integrity all must have, who would be saved.

" 9. Oh let the wickedness of the wicked come
to an end; but establish the just: or, the wicked-
ness of the wicked shall, &c. for the righteous God
trieth the hearts and reins. 10. My defence is of
God, who saveth the upright in heart."

It is predicted, that wickedness will, in the end,
be abolished, and the just immove^ibly established,
by Him who knoweth intimately the very thoughts
and desires of both good and bad men, and will give
to each their due reward. How can we doubt of
this, when it has pleased God to afford so many ex-
amples and preludes to it, in his dispensations of old
time ? The righteous cause hath already triumphed
in Christ ; let us not doubt, but that it will do so in
the church. Happy the man, whose hope is there-
fore in God, because " he saveth the upright in
heart."

"11. God judgeth the righteous, and God is
angry "joith the wicked every day."

The sense seems to be, that there are daily in-
stances in the world of God's favour towards his
people; as also of his displeasure against the un-

Ps. 7.

129

godly, who are frequently visited by sore judgments,
and taken away in their sins. In this light we
should consider and regard all history, whether that
of our own age and nation, or of any other.

" 12. If he turn not, he will whet his sword; he
hath bent his bow, and made it ready. 13. He
hath also prepared for him the instruments of death;
he ordaineth his arrows against the persecutors."

The sinner who is not converted by the vengeance
inflicted on others, will himself at length be made an
example of. The wrath of God may be slow, but it
is always sure. In thoughtless security man wantons
and whiles away the precious hours; he knows not
that every transgression sets a fresh edge on the
sword, which is thus continually whetting for his
destruction; nor considers, that he is the mark of an
archer who never errs, and who, at this very instant,
perhaps, has fitted to the string that arrow which is
to pierce his soul with everlasting anguish.

" 14. Behold, he travaileth with iniquity, and
hath conceived mischief, and brought forth false-
hood."

This is not to be understood as if " travail" were
previous to " conception." The first is a general
expression; "Behold, he travaileth with iniquity:"
the latter part of the verse is more particular; as if
it had been said, " and having conceived mischief,"
he '' bringeth forth falsehood." When an evil
thought is instilled into the heart of a man, then
the seed of the wicked one is sown; by admitting,
retaining, and cherishing the diabolical suggestion in

ISO [Ps. 7.

his mind, he " conceiveth" a purpose of " mischief;"
when that purpose is gradually formed and matured
for the birth, he " travaileth with iniquity;" at length,
by carrying it into action, he " bringeth forth false-
hood." The purity of the soul, like that of the
body, from whence the image is borrowed, must be
preserved, by keeping out of the way of temptation.

"15. He made a pit, and digged it, and is fallen
into the ditch "uchich he made. 16. His mischief
shall return upon his own head, and his violent deal^
ing shall come down upon his own pate."

All the world agrees to acknowledge the equity
of that sentence which inflicts upon the guilty the
punishment intended by them for the innocent. No
one pities the fate of a man buried in that pit which
he had dug to receive his neighbour; or of him who
owes his death-wound to the return of an arrow shot
against heaven. Saul was overthrown by those Phi-
listines whom he would have made the instruments
of cutting off David. Haman was hanged on his
own gallows. The Jews, who excited the Romans
to crucify Christ, were themselves, by the Romans,
crucified in crowds. Striking instances these of the
vengeance to be one day executed on all tempters
and persecutors of others; when men and angels
shall lift up their voices, and cry out together,
" Righteous art thou, O Lord, and just are thy
judgments."

"17. I will praise the Lord according to his
righteousness; and will sing praise to the name of
the Lord most high."

Ps. 8.] 131

Whatever doubts may at present arise concern-
ing the ways of God, let us rest assured that they
will all receive a solution; and that the "righteous-
ness" of the great judge, manifested in his final de-
terminations, will be the subject of everlasting hal-
lelujahs.

PSALM VIII.

ARGUMENT.— This is the first of those Psalms which the
Church has ajjpointed to be read on Ascension-day. It treats,
as appears from Heb. ii. 6, &c. of the wonderful love of God,
shown by the exaltation of our nature in Messiah, or the second
Adam, to the right hand of the Majesty on high, and by the
subjection of all creatures to the word of his power.

" 1. O Lord, our Lord, how excellent is thy
name in all the earth ! who hast set thy glory above
the heavens."

The Prophet beholds in spirit the sufferings of
Christ, and the glory that should follow; like St.
Stephen afterward, he sees heaven opened, and Jesus
standing at the right hand of God; the sight fills
his heart with wonder, love, and devotion, which
break forth in this address to " Jehovah," as " our
Lord;" for such he is by the twofold right of crea-
tion and redemption, having made us, and purchased
us. On both accounts, " how excellent," how full
of beauty and honour, is his name, diffused by the
Gospel through " all the earth !" But more espe-
cially do men and angels admire and adore him for
the exaltation of his " glory," the glory of the only
begotten, high " above the heavens," and all created

182 [Ps. a i

nature, to the throne prepared for him before the ■
foundation of the world.

" 2. Out of the mouth of babes and sucklings
hast thou ordained, Heb. founded, or constituted,
strength, because of thine enemies; that thou mightest
still the enemy and the avenger." ||

This verse is cited by our Lord, Matt. xxi. 16.
and applied to " little children in the temple, cry-
ing, Hosanna to the son of David!" which vexed
and confounded his malignant adversaries. The
import of the words, therefore, plainly is, that the
praises of Messiah, celebrated in the church by his
children, have in them a strength and power which
nothing can withstand; they can abash infidelity,
when at its greatest height, and strike hell itself
dumb. In the citation made by our Lord, which
the Evangelist gives from the Greek of the LXX,
we read, " thou hast perfected praise," which seems
to be rather a paraphrase than a translation of the
Hebrew, literally rendered by our translators, " thou
hast ordained strength."

" 3. When I consider thy heavens, the work of
"thy lingers, the moon and the stars, which thou hast
ordained; 4. What is man, that thou art mindful of
him? and the son of man, that thou visitest him?"

At the time of inditing this Psalm, David is evi-
dently supposed to have had before his eyes the hea-
vens as they appear by night. He is struck with
the awful magnificence of the wide extended firma-
ment, adorned by the moon walking in brightness,
and rendered brilliant by the vivid lustre of a multi-

I

Ps. 8.]

133

tude of shining orbs, differing from each other in
magnitude and splendour. And when, from sur-
veying the beauty of heaven, with its glorious show,
he turns to take a view of the creature man, he is
still more affected by the mercy, than he had before
been by the majesty of the Lord; since far less won-
derful it is, that God should make such a world as
this, than that He who made such a world as this,
should be " mindful of man," in his fallen estate,
and should " visit" human nature with his salvation.

" 5. For thou hast made him a little, or, for a
little while, lower than the angels, and hast crowned
him with glory and honour. 6. Thou madst him
to have dominion over the works of thy hands; thou
hast put all things under his feet."

On these two verses, with that preceding, St.
Paul has left the following comment : " One in a
certain place testified, saying. What is man, that
thou art mindful of him ? or the son of man, that
thou visitest him? Thou madest him a little lower
than \_marg. a little while inferior to] the angels;
thou crownedest him with glory and honour, and
didst set hiiA over the works of thy hands; thou hast
put all things in subjection under his feet. For in
that he put all in subjection under him, he left no-
thing that is not put under him. But now we see
not yet all things put under him: but we see
Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels
for the suffering of death, crowned with glory and
honour." Heb. ii. 6, &c. See also 1 Cor. xv. 27.

" 7. All sheep and oxen, yea, and the beasts of
Vol. I. G

134

[Ps. 8.

the field; 8. The fowl of the air, and the fish of
the sea, and ^whatsoever passeth through the paths
of the sea.'*

Adam, upon his creation, was invested with sove-
reign dominion over the creatures, in words of the
same import with these; Gen. i. 28. which are there-
fore here used, and the creatures particularised, to
inform us, that what the first Adam lost by trans-
gression, the second Adam regained by obedience.
That " glory" which was " set above the heavens,"
could not but be over all things " on the earth."
And accordingly, we hear our Lord saying, after
his resurrection, " All power is given unto me in
heaven and in earth:" Matt, xxviii. 18. Nor is it
a speculation unpleasing or unprofitable, to consider,
that he who rules over the material world, is Lord
also of the intellectual, or spiritual creation repre-
sented thereby. The souls of the faithful, lowly
and harmless, are the sheep of his pasture; those
who, like oxen, are strong to labour in the church,
and who, by expounding the word of life, tread out
the corn for the nourishment of the people, own him
for their kind and beneficent Master; nay, tempers'
fierce and untractabk as the wild beasts of the desert,
are yet subject to his will; spirits of the angelic kind,
that, like the bird of the air, traverse freely the su-
perior region, move at his command; and those evil
ones, whose habitation is in the deep abyss, even to
the great Leviathan himself; all, all, are put under
the feet of King Messiah: who, *' because, he hum-
bled himself, and became obedient unto death, even
the death of the cross, was therefore highly exalted,

Ps. 9.] ^^^

and had a name given him above every name, that
at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, whe-
ther of things in heaven, or things on earth, or
things under the earth; and that every tongue should
confess that Jesus is Lord, to the glory of God the
Father." Phil. ii. 8, &c.

" 9. O Lord, our Lord, how excellent is thy
name in^all the earth !"

Let therefore the universal chorus of men and an-
gels join their voices together, and make their sound
to be heard as one, in honour of the Redeemer,
evermore praising him, and saying, O Lord, our
Lord Jesus Christ, King of Righteousness, Peace,
and Glory, King of kings, and Lord of lords, how
excellent, how precious, how lovely, how great and
glorious is thy Name, diffused over all the earth,
for the salvation of thy chosen ! Blessing, and
honour, and glory, and power, be unto him that sit-
teth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb, for ever
and ever. And let heaven and earth say, Ame?t,

PSALM IX.

Second Day, — Morning Prayer.

ARGUMENT. — Tliis Psalm consists of two parts, a thanksgiv-
ing, 1 — 12. and a prayer, 13 — 20. Upon what particular oc-
casion it was composed, is not known ; probably to celebrate
the victories gained by David over the neighbouring nations,
after God had exalted him to be king in Sion. See verse II.
But most certainly the Psalm was intended for the use of the
Christian Church ; and she continually, by using it, I, 2. de-
clares her resolution to celebrate the praisesof her God; since
G2

136 LPs. 9.

3, 4. her enemies were vanquished, and her cause was carried;
5, 6. the empire of Satan was subverted, and 7, 8. the king-
dom of Christ established : 9, 10. affording to believers refuge
and salvation. For all these blessings, 11. Christians are ex-
cited to praise their Redeemer, who, 12. forgets nothing that
is done or suffered for his sake. 13, 14. The church petitions
for final deliverance from the world, and the evil thereof;
15, 16. building her hope upon the mercies already received,
17, 18. she foretells the destruction of the wicked; and 19, 20.
prays for the manifestation of God.

" 1. I will praise tliee^ O Lord, with my whole
heart; I will show forth all thy marvellous works.'*

In this animated and exalted hymn, the church
begins with declaring her resolution to " praise Je-
hovah," as the author of her salvation: and that
neither coldly, as if the salvation were little worth ;
nor partially, reserving a share of the gloiy of it to
herself: but with the "whole heart," with an afiection
pure and flaming, like the holy fire upon the altar.
She is determined to " show forth" to the world,
for its conviction and conversion, " all his marvel-
lous works," the most " marvellous" of w^hich are
those wrought for, and in, the souls of men. Out-
ward miracles strike more forcibly upon the senses ;
but they are introductory only to those internal ope-
rations, which they are intended to represent.

*' 2. I will be glad and rejoice in thee; I will
sing praise to thy name, O thou most High."

Christians are taught to " be glad and rejoice,"
not in abundance of wealth, or plenitude of power,
not in the pleasures of sense, or the praise of men,
but in God their Saviour; and their joy is as far
superior to the joy of the worldly, as the object of the

Ps. 9.] 137

one is to that of the other. He wlio, with the spirit
and the understanding, as well as with the voice,
" sings praise to thy name, O most High,^' is em-
ployed as the angels are, and experiences a foretaste
of the delight they feel.

" 3. When mine enemies are driven hack, they
shall fall, or, they stumhle, or fall, and perish at thy
presence.''

The church begins to explain the subject of her
joy, which is a victory over her " enemies;" a vic-
tory not gained by herself, but by the " presence of
God" in the midst of her. The grand enemy of
our salvation was first vanquished by Christ in the
wilderness, and " driven back," with the words,
" Get thee behind me, Satan.'' The same blessed
person afterwards completely triumphed over him
upon the cross, when the " prince of this world was
cast out." This is that great victory, which we
celebrate in psalms, and hymns, and spiritual songs,
from generation to generation; and, through faith
in him who achieved it, we likewise are enabled to
flight and to overcome.

" 4-. For thou hast maintained my right and my
cause; thou sattest in the throne judging right."

The same important transaction is here described
in forensic, as before it was in military terms. Satan
having gotten possession of mankind, might have
pleaded his right to keep it, since by transgression
they had left God, and sold themselves to him. But
Christ, as the church's representative and advocate,
made the satisfaction required, paid down the price

158 [Ps. 9.

of redemption, " took the prey from the mighty,
and dehvered the lawful captive:" Isa. xlix. 24.
Thus was our " right and our cause maintained;"
thus we were rescued from the oppressor, and he
who " sat on the throne judged righteous judg-
ment." Something of this sort may be supposed to
pass, concerning each individual, between the Ac-
cuser of the brethren and the eternal Intercessor, hi
the court of heaven.

" 5. Thou hast rebuked the heathen, thou hast
destroyed the wicked, thou hast put out their name
for ever and ever."

To the victory of Christ succeeded the overthrow
of Satan's empire in the pagan world. " The hea-
then were rebuked," when, through the power of the
Spirit, in those who preached the Gospel, men were
convinced of sin, and of righteousness, and of judg-
ment ; " the wicked were destroyed, and their name
put out for ever," when the Roman power became
Christian, and the ancient idolatry sunk, to lise no
more. A day is coming when all iniquity shall
perish and be forgotten in like manner.

" 6. O thou enemy ! destructions are come to a
perpetual end, w, The destructions of the enemy
are completed to the utmost; and thou, O God,
hast destroyed their cities, their memorial is perished
with them !"*

* Bishop Lowth renders this verse to the same effect. " De-
solations have consumed the enemy for ever; and as to the cities
which thou, O God, hast destroyed, their memory is perished
with them." See Merrick's Annotations on the Psalms, p. 9.

PS. 9.1 139

The Christian church, when repeating these
words, may be supposed to take a retrospect view of
the successive fall of those empires, with their capital
" cities," in which the " enemy" had from time to
time fixed his residence, and which had vexed and
persecuted the people of God in different ages. Such
were the Assyrian, or Babylonian, the Persian, and
the Grecian monarchies. All these vanished away,
and came to nothing: Nay, the very "memorial" of
the stupendous Nineveh and Babylon is so " perished
with them," that the place where they once stood
is now no more to be found. Tlie Roman empire
was the last of the pagan persecuting powers ; and
when the church saw " that" under her feet, well
might she cry out, " The destructions of the enemy
are completed to the utmost!" How lovely will
this song be, in the day when the last enemy shall
be destroyed, and the world itself shall become what
Babylon is at present! Next to the glory and
triumph of that day, is the jubilee which the Chris-
tion celebrates, upon his conquest over the body of
sin.

" 7. But the Lord shall endure for ever; he
hath prepared his throne for judgment. 8. And he
shall judge the world in righteousness, he shall
minister judgment to the people in uprightness."

In opposition to the transient nature of earthly
kingdoms, the eternal duration of Messiah's king-
dom is asserted; as also its universality, extending
over the whole "world;" together with the con-
summate rectitude of its administration. To him,
'^s supreme judge in an unerring court of equity,

140 LPs. 9.

lies an appeal from the unjust determinations here
below: and by him in person shall every cause be
reheard, when that court shall sit, and all nations
shall be summoned to appear before it.

" 9. The Lord will also be a refuge for the op-
pressed, a refuge in times of trouble."

In the mean time, and until he returneth to judg-
ment, the poor in spirit, the meek and lowly peni-
tent, however " oppressed in times of trouble," by
worldly and ungodly men, and by the frequent as-
saults of the wicked one, still finds a refuge in Jesus;
who renews his strength by fresh supplies of grace,
arms him with faith and patience, and animates him
with the hope of glory.

" 10. And they that know thy name will put
their trust in thee: for thou, Lord, hast not for-
saken them that seek thee."

Therefore they who " know God's name," that is,
who are acquainted with, and have experienced his
merciful nature and disposition, expressed in that
name, will take no unlawful methods to escape afflic-
tion, nor *' put their trust" in any but " him," for
deliverance: since a most undoubted truth (and, O
what a comfortable truth!) it is, that " thou, Lord
Jesus, hast not forsaken," nor ever wilt finally "for-
sake them that" sincerely and diligently, with their
whole heart, " seek" to " thee" for help; as a child
upon apprehension of danger, flies to the arms of its
tender and indulgent parent.

" IL Sing praises to the Lord, which dwelleth
in Zion; declare among the people his doings."

Ps. 9.

141

The church, having celebrated the power and the
goodness of her Lord, exhorteth all her children to
lift up their voices, and sing together, in full chorus,
the praises of him whose tabernacle is in " Zion,"
who resides with men, upon the mountain of his ho-
liness, and saith, '"^ Behold, I am with you always,
even to the end of the world." And thus, not only
" among the people," but also to principalities and
powers in heavenly places, will be " declared" and
made known by the voice of thanksgiving in the
church, the manifold wisdom and mercy of God, in
his " doings" towards man. See Ephes. iii. 10.

" 12. When he maketh inquisition for blood, he
remembereth them, and forgetteth not the cry of the
humble."

An objection might be started to the so much ex-
tolled loving-kindness of God, namely, that in this
world his faithful people are often afflicted, and per-
secuted; nay, sometimes suffered to be killed all the
day long, as sheep appointed to the slaughter. But
this is obviated by the consideration, that all is not
over, as wicked men may suppose, at death; that a
strict " inquisition" will be appointed hereafter,
when the " blood" of martyrs, and the sufferings of
confessors shall not be " forgotten." He remem-
bereth " them," that is, those who seek him, men-
tioned verse 10; so that the exhortation to " sins:
praises," &c. verse 11. seems parenthetic.

" 13. Have mercy upon me, O Lord; consider
the trouble ^-dohich I suffer of them that hate me, thou
that liftest me up from the gates of death."
G3

142 [Ps. 9.

We are now come to the second part of the
Psalm. The church, after having, in the former
part strengthened her faith by commemoration of the
mighty works God had wrought for her, proceeds, in
this, to pour forth a prayer for farther and final deli-
verance. She speaks as still mihtant upon earth,
still in an enemy's country, surrounded by them that
hate her, and suffering much from them. To whom
therefore should she address herself, but to him
whose high prerogative it is, literally to " raise from
the gates of death;" to him who is in every possible
sense, "the resurrection and the life?"

" 14. That I may show forth all thy praise in the
gates of the daughter of Zion: I will rejoice in thy
salvation."

The members of the church militant despair of
being able to " show forth all God's praise," till they
become members of the church triumphant. There
is a beautiful contrast between the " gates of death,"
in the preceding verse, and " the gates of the daugh-
ter of Zion," or the heavenly Jerusalem, in this:
the one leads down to the pit, the other up to the
mount of God; the one opens into perpetual darkness,
the other into light eternal; from the one proceeds
nothing but what is evil, from the other nothing but
what is good; infernal spirits watch at the one, the
other are unbarred by the hands of angels. What
a blessing then is it, to be snatched from the former,
and transported to the latter ! Who but must rejoice
in such " salvation?"

" 15. The heathen are sunk, or, sink, down in

Ps. 9.] 143

the pit that they made; in the net which they hid is
their own foot taken. 16. The Lord is known hy
the judgment nsoJdcli he executeth; the wicked is
snared in the work of his own hands."

Faith beholds, as already executed, that righteous
judgment, whereby wicked men and evil spirits will
fall into the perdition which they had prepared for
others, either openly by persecution, or more covertly
by temptation. See Psal. vii. 15, 16.

" 17. The wicked shall be turned into hell, and,
all the nations that forget God."

All wickedness came originally with the wicked
one from hell; thither it will be again remitted, and
they who hold on its side must accompany it on its
return to that place of torment, there to be shut up
for ever. The true state both of " nations," and the
individuals of which they are composed, is to be esti-
mated from one single circumstance, namely, whe-
ther in their doings they remember or " forget God."
Remembrance of Him is the well-spring of virtue;
forgetfulness of Him, the fountain of vice.

" 18. For the needy shall not always be forgot-
ten; the expectation of the poor shall not perish for
ever,"

They who remember God shall infallibly be re-
membered by Him; and let this be their anchor, in
the most tempestuous seasons. The body of a mar-
tyr*is buried in the earth; and so is the root of the
fairest flower: but neither of them " perisheth for
ever." Let but the winter pass, and the spring re-

144 [Ps. 10.

turn, and, lo, the faded and withered flower blooms;
the body sown in corruption, dishonour, and weak-
ness, rises in in corruption, glory, and power.

" 19. Arise, O Lord, let not men prevail; let
the heathen be judged in thy sight."

And now, the Spirit and the Bride say. Come:
Arise, O Lord Jesus, from thy throne of glory, and
come quickly; " let not" the " man" of sin " pre-
vail" against thy church; but let the long depending
cause between her and her adversaries, *' be judged"
and finally determined " in thy sight."

" 20. Put them in fear, O Lord ; that the na-
tions may know themselves to he hut men."

Strange, that man, dust in his original, sinful by
his fall, and continually reminded of both by every
thing in him and about him, should yet stand in need
of some sharp affliction, some severe visitation from
God, to bring him to the knowledge of himself, and
make him feel, who, and what he is. But this is
frequently the case; and when it is, as there are
wounds which cannot be healed without a previous
application of caustics, mercy is necessitated to begin
her work with an infliction of judgment.

PSALM X.

ARGUMENT.— -This Psalm is, in the LXX, joined to the pre-
ceding, but, in the Hebrew, divided from it. The church,
under persecution from the spirit of antichrist in the world,
after, 1. an humble expostulatiov. witli her Lord, setteth down
the marks whereby that spirit may be known; such as, 2.

Ps. 10.]

142?

hatred of the faithful; 3. self-willedness and worldly-minded-
ness ; 4. infidelity ; 5, 6. profligacy and pride ; 7. profaneness
and perjury ; 8 — 10. subtlety and treachery employed against
the people of God ; 11. security and presumption. From the
persecutions of such a spirit, the church, 12 — 15. prayeth ear-
nestly to be delivered J and, 16 — 18. through faith, rejoiceth
in tribulation.

" 1. Why standest thou afar ofF, O Lord? w/it/
hidest thou thyself m times of trouble?"

During the conflict between the church and her
adversaries, God is represented as one withdrawing
to a distance, instead of affording succour; nay, as
one conceahng himself, so as not to be found by
those who petitioned for aid, or counsel. To behold
the righteous cause oppressed, and good men seem-
ingly deserted by heaven, at a time when they most
need its assistance, is apt to offend the weak, and
oftentimes stagger those who are strong. It is in-
deed a sore trial, but intended to make us perfect in
the practice of three most important duties, humility,
resignation, and faith. That we may not faint undel*
the severity of this discipline, let us ever bear in
mind, that the beloved Son of the Father, the Son in
whom he was well pleased, had once occasion to
utter these words, *' My God, my God, why hast
thou forsaken me ?"

" 2. The wicked in Jiis pride doth persecute the
poor; let them, or, they shall, be taken in the devices
that they have imagined."

Inconceivable is that malignant fury, with which
a conceited infidel persecutes an humble believer,
though that believer hath no otherwise offended him

146 [Ps. 10.

than by being such. And what wonder ? since it is
a copy of the hatred which Satan bears to Christ.
But the devices of the adversaries, Uke those of their
leader, will end in their own eternal confusion.

" 3. For the wicked boasteth of his heart's de-
sire, and blesseth the covetous, whom the Lord ab-
horreth."

The first part of this verse points out that alarm-
ing symptom of a reprobate mind, a disposition to
exult and glory in those lusts, which are the shame
and disgrace of human nature, whether the world or
the flesh be their object. The latter clause is differ-
ently rendered, as implying either that " the wicked
blesseth the covetous, whom God abhorreth," or
that " the wicked, being covetous, or oppressive,
blesseth himself and abhorreth God." Either way,
an oppressing, griping, worldly spirit, is characterized,
with its direct opposition to the Spirit of God, which
teaches, that sin is to be confessed with shame and
sorrow; that in God alone man is to make his boast;
and that it is more blessed to give, than to receive.

" 4. The wicked, through the pride of his coun-
tenance, will not seek afte?^ God; God is not in all.
his thoughts; or, all his imaginations are, There is
no God."

The counsels of heaven are not known by the
wicked, because they are not sought after; and they
are not sought after, because of a diabolical self-suf-
ficiency, which, having taken possession of the heart,
displays itself in the countenance, and reigns through-
out the man. He wants no Prophet to teach him, no

ps. 10.1 1^7

Priest to atone for him, no King to conduct him ; he
needs neither a Christ to redeem, nor a Spirit to
sanctify him ; he beUeves no Providence, adores no
Creator, and fears no Judge. Thus he lives a
" stranger from the covenants of promise, and with-
out God in the world:" Ephes. ii. 12. O that this
character now existed only in the Psalmist's descrip-
tion.

"5. His ways are always grievous, or, corrupt ;
thy judgments are far above out of his sight: asfot^
all his enemies, he puffeth at them."

As are a man's principles, such will be his prac-
tices; and if he hath not God in his thoughts, his
course of life will be corrupt and abominable, his
end, his means, and his motives being all wrong, and
polluted with concupiscence. There would have
been some chance of holding him by fear, but that
is gone with his faith; for no man can tremble at
judgments in which he does not believe.

" 6. He hath said in his heart, I shall not be
moved; for I shall never be in adversity."

Prosperity begets presumption, and he who has
been long accustomed to see his designs succeed,
begins to think it impossible they should ever do
otherwise. The long-suffering of God, instead of
leading such a one to repentance, only hardens him
in his iniquity. Because sentence against an evil
work is not executed speedily, he thinks it will not
be executed at all. He vaunteth himself, therefore,
like the proud Chaldean monarch, in the Babylon
which he hath erected, and fondly pronounceth it to

148 LPs. 10. •

be immortal. Such, it is too evident, are often the
vain imaginations of triumphant wickedness.

" 7. His mouth is full of cursing, and deceit, and
fraud; under his tongue is mischief and vanity."

From the thoughts of the sinner's " heart," men-
tioned in the preceding verse, David goes on to de-
scribe the Vvords of his " mouth." And here we
may ilkistrate the character of antichrist, by setting
that of Christ in opposition to it. The mouth of one
poureth forth a torrent of curses and lies; from that
of the other flowed a clear and copious stream of
benediction and truth. Under the serpentine tongue
of the former is a bag of mischief and vanity; but
honey and milk were under the tongue of the latter,
so pleasant and so nourishing to the spirits of men
were all his communications.

" 8. He sitteth in the lurking-places of the vil-
lages; in the secret places doth he murder the inno-
cent: his eyes are privily set against the poor."

From " words," the description proceeds to " ac-
tions." And with regard to these, as the Son of
God went publicly preaching through cities and vil-
lages to save men's lives, so this child of Satan lieth
in ambush to destroy them, privily bringing into the
church, and diffusing among the people, pestilent
errors, and damnable heresies, for that purpose.

" 9. He lieth in wait secretly as a lion in his den;
he lieth in wait to catch the poor; he doth catch the
poor, when he draweth him into his net."

The disciples of Jesus, like their blessed Master,

Ps. 10.] 149

are ever vigilant to catch men in the evangelical net,
in order to draw them from the world to God; the
partisans of Satan, in imitation of their leader, are
employed in watching, from their lurking-places, the
footsteps of the Christian pilgrim, that they may
spring upon him in an unguarded moment, and draw
him from God to the world, and from thence to the
devil.

" 10. He croucheth, and humbleth himself, that
the poor may fall by his strong ones."

Our Lord, who is styled '' the Lion of the tribe
of Judah," became a " Lamb," for the salvation of
mankind; but when his adversary at any time " hum-
bleth" himself, when the wolf appears in sheep's
clothing, let the flock beware; it is for their more
effectual destruction. And, if allured by an out-
ward show of moderation and benevolence, the sim-
ple ones shall venture themselves within his reach,
they will soon find that his nature is disguised, but
not altered.

" IL He hath said in his heart, God hath for-
gotten: he hideth his face; he will never see zr."

For the chastisement of his people, God often suf-
fers the enemy to prevail and prosper, who then ridi-
cules the faith and hope of the church, and solaces
himself in the conceit, that if there be a God, he
either knows not, or cares not, what is done upon
earth. These Epicurean notions, however absurd
and unworthy of the Deity they may seem, do yet in
some measure take possession of every man's mind
at the instant of his committing a sin; since it is most

150 [Ps. 10.

certain, that, with a due impression of the divine
omniscience upon his soul at the time, he would not
commit it, for all that the tempter could offer him.
But faith is apt to sleep, and then sin awakes.

" 12. Arise, O Lord; O God lift up thine
hand ; forget not the humble. 13. Wherefore doth
the wicked contemn God? He hath said in his
heart. Thou wilt not requite it.'"

The church now prays, that Jehovah, in vindica-
tion of his own honour and attributes, would arise to
judgment, and make bare his glorious arm for the
defence of his elect, who cry day and night unto him.
Thus would the insolence of the wicked one and his
agents, founded on the divine forbearance, be repres-
sed, and all the world would see, that God had not
forgotten, but still, as ever, remembered and regard-
ed the low estate of his handmaid.

" 14. Thou hast seen zV, for thou beholdest mis-
chief and spite, to requite it with thine hand: the
poor committeth himself unto thee; thou art the
helper of the fatherless."

" The wicked," above, " saith in his heart, thou
wilt not requite it." But the faithful are taught
other things by the promises in Scripture, and the
experience of unnumbered histories. They know
assuredly, that God beholds all that travail and vexa-
tion which some inflict, and others sustain, upon the
earth; and that he will infallibly recompense to the
former their deeds, to the latter their sufferings.
Destitute should we be of every earthly help, in the
state of beggars and orphans, yet in him will we

Ps. 10. J

151

trust, who, as the father and protector of all such,
saith unto ever)* one of us, " I will never leave thee,
nor forsake thee."

" 1j. Break thou the arm of the wicked and the
evil man: seek out his wickedness till thou find
none."

This may be either a prayer, or a prediction, im-
plpng that the time will come, when the power of
Jehovah will dash in pieces that of the enemy, by
the demolition either of sin or the sinner, until wick-
edness be come utterly to an end, and righteousness
be established for ever in the kingdom of Messiah.
And, lo,

'• 16. The Lord is Kino^ for ever and ever; the
heathen are perished out of the land."

Faith beholds the Lord Jesus, as already mani-
fested in his glorious majesty, the kingdoms of this
world became his, and the Canaanite no more in the
land of promise. Each individual experiences in
himself a happy prelude to this manifestation, when
Christ rules in his heart by the Spirit, and every
appetite and afiection is obedient to the sceptre of
his kingdom.

" 17. Lord, thou hast heard, or, hearest, the
desire of the humble: thou wilt prepare, or, thou
preparest, their heart: thou wilt cause, or, thou
causest, thine ear to hear."

How many important and comforting truths have
we here, in a few words ! As, that the " humble"
and lowly, whatever they may suffer in the world,

152 [Ps. 10.

are the favourites of Jehovah: that he attends to the
very " desires" of their hearts: that such hearts
" prepared" to prayer, are so many instruments
strung and tuned by the hand of heaven: and that
their prayer is as music, to which the Almighty him-
self listens with pleasure.

*' 18. To judge the fatherless and the oppressed,
that the man of the earth may no more oppress."

For the sake of the elect, and their prayers, the
days of persecution and tribulation will be shortened;
the insolence of the earth-born oppressor, the man
of sin, will be chastised; the cause of the church
will be heard at the tribunal of God; and victory,
triumph, and glory will be given unto her. In the
foregoing exposition, regard has been chiefly had to
the case of the church, and to her sufferings from
the spirit of antichrist, in whomsoever existing and
acting, from time to time, in the world; this being
judged the most generally useful application, which
Christians, as such, can make of the Psalm. Parti-
cular accommodations of it to the various oppressions
of innocent poverty, by iniquitous opulence, will
meet the eye, and offer themselves at once to persons
so circumstanced, for their support and comfort, un-
der their respective afflictions; which will be also not
a little alleviated by the consideration, that the whole
church of God groaneth with them, and travaileth
in pain, waiting for the adoption, to wit, the re-
demption of the body. Then, and not till then, tears
shall cease to run down the cheeks of misery; and
sorrow and sighing shall fly away, to return no more
for ever.

Ps. 11.] 1'53

PSALM XL

ARGUMENT.— The Psalmist under persecution, 1—3. de-
clareth himself resolved to trust in God alone, at a time when
he was advised to fly to some place of refuge ; 4. he expresses
his faith in the omniscience and over -ruling power of Jehovali ;
5. assigns the reason why good men are afflicted ; who, after
that the wicked, G. shall be destroyed, will appear to have
been all along, 7. the favoured of God.

" L In the Lord put I my trust; how say ye
to my soul. Flee as a bird to your mountain?"

The Christian, like David, in perilous times,
should make God his fortress, and continue doing
his duty in his station; he should not, at the insti-
gation of those about him, like a poor, silly, timorous,
inconstant bird, either fly for refuge to the devices
of worldly wisdom, or desert his post, and retire into
solitude, while he can serve the cause in which he is
engaged. Nor indeed is there any " mountain^' on
earth out of the reach of care and trouble. Temp-
tations are every where; and so is the grace of God.

" 2. For, lo, the wicked bend their bow, they
make ready their arrow upon the string, that they
may privily shoot at the upright in heart."

These seem to be still the words of David's
friends, representing to him, as a motive for his flight,
the extreme danger he was in from the " arrows" of
the enemy, already, as it were, fitted to the " string,"
and pointed at him " in secret," so that not knowing
from whence they were to come, he could not guard

154 [Ps. 11.

against them. The Christian's danger from the
darts of the infernal archers, lying in wait for his
soul, is full as great as that of David. But " the
shield of faith" sufficeth, in both cases.

" 3. If the foundations be destroyed, what can
the righteous do?"

This likewise seems to be spoken by the same per-
sons, discouraging David from making any further
resistance, by the consideration, that all was over;
the " foundations" of religion and law were subvert-
ed; and what could a man, engaged in the most
" lighteous" designs, hope to " do," when that was
the case? Such arguments are often urged by the
timid, in similar circumstances; but they are falla-
cious; since all is not over, while there is a man left
to reprove error, and bear testimony to the truth.
And a man who does it with becoming spirit, may
stop a prince, or senate, when in full career, and re-
cover the day. But let us hear David's farther re-
ply to his advisers.

" 4. The Lord is in his holy temple, the Lord's
throne is in heaven : his eyes behold, his eyelids try,
the children of men."

In the first verse, the Psalmist had declared his

trust to be in Jehovah. After reciting the reason-
to

ings of his friends, he now proceeds to evince the
fitness and propriety of such trust, notwithstanding
the seemingly desperate situation of affairs. " Je-
hovah is in his holy temple;" into which, there-
fore, unholy men, however triumphant in this world,
can never enter: " Jehovah's throne is in heaven;"

Ps. 11.] 155

and consequently superior to all power upon earth,
which may be controlled and over-ruled by him in
a moment; " his eyes behold, his eyelids try, the
children of men;" so that no secret wickedness can
escape his knowledge, who scrutinizeth the hearts
as well as the lives of all the sons of Adam. Why,
then, should the man despair, who hath on his aide
holiness, omnipotence, and omniscience?

" 5. The Lord trieth the righteous; but the
wicked, and him that loveth violence, his soul
hateth."

As to the afflictions which persons may suffer,
who are embarked in a righteous cause, they are
intended to purge away the dross, and to refine
them for the Master's use. *' Gold," saith the son
of Sirach, " is tried in the fire, and acceptable men
in the furnace of adversity:" Ecclus. ii. 5. In the
mean time, God's displeasure against the wicked is
ever the same, and their prosperity, instead of bene-
fiting, will in the end destroy them. The cases of
David and Saul, Christ and the Jews, the martyrs
and their persecutors, are all cases in point, and
should be often in our thoughts to teach us patience,
and guard us against despair, in seasons of calamity,
pain, or disgrace.

"6. Upon the wicked he shall rain snares, or^
burning coals, fire and brimstone, and an horrible
tempest; this shall be the portion of their cup."

St. Jude, ver. 7. tell us, that the cities of Sodom,
Gomorrah, &c. for their abominable sins, " tt^o-
xtiYTctt lityjuot, are set forth for an example, or

156 [Ps. 11.

specimen, suffering the vengeance of eternal fire."
And here we see the images are plainly taken from
the dreadful judgment inflicted on those cities, and
transferred to the vengeance of the last day. Then
the sons of faithful Abraham shall behold a prospect,
like that which once presented itself to the eyes of
their father; when rising early in the morning, and
looking towards Sodom and Gomorrah, and toward
all the land of the plain, he " beheld, and lo, the
smoke of the country went up as the smoke of a
furnace !" Gen. xix. 28. Such must be the " por-
tion of their cup," vvho have dashed from them the
cup of salvation. He, therefore, who would enjoy
the prosperity of the wicked here, must take with
it their torment hereafter; as he who is ambitious of
wearing the crown of righteousness in heaven, must
be content to endure tribulation upon earth.

'* 7. For the righteous Lord loveth righteous-
ness; his countenance doth behold the upright."

He who is in himself essential righteousness, Ct^n-
not but love his own resemblance, wrought in the
faithful by his good Spirit; with a countenance full
of paternal affection, he beholds, and speaks peace
and comfort to them, in the midst of their sorrows ;
until, admitted, through mercy, to the glory, from
which justice excludes the wicked, and beholding
that countenance which has always beheld them, they
shall enter upon a hfe of boundless and everlasting
felicity.

Ps. 12.] 157

PSALM XII.

Second Day, — Evening Prayer.

ARGUMENT.— The church, through David, 1, 2. laments the
decrease of God's faithful servants, and the universal corrup-
tion among men, but 3 — 5. rests upon the divine promises,
the truth and certainty of which, 6, 7. she celebrates, and
comforts herself therewith, while in a world where oftentimes,
8. the wicked walk uncontrolled.

*' 1. Help, Heb, Save, Lord, for the godly man
ceaseth ; for the faithful fail from among the children
of men."

Our Lord foretells, that in the latter days, " be-
cause iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall
wax cold;" and seems to question whether, " when
the Son of Man cometh, he shall find faith upon
the earth." The universal depravity of Jew and
Gentile caused the church, of old, to pray earnestly
for the first advent of Christ ; and a like depravity
among those who call themselves Christians, may in-
duce her to pray no less earnestly for his appearance
the second time unto salvation. It is frequently a
benefit, to be destitute of help from man, both as it
puts us upon seeking it from God, and inclines him
to grant it, when we do seek.

" 2. They speak vanity, or, a lie, every one with
his neighbour: with flattering lips, a?id with a double
heart, do they speak."

When men cease to be faithful to their God, he
who expects to find them so to each other, will be
Vol. I. H

158 [Ps. 12.

much disappointed. The primitive sincerity will ac-
company the primitive piety in her flight from the
earth; and then interest will succeed conscience in
the regulation of human conduct, till one man cannot
trust another farther than he holds him by that tie.
Hence, by the way, it is, that although many are
infidels themselves, yet few choose to have their fa-
milies and dependents such; as judging, and rightly
judging, that true Christians are the only persons to
be depended on, for the exact discharge of social
duties.

" 3. The Lord shall cut off all flattering lips,
and the tongue that speaketh proud things: 4. Who
have said. With our tongue will we prevail, our lips
are our own : who is lord over us ?"

They who take pleasure in deceiving others, will,
at the last, find themselves most of all deceived,
when the Sun of Truth, by the brightness of his
rising, shall at once detect and consume hypocrisy.
And as to men of another stamp, w^ho speak great
swelling words of vanity ; who vaunt themselves in
the arm of flesh, thinking to prevail by human wit,
or human power; equally deplorable will be their
case, when the Lord God " omnipotent" reigneth.

" 5. For the oppression of the poor, for the sigh-
ing of the needy, now will I arise, saith the Lord,
I will set him in safety from him that pufieth at
him."

For the consolation of the afflicted and poor in
spirit, Jehovah is here introduced promising, out of
compassion to their sufferings, to " arise and set

Ps. 12.] 159

them in safety," or place them in a state of salva-
tion. Such all along has been his promise to the
church, who, by looking back to the deliverances
wrought of old for the servants of God, and, above
all, to that wrought for the Son of God, is now
encouraged to look forward, and expect her final
redemption from the scorn and insolence of infidelity.

" 6. The words of the Lord are pure words; as
silver tried in a furnace, or, crucible of earth, purified
seven times."

The church rejoices in the promises of God her
Saviour, because they are such as she can confide in.
His words are not like those of deceitful boasting
man, but true and righteous altogether. Often have
they been put to the test, in the trials of the faithful,
like silver committed to the furnace, in an earthen
crucible; but like silver in its most refined and ex-
alted purity, found to contain no dross of imperfec-
tion, no alloy of fallibility in them. The words of
Jehovah are holy in his precepts, just in his laws,
gracious in his promises, significant in his institu-
tions, true in his narrations, and infallible in his
predictions. What are the thousands of gold and
silver, compared to the treasures of the sacred page!

" 7. Thou shalt keep them, O Lord, thou shalt
preserve them from this generation for ever."

As if it had been said. Yes, blessed Lord, what
thou hast promised shall surely be performed, since
there is with thee no variableness, nor shadow of
turning : thou wilt keep thy poor and lowly servants
as thou hast promised, from being circumvented by
H2

160 [Ps. 13.

treachery, or crushed by power; thou wilt preserve
them undefiled amidst an evil and adulterous genera-
tion; thou wilt be with thy church to the end of the
world, and then admit her to be with thee for ever.

" 8. The wicked walk on every side, when the
vilest men are exalted."

While the faithful repose, as they ought to do,
an unlimited confidence in God's promises, they
have, in the mean time, but too much reason to
mourn the prevalence of wickedness, stalking like its
author, to and fro, and up and down in the earth,
uncontrolled by those who bear the sword, but who
either blunt its edge, or turn it the wrong way.
Such is often the state of things here below ; and a
reflection, made upon the subject by our Lord, when
his enemies drew near to apprehend him, may satisfy
us how it comes to be so : " It is your hour, and
the power of darkness." But that hour will quickly
pass with us, as it did with him, and the power of
<larkness will be overthrown; the Lord will be our
everlasting light, and the days of our mourning shall
be ended.

PSALM XIIL

ARGUMENT.— This Psalm contains, 1, 2. a complaint of de-
sertion ; 3, 4. a prayer for the divine assistance ; 5, 6. an act
of faith and thanksgiving.

" L How long wilt thou forget me, O Lord ?
for ever? How long wilt thou hide thy face from

Ps. 13.]

161

While God permits his servants to continue un-
der affliction, he is said, after the manner of men,
to have " forgotten, and hid his face from them."
For the use, therefore, of persons in such circum-
stances, is this Psalm intended; and consequently,
it suits the different cases of the church universal,
languishing for the advent of our Lord to deliver
her from this evil world; of any particular church,
in time of persecution; and of each individual, when
harassed by temptations, or broken by sickness,
pain, and sorrow. He who bore our sins, and
carried our sorrows, may likewise be presumed to
have made it a part of his devotions in the day of
trouble.

'' 2. How long shall I take counsel in my soul,
having sorrow in my heart daily ? How long shall
mine enemy be exalted over me ?"

To excite compassion, and prevail for help from
above, the petitioner mentions three aggravating cir-
cumstances of his misery: the perplexity of his soul
not knowing which way to turn, or what course to
take ; his heart-felt sorrow, uttering itself in sighs
and groanings : and the mortifying reflection, that
his enemies were exulting in their conquest over
him. All this will happen, and be particularly pain-
ful to him who has yielded to temptation, and com-
mitted sin.

" 3. Consider and hear me, O Lord my God;
lighten mine eyes, lest I sleep the sleep o/' death."

On the preceding considerations is founded a
prayer to Jehovah, that he would no longer hide his

162 [Ps. 13.

face, but " consider," or, more literally, " have re-
spect to, favourably behold" his servant; that he
would " hear, attend to, be mindful of" his suppli-
cation in distress. The deliverance requested is
expressed figuratively, " Lighten mine eyes, lest I
sleep the sleep of death." In time of sickness and
grief, the " eyes" are dull and heavy: and they
grow more and more so as death approaches, which
closes them in darkness. On the other hand,
health and joy render the organs of vision bright
and sparkling, seeming, as it were, to impart " light"
to them from within. The words, therefore, may
be fitly applied to a recovery of the body natural,
and thence to the body politic, from their respective
maladies. Nor do they less significantly describe
the restoration of the soul to a state of spiritual
health and holy joy, which will manifest themselves
in like manner, by " the eyes of the understanding
being enhghtened;" and in this case, the soul is
saved from the sleep of sin, as the body is, in the
other, from the sleep of death.

" 4. Lest mine enemy say, I have prevailed
against him; and those that trouble me rejoice when
I am moved."

This argument we often find urged in prayer to
God, that he should be pleased to work salvation for
his people, lest his and their enemies should seem to
triumph over him as well as them; which would in-
deed have been the case, had Satan either seduced
the true David to sin, or confined him in the grave.
And certainly it should be a powerful motive to
restrain us from transgression, when we consider,

Ps. 14.]

163

that as the conversion of a sinner brings glory to
God, and causes joy among the angels of heaven ;
so the fall of a believer disgraces the Gospel of Je-
sus, opens the mouths of the adversaries, and would
produce joy, if such a thing could be, in hell itself.

" 5. But I have trusted, or, I trust, in thy mer-
cy ; my heart shall rejoice, or, rejoices in thy salva-
tion. 6. I will sing unto the Lord because he hath
dealt, 07', deals bountifully with me."

The heart which " trusteth in God's mercy,"
shall alone " rejoice in his salvation," and celebrate
by the tongue, in songs of praise, the loving kind-
ness of the Lord. It is observable, that this, and
many other Psalms, with a mournful beginning, have
a triumphant ending ; to show us the prevailing
power of devotion, and to convince us of the certain
return of prayer, sooner or later, bringing with it
the comforts of heaven, to revive and enrich our
weary and barren spirits in the gloomy seasons of
sorrow and temptation, like the dew descending by
night upon the withered summit of an eastern moun-
tain.

PSALM XIV.

ARGUMENT.— This Psalm is in a manner the same with the
53d. It sees forth, 1 — 3. the corruption of the world; 4 — 6.
its enmity against the people of God ; 7. the prophet longs
and prays for salvation.

" 1. The fool hath said in his heart. There is no
God. They are corrupt; they have done abominable
works ; there is none that doeth good."

164 [Ps. 1^

It does not appear upon what occasion David com-
posed this Psahn. The revoh of Israel in Absa-
lom's rebellion, is by most writers pitched upon as
the subject of it. But, be this as it may, the ex-
pressions are general, and evidently designed to ex-
tend beyond a private interpretation. And accord-
ingly, the apostle, Rom. iii. 10, &c. produces some
passages from it, to evince the apostacy of both Jews
and Gentiles from their King and their God, and to
prove them to be all under sin. In this light, there-
fore, we are to consider it, as characterizing the prin-
ciples and practices of those who oppose the Gospel
of Christ in all ages. " The fool hath said in his
heart. There is no God." InfideUty is the be-
ginning of sin, folly the foundation of infidelity, and
the heart, the seat of both. " Their foolish heart
(says St. Paul of the heathen, Rom. i. 21.) was
darkened." The sad consequence of defection in
principle, is corruption in practice. " They are
corrupt, they have done abominable works, there is
none that doeth good." On these words the reader
may see a full comment, Rom. i. 28 — 32.

" 2. The Lord looked down from heaven upon the
children of men, to see if there was any that did un-
derstand, and seek God. 3. They are all gone
aside, they are all together become filthy, or, putre-
fied : there is none that doeth good, no, not one."

Like a watchman on the top of some lofty tower,
God is represented as surveying, from his heavenly
throne, the sons of Adam, and their proceedings
upon the earth ; he scrutinizes them, and as it were
searches diligently, to find among them a man of true

Ps. 14.]

165

wisdom, one whose heart was turned toward the
Lord his God, one who was inquiring the way to
salvation and glory, that he might walk therein. But
as the result of this extensive and accurate survey,
God informs his prophet, and commissions him to
inform the world, that all had declined from the
paths of wisdom and righteousness; that the mass
of human nature was become putrid, requiring to be
cleansed, and the vessels made up of it to be formed
anew. Such is the Scripture account of man, not
having received grace, or having fallen from it ; of
man without Christ, or in arms against him. See
Rom. iii. 11, 12.

*' 4.* Have all the workers of iniquity no know-
ledge ? who eat up my people as they eat bread, and
call not upon the Lord."

The " workers of iniquity" work for the wages
of death ; they fight against God and their own souls;
they barter eternity for time, and part with happiv
ness for misery, both in possession and reversion.
Well therefore may it be asked, " Have they no
knowledge !" For common sense, after all, is what
they want. They who, with an appetite keen as
that to their food, prey upon the poor, and devour
the people of God, will themselves be preyed upon
and devoured by that roaring lion,, whose agents for

* Between the preceding verse and this, are three others in-
serted in our common translation, which, though, taken by St,
Paul from other parts of Scripture, yet because (Rom. iii. 13.)
they followed the words cited from this Psalm, were probably ad-»
ded thereunto in this place by some transcribers of the copies of
the LXX. For in other copies of the LXX, they exist not an;^
mcwe than in the Hebrew, Chaldee, or Syriac,
tt 3

166 [ps. 14.

the present they are ; and such as now " call not
on" the name of " the Lord" Jesus for pardon and
salvation, shall hereafter call in vain upon the rocks
and mountains, to shelter them from his power and
vengeance.

" 5. There were they in great fear; for God is
in the generation of the righteous."

In the parallel place, Ps. liii. 5. after the words,
" There were they in great fear," are added these,
" where no fear was," which certainly connect bet-
ter with what follows, " for God is in the genera-
tion of the righteous." David is supposed to be
speaking primarily of Israel's defection from him to
Absalom, and here to be assigning the motive of
that defection in many, namely, fear of the rebel's
growing power, and distrust of his ability to protect
them; which fear, he observes, was groundless, be-
cause his cause was the cause of God, who would
not fail to appear in its support and vindication.
The subjects of Christ, in times of persecution, are
often tempted to renounce their allegiance, upon the
same principle of fear; although of them it may more
emphatically be said, that they " fear where no fear
is, since God is in the generation of the righteous;"
and they who are engaged on the side of Messiah,
will, in the end, most assuredly be triumphant. The
latter clause of this verse, in Psalm liii. runs thus :
" For God hath scattered, or, shall scatter, the bones
of him that encampeth against thee; thou hast, or
shalt, put them to shame, because God hath despised
them :" the sense of which is evidently the same
with — " God is in the generation of the righteous:"

Ps. 14.] 167

he will defend them and overthrow their enemies:
therefore let them not fear, neither let their hearts
be troubled. If this interpretation be disapproved,
the words, " There were they in great fear," must
be understood of the enemy; and the clause, " where
no fear was," must be rendered interrogatively thus,
" and was there not cause for them to fear? since
God is in the generation of the righteous, or, will
scatter the bones of him that encampeth against
thee," &c.

" 6. Ye have shamed the counsel of the poor,
because the Lord is his refuge."

This is plainly addressed to the adversaries, and
charges them with reproaching and scoffing at that
confidence in the Lord, expressed by the afilicted
righteous, in the preceding verse.

" 7. O that the salvation of Israel were come out
of Zion! When the Lord bringeth back the cap-
tivity of his people, Jacob shall rejoice, and Israel
shall be glad."

The consideration of the apostacy and corruption
of mankind, described in this Psalm, makes the pro-
phet express a longing desire for the salvation of Is-
rael, which was to go forth out of Zion, and to bring
back the people of God from that most dreadful of
all captivities, the captivity under sin and death; a
salvation, at which Jacob would indeed rejoice, and
Israel be glad. 'And how doth the whole church, at
this time, languish for the consummation of her feli-
city, looking, even until her eyes fail, for that glo-
rious day of final redemption, when every believing

l68 [Ps. 15.

heart shall exult, and all the sons of God shout
aloud for joy !

PSALM XV.

Third Day Morning Prayer,

ARGUMENT. — This is one of the Psalms appointed to be used
on Ascension day. The prophet, 1. inquires concerning the
person, who should ascend into the hill, and dwell in the
temple of Jehovah ; 2 — 5. he receives, in answer to his ques-
tion, a character of such person.

" 1. Lord, who shall ahide in thy tabernacle?
Who shall dwell in tliy holy hill?"

The prophet alludes to the hill of Sion in the
earthly Jerusalem, to the tabernacle of God which
was thereon, and the character of the priest, who
should officiate in that tabernacle. But all these
were figures of a celestial Jerusalem, a spiritual
Sion, a true Tabernacle, and an eternal Priest. To
the great originals therefore we must transfer our
ideas, and consider the inquiry as made after Him,
•who should fix his resting-place on the heavenly
mount, and exercise his unchangeable priesthood in
the temple not made with hands. And since the
disciples of this new and great High Priest become
righteous in him, and are by the Spirit conformed
to his image, the character which essentially and in-
herently belongs only to him, will derivatively be-
long to them also, who must follow his steps below,
if they would reign with him above.

" 2. He that walketh uprightly, and worketh
righteousness, and speaketh the truth in his heart."

ps. )5.] 169

The man, therefore, who would be a citizen of
Zion, and there enter into the rest and joy of his
Lord, must set that Lord always before him. Re-
newed through grace, endued with a hvely faith, and
an operative charity, he must consider and imitate
the life of that blessed Person who walked amongst
men, without partaking of their corruptions; who
conversed unblameably with sinners; who could give
this challenge to his inveterate enemies, " Which of
you convinceth me of sin?" in whom the grand Ac-
cuser, when he came, " found nothing;" who, being
himself " the Truth," thought and spake of nothing
else; making many promises, and performing them
aU.

" 3. He that backbiteth not with his tongue, nor
doth evil to his neighbour, nor taketh up a reproach
against his neighbour."

Who, knowing the sins, follies, and infirmities of
all mankind, made his tongue an instrument, not of
disclosing and exasperating, but of covering and
healing these sores in human nature; who, esteeming
every son of Adam as his neighbour, went about de-
ing good; and then laid down his life, and resigned
his breath in prayer for his murderers; who, instead
of taking up a reproach, and listening to the calum-
niator, cast him out, and silenced him, by erasing the
hand-writing that was against us, and nailing the
cancelled indictment to the cross.

" 4. In whose eyes a vile person is contemned ;
but he honoureth them that fear the Lord: he that
sweareth to his own hurt, and changeth not."

170 [Ps. 15.

Who rejected the wicked, however rich and ho-
nourable; and chose the well-incHned, however poor
and contemptible in the world; who having, by cove-
nant with the Father, engaged to keep the law, and
to taste death for every man, went willingly and
steadily through this work, and surmounted every
obstacle which could be thrown in his way, until he
declared, concerning the task appointed him, " It is
finished."

" 5. He that putteth not out his money to usury,
nor taketh reward against the innocent."

Who was so far from desiring to amass the earthly
mammon, that he would touch none of it; and re-
ceived the true riches, only that he might bestow
them upon others; who, instead of taking a reward
against the innocent, died for the guilty; and whose
sentence, when he shall sit on the throne of judg-
ment, will be equally impartial and immutable.

" 6. He that doth these things^ shall never be
moved."

In the above comment, it was thought most advi-
sable to open and display the full intent of what was
both enjoined and forbidden, by exemplifying each
particular, as receiving its utmost completion, in the
character and conduct of our blessed Lord. And
whoever shall survey and copy these virtues and
graces, as they present themselves in his life, will, it
is humbly apprehended, take the best and shortest
way to the heavenly Zion, and make that use of the
15th Psalm, which the Church may be supposed to
have had in view, when she appointed it as one of
the proper Psalms for Ascension-day.

Ps. 16.] 171

PSALM XVI.

ARGUMENT. — Upon whatever occasion, or in whatever dis-
tress, David might compose this Psalm, we are taught by St.
Peter and St. Paul, Acts ii. 24. and xiii. 35. to consider him
as speaking in the person of Christ our Lord, of whom alone
the latter part of the Psalm is true. The contents are, 1. a
prayer for support ; 2, 3. a declaration of love to the saints ;
4. a protestation against idolaters; 5 — 8. acts of love, joy,
and confidence in Jehovah; and 9 — 11. one of hope in an ap-
proaching resurrection and glorification.

" 1. Preserve me, O God: for in thee do I put
my trust."

These words are evidently spoken by one in great
distress, who addresses himself to heaven for support
under his sufferings, pleading his confidence in God,
still unshaken by all the storms that had set them-
selves against it. This might be the case of David,
and may be that of any believer. But since the
Psalm is a continued speech without change of per-
son, we may consider the whole as uttered by Him
who only could utter the concluding verses, and who
in this first verse makes his supplication to the Fa-
ther, for the promised and expected deliverance.

" 2. O my soul^ thou hast said unto the Lord,
Thou art my Lord; my goodness extendeth not to
thee; 3. But to the saints that are in the earth, and
to the excellent, in whom is all my delight."

In the Chaldee and Syriac, the latter clause of
the former of these two verses is rendered — " My

172 [Ps. 16.

goodness is from thee." An ingenious writer thinks
the Hebrew will bear this sense, in the elliptical
way, thus — " My goodness: shall I mention that?
By no means ; it is all to be ascribed to thee." The
goodness of man is all derived from God, and should
be extended to his brethren. That of Messiah
owed its original to his union with the Divinity;
and promoted the salvation of those to whon it was
communicated, that is to say, of those who thereby
became " the saints and excellent ones in the earth."
For their sakes obedience was performed, and the
propitiation made, by the Son of God, because he
loved them with an everlasting love, and placed " all
his delight" in making them happy. He rejoiced
in " the habitable parts of the earth, and his de-
lights were with the sons of men." Prov. viii. 31.

" 4. Their sorrows shall be multiplied that hasten
after another God: their drink-offerings of blood will
I not offer, nor take up their names into my lips."

Christ denounceth vengeance against those who
should make to themselves other gods, run after other
saviours, or suffer any creature to rival him in their
affections; declaring of such, that their offerings
should not be presented by him to the Father, nor
should they be partakers of the benefits of his inter-
cession. Even the bloody sacrifices of the law, in-
stituted for a time by God himself, became abomina-
tion to him when that time was expired, and the one
great sacrifice had been offered upon the altar of the
cross.

" 5. The Lord is the portion of mine inheri-

Ps. 16.] 17s

tance, and of my cup: thou maintainest my lot.
6. The lines are fallen unto me in pleasant j^/ac^^,-
yea, I have a goodly heritage."

The true David, anointed to his everlasting king-
dom, yet first a man of sorrows and a stranger upon
earth, prefers the promised inheritance of the church,
that spiritual kingdom, city, and temple of Jehovah,
before all the kingdoms of this world, and the glory
of them; he is sure that Jehovah will maintain his
lot, that he will both give and preserve to him this
his patrimony; and therefore rejoices at the divine
beauty and excellency of the heavenly Canaan. And
hence the Christian learns wherein his duty and his
happiness consist; namely, in making choice of God
for " the portion of his inheritance and of his cup,"
for his support and for his delight; in preferring the
spirit to the flesh, the church to the world, and eter-
nity to time.

*' 7. I will bless the Lord, who hath given me
counsel; my reins also instruct me in the night
seasons."

The person speaking here blesses Jehovah for
communicating that divine " counsel," that celestial
wisdom, by which he was incited and enabled to
make the foreffoin^ choice and resolution. In the
latter part of the verse is intimated the mode of these
gracious and spiritual communications, which in the
dark seasons of adversity were conveyed to the in-
most thoughts and affections of the mind, thereby to
instruct, to comfort, and to strengthen the sufferer,
until his passion should be accomplished, and the

174^ [Ps. 16.

morning of the resurrection should dawn, in which,
as we shall see, all his hope and confidence were
placed.

" 8. I have set the Lord always before me; be-
cause he is at my right hand, I shall not be moved."

The method taken by Christ as man, to support
himself in time of trouble, and persevere unto the
end, was to maintain a constant actual sense of the
presence of Jehovah, whom when he thus saw stand-
ing at his right hand, ready, at the appointed hour,
to succour and deliver him, he then feared not the
powers of earth and hell combined for his destruc-
tion. Why are our fears great, but because our faith
is little?

" 9. Therefore my heart is glad, and my glory
rejoiceth; my flesh also shall rest in hope."

Through confidence in the almighty power en-
gaged on his side, joy filled the heart of Christ, and
rendered his tongue an instrument of giving glory to
Jehovah, in the midst of his sufierings; because when
they were ended, as they must soon be, his flesh was
only to make its bed, and rest a while, in the grave,
after the labours of the day, in sure and certain hope
of a speedy resurrection and glorification. This
same consideration is to the afflicted, the sick, and
the dying Christian, a never-failing source of com-
fort, an inexhaustible fountain of joy: sin and infi-
delity are the enemies, who would fill it with earth.

" 10. For thou wilt not leave my soul in hell;
neither wilt thou sufier thy Holy One to see corrup-
tion."

Ps. 16.] VK5

It was a part of the covenant of grace, and pro-
mised by the mouth of God's prophets, that after the
death of Messiah, his animal frame, 12;S3, should not
continue, like those of other men, in the grave, blNW,
nor should corruption be permitted to seize on the
body, by which all others were to be raised to incor-
ruption and immortality. As members of Christ,
this same promise and assurance is so fars ours, that
although our mortal part must see corruption, yet it
shall not be finally left under the power of the ene-
my, but shall be raised again, and reunited to its old
companion the soul, which exists, meanwhile, in se-
cret and undiscerned regions, there waiting for the
day when its Redeemer shall triumph over corrup-
tion, in his mystical, as he hath already done in his
natural body.

" 11. Thou wilt show me the path of life: in thy
presence is fulnejss of joy; at thy right hand they^e
are pleasures for evermore."

The return of Christ from the grave is beauti-
fully described by Jehovah " showing," or discover-
ing to him a " path of life," leading through the
valley of the shadow of death, and from that valley
to the summit of the hill of Zion, or to the mount
of God in heaven, on which he now sits enthroned.
There exalted at the right hand of the Father, that
human body, which expired on the cross, and slept
in the sepulchre, lives and reigns, filled with delight,
and encircled by glory incomprehensible and endless.
Through this thy beloved Son and our dear Saviour,
" thou shalt show" us likewise, O Lord, " the path
of life;" thou shalt justify our souls by thy grace

176 [Ps. 17.

now, and raise our bodies by thy power at the last
day; when earthly sorrow shall terminate in heavenly
joy, and momentary pain shall be rewarded with
everlasting felicity.

PSALM XVII.

ARGUMENT. — The Psalmist, confiding in the justice of his
cause, 1 — 4. prayeth for a hearing and decision of it , 5 — 9.
he petitioneth for the divine guidance and protection ; 10 — 12.
he describeth the temper and behaviour of his enemies; 13,
14. beseecheth God to disappoint them, and to deliver him;
he endeth with an act of faith.

" 1. Hear the right, O Lord, or, Hear, O righ-
teous Lord, attend unto my cry, give ear unto my
prayer, i/iat goeth not out of feigned lips."

The righteousness of the judge, and the importu-
nity and sincerity of the petitioner, are the arguments
here urged for a speedy and favourable determina-
tion. Slander and calumny were the portion of
David, and of a greater than David, till the righ-
teous Lord manifested himself on their behalf. And
shall not God, in like manner, judge and avenge the
cause of " his own elect, who cry day and night un-
to him? I tell you," saith Christ himself, " that
he will avenge them speedily." Luke xviii. 8.
" Men ought always to pray, therefore, and not to
faint."

" 2. Let my sentence come forth from thy pre-
sence; let thine eyes behold the things that are
equal."

Ps. 17.] 177

A court of equity is ever sitting in heaven, to re-
ceive appeals from the wrongful decisions of men
here below; and in that court a judge presides, whose
impartial hand holds the scales of justice even; whose
unerring eye marks the least inclination of either;
and from whose sentence injured innocence is there-
fore taught to expect redress.

'' 3. Thou hast proved mine heart; thou hast
visited 7ne in the night; thou hast tried me, and
shalt find nothing: I am purposed that my mouth
shall not transgress."

The sufferer's " heart condemns him not, and he
has confidence towards God," to whom he applies
as the proper judge, because the only witness, of his
integrity. God had " proved" not only his words
and actions, but his " heart," which man could not
do: God had " visited," observed, and explored him
" in the night," when secrecy and solitude prompt
the hypocrite to sin, and when the undisciplined ima-
gination wanders abroad, like the bird of darkness,
after forbidden objects: God had " tried" him, as
silver or gold, in the fiery furnace of adversity; and
if there be any dross or scum in the metal, it will
then rise to the top, and show itself; yet nothing
appeared, not so much as the alloy of an intemperate
word. Absolutely and universally this could only be
true of the holy Jesus; however, through his grace,
it may be true of some of his disciples in particular
instances of crimes falsely laid to their charge. Let
us pray that it may be true of us, whenever God shall
please to prove and try us.

178 [V.. 17.

« 4. Concerning the works of men, by the word
of thy lips I have kept me from the paths of the de-
stroyer."

The way to hold fast our integrity, in time of temp-
tation, is here pointed out. " Conccrnincr the works
of men," that is, such works as fallen, depraved man
has recourse to, when in distress, *' by the word
of thy lips," by treasuring up thy word in my heart,
as the rule of my actions, and the guide of my life,
" I have watched," observed, that is, in order to
avoid, " the paths of the destroyer." This seems
to be the literal construction, and to convey the lull
meaning of the verse, which contains exactly the
same sentiment with that in Psalm cxix. 11. ** Thy
word have 1 hid in mine heart, that I might not
sin against thee." If the word cither be not in
the heart at all, or if it be not there in such a man-
ner as to be ready at all times for use and appli-
cation, the man is in danger, at every turn, of going
astray.

" 5. Hold up my goings in thy paths, f/iaf my
footsteps slip not."

The word of God affords us direction, but the
grace of God must enable us to follow its direction,
and that grace must be obtained by prayer. The
" paths of God" are opposed to the " paths of the
destroyer," the way of righteousness to that of sin.
The image here is taken from one walking in a slip-
pery path, for such is that of human lii'e, by reason
of temptations; so that the behever, especially if he
be young, feeble, and inexperienced, has great need
of a divine supporter in every step ho takes.

Ps. 17.] 179

" 6. I have called upon thee, for thou wilt hear
me, or, because thou hast heard me, O God: in-
cline thine ear to me, and hear my speech."

The sweet experience of former deHverances giv-
eth a comfortable assurance of protection in present
and future dangers; and this should cause us to fly
for refuge at all times, by strong supplication and
prayer, to him, who is able and willing to save us
from death.

" 7. Show thy marvellous loving-kindness, O
thou that savest by thy right hand them which put
their trust in thce^ from those that rise up agaimt
thzmr

This is an address to the " loving-kindness," or
mercy of God, which the Psalmist entreats him to
display and magnify in his favour, since it was the
promise, the delight, and the glory of Jehovah, to
save those who behoved and trusted in him. There
are two ways of rendering the latter clause of this
verse: either, " Thou who savest by thy right hand,"
&c. as our translation has it: or, " Thou that savest
them which put their trust in thee from those that
rise up at, or, against thy right hand," meaning the
opposers of the divine counsels and dispensations: as
in Zech. iii. 1. Satan is said to " stand at Joshua's
right hand," to obstruct the building of the temple.

" 8. Keep me as the apple of the eye: hide me
under the shadow of thy wings. 9. From the wick-
ed that oppress me, from my deadly enemies, *who
compass me about."

180 [Ps. 17.

He who has so fenced and guarded that precious
and tender part, the pupil of the eye, and who has
provided for the security of a young and helpless
brood under the wings of their dam, is here entreat-
ed to extend the same providential care and parental
love to the souls of his elect, equally exposed to dan-
ger, equally beset with enemies. Of his readiness
so to do he elsewhere assureth us, under the same
exquisite imagery, Zech. ii. 8. " He that toucheth
you, toucheth the apple of his eye." Matth. xxiii.
37. " O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, how often would
I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen
gathereth her chickens under her wings!"

" 10. They are enclosed in their own fat; with
their mouth they speak proudly." '

The last argument made use of by the Psalmist,
in his address to God, is the character of his adver-
saries. He begins with their " pride," and its cause,
" fulness of bread," or high living. Dr. Hammond
prefers the rendering which follows: " They have
shut up their mouth with fat; they speak proudly."
Either way the meaning plainly is, that pride is the
child of plenty, begotten by self-indulgeance, which
hardens the hearts of men against the fear of God,
and the love of their neighbours; rendering them in-
sensible to the judgments of the former, and the
miseries of the latter. Let every man take care,
that, by pampering the flesh, he do not raise up an
enemy of this stamp against himself.

" n. They have now compassed us in our
steps: they have set their eyes bowing down to the
ground."

Ps. 17.] 181

" They have compassed us in our steps;" that is,
literally, Saul and his followers had watched, pur-
sued, and at last hemmed in David and his men:
" They have set, or fixed their eyes" upon us, yia^
nil33b, " to lay us prostrate upon the earth," or
finally to make an end of us. Such are our spiritual
enemies; such is their intention and our danger.

" 12. Like as a lion that is greedy of his prey,
and as it w^ere a young lion lurking in secret
places."

The similitude of a lion, either roarin^j abroad in
quest of his prey, or couching in secret, ready to
spring upon it the moment it comes within his reach,
is often employed by David, to describe the power
and malice of his enemies. Christians cannot forget,
that they likewise have an adversary of the same na-
ture and character; one ever seeking whom, and
contriving how, he may devour.

" 13. Arise, O Lord, disappoint him, cast him
down: deliver my soul from the wricked, iv/iic/i is
thy sword; 14. From men w/nc/i are thy hand, O
Lord, from men of the world, "-doJiich have their por-
tion in this life, and whose belly thou fillest with
thy \\\^ t7'easure : they are full of children, and leave
the rest of their substance to their babes."

The Psalmist, having characterized those who pur-
sued after him to take away his life, now entreats
God to " arise" or appear in his cause, " to dis-
appoint or " prevent" the enemy in his designs, and
to '* cast him down," to overthrow and subdue him.
The next words may be thus rendered: " Deliver
Vol. I. I

182 [Ps. 17.

my soul from the wicked by thy sword, from men by
thy hand, O Lord, from the men of the world;"
the expressions, " sword" and " hand of Jehovah,"
being frequently used to denote his power and ven-
geance. The -ibn*o D^riD, or " mortals of the tran-
sitory world," from whom David prays to be deli-
vered, are said to be such as have " their portion in
this life," such as, in our Saviour's language, " have
their reward" here, and are not to expect it here-
after; " whose bellies thou fillest with thy hid trea-
sure;" whom thou permittest to enjoy thy temporal
blessings in abundance, to "receive their good things"
upon earth, and to " fare sumptuously every day;"
as if it were to convince us, in what estimation we
. ought to hold the world, when we see the largest
shares of it dealt out to the most worthless of the
sons of Adam: " Ihey are full of, or abound in
children, and leave the residue of their substance
to their babes;" after living in plenty, perhaps to
a good old age, they leave behind them a numerous
and flourishing posterity, who inherit their estates,
and go on, as their fathers did before them, without
piety to God, or charity to the poor. From these
men and their ways, we have all reason to say with
David, " Good Lord deliver us!"

" 15. As for me, I will behold thy face in righte-
ousness: 1 shall be satisfied, when I awake, with thy
likeness."

Instead of setting our affections on things below,
the prophet instructs us, after his example, to place
all our happmess in the vision of God, and in that
righteousness which leads to it; since the hour is

Ps. 18.1

183

coming, when we shall awake, and arise, after the
divine simihtude; when we shall be like God, for
we shall see him as he is, and by seeing him shall
be changed into the same image; and then shall every
desire be satisfied with the fulness of joy, with the
exceeding abundance of unutterable glory.

PSALM XVIII.

Third Day. — Evening Prayer,

ARGUMENT.— This Psalm, as we are informed by the sacred
history, 2 Sam. xxii. 1. was composed and sung by David, in
the day that the Lord had delivered him out of the hand of all
his enemies, and out of the hand of Saul. It contains, ver.
1 — 3. an address of thanks to Jehovah : 4 — 6. a relation of
sufferings undergone, and prayers made for assistance j 7 — 15.
a magnificent description of the divine interposition in favour
of the suflferer, and 16 — 19. of the deliverance wrought for
him, 20 — 24. in consideration of his righteousness, 25 — 28.
according to the tenor of God's equitable proceedings ; 29 — 36.
to Jehovah is ascribed the glory of the victory, which, 37 — 42.
is represented as every way complete, by the cestruction of all
opponents, and, 43 — 45. the submission of the heathen ; for
these events, 46 — 50. God is blessed and praised. As the
sublimity of the figures used in this Psalm, and the consent of
ancient commentators, even Jewish as well as Christian, but
above all, the citations made from it in the New Testament, do
evince, that the kingdom of Messiah is here pointed at, under
that of David ; an application is therefore made of the whole,
in the ensuing comment, to the sufl'erings, resurrection, righte-
ousness, and conquests of Christ, to the destruction of the
Jews, and conversion of the Gentiles. In a word, the Psalm,
it is .ipprehended, should now be considered as a glorious epi-
nikion, or triumphal hymn, to be sung by the church, risen and
victorious in Christ her Head.

" 1. I will love thee, O Lord, my strength,"
I 2

184 [Ps. 18.

Let us suppose king Messiah, like his illustrious
progenitor of old, seated in peace and triumph upon
the throne designed and prepared for him. From
thence let us imagine him taking a retrospect view of
the sufferings he had undergone, the battles he had
fought, and the victories he had gained. With this
idea duly impressed upon our minds, we shall be
able, in some measure, to conceive the force of the
words, " ^72rnK, with ah the yearnings of affection,
I will love thee, O Jehovah, my strength, through
my union with whom, I have finished my work, and
am now exalted to praise thee, in the name of a
redeemed w^orld." Whenever we sing this Psalm,
let us think we are singing it in conjunction with our
Saviour, newly risen from the dead; a consideration
which surely will incite us to do it with becoming
gratitude and devotion,

" 2. The Lord is my rock, and my fortress, and
my deliverer; my God, my strength, in whom I
trust; my buckler, and the horn of my salvation,
a7id my high tower."

In other words, explanatory of the figures here
made use of. Through Jehovah it is, that I have
stood immoveable amidst a sea of temptations and
afflictions; he has supported me under my troubles,
and delivered me out of them; his protection has
secured me, his power has broken and scattered
mine enemies; and by his mercy and truth am I now-
set up on high above them all. How lovely these
strains, in the mouth of the church miUtant ! How
glorious will they be, when sung by the church tri-
umphant ! It is observable, that the words, " in

Ps. 18.1 1^^

whom I trust," or, as the original has it, " I will
trust in him," are referred to, in the margin of our
English Bible, as quoted from this verse by St. Paul,
Heb. ii. 13. If it be so, the reader, by turning to
the place, may furnish himself with a demonstration,
that in the xviii. as well as in the xvi. Psalm,
David speaks in the person of Christ.

" 3. I will, 6>r, did, call upon the Lord, "who is
worthy to be praised; so shall I be, or, so was I,
saved from mine enemies."

As the Psalm so evidently throughout is a thanks-
giving for past deliverances, the verbs in this verse
seem to require the same rendering which is given
to them below, at ver. 6. Jehovah is to be " called
upon," both in adversity and in prosperity; in the
former with a voice of prayer, in the latter with that
of praise. " Is any afflicted?" saith St. James,
V. 13. " Let him pray. Is any merry ? Let him
sing Psalms."

" 4. The sorrows, or, cords, of death compassed
me, and the floods of ungodly men, or, Belial, made
me afraid. 5. The sorrows, or, cords of hell, or,
the grave, compassed me about ; the snares of death
prevented me."

St. Peter, in his sermon on the day of Pentecost,
says, when speaking of Christ — " Whom God hath
raised up, having loosed the pains of death, because
it was not possible that he should be holden of it:"
Acts ii. 24. " Now the Hebrew word bnn," as
Dr. Hammond well observes on that place, " signi-
fies two things, a cord or band, and a pang, espe-

186 [Ps. 18.

cially of women in travail : hence the LXX meet-
ing with the word, Psalm xvdii. where it certainly
signifies yjiivici^ co?'ds or bands, have yet rendered
it (Aivk;, jpangs; and from their example here, St.
Luke hath used rac coltvai; ^uyoltov, the jJains or
pa?igs of death; when both the addition of the word
Kvaa^, loosing, and yt^ocriKT^oci, being holden fast,
do show the sense is hands, or coi^ds" From the
passage in the Acts, with this learned and judicious
remark upon it, we obtain not only the true render-
ing of the phrase " niD >bin, cords, or bands of
death," but also something more than an intimation
that, in the verse of our Psalm now before us,
David speaks of Christ, that the " cords of death,"
those " bands" due to our sins, " compassed him
about," and the " floods of Belial," the powers of
darkness and ungodliness, like an overwhelming tor-
rent breaking forth from the bottomless pit, " made
him afraid," in the day of his agony, when the appre-
hensions of the bitter cup cast his soul into unutter-
able amazement, and he beheld himself environed
by those " snares" which had captivated and de-
tained all the children of Adam. David, surrounded
by Saul and his blood-thirsty attendants, was a
lively emblem of the suffering Jesus, and therefore
the same description is appUcable to both; as the
words of the second Psalm, in Hke manner, celebrate
the inauguration of the son of Jesse, and that of the
Son of God.

" 6. In my distress I called upon the Lord, and
cried unto my God: he heard my voice out of his
temple, and my cry came before him, even into his
ears."

Ps. 18.] 187

David was in distress; David called upon Je-
hovah, the God of Israel, who dwelt between the
Cherubim in the holy place; and by him the prayer
of David was heard. Much greater was the dis-
tress of Christ, who likewise, as St. Paul speaks,
" in the days of his flesh offered up prayers and
supplications, with strong crying and tears, unto
him that was able to save him from death, and was
heard;" Heb. v. 7. his voice ascended to the eter-
nal temple, his powerful cry pierced the ears of the
Father everlasting, and brought salvation from heaven
at the time appointed. The church also is distressed
upon the earth, she crieth, her cries are heard, and
will be answered in the day of God.

" 7. Then the earth shook and trembled; the
foundations also of the hills moved and were shaken,
because he was wroth."

At this verse the prophet begins to describe the
manifestation of divine power in favour of the Righ-
teous Sufferer. The imagery employed is borrowed
from Mount Sinai, and those circumstances which
attended the delivery of the law from thence. When
a monarch is angry, and prepares for war, his whole
kingdom is instantly in commotion. Universal na-
ture is here represented as feehng the effects of its
sovereign's displeasure, and all the visible elements
are disordered. The earth shakes from its founda-
tions, and all its rocks and mountains tremble before
the majesty of their great Creator, when he ariseth
in judgment. This was really the case at the resur-
rection of our Lord from the dead : when, as the
Evangelist informs us, " there v/as a great earth-

188 LPs. 18.

quake," and the grave owned its inability any longer
to detain the blessed body, which had been com-
mitted, for a season, to its custody. And what
happened at the resurrection of Jesus, should re-
mind us of what shall happen, when the earth shall
tremble, and the dead shall be raised, at the last
day.

" 8. There went up a smoke out of his nostrils,
and fire out of his mouth devoured; coals were kin-
dled by it; or, fire out of his mouth devoured, with
burning coals from before him."

The farther effects of God's indignation are repre-
sented by those of fire, which is the most terrible of
the created elements, burning and consuming all be-
fore it, scorching the ground, and causing the moun-
tains to smoke. Under this appearance God descend-
ed on the top of Sinai : thus he visited the cities of
the plain ; and thus he is to come at the end of time.
Wlienever therefore he is described as showing forth
his power and vengeance for the salvation of his
chosen, and the discomfiture of his enemies, a
" devouring fire" is the emblem made choice of,
to convey proper ideas of such his manifestations.
And from hence we may conceive the heat of his
wrath against the adversaries of man's salvation,
when, by raising his Son Jesus from the dead, he
blasted their schemes, and withered all their strength.

" 9. He bowed the heavens also, and came down:
and darkness "ijoas under his feet. 10. And he rode
upon a cherub, and did fly; yea, he did fly on the
wings of the wind. 11. He made darkness his

Ps. 18.] 189

secret place; his pavilion round about him were dark
waters a?id thick clouds of the skies."

Storms and tempests in the element of air are in-
struments of the divine displeasure, and are there-
fore selected as figures of it. When God descends
from above, the clouds of heaven compose an awful
and gloomy tabernacle, in the midst of which he is
supposed to reside: the reins of whirlwinds are in
his hand, and he directs their impetuous course
through the world; the whole artillery of the aerial
regions is at his command, to be by him employed
against his enemies, in the day of battle and war,

" 12. At the brightness t/iat was before him, his
thick clouds passed; hail-stones and coals of fire.
13. The Lord also thundered in the heavens, and
the Highest gave his voice; hail-stones and coals of
fire. 14. Yea, he sent out his arrows, and scat-
tered them; and he shot out lightnings, and discom-
fited them."

The discharge of the celestial artillery upon the
adverse powers is here magnificently described. Ter-
rible it was to them, as when lightnings and thun-
ders, hail-stones and balls of fire, making their way
through the dark clouds which contain them, strike
terror and dismay into the hearts of men. Such is
the " voice," and such are the " arrows," of the
Lord Almighty, wherewith he " discomfiteth" all
who oppose the execution of his counsels, and ob-
struct the salvation of his chosen. Every display
and description of this sort, and indeed every thun-
der-storm which we behold, should remind us of that
13

190 [Ps. 18.

exhibition of power and vengeance, which is here-
after to accompany the general resurrection.

" 15. Then the channels of waters were seen,
and the foundations of the world were discovered at
thy rebuke, O Lord, at the blast of the breath of
thy nostrils."

As the former part of the Psalmist's description
was taken from the appearance on Mount Sinai, so
this latter part seems evidently to allude to what
passed at the Red Sea, when by the breath of God
the waters were divided, the depths were discovered,
and Israel was conducted in safety through them.
By that event was prefigured the salvation of the
church universal, through the death and resurrection
of Christ, who descended into the lower parts of the
earth, and from thence re-ascended to light and life.
The 14th chapter of Exodus, which relates the pas-
sage of Israel through the Red Sea, is therefore
appointed as one of the proper lessons on Easter-day.
And thus we obtain the ideas intended to be con-
veyed in this sublime but difficult verse, together
with their application to the grand deliverance of the
true David, in the day of God's power. Indeed it
is not easy to accommodate to any part of the history
of the son of Jesse those awful, majestic, and stu-
pendous images, which are made use of throughout
this whole description of the divine manifestation,
from verse 7. But, however this be, most certainly
every part of so solemn a scene of terrors forbids us
to doubt but that a " greater than David is here;"
since creation scarce affords colours brighter and
stronger than those here employed, wherewith to

Ps. 18.j 191

paint the appearance of Jehovah at the day of final
redemption.

" 16. He sent from above, he took me, he drew
me out of many, or, the great waters. 17. He de-
livered me from my strong enemy, and from them
which hated me: for they were too strong forme."

For this purpose did God in so wonderful a man-
ner display his power and glory, that he might deli-
ver the sufferer out of his troubles. This deliverance
is first expressed metaphorically, by " drawing him
out of the great waters," and then plainly " he
delivered me from my strong enemy," &c. The
" great waters," in ver. 16. are the same with " the
floods of the ungodly," in verse 4. By these was
Messiah, like David, oppressed and overwhelmed
for a time; but, like David, he arose at length su-
perior to them all. The " strong enemy" was obliged
to give way to a " stronger than he, who overcame
him, and took from him his armour in which he
trusted, and divided the spoil." Luke xi. 22.

" 18. They prevented me in the day of my cala-
mity; but the Lord was my stay. 19. He brought
me forth also into a large place: he delivered me,
because he delighted in me."

The divine mercy is celebrated again and again
through this sacred hymn, in a variety of expressions.
Innumerable foes " prevented," that is, surrounded,
enclosed Christ on all sides, " in the day of his cala-
mity," when the powers of earth and hell set them-
selves in array against him; but " Jehovah was his
stay;" on him he reposed an unshaken confidence;

192 LPs. 18.

Jehovah therefore supported his steps, and led him
on to victory and triumph; from the narrow confines
of the grave, he translated him to unbounded empire,
because he was the son of his love, in whom he de-
Hghted.

" 20. The Lord rewarded me according to my
righteousness; according to the cleanness of my hands
hath he recompensed me. 21. For I have kept the
ways of the Lord, and have not wickedly departed
from my God. 22. For all his judgments were be-
fore me, and I did not put away his statutes from
me. 23. I was also upright before him, and I kept
myself from mine iniquity, oi', from iniquities. 24.
Therefore hath the Lord recompensed me according
to my righteousness, according to the cleanness of
my hands in his eye-sight."

Commentators have been much perplexed to ac-
count for these unlimited claims to rio;hteousness
made by David, and that, long after the matter of
Uriah, and towards the close of life. Certain indeed
it is, that the expressions, considered as David's,
must be confined either to his steadfast adherence to
the true worship, in opposition to idolatry, or to his
innocency with regard to some particular crimes false-
ly alleged against him by his adversaries. But if
the Psalm be prophetical, and sung by the victorious
monarch in the person of king Messiah: then do the
verses now before us no less exactly than beautifully
delineate that all-perfect righteousness wrought by
the Redeemer, in consequence of which, he obtained
deHverance for himself and his people. For " His"
righteousness' sake, Jehovah was well pleased, and

Ps. 18.] 193

rewarded with everlasting felicity the unspotted pu-
rity of his works: " He" performed an unsinning
obedience to every part of the law, and swerved not
from its line in a single instance: the rule was ever
in his eye, and no temptation could induce him to
deviate from its direction; like the light, he passed
through all things undefiled, and his garments were
white as the lily; therefore a glorious kingdom was
given unto him, for as much as in him the piercing
eye of heaven could discover no blemish at all.

" 25. With the merciful thou wilt show thyself
merciful; with an upright man thou wilt show thy-
self upright; 26. With the pure thou wilt show
thyself pure; and with the fro ward thou wilt show
thyself froward: Ueb. with the perverse thou wilt
wrestle, or, strive."

The reason is here assigned why God *' recom-
pensed Messiah according to the cleanness of his
hands," namely, because he is just, in rendering to
every one according to his works. " He who is
merciful" to his brethren, shall obtain the divine
mercy; he who is " upright" in his dealings with
others, will have justice done him by the great Judge,
against his iniquitous oppressors; he who is "pure"
from deceit and hypocrisy in the service of his God,
shall experience in himself a faithful and exact per-
formance of the promises which God hath made to
such; but the man that is "froward," perverse, and
rebellious, must expect to grapple with an arm which
will either humble or destroy. See Lev. xxvi. 3,
4, &c. 23, 24, &c. 1 Kings viii. 32. Prov. iii. 34.

194 [Ps. 18.

" 27. For thou wilt save the afflicted, or, lowly,
people; but wilt bring dov/n high looks."

" God resisteth the proud," saith an apostle,
" and eiveth grace unto the humble:" James iv. 6.
And, indeed, what is the covenant of grace, but a
covenant to humble pride, and to exalt humihty ;
what was it but the humility of Christ, that subdued
the pride of Satan; and on what does the salvation
of every man depend, but on the issue of the con-
test between these two principles in his heart?

" 28. For thou wih, or, dost, light my candle, or,
lamp: the Lord my God will, or, does, enhghten
my darkness."

An instance of God's favour towards the lowly
and afflicted, was the salvation vouchsafed to the suf-
fering Jesus, who, like David, after much tribulation
and persecution, under which he sunk for a time,
even so low as to the grave itself, was exalted to
glory and honour. This change of condition is set
forth by that of a " lamp," from a state of extinction
to one of illumination, darkness being a well-known
emblem of sorrow and death, as light is the estab-
lished symbol of life and joy. Remarkable are the
words of the Chaldee paraphrast upon this verse,
cited by Dr. Hammond — " Because thou shalt en-
lighten the lamp of Israel, which is put out in the
captivity, for thou art the author of the light of Is-
rael; the Lord my God shall lead me out of dark-
ness into light, and shall make me see the consola-
tion of the age which shall come to the just."

Ps. 18.] 195

" 29. For by thee I have run through, or, bro-
ken, a troop; and by my God have I leaped over a
wall."

Through the power of his divinity, the Captain of
our salvation vanquished the host of darkness, and
escaped from the sepulchre, notwithstanding all their
precautions to confine him there. Vain is every
effort, by whomsoever it is made, against the coun-
sels of omnipotence. And let us reflect, for our
comfort, that they who could not prevent the resur-
rection of Christ, cannot detain the soul of a Chris-
tian in sin, or his body in the grave.

" 30. As for- God, his way is perfect: the word of
the Lord is tried: he is a buckler to all those that
trust in him."

The " way" of God is in the course of his pro-
ceedings with men, and its " perfection" consists in
the equity of those proceedings; the promises made
in " the word of Jehovah" to his servants, are
" tried" in times of affliction and persecution, as gold
in the fire, and found pure from any dross of deceit,
or fallibility: he is ever a " shield" to protect " those
who trust in him," during their stay here, until he
becomes their " exceeding great reward" hereafter.
All this he has been to the Head, in order that he
may be all this to the members, of the church.

'*^ 31. For who is God, save the Lord? Or
who is a rock, save our God?"

" Jehovah" alone is the " God," or covenanted
Saviour, of his people; he is the only " rock," on

196 [Ps. 18.

which they may securely build their hope of heaven.
Vain were the idols of the ancient world, Baal and
Jupiter; as vain are those of modern times, Pleasure,
Honour, and Profit. They cannot bestow content,
or make their votaries happy below; much less can
they deliver from death, or open the everlasting doors
above.

" 32. It is God that girdeth me with strength,
and maketh my way perfect."

In this and the following verses are enumerated
the gifts of God to tlie spiritual warrior, whereby he
is armed and prepared for the battle, after the ex-
ample of his victorious leader. God invests him with
" strength," or what the apostle calls " the spirit of
might in the inner man," as the loins of a soldier are
braced by the military girdle; whence that of St.
Paul, " having your loins girt about with truth."
He removes every thing that may impede his pro-
gress, until he has accomplished his warfare, and
finished his course in righteousness, which seems to
be what is meant by " making his way perfect."

" 33. He maketh my feet like hinds' Jeet^ and
setteth me upon my high places."

He endueth the affections, which are the feet of
the soul, with vigour and agility, to run the way of
his commandments, to surmount every obstacle, and,
with an activity like that of the swift hart, or the
bounding roe, to conquer the steep ascent of the ever-
lasting hills, and gain the summit of the heavenly
mountain. St. Paul tells us how the feet must be
shod, for this purpose, namely, " with the prepara-
tion of the Gospel of peace."

ps. 18.] 197

" 34. He teacheth my hands to war, so that a
bow of steel is broken by mine arms."

He communicates a wisdom and a power which
nothing can withstand, instructhify and enablino- the
combatant to overcome in the conflict, to seize and
render useless the weapons of the adversary. St.
Paul puts into the Christian warrior's hand, " the
sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God."

" 35. Thou hast also given me the shield of thy
salvation: and thy right hand hath holden me up,
and thy gentleness, or, thy afflictions, have made me
great."

The salvation of God is a defence against all
temptations, to such as believe in it; whence St.
Paul styles this piece of armour, the shield of Faith,
" wherewith," says he, " ye may be able to quench
all the fiery darts of the devil." The " right hand"
of God must support and sustain us at all times; and
the wholesome discipline of the Christian camp, the
chastisements and corrections of our heavenly Father,
must train us up to true greatness, and prepare us for
the kingdom of heaven. The soldiers, like their
great Leader, must be " made perfect through suf-
ferings."

" 36. Thou hast enlarged my steps under me,
that, or, and, my feet did not slip."

In other words, God had opened a free course for
him to victory and triumph, and had also endued
him with strength to run that course; thus removing
the two mischievous effects of' sin, which not only

198 [Ps. 18.

precluded the way to heaven, but deprived us of the
ability to travel in it.

" 37. I have pursued mine enemies, and over-
taken them; neither did I turn again till they were
consumed. 38. I have wounded them, that they
were not able to rise: they are fallen under my
feet."

If we suppose David in his conquests to have pre-
figured victorious Messiah, then have we, in these
and the subsequent verses, a sublime description of
that vengeance which Jesus, after his resurrection and
ascension, inflicted on his hardened and impenitent
enemies. His wTath " pursued" and " overtook"
them, in the day of visitation ; nor did it return, till,
like a devouring fire, it had " consumed" the prey.
The Jews were cast down, " not able to rise," or
lift up themselves as a people, being crushed under
the feet of the once-despised and insulted Nazarene.
Let us reflect upon the impotence of our spiritual
adversaries, when Jesus declares v/ar against them;
and let us beseech him to conquer them in us, as he
has conquered them for us.

" 39. For thou hast girded me with strength
unto the battle; thou hast subdued under me those
that rose up against me. 40. Thou hast also given
me the necks of mine enemies; that I might destroy
them that hate me."

With the almighty power of the Godhead was
Jesus invested, by which all enemies were subdued
unto him: the stiff " necks" of his crucifiers were
bowed under him, and utter destruction became the

ps. 18.1 ^99

portion of those who hated him, and had "sent after
him, saying, We will not have this man to reign
over us." So gird us thy soldiers and servants, O
Lord Jesus, to the hattle, and suhdue under us, hy
the power of thy grace, those that rise up against us,
whetlier they he our own corrupt desires, or the
malicious spirits of darkness; so give us, like another
Joshua, the " necks'' of these our enemies, that we
may destroy them that hate, and would destroy us.

" 41. They cried, hut there was none to save
them; even unto the Lord, hut he answered them
not."

Never was there a more just and lively portrait of
the lamentahle and desperate state of the Jews, when
their calamities came upon them. " They cried,
but — none to save!" They had rejected him who
alone could save, and who was now ahout to destroy
them. They cried to Jehovah, and thought them-
selves still his favourite nation; but Jehovah and
Jesus were one; so that after putting the latter from
them, they could not retain the former on their side.
" He answered them not!" It was not too late to
knock, when the door was shut; too late to cry for
mercy, when it was the time of justice. Let us knock,
while yet the door may be opened; and not begin to
pray, when prayer shall be no longer heard.

" 42. Then did I beat them small as the dust
before the wind: I did cast them out as the dirt in
the streets."

The nature of that judgment which was executed
upon the Jews, cannot be more accurately delineated,

200 [Ps. 18.

than by the two images here made use of. They
were broken in pieces, and dispersed over the face of
the earth, by the breath of God's displeasure, like
" dust before the wind; and as dirt in the streets,
they were cast out," to be trodden under foot by all
nations. O that every nation would so consider, as
to avoid their crime and their punishment !

" 43. Thou hr.st delivered me from the strivings
of the people, and thou hast made me the head of
the heathen: a people whom I have not known shall
serve me."

If David was delivered from the strivings of the
people; if the adjacent heathen nations were added
to his kingdom, and a " people, whom he had not
known, served him;" how much more M'as this the
case of the Son of David, when he was " delivered,"
by his resurrection, from the power of all his ene-
mies; when he was made " head of the heathen,"
of whom, after their conversion, his church was, and
to this day is, composed; and when, instead of the
rejected Jews, a people, to whom before he had not
been known, became his servants?

" 44. As soon as they hear of me, they shall
obey me: the strangers shall submit themselves unto
me. 45. The strangers shall fade away, and be
afraid out of their close places."

" As soon as they hear of me, they shall obey
me;" hereby is intimated the readiness with which
the Gentiles should flow into the church, upon the
preaching of the gospel to them, when the Jews,
after having so long and so often heard it, had nailed

PS. 18.] 201

Christ to the cross, and driven the apostles out from
among them. " The strangers shall submit them-
selyes unto me;" the nations who were " aliens from
the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers to the
covenants of promise," either cordially submitted to
the sceptre of Christ, or at least dissembled their
hostility, and yielded a feigned submission (for so the
word u^nn sometimes signifies:) " the strangers shall
fade away;" that is, such of them as set themselves
against me, shall find their strength blasted and
withered as a leaf in autumn, and shall fall at the
sound of my name and my victories; " they shall be
afraid out of their close places;" or rather " they
shall come trembling from their strong holds," as
places not able to protect them, and therefore they
will sue for peace. Such seems to be the import of
these two verses, which therefore denote the conquest
of Messiah to have been every way complete. And
accordingly, in the remaining part of the Psalm, the
church, through Christ her Head, blesseth Jehovah
for the same.

" 46. The Lord liveth, and blessed be my rock;
and let the God of my salvation be exalted. 47. It
is God that avengeth me, and subdueth the people
under me. 48. He delivereth me from mine ene-
mies; yea, thou liftest me up above those that rise
up against me: thou hast delivered me from the vio-
lent man."

In other words, " And now, the Lord God om-
nipotent liveth and reigneth, for ever blessed and
exalted, as the God of salvation: by whom I am
avenged of those who persecuted me, and am ad-

202 [Ps. 18.

vanced to empire; my enemies are fallen, and my
throne is established." Thus we learn to trust in
Jehovah without fear, when our enemies are victo-
rious, and to glorify him without reserve, when we
are so.

" 49. Therefore will I give thanks unto thee, O
Lord, among the heathen, and sing praises unto
thy name."

Remarkable is the manner in which St. Paul cites
this verse, Rom. xv. 9. The context runs thus: —
" Now I say, that Jesus Christ was a minister of the
circumcision for the truth of God, to confirm the
promises made unto the fathers; and that the Gen-
tiles might glorify God, for his mercy; as it is writ-
ten. For this cause will 1 confess to thee among the
Gentiles, and sing unto thy name." This verse is
by the Apostle produced as a proof, that the Gen-
tiles were one day to glorify God, for the mercy
vouchsafed them by Jesus Christ. But, according
to the letter of the passage, King David only says,
that he will give " thanks unto God among the
heathen," on account of his own deliverance, and
exaltation to the tlnone of Israel; for upon that occa-
sion we know that he composed and sung the Psalm.
This citation brought by St. Paul, cannot therefore
be to the purpose for whicli it is brought, unless the
Psalm have a double sense; unless God be glorified
in it for the victory and inthronization of Christ, as
well as for those of David; and this cannot be, un-
less the same words, v/hich literally celebrate the one,
do likewise prophetically celebrate the other; unless
David be a figure of Christ, and speak in his per-

Ps. laj 203

son, and in that of his body, the church. While
this Psahn is used as a Christian hymn, in the Gen-
tile Christian church, David still continues, as he
foresaw he should do, " to give thanks unto Jeho-
vah, to glorify God among the Gentiles," for the
mercies of redemption, and to " sing praises unto
his name."*

" 50. Great deliverance giveth he to his King;
and showeth mercy to his Anointed, to David, and
to his seed for evermore."

" Great deliverance giveth he unto his King;" to
king David, in saving him from Saul, and his other
temporal enemies, and seating him on the earthly
throne of Israel; to King Messiah, in rescuing him
from death and the grave, and exalting him to an
heavenly throne, as Head of the church: " and
showeth mercy to his Anointed;" to him who was
anointed outwardly, and in a figure, with oil; and to
him who was anointed inwardly, and in truth, with
the Holy Ghost and with power: " to David, and
to his seed for evermore;" to the literal David, and
to his royal progeny, of whom, according to the
flesh, Christ came; and to Christ himself, the spiri-
tual David, the beloved of God, with all those who,
through faith, become his children, the sons of God,
and heirs of eternal life.

* " This verse is applied in Rom. xv. 9. to the calhng of tlie
Gentiles unto the faith of Clirist, and praise unto God therefore.
By which we are taught, that of Christ and his kingdom, this
Psalm is chiefly intended." Ainsworth.

204 IPs. 19.

PSALM XIX.

Fourth Day. — Morning Prayer.

ARGUMENT. — In the former part of this beautiful Psalm, ver.
] — 6. the heavens are represented as the instructors of man-
kind; the subject, the universality, and the manner of their
instructions are pointed out ; tlie glory, beauty, and powerful
effects of the solar light are described. The latter part of the
Psalm, 7 — 14. contains an encomium on the word of God, in
which its properties are enumerated; and a prayer of the
Psalmist for pardoning and restraining grace, and for the accep-
tance of these and all other his devotions and meditations.
From a citation which St. Paul hath made of the 4th verse, it
appears, that, in the exposition, we are to raise our thoughts
from things natural to things spiritual ; we are to contemplate
the publication of the Gospel, the manifestation of the Light
of Life, the Sun of Righteousness, and the efficacy of evangeli-
cal doctrine. In this view the ancients have considered the
Psalm, and the church hath therefore appointed it to be read
on Christmas-day.

" 1. The heavens declare the glory of God, and
the firmament showeth his handy-work."

Under the name of " heaven," or " the heavens,"
is comprehended that fluid mixture of light and air,
which is every where diffused about us; and to the
influence of which, are owing all the beauty and
fruitfulness of the earth, all vegetable and animal
life, and the various kinds of motion throughout the
system of nature. By their manifold and beneficial
operations, therefore, as well as by their beauty and
magnificence, "the heavens declare the glory of
God;" they point Him out to us, who, in Scrip-
ture language, is styled " the glory of God;"

Ps. 19.1 205

by whom themselves and all other things were
made, and are upholden; and who is the author
of every grace and blessing to the sons of men:
" the firmament," or expansion of the celestial ele-
ments, wherever it extends, " showeth his handy-
work," not only as the Creator, but likewise as the
Redeemer, of the world. And thus do the heavens
afford inexhaustible matter for contemplation and
devotion, to the Philosopher and to the Christian.

" 2. Day unto day uttereth speech, and night
unto night showeth knowledge."

The labours of these our instructors know no in-
termission, but they continue incessantly to lecture
us in the science of divine wisdom. There is one
glory of the sun, which shines forth by day; and
there are other glories of the moon and of the stars,
which become visible by night. And because day
and night interchangeably divide the world between
them, they are therefore represented as transmit-
ting in succession, each to other, the task enjoined
them, like the two parts of a choir, chanting forth
alternately the praises of God. How does inani-
mate nature reproach us with our indolence and in-
devotion !

" 3. There is no speech nor language w/iere their
voice is not heard."

Our translators, by the words inserted in a differ-
ent character, have declared the sense of this pas-
sage to be, that there is no nation or language, whi-
ther the instruction diffused by the heavens doth not
reach. But as the same thought is so fully expressed
Vol. I. K

206

LPs. 19.

in the next verse, " Their sound is gone out," &c.
it seems most advisable to adhere to the original,
which runs literally thus: " No speech, no words,
their voice is not heard:" that is, although the
heavens are thus appointed to teach, yet it is not by
articulate sounds that they do it ; they are not en-
dowed, like man, with the faculty of speech ; but
they address themselves to the mind of the intelligent
beholder in another way, and that, when understood,
a no less forcible way, the way of picture or repre-
sentation. So manifold is the wisdom of God; so
various are the ways by which he communicates it
to men.

" 4. Their line is gone out throughout all the
earth, and their words to the end of the world."

The instruction which the heavens disperse
abroad, is universal as their substance, which ex-
tends itself in " lines" or rays, " overall the earth;"
by this means their " words," or rather, their " sig-
nificant actions"* and operations, are every where
present even " to the ends of the world;" and there-
by they preach to all nations the power and wisdom,
the mercy and loving-kindness of the Lord. The
apostles' commission was the same with that of the
heavens; and St. Paul, Rom. x. 18. has applied the
natural images of this verse to the manifestation of
the Light of Life, by the sermons of those who were
sent forth for that purpose. He is speaking of those
Jews who had not obeyed the Gospel. " But I

* D.T'bn — The verb bbn (whence -bn words,) is used for ex-
pressing the meaning by signs. It has this sense Prov. vi. 13.
ibsna bbl?3, speakmg with his foot.

Ps i9.j 207

say," argues he, " have they not heard? Yes, ve-
rily, their sound went into all the earth, and their
words unto the ends of the world." As if he had
said, They must have heard, since the apostles were
commanded not to turn unto the Gentiles, till they
had published their glad tidings throughout Judea ;
but the knowledge of him is now become universal,
and all flesh has seen the glory of the Lord; the
Light Divine, like that in the heavens, has visited
the whole world, as the prophet David foretold, in
Psalm xix. The apostle cannot be supposed to have
made use of this Scripture in a sense of accommoda-
tion only, because he cites it among other texts which
he produces merely as prophecies. And if such be
its meaning, if the heavens thus declare the glory
of God, and this is the great lesson they are inces-
santly teaching; what other language do they speak
than that their Lord is the representative of ours,
the bright ruler in the natural world of the more
glorious one in the spiritual, their sun of the " Sun
of Rifjhteousness ?" But of this the followinjr
verses will lead us to speak more particularly.

" 5. Li them hath he set a tabernacle for the
sun, which is as a bridegroom coming out of his
chamber, a7id rejoiceth as a strong man to run a
race."

In the centre of the heavens there is a tent pitch-
ed by the Creator, for the residence of that most glo-
rious of inanimate substances, the solar light ; from
thence it issues with the beauty of a bridegroom,
and the vigour of a champion, to run its course, and
perform its operations. A tabernacle, in like manner,
was prepared for him, who saith of himself, " I am
K2

208 [Ps. 10.

the light of the world:" John viii. 12. And as the
light of the sun goes out in the morning with incon-
ceivable activity, new and youthful in itself, and com-
municating life and gaiety to all things around it,
like a bridegroom, in the marriage garment, from
his chamber to his nuptials ; so, at his incarnation,
did the Light Divine, the promised bridegroom, visit
his church, being clad himself, and clothing her,
with that robe of righteousness which is styled, in
holy Scripture, the marriage garment; and the joy
which his presence administered, was like the benefits
of it, universal. And as the material light is always
ready to run its heavenly race, daily issuing forth
with renewed vigour, like an invincible champion,
still fresh to labour; so likewise did he rejoice to run
his glorious race ; he excelled in strength, and his
works were great and marvellous; he triumphed over
the powers of darkness ; he shed abroad on all sides
his bright beams upon his church ; he became her
deliverer, her protector, and support; and showed
himself able in every respect, to accomplish for her
the mighty task he had undertaken. What a mar-
vellous instrument of the Most High is the sun at
his rising, considered in this view !

*' 6. His going forth is from the end of heaven,
and his circuit unto the ends of it ; and there is no-
thing hid from the heat thereof."

The light diflPused on every side from its fountain,
extendeth to the extremities of heaven, filhng the
whole circle of creation, penetrating even to the in-
most substances of grosser bodies, and acting in and
through all other matter, as the general cause of life
and motion. Thus unbounded and efficacious, was

Ps, 19.] S09

the influence of the Sun of Righteousness, when he
sent out his word, enhghtening and enlivening all
things by the glory of his grace. His celestial rays,
like those of the sun, took their circuit round the
earth; they went forth out of Judea into all parts of
the habitable world, and there was no corner of it
so remote as to be without the reach of their pene-
trating and healing power. '* The Lord gave the
word; great was the company of those that published
it:" Ps. Ixviii. 11. It was the express declaration
of our Saviour hnnself, " This gospel of the king-
dom shall be preached in all the world, for a witness
unto all nations, and then shall the end come:"
Matt. xxiv. 14. And St. Paul affirms, that the Gos-
pel was " come unto all the world, and had been
preached to every creature under heaven:" Col. i.
6, and 23. The prophet, therefore, having thus
foretold the mission of the apostles, and the success
of their ministry, proceeds, in the next place, to
describe their " doctrine;" so that what follows is
a fine encomium upon the gospel, written with all
the simplicity peculiar to the sacred language, and
in a strain far surpassing the utmost efforts of human
eloquence.

" 7. The law, or, doctrine, of the Lord is per-
fect, converting, or, restoring the soul: the testimony
of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple."

The word of God, in this and the following
verses, has several most valuable properties ascribed
to it. It is perfectly well adapted, in every particular,
to " convert," to restore, to bring back " the soul"
from error to truth, from sin to righteousness, from

210 [Ps. 19.

sickness to health, from death to life; as it convinces
of sin, it holds forth a Saviour; it is a means of
grace, and a rule of conduct. It giveth wisdom,
and hy wisdom stability, to those who might other-
wise, through ignorance and weakness, be easily de-
ceived and led astray; " it is sure," certain and in-
fallible in its directions and informations, " making
wise the simple."

" 8. The statutes of the Lord are right, rejoic-
ing the heart : the commandment of the Lord is
pure, enlightening the eyes."

To those who study the righteousness of God
therein communicated to man, it becometh a never-
failing source of consolation and holy joy ; the con-
gcience of the reader is cleansed by the blood, and
rectified by the Spirit of Christ; and such a eon-
science is a continual feast: " the statutes of the
Lord are right, rejoicing the heart." The di-
.vine word resembleth the light in its brightness and
purity, by which are unveiled and manifested to the
eyes of the understandmg, the wonderful works and
dispensations of God, the state of man, the nature
of sin, the way of salvation, the joys of heaven, and
the pains of hell: " the commandment of the Lord
is pure, enlightening the eyes."

" 9. The fear of the Lord is clean, endurinff for
ever: the judgments of the Lord arc true «/z^ righ-
teous alton-ether."

" The fear of the Lord," which restrains from
transgressing that law by which it is bred in the
heart, is in its effect a preservative of mental purity.

Ps. 19.

211

and, in the duration both of its effect and its reward,
eternal: it " endureth for ever." " The judg-
ments of the Lord are" not, Hke those of men, of-
tentimes wrong and unjust, but all his determinations
in his word are ** truth and righteousness united"
in perfection.

" 10. More to be desired are they than gold,
yea, than much fine gold; sweeter also than honey,
and the honeycomb."

What wonder is it, that this converting, instruct-
ing, exhilarating, enlightening, eternal, true, and
righteous word, should be declared preferable to the
riches of eastern kings, and sweeter to the soul of
the pious believer, than the sweetest thing we know
of is to the bodily taste? How ready we are to
acknowledge ail this ! Yet, the next hour, perhaps,
we part with the true riches to obtain the earthly
mammon, and barter away the joys of the spirit for
the gratifications of sense ! Lord, give us affections
towards thy word in some measure proportioned to
its excellence ; for we can never love too much what
we can never admire enough.

" IL Moreover, by them is thy servant warned;
and in keeping them there is great reward."

The Psalmist here bears his own testimony to the
character above given of the divine word; as if he
had said. The several parts of this perfect law, here-
after to be published to the whole race of mankind,
have been all along my great instructors, and the
only source of all the knowledge to which thy ser-
vant hath attained; and I am fully assured, that the

212 [Ps. 19.

blessed fruit of them, when they are duly observed,
and have their proper effect, is exceeding glorious,
even eternal life.

" 12. Who can understand his errors? Cleanse
thou me from secret JhultsJ'

The perfection and spirituality of God's law ren-
der it almost impossible for a fallen son of Adam
even to know all the innumerable instances of his
transgressing it. Add to which, that false principles
and inveterate prejudices make us regard many things
as innocent, and some things as laudable, which, in
the eye of heaven, arc far otherwise. Self-examina-
tion is a duty which few practise as they ought to
do; and he who practises it best, will always have
reason to conclude his particular confessions with
this general petition, " Cleanse thou me from secret
faults?"

" 13. Keep back thy servant also from presumptu-
ous sins, let them not have dominion over me : then
shall I be upright, and I shall be innocent from the
great transgression."

In the preceding verse, David had implored God's
pardoning grace, to cleanse him from the secret sins
of ignorance and infirmity: in this he begs his re-
straining grace, to keep him back from presumptuous
sins, or sins committed knowingly, deliberately, and
with a high hand, against the convictions and the
remonstrances of conscience: he prays that such sins
might not '' have dominion over him," or that he
might not, by contracting evil habits, become the
slave of an imperious lust, which might at length

Ps. 20.] 213

lead him on to '' the great transgression," to rebel-
lion, and final apostacy from God ; for he who would
be innocent from the " great transgression," must
beware of indulging himself in any.

" 14. Let the words of my mouth, and the medi-
tation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight, O
Lord, my strength, and my Redeemer."

The prophet, having before solicited the justifica-
tion of his person through grace, concludes with a
petition for the acceptance of all his offerings, and
more especially of these his meditations, at the hands
of that Blessed One, whom he addresses as the au-
thor of all good, and the deliverer from all evil ; as
the " strength" and the " Redeemer" of his peo-
ple.*

PSALM XX.

ARGUMENT. — 1 — 4. The church prayeth for the prosperity
of King Messiah, going forth to the battle, as her champion
and deliverer ; for his acceptance by the Father, and for the
accomplishment of his will. 5, 6, 7. She declareth her full as-
surance of faith, and her resolution to trust in him alone, and
not in the arm of flesh. 8. She foreseeth the fall of her ene-
mies, and her own exaltation ; and, 9. concludeth with a prayer
to the God of her strength.

" L The Lord hear thee in the day of trou-
ble ; the name of the God of Jacob defend thee."

* If the reader shall have received any pleasure from perusing
the comment on the foregoing Psalm, especially the first part of
it, he is to be informed, that he stands indebted, on that account,
K3

214 [Ps. 20.

This may be considered as the address of a people
to their king, when lie goeth forth to the battle
against their enemies. But it is to be regai'ded, in
a more general and useful view, as the address of
the church to Christ her king, in " the day of his
trouble." She praycth for the happy accomplish-
ment of his warfare, through " the name of the God
of Jacob," dwelling in him. And his warfare,
though accomplished in his own person, still remain-
eth to be accomplished in his poople, until the last
enemy shall be destroyed, and death shall be swal-
lowed up in victory. It is still " the day of trou-
ble;" still " the name of the God of Jacob" must
" defend" the body of Christ.

" 2. Send thee help from the sanctuary, and
strengthen thee out of Sion."

All help and strength, in the time of danger and
sorrow, must be obtained by prayer from the hea-
venly Sion which is in the Jerusalem above, and
from the eternal temple thereon constructed. By
this " help and strength," the Captain of our salva-
tion conquered, and the church, with all her sons,
must conquer through the same.

. " 3. Remember all thy offerings, and accept thy
burnt sacrifice."

to a Discourse entitled, ' Christ the Light of the World,' published
in the year 1750, by the late Rev. Mr. George Watson, for many
years the dear companion and kind director of the author's stud-
ies ; in attending to whose agreeable and instructive conversa-
tion, he has often passed whole days together, and shall always
have reason to number them among the best spent days of his
life; whose death he can never think of without lamenting it
afresh ; and to whose memory he embraces, Avith pleasure, this
opportunity to pay the tribute of a grateful hcrirt.

I

Ps. 20.] 215

As Christ, in the days of his flesh, offered up, not
only prayers and tears, but, at length, his own most
precious body and blood, the church here prays, that
the great propitiatory sacrifice may be had in ever-
lasting remembrance before God, and the merits of
it be continually pleaded in arrest of judgment, and
accepted for herself and her children.

" 4), Grant thee, according to thine own heart,
and fulfil all thy counsel."

The desire of Christ's heart, and the counsel of
his will, was, that he might die for our sins, and rise
again for our justification; that the Gospel might be
preached, the Gentiles called, the Jews converted,
the dead raised, and the elect glorified. That this
his " desire might be granted," and this his " coun-
sel be fulfilled," the church of old prayed, and the
church now prayeth, for the accomplishment of that
which yet remains to be accomplished.

" 5. We will rejoice in thy salvation, and in the
name of our God we will set up our banners: the
Lord fulfil all thy petitions."

The joy of the church is in the salvation of Christ;
and the joy of every individual is in the application
of that salvation to himself, and all around him. In
the name of Jesus, and under the banner of the cross,
the armies of the faithful undertake and carry on all
their enterprises against the world, the flesh, and
the devil. The prospect of the glorious fruits of
Christ's victory caused the church to redouble her
prayers, that he might be heard in his " petitions"
for mankind, and miirht see of the travail of his soul*

216 [Ps. 20.

" 6. Now know I that the Lord saveth his
anointed; he will hear him from his holy heaven,
with the saving strength of his right hand."

The assurance of the ancient church was built on
the prophecies going before concerning the salvation
of Messiah. Our assurance is strengthened by the
actual performance of so great a part of the counsel
of God. We know that the Lord has " saved his
Anointed;" that his Anointed saveth all who believe
and obey him, from their sins; and therefore, we
doubt not, but that, by " the strength of his right
hand," or by the excellency of his power, he will
finally save them from death, and rescue them from
the o-rave.

" 7. Some trust in chariots, and some in horses;
but we will remember the name of the Lord our
God."

This should be the resolution of every Christian
king and people, in the day of battle. And, in
the spiritual war, in which wc are all engaged, the
first and necessary step to victory is, to renounce all
confidence in the wisdom and strenjjth of nature and
the world; and to remember, that we can do nothing,
but in the name, by the merits, through the power,
and for the sake, of Jesus Christ, our Lord and
our God.

" 8. They are brought down and fallen; but we
are risen and stand upright."

This was eminently the case, when the pride and
power of Jewish infidelity and Pagan idolatry fell

Ps. 21.1 217

before the victorious sermons and lives of the hum-
ble believers in Jesus: this is the case in every con-
flict with our spiritual enemies, when we engage
them in the name, the spirit, and the power of Christ;
and this will be the case at the last day, when the
world, with the prince of it, shall be " brought down,
and fall; but we, risen'' from the dead, through the
resurrection of our Lord, shall " stand upright" in
the courts of heaven, and sing the praises of him
who getteth us all our victories.

" 9. Save, Lord: let the King hear us when we
caU."

Thus the Psalm concludes, as it began, with a
general " Hosanna" of the church, praying for the
prosperity and success of the then future Messiah,
and for her own salvation in him, her king: who,
from the grave and gate of death, was for this end,
to be exalted to the right hand of the Majesty in
the heavens, that he might hear, and present to his
Father, the prayers of his people, " when they call
upon him."

PSALM XXL

ARGUMENT. — This is one of the proper Psalms which the,
church hath appointed to be used on Ascension-day, and where-
in, 1 — 6. she celebrates the victory of her Redeemer, and the
. glory consequent thereupon; she prophecies, 7. the stability of
his kingdom, and, 8 — 12. the destruction of the enemies
thereof; concluding with a prayer for his final triumph and
exaltation ; the celebration of which, with everlasting hallelu-
jahs, will be her employment in heaven.

" L The King shall joy in thy strength, O

218

LPs. 21.

Lord ; and in tliy salvation how greatly shall he
rejoice !"

The joy of Christ himself, after his victory, is in
the strength and salvation of Jehovah, manifested
thereby. Such ought to be the joy of his disciples,
when God hath enabled them to vanquish their ene-
mies, either temporal or spiritual; in which latter
case, as they are called kings, and said to reign with
Christ, so they are in duty bound to acknowledge
that they reign by him: ** He that glorieth," what-
ever the occasion be, "let him glory in the Lord."

" 2. Thou hast given him his heart's desire, and
hast not withholden the request of his lips."

The desire of Christ's heart was his own resur-
rection and exaltation, for the benefit of his church ;
and now he ever livcth to make " request with his
lips," for the conversion and salvation of sinners.
Such desires will be granted, and such requests will
never be withholden. Let us be careful to frame
ours, after that all-perfect model of divine love.

" 3. For thou preventest him with the blessings
of goodness; thou settest a crown of pure gold on
his head."

The Son of God could not be more ready to ask
for the blessings of the divine goodness, than the
Father was to give them: and his disposition is the
same towards all his adopted sons. Christ, as king
and priest, weareth a crown of glory, represented by
the purest and most resplendent of metals, gold.
He is pleased to esteem his saints, excelling in dif-

Ps. 21.] 219

ferent virtues, as the rubies, the sapphires, and the
emeralds, which grace and adorn that crown. Who
would not be ambitious of obtaining a place therein !

" 4. He asked life of thee, and thou gavest it
him, even length of days for ever and ever."

The life, asked by Christ, was not a continuance
in this valley of tears, but that new and eternal life
consequent upon a resurrection from the dead. For
thus his petition was granted in " length of days
for ever and ever." " He died no more; death had
no more dominion over him." Whose disciples
then are they that wish only to have their days pro-
longed upon the earth, forgetful of the life which is
hid with Christ in God ?

" 5. His glory is great in thy salvation: honour
and majesty hast thou laid upon him."

What tongue can express the " glory, honour,
and majesty," with which the King of righteousness
and peace was invested, upon his ascension ; when
he took possession of the throne prepared for him,
and received the homafje of heaven and earth ! The
sacred imagery in St. John's Revelation, sets them
before our eyes in such a manner, that no one can
read the description, whose heart will not burn with-
in him, through impatient desire to behold them.
See Rev. iv. vii. xix. xxi. xxii.

" 6. For thou hast made him most blessed, Heh,
set him to be blessings,* for ever: thou hast made
him exceeding glad with thy countenance."

* "Nam posuisti eum in secula benedicendum." Houbigaiit.
Compare Gen. xii. 2. Bishop Lowth, in Merrick's Annotations.

2^0 [Ps. 21.

Christ, by his death and passion, having removed
the curse, became the fountain of all blessings to his
people, in time and eternity; being himself the bless-
ing promised to Abraham, and the object of the pa-
triarchal benedictions. The joy communicated to
the humanity of our Lord, from the divine nature,
shall be shed abroad on all his saints, when admitted
to view the "countenance of God," in the face of
Jesus Christ. Then they shall enter into " the
joy of their Lord."

" 7. For the king trusteth in the Lord, and,
through the mercy of the Most High, he shall not
be moved."

The throne of Christ, as a man, was erected and
established, by his trust and confidence in the Father,
during his humiliation and passion. Faith in God,
therefore, is the way that leadcth to honour and sta-
bility. " Look at the generations of old, and see:
did ever any trust in the Lord, and was confound-
ed?" Ecclus. ii. 10.

" 8. Thine hand shall find out all thine enemies;
thy right hand shall find out those that hate thee."

The same right hand of Jehovah is glorious in
power to save his people, and to destroy his ene-
mies; to convert the Gentiles, and to crush the
Jews; to exalt the faithful to heaven, and cast down
the unbelieving to hell : neither is there any treason
against the King of heaven, which shall not be
dragged forth into the light, made manifest, judged,
and condemned. Let thy hand, O Lord, be upon
our sins, to destroy them; but upon us, to save us.

Ps. 21.

221

" 9. Thou shalt make them as a fiery oven in
the time of thine anger : the Lord shall swallow
them up in his wrath, and the fire shall devour
them."

" The time of God's anger" often begins in this
life, especially towards the close of it, when an evil
conscience within, like flame confined in an " oven,"
torments the sinner, as a prelude to punishments fu-
ture and unknown, which the " wrath" of God is
preparing to inflict on the incorrigible and impeni-
tent. Let us so meditate on this sad scene, that we
may have no part in it.

" 10. Their fruit shalt thou destroy from the
earth, and their seed from among the children of
men."

A day is coming, when all the " fruits" of sin,
brought forth by sinners, in their words, their writ-
ings, and their actions, shall be " destroyed ;" yea,
the tree itself, which had produced them, shall be
rooted up, and cast into the fire. The " seed" and
posterity of the wicked, if they continue in the way
of their forefathers, will be punished like them.
Let parents consider, that upon their principles and
practices may depend the salvation or destruction of
multitudes after them. The case of the Jews, daily
before their eyes, should make them tremble.

" IL For they intended evil against thee; they
imagined a mischievous device, which they are not
able to performJ'^

Vengeance came upon the Jews to the uttermost,

222 [Ps. 21.

because of their intended malice against Christ.
They, hke Joseph's brethren, " thought evil against
him;" but " they were not able to perform it;" for
" God meant it unto good, to bring it to pass, as it is
this day, to save much people alive :" Gen. 1. 20.
So let all the designs of ungodly men against thy
church, O Lord, through thy power of bringing
good out of evil, turn to her advantage : and let all
men be convinced, that no weapon formed against
thee can prosper.

" 12. Therefore shalt thou make them turn tlieir
back, o;-, thou shalt set them as a butt, ic/icn thou
shalt make ready //lific arroivs upon tby strings
against the face of them."

The judgments of God are called his " arrows,"
being sharp, swift, sure, and deadly. What a dread-
ful situation, to be set as a mark, and " butt," at
which these arrows are directed ! \'iew Jerusalem
encompassed by the Roman armies without, and torn
to pieces by the animosity of desperate and bloody
factions within. No farther commentary is requi-
site upon this verse. " Tremble, and repent," is
the inference to be drawn by every Christian com-
munity under heaven, in which appear the symptoms
of degeneracy and apostacy.

" 13. Be thou exalted. Lord, in thine own
strength; so will we sing, and praise thy power."

The church concludes with a joyful acclamation
to her Redeemer, wishing for his " exaltation in his
own strength," as God, who was to be abased in
much weakness, as man. We still continue to wish

Ps. 22.

^23

and pray for his exaltation over sin, in the hearts
of his people by grace, and finally over death, in their
bodies, by his glorious power at the resurrection.
The triumph over sin we sing in psalms, and hymns,
and spiritual songs, upon earth; that over death, we
shall praise with everlasting hallelujahs, in heaven.

PSALM XXII.

Fourth Day. — Evening Prayer.

ARGUMENT.— This Psalm, which the church hath appointed
to be used on Good Friday, as our Lord uttered the first verse
of it when lianging on the cross, consisteth of two parts. The
former, 1 — 12. treateth of the passion; the latter, 22 — 31.
celebrateth the resurrection of Jesus, with its cflfects. ], 2.
He com plaineth of being forsaken; 3 — 6. acknowledgeth the
holiness of the Father, and pleadeth the former deliverances of
the church ; 6 — 8. doscribeth his humiliation, with the taunts
and reproaches of the Jews ; 9 — 11. expresscth his faith, and
prayetli for help; 12 — 18. particularizcth his sufferings;
19—21. repeateth his sup])Iications; 22 — 2o. declareth his
resolution to praise the Fatlier for his deliverance, and exhort-
eth his church to do the same; 'iQ — 31. prophesieth the con-
version of the Gentile world to the faith and worship of the
true God.

" 1. My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken
me? w/zj/ art tJwu so far from helping me, and from
the words of my roaring?"

Christ, the beloved Son of the Father, when
hanging on the cross, complained in these words,
that he w^as deprived, for a time, of the divine pre-
sence and comforting influence, while he suffered for
our sins. If the Master thus underwent the trial of a

224 [Ps. 22.

spiritual desertion, why doth the disciple think it
strange, unless the light of heaven shine continually
upon his tabernacle? Let us comfort ourselves, in
such circumstances, with the thought, that we are
thereby conformed to the image of our dying Lord,
that sun which set in a cloud, to arise without one.

" 2. O my God, I cry in the day-time, but thou
hearest not; and in the night-season, and am not
silent."

Even our Lord himself, as man, prayed, " that
if it were possible, the cup might pass from him ;"
but God had ordained otherwise, for his own glory,
and for man's salvation. " Day and night," in pros-
perity and adversity, living and dying, let us not be
"silent," but cry for deliverance; always remember-
ing to add, as Christ did, " Nevertheless, not my
will, but thine be done." Nor let any man be im-
patient for the return of his prayers, since every pe-
tition preferred even by the Son of God himself was
not granted.

" 3. But thou art holy, O thou that inhabitest
the praises of Israel." *

Whatever befalleth the members of the church,
the Head thereof here teacheth them to confess the
justice and holiness of God in all his proceedings ;
and to acknowledge, that whether he exalteth or
hurableth his people, he is to be praised and glorified
by them.

* Or, perhaps, as Bishop Lowth renders it: " Thou that inha-
bitest bK^iiy^ mbnn, the irradiations, the glory of Israel." See
Merrick's Annotations on the Psalms, p. 43.

Ps, 22.]

225

" 4. Our fathers trusted in thee: they trusted,
and thou didst deliver them."

'^ Trust" in God is the way to " dehverance,**
and the former instances of the divine favour are so
many arguments why we should hope for the same ;
but it may not always be vouchsafed, when we expect
it. The patriarchs and Israelites of old were often
saved from their enemies: the holy Jesus is left to
languish and expire under the malice of his. God
knows what is proper for him to do, and for us to
suffer; we know neither. This consideration is an
anchor for the afflicted soul, sure and steadfast.

" 5. They cried unto thee, and were delivered:
they trusted in thee, and were not confounded."

No argument is of more force with God, than that
which is founded upon an appeal to his darling attri-
bute of mercy, and to the manifestation of it for-
merly made to persons in distress; for which reason,
it is here repeated and dwelt upon. They who
would obtain grace to help, in time of need, must
" cry" as well as " trust." The " prayer of faith"
is mighty with God, and (if we may use the expres-
sion) overcometh the Omnipotent.

" 6. But I am a worm, and no man; a reproach
of men, and despised by the people."

He who spareth all other men, spared not his own
Son ; he spared not him, that he might spare them.
The Redeemer of the world scrupleth not to com-
pare himself, in his state of humiliation, to the lowest
reptile which his own hand had formed, a " worm,"

226 [Ps. 22.

humble, silent, innocent, overlooked, oppressed, and
trodden under foot. Let the sight of this reptile
teach us humility.

"7. All they that see me, laugh me to scorn:
they shoot out the lip, they shake the head, sayings
8. He trusted on the Lord, that he would dehver
him: let him deliver him, seeing he delighted m
him."

This was literally fulfilled, when Messiah hung
upon the cross, and the priests and elders used the
very words that had been put into their mouths, by
the spirit of prophecy, so long before. Matt, xxvii.
41 — 43. " The chief priests mocking him, with
the scribes and elders, said. He trusted in God;
let him deliver him now, if he will have him."
O the wisdom and foreknowledge of God! the
infatuation and blindness of man ! The same are
too often the sentiments of those who live in times,
when the church and her righteous cause, with their
advocates, are under the cloud of persecution, and
seem to sink beneath the displeasure of the powers
of the world. But such do not believe, or do not
consider, that in the Christian economy, death is
follov.ed by a resurrection, when it will appear, that
God forsaketh not them that are his, but they arc
preserved for ever.

" 9. But thou art he that took me out of the
womb; thou didst make me hope, when I was upon
my mother's breasts. 10. I was cast upon thee
from the womb: thou art my God from my mother's
belly."

p.. 22.] '2 '27

This was eminently the case of Christ, who was
the Son of God in a sense in which no other man
ever was. But in him we arc all children of God
hy adoption ; we are all in the hands of a gracious
Providence from the womb; and into those hands
must we commend ourselves, when about to depart
hence. To whom else, then, should we have re-
course, for support and consolation, in the day of
calamity and sorrow ?

"11. Be not far from me, for trouble is near;
for there is none to help."

From the foregoing considerations, namely, from
the holiness of God, ver. 3. from the salvation vouch-
safed to the people of old time, ver. 4, 5. from the
low estate to which Messiah was reduced, ver. 6, 7,
8. and from the watchful care of the Father over
him, since his miraculous birth, ver. 9, 10. from all
these considerations, he enforceth his petition for
help, during his unparalleled sufferings, when " all
forsook him, and fled." Let us treasure up these
things in our hearts, against the hour when " trouble
shall be near, and there shall be none to help;" when
all shall forsake us, but God, our conscience, and
our prayers.

" 12. Many bulls have compassed me ; strong
bulls of Bashan have beset me round. 13. They
gaped upon me "joith their mouths, as a ravening and
a roaring lion."

From the 11th verse to the 19th, the sufferings
of the holy Jesus are described, in terms partly figu-
rative, and partly literal. A lamb, in the midst of

228

[Ps. 22.

wild " bulls and lions," is a very lively representation
of his meekness and innocence, and of the noise and
and fury of his implacable enemies. " Bashan"
was a fertile country. Numb, xxxii. 4. and the cattle
there fed, were fat and " strong." Deut. xxxii. 14.
Like them, the Jews, it that good land, " waxed
fat and kicked," grew proud and rebelled; " forsook
God that made them, and lightly esteemed the rock
of their salvation." Let both communities and in-
dividuals, when blessed with peace, plenty, and pros-
perity in the world, take sometimes into considera-
tion this flagrant instance of their being abused; with
the final consequence of such abuse.

" 14. I am poured out like water, and all my
bones, are out of joint, or, sundered : my heart is
like wax, it is melted in the midst of my bowels.
15. My strength is dried up like a potsherd, and
my tongue cleaveth to my jaws; and thou hast brought
me into the dust of death."

For our sakes, Christ yielded himself, like " water,"
without resistance, to the violence of his enemies;
suffering his "bones," in which consisteththe strength
of the frame, to be distended and dislocated upon the
cross; while, by reason of the fire from above, to the
burning heat of which this paschal Lamb was ex-
posed, his heart dissolved and melted away. The
intenseness of his passion drying up all the fluids,
brought on a thirst, tormenting beyond expression;
and, at last, laid him low in the grave. Never,
blessed Lord, was love like unto thy love ! Never
was sorrow like unto thy sorrow ! Thy spouse and
body mystical, the church, is often, in a degree, con-

Ps. 22.] 229

formed unto thee ; and as thou wert, so is she in this
world.

" 16. For dogs have compassed me; the assembly
of the wicked have enclosed me: they pierced my
hands and my feet."

Our Lord, who compared himself above, ver. 12.
to a lamb in the midst of bulls and lions, here setteth
himself forth again under the image of a hart, or
hind, roused early in the morning of his mortal life,
hunted and chased all the day, and in the evening
pulled down to the ground, by those who " com-
passed" and " enclosed" him, thirsting and clamour-
ing for his blood, crying, " Away with him, away
with him ! crucify him, crucify him !" And the
next step was, the " piercing his hands and his feet,"
by nailing them, to the cross. How often, O thou
Preserver of men, in thy church, thy ministers, and
thy word, art thou thus compassed, and thus pierced !

" 17. I may tell all my bones: they look and
stare upon me."

The skin and flesh were distended, by the posture
of the body on the cross, that the bones, as through
a thin veil, became visible, and might be counted;*
and the holy Jesus, forsaken and stripped, naked
and bleeding, was a spectacle to heaven and earth.

* " Qui macilenti sunt, sic habent ossa prominentia, ut facile
omnia possint tactu secerni et numerari. , David, quatenus hsec
ei conveniunt, dicere hoc potuit de se fuga et molestiis emaciato.
Sed Christus aptius ita loqui poterat, quod magis emaciatus esset,
et corpore nudo atque in cruce distento, magis adparerent ossa."
Le Clerc, cited by Bishop Lowth, in Merrick's Annotations.

Vol. I. L

2g0 LPs. 22.

Look unto him, and be ye saved, all ye ends of the
world !

" 18. They part my garments among them, and
cast lots upon my vesture."

" The soldiers, when they had crucified Jesus,
took his garments, and made four parts, to every
soldier a part, and also his coat; now the coat was
without seam, woven from the top throughout.
They said therefore among themselves. Let us not
rend it, but cast lots for it, whose it shall be : that
the Scripture might be fulfilled, which saith. They
parted my raiment among them, and, for my vesture
they did cast lots." John xix. 23, 24.

" 19. But be not thou far from me, O Lord;
O my Strength, haste thee to help me."

The circumstance of the passion being thus re-
lated, Christ resumes the prayer, with which the
Psalm begins, and which is repeated, ver. 10, 11.
The adversary had emptied his quiver, and spent all
the venom of his malice; Messiah therefore prayeth
for a manifestation of the power and favour of
heaven on his side, in a joyful and glorious resur-
rection. And to a resurrection from the dead every
man will find it necessary to look forward, for com-
fort.

" 20. Deliver my soul from the sword; my dar-
Hng* from the power of the dog. 21. Save me from

* Heb. "'n"«"T'rT'' my united one. " May it relate to any thing
more than -u^sj ? the human nature united with the Divinity in
the person of Christ? Qu«re." Bishop Lowth, in Merrick's
Annotations.

Ps. 22.1 ^^1

the lion's mouth: for thou hast heard me, or, and
hear thou me from the horns of the unicorns."

The wrath of God was the " sword," which took
vengeance on all men in their representative; it was
the " flaming sword," which kept men out of Para-
dise ; the sword to which it was said, at the time of
the passion — " Awake, O sword, against my shep-
herd, and against the man that is my fellow, saith
the Lord of hosts; smite the shepherd, and the sheep
shall be scattered;" Zech. xiii. 7. Matt. xxvi. 31.
The ravening fury of the " dog," the " lion," and
the " unicorn," or the " oryx," a fierce and un-
tameable creature of the stag kind, is made use of
to describe the rage of the devil and his instruments,
whether spiritual or corporeal. From all these
Christ supplicates the Father for deliverance. How
great need have we to supplicate for the same,
through him !

'' 22. I will declare thy name unto my brethren:
in the midst of the congregation will I praise thee!"

The former part of the Psalm we have seen to be
prophetical of the passion. The strain now changes
to an epinikion, or hymn of triumph, in the mouth
of the Redeemer, celebrating his victory, and its
happy consequences. This verse is cited by the
apostle, Heb. ii. 11. " Both he that sanctified, and
they who are sanctified, are all of one; for which
cause He is not ashamed to call them brethren, say-
ing, I will declare thy name unto my brethren," &c.
And accordingly, when the deliverance, so long
wished, and so earnestly prayed for, was accomplish-
L2

23^ [Ps. 22.

ed by the resurrection of Jesus from the dead, he
" declared the name of God/' by his apostles, to all
his " brethren ;" and caused the church to resound
with incessant praises and hallelujahs; all which are
here represented as proceeding from the body, by and
through him who is the head of that body.

"23. * Ye that fear the Lord, praise him; all
ye the seed of Jacob, glorify him ; and fear him, all
ye the seed of Israel."

If Christ arose from the dead, to declare salvation
to his brethren, and to glorify God for the same,
how diligent ought we to be in doing the former;
how delighted, in the performance of the latter !
Messiah first addressed himself to his ancient people,
" the seed of Jacob," to whom the Gospel was first
preached. How long, O Lord, holy and true,
shall thy once highly-favoured nation continue deaf
to this gracious call of thine ! " All ye seed of
Jacob glorify him ; and fear him all ye seed of Is-
rael."

" 24. For he hath not despised nor abhorred the
affliction of the afflicted; neither hath he hid his
face from him; but when he cried unto him, he
heard."

The great subjects of praise and thanksgiving,
in the church, are the sufferings of the lowly and

* Bishop Lowth is of opinion, that this verse and the follow-
ing are the " song" of praise, which, in the verse preceding, tJie
speaker says, he will utter " in the congregation." The intro-
duction of it, as his Lordship justly ohsei-ves, gives a variety to
the whole, and is highly poetical. Merrick's Annotations.

Ps. 22.] ^33

afflicted Jesus, and the acceptance of those sufferings
by the Father, as a propitiation for the sins of the
world; which acceptance was testified by raising him
from the dead; inasmuch as the discharge of the
surety proved the payment of the debt. The poor
and afflicted brethren of Christ may take comfort
from this verse ; for if they suffer in his spirit, they
will be raised in his glory.

" 25. My praise shall be of thee in the great
congregation : I will pay my vows before them that
fear him."

The vow of Christ was, to build and consecrate
to Jehovah a spiritual temple, in which the spiritual
sacrifices of prayer and praise should be continually
offered. This vow he performed, after his resurrec-
tion, by the hands of his apostles, and still continueth
to perform, by those of his ministers, carrying on the
work of edification in '*' the great congregation" of
the Gentile Christian Church. The vows of Christ
cannot fail of being performed. Happy are they
whom he vouchsafeth to use, as his instruments, in
the performance of them.

" 26. The meek shall eat and be sanctified : they
shall praise the Lord that seek him : your heart
shall live for ever."

A spiritual banquet is prepared in the church for
the meek and lowly of heart; the bread of life and
the wine of salvation are set forth in the word and
sacraments; and they that hunger and thirst after
righteousness, shall be " satisfied" therewith : they,
^^ who seek" the Lord Jesus in his ordinances, ever

234 [Ps. 22.

find reason to " praise him ;" while, nourished by
these noble and heavenly viands, they live the life,
and work the works of grace, proceeding still for-
ward to glory : when their " heart shall live for
ever," in heaven.

'* 27. All the ends of the world shall remember,
and turn unto the Lord : and all the kindreds of
the nations shall worship before thee."

The great truths of man's creation and fall, with
the promise of a Redeemer to come, were " forgot-
ten" by the nations, after their apostacy from the
true God, and the one true reUgion; but were, as
we may say, recalled to their " remembrance," by
the sermons of the apostles, and the writings of
Moses and the prophets, translated, and spread
among them. By these they were converted to the
faith, and now compose the holy church universal
throughout the w^orld; being the glorious proofs
and fruits of the resurrection of Jesus from the
dead.

" 28. For the kingdom is the Lord's ; and he is
the governor among the nations."

There is good reason why the nations should wor-
ship Christ, and throw away their idols ; since in his
hands, not in theirs, is the government of the world.
Upon his ascension he was crowned King of kings,
and Lord of lords ; he ruleth in the church by his
Spirit; and blessed are the hearts that are his will-
ing subjects in the day of his power.

" 29. All theT/ that be fat upon earth shall eat

Ps. 22.]

235

and worship : all they that go down to the dust
shall bow before him : and none can keep alive his
own soul."

It was said above, ver. 26. " the meek," the poor,
and lowly, " shall eat and be satisfied." It is here
foretold, that the " fat ones of the earth," the great,
the opulent, the flourishing, the nobles and princes of
the world, should be called in to partake of the feast,
and to " worship" God. Rich, as well as poor, are
invited ;* and the hour is coming, when all the race of
Adam, as many as sleep in the " dust" of the earth,
unable to raise themselves from thence, quickened
and called forth by the voice of the Son of man,
must " bow" the knee to king Messiah.

" 30. A seed shall serve him: it shall be account-
ed to the Lord for a generation."

The apostle informeth us, Rom ix. 8. that " the
children of the promise are counted for the seed;"
that is, the converts to be made, among the nations,

* They are " invited," but they do not so often accept the
invitation. And it must be owned, that yix -su^-r, are generally
mentioned in an unfavourable sense. Bishop Lowth is therefore
rather inclined to construe the words, as Mr. Fenwick does ; all
who are "fattened," that is, " fed" and " sustained by the earth."
The expression then intimates the universality of the Gospel,
which, the apostle says, "was preached to every creature;" a
phrase of similar import. All who would partake the benefits of
Christ's passion, must worship him as a Saviour, before they are
called upon to adore him as a Judge. The bishop thinks, like-
wise, that the 29th verse should end with the words, " bow be-
fore him ; that the next words in the original should be read, as
almost all tlie ancient versions seem to have read them, ns"r ^b
*aa3n, and rendered — " But my soul shall live — My seed shall
serve him," &c.

^36

[Ps. 23.

by the preaching of the Gospel, according to the
promise to Abraham; these were to constitute the
church and family of Christ, the " generation" of
the faithful ; these were to take the place, and enjoy
the privileges of the Jews, cut off because of their
unbelief. Lord, enable us to serve thee all our lives,
with a service acceptable to thee in Christ Jesus;
that at the resurrection of the just, we may be num-
bered in the generation of thy children.

"31. They shall come, and shall declare his
righteousness unto a people that shall be born, that
he hath done i/iis.''

The promised and expected race shall spring
forth at the time appointed, and proclaim the " righ-
teousness," which is of God by faith, to ages and
generations yet unborn : who, hearing of that great
work, which the Lord shall have wrought, for the
salvation of men, will thereby be led to glorify him
in the church, for the same, to the end of time.

Rise, c^o^\'n'd with light, imperial Salem, rise !
Exalt thy tow'ring head, and lift thy eyes.
See a long race thy spacious courts adorn ;
See future sons, and daughters yet unborn.
In crowding ranks, on ev'ry side arise,
Demanding life, impatient for the skies.
See barb'rous nations at thy gates attend,
Walk in thy light, and in thy temple bend.

jMessiaii.

PSALM XXIIL

ARGUMENT.— In this Psalm, the " sheep of God's pasture"
address themselves to their great and good Shepherd, dedar-

Ps. 23.] 237

ing, 1. their acquiescence and confidence in him ; 2. his dili-
gence in feeding them with the food of eternal life ; 3. his
watchful care in bringing them back from the ways of error,
and conducting them in the path of truth ; 4. his power in sav-
ing them from death ; 5. his loving kindness in vouchsafing
his spiritual comforts, during their pilgrimage in an enemy's
country; and, 6. they express their hope and trust, that a con-
tinuation of that loving kindness, will enable them to pass
through the vanities and vexations of time, to the blissful glo-
ries of eternity.

. " 1. The Lord is my Shepherd, I shall not
want.''

In these words, which one cannot utter without
feeling the happiness they were intended to describe,
the believer is taught to express his absolute acqui-
escence and complacency, in the guardian care of
the great Pastor of the universe, the Redeemer and
Preserver of men. With joy he reflects, that he
hath a " Shepherd ;" and that that Shepherd is Je-
hovah, one possessed of all the qualities requisite to
constitute the pastoral character in the highest per-
fection. For where shall we ever find such unex-
ampled diligence, such inexpressible tenderness, such
exquisite skill, such all-subduing might, and such un-
wearied patience? Why should they fear, who have
such a friend? How can they '* want," who have
such a " Shepherd ?" Behold us, O Lord Jesus,
in ourselves hungry, and thirsty, and feeble, and
diseased, and defenceless, and lost. O feed us, and
cherish iis, and heal us, and defend us, and bear
with us, and restore us !

»
" 2. He maketh me to lie down in green pastures:
he leadeth me beside the still waters."
L3

238 [Ps. 23.

The loveliest image afforded by the natural world,
is here represented to the imagination ; that of a
flock, feeding in verdant meadows, and reposing, in
quietness, by the rivers of water, running gently
through them. It is selected, to convey an idea of
the provision made for the souls, as well as bodies
of men, by His goodness, who " openeth his hand,
and filleth all things living with plenteousness. By
me," saith the Redeemer, " if any man enter in, he
shall be saved, and shall go in and out and find pas-
ture:" John X. 9. And what saith the Spirit of
peace and comfort ? " Let him that is athirst come ;
and whosoever will, let him take the water of hfe
freely :" Rev. xxii. 17. Every flock that we see,
should remind us of our necessities : and every pas-
ture should excite us to praise that love by which
they are so bountifully supplied.

" 3. He restorcth my soul: he leadcth me in the
paths of righteousness for his name's sake."

To " restore," or bring back, those that had
" gone astray," that is, in other words, to " call
sinners to repentance," was the employment of Him
who in the parable of the " lost sheep," represent-
eth himself as executing that part of the pastoral of-
fice. By the same kind hand, when " restored,"
they are thenceforth led in " the path of righteous-
ness;" in the way of holy obedience. Obstructions
are removed; they are strengthened, to walk and run
in the path of God's commandments ; while, to invite
and allure them, a crown of glory appears, held
forth at the end of it. All this is now done, for,
in, by, and through, that " name," beside which,

Ps. 23-1 2^9

there is none other under heaven given unto man,
whereby he may be saved.

" 4. Yea, though I walk through the valley of
the shadow of death, I will fear no evil : for thou
art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort
me."

The sheep here express their confidence in the
power of their Shepherd, as sufficient to defend
them against the last and most formidable enemy,
death himself. To apprehend the scenery in this
verse, we must conceive the church militant, and the
church triumphant, as two mountains, between which
lieth the " valley of the shadow of death," necessary
to be passed by those who would go from one to the
other. Over all that region of dreariness and deso-
lation, extendeth the empire of the king of terrors :
and the believer alone " feareth no evil," in his pas-
sage through it ; because he is conducted by '* that
great Shepherd of the sheep, whom God brought
again from the dead:" Heb. xiii. 20. and who can
therefore show us the path of life, through the vale
of death. In all our dangers and distresses, but
chiefly in our last and greatest need, let " thy rod,"
the sceptre of thy kingdom, O Lord, protect us, and
thy pastoral " staff" guide and support our steps;
till, through the dreaded valley, we pass to the hea-
venly mountain, on which St. John saw " the Lamb
standing, with a great multitude, redeemed from the
earth." Rev. xiv. L

" 5. Thou preparest a table before me in the pre-
sence of mine enemies : thou anointest my head with
oil; my cup runneth over."

240 [Ps. 23.

Another set of images, borrowed from a feast, is
introduced, to give us ideas of those cordials and
comforts prepared to cheer and invigorate tlie faint-
ing soul, while, surrounded by '' enemies," it is ac-
complishing its pilgrimage through life; during which
time, its sorrows and afflictions are alleviated and
sweetened by the joys and consolations of the Holy
One; by the feast of a good conscience; by the
bread of life, the " oil" of gladness, and the " cup"
of salvation, still full, and " running over."

" 6. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me
all the days of my life : and I will dwell in the house
of the Lord for ever."

Experience of " goodness and mercy," already so
often vouchsafed, begets an assurance of their be-
ing continued to the end ; for nothing can separate
us from the love of Christ, if wc do not separate
ourselves from it. Thus will the Lord, our Saviour,
provide for us on earth, and conduct us to heaven;
where we shall dwell to " length of days," even the
days of eternity, "onefold under one Shepherd:"
a fold into which no enemy enters, and from which
no friend departs : where we shall rest from all our
labours, and see a period to all our sorrows ; where
the voice of praise and thanksgiving is heard conti-
nually; where all the faithful, from Adam to his last-
born son, shall meet together, to behold the face of
Jesus, and to be blessed with the vision of the Al-
mighty ; where " we shall hunger no more, neither
thirst any more, neither shall the sun light on us,
nor any heat. But the Lamb, which is in the midst
of the throne, shall feed us, and lead us to living
fountains of waters." Rev. vii. 16, 17.

Ps. 24.] 241

PSALM XXIV.

Fifth Day, — Morning Prayer.

ARGUMENT.—The plan of this Psalm, according to the letter
of it, is beautifully delineated by Bishop Lowth, in his 27th
lecture. The Ark of God is supposed to be moving, in a grand
and solemn procession of the whole Israelitish nation, towards
the place of its future residence, on mount Sion -. see 1 Chron.
XV. On ascending the mountain, the Psalm is sung, declar-
ing, 1, 2. the sovereignty of Jehovah over all the earth ; de-
scribing, 3 — 6. what the character ought to be of that people
whom he had more peculiarly selected, to serve him in the
house where his Glory was to dwell, and of which, 7 — 10. it
was now about to take possession. All this is by us to be ap-r
plied to the Christian church, and the ascension of our Lord
into heaven; for which reason the Psalm is one of those ap-
pointed to be used on Ascension-day.

" 1. The earth is the Lord's, and the fulness
thereof; the world, and they that dwell therein."

The God of Israel was Lord of the whole earth,
by right of creation. The same Divine ' Person who
created the world, hath since, in Christ, redeemed
it ; and it is his again, by that right also. But the
church Christian is his, in a more peculiar manner,
as the church of Israel formerly was. We are
doubly bound to adore and to obey him, " It is
he that hath made us, and not we ourselves :" Psalm
c. 2. and " we are not our own, being bought with
a price:" 1 Cor. vi. 20. The inference is, '* Let
us glorify God in our bodies, and in our spirits,
which are," every way, " God's."

" 2. For he hath founded it upon the seas, and
established it upon the floods,"

242 [Ps. 24.

The waters which, at the creation, and again at
the deluge, overspread all things, being, by the
power of God, driven down into the great deep, and
there confined, the earth was, in a wonderful man-
ner, constructed and estabUshed, as a circular arch,
upon or over them. Let us often meditate on this
noble subject of contemplation and devotion; that
we may learn whither we are to have recourse, when
in danger of being overwhelmed by sins or sor-
rows.

" 3. Who shall ascend into the hill of the Lord?
and who shall stand in his holy place ?"

The connexion seems to be this: if the Almighty
Creator and Lord of all the earth has chosen us to
be his peculiar people, to serve and worship him in
his temple, upon the holy hill of Sion, whither the
sacred symbol of his presence is now ascending,
what manner of persons ought we to be? The rea-
soning is exactly the same, as Bishop Lowth observes,
with that of Moses, in Deut. x. 14 — 16. ''Behold,
the heaven, and the heaven of heavens, is the Lord's
thy God; the earth also, with all that therein is.
Only the Lord had a dehght in thy fathers, to love
them ; and he chose their seed after them, even you,
above all people, as it is this day. Circumcise there-
fore the foreskin of your heart, and be no more stiff-
necked." The argument apphes, with additional
force, to ourselves, as Christians. We compose a
far more numerous and magnificent procession than
that of the Israelites, when the church universal,
with her spiritual services, attends our Lord, as it
were, upon his ascension, in heart and mind ascend-

Ps. 24.] 243

ing with him into the holy places not made with

hand

" 4. He that hath clean hands, and a pure heart ;
who hath not lifted up his soul into vanity, m^^ placed
his trust in vain idols, or^ in the creature, nor sworn
deceitfully. 5. He shall receive the blessing from
the Lord, and righteousness from the God of his
salvation."

No man can ascend into heaven through his own
righteousness, but he who came down from heaven,
and performed a perfect sinless obedience to the will
of God. Sinners of old were purified, through faith
in him that was to come, by typical offerings and
ablutions, before they approached the sanctuary.
We have been cleansed from our sins, and renewed
unto holiness, by the blood of Christ, and the wash-
ing of the Holy Ghost. Thus we become his peo-
ple ; thus we " receive the blessing from the Lord,
and righteousness from the God of our salvation."

" 6. This is the generation of them that seek
him, that seek thy face, O Jacob, or, O God of
Jacob."

Such ought the people to be who seek the pre-
sence of God, and approach to worship him in the
sanctuary; who celebrate the ascension of their Re-
deemer, and hope, one day, to follow him into those
happy mansions, which he is gone before to prepare
for them.

" 7. Lift up your heads, O ye gates; and be ye
lift up, ye everlasting doors; and the King of Glory

244 [Ps. 24.

shall come m. 8. Who is this King of Glory?
The Lord strong and mighty, the Lord mighty in
battle." 9, 10. The cJiorus is repeated.

We must now form to ourselves an idea of the
Lord of Glory, after his resurrection from the dead,
making his entry into the eternal temple in heaven,
as of old, by the symbol of his presence, he took
possession of that figurative and temporary structure
which once stood upon tlie hill of Sion. We are
to conceive him gradually rising, from mount Olivet,
into the air, taking the clouds for his chariot, and
ascending up on high; while some of the angels, like
the Levites in procession, attendant on the trium-
phant Messiah in the day of his power, demand that
those everlasting gates and doors hitherto shut and
barred against the race of Adam, should be thrown
open, for his admission into the realms of bliss. " Lift
up your heads, O ye gates ; and be ye lift up, ye
everlasting doors; and the King of Glory shall come
in." On hearing this voice of jubilee and exultation
from the earth, the abode of misery and sorrow, the
rest of the angels, astonished at the thought of a
a m.an claiming a right of entrance into their happy
regions, ask from w^ithin, like the Levites in the
temple, " W^ho is this King of Glory ?" To which
question the attendant angels answer, in a strain of
joy and triumph — and let the church of the re-
deemed answer with them — " The Lord strong and
mighty, the Lord mighty in battle:" the Lord
Jesus, victorious over sin, death, and hell. There-
fore we say, and with holy transport we repeat it,
<' Lift up your heads, O ye gates ; and be ye lift

Ps. 25.] 245

up, ye everlasting doors ; and the King of Glory
shall come in." And if any ask, " Who is the
King of Glory?" to heaven and earth we proclaim
aloud — •'' The Lord of Hosts," all-conquering
Messiah, Head over every creature, the Leader of
the armies of Jehovah, " He is the King of Glo-
ry." Even so, Glory be to thee, O Lord Most
High! Amen. Hallelujah.

PSALM XXV.

ARGUMENT. — It is much the same, whether we suppose the
church, or any single member thereof, to be speaking through-
out this Psalm, and praying, 1 — 3. for help and protection
against spiritual enemies ; 4<, 5. for knowledge and direction
in the way of godliness ; pleading for this purpose, 6, 7. God's
mercies of old; 8. the perfections of his nature; 9, 10. enu-
merating the qualifications requisite for scholars in the divine
school; 11. upon the strength of these arguments, enforcing
the petition for mercy; 12 — 14. describing the blessedness of
the man who feareth the Lord; 15 — 21. preferring divers
petitions ; and, 22. closing the whole with one for the final
redemption of the Israel of God.

" L Unto thee, O Lord, do I lift up my soul.
2. O my God, I trust in thee : let me not be asham-
ed ; let not mine enemies triumph over me."

Cares and pleasures are the weights which press
the soul down to the earth, and fasten her thereto ;
and it is the spirit of prayer, which must enable her
to throw off these weights, to break these cords, and
to "lift up" herself to heaven. He who " trusteth"
in any thing, but in God, will one day be " ashamed"
and confounded, and give his spiritual " enemies"
cause " to triumph over him."

246 [Ps. 25.

" 3. Yea, let none that wait on thee be ashamed:
let them be ashamed which transgress without a
cause, or, vainly, rashly."

God, as a father and a master, will never suiFer
his children and servants to want his favour and pro-
tection ; nor will he permit malicious rebels to enjoy
it. Honour will, in the end, be the portion of the
former, and shame the inheritance of the latter.

" 4. Show me thy ways, O Lord; teach me thy
paths. 5. Lead me in thy truth, and teach me; for
thou art the God of my salvation ; on thee do I
wait all the day."

We are travellers to heaven, who, through temp-
tation, are often drawn aside, and lose our way.
The way is the law of God ; and, to keep that law^
is to walk in the way. God only can put us in the
way, and preserve and forward us therein; for which
purpose, we must continue instant in prayer to " the
God of our salvation," that he would " teach" us to
do his will; that so we may not be ashamed and
confounded.

" 6. Remember, O Lord, thy tender mercies, and
thy loving kindnesses ; for they have been ever of
old."

The soul, when hard beset with sins and sorrows,
is apt to think that God hath forsaken and forgotten
her. In this case, she cannot more effectually pre-
vail upon him, or comfort herself, than by recollect-
ing, and, as it were, reminding him of former mer-
cies; since, however the dispositions and affections
of men may alter, God is always the same.

Ps. 25.] ^47

" 7. Remember not the sins of my youth, nor
my transgressions : according to thy mercy remem-
ber thou me, for thy goodness' sake, O Lord."

When God remembers his mercy, he forgets our
sins; and when he forgets our sins, he remembers
his mercy ; for what else is his mercy, but the for-
giveness, the blotting-out, the non-imputation of
sin ? Who that has lived long in the world, can
survey the time past of his life, without breaking
forth into this petition, adding, to " the sins of his
youth," the many transgressions of his riper years?

" 8. Good and upright is the Lord ; therefore
will he teach sinners in the way."

Another argument for hope and trust in God, is
drawn from his nature. He hates sin, and loves
righteousness ; he sent his Son to suffer for the one,
and his Spirit to produce the other ; and he cannot
but be faithful and just to his own gracious promises,
which all centre in the salvation of sinners by par-
don and grace, through Him who is '* the way, the
truth, and the life."

" 9. The meek will he guide in judgment: and
the meek will he teach his way."

Pride and anger have no place in the school of
Christ. The Master himself is " meek and lowly
of heart ;" much more, surely, ought the scholars to
be so. He who hath no sense of his ignorance, can
have no desire or capability of knowledge, human or
divine.

248 [Ps. 23.

" 10. All the paths of the Lord are mercy and
truth, unto such as keep his covenant and his tes-
timonies."

The law of God is the way by which he cometh
to us, as well as that by which we go to him; and
all the different dispensations of that law, here styled
" the paths of the Lord," are composed of " mercy
and truth;" mercy promising, and truth performing,
meet together in Christ, who is " the end of the
law to every one that believeth;" to such as " keep
his covenant and his testimonies."

" IL For thy name's sake, O Lord, pardon
mine iniquity ; for it is great."

The pardon of sin is to be asked, and obtained,
through that gracious " name," in which " mercy
and truth are met together;" and so " great" is our
sin, that pardon can be had only through that name.

" 12. What man is he that feareth the Lord?
Him shall he teach in the way Ma^ he shall choose."

The blessings consequent upon " the fear of
the Lord" are such as will fully justify the earnest-
ness and fervour of the foregoing petitions for par-
don and grace. " The fear of the Lord is the be-
ginning of wisdom." He who hath it, will " choose"
the right way, and will be " taught" to go therein.

" 13. His soul shall dwell at ease, Heb. lodge in
goodness; and his seed shall inherit the earth."

It is a privilege of " the man who feareth the
Lord," that, not only in this present Hfe, all things

Ps. 25] 249

work together for his " good," but his soul, after
having persevered in righteousness, shall take up its
abode in the mansions of felicity. His " seed" like-
wise shall be blessed in the same manner, with such
a portion of the temporal promise made to Abraham
as God seeth best for them, and certainly with an
abundant share in the spiritual inheritance, the
new earth, wherein dwell righteousness, joy, and
glory. *' Blessed are the meek,"- the seed of Christ,
" for they shall inherit the earth." Matt. v. 5.

" 14. The secret, Heb. fixed counsel, or, design,
of the Lord, is with them that fear him; and he will
show them his covenant, Heb, and his covenant, to
make them know it."

The greatest happiness of man in this world is, to
know the fixed and determinate counsels of God con-
cerning the human race, and to understand the cove-
nant of redemption. This likewise is the reward of
'* the fear of the Lord," which humbles the soul,
and prepares it for divine illumination, causing it to
place all its comfort in meditation on the wonders of
heavenly love. " All things which I have heard of
my Father, I have made known unto you," saith
our Lord to his disciples: John xv. 15.

" 15. Mine eyes are ever toward the Lord; for
he shall pluck my feet out of the net."

Encouraged to hope for the blessings above-men-
tioned, the lowly suppliant still continues to fix the
eyes of his understanding on their proper object,
God his Saviour, beholding his glory, attending to
his will, and expecting his mercy. An unfortunate

'^250 [Ps. 25.

dove, whose feet are taken in the snare of the fow-
ler, is a fine emblem of the soul, entangled in the
cares or pleasures of the world ; from which she de-
sires, through the power of grace, to fly away, and
to be at rest, with her glorified Redeemer.

*' 16. Turn thee unto me, and have mercy upon
me; for I am desolate and afflicted."

They who are ever looking unto the Lord will be
heard, when they beseech him to turn his face, and
to look upon them. When the soul, forsaking and
forsaken by all earthly supports and comforts, finds
herself in a state of desolation, and is experimentally
convinced of her being, not in a paradise of delights,
but in a vale of misery, then her visitation and de-
liverance are at hand.

" 17. The troubles of my heart are enlarged: O
bring thou me out of my distresses."

As life is prolonged, troubles are generally en-
larged,* till, at length, they take up what room there
is in the heart. The last scene of the tragedy is
the most calamitous. So it was in the life of our
dear Master. And every man will sooner or later
perceive, that God alone can " bring him out of his
distresses."

" 18. Look upon mine affliction and my pain,
and forgive all my sins."

* Bishop Lowth, with some slight alteration of the text,
thinks the rendering should be,

Coarctationes cordis mei dilata;
Et ex augustiis meis educ me.

See Merrick's Annotations.

Ps. 25.]

251

Affliction and pain,, whether of mind or body, are
the fruits of sin; and the pardon of sin is the first
step towards the removal of sorrow. The latter is
sent to beget in us a due sense of the former, in
order to a deliverance from both. In the new earth
" dwelleth righteousness;" and, for that reason,
" there is no more sorrow, pain, nor crying." 2 Pet.
iii. 13. Rev. xxi. 4.

" 19. Consider mine enemies, for they are many;
and they hate me with cruel hatred."

As the evils we suffer are great, so the enemies
we have to encounter are many. Their name is
"legion:" and to their envy, hatred, and malice,
there are no bounds. How unequal the combat,
unless thou, O God, goest forth with us by thy
grace, " conquering and to conquer!"

" 20. O keep my soul, and deliver me: let me
not be ashamed ; for I have put my trust in thee."

Preservation from sin, and deliverance from death,
are two great gifts of God, through Jesus Christ our
Lord. For the latter clause, see ver. 2.

'* 21. Let integrity and uprightness preserve me;
for I wait on thee."

How many wishes do our hearts send forth after
riches, honours, and pleasures ! how few after " in-
tegrity and uprightness !" yet these can " preserve"
us, and those cannot. Absolute integrity and up-
rightness are the prerogatives of the King of righ-
teousness: and it is his grace which makes us such
as his mercy will accept. On him therefore let us
« wait."

252 [Ps. 2G.

" 22. Redeem Israel, O God, out of all his

troubles."

In the common salvation all have an interest; and
for that reason, all should pray for it. The earthly
David petitioned for Israel ; the heavenly David
ever continueth to intercede for the church ; and
every Christian ouf^ht to become a suppliant for his
brethren, still looking an/i longincr for that glorious
day, when, by a joyful resurrection unto life eternal,
God shall indeed "redeem Israel out of all his trou-
bles."

PSALM XXVI.

ARGUMENT. — Tlie party speaking in this Psalm, whether we
suppose it to be tlie t}-])ical, or the true David, tJie churdi, or any
member tliereof, lying under the false accusations of calumny,
1, 2,3. appcaleth to God in behalf of injured innocence; 4,
5. disclaimeth all connection with wicked men ; 6, 7, 8. dc-
clareth a fixed resolution to adhere to the worship of God in the
church; 9, 10. prayeth to be delivered from the ungodly ; 11.
again protesteth integrity, and, 12. detcrmineth to ])raise the
Lord.

" 1. Judge me, O Lord, for I have walked in
mine integrity; I have trusted also in the Lord;
therefore I shall not slide."

We have here an appeal to God, in behalf of in-
jured and calumniated innocence. This was the
case of David, with regard to the accusations of
Saul ; of Christ, with regard to those of the Jews;
and it is often the case of the church, and of good

Ps. 26.]

^53

men in the world ; for whose use this Psalm seems
peculiarly calculated.

" 2. Examine me, O Lord^ and prove me ; try
my reins and my heart."

A trial of this sort might be desired by David,
and may be desired by men, like him, conscious of
their integrity, as to the particular crimes charged
upon them by the malice of their enemies. Christ
alone could ask such a trial at large, as being equal-
ly free from every kind and degree of sin ; and cer-
tain of receiving additional lustre from the increasing
heat of the furnace.

" 3. For thy loving-kindness is before mine eyes:
and I have walked in thy truth."

They who study, in order to copy, the " loving-
kindness" and the " truth" of God, may have con-
fidence towards him, whose " truth" will not suffer
him to be false to the promises, which his " loving-
kindness" prompted him to make.

" 4. I have not sat with vain persons, neither will
I go in with dissemblers. 5. I have hated the con-
gregation of evil-doers; and will not sit with the
wicked.''

David, driven by Saul into a land of aliens, yet
preserved himself from the contagion of idolatry.
And happy the Christian who can say, that, during
the time of his banishment and pilgrimage, he hath
escaped the pollutions that are in the world, namely,
vanity and hypocrisy, evil practices, and wicked prin-
VoL. I. M

254 [Ps. 26.

ciples. Christ alone, like his emblem the light,
passed through all things undefiled.

" 6. I wHl wash mine hands in my innoccncy : so
will I compass thine altar, O Lord ; 7. That I
may publish with the voice of thanksgiving, and tell
of all thy wondrous works."

Instead of consorting with the heathen, David
comforts himself with the future prospect of resto-
ration to Jerusalem: of attending the service of God
in the tabernacle; of performing the legal ablutions,
in token of innocency thereby signified ; and of sing-
ing before the holy altar, psalms of praise for his de-
liverance. The believing soul, in like manner, may
find perpetual consolation, while she looks forward,
toward her return home, from her exile in the world,
to the Jerusalem above ; her access to the fountain
of life and purity; her employment of serving God
in the eternal temple ; and chanting forth, with an-
gels and archangels, the new songs of the celestial
Sion, for so great salvation.

'' 8. Lord, I have loved the habitation of thy
house, and the place where thine honour dwelleth,
Heb. the place of the tabernacle of thy glory."

With what ardent affection the banished prophet
sighs for the beauty of holiness in the church ! the
most amiable object on earth, because the nearest
resemblance of heaven, where is the true *' habita-
tion of God's house, and the place of the tabernacle
of his glory ;" since of the heavenly Jerusalem, St.
John tells us, that the " Lord God Almighty and
the Lamb are the temple." Rev. xxi. 22.

Ps. 26.] 2^«5

" 9. Gather not my soul with sinners, nor my
life with bloody men: 10. In whose hands is mis-
chief, and their right hand is full of bribes."

In consideration of his integrity and piety, David
beseeches God not to deliver him over into the hands
of his unjust and bloody enemies, nor to reckon him
in their number. Let our lot, O Lord, be among
thy children here, that it may be among them here-
after.

" IL But as for me, I will walk in mine inteffri-
ty : redeem me, and be merciful unto me."

The Christian's resolution, like that of the pro-
phet, must be, to hold fast his " integrity" in the
midst of his enemies, and not follow a multitude to
do evil; as knowing, that the day of final " redemp-
tion and mercy" will come.

" 12. My foot standeth in an even place ; in the
congregations will I bless the Lord."

The law of God is that " even place," that plain
and direct path, in which the affections, which are
the " feet" of the soul, must be immoveably fixed,
so that nothing may induce her to swerve from the
stability of her purpose, to the right hand, or to the
left. David, upon his return to his country, " bles-
sed the Lord in the congregation" of Israel, by
singing psalms of praise and thanksgiving; and, by
the constant use of those very psalms, the Lord is
daily " blessed" in all Christian " congregations"
throughout the world; yea, and he shall be so blessed
to the end of time,

M 2

256 [Ps. 27.

PSALM XXVII.

Fifth Day, — Evening Prayer.

ARGUMENT. — This Psalm containeth, 1 — 3. a declaration of
trust and confidence in Jehovah, amidst the dangers and tu-
mults of war; 4. a longing desire of restoration to tlie city and
house of God ; 5, 6. a triumphant assurance of final victory
and exultation ; 7 — 12. earnest prayer for support and pro-
tection; 13. a profession of faith, and its mighty power
and comfort in affliction ; 14. an exliortation to patience.

" 1. The Lord is my liglit and my salvation;
whom shall I fear? The Lord is tlie strength of
my life ; of whom shall I be afraid ?"

God is our " light," as he showeth us the state
we are in, and the enemies we have to encounter ;
he is our " strength," as he enableth us, by his
grace, to cope with, and overcome them ; and he is
our " salvation," as the author and finisher of our
deliverance from sin, death, and Satan. All this
he was to the blessed person whom David represent-
ed; and all this he will be to his faithful servants.
'* If God," therefore, " be for us, who can be
against us?" Rom. viii. 31.

" 2. When the wicked, even mine enemies and
my foes, came upon me, to eat up my flesh, they
stumbled and fell."

The past time is often used, in the prophetical lan-
guage, to intimate the certainty of the future. Faith
sees the foe already vanquished, and the prey snatch-
ed from the jaws of the devouring lion.

Ps. 27.] 257

" 3. Though an host should encamp agamst me,
my heart shall not fear: though war should rise
ao-amst me, in this will I be confident."

What avails it, that the " host" of darkness is
in arms, and the world taking the field against
us, when the Lord is our light, and heaven our
ally?

*' 4. One tiling have I desired of the Lord, that
will I seek after; that I may dwell in the house of
the Lord all the days of my life, to behold the
beauty of the Lord, and to inquire in his tem-
ple."

The victories of David ended in his restora-
tion to Jerusalem, and the service of God : the
victories of Christ terminated in his triumphant re-
turn to a better Jerusalem; and this ought to be
the " one thing desired" by the Christian, that,
after his conquest over the body of sin, he may
pass the unnumbered days of eternity in the courts
of heaven, contemplating the beauty and glory of
his Redeemer.

" 5. For in the time of trouble, he shall hide

me in his pavilion : in the secret of his tabernacle

shall he hide me; he shall set me up upon a
rock."

The protection and consolation experienced by
believers of the church militant, give them a taste
of the loving-kindness of the Lord, and make
them impatiently desirous of quenching their thirst
at the fountain of divine pleasures, after they shall

258 LPs. 27.

have been exalted upon the rock of ages, from
whence that fountain flows.

" 6. And now shall mine head be lifted up above
mine enemies round about me : therefore will I offer
in his tabernacle sacrifices of joy ; I will sing, yea,
I will sing praises unto the Lord."

These words, as they are supposed to be spo-
ken by David, by Christ, or by the church, ex-
press their respective assurances, through faith, of
final victory over their several enemies, with their
determined resolution of singing hallelujahs to Je-
hovah, for the same.

" 7. Hear, O Lord, \i:he7i I cry with my voice:
have mercy also upon me, and answer me."

From the assurances of faith, it is always good to
descend to the humiliation of prayer to God, who
alone can arrant unto us that one thinrr which we de-
sire, and long after, while in the land of our capti-
vity, and house of our pilgrimage. See ver. 4.

" 8. When thou saidst, Seek ye my face ; my
heart said unto thee. Thy face. Lord, will I
seek."

The voice of God, throughout the Scriptures,
exhorteth the believer to turn away from the delusive
appearances of the creature, and to seek after Him
who is " altogether lovely," until he behold " the
glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ." To this
voice the believer answers, like a well-tuned instru-
ment to the master*s touch, declaring his resolution
so to do.

Ps. 27.] 259

" 9. Hide not thy face far from me; put not
thy servant away in anger : thou hast been my help;
leave me not, neither forsake me, O God of my
salvation!"

The suppliant, having determined to seek the face
of God, here prayeth, that he would permit him-
self to be found, and to be seen; and that he would
not, by " hiding his face," cause the light of know-
ledge to become darkness, and the fire of charity to
go out. The church dreadeth nothing so much as
an eclipse of the " Sun of Righteousness."

" 10. When my father and my mother forsake
me, then the Lord will take me up."

A time will come, when the dearest earthly
friends and relations can no longer be of any as-
sistance to us.* The case of the church and of
the soul is oftentimes compared to that of a poor,
helpless, exposed orphan. Where worldly comforts
end, heavenly ones begin. See Isaiah xlix. 15.
Matt, xxiii. 37. John ix. 35.

"11. Teach me thy way, O Lord, and lead me
in a plain path, because of mine enemies."

The child of God, learning to walk in the law of
his heavenly Father, prayeth to be directed and
strengthened from above, that the enemy may neither
pervert his steps, nor triumph in his fall.

* As there seems to be some difficulty in supposing the Psal-
mist's parents to have " deserted" him, they might perhaps be
said to have " forsaken" him (as Muis conjectures,) tliat is, to
have left him behind them, as being dead. Merrick.

260 [Ps. 27.

" 12. Deliver me not over unto the will of mine
enemies : for false witnesses are risen up against rac,
and such as breathe out cruelty."

David had his enemies, and false accusers; Christ
also had his: and every child of God hath need to
petition for deliverance from the great enemy of his
salvation, the grand accuser of the l)rethren, who is
ever breathing out malice and cruchy against the
body and members of Christ.

" 13. Iliad fainted^ unless I had bchcved to see
the goodness of the Loud in the land of the living.'*

" Faith" in the comfortable promises of God is
the only sovereign cordial for a " fainting" spirit.
Earth is the land of the dying; we must extend our
prospect into heaven, wliich is the land of the *' liv-
ing," where the faithful shall " see," and experience
evermore " the goodness of the Lord."

" 14. M ait on the Loud; be of good courage,
and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on
the LoKU."

The person speaking concludes with an apostrophe
to his own soul, resulting from the confidence in
God, expressed verse 1. from the desire and the
hope of heaven, 4 — 13. and from the manifohl
pledges of the divine love already received in this
life, 14. the proper inference from all which con-
siderations is this; that we should patiently "wait
on the Lord," till the" few and evil days of our pil-
grimage pass away, and we arrive at the mansions
prepared for us, in the house of our heavenly Fa-

Ps. 28.] 261

ther; till our warfare be accomplished, and terminate
in the peace of God; till the storms and tempests of
wintry time shall give place to the unclouded calm,
and the ever-blooming pleasures, of eternal spring.

PSALM XXVIII.

ARGUMENT— This Psalm, like the 22d, and many others,
consisteth of two parts. For, 1 — 5. the true David appear-
eth in his state of humiliation and suffering; lie prayeth for
deliverance, and prophesieth the destruction of his enemies.
6 — 9. He singeth a sweet, though short hymn of triumph,
and intercedeth for his church and people.

" 1. Unto thee will I cry, O Lord, my rock;
be not silent to me : lest, if thou be silent to me, I
become like them that go down into the pit.''

The true David here maketh supplication, " with
strong crying," to the Father, that he may not be
suffered to continue, like other men, under the do-
minion of the " grave." The Christian prayeth, in
the same words, to be delivered from the "pit" of
corruption; and mightily should he " cry" to Jeho-
vah, the " rock" of his salvation, until his prayer be
heard and answered.

" 2. Hear the voice of my supplications, when I
cry unto thee, when I lift up my hands toward thy
holy oracle."

Christ frequently interceded for his people, with

his " hands lifted up" toward " heaven," in fervent

prayer: and — " I will," saith the apostle, " that

men pray every where, lifting up holy hands:"

M3

^62

[Ps. 28.

1 Tim. ii. 8. Shall our Redeemer pray for us, and
shall we not pray for ourselves?

" 3. Draw me not away with the wicked, and
with the workers of iniquity, which speak peace to
their neighbours, but mischief is in their hearts."

Christ, who alone is without sin, pctitioneth that
he may not be oppressed by sinners ; he who is truth
and love, prayeth to be preserved from the " false
and malicious." Let us pray to be made like him;
and, like him, to be delivered from evil, especially
from the evil of a " lying and slandering" tongue.

" 4. Give them according to their deeds, and ac-
cordin": to the wickedness of their endeavours: mve
them after the work of their hands ; render to them
their desert. 5. Because they regard not tlie works
of the Lord, nor the operation of his hands, he shall
destroy them, and not build them up."

In these verses, as indeed in most of the impre-
catory passages, the imperative and the future are
used promiscuously; " Give tlicm — render tliem —
he shall destroy them." If, therefore, the verbs, in
all such passages, were uniformly rendered in the
future, every objection against the Scripture impre-
cations would vanish at once, and they would appear
clearly to be what they are, namely, prophecies of
the divine judgments, wliich have been since executed
against the Jews, and which will be executed against
all the enemies of Jehovah and his Christ, whom
neither the " works" of creation, nor those of re-
demption, can lead to repentance.

Ps. 28.]

263

" 6. Blessed be the Lord, because he hath heard
the voice of my supphcations. 7. The Lord is my
strength and my shield; my heart trusted in him,
and I am helped: therefore my heart greatly re-
joiceth ; and with my song will I praise him."

The scene now changes from the humiliation and
suflPerings, to the glory and triumph of Christ, our
Head, who, through the power of the divinity, hav-
ing overcome his enemies, may be supposed, at his
resurrection from the dead, to have sung this strain;
a strain which they who have been delivered from
sin and sorrow, will best understand by using it.

" 8. The Lord is their strength, and he is the
saving strength of his Anointed, or, Christ."

^ He who saved and exalted the Head, will also
save and exalt the members; or, as St. Paul ex-
presseth it, " if the Spirit of him that raised up
Jesus from the dead dwell in you: he that raised up
Christ from the dead, shall also quicken your mortal
bodies by his Spirit, that dwelleth in you:" Rom.
viii. 1 1 . And for the accomplishment of this glorious
salvation, the salvation of his church, the Redeemer
intercedeth in the remaining verse of this Psalm.

" 9. Save thy people, and bless thine inheritance:
feed them also, and lift them up for ever."

Save us, O Lord Jesus, from our sins ; bless us,
O thou Son of Abraham, with the blessing of righ-
teousness; feed us, O thou good Shepherd of the
sheep ; and lift us up for ever from the dust, O thou,
who art the resurrection, and the life !

264 t

Ps. 29.

PSALM XXIX.

ARGUMENT.— In this Psalm, the prophet, 1, 2. calleth the
kings of the earth to give glory to Jehovah, and to tlie Voice,
or Word, of his power ; the effects of which in the world and
in the church, are most magnificently described; the same
things being true of thunder and lightning in tlie former, and
of the word of God in the latter; as each of them is styled,
the " Voice of the Lord ;" and both, 3, 4-. are mighty in opera-
tion ; both, 5. rend, and, 6, 7. shake, and 8. pierce, and melt,
and, 9. make manifest. The Psalm concludes with, 10. an
acknowledgment of the extent and glory of God's kingdom,
and, II. a promise of victory and peace through him.

" 1. Give unto the Lord, O ye mighty, give
unto the Lord glory and strength. 2. Give unto
the Lord the glory due unto his name: worship the
Lord in the heauty of holiness.'*

The prophet addresseth himself to tlie " mighty"
ones of the earth, exhorting them to "give" God
the "glory," and to submit themselves to the king-
dom of Messiah, to honour that holy " name," by
which they must be saved ; to bow before his altars,
" by whom kings reign ;" and to cast down their
crowns at the foot of the eternal throne.

" 3. The voice of the Lord ?s upon the waters;
the God of glory thundereth ; the Lord is upon
many waters."

The reason why the mighty are exhorted to serve
Jehovah is, because of his wondrous works in the
world, and in the church. By the " voice," or,
«' word," of God, the " waters" were driven down

Ps. 29.1

^65

into the deep, and forbidden to overflow the earth
any more ; by the voice of God, the tumultuous and
raging nations subsided, and the church was immove-
ably fixed upon the rock of her salvation; and by
the Gospel of the " God of glory," all those eflPects
were produced in the hearts of men, which are
wrought upon terrestrial substances, by its well
known and most significant emblem in the material
heavens.

" 4. The voice of the Lord is powerful ; the
voice of the Lord z5 full of majesty."

Of the power and majesty of God's voice, when
he speaketh from heaven in thunder, few hearts are
insensible; of the power and majesty of his voice,
when he spoke from heaven by his apostles, those
" sons of" the spiritual " thunder," the world was
once fully sensible. O may the evangelical " Bo-
anerges" so cause the glorious sound of the Gospel
to be heard, under the whole heaven, that the world
may again be made sensible thereof; before that
voice of the Son of Man, which hath so often called
sinners to repentance, shall call them to judgment I

" 5. The voice of the Lord breaketh the cedars;
yea, the Lord breaketh the cedars of Libanon."

The force of lightning is known to rend in pieces
the tallest and strongest trees in a moment; nor is
the word of God less effectual in bringing down the
loftiest pride, and rending the hardest heart of man,
by the Spirit which accompanieth it. Thus was
the persecuting Saul humbled and converted by a
" light" and a "voice" from "heaven;" so that in-

266 [Ps. 29.

stead of " breathing out threatenings and slaugh-
ters," he asks, like a meek and dutiful child, " Lord,
what wilt thou have me to do?" Acts ix. 1, 6.

" 6. He makcth tliem also to skip like a calf;
Lebanon and Sirion like a young unicorn."

Thunder not only demolisheth the cedars, but
" shaketh the mountains" on which they grow.
Thus by the Gospel, " every mountain and hill was
shaken, and made low; every high thing, which
exalted itself against the knowledge of Christ, was
cast down, and brought into subjection:" Isa. xl. 4.
2 Cor. X. 5.

" 7. The voice of the Loud dividcth the flames
of fire."

By the power of God, the " flames of fire" are
" divided" and sent abroad from the clouds upon
the earth, in the terrible form of lightnings, that
sharp and glittering sword of the Almighty, which
no substance can withstand. The same power of
God goeth forth by his wurd, " quick and power-
ful, and sharper than any two-edged sword,"
penetrating, melting, enlightening, and inflaming
the hearts of men: Acts ii. 3. Ileb. iv. 12.

" 8. The voice of the Lord shaketh the wil-
derness; the Lord shaketh the wilderness of Ka-
desh."

The wilderness of Kadesh was a part of that wil-
derness through which the Israelites passed in their
way to Canaan : see Num. xiii. 26. Thunder shak-
eth those wide-extended deserts, as well as Lebanon

Ps. 29.] ^67

and Sirion, mountains of Judea. The Gospel was
first preached in Palestine; but from thence it went
forth into the Gentile world, that dry, barren, and
desolate " wilderness." The wilderness is yet once
again to be shaken by " the voice of God," and to
be removed for ever, that paradise may succeed in
its place.

" 9. The voice of the Lord maketh the hinds
to calve, or, the oaks to tremble,* and discovereth
the forests ; and in his temple doth every one speak
o^ his glory."

Storms of thunder and lightning, attended often
with whirlwinds, strip the trees of their leaves and
bark, and disclose the recesses of forests. It is by
the " word of God," that the hidden " things of
darkness are manifested," and the " counsels of all
hearts revealed:" for " all things arc naked and
opened unto the eyes of him with whom we liave to
do:" I Cor. iv. 5. Heb. iv. 13. For these his
marvellous works, in the natural and spiritual world,
God is daily " glorified" in the " church."

" 10. The Lord sitteth upon the flood: yea,
the Lord sitteth a King for ever."

The Lord Jesus sitteth on his throne, having all

* So Bishop Lowth renders the clause in his Lectures. Aris-
totle, Plutarch, and Pliny, as cited hy Mr. Merrick, mention the
case of abortion being sometimes caused among cattle by thun-
der. Whatever terrifies to any degree, may certainly produce
such an effect. But the Bishop's interpretation is, in every re-
spect, the most eligible. The evident connexion vi^ith the words
that follow, " discovereth the forests," forbids us to doubt of its
being right.

268 [Ps. 30.

power in the dispensations of nature and of grace;
by which, as he checketh at pleasure the rage of the
most boisterous elements in the former, so, with the
same ease, he controUeth the fury of the enemy and
oppressor in the latter; saying, with equal authority
in both cases, Peace ! be still !

"11. The Lord will give strength unto his
people; the Lord will bless his people with peace."

From Jehovah, whose power and majesty have
been with so much sublimity displayed in this whole
Psalm, we are to expect, through faith and prayer,
" strength" to overcome our enemies, whether ghostly
or bodily; and also the blessing of " peace," which
must be the fruit of victory. Thou, O Christ, art
the " Mighty God," and, therefore, thou art the,
" Prince of Peace." Isa. ix. 6.

PSALM XXX.

Sixth Day. — Morning Prayer,

ARGUMENT. — Tnthis Psalm, or devout hymn, composed pro-
bably by David, on his revisiting the sanctuary, after a joyful
recovery from some dangerous sickness, he, 1 — 3. returneth
thanks for that event; and, 4. calleth the church to do so
likewise, 5. drawing a comparison between temporary suffer-
ings and eternal rewards. 6, 7. He describeth his former
prosperity succeeded by affliction, with, 8 — 10. the supplica-
tions poured forth to the Almighty, in the day of his distress;
and then returneth again, 11. to celebrate his deliverance,
and, 12. to glorify God for the same. The Psalm is finely
adapted to the case of the true David, and of Christians, his
disciples and followers.

" 1. I will extol thee, O Lord; for thou hast

ps. 30.1 ^69

lifted me up, Heh, drawn me out, and hast not
made my foes to rejoice over me."

These words, if originally composed and uttered
by king David, on occasion of some temporal mercy,
apply, in a far more emphatical and beautiful man-
ner, to the case of Messiah, suffering and rising
again, as well as to that of his church and people,
following him, both in his sufferings and resurrection;
when we shall all lift up our voices, and sing toge-
ther— " I will magnify thee, O Lord, for thou hast
lifted me up ! and hast not made my foes to rejoice
over me !"

" 2. O Lord my God, I cried unto thee, and
thou hast healed me."

Deliverance is to be attained by " prayer;" for so
David, and so the Son of David, obtained it; the
former was " healed," at his restoration to health
and strength; the latter at the resurrection: the soul
is healed at its repentance and conversion; and the
body will hereafter be repaired, beautified, and glori-
fied, from the ruins of the grave.

" 3. O Lord, thou hast brought up my soul, or,
animal frame, from the grave: thou hast kept me
alive, that I should not go down to the pit."

The resurrection of David was a figurative one ;
that of Christ was a real one, as that of his saints
will be; so that the Psalm is more strictly applicable
to the true, than it ever could have been to the typical
David. The latter clause may bo rendered — " Thou
hast quickened me from among them that go down

270 [Ps. 30.

to the pit;" which rendering is most agreeable to
the former part of the verse — " Thou hast brought
up my frame from the grave."

" 4. Sing unto the Lord, O ye saints of his,
and give thanks at the remembrance of his holiness,
or, of his Holy One."

The church of the redeemed is called upon to
glorify the name of God, for his remembrance of
" the King of Saints," and for the accomplishment
of the promise in raising him from the dead.

" 5. For his anger cndiirdh bid a moment; in his
favour is life: weeping may endure for a night, but
joy cometh in the morning."

Tliis is a most beautiful and affcctinfj imafje of
the sufferings and exaltation of Christ; of the sor-
rows and joys of a penitent; of the miseries of time,
and the glories of eternity; of the night of death,
and the morning of the resurrection.

" 6. And in my prosperity I said, I shall never
be moved. 7. Lord, by thy favour thou hast made
my mountain to stand strong: thou didst hide thy
face, and I was troubled."

David, after his success against Goliath, and
Christ, upon his triumphant entry into Jerusalem,
were hailed by the acclamations and hosannas of the
people, as the Christian may sometimes meet with
the applauses of the world, and be led to think him-
self established in prosperity. But other troubles
awaited David; and the blessed Jesus was nailed to
the cross. Let not the disciple expect to be above

Ps. 30.] S?l

his master; nor, in the season of life and joy,
neglect to prepare for the approaching days of sor-
row and darkness.

" 8. I cried unto thee, O Lord; and unto the
Lord I made my supplication. 9. What profit is
there in my blood, when I go down to the pit? Shall
the dust praise thee? shall it declare thy truth?
10. Hear, O Lord, and have mercy upon me:
Lord, be thou my helper."

These are some of " the strong cryings and sup-
plications," which the true David poured forth, while
under the cloud of his passion; and which are to be
poured forth by us, when conformed to his image,
in suffering affliction. The argument here used, is
a very powerful one, namely, the necessity of a re-
surrection from the grave, that man may be saved,
and God glorified. The dead cannot praise, or
serve God. They must live again for this purpose;
and for this purpose it is, that we should desire to
live, whether it be in the present world, or that
which is to come.

" IL Thou hast turned for me my mourning
into dancing; thou hast put off my sackcloth, and
girded me with gladness."

This might be true of David, delivered from his
calamity; it was true of Christ, arising from the
tomb, to die no more; it is true of the penitent, ex-
changing his sackcloth for the garments of salvation;
and it will be verified in us all, at the last day, when
we shall put off the dishonours of the grave, to shine
in glory everlasting.

272 [Ps.31.

" 12. To the end that my glory may ^\my praise
to thee, and not be silent: O Loud my God, I will
give thanks to thee for ever."

The end of Christ's resurrection, of the salvation
of the souls of the faithful, and the resurrection of
their bodies, is one and the same, namely, the Calory
of God, who is the author of every kind of deliver-
ance; whose praise should, therefore, be resounded
by the grateful tongues of the redeemed, from gene-
ration to generation; as the tongue then becometh
the " glory'* of man, when it is employed in setting
forth the glory of God.

PSALM XXXL

ARGUMENT.— In tliis Psalm, vcr. 5th of which was pro-
nounced by our Lord, when cxpirinj; on the cross, we hear the
true David, like his rei)resentative of old, 1 — G. supplicating
for deliverance ; 7, 8. rejoicing in the divine favour and assis-
tance ; 9 — 13. describing his afilictcd and forlorn state ; 14 —
18. returning again to his prayers; 19 — 22. celebrating the
mercies of God to the children of Adam ; and, 23, 24. exhort-
ing his saints to courage and perseverance, under their troubles
in the world.

" L Li thee, O Lord, do I put my trust; let
me never be ashamed: deliver me in thy righteous-
ness."

God is faithful and just, to save those who, in
time of trouble, renouncing all dependence on them-
selves and the creature, " put their trust" only in
his mercy. His honour is engaged by his promise,
not to let such be " ashamed" of their confidence.

Ps. 31.] S73

" 2. Bow down thine ear to me; deliver me
speedily : be thou my strong rock, for an house of
defence to save me."

The Christian, like his blessed Master, is " be-
sieged" by many and powerful enemies, insomuch
that, notwithstanding all human precautions, " un-
less Jehovah keep the city, the watchmen waketh in
vain." Who, in such circumstances, would not pray
for " speedy" deliverance?

" 3. For thou art my rock and my fortress:
therefore, for thy name's sake, lead me and guide
me."

God will be the " rock" and " fortress" of those
who esteem him as such; and, after having been so,
through all the dangers and difficulties of life, he will
" lead" and " guide" them to the realms of peace
and rest, for the sake of that " name" which im-
plieth salvation.

" 4. Pull me out of that net which they have laid
privily for me: for thou art my strength."

As David prayed for an escape from the secret
conspiracies that were entered into against him, so
did Christ pray for deliverance from the snares of
death; and so doth the Christian pray to be extri-
cated from the toils both of sin and death.

" 5. Into thine hand I commend my spirit: thou
hast redeemed me, O Lord, thou God of truth."

David, in his distresses, might, by these words,
express his resignation of himself and his affairs into

Tl4f [Pg. 31.

the hands of God; but it is certain, that Christ ac-
tually did expire upon the cross, with the former part
of this verse in his mouth: Luke xxiii. 46. Nor is
there any impropriety in the appHcation of the latter
part to him; since, as man, the surety and represen-
tative of our nature, he was " redeemed" from the
power of the enemy, by " the God of truth" accom-
pHshing his promises.

" 6. I have hated them that regard lying vanities:
but I trust in the Lord."

They may hope for redemption, who so " trust in
God," as to trust in nothing beside him; for all else
is " vanity," and will deceive.

" 7. I will be glad, and rejoice in thy mercy; for
thou hast considered my trouble; and hast known
my soul in adversities: 8. And hast not shut me
up into the hand of the enemy; thou hast set my
feet in a large room."

The considerations that make the soul " cheerful"
in the hour of affliction, are, that God is merciful;
that as he is not ignorant, so neither is he unmindful
of our troubles; that he is a friend, who " knows"
us in our adversity, no less than in prosperity; that he
hath not subjected us to the necessity of being over-
come by our spiritual enemies; but hath, " with the
temptation, made a way for us to escape."

" 9. Have mercy upon me, O Lord, for I am
in trouble: mine eye is consumed with grief, yea,
my soul, or, animal frame, and my belly."

Upon the strength of the foregoing considera-

Ps. 31.1 275

tions, supplication is here made for deliverance from
troubles, which wasted the eyes with weeping, and
exhausted the strength and vigour of the frame.
Such were the troubles of David, and, more em-
phatically, those of Christ; and sickness and sorrow
will one day teach us all to use the same expressions.

" 10. For my life is spent with grief, and my
years with sighing: my strength faileth because of
mine iniquity, and my bones are consumed."

Do we not, in these words, hear the voice of the
" man of sorrows," suffering not indeed for his own
" iniquity," but for ours, of which he frequently, in
the Psalms, speaks as if it were his own? If sin was
punished in the innocent Lamb of God, let us not
expect that it should be unpunished in us, unless we
repent; and let our punishment never fail to remind
us of our guilt.

"11. I was a reproach among all mine enemies,
but especially among my neighbours, and a fear to
mine acquaintance; they that did see me without,
fled from me."

These particulars were never more applicable to
David, than they were to the Son of David, when
his acquaintance, at beholding him reviled by his
enemies, were terrified from attending him, and
when " all the disciples forsook him, and fled." The
same things are often too true of the faith and the
church. They are true likewise of every man when
he suffers the dishonours of the last enemy, death;
when he is " a fear" to his dearest friends, and they
are obliged to forsake him.

276 [Ps. 31.

" 12. I am forgotten as a dead man out of mind;
I am like a broken vessel."

This was literally the case of Christ, when laid
in the sepulchre, and esteemed no longer the object
of hope by his friends, or of fear by his enemies.
That he should be so " forgotten," while dead, is less
wonderful, than that this should have happened since
his glorious resurrection and ascension into heaven.

" 13. For I have heard the slander of many:
fear was on every side: while they took counsel to-
gether against me, they devised to take away my
life."

The slander of Shimei, and the counsel of Ahitho-
phel against king David, direct us to the slanders of
the Jews, and the counsels of Judas and the Sanhe-
drim against the beloved Son of God, who, in his
church, will be persecuted in like manner, by the
ungodly, to the world's end.

" 14. But I trusted in thee, O Lord: I said.
Thou art my God. 15. My times are in thy
hand; deliver me from the hand of mine enemies,
and from them that persecute me. 16. Make thy
face to shine upon thy servant: save me for thy
mercies' sake."

In all our afflictions, after the example of the
typical and of the true David, we are to have re-
course to the prayer of faith; we are to consider that
Jehovah is our God and Saviour; that the times
and the seasons of prosperity and adversity, of life
and death, are in his hand ; and therefore on him

p,.3i.i 277

we are to wait, till the day of mercy shall dawn, and
the shadows fly away.

" 17. Let me not be ashamed, O Lord, for I
have called upon thee; let the wicked be ashamed,
and let them be silent in the grave. 18. Let the
lying lips be put to silence; which speak grievous
things proudly and contemptuously against the righ-
teous."

Ahithophel, for his treason against David, and
Judas, for his treachery against Christ, felt the force
of this prophetical imprecation, or prediction, which
will also, one day, take its full effect, in the confu-
sion of all impenitent calumniators and traitors.

"19. O how great is thy goodness, which thou
hast laid up for them that fear thee; which thou hast
wrought for them that trust in thee before the sons
of men !"

Peace of conscience, the comforts of the Spirit,
and the hope of future glory, will teach the soul,
even in the darkest night of affliction, to break forth
into this exulting strain of gratitude and praise, for
the blessings experienced by those who confess their
Saviour before men.

" 20. Thou shalt hide them in the secret of thy
presence from the pride, Heb, conspiracies, of man;
thou shalt keep them secretly in a pavilion from the
strife of tongues."

In times of contention and persecution, there is a
refuge for the faithful in " the tabernacle of David,"
which is the mystical body of Christ, inhabited by
Vol. I. N

278 IV.. 31.

the presence of God. In this sacred " pavilion," they
enjoy the pleasures of contemplation and devotion,
reo-ardless of the distant tumult and confusion of the
world.

" 21. Blessed be the Lord; for he hath showed
me his marvellous kindness in a strong city."

The man Christ, and the church with him, like
David of old, here rejoice in the protection and sav-
ing power of God, in the same manner as in Isa.
xxvi. 1. " We have a strong city; salvation will
God appoint for walls and hulwarks."

" 22. For I said in my haste, I am cut off fror.i
before thine eyes; nevertheless, thou heardcst the
voice of my supplications, when I cried unto thee."

Whoever shall consider the troubles of the be-
loved Son of God, bereaved for a season of the light
of heaven, only that it might afterwards arise upon
him with the greater lustre, will be taught never to
faint under the chastisement of the Lord; since the
darkness of the night argues the approaching dawn
of the day.

" 23. O love the Lord, all ye his saints ; for
the Lord preserveth the faithful, and plentifully re-
wardeth the proud doer. 21. Be of good courage,
and he shall strengthen your heart, all ye that hope
in the Lord."

The exhortation is raised from the consideration
of the deliverance of Christ, with the destruction of
his enemies; which ought to strengthen and comfort
the hearts of believers, under all their affliction* here

p.. 32.1 279

below; that so, after having suffered courageously
with their Master, they may triumphantly enter into
his joy and glory.

PSALM XXXII.

Sixth Day, — Evening Prayer.

ARGUMENT. — In this Psalm, which is the second of those
styled penitential, David, as a model of true repentance, 1, 2.
extolleth the blessedness of those whose sins are forgiven them ;
3, 4. describeth the torment endured by him, before he con-
fessed his sin ; and, 5. the goodness of God in pardoning it,
when confessed ; 6. he foretelleth that others, after his exam-
ple, should obtain the like mercy; 7. declareth his hope and
confidence in his God ; who, 8. is introduced, promising wds-
dom and grace to the penitent; 9, 10. sinners are warned
against obstinacy; and, 11. the righteous exliorted to rejoice
in God their Savioiu-.

" 1. Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven,
"dihose sin is covered. 2. Blessed is the man unto
whom the Lord imputeth not iniquity, and in whose
spirit there is no guile."

As the sick man is eloquent in the praise of health,
so the sinner beginneth this his confession of sin with
an encomium on righteousness, longing earnestly to
be made a partaker of the evangehcal " blessedness;"
to be delivered from the guilt and the power of sin;
to be pardoned and sanctified through faith which is
in Christ Jesus. See Rom. iv. 6.

" 3. When I kept silence, my bones waxed old
through my roaring all the day long."

In opposition to the blessedness above-mentioned,

N2

280 LPs. 32.

the penitent now proceeds to declare his own wretch-
ed state, occasioned by his " keeping silence/' or
not confessing his sin, which therefore rankled and
festered inwardly, occasioning torment inexpressible.
The disorders of the mind, as well as those of the
body, should be communicated to persons skilful in
assuaging and removing them. Many might thereby
be saved from the horrible crime of self-murder,
which is generally committed in agonies of solitary
remorse and despair.

" 4. For day and night thy hand was heavy upon
me: my moisture is turned into the drought of sum-
mer."

Outward calamities, and inward pangs of con-
science, are the strokes of God's hand, designed to
humble the sinner, and lead him to confession; and
in the infliction of these, such severity is sometimes
necessary, that the patient is brought to death's door,
before a turn can be given to the disease; but the
pain of a blow upon an ulcerated part, however ex-
quisite, is well compensated for, if, by promoting a
discharge, it effect a cure.

" 5. I acknowledge my sin unto thee, and mine
iniquity have I not hid. I said, I will confess my
transgressions unto the Lord; and thou forgavest
the iniquity of my sin."

What is this but the Gospel itself — " If we con-
fess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us
our sins:" 1 John i. 9. And thus it happened, in
one case, to David, who had no sooner confessed his
siu to the prophet Nathan, but an answer of peace

Ps. 32.1 281

was instantly vouchsafed — '* The Lord hath put
away thy sm:'* 2 Sam. xii. 13. Were angels to
descend from heaven, to comfort the dejected spirit
of a sinner, they could say nothing more effectual
for the purpose, than what is said in this verse of
our Psalm. But practice will be the best comment
upon it.

" 6. For this shall every one that is godly pray
unto thee in a time when thou mayest be found:
surely in the floods of great waters they shall not
come nigh unto him."

Encouraged, by this example and declaration of
David, to hope for mercy, on confession of sin, it is
here foretold, that humble penitents shall be led to
make their prayer unto God in the acceptable time,
and in the day of salvation, while he " may be
found;" that so they may be forgiven, and preserved
from great and overwhelming calamities; from the
fears of death, and the terrors of judgment.

" 7. Thou art my hiding place, thou shalt pre-
serve me from trouble; thou shalt compass me about
with songs of deliverance."

The penitent, happily returned to the house of
his heavenly Father, now esteemeth himself safe
under his protection; and resteth in full assurance
that all his sorrows shall one day be turned into joy,
through the redemption which is in Jesus Christ.

" 8. I will instruct thee, and teach thee in the
way in which thou shalt go: I will guide thee with
mine eye."

282

[Ps. 32.

The Redeemer is here introduced, returning an
answer to the penitent's declarations of his humility
and faith; promising " instruction" in that wisdom
which every man wants who continues in sin, toge-
ther with the direction of the Spirit in the way of
righteousness, and the superintendence of his watch-
ful care. Man cannot prevent evils, because he can-
not forsee them. " Next therefore to the protect-
ing power of God's Wing, is the securing prospect
of his Eye," saith Dr. South.

" 9. Be ye not as the horse, or, as the mule,
^which have no understanding; whose mouth must be
held in with a bit and bridle, lest they come near
unto thee."

The person speaking in the former verse, or the
prophet himself, exhorts sinners to repent, at the in-
vitation and encouragement afforded them; and not
to continue, like brutes, fierce, obstinate, and sense-
less, until, like them, they must be tamed and ma-
naged by force, and the severity of discipline.

" 10. Many sorrows shall he to the wicked; but
he that trusteth in the Lord, mercy shall compass
him about."

They who are not to be reformed by gentler
methods, must learn righteousness under the rod of
affliction, in the school of the cross: and happy are
they, if their " sorrows" may so turn to their ad-
vantage. But happier are those who, led by the
goodness of God to repentance and faith, enjoy the
light and protection of " mercy."

" 11. Be glad in the Lord, and rejoice, ye

Ps. 3a]

283

righteous: and shout for joy, all j/e that are upright
in heart."*

In the beginning of the Psalm, the penitent, smit-
ten with a sense of his wretchedness on account of
his sins, extolleth the blessedness of the righteous !
he now again doth the same, through a joyful sense
of his pardon, and restoration to that happy state.
Let us " rejoice," O Lord Jesus; but let us rejoice
" in thee," and in thy salvation; so shall we rejoice
indeed !

PSALM XXXIIL

ARGUMENT.— In this Psalm, the prophet, 1—3. exhorteth
the faithful to a spiritual and holy joy in their God, whom they
are to praise, 4, 5. for his truth, righteousness, and mercy;
6 — 9. for his power, displayed in the works of creation ;
10 — 19. for the wisdom of his providence, and the care he
hath of his people. 20, 21. The righteous, in answer to the
exhortation, declare their joy and confidence in God their
Saviour, and 22. prefer a petition for his manifestation.

" L Rejoice in the Lord, O ye righteous, Jbr
praise is comely for the upright."

God, and not the world, is the fountain of "joy;"
which sinners talk of, but the righteous only possess.

* Bishop Lowth is of opinion, this verse should be the first
of the ensuing Psalm, the repetition being in the very style and
manner of the Hebrews, and the words repeated and varied with
the greatest art and elegance. Be glad in the Lord and rejoice,
ye " righteous ; and shout for joy, all ye that are upright in
heart. Rejoice in the Lord, O ye righteous; for praise is comely
for the upright. See Merrick's Annotations.

284 [Ps. 33.

" Rejoice in the Lord always; and again I say, re-
joice:" Philipp. iv. 4.

" 2. Praise the Lord with harp: sing unto liim
with psaltery, a7id an instrument of ten strings."

Music, both vocal and instrumental, is of eminent
use in setting forth the praises of God; but there is
no instrument like the rational soul, and no melody
like that of well-tuned affections. When this music
accompanies the other, the sacred harmony of the
church is complete.

'* 3. Sing unto him a new song; play skilfully
with a loud noise."

" Old things are passed away," and the ideas of
a Christian are to be transferred from the old world,
and the old dispensation, to the "new;" since under
the Gospel, " all things are become new;" and all
men ought to become so: Rev. xxi. 1, 5. Abihties
of every kind are never so well employed, as in the
service of him who giveth them.

" 4. For the word of the Lord is right: and all
his works at'e done in truth."

God is to be praised for his word, and his works;
for his rectitude in the one, and his truth in the
other; for his faithfuhiess in accomplishing by the
latter, what his goodness had promised in the former.
The sense will be the same, if we suppose that by
the " word of the Lord" is meant the personal
Word, or Son of God, all whose " works" wrought
for the salvation of men, are done in truth, as wit-
nessed by the law and the prophets.

Ps. 33.] 285

" 5. He loveth righteousness and judgment: the
earth is full of the goodness, Heb, mercy, of the
Lord."

" Justice" is an attribute inseparable from God ;
and what deserves the praises of man, as it excites
the admiration of angels, is, that without sacrificing
this formidable attribute, he hath contrived to fill
and overflow the earth with his " mercy."

'*' 6. By the word of the Lord were the heavens
made; and all the host of them by the breath, or,
spirit, of his mouth."

It is true, that the world was created by the
"word," ov Jiat of God, which maybe here de-
scribed, after the manner of men, as formed by " the
breath of his mouth." It is also true, that by the
•instrumentality of the eternal Word, and the eternal
Spirit, the old heavens and earth were made; as also
the new heavens and earth, which shall succeed them.
Glory is due from man to God, the Father, the
Word, and the Holy Spirit.

" 7. He gathereth the waters of the sea together
as an heap: he layeth up the depth in storehouses."

The next instance of divine power and goodness,
for which we are here excited to be thankful, is that
of laying up the waters, which originally covered the
face of the earth, in the great deep beneath. And
let us reflect, that, by the same divine power and
goodness, a deluge of wickedness and violence is
prevented from overwhelming the faith and the
church.

N3

286 [Ps. 33.

" 8. Let aJl the earth fear the Lord: let all the
inhabitants of the world stand in awe of him : 9. For
he spake, and it was do7ie ; he commanded, and it
stood fast."

He who made all things, who preserves all things,
and can in a moment destroy all things, is the pro-
per object of our " fear," and that we fear him so
little is a most convincing proof of the corruption
and blindness of our hearts.

" 10. The Lord bringeth the counsel of the
heathen to nought: he maketh the devices of the
people of none effect. IL The counsel of the
Lord standeth for ever, the thoughts of his heart to
all generations."

The wisdom of God's providence is not less
worthy of adoration than the power of his might.
By this wisdom, the " counsels" of states and em-
pires are either directed to the accomplishment of
tit? great counsel of heaven; or, if they attempt to
thwart it, are blasted and " brought to nothing."
History will force all, who read it with this view, to
acknowledge thus much. And with this view, in-
deed, it should always be read.

" 12. Blessed is the nation whose God is the
Lord; and the people "uohom he hath chosen for his
own inheritance."

The foregoing considerations of the righteousness,
truth, mercy, power, and wisdom, of Jehovah, natu-
rally suggest a reflection on the " blessedness" of
the church, in whose cause all those attributes are,

Ps. a3.i 287

by the covenant of grace, engaged and exercised.
But who now esteems this blessedness as it deserves?

" 13. The Lord looketh from heaven : he be-
holdeth all tlie sons of men, 14. From the place
of his habitation, he looketh upon all the inhabi-
tants of the earth. 15. He fashioneth their hearts
alike; he considereth all their works."

How great must be the advantage of living in his
favour, and under his protection, who, from the
watch tower of his eternal throne, beholdeth, direct-
eth, and controlieth at pleasure, not only the actions
and the words, but the very thoughts and imagina-
tions of all the inhabitants of the earth ! For, this
being the case, it is most certain, that

" 16. There is no king saved by the multitude of
an host; a mighty man is not delivered by much
strength. 17. An horse is a vain thing for safety:
neither shall he deliver any by his great strength."

All the power in the world is less than nothing,
if brought into the field against that of God; so
that the fate of every battle will depend upon the
side which He shall please to take, who is equally
able to confound the many and the mighty, and to
give victory to the weak and the few. The same is
true of that spiritual warfare in which we are all en-
gaged.

" 18. Behold, the eye of the Lord is upon them
that fear him; upon them that hope in his mercy;
19. To deliver their soul from death, and to keep
them alive in famine,"

^S8 [Ps. 33.

The ever-waking eye of Providence, which look-
eth on all, looketh with favour and loving-kindness
on such as " fear" God without despondency, and
" hope" in him without presumption; their bodies
are often wonderfully preserved in times of danger
and want; but, what is of far greater consequence,
their souls are saved from spiritual and everlasting
death, and nourished, in the wilderness, with the
bread of heaven.

" 20. Our soul waiteth for the Lord: he is our
help and our shield. 21. For our heart shall re-
joice in him, because we have trusted in his holy
name."

In answer to the fore^roinfr exhortation, the
" righteous" are here introduced, declaring their
fixed resolution to persevere in faith and patience,
" waiting" for the coming of their Lord and Saviour,
in whom they " rejoice with joy unspeakable and
full of glory," by reason of that humble and holy
confidence which they have in him.

" 22. Let thy mercy, O Lord, be upon us, ac-
cording as we hope in thee."

The " hope" of the church was always in Mes-
siah. Of old she prayed for the " mercy" of his
first advent; now she expecteth his second. Grant
us, O Lord, hope, of which we may never be disap-
pointed.

Ps. 34.] ^89

PSALM XXXIV.

ARGUMENT.— The prophet, escaped out of the hands of his
enemies, uttereth a song of praise, in words which the Chris-
tian now employeth to celebrate the far greater deliverance of
his Saviour, and himself by him, from the power of more for-
midable adversaries. 1 — 7. He calleth his brethren to rejoice
with him, and to magnify God for the favour and protection
vouchsafed to his servant, in a time of danger; 8 — 10. he ex-
horteth others to taste and experience the goodness of Jehovah
to such as fear him ; and for that purpose, 11 — 14. instruct-
eth them in the nature and eifects of divine fear; after which,
15 — 22. he sweetly descantetli on the certainty of redemption
from all the tribulations endured by the faithful in this mortal
life.

" 1. I will bless the Lord at all times: his praise
shall continually be in my mouth."

The Christian, delivered from many perils, yet
continually liable to more, finds cause, at all seasons,
and in all situations, to bless God. " In all things
he gives thanks, and rejoices even in tribulation,"
which cannot deprive him of the true ground of all
joy, the salvation of Christ.

" 2. My soul shall make her boast in the Lord:
the humble shall hear thereof, and be glad."

The glory of every action is to be ascribed to
God, whose interpositions, in behalf of his people of
old time, afford consolation and joy to the humble
and afflicted. But chiefly are the members of the
church bound to give thanks for the resurrection and
triumph of Christ, their head. " The humble" can
never " hear" of this, without being " glad."

290 [Ps. 34.

" 3. O magnify the Lord with me, and let us
exalt his name together."

The Christian, not only himself magnifies God,
but exhorts others to do likewise; and longs for that
day to come, when all nations and languages, laying
aside their contentions and animosities, their preju-
dices and their errors, their unbelief, their heresies,
and their schisms, shall make their sound to be heard
as one, in magnifying and exalting their great Re-
deemer's name.

" 4. I sought the Lord, and he heard me, and
delivered me from all my fears.'*

The ground of this rejoicing, to the typical David,
might be his deliverance from his enemies; to the
true David, it was his rescue from the power of dark-
ness; to the believing soul, it is her salvation from
sin; and to the body, it will be redemption from the
grave. Then the Lord will deliver us " from all
our fears;" and this he will do, if we " seek" him,
in his Scriptures, and in his ordinances.

'' 5. They looked upon him, and were lightened:
and their faces were not ashamed."

Faith is the eye, sin the blindness, and Christ
the light of the soul. The blindness must be re-
moved, and the eye must be directed to the light,
which will then illuminate the whole man, and guide
him in the way of salvation. He who thus looketh
unto the Sun of Righteousness, for light and direc-
tion, shall never be confounded.

Ps. 34.] 291

" 6. This poor man cried, and the Lord heard
Jiim, and saved him out of all his troubles."

David, when he escaped from his enemies, might
be "poor" and destitute. But He was emphatically
" the poor man," who became so for our sakes; who
not only possessed nothing, but desired nothing in
this world. Fie " cried, and Jehovah heard him,
and delivered him out of all his troubles," as he will
hear and deliver the " poor in spirit," who pray unto
him. For,

" 7. The angel of the Lord encampeth round
about them that fear him, and delivereth them."

The divine protection and salvation, vouchsafed
to the faithful, is here signified, whether we suppose
that by " the angel of Jehovah," is meant the pre-
sence of Christ in the church militant, as of old in
the camp of Israel; or the ministration of created
spirits to the heirs of salvation, as in the case of
Elisha : 2 Kings vi. 17. Let the consideration of
these invisible guardians, who are also spectators of
our actions, at once restrain us from evil, and incite
us to good.

" 8. O taste and see that the Lord is good :
blessed is the man that trusteth in him."

David saw and tasted the goodness of Jehovah,
when delivered from his adversaries; the Son of
David, when raised from the dead. Both invite us,
by " trusting" in God, to behold and experience, in
our own persons, the mercies and consolations of
heaven.

292 [Ps. 34

" 9. O fear the Lord, ye his saints: for there is
no want to them that fear him. 10. The young
lions do lack, and suffer hunger; but they that seek
the Lord shall not want any good thing.''

He who seeketh the Lord shall find him; and he
who hath found Him, can want nothing. Faith,
hope, charity, temperance, purity, patience, and con-
tentment, are the true riches; and the lack of them,
the poverty to be most dreaded; since to a Christian,
persecution, loss, sickness, nay, death itself, is gain.
In the mean time, God is never wanting to provide
for his servants what he seeth needful and best, in
matters temporal; while tyrants and oppressors, who
are, in the world, what " lions" are in a forest, are
often, by the just judgment of heaven, reduced to
want that which they have ravished from others.

" IL Come, ye children, hearken unto me: I
will teach you the fear of the Lord."

They who, by contemplating the advantages de-
scribed above, which attend the fear of the Lord, are
become desirous of obtaining that fear, must hearken
to their heavenly Father, who by his prophet " speak-
eth unto them as unto children," offering to teach
them the good and right way.

" 12. What man is he that desireth life, and
loveth many days, that he may see good?"

Every Christian professeth to " desire," not only
an animal, but a spiritual "life;" to love, not an old
age in time, but an eternal duration; that he may
" see those good things" which God hath prepared,

Ps. 34.] 293

not upon earth, but in heaven, for them that love
him. Let us observe, therefore, upon what terms
such blessings are oiferetl.

" 13. Keep thy tongue from evil, and tliy hps
from speaking guile."

The tongue is an instrument of much good, or
much evil. Life and death are in its power ; he that
keepeth it, keepeth his soul; and he who ofFendeth
not therewith is a perfect man; it is an unruly mem-
ber, and the first work of the fear of God must be
to bridle it, that no profane, unclean, slanderous, de-
ceitful, or idle words, proceed out of the mouth.
And as the heart is to the tongue, what the fountain
is to the stream, that first must be purified.

" 14. Depart from evil, and do good; seek peace,
and pursue it."

Not the tongue only, but the whole man is to be
corrected and regulated by the fear of God, operating
unto repentance from dead works, and, through
faith, unto obedience of life. And he who hath
thus obtained peace with God, must ever remember
to follow peace with men, reconciling his brethren,
if at variance ; himself, if it be possible, being at va-
riance with no one.

" 15. The eyes of the Lord are upon the righ-
teous, and his ears arc open unto their cry. 16.
The face of the Lord is against them that do evil,
to cut off the remembrance of them from the earth."

The righteous may be afilicted, like David, and
like a greater than David ; and their oppressors may

294^ [Ps. 34.

for a time, be triumphant ; but, in the end, the for-
mer will be delivered and exalted; the latter will
either cease to be remembered, or they will be re-
membered with infamy.

"It. The righteous cry, and the Lord heareth,
and delivereth them out of all their troubles."

This great and comforting truth is attested by the
history of the deliverance of Israel from Egypt, Ba-
bylon, &c. of Jonah from the whale ; of the three
children from the flames, &c. wrought at the suppli-
cations of the respective parties in distress : but
above all, by the salvation of the world, through the
intercession of Jesus Christ. The death of martyrs
is their deliverance; and the greatest of all deliver-
ances.

" 18. The Lord is niijk unto them that are of
a broken heart; and saveth such as be of a contrite
spirit."

We are apt to overlook men, in proportion as
they are humbled beneath us; God regards them
in that proportion. Vessels of honour are made of
that clay, which is " broken" into the smallest parts.

" 19. Many are the afflictions of the righteous :
but the Lord delivereth him out of them all."

Afflictions all must suffer; but those of the righ-
teous end in victory and glory. What soldier would
not cheerfully undergo the hardships of a campaign
upon this condition? "In the world," saith the
Captain of our salvation, " ye shall have tribulation;
but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world:"
John xvi. 33.

Ps. 34.] 295

" 20. He keepeth all his bones; not one of them
is broken."

It is God who preserveth to man the strength of
his body, wliich Heth in the bones ; and that vigour
of his spirit, which consisteth in firm and well-esta-
bhshed principles of fiith and holiness. The bones
of the true Paschal Lamb continued wdiole during
the passion; and those of the saints shall be raised
whole at the last day, when the mystical body of
Christ shall come out of its sufferings, no less per-
fect and entire, than did the natural.

"21. Evil shall slay the wicked: and they that
hate the righteous shall be desolate."

The evil of punishment springs from the evil
of sin; and no sin works such "desolation" as a
malicious " hatred" and persecution of the true
sons and servants of God. Whoso doubts the
truth of this, let him only survey and consider atten-
tively the desolation of the once highly favoured
nation, for their enmity against the King of righ-
teousness, and his faithful subjects.

" 22. The Lord redeemeth the soul of his ser-
vants: and none of them that trust in him shall be
desolate."

The frequent prosperity of the wicked, and the
troubles of the righteous in this world, strike power-
fully upon the sense, and are, for that reason, too apt
to efface from our minds the notices given us by
faith, of that future inversion of circumstances which
is to take place after death. To renew, therefore,

296 [Ps. 35.

the impression of such an interesting truth, the re-
demption of the afflicted righteous is so often insisted
on in the course of this Psahn. Enable us, O
Lord, to " walk by faith, and not by sight," until
we come to thy heavenly kingdom; where, with all
thy saints, made perfect through sufferings, we shall
" bless and magnify thee at all times," and thy
" praise will continually be in our mouth," for ever-
more.

PSALM XXXV.

Seventh Day. — Morning Prayer,

ARGUMENT.—The prophet, in this Psalm, as in the 22d,
which it resembles, personating Messiah, in his state of hu-
miliation and suffering, 1 — 3. beseecheth Jehovah to interpose
in his behalf; 4 — 8. predicteth the confusion of his enemies,
and 9, 10. his own triumph; 11 — 16. describeth the malice
of his persecutors against him, and his love towards them ;
17 — 25. repeateth his supplications for dehverance, and en-
large th upon the cruel insults he met with : 2Q. he again fore-
telleth the destruction of the adversary, and, 27, 28. the ex-
ultation of the faitliful.

" L Plead my cause, O Lord, with them that
strive with me: fight against them that fight against
me.

David, in his afflictions; Christ, in his passion;
the church, under persecution ; and the Christian, in
the hour of temptation, supplicate the Almighty to
appear in their behalf, and to vindicate their cause.

" 2. Take hold of shield and buckler, and stand
up for mine help. 3. Draw out also the spear, and

Ps. 35.] 297

stop the *wat/ against them that persecute me : say
unto my soul, I am thy salvation."

Jehovah is here described, as a " man of war,"
going forth to the battle against the enemies of
Messiah and his church: the protection afforded by
his mercy, is figured by the shield of the warrior,
covering his body from the darts of the enemy; and
the vengeance of his uplifted arm, is represented by
the offensive weapons used among men, such as the
spear and the sword. " If God be for us, who can
be against us?" If he speaketh salvation, who shall
threaten destruction ? see Deut. xxxii. 41. Wisdom
V. 20.

" 4. Let them be confounded, or, they shall be
confounded, and put to shame, that seek after my
soul: let them be, or, they shall be, turned back and
brought to confusion, that devise my hurt."

The consequence of the Omnipotent appearing in
arms against his adversaries, is here foretold. And
the prediction has long since been verified in the
" confusion" of Saul, and of the Jews, as it will be
finally fulfilled in that of Satan, and all his adherents,
at the last day; for the manifestation of which day
the church now waiteth, in faith and patience.

" 5. Let them be, or, they shall be, as chaff be-
fore the wind : and let the angel of the Lord, or,
the angel of the Lord shall, chase them,''^

The Jews, separated from the church and people
of Christ, become useless and unprofitable to any
good work, possessing only the empty ceremonies and

298 [Vs. 35.

husks of their rehgion, and by the breath of the di-
vine displeasure dispersed over the face of the earth,
afford a striking comment on this verse, and as strik-
ing an admonition to every opposer of the holy
Jesus. See Psalm i. 4.

" 6. Let their way, or, their way shall, be dark
and slippery: and let the angel of the Lord, or, the
angel of the Lord shall, persecute them."

A traveller, benighted in a bad road, is an expres-
sive emblem of a sinner walking in his slippery and
dangerous ways of temptation, without knowledge to
direct his steps, to show him the danger, or to extri-
cate him from it; while an enemy is in pursuit of
him, whom he can neither resist nor avoid. Deli-,
ver us, O Lord, from all blindness, but, above all,
froln that which is judicial !

" 7. For without cause have they hid for me
their net m a pit, "do/izch without cause they have
digged for my soul. 8. Let destruction, or, de-
struction shall, come upon him at unawares; and let
his net that he hath hid, or, his net that he hath hid
shall catch himself: into that very destruction let
him, or, he shall, fall."

The causeless persecution raised against David by
Saul, and against our Lord by the Jews, reverted,
through the righteous judgment of God, on the
heads of the persecutors. The innocent birds
escaped; and they who set the toils, were themselves
taken therein. Saul lost the kingdom which he
thought to have secured, and his life also ; and the
Jews who crucified Christ, lest " the Romans should

Ps. 35.] 299

take away their place and nation," had their place
and nation taken away by those Romans, for that
very reason. In these histories, all impenitent per-
secutors of" the faith, the church, and the servants
of God, may read their doom.

" 9. And my soul shall be joyful in the Lord:
it shall rejoice in his salvation. 10. All my bones
shall say, Lord, who is like unto thee, which deliv-
erest the poor from him that is too strong for him,
yea, the poor and the needy from him that spoileth
him?"

These verses, as they describe the joy which the
soul and body of Christ were to experience after the
resurrection, so shall they one day be sung by the
mystical body of the Lord, when dehvered from the
power of the spoiler, and raised entire from the dust.
In the mean time, they may express our gratitude
for any temporal preservation from enemies, from
sad casualties, and dangerous temptations.

" 11. False witnesses did rise up; they laid to
my charge, Heb. asked me, things that I knew not.
12. They rewarded me evil for good, to the spoiling
of my soul."

This was never more literally true of David, than
it was of the holy Jesus, when, standing before Pon-
tius Pilate, he received no other return from the
Jews, for all the gracious words which he had spoken,
and all the merciful works which he had done
among them, than that of being slandered and put
to death.

300 [Ps. 35

«« 13. But as for me, when they were sick, my
clothing was sackcloth: I humbled, or, afflicted, my
soul with fasting; and my prayer returned into mine
own bosom."

If David prayed, fasting in sackcloth, for Saul
and his associates, the Son of David, to heal the
souls of men, put on the veil of mortal flesh, and
appeared in the form and habit of a penitent, fasting
forty days and forty nights, making continual inter-
cession for transgressors, and grieving to tliink that
any men, by their obstinacy, should deprive them-
selves of the benefits thereof.

" 14. I behaved myself, Ilcb. I walked, as though
he had been my friend or brother; I ])owcd down
heavily, as one that mournethyc/r his mother, or, as
a mother that mourneth."

He who so passionately lamented the natural death
of Saul, doubtless bewailed greatly his spiritual death
of sin; and he who took a comprehensive view of
the sins and sorrows of Jerusalem, wept over that
wretched city, with the tender affection of a "friend,"
a " brother," and a " mother" — " O Jerusalem,
Jerusalem, how often would I have gathered thy
children together, even as a hen gathereth her
chickens under her wings !"

" 15. But in mine adversity they rejoiced, and
gathered themselves together: yea, the abjects, or,
smiters, gathered themselves together against me,
and I knew it not; they did tear me, and ceased not."

When the blessed Jesus was suffering for the sins

Ps. 35.]

301

of men, he was insulted by those men for whose sins
he suffered. He gave, not only his reputation to the
revilers, but also his back to the " smiters," though
not conscious of the crimes for which they pretended
to punish him.

" 16. With hypocritical mockers in feasts, or,
among the profligates the makers of mock, they
gnashed upon me with their teeth."

However this might be true in the case of David,
it certainly had a literal accomplishment in the scoffs
and taunts of the chief priests, and others, when
Christ was hanging on the cross — "Ah, thou that de-
stroyest the temple," &c. " He trusted in God," &c.
" Let him come down from the cross," &c. &c. &c.
Nay, one of the thieves, crucified with him, " cast
the same in his teeth." Whosoever considers these
things, will not be surprised at the expostulation in
the following verse:

" 17. Lord, how long wilt thou look on? Res-
cue my soul from their destructions, my darling from
the lions."

Christ prayeth, like David of old, for the mani-
festation of the promised mercy: for the deliverance
of the nature which he had assumed, and which he
delighted in. Who does not behold, in him, sur-
rounded by his enraged and implacable enemies, a
second Daniel, praying in the den of " lions."

"18. I will give thee thanks in the great con-
gregation: I will praise thee among much people, or,
the strong people."
Vol. I. O

802

[Ps. 35.

This verse is exactly parallel to Psalm xxii. 25.
wherein, after an enumeration of his sufferings, our
Lord predicteth the praise and glory that should ac-
crue to God in the church, after his resurrection,
from the preaching of the apostles; which passage
see, and compare; as also, Isaiah xxv. 3. and Rev.
vii. 9.

" 19. Let not them that are mine enemies wrong-
fully rejoice over me: neither let them wink with the
eye that hate me without a cause."

The prophet, in the person of Christ, returneth
again to make supplication, that an end may be put
to the insults, the scoffs, and the sneers of the re-
probate. O come that day, when they shall cease
for evermore !

" 20. For they speak not peace : but they devise
deceitful matters against them that are quiet in the
land. 2L Yea, they opened their mouth wide
against me, and said. Aha, aha ! our eye hath seen //."

David would have lived " quietly" under the go-
vernment of Saul: our Lord did not aim at tempo-
ral sovereignty over the Jews; nor did the primitive
Christians desire to intermeddle with the politics of
the world; yet all were betrayed, mocked, and per-
secuted, as rebels and usurpers, and the pests of so-
ciety.

" 22. This thou hast seen, O Lord: keep not
silence: O Lord, be not far from me. 23. Stir
up thyself, and awake to my judgment, even unto
my cause, my God, and my Lord. 24. Judge me.

Ps. 35.] 303

O Lord my God, according to thy righteousness;
and let them not rejoice over me."

God " seeth" and knoweth all things ; yet he
permitteth those who love him best, to be often and
long afflicted and oppressed, seeming as one at a
" distance," or " silent," or " asleep," that is, re-
gardless of what passes. At such times, we are not
to remit, but to double our diligence in prayer, re-
iterating our cries — " Lord save 1:1s ! we perish !"
Then will he " awake and arise, and rebuke the
winds and the seas, and there shall be a calm."

" 25. Let them not say in their hearts. Ah, so
would we have it: let them not say. We have swal-
lowed him up."

Messiah prayeth for an end of his sufferings; that
the enemies of mankind might not triumph in his
destruction ; that death might not finally " swallow
him up," but be itself " swallowed up in victory."
The church daily maketh the same request.

" 26. Let them, or, they shall, be ashamed and
brought to confusion together, that rejoice at mine
hurt: let them, or, they shall, be clothed with shame
and dishonour, that magnify themselves against me."

The accomplishment of this prediction, by the re-
surrection of Jesus, and the destruction of Jerusa-
lem, is well known. There are two events to come
parallel to those two which are past, viz. the resur-
rection of the faithful, and the destruction of the
world; when all who, like the Jews, have "rejoiced
in the hurt" of Messiah, and have " magnified them-
O 2

304 [Ps. 36.

selves against him," will, like the Jews, be covered
with everlasting " confusion."

" 27. Let them, or, they shall, shout for joy, and
be glad, that favour my righteous cause: yea, let
them, or^ they shall, say continually. Let the Lord
be magnified, which hath pleasure in the prosperity
of his servant. 28. And my tongue shall speak of
thy righteousness, and of thy praise, all the day
long."

As the preceding verse foretold the sorrow of the
enemies, so these two describe the joy of the friends
to Messiah, upon his victory and exaltation, which
have been, and shall continue to be, celebrated by
the church in these divine hymns, indited by the
Holy Spirit for that purpose, until the songs of time
shall end in the hallelujahs of eternity.

PSALM XXXVL

ARGUMENT.— In the first four verses of this Psalm, the pro-
phet describeth the principles, the actions, the conversation,
and the imaginations of his wicked persecutors; and from
thence raising his thoughts to heaven, 5 — 9. celebrateth the
mercy and loving-kindness of Jehovah; for a continuation of
which to himself and the church, he fervently prayeth, 10, 11;
and 12. foreseeth the downfal of the ungodly.

" L The transgression of the wicked saith within
my heart, that there is no fear of God before his
eyes."

If the present reading in the original be the true
one, the meaning must be this — The transgressions

Ps. 36.] 305

of a bad man show plainly, in the apprehension of a
good one, that the former is destitute of a true fear
of God. Bishop Lowth, by a slight alteration or
two in the text, renders it to this effect — " The
wicked man, according to the wickedness in his
heart, saith. There is no fear of God before mine
eyes."* The great truth which the prophet here
declareth himself to be convinced of, is, that all
wickedness proceedeth from the absence of " the fear
of God," in the person who committeth it: that fear
being a principle which, while it is predominant in
the man, will restrain him from transgression. Our
laws suppose as much, when, in the form of indicting
a criminal, they attribute the commission of the of-
fence to his " not having the fear of God before
his eyes."

" 2. For he flattereth himself in his own eyes,
until his iniquity be found to be hateful; or, when
his sin is ready to be found out, and to be hated."

He who hath lost " the fear of God," is first led
into sin, and then detained in it; because, having
forgotten the great witness and judge of his actions,
he vainly thinks his crimes may be concealed, or dis-
guised, till a discovery breaks the charm, and dis-
perses the delusion. The last day will show strange
instances of this folly.

" 3. The words of his mouth are iniquity and
deceit; he hath left off to be wise, and to do good;
or, to understand, that he may do good."

* See Merrick's Annotations.

306 [Ps. 36.

If the fear of God be not in the heart, " iniquity
and deceit" will be under the tongue ; and then, an
apostacy from wisdom and goodness, or the wisdom
of goodness, which is the only true wisdom, cannot
be far off.

" 4. He deviseth mischief upon his bed; he set-
teth himself in a way that is not good; he abhorreth
not evil."

From the actions and the words of him who hath
not the fear of God before his eyes, the prophet
goeth back to the thoughts and imaginations of his
heart, which, even in retirement and solitude, are
busily employed upon evil, as those of the righteous
are, at those seasons, upon God and goodness. A
man may know the state of his mind, in some mea-
sure, from his morning and evening thoughts " upon
his bed." He who doth not give diligence to " set
himself in a good way," will soon be set in one that
is not good; and he who doth not " abhor" sin, will,
ere long, delight in it.

" 5. Thy mercy, O Lord, is in the heavens ;
a7id thy faithfulness reachcth unto the clouds, or^
skies. 6. Thy righteousness is like the great moun-
tains ; thy judgments arc a great deep."

From the wickedness of the world, in which we
live, we must lift up our eyes, for help and comfort,
to the mercy and truth of God, boundless, pure, and
beneficial, as the heavens over our heads ; to his
righteousness, fixed and permanent as the everlasting
hills; and to his judgments, stupendous and unfa-
thomable as the waters of the great deep. Truth

Ps. 36.] 307

will engage mercy to accomplish the promised sal-
vation of the elect; and righteousness will employ
judgment in executing upon the reprobate the ven-
geance that is due.

*'7. O Lord, thou preservest man and beast.
How excellent is thy loving-kindness, O God !
therefore the children of men put their trust under
the shadow of thy wings."

The good providence of God extendeth over all
creatures, nourishing and preserving them, as well as
man, for whose use they were made. We can never
enough value and extol the "loving-kindness" of
him, whose overshadowing " wings" protect and
cherish us on earth, in order to bear us from thence
to heaven. See Matt, xxiii. 37. Deut. xxxii. 11.

'* 8. They shall be abundantly satisfied with the
fatness of thy house; and thou shalt make them
drink of the river of thy pleasures."

In heaven alone the thirst of an immortal soul
after happiness can he satisfied. There the streams
of Eden will flow again. They who drink of them
shall forget their earthly poverty, and remember the
miseries of the world no more. Some drops from
the celestial cup are sufficient, for a time, to make us
forget our sorrows, even while we are in the midst
of them. What then may we not expect from full
draughts of those pleasures which are at thy right
hand, O Lord, for evermore?

" 9. For with thee is the fountain of life ; in thy
light we shall see light."

308 [Ps. 36.

The rivers before- mentioned flow from a " foun-
tain" which fetcheth not suppHes from without, but
whose spring is within itself, and therefore can never
be exhausted. The " water of life" proceeds from
" the throne of God and the Lamb:" Rev. xxii. 1.
" This is life eternal, to know thee the only true
God, and Jesus Christ whom thou hast sent :" John
xvii. 3. God, like the sun, cannot be seen, but by
the light which himself emits.

*' 10. O continue thy loving-kindness unto them
that know thee; and thy righteousness to the up-
right in heart."

The prophet, groaning under the oppression of
the wicked, who are described in the first part of the
Psalm, prayeth for a continuation of tiie mercies of
God, which he has celebrated in the second part.
Give us, O God, the knowledge of thee, and make
us upright in heart, that thy loving-kindness and
thy righteousness maybe our portion for ever.

" 11. Let not the foot of pride come against me;
and let not the hand of the wicked remove me."

The Christian has reason enough to join with the
prophet in this petition, whether we suppose it to
deprecate destruction from proud men and sinners
without us, or from pride and sin within us.

" 12. There are the works of inic[uity fallen :
they are cast down, and shall not be able to rise."

Faith calleth things that be not, as though they
were ; it carries us forward to the end of time ; it
shows us the Lord, sitting on his throne of judg-

PS. 37.1 ^09

ment : the righteous caught up to meet him in the
air, the world in flames under his feet; and the em-
pire of sin fallen to rise no more.

PSALM XXXVII.

Seventh Day. — Evening Prayer.

ARGUMENT. — From the beginning to the end of this Psalm,
the Holy Spirit, by the prophet, administereth advice and
consolation to the church and people of the Lord, oppressed
and afflicted in the world, by prosperous and triumphant wick-
edness. Faith and patience are, therefore, recommended,
upon the double consideration of that sure reward which
awaiteth the righteous, and that certain punishment which
shall be inflicted on the wicked. These two events are set
before us in a variety of expressions, and under many lively
and affecting images. As the Psalm is rather a collection of
divine aphorisms on the same subject, than a continued and
connected discourse, it admitteth of nothing farther in the
way of argument.

" 1. Fret not thyself because of evil-doers, neither
be thou envious against the workers of iniquity.
2. For they shall soon be cut down like the grass, and
wither as the green herb."

The Holy Spirit here prescribeth a remedy to a
very common, and no less dangerous disorder of the
mind, namely, a distrust of God's providence, occa-
sioned by frequently beholding the prosperity of the
wicked, in this present world. He who alloweth
himself time to consider, how soon the fairest spring
must give place to a burning summer, a blighting
autumn, and a killing winter, will no longer envy,
but pity, the fading verdure of the grass, and the
03

310 LPs. 37.

still more transient glories of the flowers of the
field. Herbs and plants are medicinal in more senses
than one.*

" 3. Trust in the Lord, and do good ; so shalt
thou dwell in the land, and verily tliou shalt be fed:
or, dwell in the land, and feed on truth, or, faithful-
ness."

The consideration of the speedy and tragical end
of sinners, affordeth a powerful argument for perse-
verance in fiiith and hohness ; for continuing in the
church, and making our abode in the pastures of
truth; until, in the strengtli of that sacred viand,
we come to the heavenly land of promise, and dwell
therein for ever.

" 4. Delight thyself also in tlie Lord; and he
shall give thee the desires of thine heart."

He who dclighteth in the creature, hath not al-
ways " the desires of his heart" granted, nor is it
fit that he should have them; but he who dclighteth
in God will desire what he delighteth in, and obtain
what he desireth.

" 5. Commit thy way unto the Lord; trust also
in him, and he shall bring it to pass. 6. And he
shall bring forth thy righteousness as the light, and
thy judgment as the noon-day."

Malice and calumny may, for a time, overshadow
the splendour of a holy character; but the sun will

* See an elegant and beautiful discourse on *' the lilies of the
field," published among the Sermons of tlie late learned, ingenious,
and worthy Dr. Tottie.

Ps. 37.] 311

come forth, and the clouds will fly away. This was
most eminently true of the blessed Jesus, at his re-
surrection, and will be verified in his saints, at the
last day. The history of Susannah affordeth a re-
markable instance of it in this life. " Her heart
trusted in the Lord, and he brought forth her
righteousness as the hght; insomuch that all the
assembly cried out with a loud voice, and praised
God, who saveth them that trust in him." Verse
35, 60.

" 7. Rest in, or, be silent to, the Lord, and
wait patiently for him ; fret not thyself, because of
him who prospereth in the way, because of the man
who bringeth wicked devices to pass."

If the spotless Lamb of God was dumb, before
those who were divesting him of his honours, and
robbing him of his life, " silent" resignation cannot
but become one, who suffers for his sins. Israel
was commanded to " stand still, and see the salva-
tion of God ;" but the people gazed upon the pomp
and power of Pharaoh, who was in pursuit of them,
till their faith failed, and they began to murmur and
despond. How often is this our case, before we
perceive it !

*' 8. Cease from anger, and forsake wrath ; fret
not thyself in any wise to do evil. 9. For evil-doers
shall be cut off; but those that wait upon the Lord,
they shall inherit the earth."

At the day of judgment, when " evil-doers shall
be cut ofiF" by the flaming sword of eternal ven-
geance, and when the saints of the Most High shall

312 [Ps. 37.

" inherit the new earth," the latter will have no
emotions of anger or envy against the former. Let
them so meditate on that day, as to make it present
to their minds, and they will have no such emotions
now.

" 10. For yet a little while, and the wicked shall
not he: yea, thou shalt diligently consider his place,
and it shall not be.^^

The whole duration of the world itself is but
" a little while" in the sight of him, whose hope is
full of immortality. But the calamities and deaths
of princes ; the tragical fate of empires, swept with
the besom of destruction; the overthrow of cities,
whose dimensions, towers, and palaces, once aston-
ished the earth, but whose " place" is now no where
to be found by the most curious and diligent inquirer;
and the desolations of the chosen city, Jerusalem;
all these are even now sufficient to draw forth the
tear of commiseration, and to extinguish the kindling
spark of envy in every considerate mind.

"11. But the meek shall inherit the earth; and
shall delight themselves in the abundance of peace."

The " meek" are they who bear their own adver-
sities, and the prosperity of their enemies without
envy, anger, or complaint. For these there is a pos-
session in the kingdom and city of " the Prince of
Peace," which " the Lord, the righteous judge,
shall give them at that day." " Blessed are the
meek," saith the Lord and judge himself, " for they
shall inherit the earth:" Matt. v. 5. " In the mean
time, they, and they only, possess the present earth,

Ps. 37.]

313

as they go towards the kingdom of heaven, by being
humble, and cheerful, and content, with what their
good God has allotted them. They have no tur-
bulent, repining, vexatious thoughts that they de-
serve better; nor are vexed when they see others
possessed of more honour, or more riches, than
their wise God has allotted for their share. But
they possess what they have with a meek and con-
tented quietness; such a quietness as makes their
very dreams pleasing, both to God and themselves."
Walton's Complete Angler, p. 295.

" 12. The wicked plotteth against the just, and
gnasheth upon him with his teeth. 13. The Lord
shall laugh at him ; for he seeth that his day is
coming."

The original enmity between the Wicked One
and the Just One, will always subsist between the
wicked and the just. The rage of the former
against the latter is compared to that of mad dogs,
or wild beasts ; but a day is coming when all that
rage must be turned and employed against them-
selves. God, who knoweth this, contemneth their
vain efforts; and Christians who know it, and are
under the protection of God, should do the same.

" 14. The wicked have drawn out the sword,
and have bent their bow, to cast down the poor and
needy, and to slay such as be of upright conversa-
tion, or, upright of way. 15. Their sword shall
enter into their own heart, and their bow shall be
broken."

The tongue is a " sword," and a " bow," which

314 [Ps. 37.

shooteth its arrows, even bitter words, against the
humble and upright Jesus, and his disciples. But
these are not the only weapons that have been drawn
against them. How the malice of the Jews returned
upon their own heads, no one is ignorant : though
few lay it to heart, and consider them as set forth
for an example.

"16. A little that a righteous man hath is better
than the riches of many wicked. 17. For the arms
of the wicked shall be broken : but the Lord up-
holdeth the righteous."

A Httle, with the blessing of God upon it, is better
than a great deal, with the encumbrance of his curse.
His blessing can multiply a mite into a talent, but
his curse will shrink a talent to a mite. By him
" the arms of the wicked are broken," and by him
^' the righteous are upholden;" so that the great
question is, whether He be with us, or against us;
and the great misfortune is, that this question is
seldom asked.

" 18. The Lord knoweth the days of the up-
right; and their inheritance shall be for ever. 19.
They shall not be ashamed in the evil time: and in
the days of famine they shall be satisfied."

The favour of God is, to them that obtain it, a
better and an enduring substance, which, like the
widow's barrel and cruse, wasted not in the evil days
of famine, nor will fail in that evil day of eternal
want, when the foolish virgins shall be caUing in vain
for oil, and the rich glutton as vainly imploring a drop
of water to cool his tongue."

Ps. 37.] 315

*' 20. But the wicked shall perish, and the ene-
mies of the Lord shall be as the fat of lambs :
they shall consume; into smoke shall they consume
away."

The destruction of the wicked is here again set
before us, but under a different image, namely, that
of a sacrifice. Senseless, as cattle, they are fatted
for the altar, they wanton in their prosperity, and
nourish their hearts against the day of slaughter. In
the mean time, the Almighty is whetting that sword,
which nothing can withstand; and those fires are
kindling, which shall never be extinguished. See
Isa. xxxiv. 6 — 10.

"21. The wicked borroweth, and payeth not
again; but the righteous showeth mercy and giveth."

The wicked man, like his leader, the " wicked
one," payeth not those whose money or abilities he
hath occasion to borrow, and to employ in his ser-
vice; whereas the disciple of Christ, in imitation of
his Master, not only punctually observeth the rules
of justice and equity, but thinketh it " more blessed
to give than to receive." In like manner, though
both are indebted, for every thing, to the bounty of
God, the latter maketh all the acknowledgments and
returns in his power; while the former never thinketh
of making any.

" 22. For, or, therefore, such as be blessed of
him shall inherit the earth; and they that be cursed
of him shall be cut off."

They who are like their merciful and gracious

316 [Ps. 37.

Lord, and who, by tlicir devotion and charity, bless
him, are blessed of him; they who arc like their
cruel and iniquitous master, and who, by their un-
trodliness, injustice, and hard-iieartedncss, dishonour
their Maker and Redeemer, are cursed of him. To
the former, therefore, it will be said, at the last day,
" Come, ye blessed, inherit the kint^dom;" to the
latter, " Go, ye cursed, into the fire."

" 23. The steps of a good man are ordered, Hcb.
established, by the Loiiu: and he deli^hteth in his
way. 21. Though he fall, he shall not be utterly
cast down: for the Lord upholdeth /liffi lii/Zi his
hand."

This was emphatically true of the man Christ,
whose steps Jehovah established, and in whose way
he delighted; who, " though he (clV by death, yet
was raised again by his mighty hand and outstretched
arm. It is true likewise of Christians, whom it
should support and comfort, in all dangers and temp-
tations. See, for a parallel. Psalm xci.

" 25. 1 have been young, and fion' am old ; yet
have I not seen the righteous forsaken, nor his seed
begging bread. 26. He is ever merciful, and lend-
eth: and his seed is blessed."

So far is charity from impoverishing, that what is
given away, like vapours emitted by the earth, re-
turns in showers of blessings into the bosom of the
person who gave it; and his offspring is not the
worse, but infinitely the better for it. " The liberal
soul shall be made fat, and he that watereth shall
be watered also himself." Prov. xi. 25. The bread

Ps. 37.] 317

which endureth, as well as that which perisheth, is
his; and the hlessiiigs of time are crowned with
those of eternity.

" 27. Depart from evil, and do good; and dwell
for evermore. 28. For the Lord loveth judgment,
and forsaketh not his saints ; they are preserved for
ever, hut the seed of the wicked shall be cut off.
29. The righteous shall inherit the land, and dwell
therein for ever."

The justice and mercy of God, the rewards which
await the righteous, and the punishments that will,
sooner or later, be inflicted on the wicked, are sub-
jects on whicli, whoever shall frequently meditate,
" will depart from evil, and do good." " Whatsoever
thou takest in hand," saith the wise son of Sirach,
" remember the end, and thou shalt never do amiss."
Ecclus. vii. 36.

" 30. The mouth of the righteous speaketh wis-
dom, and his tongue talketh of judgment. 31. The
law of his God is in his heart ; none of his steps shall
sHde."

The word which is here, as in other places innu-
merable, translated " the righteous," is in the singu-
lar number, and might therefore be translated " the
Righteous One," or, " the Just One," for it is often
designed to point him out to us, who is empha-
tically so styled; whose " mouth" always spake
" wisdom," in whose " heart was the law of God,"
and whose " steps" never declined to evil. Lord
put thy laws into our hearts, that out of the abun-
dance of the heart the mouth may speak; and as

318 [Ps. 37.

the mouth speaks, the hands may act, and the feet
may walk.

" 32. The wicked watcheth the righteous, and
seeketh to slay him. 33. The Lord will not
leave him in his hand, nor condemn him when he is
judged."

The Jews " watched" that " Just One," daily
and hourly; they " sought to slay him," and did
so; but " Jehovah left him not in their hands," but
vindicated his innocence, by raising him from the
dead. And the day is coming, when he who hath
stood tamely at the bar of men, and hath suffered
for truth and righteousness, shall bo advanced to a
throne among the saints and martyrs, to assist at
the trial of his once insulting judges.

" 34. Wait on the Lord, and keep his way,
and he shall exalt thee to inherit the land: when
the wicked are cut off thou shalt see z^"

The apostle, writing to the Hebrew converts,
under affliction and persecution, thus expresseth the
sentiment contained in this verse: " Cast not away
your confidence, which hath great recompense of
reward. For ye have need of patience, that after
ye have done the will of God, ye might receive the
promise. For yet a little while, and he that shall
come, will come, and will not tarry." Heb. x. 35.

" 35. I have seen the wicked in great power,
and spreading himself like a green bay-tree, or, a
native tree, which has grown from the seed without
transplantation, in the same spot. 36. Yet he

Ps. 37.1 ^^9

passed away, and lo, he tvas not ; yea, I sought him,
but he could not be found,"

The great Babylonian monarch had his own ex-
altation, and subsequent degradation, portrayed to
him, in a vision, under this very image, which con-
veyeth to the mind a most striking and affecting idea
of the rise and fall of men and empires, which have
now no existence but in history. " I saw, and be-
hold a tree in the midst of the earth, and the height
thereof was great. The tree grew, and was strong,
and the height thereof reached unto heaven, and
the sight thereof to the end of the earth. The
leaves thereof were fair, and the fruit thereof much,
and in it was meat for all : the beasts of the field had
shadow under it, and the fowls of the heaven dwelt
in the boughs thereof, and all flesh was fed of it.
I saw in the visions of my head upon my bed, and
behold a watcher and an holy one came down from
heaven. He cried aloud, and said thus, Hew down
the tree, and cut off his branches, shake off his
leaves, and scatter his fruit; let the beasts get away
from under it, and the fowls from his branches:"
Dan. iv. 10, 11, &c. See the prophet's exposition,
20, 21, &c. and what is said above, on ver. 10. of
this Psalm.

" 37. Mark the perfect man, and behold the up-
right : for the end of t/mt man is peace. 38. But
the transgressors shall be destroyed together: the
end of the wicked shall be cut off."

After taking a view of those short-lived honours,
which the world setteth upon the heads of its most

320 LPs. 38.

favoured votaries, let us turn our eyes to " the
perfect and upright One;" let us behold the per-
manent greatness and the unfading glory of the Tree
of Life, which is in the midst of the paradise of
God; whose leaves are for the heaUng of the na-
tions, and whose fruit is the fruit of '* peace."

" 39. But the salvation of the righteous is of the
Lord: he is their strength in the time of trouble.
40. And the Lord shall help them, and deliver them;
he shall deliver them from the wicked, and save
them, because they put their trust in him."

Of thee, O Lord Jesus, is our salvation : be thou
our strength in this mortal life, which is a time of
trouble ; help us against our spiritual enemies, and
deliver us from them; deliver us from the wicked
one, and from all evil; and save us from the guilt
and punishment thereof, because we put our trust in
thee, and thee alone.

PSALM XXXVIIL

Eighth Day, — Morning Prayer.

ARGUMENT— In this Psalm, which is the third of those styled
Penitential, the sinner, ver. 1. prayeth to be chastened only,
and not destroyed; 2 — 10. describeth the state of his soul under
various images, chiefly borrowed from bodily diseases and
pains; 11, 12. complaineth of his friends forsaking, and his
enemies persecuting him ; but 13 — 15. continueth patient and
resigned, committing his cause to God, whom, 16 — 22. he
beseecheth to help him, on his confession and repentance.
As our Lord took upon him the guilt, and suffered the punish-
ment, of sin ; as there are some passages in the latter part of
the Psalm, literally predictive of his passion, and so understood

1

Ps. 38.] 3S1

by the best ancient expositors ; and as the sinner should be led
by his own sorrows to reflect on those of his Redeemer; the
meditations of the reader are, therefore, under each particular,
directed, by the ensuing comment, into that channel.

" 1. O Lord, rebuke me not in thy wrath; nei-
ther chasten me in thy hot displeasure."

The petition here preferred, as in the sixth Psalm,
is, that Jehovah would not condemn as a judge, but
chasten as a father, for the amendment and preser-
vation of the offender. The same prayer, which we
sinners make for ourselves, Christ, who bore our
sins, once made for us.

" 2. For thine arrows stick fast in me, and thy
hand presseth me sore."

The " arrows" and the " hand" of God, are his
judgments on sin; those internal pangs and terrors
which pierce the soul, and those external afflictions
and calamities which sink and weigh down the spirits.
The holy Jesus, at the time of his passion, received
these arrows, and sustained this weight, for the
sins of the whole world.

" 3. T/iere is no soundness in my flesh, because
of thine anger ; neither zs there any rest, or, peace,
or^ health, in my bones, because of my sin."

The expressions in this verse are applicable to the
disorders and diseases which sin hath introduced both
into the soul and into the body, as the terms "health,"
and " sickness," are in Scripture no less frequently
employed to describe the state of the former, than
that of the latter. If a single sinner thus complain-
eth of his grief and pain, what must have been the

322 [Ps. 38.

agony and passion of him who suffered for all, mer-
cifully and lovingly submitting to be " made sin for

us J

*' 4. For mine iniquities are gone over my head:
as a heavy burden they are too heavy for me."

Sins and sorrows are here, as in many other
places, represented under the image of mighty waters
rolling incessantly over the head of the person sunk
into them, and by their accumulated weight depres-
sing him, so that he can no more rise above them.
Let us meditate on that deep and tempestuous ocean,
into which we were the means of plunging the inno-
cent Jesus.

" 5. My w^ounds stink, and are corrupt, through
my foolishness."

Sin is the wound of the soul, which must be wash-
ed with the tears of repentance, cleansed by the
blood of Christ, and healed by the Spirit of the Ho-
ly One. It requires great care and attention, until
the cure be completed. Otherwise, mortification
and death ensue, as in the case of outward wounds,
if neglected, or ill managed. See Isa. i. 6. Luke
X. 34. All the sores and pains of the body mystical
are lamented by him who is the head of that body,
and who felt the sad effects of these corruptions of
our nature, in the day of his sufferings.

" 6. I am troubled, Heh, writhed, or, distorted,
I am bowed down greatly: I go mourning all the
day long."

As the body by pain, so the soul by guilt, is " dis-

Ps. 38.] 323

torted" from its original uprightness; it is bowed
" down" to the earth, through shame and fear, be-
ing no longer able to look up towards heaven, with
its accustomed holy confidence ; and, instead of re-
joicing in a good conscience, and the hope of glory,
sorrow is its portion, and grief its famihar acquain-
tance. And what wonder, that we should be hum-
bled and afflicted for our own sins, when the Son
of God was so humbled and afflicted for sins not his
own!

"\
" 7. For my loins are filled with a loathsome dzs^

ease, or, inflammation; and there is no soundness in

my flesh."

The " disease," or, " inflammation," complained
of in these metaphorical terms, seems to be the dis-
temperature of our fallen nature, whereby it cometh
to pass, that " the flesh lusteth against the spirit;"
it is that " other law in our members, warring
against the law in our minds, bringing us into cap-
tivity to the law of sin," and forcing every son of
Adam to cry out — " O wretched man that I am,
who shall deliver me from this body of death?"
Happy is it for us, that we are enabled to go on with
the apostle, and to " thank God," that we are de-
livered " through Jesus Christ our Lord," on whom
were laid the iniquities of us all."

" 8. I am feeble and sore broken; I have roared
by reason of the disquietness of my heart."

The vigour of a man is broken in pieces, and
wasted away, by pain, and the disquietude from thence
arising, which cause piercing cries, and loud lamen-

324 [Ps. 38.

tations. When sin in the soul is felt like sickness
in the body, it will produce eflPects in some degree
similar. Let us reflect on the sufiPerings, the cries,
and the tears, of our Redeemer.

" 9. Lord, all my desire Z5 before thee ; and my
groaning is not hid from thee."

The " desires" and " groans" of the penitent
are known to God, and marked down in his book;
and there is no small comfort in thinking and ac-
knowledging'chat they are so; but much more com-
fort is there in the remembrance of those inconceiv-
able " desires," and those unutterable " groanings,"
which the holy Jesus poured forth for us in the days
of his flesh, and which prevail for the acceptance of
our own.

" 10. My heart pantcth, my strength faileth me;
as for the light of mine eyes, it also is gone from
me."

In bodily sickness, there are three symptoms of
approaching dissolution; and the soul is in great ex-
tremity, when the three corresponding symptoms ap-
pear upon her; namely, when she hath neither reso-
lution to will, power to perform, nor knowledge to
discern the things that belong unto her health and
peace.

" n. My lovers and my friends stand aloof from
my sore, or, plague, or, affliction ; and my kinsmen,
or, my neighbours, stand afar off*."

A body afflicted with a noisome distemper, and a
soul troubled on account of sin, find but few friends.

Ps. 38.] 325

who have charity enough to stay with, and to minis-
ter to them. Let us not be surprised, or offended,
at this, when we see the righteous Jesus, at his
passion, destitute and forsaken by all; as it is writ-
ten, " Then all the disciples forsook him and fled:'*
Matt. xxvi. 56. — " and all his acquaintance, and the
women that followed him from Galilee, stood afar
off, beholding these things." Luke xxiii. 49.

*' 12. They also that seek after my life, lay snares
Jbr me ; and they that seek my hurt, speak mischiev-
ous things, and imagine deceits all the day long.
13. But 1, as a deaf 7na7i, heard not; and / was as
a dumb man, t/iat openeth not his mouth. 14. Thus
I was as a man that heareth not, and in whose mouth
are no reproofs, or, altercations."

These verses describe and recommend to our imi-
tation the behaviour of David, and of a greater
than David, when under persecution ; the former
from Absalom, Ahithophel, Shimei, &c. the latter
from the chief priests and elders, Judas, and the
Jews.

" 15. For in thee, O Lord, do I hope, or, thee
do I wait for: thou wilt hear, or, answer, O Lord
my God."

This verse assigns the reason why the ill usage
which we receive at the hands of men, should be
borne with patience and resignation ; namely, be-
cause, as it is not without the permission, so neither
will it be without the notice, of the Almighty, who
will one day take the matter into his own hands.
Christ, saith St. Peter, " who did no sin, neither
Vol. I. P

326 [Ps. 38.

was guile found in his mouth, yet when he was re-
viled, reviled not again; when he suffered, he threat-
ened not; but committed himself to him that judgeth
righteously." 1 Pet. ii. 22.

*' 16. For I said, Hear me, lest otherwise they
should rejoice over me: when my foot slippeth, they
magnify themselves against me."

As the glory of God may be said, in some mea-
sure, to depend on the behaviour and fate of his ser-
vants; on that account, besides the stings of con-
science, temporal punishments, and the danger of
eternal torments, good men should ever have before
their eyes the dishonour which is brought on the
name of God, and the stop which is put to the pro-
gress of his Gospel, by the fall of any eminently
righteous and holy person into sin.

" 17. For I am ready to halt, and my sorrow is
continually before me. 18. For I will declare mine
iniquity: I will be sorry for my sin."

The surest way to have our weakness strength-
ened, and our sin forgiven, is to acknowledge and
confess both ; and this we need not be ashamed to
do, when we consider, that he, who is the Lord
strong and mighty, took our infirmities; and the
King of Righteousness bare our sins, in his own
body, on the tree.

" 19. But mine enemies are lively, and they
ai-e strong, and they that hate me wrongfully, are
multiplied. 20. They also that render evil for
good are mine adversaries; because I follow the
thing that good 25."

Ps. 39.] 327

These words, joined with the preceding, are ap-
pHcable to the distress of David, and the prosperity
of his adversaries ; to the sufferings of Christ, and
the triumph of the Jews; to the afflictions of the
church, and the gaiety of the world; to the weak-
ness of faith, and the strength of nature. The re-
sult of all is this, that salvation cometh of God
only, and is to be implored in the following words,
which conclude the Psalm:

"21. Forsake me not, O Lord; O my God,
be not far from me. 22. Make haste to help me,
O Lord God of my salvation."

PSALM XXXIX.

ARGUMENT. — The prophet, in a state of distress "and perse-
cution determineth, 1 — 3. to be watchful and silent, as our
blessed Lord also was, before his enemies. 4-. He prayetli
for a due sense of the shortness of human life ; and after me-
ditating, 5, 6. on that subject, fixeth all his faith and hope in
God, 7. whom he entreateth, but with submission to his will,
8 — 10. for the remission of sin, and alleviation of misery.
11. From a view of the human body wearing away by sick-
ness, he breaketh out, 12, 13. into a most fervent and affec-
tionate prayer, which ought to be continually in the mouth
of the Christian, upon earth. — This Psalm is, with the utmost
propriety, appointed by the church to be used at the burial of
the dead, as a funeral is indeed the best comment upon it.

"LI said, I will take heed to my ways, that I
sin not w^ith my tongue : I will keep my mouth with
a bridle, while the wicked is before me."

The Psalm begins abruptly with the result of a
meditation on the narrow, slippery, and dangerous
P 2

328 [Ps. 39.

paths of life ; and more especially on the extreme
difficulty of restraining the tongue, amidst the con-
tinual temptations and provocations of the adversary.
In these circumstances, " watchfulness" and " si-
lence" are resolved on, as the only means of security.
Let us behold the Lamb of God, as our great pat-
tern and example herein.

" 2. I was dumb with silence : I held my peace,
even from good; and my sorrow was stirred."

There is a time to keep silence, because there are
men who will not hear ; there are tempers, savage
and sensual as those of swine, before whom evan-
gelical pearls, or the treasures of heavenly wisdom,
are not to be cast. This consideration stirreth up
fresh grief and trouble, in a pious and charitable
heart. How much more must it have done so, in
the soul of him who lived and died only for the sal-
vation of sinners !

" 3. My heart was hot within me ; while I was
musing the fire burned : then spake I with my
tongue."

The fire of divine Charity, thus prevented from
diffusing itself, for the illumination and warmth of
those around it, and, like other fire, rendered more
intense by its confinement, presently ascended, in
the flame of devotion, towards heaven; while it con-
tinued to be fed, and preserved in brightness and vi-
gour, by meditation on the goodness of God, and
the ingratitude of man; the transient miseries of
time, and the durable glories of eternity.

*' 4. Lord, make me to know mine end, and the

Ps. 39.] 329

measure of my days, what it is; that I may know
how frail I am.''^

Wearied with the contradiction of sinners, and
sickening at the prospect of so much wretchedness
in the valley of weeping, the soul looks forward to
her departure from hence, praying for such a sense
of the shortness of human life, as may enable her to
bear the sorrows of this world, and excite her to
prepare for the joys of a better. " O faithless and
perverse generation," saith even the meek and pa-
tient Jesus himself, " how long shall I be with you,
how long shall I suffer you ?" Matt. xvii. 17.

" 5. Behold, thou hast made my days as an
hand-breadth, and mine age is as nothing before
thee : verily every man at his best state, Heb, set-
tled, is altogether vanity."

The age of man, or that of the world, is but a
*' span" in dimension, a moment in duration; nay,
it is less than both; it is " nothing," if compared
with the unmeasurable extent, and the unnumbered
days, of eternity: every hour, from that of our
birth, brings us so much nearer to our death : nor
can we continue, for a second of time, in one stay.
" Behold," then, O Lord, the " vanity," of man ;
and be so merciful unto him, as to open his eyes,
that he may behold it himself!

" 6. Surely, every man walketh in a vain show,
or, in a shadowy image ; surely they are disquieted
in vain: he heapeth up iiches, and knoweth not who
shall gather them."

330 [Ps. 39.

This world is, to the other, as a " shadow" to
the substance; nay, temporal life, health, riches,
honours, and pleasures, can hardly be called shadows
of those which are eternal, in point of resemblance;
though, for their illusive, and fleeting nature, they
are shadows indeed. " The mortal state of man is
compounded of light and darkness ; seeming to be
something, when really it is nothing; always alter-
ing, and ending on a sudden; nearest to disappear-
ing, when at full length; sure to continue no longer
than while the sun is above the horizon; but liable
to vanish, at the interposition of a cloud ; and when
it is gone, leaving no track behind it." The fate
of riches heaped up by misers, with unutterable care
and anxiety, may convince us, how " vainly" men
are " disquieted !"

"7. And now. Lord, what wait I for? My
hope is in thee."

The soul, that hath a true sense of the vanity of
the creature, will at once fix her thoughts and affec-
tions on the Creator. A celebrated writer, describ-
ing a man of the world on his death-bed, hath ex-
pressed this sentiment with wonderful sublimity and
elegance — " Whoever would know how much piety
and virtue surpass all external goods, might here
have seen them weighed against each other, where
all that gives motion to the active, and elevation to
the eminent ; all that sparkles in the eye of hope,
and pants in the bosom of suspicion ; at once became
dust in the balance, without weight, and without
regard. Riches, authority, and praise, lose all their
influence, when they are considered as riches, which

Ps. 39.]

331

to-morrow shall be bestowed upon another; autho-
rity, which shall this night expire for ever; and
praise, which however merited, or however sincere,
shall, after a few moments, be heard no more."*

" 8. Deliver me from all my transgressions ; make
me not the reproach of the foolish."

Affliction hath then had its proper effect, when
the sufferer is thereby convinced of sin, and there-
fore prayeth for a removal of the latter, as the only
way to be delivered from the former. The " re-
proaches" of the foolish make no inconsiderable ar-
ticle in the account of a Christian's sufferings; and
our Lord frequently complaineth of them, in the
Psalms, as one of the bitter ingredients in his own
cup.

" 9. I was dumb, I opened not my mouth; be-
cause thou didst itr

Whatever materials compose the rod of affliction,
and from whatsoever quarter the stroke cometh, let
us remember, that the rod is grasped, and the stroke
is inflicted, by the hand of our heavenly Father.
To revenge ourselves on the instrument is folly; to
murmur against the agent, is something worse.

" 10. Remove thy stroke away from me: I am
consumed by the blow of thy hand."

The Christian, who knows from whence his trou-
bles proceed, knows where to apply for relief; and
having first " petitioned" for remission of sin, ver. 8.

* Rambler, Vol. II. No. 54?.

S3^ [Ps. 39.

he then humbly supplicates for a mitigation of
his sorrow. " Father," saith the beloved Son of
God, " if thou be willing, remove this cup from
me." Luke xxii. 42.

" 11. When thou with rebukes dost correct man
for iniquity, thou makest his beauty, or, all that is
delightful, or, desirable in him, to consume away
like a moth : surely every man is vanity."

The body of a man is as a " garment" to the
soul : in this garment sin hath lodged a " moth,"
which, by degrees, fretteth and weareth away, first,
the beauty, then the strength, and finally, the con-
texture of its parts. Whoever has watched the
progress of a consumption, or any other lingering
distemper, nay, the slow and silent devastations of
time alone, in the human frame, will need no farther
illustration of this just and affecting similitude; but
will discern at once, the propriety of the reflection,
which follows upon it — *' Surely every man is
vanity !"

" 12. Hear my prayer, O Lord, and give ear
unto my cry ; hold not thy peace at my tears : for I
am a stranger with thee, a7id a sojourner, as all my
fathers "dcere.'^

Meditation should terminate in devotion; and
meditation on human vanity and misery, if indulged
as it deserves to be, certainly will do so; it will bring
us to our " prayers," our " cries," and our " tears;"
and teach us to address the throne of grace, as poor
pilgrims in a strange land, who have here no abiding
city, but are soon to strike our tents, and be gone

Ps. 40.1 833

for ever. Such was David, though khig of Israel;
and such was the Son of David, in the body of his
flesh, though Lord of all things : both were " stran-
gers and sojourners, as all their fathers," Abraham,
Isaac, and Jacob, were before them, and as all their
children have been, and shall be, after them, upon the
earth.

" 13. O spare me, that I may recover strength,
before I go hence, and be no more."

Most fervently and affectionately, therefore, ought
the Christian pilgrim to pray, that God would spare
his life, and respite the awful sentence, until all that
hath been decayed, through the frailty of nature, be
renewed by the power of grace; that his perfect re-
conciliation with the Almighty may be accomplished,
and his plenary pardon sealed in heaven, before he
taketh his last farewell of the world, and ceaseth to
have an existence in these regions of vanity and sor-
row.

PSALM XL.

ARGUMENT.— It is plain, from ver. 6—8. of this Psalm, com-
pared with Heb. x. 5. that the prophet is speaking in the
character of Christ, who 1 — 5. celebrateth the deliverance
wrought for his mystical body, the church, by his resurrection
from the grave, effecting that of his members from the guilt
and dominion of sin ; for the abolition of which he declareth,
6 — 8. the inefficacy of the legal sacrifices, and mentioneth his
own inclination to do the will of his Father, and, 9, 10. to
preach righteousness to the world. 11 — 13. He representeth
himself as praying, while under his sufferings, for his own and
his people's salvation ; he foretelleth, 14, 15. the confusion
P 3

SS4f [Ps. 40.

and desolation of his enemies, and, 16. the joy and thankful-
ness of his disciples and servants ; for the speedy accomplish-
ment of which, 17. he preferreth a petition.

"I. I waited patiently for the Lord, and he in-
clined unto rae, and heard my cry."

In this verse we hear the voice of the meek Lamb
of God, who, though never sorrow was like unto his
sorrow, " waited patiently," till the time appointed
by the Father came, when that sorrow should be
turned into joy. Let not his disciples expect to
*' inherit the promises," otherwise than " through
faith and patience." Four thousand years, the
church, under the patriarchs, the law, and the pro-
phets, waited for the first advent of Messiah; and
seventeen hundred years the church, under the Gos-
pel, hath waited for the second. Jehovah, who in-
clined himself to the prayers of the former, will also
hear the cries of the latter.

" 2. He brought me up also out of an horrible
pit, Ucb. a pit of confused, tumultuous noise, out of
the miry clay, and set my feet upon a rock, a?id
estabhshed my goings."

The sufferings from which our Redeemer was
delivered, are here described under the image of a
dark subterraneous cavern, from which there was no
emerging, and where roaring cataracts of water broke
in upon him, overwhelming him on every side; till,
as it is expressed in the 18th Psalm, " God sent
from above, and took him, and drew him out of
many waters." Let us celebrate the deliverance of
Christ, as a pledge and earnest of our own rescue
from the troubles and temptations of life ; from the

Ps. 40.]

335

power of death and the grave; from the " horrible
pit, and the miry clay;" when we shall be exalted
on " the rock" of our salvation, and our " goings"
shall be " established" for ever.

" 3. And he hath put a new song in my mouth,
even praise unta our God: many shall see it, and
fear, and shall trust in the Lord."

Every new deliverance requires " a new song."
Christians sing their wonderful redemption, from sin
and death, in these holy hymns, which God, by his
Spirit hath put into their mouths, and which, by
their application to matters evangelical, are become
■" new" songs, setting forth the praise and glory of
God, through Jesus Christ. And who can hear the
church singing the victory and triumph of her mighty
and merciful Saviour, without being incited to
" fear," and " to beUeve?"

" 4. Blessed is that man that maketh the Lord
his trust, and respecteth not the proud, nor such as
turn aside to lies."

He who is sensible how much God hath done,
and how little the world can do for him, will earnestly
and heartily pronounce the blessedness of the man
who relies upon the real power and goodness of the
former, instead of suffering himself to be deceived
by the empty parade, and fallacious promises, of the
latter.

" 5. Many, O Lord my God, are thy wonder-
ful works which thou hast done, and thy thoughts
which are to us-ward ; they cannot be reckoned up

336 [Ps. 40.

in order unto thee: if I would declare and speak
oftheiih they are more than can be numbered."

The counsels and works of the ever-blessed Tri-
nity, planned and executed for the benefit of man,
in his creation and perservation, his redemption and
sanctification, in order to his resurrection and glori-
fication, through Christ, already risen and glorified,
are subjects which can never be exhausted, by the
intellectual powers of men or angels ; but will, to
both afford matter of incessant meditation, and end-
less praise. Yet, how little do we meditate on them:
how seldom, and how coldly, do we praise God for
them !

" 6. Sacrifice and offering thou didst not desire;
mine ears hast thou opened : burnt-offering and sin-
offering hast thou not required. 7. Then said I,
Lo, I come: in the volume of the book // /5 written
of me. 8. I delight to do thy will, O my God;
yea, thy law is within my heart."

These words, as the apostle informcth us, Heb.
X. 5. are spoken by Christ, in his own person. In
them he proclaims the inefficacy of the legal sacrifices
to take away sin, and the divine disapprobation of
such sacrifices, when relied on for that purpose. He
sets forth his own readiness to do, and to suffer, the
will of the Father, iraphed in the Psalm by the
words — " Mine ears hast thou opened;" but more
plainly expressed in the apostle's citation, by the
paraphrase, " A body hast thou prepared me."*

* For the expression, " Mine ears liast thou opened," seems
equivalent to—" Thou hast made me obedient." Thus, Isa. 1. 5.

Ps. 40.1 ^^7

He refers to the predictions concerning Messiah, in
the Scriptures of the Old Testament, which is here
styled — " The volume, or, roll of the book." He
declares the pleasure he had in doing the Father's
will, or in accomplishing the law ; which had taken
possession of all his powers and faculties; having
been admitted by the understanding, retained in the
memory, and rendered operative in the will. " I

" The Lord God liatli opened mine ears, and I was not rebel-
lious, neither turned away back. I gave my back to the smiters,"
&c. The LXX, perhaps, meant to interpret this symbohcal
expression, when they rendered it by a-ufj-o. Kccrn^Tia-a /xoi, " Thou
has prepared," or, "fitted my body," that is, to be " obedient,'*
and to " do thy will." See Dr. Jackson, Vol. II. p. 882. This
seems to be the best sense of the present reading, and is well
expressed by Mr. Merrick, in his poetical version :

Nor sacrifice thy love can win,
Nor offerings from the stain of sin

Obnoxious man shall clear;
Thy hand my mortal frame prepares,
(Thy hand, whose signature it bears,)

And opes my willing ear.

Mr. Pierce, of Exeter, proposed a conjectural alteration of the
word D-siK, " ears," into the two words, ma ]j<, " then a body,"
&c. in which case, a learned friend suggests, n-^a, must like-
wise be altered to n-bs, " hast thou prepared, or finished."
Bishop Lowth wishes to adopt Mr. Pierce's emendation, in
order to render the original conformable to St. Paul's citation
from the LXX. And I must confess, if the apostle's argument
turned on the word (rcjju.x, such an emendation might seem ne-
cessary. It is true, a-u/xa X^ia-Tov occurs in the succeeding verse;
but I think it not essential to the argument, which seems to
stand clear and full, whatever be the meaning of a-u/u-x KccTngnero
fj^oi — " When he said. Sacrifice, &c. thou wouldest not — then he
said, Lo, I come to do thy will, O God. He taketh away the
first, that he may establish the second." The author of the
anonymous notes in Mr. Merrick's Annotations, I find, is of
this opinion. " It is not certain that the apostle argues from
the word o-w^a at all. He quotes the translation of the LXX.
as he found it in his copy; lays a stress on what is in the He-
brew, but none on the rest ; either knowing it not to be there, or
being restrained, by the Spirit of God, from making use of it."
See Appendix to Mr. Merrick's Annotations, p. 294.

S38 [Ps. 40.

delight to do thy will, O my God ; yea, thy law is
within my heart."

" 9. I have preached righteousness in the great
congregation: Lo, I have not refrained my lips, O
Lord, thou knowest. 10. I have not hid thy
righteousness within my heart; I have declared thy
faithfulness and thy salvation : I have not concealed
thy loving-kindness and thy truth from the great
congregation."

As the preceding verses described the priestly
office of our Lord, in the execution of which he
offered himself, and his all-perfect obedience, for
us ; so, in the passage now before us, he declares
himself to have acted up to the prophetical part of
his character, by " preaching" the doctrines of truth,
righteousness, and salvation, to the people, without
concealing aught through negligence, fear, or favour.
Happy the minister of Christ, who, on his death-
bed, is able to say the same !

" IL Withhold not thou thy tender mercies from
me, O Lord: let thy loving-kindness and thy truth
always preserve me."

The beloved Son of God here prayeth for the
continuation of that mercy, and the accomplishment
of those gracious promises, to his body, the church,
which made the subjects of his heavenly discourses,
in the days of his flesh. Such ought to be the sub-
jects of our discourses, and of our prayers.

" 12. For innumerable evils have compassed me
about; mine iniquities have taken hold upon me, so

Ps. 40.] 339

that I am not able to look up : they are more than
the hairs of mme head; therefore my heart faileth
me."

If these words, as well as the foregoing, are sup-
posed to be spoken by our Lord, (and indeed there
doth not appear to be any change of person,) they
must be uttered by him, considering himself (for so
the primitive writers suppose him in the Psalms fre-
quently to consider himself) as still suffering in his
body mystical, the church; and lamenting, as head,
both the transgressions and the afflictions of the
members, accomplishing their warfare in the world.
Thus much, at least, we know, that, after his ascen-
sion, when the members were persecuted on earth,
the head complained from heaven, as sensible of the
pain, " Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou Me?"
Some critics think the word ^3ir? in the text, may
be translated, " my punishment." But the author
of the anonymous notes, mentioned below, observes,
that all " punishments, properly speaking, pre-sup-
pose sin; and especially when they are represented,
as here, to overtake and seize a person. Therefore,
to understand this of Christ, it must be interpreted
of imputed sins, or punishments for them." Mer-
rick's Annotations, p. 295.

" 13. Be pleased, O Lord, to deliver me: O
Lord, make haste to help me."

This short but forcible prayer for help and deli-
verance, in God's good time, and according to his
good pleasure, continues, and must continue, to be
the prayer of the church, and of all her children,
until the day of final redemption.

340 [Ps. 40.

" 14. Let them, or, they shall, be ashamed and
confounded together that seek after my soul to de-
stroy it; let them, or, they shall, be driven back-
ward, and put to shame, that wish me evil. 15.
Let them, or, they shall, be desolate for a reward of
their shame, that say unto me. Aha, aha!"

The shame, confusion, and desolation to be brought
on the Jews by the resurrection, exaltation, and power
of him whose blood they thirsted after, and whom
they mocked and insulted when in his last agonies
on the cross, are here foretold; and the prophecy
hath been punctually fulfilled. But a more horrible
confusion and desolation awaiteth them, and all other
impenitent sinners, at the future revelation of the
righteous judgment of God ; when vengeance must
destroy those whom mercy cannot reclaim. And,
to this ultimate issue of things, the church directeth
her views.

" 16. Let all those that seek thee, or, all those
that seek thee shall, rejoice and be glad in thee:
let such as love thy salvation, or, such as love thy
salvation shall, say continually. The Lord be mag-
nified."

As the last verses predicted the calamities which
should befall the enemies of Messiah, this describeth
the unfeigned joy and gladness, springing up in the
hearts of such as love the salvation of Jesus, and
evermore magnify his holy name in the church, for
the blessings of redemption, " eating their meat,"
as the first Christians are said to have done, " with
gladness and singleness of heart, praising God."
Acts ii. 46.

Ps.41.] 341

" 17. But I am poor and needy; yet the Lord
thinketh upon me: thou art my help and my deliv-
erer; make no tarrying, O my God."

The church, like her Redeemer, is often poor
and afflicted in this world, but Jehovah thinketh
upon her, and is solicitous for her support ; she is
weak and defenceless, but Jehovah is her help and
her deliverer. With such a Father and such a
Friend, poverty becometh rich, and weakness itself
is strong. In the mean time, let us remember, that
he who once came in great humility, shall come
again in glorious majesty. " Make no tarrying,
O our God ; but come. Lord Jesus, come quickly."
Kev, xxii. 20.

PSALM XLL

Eighth Day. — Evening Prayer.

ARGUMENT.— The application made of the 9th verse of this
Psalm, John xiii. 18. shovveth, that the prophet is speaking in
the person of Messiah. 1 — 3. He declareth the blessedness of
tlie man that considereth the poor; 4. he prayeth for mercy
and favour; 5 — 9. describeth the behaviour of his adversaries,
and of one person in particular ; 10. petitioneth for deliver-
ance; 11, 12. rejoiceth in hope; and, 13. breaketh out into
thanksgiving.

" \. Blessed is he that considereth the poor: the
Lord will deliver him in time of trouble: Heb.
in the day of evil."

As Christ considered us, in our state of poverty,
so ought we most attentively to consider him, in his;

342

[Ps. 41.

to consider what he suffered in his own person; to
discern him suffering in his poor afflicted members ;
and to extend to them the mercy which he extended
to us. He, who was " blessed" of Jeliovali, and
*' deUvered in the evil day," by a glorious resurrec-
tion, will " bless" and " deliver" in like manner,
such as, for his sake, love and relieve their brethren.

" 2. The Lord will preserve him, and keep him
alive, or, revive him; a?i(l he shall be blessed upon
the earth: and thou wilt not deliver him unto the
will of his enemies."

The compassionate and charitable disciple of the
holy Jesus is often wonderfully " preserved," and
rendered prosperous, even in this world ; but his
greatest comfort is, that, like his Master, he shall
one day be " revived," to inherit the " blessing," in
a better country, where no " enemy" can approach,
or hurt, or molest him.

" 3. The Lord will strengthen him upon the
bed of languishing: thou wilt make all his bed in his
sickness."

An exemption from sorrow and sickness is not
promised to the children of God; but strength and
comfort are given unto them, from above, to support
and carry them through their trials; and they who,
in the days of their health, have, ])y their alms, given
rest to the bodies, or, by their counsels, restored
peace to the consciences, of others, shall have the
bed of pain made easy under them, by the hand of
theii' heavenly Father.

Ps. 41.] 34^^

" 4. I said, Lord, be merciful unto me : heal
my soul; for I have sinned against thee."

Every son of Adam may, and ought, in these
words, to acknowledge his sin, and to entreat for
mercy and grace, to heal the disorders of his nature.
If we suppose Messiah ever to have uttered this
verse in his devotions, as we know he applied the
9th verse to his own case, it is obvious, that he must
be understood to confess the sins, not of his own
righteous person, but of the nature he had assumed,
in order to cleanse and purify it by his sufferings.
See above. Psalm xl. 12.

" 5. Mine enemies speak evil of me. When shall
he die, and his name perish?"

Here we may undoubtedly consider the poor and
lowly Jesus, in the day of his humihation, when he
was daily and hourly calumniated by his adversaries;
when, restless and impatient at beholding him still
alive, they said — " What do we, for this man doth
many miracles? If we let him thus alone, all men
will believe on him. Perceive ye how ye prevail
nothing? Behold, the world is gone after him:"
John xi. 47. xii. 19. and when, grown more furious
and clamorous, they cried, " Away with him, away
with him, crucify him, crucify him." How many,
with the same bitterness of spirit, " speak evil" con-
tinually of his doctrines, his church, his ordinances,
and his ministers; in effect saying, "When shall
he die, and his name perish ?"

" 6. And if he come to see 7ue, he speaketh

344 [Ps. 4.].

vanity: his heart gathereth iniquity to itself; ^6:lien
he goeth abroad, he telleth zV."

Tlius the enemies of Christ " sent out spies,
who should feign themselves just men, that they
might take hold of his words, that so they might de-
liver him unto the power and authority of tlie gover-
nor :" Luke xx. 20. Thus Judas sat down at the
last supper, all the while meditating tlie destruction
of his Master; till at length, rising from table, and
going abroad, he put his design in execution: and
thus the mystical body of Clirist frequently suffers,
as his natural body once did, by means of hypocrites
and traitors.

" 7. All that hate me whisper together against
me: against me do they devise my hurt. 8. An
evil disease, say they, Hch, a word, or, matter of
Belial, namely, the crime charged upofi him, cleaveth
fast unto him: and noijo that he lieth, he shall rise
up no more."

The whispers of the Pharisees, the counsels of
the Sanhedrim, and their taunts and scoffs at the
blessed Jesus, when on the cross, " numbered with
the transgressors," nor ever expected to "arise"
again from the dead, are here most significantly and
plainly pointed out. The same weapons are frequently
employed against the servants of Christ; but let
them not be, on that account, discouraged from fol-
lowing their Master.

" 9. Yea, mine own familiar friend, in whom I
trusted, which did eat of my bread, hath lift up his
heel against me."

Ps. 41.1 ^"^^

" I speak not of you all," saith our Lord to his
disciples; " I know whom I have chosen: but, that
the Scripture may be fulfilled, He that eateth bread
with me, hath lift up his heel against me:" John
xiii. 18. The sufferings of the church, Hke those
of her Redeemer, generally begin at home; her open
enemies can do her no harm, and her pretended
friends have delivered her into their hands: and, un-
natural as it may seem, they, who have waxed fat
upon her bounty, are sometimes the first to " lift up
the heel" against her.

" 10. But thou, O Lord, be merciful unto me,
and raise me up, that I may requite them, or, and I
shall requite them."

The holy Jesus here maketh his prayer unto the
Father, for the accomplishment of the promised re-
surrection, and foretelleth the righteous judgment
that would be executed on his enemies, after their
rejection of the gracious offers made them, by the
apostles, in his name, notwithstanding all that they
had said and done against him. Then the kingdom
of God was taken from them, and their house was
left unto them desolate. The hour is coming, when
the church shall arise to glory, and all her enemies
shall be confounded.

" 11. By this I know that thou favourest me,
because mine enemy doth not triumph over me.
12. And as for me, thou upholdest me in mine in-
tegrity, and settest me before thy face for ever."

The Christian, like his Master, must expect sor-
row and tribulation, but he is not thereby deprived

34!6 [Ps. 42.

of the " favour" of heaven ; his spiritual enemies,
whatever trouble they may give him, yet do not
'Uriumph" over him; he is preserved in his "integ-
rity," and his reward will be the " vision" of God.
For the exaltation, therefore, of our Lord Jesus
Christ, and of all believers, in, by, and through him,

" 13. Blessed be the Loud God of Israel from
everlasting, and to everlasting. Amen, and Amen."

PSALM XLII.

ARGUMENT. — David, by Absalom's rebellion, driven from
Jerusalem, to the countrj' beyond Jordan, is there supposed to
have indited this Psalm ; which, as it is api)lirahle to the case
of our Lord, in his state of sojourning and suffering on earth
for our sins ; as also, that of the church, under persecution, or
that of any member thereof, when deprived of the opportunities
of public worship; so doth it, in the most beautiful and pathe-
tic strains, describe the vicissitudes of joy and sorrow, of hope
and despondency, whicli succeed each other in the mind of tJie
Christian pilgrim, while, exiled from the Jerusalem above, he
suffereth affliction and tril)ulation in this valley of tears. The
last is the application chiefly made in the comment, as it is the
most general and useful one ; tlie others naturally offer them-
selves, being coincident with, or subordinate to it.

" L As the hart panteth after the water-brooks,
so panteth my soul after thee, O God."

The thirst which the " hart" cxpcricnccth, when
chased, in sultry weather, over the dusty plains, is
here set before us, as a representation of that ardent
desire after the waters of eternal comfort, which the
temptations, the cares, and the troubles of the world,
produce in the believing soul. Happy they who

Ps. 42.] 347

feel this desire, and fly to the well of life, that it
may be satisfied. " Blessed are they that thirst
after righteousness, for they shall be filled." Matt.
V. 6.

" 2. My soul thirsteth for God, for the living
God: when shall I come and appear before God?"

Whoever considers what it is to " appear before
God;" to behold the glorious face of Jesus; to con-
template a beauty which never fadeth; to be enriched
by a beneficence which can never be exhausted, and
blessed in a love unmerited and infinite; will find
abundant reason to say, again and again, " My soul
thirsteth after God ;" why is the time of my banish-
ment prolonged ? when shall the days of my pilgrim-
age have an end? " when shall 1 come and appear
before God?"

" 3. My tears have been my meat day and night,
while they continually say unto me, Where is thy
God?"

So long as the soul finds herself absent from him
whom she loveth, sorrow is still her portion, as well
in the day of worldly prosperity, as in the night of
adversity. And this sorrow is greatly aggravated
by the taunts of the enemy; who, because the pro-
mise is delayed, and she sufFereth affliction in the
mean season, ridiculeth and insulteth her faith and
hope, as vain and groundless; intimating, that God
hath forsaken her, and tempting her to renounce
her principles.

" 4. When I remember these thirigs^ I pour out

348 [Ps. 42.

my soul in me: for I had gone with the multitude;
I went with them to the house of God, with the
voice of joy and praise, with a multitude that kept
hohday."

As the royal prophet, when driven from Jerusalem
by Absalom, was melted into tears at the comparison
of his destitute and forlorn situation with his former
glory and happiness, when, upon some joyous festi-
val, with all his subjects about him, he had attended
the service of the tabernacle, in the city of God ; so
the Christian pilgrim cannot but bewail his exile
from the heavenly Jerusalem, out of which sin hath
driven him, and doomed him to wander, for a while,
in the vale of misery. Led, by repentance and faith,
to look back to the place from whence he is fallen,
he sighs after the unspeakable joys of the celestial
Zion; longing to keep a festival, and celebrate a
jubilee in heaven; to join in the songs of angels, and
bear a part in the music of hallelujahs.

" 5. Why art thou cast, or, bowled, down, O my
soul? and w7zj/ art thou disquieted within me? Hope
thou in God; for I shall yet praise him^or the help,
or, salvation, of his countenance."

The holy mourner now expostulates with his soul,
for suffering herself to sink into a kind of despond-
ency, on account of her afflictions, and the insolent
triumph of the adversary; and, as a sovereign cordial
for melancholy, prescribes "faith" .in God, which
will show the morning of salvation dawning, after
the night of calamity shall have run its course, a
night which cannot be long, and may be very short.

Ps. 42.]

349

When the sun arises, we cannot be without light;
when God turns his countenance towards us, we can-
not be without " salvation."

" 6. O my God, my soul is cast down within
me: therefore will I remember thee from the land
of Jordan, and of the Hermonites, from the hill
Mizar, or, the little hill."

The soul, although exhorted, in the last verse, to
"put her trust in God," yet, considering her own
infirmity, still continueth to be dejected: the pro-
phet, therefore, confesseth as much; and maketh his
complaint to God, from whom alone he expecteth
comfort: and whom he did not forget, while, far
from the sanctuary, he wandered up and down in the
country beyond Jordan, whither he had fled from
the face of Absalom. This world is, to us, that
" country beyond Jordan;" Lord, make us to "re-
member" thee, under all the afflictions and tribula-
tions we meet with therein, until, restored to thy
Jerusalem, we shall praise thee in heaven, for the
mercies experienced upon earth.

" 7. Deep calleth unto deep at the noise of thy
water-spouts: all thy waves and thy billows are gone
over me."

The prophet describeth the troubles which suc-
cessively came upon him, by the vengeance of hea-
ven, from above, " raising up evil against him, out
of his own house" and kingdom, from beneath, ac-
cording to the prediction of Nathan: 2 Sam. xii. 11.
The ideas seem to be borrowed from the general de-

VOL. I. Q

350 [Ps. 42.

luge, or from a storm at sea, when, at tlic " sound"
of descending " water-spouts," or torrents of rain,
the depths are stirred up, and put into horri])Ie com-
motion; the clouds ahove calling, as it were, to the
waters below, and one wave encouraging and excit-
ing another to join their forces, and overwhelm the
despairing sufferer.* The whole compass of crea-
tion affordeth not, perhaps, a more just and striking
imajre of the nature and number of those calamities

CD

which sin hath brought upon the children of Adam.f

" 8. Yet the Lord will command his loving-
kindness in the day-time, and in the night his song
shall be wuth me, a?ul my prayer unto the God of
my life."

Tlie gloomy prospect begins again to brighten,
by a ray of hope shooting through it ; and the pro-
phet returncth to his rest and confidence in the mercy
of God, determining, not only to give him thanks
in the day of prosperity, l)ut, as Paul and Silas af-
terwards did, to sing his praises at midnight, in ad-
versity and affliction.

" 9. I will say unto God my rock, AVhy hast

• Thus, as the learned Merrick obser%cs, one river, in Homer,
"calls upon another," to assist in ovenvhclming the Grecian
hero. And, in ^schylus, tlie fire and sea are said to " swear
together," and to give each other tlieir " pledge of confederacy,"
against the Grecian army.

f Since this was written, I find the author of " Observations
on divers Passages of Scripture" agreeing entirely with me in the
notion, that David is here describing those water-spouts, and
storms at sea, which were common on the Jewish coast, as we
learn from Dr. Shaw. Observations, p. 324. 1st edition. So Mr.
Merrick likewise, in his Annotations.

Ps. 43.] 351

thou forgotten me? Why go I mourning because
of the oppression of the enemy? 10. As with a
sword in my bones, mine enemies reproach me:
while they say daily unto me, Where zs thy God?"

He ventureth, notwithstanding, meekly and hum-
bly, upon the strength of the promises, to expostu-
late with him, who was the " rock" of his salvation,
as to his seeming destitution, while continually op-
pressed and insulted by the cutting reproaches of
the adversary. See above, verse 3. These might be
thought to render it in some sort necessary, for God
to arise, and vindicate his own honour, by the pro-
tection and deliverance of his servant. The Psal-
mist concludes with that exhortation to his soul, to
trust in God, and to wait for his salvation, which
makes the mournful chorus of this beautiful Psalm :

" 11. Why art thou cast down, O my soul? and
why art thou disquieted within me? Hope thou in
God; for I shall yet praise him, w/io is the health
of my countenance, and my God." See above,

PSALM XLHI.

ARGUMENT.— This Psalm seemeth to be a continuation of
the former, written by David in the same circumstances, on
the same subject, and closing with the same chorus.

" 1. Judge me, O God, and plead my cause against
an ungodly, or, unmerciful, nation : O deliver me
from the deceitful and unjust man,"
Q2

352 [Ps. 43.

David, in the same situation as before, appealeth
to God, against a people who had driven their sove-
reio-n from his capital, to wander like a fugitive and
vao-abond in the remotest parts ot his dominions;
against the hypocrisy of Absalom, and the villany of
Ahithophel. The Son of David may be supposed
to make the same appeal against the same nation, for
their far more cruel, treacherous, and iniquitous
usage of him, their king and their God. And the
words suit the circumstances of an oppressed church,
or an injured prince, of all who suffer for truth and
ri<'htcousness' sake, or who groan under the tyranny
of their spiritual enemies, the world, the flesh, and
the devil.

" 2. For thou art the God of my strength ; why
dost thou cast mc off? Why go I mourning be-
cause of the oppression of the enemy? \_Scc aboxr.
Psalm xlii. 9.] 3. () send out thy light and thy
truth: let them lead mc; let them bring me unto
thy holy hill, and to thy tabernacles."

The chief desire of the Christian, analogous to that
of the prophet in distress, is to be saved from sin, as
well as sorrow; to be instructed in the way of righ-
teousness, by the " light" of heavenly wisdom, shin-
ing in the face of Jesus Christ; to see the accom-
plishment of the promises, in him who is the " truth ;"
and to be " led," by this light and this truth from
the land of his pilgrimage, to the ** holy hill," and
the mansions of the just, in the new Jerusalem.

" 4. Then will I go unto the altar of God, unto

Ps. 44.] 353

God my exceeding joy, or, the gladness of my joy;
yea, upon the harp will I praise thee, O God, my
God."

The royal prophet, upon his restoration to his
throne, was to sacrifice on the altar of his God,
with the voice of thanksgiving, and to celebrate his
mighty Deliverer, in a new song, upon the melo-
dious harp. The Christian, in like manner, fore-
sees a day coming, when sorrow and sighing shall
be no more; when he and his brethren are to be
"made kings and priests;" when they are to reign
with their Redeemer for ever; and upon their golden
harps, tuned to a unison with those of angels, to
sing his everlasting praises in the courts of the hea-
venly temple. Therefore,

" 5. Why art thou cast down, O my soul? and
why art thou disquieted within me? Hope thou in
God; for I shall yet praise him, *-joJio is the health
of my countenance, and my God." See above.
Psalm xlii. 5.

PSALM XLIV.

Ninth Day — Morning Prayer,

ARGUMENT. — In this Psalm we hear the voice of the church,
under persecution, 1 — 3. recounting the mercies of God
vouchsafed to his servants of old time ; 4 — 8. declaring her
confidence, that she shall experience the same in her present
distress, and shall at length overcome, through the power of
her Redeemer; for that, notwithstanding her seeming deser-
tion and manifold sufferings, 9 — 16. there is still a faithful

354,

[Ps. U.

remnant, 17 — 22. of those who have not bowed the knee to
Baal, and who cease not, 23 — 26. to cry unto God for mercy
and deliverance.

" 1. We have heard with our ears, O God, our
fathers have told us, xv/iai works thou didst iii their
days, in the times of old."

The works wrought of old, hy the ami of Jeho-
vah, for the salvation of his people, are recorded by
the Spirit in the Scriptures of truth, that "through
patience and comfort of those Scriptures," as the
apostle expresses it, the church and people of God,
whensoever oppressed and afflicted, in any age or
country, "may have hope," that the same God will
exert the same power in their behalf. And great is
the light, great is the consolation, which the sacred
history, when thus applied, will always afford to the
troubled mind.

" 2. Mow thou didst drive out the heathen with
thy hand, and plantedst them; /loxv thou didst afflict
the people, and cast them out."

If the dispossession of the Canaanites, and the
establishment of the house of Jacob in their land,
furnished the distressed church of Israel with suffi-
cient ground for confidence; how much force hath
the argument since received, by the accomplishment
of what was then typified; by the victories of the
true Joshua, or Jesus; by the fall of Paganism, and
the plantation of the Christian faith in its stead !

" 3. For they got not tlie land in possession by

Ps. M.] S55

their own sword, neither did their own arm save
them; but thy right hand, and thine arm, and the
light of thy countenance, because thou hadst a fa-
vour unto them.''

As it sufficiently appears, that the settlement of
Israel in the promised land was the work of God,
from the miraculous fall of Jericho ; from the pro-
longation of the day, at the word of Joshua; from
the slaughter of the enemy by hailstones from hea-
ven, &c. &c. so was it the first thing which an
Israelite was in duty bound to acknowledge, if he
hoped for more mercies at the hand of God. The
Christian, in like manner, begins and ends all his
prayers with an humble and thankful acknowledg-
ment of the free mercy of God in Jesus Christ ; con-
fessing, that he " got not" his title to salvation, nor
should enter into the possession of it, by " his own"
power or merit, but by " the right hand and the arm
of his Redeemer, and the light of his countenance,
because he had a favour unto him."

" 4. Thou art my King, O God: command de-
liverances for Jacob."

In these words, the church sums up her argu-
ment : as if she had said, O thou, who, going forth
before thy people, hast so often and so wonderfully
wrought salvation of old time, I still acknowledge
thee as my King, able and willing to save: O mani-
fest yet again thy power, yet again let me experience
thy mercy. Behold all things are at thy command;
all events are at thy disposal. O gracious Saviour,

S56 [Ps. 4.4..

let all work together for good to her whom thou
lovest.

" 5. Through thee will we push clown our ene-
mies; through thy name will we tread them under
that rise up against us."

The people of God, however persecuted by the
power of the world, here declare, that their faith
faileth not; that the adversary cannot take from them
their holy confidence in God, through whom, and
in whose saving name, whenever he sliall tliink fit
to hear their prayers, and to appear in their cause,
they doubt not of obtaining a final victory, and ce-
lebrating a glorious triumph, over all their enemies,
terrestrial and infernal. JSuch should be the hope
of every afflicted soul.

" 6. For I will not trust in my bow, neither shall
my sword save me. 7. Unl thou hast saved us from
our enemies, and hast put them to shame that hated
us. 8. In God we boast all the day long, and
praise thy name for ever."

In spiritual, as well as temporal warfare, the
appointed means are to be used, but not *' trusted
in;" man is to fight, but C^od givetli the victory;
and to him must be ascribed the praise, and the
power, and the glory; tliat, as it is written, " He
who glorieth, may glory in the Lord." And thus
the Christian church daily singeth, after the example
of her blessed and holy representative, " My soul
doth magnify the Lord, and my spirit rejoiceth in
God my Saviour."

Ps. u.] S57

" 9. But thou hast cast off, and put us to shame;
and goest not forth with our armies."

The church having declared her confidence, found-
ed on the former mercies of God vouchsafed unto
her, proceedeth now to describe her pitiable state
under persecution, when the protection of the Al-
mighty seemed, for a season, to be withdrawn, so
that she was no longer able to stand before her ene-
mies.

" 10. Thou makest us to turn back from the
enemy; and they which hate us spoil for themselves."

The first consequence of a victory, gained by the
enemies over the friends of the church, is rapine and
sacrilege; the invasion of her patrimony, and the
plunder of her revenues; allured by the prospect of
which, robbery hath sometimes entered into the
sanctuary, under the mask of reformation.

" 11. Thou hast given us like sheep appoiyited
for meat; and hast scattered us among the heathen."

The second calamity which is permitted to fall on
the church, in the day of adversity, is, that her people
are doomed to sudden and cruel deaths by sangui-
nary edicts. A third calamity is that of their being
driven, in times of persecution, from their native
country, to wander among strangers and aliens, or
among those in whose communion it is judged un-
lawful to join.

" 12. Thou sellest thy people for nought, and
dost not increase thy wealth by their price."
Q3

358

[Ps. 44.

A fourth misery incidental to the people of God,
when under persecution, is, that he permits them to
be held cheap and vile, and to be sold into slavery
by their enemies, for little or nothing: a situation
far more to be dreaded than the sword of the execu-
tioner.

" 13. Thou makcst us a reproach to our neigh-
bours, a scorn and a derision to them that are round
about us. 14. Thou makest us a by-word among
the heathen; a shaking of the head among the peo-
ple. 15. My confusion is continually before me,
and the shame of my face hath covered me, 16. For
the voice of him that reproacheth and blasphemeth;
by reason of the enemy and avenger."

The fifth and last bitter fruit of persecution is,
that thereby the name, and truth, and church, and
people of God, arc exposed to the insolent and blas-
phemous scoffs and jeers of infidels; nor is there
any circumstance to a pious soul more grievous and
afflictive than this.

" 17. All this is come upon us; yet have we not
forgotten thee, neither have we dealt falsely in thy
covenant. 18. Our heart is not turned back, nei-
ther have our steps declined from thy way; 19.
Though thou hast sore broken us in the place of
dragons, and covered us with the shadow of death."

It is certain that God is provoked, by the sins of
a church, to let loose the fury of the oppressor upon

Ps. 44.] 359

her. This is acknowledged by Daniel in his prayer,
ch. ix. — by the three children in the furnace. Song,
ver. 5, 6. — by the Maccabean martyrs, suffering under
Antiochus, 2 Mace. vii. 18. and by Cyprian, and
others, in the primitive times. It is not less certain,
that no mere man can say, he is free from transgres-
sion. The verses now under consideration, are not,
therefore, spoken by the whole church, but by the
faithful remnant; nor do they imply an exemption
from all sin, but a steadfast perseverance in the
profession of God's true religion, from which it is
the aim of persecution to seduce, or to force them.
The malice of the tormentors is here compared to the
venom of " serpents:" and the state of a suffering
church, to the gloom of " death" itself. Happy the
soul, that, in the extremity of affliction, can, with
humble confidence, thus make her appeal to God, as
having held fast her integrity against all the efforts
made to wrest it from her, and not having suffered
the blasts of adverse fortune, by wearing out pa-
tience, to part her from the anchor of faith.

" 20. If we have forgotten the name of our
God, or stretched out our hands to a strange god ;
21. Shall not God search this out? for he knoweth
the secrets of the heart."

The consideration, tha " God is greater than
our heart, and knoweth all things:" I John iii. 20.
ought to be strongly impressed on our minds at all
times; but more particularly, when we are tempted
by the world (as, one way or other, we all frequently

360

[Ps. 44.

are) to deny our Master, either by word or deed;
and when we have occasion to call heaven to witness
our uprightness, under such temptation.

" 22. Yea, for thy sake are we killed all the day
long; we are counted as sheep for the slaughter."

The sufferings of the martyrs were a sufficient
proof that they had not yielded to the temptations
of the enemy. St. Paul, Rom. viii. 36. cites this
verse as predictive of the persecutions then beginning
to be raised against the Cliristians. All may apply
it to themselves, who are in circumstances of the
same nature; and persecution is generally consistent
with itself, contriving, by some means or other, to
be rid of those who, stand in its way. It is a storm,
before which all must either bend, or be broken.

" 23. Awake, why sleepest thou, O Lord ?
Arise, cast us not off for ever. 24. Wherefore hid-
est thou thy face, a?i(l forgettest our affliction and
our oppression?"

There is a time when the triumphs of the adver-
sary, and the afflictions of tlie church, tempt men to
think, that the eye of providence is closed, or turned
away, and that the Almighty hath ceased to remem-
ber their sad estate. ^ut the truth is, that God
only giveth his people an opportunity of feeling their
own insufficiency; and waiteth till, by fervent and
importunate prayer, they solicit his help. For so
the holy Jesus slept, while the ship was covered with
the waves; until, awakened by the cries of his dis-

Ps. 45.1

361

ciples, he arose to their assistance, and spoke the
tempest into a perfect calm.

" 25. For our soul is bowed down to the dust;
our belly cleaveth unto the earth."

They who are not brought into this state of
humiliation by outward sufferings, should bring
themselves into it by inward mortification and self-
denial, by contrition and abasement, if they would
put up such prayers, as the Majesty of heaven will
deign to accept, and answer; if they would repeat
with our church, in the spirit of the Litany, the
concluding verse of this Psalm —

" 26. Arise for our help, and redeem us, for thy
mercies' sake."

PSALM XLV.

ARGUMENT. — In this Psalm, which is one of those appointed
to be used on Christmas-day, the prophet, after, 1. proposing
his subject, proceeds to celebrate King Messiah, 2. for his
spiritual beauty and eloquence ; 3, 4, 5. his power and A'ic-
tories ; 6. his throne and sceptre ; 7. his righteousness and
inauguration ; 8. his royal robes and glorious palace. 9. The
chiurch is introduced as his spouse; her appearance and dress
are described; 10, 11, 12. it is foretold, that the nations shall
bring their offerings to her; 13, 14, 15. her attire, her presen-
tation to Christ, with her attendant train, and the universal
joy and gladness occasioned by the solemnization of the nup-
tials, are set forth. 16. The prophet predicteth the fruits of
this divine union; and, 17. the use that should be made of his
sacred epithalamium by the faithful, from generation to gener-
ation.

362 [Ps. 4s5.

" 1. My heart is inditing, Heb, boileth, or,
bubbleth up, a good matter, or, the good word: I
speak of the things which I have made touching the
King; my tongue is the pen of a ready writer."

" The Spirit of the Lord," saith David elsewhere,
2 Sam. xxiii. 2. " spake by me, and his word was in
my tongue." In Hke manner, we are to conceive
the prophet here to be full of the divine Spirit, which
inspired him with " the good word," or the glad tid-
ings of salvation. The sacred fire, inclosed in his
heart, expanded itself within, till at length it brake
forth with impetuosity, to enlighten and to revive
mankind with this glorious prediction " touching the
King," Messiah; and this was uttered by his tongue,
under the guidance of the Spirit, as, in writing, the
pen is directed by the hand that holds it.

" 2. Thou art fairer than the children of men ;
grace is poured into thy lips: therefore God hath
blessed thee for ever."

After a short introduction, tlie prophet stays not
to enter regularly upon the subject, in the formal
way of narration; but, as if he saw the Divine Per-
son, whom he was about to celebrate, standing before
him, he breaks out in extatic admiration of the se-
cond Adam, so different from all the descendants of
the first! compounded of a soul fair above all cre-
ated spirits, and a body pure and perfect, and now
brighter than the meridian sun; being invested with
the unutterable effulgence of the Divine Nature.
Next to the spiritual beauty of INIessiah, the prophet

Ps. 45.1

!63

is astonished (as those who heard him speak, in the
days of his flesh, afterwards were) at " the gracious
words which proceeded out of his mouth," Luke
iv. 22. through the " grace poured into his lips."
Such honey and milk were under his tongue, so de-
lightful and salutary was his doctrine, that even his
enemies found themselves obliged to confess, " never
man spake like this man:" John vii. 46. His word
instructed the ignorant, resolved the doubtful, com-
forted the mourners, reclaimed the wicked, silenced
his adversaries, healed diseases, controlled the ele-
ments, and raised the dead. Therefore hath the
Father loved, and exalted, and blessed him, for ever-
more.

" 3. Gird tliy sword upon thy thigh, O mo^t
Mighty, vv^ith thy glory and thy majesty."

The prophet, having described the beauty and the
eloquence of the King, proceedeth now to set forth
his power, and to arm him, as a warrior for the bat-
tle. The " sword" of Messiah is his Word, which,
in the language of St. Paul, is said to be " quick,
and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged
sword;" and is represented by St. John, as " a
sharp two-edged sword," coming out of the " mouth"
of Christ: Heb. iv. 12. Rev. i. 16. With this
weapon he prevailed, and thereby made his " glory
and majesty" to be known throughout the world.

" 4. And in thy majesty ride prosperously, be-
cause, or, for the sake, of truth, and meekness, and

364. [Ps. 45.

righteousness; and thy right hand shall teach thee
terrihle, or, wonderful things."*

Messiah is in these words magnificently described,
as making his progress among the nations, seated in
his triumphal chariot, adorned with all the regal vir-
tues, achieving the most astonishing victories, and,
by the irresistible might of his power, subduing ido-
latry and iniquity to the faith and temper of the
Gospel.

" 5. Thine arrows arc sharp in the heart of the
King's enemies ; XL'hcrcbij the people fall under thee."

The prophet goes on to represent Messiah as a
warrior, completely armed, and skilful in the use of
every weapon. Thus a prince is portrayed. Rev.
vi. 2. " I saw, and behold a wliite horse: and he
that sat on him had a bow, and a crown was given
unto him ; and he went forth conquering, and to
conquer." The conquests of Messiah arc either
those of his word over sin, or those of his arm over
the persecuting powers.

'* 6. Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever:
the sceptre of tliy kingdom is a right sceptre."

The battle being fought, and the victory gained,

• " The sense, perhaps, may be this : Tliy right hand, by its
promptness to encounter danger, shall bring thee acquainted with
terrible things : thy right hand shall know its otiice ; by habitual
exercise, shall render thee expert in war, and lead thee on from
conquest to conquest." Merrick.

Ps. 45.] 565

we are called to the consideration of the " throne"
and " sceptre" of King Messiah, whom the prophet
addresseth as God. His throne is distinguished
from the thrones of this world, by its endless dura-
tion ; his sceptre, from the sceptres of earthly po-
tentates, by the unerring rectitude of its admini-
stration.

" 7. Thou lovest righteousness, and hatest wick-
edness : therefore God, thy God, hath anointed thee
with the oil of gladness above thy fellows."

The sermons, the example, and, above all, the
death of Christ, for the expiation of sin, demonstrated
his love of righteousness, and hatred of wickedness ;
and, " because he humbled himself, and became
obedient oven to the death' of the cross, therefore
God highly exalted him:" Phil. ii. 8, 9. and he was
" anointed" to the kingdom " with the Holy Ghost
and with power" immeasurable; to the intent that
he might bestow, in due proportion, the gifts of hea-
ven on those whom he is not ashamed to call
" friends" and " brethren." And these gifts he
did bestow on them, by the emission of the Spirit,
soon after his ascension and inauguration. See the
application of these last two verses to Christ, Heb.
i. 8, 9.

" 8. All thy garments smell of myrrh, and aloes,
and cassia, out of the ivory palaces,* whereby they
have made thee glad."

From the throne, the sceptre, and the inaugura-

* That IS, palaces adorned, or inlaid, with ivory; as " Ebur
atria yestitj" Lucan x. 119. Merrick.

366 [Ps. 45.

tion, the prophet passes on to the robes and palaces
of the King of glory, declaring, that as the perfumed
garments of an earthly prince scatter through all the
royal apartments a grateful fragrance, so, from the
glorious vestments of our High Priest and King, is
diffused the sweet savour of his heavenly graces, fill-
ing those happy regions of joy and gladness, where
he keeps his residence above, and, by the communi-
cation of the Spirit, refreshing the faithful on earth
with their odours.

" 9. Kings' daughters wer'e among thy honour-
able women, or, the splendour of thy train ; upon thy
right hand did stand the queen in gold of Ophir."

Such being the divine beauty, and heavenly glory,
of the blessed Person, whose nuptials the prophet is
now proceeding to describe, it is no wonder that,
upon hearing of his fame, innumerable converts,
forsaking the vanities even of courts and kingdoms,
should follow him, ambitious to have the honour of
composing his train ; which in reality was the case,
upon the publication of the Gospel. And, lo, at
" the right hand" of the King, followed by this mag-
nificent procession, appears the church, the spouse
of the Lamb, arrayed in the garments of righteous-
ness and salvation, fitly compared, for their inesti-
mable value, and radiant brightness, to the " gold
of Ophir."

" 10. Hearken, O daughter, and consider, and
incline thine ear ; forget also thine own people, and
thy father's house; H. So shall the King greatly

Ps. 45.] 367

desire thy beauty ; for he is thy Lord, and worship
thou him."

This seemeth to be the voice of God, addres-
sing the church to the following effect — O thou,
whom I have begotten unto a lively hope, by the
resurrection of Jesus from the dead, and whom I
have called out of the world, to become " the Lamb's
wife," hearken diligently to my voice, consider atten-
tively what I say, and be obedient to my direction ;
thou art now entering into a new state; let old things
pass away: regard no more thy connections with
earth ; but let the love, and, if possible, the very
memory, of thy former condition, be obliterated
from thy mind ; let all things belonging to the flesh
die in thee : then shalt thou be truly acceptable and
dear in his sight, who, having purchased and be-
trothed thee to himself, justly claims thy whole heart,
thy undivided love, and thy unlimited service and
adoration.

" 12. And the daughter of Tyre s/jall be there
with a gift ; even the rich among the people shall
entreat thy favour."

The accession of the Gentiles, with their offerings
and donations, to the church, is here predicted under
the name of " Tyre," a city in the neighbourhood
of Palestine, formerly the glory of the nations, and
mart of the world. See Isa. Ix. and Rev. xxi.

" 13. The King's daughter ^5 all glorious within:
her clothing is of wrought gold."

368

[Ps. 45.

The church, in different respects, is sometimes
called the spouse, sometimes the sister, and often, as
here, the " daugliter," of the heavenly King; the
connection formed between them, uniting in itself
every relation, and every affection. Her beauty, so
greatly desired and delighted in by Messiah, is spi-
ritual; it is the beauty of holiness; and her cloth-
ing is " the righteousness of saints :" 1 Pet. iii. 3.
Rev. xix. 8.

" 14. She shall be brought unto the Kintr in
raiment of needle-work, or, embroidery: the vir-
gins her companions that follow her shall be brought
unto thee."

The different graces of the faithful, all wrought
in them by the same Spirit, compose that divine *' em-
broidery" which adorns the wedding-garment of the
church, who is therein presented to the King, at-
tended by her bride-maids, after the nuptial manner.
These are either the single churches, or holy souls,
that accede to, and accompany the spouse; unless we
suppose, as some do, that the bride is the Israelitish
church, and then the attendants will represent the
Gentiles.

" 15. With gladness and rejoicing shall they he
brought : they shall enter into the King's palace."

The solemnization of this marriage between Christ
and the church, produceth a jubilee upon earth, and
causeth the streets of the heavenly Jerusalem to re-
sound with hallelujahs. For this the angels tune
their golden harps, while prophets, apostles, martyrs,

Ps. 45.] 369

and saints, fill up the universal chorus of " Blessing,
and honour, and glory, and power, be unto him
that sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb,
for ever and ever."

" 16. Instead of thy fathers shall be thy children,
whom thou mayest make princes in all the earth."

In this verse the prophet foretelleth the fruit that
should spring from the glorious nuptials which he
hath been celebrating. He assureth the spouse,
that instead of her earthly kindred, whether Jewish
or Pagan, which she was to leave for Christ, should
arise an illustrious and royal progeny of believers,
out of whom were to be chosen Christian kinffs to
govern the world, and Christian bishops to preside
in the church. The expression " whom thou
mayest make princes," may answer to that in the
Revelation, chap. i. ver. 6. " And hath made us
kings and priests unto God and his Father." So
Mr. Merrick thinks, who beautifully turns the pas-
sage, in this poetical version, as follows —

No more the Patriarchs of thy line

In time's long records chief shall shine ;

Thy greater Sons, to empire born,

Its future annals shall adorn.

Thy power derived to them display,

And stretch through earth their boundless sway.

" 17. I will make thy name to be remembered
in all generations : therefore shall the people praise
thee for ever and ever."

By inditing this divine marriage-song, appointed

370 LPs. 45.

to be sung in the congregations of the faithful, from
age to age, the Psahnist hath been, as he foresaw
he should be, the blessed means of celebrating his
Redeemer's name, and inciting the nations of the
world to do likewise; nor will he cease to be so,
while the 45th Psalm continues to be sung in the
church upon earth ; that is, while there remaineth
a church upon earth to sing it. And we, who
now do sing it, are witnesses of these things.

END OF VOLUME FIRST.

Printed by W. Colling & Co. Glasgow.

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