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as to "efcape the pollution that is in the world

through luft?" 2 Pet. i. 4. He muft, for this purpose, take with him the directions to be found in the Scriptures of truth. "I have written unto

you, young men," fays the Beloved Difciple, "be"cause ye are strong, and the word of God abideth "in you, and ye have overcome the wicked one." He who became man for our falvation, paffed through this ftate of youth, undefiled, that he might, as it were, reclaim and confecrate it anew to God. Let every young man often meditate on this cir

cumftance.

10. With my whole heart have I fought thee: O let me not wander from thy commandments.

Despairing of fufficient affiftance from any other quarter, because no one elfe can either fhew us the way to heaven, or enable us to walk therein, even if it could be fhewn, "with our whole heart have we fought thee," O God, thy direction, and thine aid; and thou haft promised, that they who "feek "fhall find;" like theep without a fhepherd are we given to ftray; O preferve us from error in principle, and in practice; "let us not wander from thy "commandments."

11. Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not fin against thee.

The young man who would cleanse his way, and take heed according to God's word, muft " lay up "that word in his heart;" for from the hear tare "the iffues of life," the thoughts, the words, and the actions; when God ruleth in the heart by his word and fpirit, thefe become his fubjects; then

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"the kingdom of heaven is within us," and all is obedience, peace, and love. Thou art our King, O Lord Jefu; fuffer no ufurper to poffefs thy place in our affections; permit no other Lord to have dominion over us.

12. Bleffed art thou, O LORD: teach me thy ftatutes.

He who is "bleffed" can make us fo; he who delighteth to communicate "bleffing," will do it, if we ask him, by "teaching us his ftatutes," which conform us to his nature, that we may live his life, and bless his name for ever. When the Word of God is our leffon, the Spirit of God must be our Master.

13. With my lips have I declared all the judgments of thy mouth.

The beft fign that God hath "taught us his fta"tutes," and the greatest inducement to him to teach us ftill more and more, is a readiness to make others partakers of thofe bleffings, which we ourselves have received from him. Jehovah fashions the "lips" of man, and he expects that they fhould be employed in his service. "Out of the abundance of the heart "the mouth speaketh," and the stream will always fhew the nature of the fountain. When we make the Scriptures the fubject of our converfation, we glorify God, we edify our neighbours, and we improve ourselves.

14. I have rejoiced in the way of thy teftimonies, as much as in all riches.

Truth and holiness afford to the fincere believer a pleafure more exquifite, as well as more folid and enduring, than that which a miler feels at the acquifition of his darling wealth. Let us no longer envy

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the joys of worldly men, no longer be chagrined at the profperity of the wicked. The "true riches" we may always acquire; and, furely, as much as the heaven is higher than the earth, so much are heavenly joys above earthly, in kind, degree, and duration.

15. I will meditate in thy precepts, and have respect unto thy ways.

Meditation is that exercise of the mind, whereby it recalls a known truth, as fome kinds of creatures do their food, to be ruminated upon, until all the nutritious parts are extracted, and fitted for the purposes of life. By study we lay in knowledge, by meditation we reduce that knowledge to practice. And we have then duly "meditated on God's precepts," when in all our proceedings we "have respect unto "his ways," comparing our actions with the rule of his word.

16. I will delight myself in thy ftatutes: I will not forget thy word.

By frequent meditation and continual practice, the divine" ftatutes" will become our "delight;" and from the pleasures, as well as from the cares of the world, we shall gladly fly to THEM, for recreation and comfort. Of holy exercises there is great variety, and fpiritual joys are without number. Lord, make us to 'delight ourselves in thy ftatutes," and when we delight in what we learn, we shall easily retain it in memory; "we shall not forget thy word."

GIMEL. PART III.

17. Deal bountifully with thy fervant, that I may live, and keep thy word."

In the foregoing parts of the Pfalm, we have heard the believer declaring the excellency of God's word, and expreffing both his defire and his refolution to obferve it's directions. He now befeecheth God to remove all impediments, and to accomplish this work in him. And as a man must " live," in order to "work," the firft petition is, that God would "deal with his fervant," according to the meafures of grace and mercy, enabling him to "live" the life of faith, and ftrengthening him by the Spirit of might in the inner man, to "keep the word" of truth, and to walk in the commandments of his bleffed Mafter, all his days.

18. Open thou mine eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out of thy law.

So far are we naturally from being able to " keep" the word, that we are not able to understand it. The law of God is full of divine and spiritual truths, concealed under literal hiftories, vifible figns, and external ceremonies. To difcern thefe "won

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drous," because hidden, myfterious things, our eyes," the eyes of our underftanding, must be "unveiled;" that "veil" must be taken off, which St. Paul affirmeth to be upon the hearts of the Jews, "in reading the old Teftament," and which will continue there, until they turn to the Lord Jefus Chrift. Then the veil will be taken away, and they will behold him, and the redemption by him, as prefigured in their law, and foretold by their prophets*.

"Revela oculos meos:" aperi, difpelle umbras tolle velamentum, quo fpirituales oculi conteguntur. "Confiderabo mirabilia:" ut penitùs introfpiciam, non literam tantùm, ac volut corticem legis,

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Pride, prejudice, and intereft will compofe a veil, through which a Chriftian fhall fee as little of the New Testament, as a Jew doth of the Old. Lord, convince us of our blindness, and reftore us to our fight.

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19. I am a franger in the earth, hide not thy commandments from me.

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The above requeft for divine illumination is enforced by this argument, that the petitioner is a ftranger," and a fojourner upon "the earth;" he is travelling, through a foreign country, to his native city, where are his kindred, his treasure, and his heart; as a fojourner, he hath renounced the world, which is therefore become his enemy; as a stranger, he is fearful of lofing his way; on these accounts he requesteth, that God would compenfate the lofs of earthly comforts, by affording the light of heaven; that he would not hide his commandments," but fhew and teach him thofe fteps, by which he may afcend towards heaven, rejoicing in hope of future glory.

20. My foul breaketh for the longing that it hath unto thy judgments at all times.

Another argument here urged, is that "longing" desire, which the foul hath, during her ftate of pilgrimage below, unto the revelation of God's will. Grieved and vexed at the profpect of fin, vanity, and folly, and finding nothing below that will fatisfy the defires of an immortal fpirit, fhe fetteth her

legis, fed arcana fpiritualia, puta in fabbatis requiem fempiternam, fimplicitatem in azymis, in victimis obedientiam, et, ubique Chriftum. BossUET.

affections

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