It is not certain by whom, or upon what occafion this Pfalm was compofed. It plainly appears, however, to be a fong of thankfgiving for deliverance from trouble, either temporal, or fpiritual, or both. To render it of general ufe, let it be confidered as an evangelical hymn, in the mouth of a penitent, expressing his gratitude for falvation from fin and death. 1, 2. He declareth his love of God, who hath vouchfafed to hear his prayer; 3-9. defcribeth his distress, his deliverance out of it, and fubfequent peace and comfort; 10, 11. he acknowledgeth himself to have been tempted to defpond, but was fupported by faith, in the day of trouble; 12-19. he determineth to receive the cup of falvation, to praise and to ferve Jehovah, who thus delivereth the fouls of his people.

1. I love the LORD, because he hath heard my voice, and my fupplications. 2. Because he hath inclined his ear unto me, therefore will I call upon him as long as I live.

In the original it is, "I love *, because Jehovah "hath heard, &c." The foul, tranfported with gratitude and love, feems at first to exprefs her affection without declaring its object, as thinking that all the world must know who is the perfon intended. Thus Mary Magdalen, in her conversation, at the fepulchre, with one whom she supposed to have been the gardener, though no previous mention had been made of Jefus, faith, Sir, if thou have borne HIM hence, tell me where thou haft laid him, and I "will take him away." John xx. 15. And ought not the love of God to be excited in all our hearts by the confideration, that when we were not able to raise ourselves up to him, he mercifully and tenderly "inclined" and bowed down" his ear" to us; he "heard our fupplications," and defcended from heaven to help and deliver us? With hope, therefore, and confidence, fhould we "call upon him," in all our troubles," as long as we live."

3. The forrows of death compaffed me, and the pains of hell got hold upon me; I found trouble and forrow. 4. Then called I upon the name of the LORD; O LORD, I beseech thee, deliver my foul.

The

Thefe "forrows," or "bands of death," once compaffed" the human race; thefe " pains of hell' were ready to feize on every fon of Adam. awakened and terrified confcience of a finner hath felt the oppreffion of the former, and experienced fome foretaste of the latter. In this fituation he is described by St. Paul as crying out, "O wretched

Some critics prefer our oid version," I am well pleased.”

"man that I am, who fhall deliver me from this

body of death?" Let him take the courfe which the Pfalmift took; let him " call upon the name of "the Lord," even the Lord Jefus, who put himfelf in the finner's place, and fuffered for him unfpeakable" forrows and pains ;" let him do this, and he fhall be faved; and fhall fing the praises of his almighty Saviour, in the words of this beautiful Pfalm.

5. Gracious is the LORD, and righteous: yea, our God is merciful. 6. The LORD preferveth the fimple: I was brought low, and he helped me.

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In the falvation of a finner we contemplate God's grace," by which the work is effected; his "righte"oufnefs," which caufeth him to perform what he hath promised through Chrift; his "mercy," which induced him to fend his fon, and to make the promife. This mercy is the mercy of a parent, and fuch as a parent fheweth to those young and "fimple" ones, who have been over-reached and deceived by a crafty adverfary; to thofe who fall, and are unable of themselves to rife again; "I was brought low, "and he helped me."

7. Return unto thy reft, O my foul, for the LORD hath dealt bountifully with thee. 8. For thou haft delivered my foul from death, mine eyes from tears, and my feet from falling. 9. I will walk before the LORD in the land of the living.

That peace of confcience, and joy in the Holy Ghoft, which the penitent experienceth, as the effect and fruit of pardon, afford him fome idea of the reft and felicity of heaven; and, accordingly, he fpeaks

as one tranflated to thofe happy manfions, where there is no more death, neither forrow, nor crying, because there is no more fin. A Chriftian, delivered out of the miseries of this troublesome world, and at reft in Abraham's bofom, would exprefs himself, as one should think, in these very terms. Remiffion of fins ought to be followed by newness of life, and the refolution of him, whofe "foul" hath been" deli"vered from death, his eyes from tears, and his feet "from falling," should always be this, "I will walk "before the LORD," as one under his infpection, " in the land of the living," or amongst the redeemed in the church; until the time come for me to depart hence, and to be numbered with the saints, in glory everlasting.

10.I believed, therefore have I spoken; I was greatly afflicted: 11. I said in my hafle, all men are liars.

In afflictions and diftreffes, thofe of the spirit and confcience more especially, the foul is tempted to defpond, and can only be fupported by faith exert, ing itself in prayer; "I believed, and therefore have "I fpoken, or, therefore fpake I," that is, as above, verfe 4, "I called upon the name of the Lord; O "Lord, I beseech thee, deliver my foul." And this I did, though fo "greatly afflicted," that I had "faid in my hafte," in my hurry and trepidation, occafioned by fear and amazement, "all men are "liars;" there is no credit to be given to their promifes of deliverance; I am loft and undone for ever. Yet my faith failed not entirely, and lo, my prayer hath been heard, and anfwered. St. Paul, relating the troubles which came upon him, and the manner

in which he futained them, thus citeth a part of the 10th verfe;" We, having the fame fpirit of faith, "according as it is written, I believed, and therefore "have I fpoken: we alfo believe, and therefore speak; knowing that he, which raised up the Lord Jefus, fhall raife up us alfo by Jefus, and "shall present us with you.' 2 Cor. iv. 13, 14. 12. What shall I render unt the LORD, for all his benefits towards me? 13. I will take the cup of falvation, and call upon the name of the LORD. 14. I will pay my vows unto the LORD now in the prefence of all his people.

The grateful penitent now asketh, what return he fhall make to his kind Benefactor, for the most valuable of all bleffings conferred upon him. And he prefently refolveth to make the only return in his power, namely, to acknowledge and declare before men the goodness of Jehovah, afcribing all the glory where it is all due. This he determineth to do, by "taking "the cup of falvation," which, as Dr. Hammond obferves, among the Jews, was twofold; one offered in a more folemn manner in the temple; Numb. xxviii. 7. the other more private in families, called the cup of thanksgiving, or commemoration of any deliverance; begun by the Mafter of the family, and attended, on feftival days, with a fuitable hymn ; fuch as was that fung by our Lord and his disciples, on the night when he advanced that cup into the facrament of his blood, which hath ever fince been to Christians" the cup of falvation," and which all penitents should now receive in the church, with invo