her God and Saviour fhall bow the heavens, and come down to judgment, caufing the mountains to finoke, and flame, and diffolve, and flow down before him; when his lightnings, thofe arrows of his indignation, and minifters of his vengeance, fhall scatter the host of darkness, and deftroy the antichriftian powers; when we fhall be delivered from every enemy, and from all that hate us, and David OUR King.

9. I will fing a new fong unto thee, O God: upon a pfaltery and an inftrument of ten ftrings will I fing praifes unto thee. 10. It is he that giveth falvation unto kings: who delivereth David his fervant from the hurtful ford.

In the mean time, as the Ifraelitish church praised Jehovah for the mercies already vouchfafed to the fon of Jefle, fo do we daily magnify, with voices and inftruments of mufic, that falvation which God hath effected for us, by the deliverance of his Son, our Lord, from death and the grave.

11. Rid me, and deliver me from the hand of frange children, whofe mouth Speaketh vanity, and their right hand is a right hand of falsehood: 12. That our fons may be as plants grown up in their youth; that our daughters may be as corner ftones, polished after the fimilitude of a palace. 13. That our garners may be full, affording all manner of fore, that our Sheep may bring forth thousands and ten thousands in our freets; or, fields: 14. That our oven may be strong to labour; that there be no breaking in, nor going out; that there be no complaining in our freets.

Prayer is again made for a continuance of God's favour, and a complete victory over every enemy;

the

the happy confequences of which, in the establishment of Ifrael, and the profperity of Jerufalem, are particularly defcribed. Victory is productive of peace, and peace is the mother of all earthly bleffings to communities, and the families that compose them; whofe happiness confifteth in a numerous and hopeful progeny of fons and daughters; the former healthy and well nurtured, growing up, like young plants in a kindly foil, until they attain to their full ftrength and ftature; the latter, fair and virtuous, like fo many tall, well-proportioned, highly polished, and richly ornamented columns, gracing the house to which they belong. When to these we have added plenty of corn, and all other provifions, in the granaries and ftorehouses; flocks and herds, ever thriving and increafing; freedom from hoftile invasions and domeftic complaints, fo that there be "no break❝ing in, nor going out," no irruption of aliens into the commonwealth, nor emigration of inhabitants to foreign countries, by captivity, or otherwife; we fhall find ourselves poffeffed of moft of the ingredients, which enter into the compofition of temporal felicity. Such felicity God promifed to his people, Ifrael, and bestowed on them, while they kept his ftatutes, and obferved his laws. And therefore there js no reason for fuppofing, as the Fathers, with many others, have done, that these wishes for "fons, "daughters, corn, fheep, oxen, &c." are uttered by the " ftrange children," the aliens and idolaters, mentioned in the 11th verfe. The good things of this world may fall to the lot of the righteous, who are diftinguifhed from the wicked by the ufe which they VOL. II. Kk

make

make of them, when given; and by their meek refignation of them, when taken away. Whatever be the will of God concerning our having or wanting thefe outward comforts, we know that we have, as the faithful fervants of God in every age had before us, greater and more precious promifes, a better and an enduring fubftance, pleafures that fade not, and riches that fly not away, referved for us in a heavenly country, and a city which hath foundations.

15. Happy is that people that is in fuch a cafe: yea, happy is that people, whofe God is the LORD.

The Pialmift concludes with pronouncing the happinefs of the Ifraelites, when in the state of profperity above described, and their far greater happiness in

having Jehovah for their God," who, by fettling them in peaceful poffeffion of the land of Canaan, and the Jerufalem below, gave them a pledge and foretaste of that love, which stood engaged by covenant to bring them and us to his everlasting Reft, in the Jerufalem above.

PSALM CXLV.

ARGUMENT.

The

Hitherto, in this divine book, we have been prefented with checkered fcenes of danger and deliverance, diftrefs and mercy. voice of complaint hath fometimes been fucceeded by that of thanksgiving; and praise, at other times, hath terminated in prayer.

But

But now, as if the days of mourning in Zion were ended, we hear no more of Mefsiah, as a man of forrows; or of the church, as defpifed and afflicted, after the fame example, in the world. Henceforth we feem not to be upon earth, but in heaven, mingling with celeftial fpirits around the throne, and finging, as in the following Pfalm, 1, 2. the praises of our God and King; extolling 3. his greatness, 4. his might, 5. his glory, 6, 7. his justice, 8, 9. his mercy; 10-13. the majesty of his kingdom, and 14-21. all his adorable perfections, and wondrous works. This is an alphabetical Pfalm. The verfe, which fhould begin with the letter Nun, is wanting. But, as Dr. Hammond hath obferved, it is not uncommon for one letter, or more, to be left out in an alphabetical Pfalm, as in Pf. xxv. where being twice repeated, p is certainly omitted. We fhall therefore content ourselves, with what we find in the original Hebrew, and in the Chaldee, without inferting the verfe which is now read in the lxx, and other tranflations. Bishop Patrick mentions a faying of the ancient Hebrews, taken notice of by Valentine Schindler, that "He could not "fail to be a child or the world to come, "who would fay this Pfalm three times Kk 2 "every

every day." Perhaps they who, while they chant it in full choir, enter thoroughly into the fpirit of it, do experience as lively a foretaste of the next world, as can be experienced in this.

1. I will extol thee, my God, O King; and will blefs thy name for ever and ever. 2. Every day will I blefs thee; and I will praise thy name for ever and ever.

The fame divine perfon, who was, in a peculiar manner, the "God" and “ King" of Ifrael, now

ftandeth in those relations to the Gentile Christian church, and by her is "extolled" in the words of this Pfalm, originally compofed and used for that purpose among the Ifraelites. Chrift is our "God,” who hath faved us, according to his covenant and promife; he is our King," who hath fet up the univerfal and everlasting kingdom, foretold by Daniel, and the other prophets; who hath" all power "in heaven and earth;" and who " muft reign till "he hath put all enemies under his feet, and swal"lowed up death in victory." In the mean time is the daily employment of us, his redeemed fubjects and fervants, to chant forth the praises of his faving and glorious" name," with which the church, on earth, and in heaven, will refound" for ever and "ever."

3. Great is the LORD, and greatly to be praifed; and his greatness is unfearchable. 4. One generation fhall praife thy works unto another, and shall declare thy mighty acts.

The "greatnefs" of Jehovah, whether we confider it as relating to his effence, or his works, is never to

be