cation, thanksgiving, and payment of the " made in time of trouble.

15. Precious in the fight of the LORD is the death of his faints.

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The notion of the original word in this place, for "rare, or precious," muft be fo taken, as not to fignify that which is fpoken of to be " defirable to, "or in the prefence of the Lord;" for it is the "life," not the "death" of his fervants, which is precious, in that fenfe, to God, the preferver of their lives. But when it is faid, that their" death is pre"cious," it means in effect no more, than that it is fo confidered, it is rated at "fo high a price" by God, as that he will not eafily grant it to any one who moft defires it of him.-Thus far Dr. Hammond. We may add, that much lefs will God be cafily prevailed on to give up his people to death eternal. Rather will he work wonders of mercy and loving kindness to fave them; as the penitent happily experienceth in himself.

16. O LORD, truly I am thy fervant, I am thy Servant, and the fon of thy handmaid; thou hast loofed my bonds. 17. I will offer to thee the facrifice of thanksgiving, and will call upon the name of the LORD. 18. I will pay my vows unto the LORD now in the prefence of all his people. 19. In the courts of the LORD's houfe, in the midst of thee, O Jerufalem. Praife ye the LORD.

"the

Every penitent is the " fervant" of God, "fon of his handmaid," the church "loofed from "his bonds," and redeemed from a ftate of flavery

under

under fin, the world, and the devil, that he may ferve a better Mafter, whofe yoke is cafy, and his "burden light." This bleffed Mafter is from thenceforth the object of his love, duty, and adoration: to him he "offereth the facrifice of thankfgiving," to him he " payeth his vows," among his fellowfervants, in the church on earth; longing for that day to come, when, loofed alfo from the bonds of death and the grave, he fhall be admitted to fing Hallelujahs, with faints and angels, in the "courts' of the eternal temple, even " in the midst of thee, O Jerufalem," the holy, heavenly, and glorious city of God moft High!

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PSALM CXVII.

ARGUMEN T.

This Pfalm, like the cxth, feems to be altogether prophetical of the joy that all the world should conceive, at the coming of the Mefsiah, to give falvation, first to the Jews, and then to all other nations, according to his faithful promife. PATRICK.

1. O praife the LORD, all ye nations: praife him all ye people. 2. For his merciful kindness is great towards us: and the truth of the Lord endureth for ever. Praife the LORD.

It is remarkable, that of fo fhort a Pfalm one verfe is quoted in the New Teftament by St. Paul; the second verfe is explained, though not quoted.

Two

Two questions naturally arife, upon reading the Pfalm; firft, who are the "nations and people," exhorted to praise Jehovah; fecondly, what is that " merciful kindness," and that "truth," for which they are exhorted to praife him? The Apostle hath given a fatisfactory and decifive answer to both thefe queftions, Rom. xv. 8, 9, &c. "Now I fay, that Jefus Chrift was a minifter of the circumcifion for "the TRUTH of God, to confirm the promises made "unto the fathers, and that the Gentiles might glo

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rify God for his MERCY; as it is written, Praise "the Lord, all ye Gentiles, and laud him, all ye "people." From the Apostle's reasoning, the verse of our Pfalm, which he hath cited, appears to be a proof, that "the Gentiles," or the heathen world, fhould one day "glorify God;" they are, therefore, the "people," whom the Pfalmift, in the Spirit of prophecy, exhorted to "praise Jehovah." It appears alfo, why the Gentiles were to glorify God ; namely, for his "mercy" and "truth," fhewn in confirming, or accomplishing the "promifes," concerning their vocation and converfion, "made unto "the fathers*;" to Abraham, and his feed for ever; to all believers, whether of the circumcifion, or the uncircumcifion. Such then, is the "merciful kindnefs" of Jehovah, which is faid, in the Pfalm, to

* "Confirmata-et veritas Domini"-Promiferat enim Abráhamo Deus futurum, ut per Chriftum, benedictum illud Abrahami femen, benedicerentur omnes Gentes, Gen. xii. 3. xv. 18. interprete Apoftolo, Gal. iii. 16. Quod cum præftitum videamus, jam intelligimus verè adveniffe Chriftum, ac promiffa Dei firma effe omnia.. BOSSUET.

be

be "great," mighty, and powerful "towards us;" fuch his "truth," which is affirmed to "endure for "ever;" as the promises were made good to the Gentiles, when the Jews, because of unbelief, had been caft off. Let the hallelujahs of the redeemed be fuitable to that "mercy," and co-eternal with that "truth."

PSALM CXVIII.

ARGUMENT.

In this Pfalm, a King of Ifrael appears leading his People in folemn procefsion to the temple, there to offer up the facrifice of praise and thanksgiving, for the marvellous deliverance from his enemies, and a glorious victory, gained over them. After inviting the whole nation, 1-4. to join with him, upon this joyful occafion, he defcribeth at large, 5-18. his danger, and his deliverance from it, which latter is wholly attributed to the power and goodness of Jehovah. After this, as Mr. Mudge has rightly obferved, there enfues a kind of, facred dialogue, Being come to the temple, the victorious monarch speaks the 19th verfe; they that open the gate, the 20th; he again, as he enters, the 21ft; they with him feem to speak the four next verfes to the 25th;

the

the priests of the temple, the 26th; the first part to the King, the other to the people; the people the 27th; he the 28th; the 29th is the chorus verfe, concluding as it began. The repeated application made of the 22d verfe in the New Teftament, and the appointment of the Pfalm, by the church, to be used on Eafter Day, lead us to confider the whole as a triumphant Hymn, fung by King Mefsiah, at the head of the Ifrael of God, on occafion of his refurrection and exaltation.

1. O give thanks unto the LORD, for he is good: because his mercy endureth for ever. 2. Let Ifrael now fay, that his mercy endureth for ever. 3. Let the houfe of Aaron now fay, that his mercy endureth for ever. Let them now that fear the LORD fay, that his mercy endureth for ever.

The fubjects of " thanksgiving" here proposed are Jehovah's goodness" and his "mercy." He is the fole fountain of abfolute and effential " good"nefs," the fource of all excellency and perfection; and bis "mercy" is the channel, by which he communicateth this goodness, in an everflowing ftream, to his people, who are, therefore, exhorted to praise him. The Chriftian church is now " the Ifrael of "God:" her minifters conftitute the true "house of "Aaron," being the fpiritual progeny of our great High Prieft; and the Gentiles, not the Jews, are they who know and "fear Jehovah," Let these all celebrate,