fume. The continuance of thofe favours dependeth upon the continuance of their fidelity and obedience, Mighty empires, with their "princes," have, for their wickedness, been "brought low" by the arm of Jehovah, and laid in the duft, while nations poor," and feeble, and never thought of, have "been taken from thence, and exalted over them." What revolutions have, in like manner, happened. and, probably, are ftill to happen, in the church! Jerufalem is fallen, through unbelief; and the Gentile church ftandeth only by faith, from which, if The depart, vengeance will be executed on her likewife. Yet, even in the worst of times, there is a promife, that the poor" in fpirit, the faithful and humble difciples of the holy Jefus, fhall be preferved from the evil, and "fet on high from affliction ;" yea, that they fhall be multiplied "like a flock," under the care of the good Shepherd, to preferve his name, and to continue a church upon the earth, until he shall return again.

42. The righteous fhall fee, and rejoice; and all iniquity shall flop her mouth,

Two confequences will follow from this alternate difplay of the mercy and the judgment of God. The righteous, finding themfelves ftill the objects of the former, will have caufe to rejoice and give thanks; and the wicked, when vifited with the latter, will be forced, by their filence at least, to own that their punishment is juft. This will certainly be the cafe at the laft day, when the difpenfations of God, and the perfect rule of equity

obferved

obferved in them, fhall be manifefted to all the ⚫world.

43. Whofo is wife and will obferve these things, even they fhall understand the loving kindness of the LORD. Or, Who is wife? and he will obferve these things; and they shall understand the loving kindnefs of the Lord.

A truly "wife" perfon will treafure up in his heart the contents of this most inftructive and delightful Pfalm. By fo doing, he will fully "understand" and comprehend the weakness and wretchedness of man, and the power and " loving kindness" of God, who not for our merit, but for his mercy's fake, difpelleth our ignorance, breaketh off our fins, healeth our infirmities, preferveth us in temptations, placeth us in his church, enricheth us with his grace, sheltereth us from perfecution, bleffeth us in time, and will crown us in eternity.

XXII DAY. EVENING PRAYER.

PSALM CVIII,

ARGUMENT.

This Pfalm is compofed of parts taken without any material alteration, from two others, The first five verfes occur in Pf. lvii. 7-11; the last eight are found in Pf. lx. 5-12. The reader is therefore referred to the fiton already given of thofe Pfalms.

expo

PSALM

PSALM CIX.

ARGU MEN T.

St. Peter, Acts i. 20. hath taught us to apply the predictions in this Pfalm to the betrayers and murderers of Mefsiah, who is, confequently, the perfon here speaking, and 1-5. complaining of the injuries which he fuffered from them; after which, 6-20. he forewarneth them of all the judgments and fore calamities that fhould come upon them and their pofterity; 21-25. he returneth to the fubject of his pafsion; 2629. repeateth his fupplications for himself and his church; and 30, 31. concludeth with an act of praise.-In this light was the Pfalm confidered and interpreted in the ancient church, by Chryfoftom, Jerome, Auguftine, Theodoret, and others.

1. Hold not thy peace, O God of my praise : i. e. who art the fubject of my praife. 2. For the mouth of the wicked, and the mouth of the deceitful are opened against me: they have spoken against me with a lying tongue. 3. They compaffed me about alfo with words of hatred; and fought against me without a cause. For love they are my adverfaries: but I give myfelf unto prayer. 5. And they have rewarded me evil for good, and hatred for my love.

4.

my

The

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The holy Jefus, in these words, maketh fupplication to the Father for redrefs and deliverance. He complaineth of the manner in which he was treated, when" he came unto his own, and his own received "him not." John i. 11. Sometimes," the mouth "of the wicked was opened upon him," roaring against him, like the roaring of lions, while they cried out," He is a Samaritan and hath a devil, " and is mad; away with him, away with him, crucify him, crucify him." Sometimes, "deceitful "and lying tongues" were employed, either to intangle and entrap him in his talk, or to bear falfe witness against him. And all this was done, not only" without a caufe," but men were his bitter and implacable "adverfaries, in return for" that "love" which brought him from heaven, to save them with an everlafting falvation. Let the afflicted and traduced difciple rejoice, in that he is conformed to the image of his Mafter. And from the example of that Mafter let him learn what courfe to take, when in fuch circumftances-" But I give myself "unto prayer."

6. Thou wilt fet a wicked man, or, the wicked

Hæc autem cecinit David fpirituali fenfu in perfonâ Chrifti a Judæis impetiti omnimodis blafphemiis. BossUET.

† As most of the following verbs are in the future tenfe, and the reft have evidently a predictive and future import, the fame liberty is here taken, as in Pf. lxix. of rendering them throughout uniformly in that tenfe: by which means the curfes pronounced in this Pfalm will at once appear to be of the fame import with thofe in the xxviiith chapter of Deuteronomy. The reader is entreated, when he fhall have perufed the Pfalm, to turn to that chapter, and judge for himself.

one

one over him, and Satan fhall fland at his right hand. 7. When he is judged, he shall be condemned, and his prayer fhall become fin.

A tranfition is here made to the adverfaries of Meffiah; primarily to Judas, "who was guide to "them that took Jefus ;" Acts i. 16. fecondarily to the fynagogue, of whom Judas may be confidered as an epitome and representative. It is foretold, that

betraying and murdering the best of masters, they fhould fubject themfelves to the tyranny of the worft; that they should become flaves to the "wick"ed one," who fhould juftly be "fet over them," when they had delivered themfelves into his hands ; that "Satan," who had stood by them to tempt them, fhould" ftand at their right hand" to accufe them, at the tribunal of God; that when tried, they would be convicted and " condemned," and even their "prayer" would be abomination in the fight of the Lord, as being offered without true contrition and repentance, without faith, hope, or charity. Such is the wretched ftate of the Jews, eftranged from God, and in bondage to the devil; fuch the prayers, which, from hardened and malignant hearts, they continually utter, for the excifion of all Chriftians, and for the extirpation of that bleffed Name, on which Chriftians call. These prayers, inftead of lightening the burden of their fins, certainly add to its weight. Enable us, O Lord Jefu, to refift Satan as a tempter, that he may not be our accufer; and grant us always fo to pray, that our prayers may be heard.

8. His