ten, and if by reafon of ftrength they be four/core years, yet is their strength labour and forrow: for it is foon cut off, and we fly away.

This again might be primarily fpoken by Mofes, concerning Ifrael. The generation of thofe who came out of Egypt, from twenty years old and upwards, fell within the space of forty years, in the wil derness; Numb. xxiv. 29. and they who lived longest experienced only labour and forrow, until they were cut off, like grafs, and, by the breath of God's dif pleasure, blown away from the face of the earth. Like the Ifraelites, we have been brought out of Egypt, and fojourn in the wilderness; like them we murmur, and offend God our Saviour; like them we fall and perish. To the age of feventy years few of us can hope to attain; labour and forrow are our portion in the world; we are mowed down, as this year's grafs of the field; we fly away and are no more feen in the land of the living.

11. Who knoweth the power of thine anger? Even according to thy fear, fo is thy wrath..

Houbigant renders the verse thus: " Quis novit “vim iræ tuæ; et, prout terribilis es, furorem "tuum?"" Who knoweth" or confidereth," the

power of thine anger; and thy wrath, in propor"tion as thou art terrible?" That is, in other words, Notwithstanding all the manifeftations of God's indignation against fin, which introduced death and every other calamity among men, who is there that knoweth, who that duly confidereth and layeth to heart the almighty power of that indignation, who that is induced, by beholding the mor

tality of his neighbours to prepare himself for his own departure hence? Such holy confideration is the gift of God, from whom the Pfalmift, in the next verfe, directeth us to request it.

12. So teach us to number our days, that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom.

He who "numbereth his days," or taketh a right account of the fhortnefs of this prefent life, com pared with the unnumbered ages of that eternity which is future, will foon become a proficient in the school of true wifdom. He will learn to give the preference where it is due; to do good, and fuffer evil, upon earth, expecting the reward of both in heaven. Make us wife, bleffed Lord, but wife unto falvation.

13. Return, O LORD, how long? And let it repent thee concerning, or, be propitiated towards thy fervants.

During the reign of death over poor mankind, God is represented as abfent; he is therefore by the faithful entreated to "return," and to fatisfy their longing defires after falvation; to haften the day when Meffiah fhould make a "propitiation" for fin, when he should redeem his fervants from death, and ranfom them from the power of the grave. The Christian, who knoweth that his Lord is rifen indeed, looks forward to the refurrection of the juft, when death shall be finally swallowed up in victory.

14. O fatisfy us early, or, in the morning, with thy mercy that we may rejoice and be glad all our days. 15. Make us glad according to the days wherein thou haft afflicted us, and the years wherein we have feen evil.

The church prayeth for the dawning of that glorious morning, when every cloud fhall vanish at the rifing of the fun of righteoufnefs, and night and darkness fhall be no more. Then only thall we be

fatisfied, or faturated with the mercy" of Jehovah ; then only shall we rejoice and be glad all our

days." The time of our pilgrimage upon earth is a time of forrow; we grieve for our departed friends; and our furviving friends muft foon grieve for us; thefe are "the days wherein God afflicteth

us, these the years wherein we fee evil:" but he will hereafter make us glad according to them;" in proportion to our fufferings, if rightly we bear thofe fufferings, will be our reward; nay, "these "light afflictions, which are but for a moment, "work for us a far more exceeding and eternal

weight of glory." Then fhall our joy be increased, and receive an additional relish from the remembrance of our former forrow; then fhall we bless the days and the years which exercifed our faith, and perfected our patience; and then fhall we blefs God, who chastised us for a season, that he might fave us for

ever.

16. Let thy work appear unto thy fervants, and thy glory unto their children. 17. And let the beauty of the Lord our God be upon us; and establish thou the work of our hands upon us, yea, the work of our hands establish thou it.

The Redemption of man is that "work" of God,

whereby his " glory" is manifefted to all generations, and which all generations do therefore long to behold accomplished. For this purpose the faith

ful

ful befeech God to let his " beauty," his fplendor, the light of his countenance, his grace and favour, be upon them: to "eftablish the work of their "hands," to blefs, profper, and perfect them in their Christian courfe and warfare; until, through him, they shall be enabled to subdue fin, and triumph over death.

PSALM XCI

ARGUMENT.

The prophet 1-10. declareth the fecurity of the Righteous Man under the care and protection of heaven, in times of danger, when 11, 12. a guard of angels is fet about him. 13. His final victory over the enemies of his falvation is foretold; and 14-16. God himself is introduced, promifing him deliverance, exaltation, glory, and immortality. The Pfalm is addreffed, primarily, to Mefsiah. That it relateth to him, Jews and Christians are agreed; and the devil, Matt. iv. 6. cited two verfes from it, as universally known and allowed to have been spoken of him.

1. He that dwelleth in the fecret place of the most High, fhall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. 2. I will fay of the Lord, He is my refuge and my fortress: my God, in him will I truft. 3. Surely he

Shall deliver thee from the fnare of the fowler, and from the noisome peftilence.

In thefe verfes, as they now ftand, there is much obfcurity and confufion. Bishop Lowth, in his xxvith Lecture, feemeth to have given their true conftruction. "He who dwelleth in the fecret place "of the moft High; who abideth under the fhadow "of the Almighty; who faith of the Lord, He is my "refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I will "truft;"-leaving the fentence thus imperfect, the Pfalmift maketh a beautiful apoftrophe to that person whom he has been defcribing-"Surely he fhall de"liver thee from the fnare of the fowler, and from the "noisome peftilence." The defcription is eminently applicable to the man Chrift Jefus*. He is reprefented as dwelling, like the ark in the Holy of holies, under the immediate " fhadow" and protection of the Almighty, who was his "refuge and "fortress" against the open attacks of his enemies; his preferver from the "fnares" of the devil, and from the universal contagion of fin, that fpiritual " pefti"lence." In all dangers, whether fpiritual or corporeal, the members of Chrift's myftical body may reflect with comfort, that they are under the fame almighty protector.

4. He shall cover thee with his feathers, and under his wings fhalt thou truft: his truth fhall be thy hield and buckler.

Ode Davidica infignis xci agit directe et primo loco de tegmine et defenfione quam Deus Chrifto Jefu Doctori et apostolis ipfius præftaret. VITRINGA, Comment. in Jefai. ii. 565.

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