ance shall retire, unable to afford him any help and affistance; when he must die, and be confined in the prison of the grave, no more to "come forth," until that great Easter of the world, the general refurection. In the folitary and awful hour of our departure hence, let us remember to think on the desertion, the death, the burial, and the refurrection of our Redeemer.

9. Mine eye mourneth by reason of affliction: LORD, I have called daily upon thee, I have ftretched out my hands unto thee.

This verse contains a reiteration of the complaint and prayer made at the beginning of the Pfalm. These are some of the " ftrong cryings with tears," which, during the course of his interceffions for us, upon earth, the Son of God poured forth," in the days of his flesh." Heb. v. 7.

10. Wilt thou fhew wonders to the dead? Shall the dead rife and praise thee? 11. Shall thy loving kindnefs be declared in the grave, or thy faithfulness in deftruction? 12. Shall thy wonders be known in the dark? and thy righteousness in the land of forgetfulness?

It hath been fometimes thought, that these verfes imply a denial, or at least a doubt of the refurrection from the dead; whereas they contain, in reality, the most powerful plea that Christ himself, in his prayers to the Father, could urge for it; namely, that, otherwife, man would be deprived of his falvation, and God of the glory thence accruing. "Wilt thou fhew "wonders to the dead," while they continue in that state; or if thou shouldeft, will they be fenfible of

those

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those wonders, and make thee due returns of thankfulness? Shall the dead rife up" in the congregation, "and praise thee?" Muft they not live again to do that?" Shall thy loving kindness" to the fons

σε

of Adam, in me their Redeemer, be declared," fhall the Gospel be preached, "in the grave?" " Or "thy faithfulness," in accomplishing the promises concerning this loving kindness, fhall it be manifefted" in that deftruction" wrought by death upon the bodies of men?"Shall thy wonders," the wonders of light, and life, and falvation, "be known in the "dark" tomb? "And thy righteousness," which characterifes all thy difpenfations, fhall it be remembered and proclaimed "in the land" of filence and "forgetfulness?" A Chriftian, upon the bed of ficknefs, may undoubtedly plead with God, in this manner, for a longer continuance of life, to glorify him here upon earth. But every refpite of that kind can be only temporary. All men, fooner or later, must die; and then they can never more experience, the mercies, or fing the praises of God, unless they rife again. So that if the argument hold in one case, it certainly holdeth ftill ftronger in the other.

13. But unto thee have I cried, O LORD, and in the morning fhall my prayer prevent me. 14. Lord, why cafteft thou off my foul? Why hideft thou thy face from me?

Since therefore the wonders, the loving kindness, the faithfulaefs, and the righteoufnefs of God cannot be manifested by man's redemption, if Meffiah be left under the dominion of death, he redoubles his prayers, for the promised deliverance; and speaks

of

of his redemption in the hour of forrow, as in Pf. xxii. 1. "My God, my God, why haft thou for"faken me," &c.

15. Iam afflicted and ready to die from my youth up: while I fuffer thy terrors, I am diftracted; Heb. I am diftreffed, not knowing which way to turn myfelf*. 16. Thy fierce wrath goeth over me, thy terrors have cut me off. 17. They came round about me daily like water; they compaffed me about together.

We are not to imagine that the holy Jefus fuffered for us only at Gethsemane, and on mount Calvary. His whole life was one continued paffion; a scene of labour and forrow, of contradiction and perfecution; "he was afflicted," as never man was, " from his youth up," from the hour of his birth, when, thrust out from the fociety of men, he made his bed in the stable at Bethlehem; he was "ready to die;" a victim destined and prepared for that death, which, by anticipation, he tafted of through life; he faw the flaming fword of God's " fierce wrath" waiting to "cut him off" from the land of the living; the "terrors" of the Almighty fet themselves in array against him, threatening, like the mountainous waves of a tempestuous fea, to overwhelm his amazed foul. Let not the church be offended, or defpond, but rather let her rejoice in her fufferings, by which, through every period of her existence, from youth to age, fhe" filleth up that which is behind of the "afflictions of Chrift," who fuffers and will be glo

* Dominus ipfe de se, Pf. lxxxviii. 16. « Fero terrores tuos ; « animi linquor." Loquitur de extremis fuis angoribus, et do1oribus. VITRINGA in Jefai. ii. 667.

rified in his people, as he hath already suffered and been glorified FOR them. See Col. i. 24.

18. Lover and friend haft thou put far from me, and mine acquaintance into darkness.

It is mentioned again, as a most affecting circumftance of Christ's paffion, that he was entirely forfaken, and left all alone, in that dreadful day. The bitter cup was prefented, filled to the brim, and he drank it off, to the dregs. No man could fhare in those sufferings, by which all other men were to be redeemed. His "lovers and friends," his difciples and acquaintance, were put far from him;" they all "forfook him, and fled," to hide themfelves from the fury of the Jews," in darkness, in dark, i. e. "fecret places." Thus it is written in the Pfalms, and thus in the Gospels it is recorded to have happened. Oftentimes, O bleffed Jefu, do we forfake thee; but do not thou forfake us, or take thy holy Spirit from us.

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XVII DAY. EVENING PRAYER.

PSALM LXXXIX.

ARGUMENT.

This Pfalm is appointed by the church to be read on Christmas Day. It celebrates, ver. 1-4. the mercies of God in Chrift, pro

mised to David; 5-13. the almighty power of Jehovah, manifefted in his works

and

and difpenfations; 14. his justice, mercy, and truth; 15-18. the happiness and fecurity of his people; 19-37. his covenant made with David, as the representative of Mefsiah, who should come of his Seed; 38 -45. the church lamenteth her distressful ftate, at the time when this Pfalm was penned*; 46-51. fhe prayeth for the accomplishment of the promife; and, in the mean time, 52. bleffeth Jehovah.

1. I will fing of the mercies of the LORD for ever: with my mouth will I make known thy faithfulness to all generations.

The "mercies of Jehovah" have ever employed the voices of believers to celebrate them. Thefe mercies were promises to the human race, in their great representative and furety, before the world began; 2 Tim. i, 9. Tit. i. 2. they were prefigured by ancient dispensations; and, in part, fulfilled, at the incarnation of Chrift. The "faithfulness" of God, in fo fulfilling them, is now " made known," by the holy fervices of the Chriftian church, " to all " generations."

2. For I have said mercy shall be built up for ever; thy faithfulness shalt thou establish in the very heavens.

Sedeciâ capto, domo David e folio deturbatâ, promiffiones Dei irritas videri Propheta queritur, necdum adeffe Chriftum. BOSSUET. Dr. Kennicott imagines it to have been composed by Ifaiah, as a folemn and public addrefs to God, at the time when Rezin and Pekah were advancing against Jerusalem.

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