the Ifraelites, from all parts of Judea, go up, with the voice of jubilee, to keep a feaft at Jerufalem; and fhall Chriftians grieve, when the time is come for them to afcend, and to celebrate an eternal festival, in heaven?

3. Yea the Sparrow hath found an houfe, and the fwallow, or, ring dove a neft for herself, where she may lay her young, even thine altars, O LORD of hosts, my King, and my God.

The Pfalmift is generally fuppofed, in this verse, to lament his unhappiness, in being deprived of all access to the tabernacle, or temple, a privilege enjoyed even by the birds, who were allowed to build their nests in the neighbourhood of the fanctuary. It is evidently the defign of this paffage to intimate to us, that in the house, and at the altar of God, a faithful foul findeth freedom from care and forrow, quiet of mind, and gladness of spirit; like a bird, that has fecured a little manfion, for the reception and education of her young. And there is no heart, endued with fenfibility, which doth not bear it's teftimony to the exquifite beauty and propriety of this affecting image.

4. Bleed are they that dwell in thy houfe: they will be, or, are fill praifing thee.

Here the metaphor is dropped, and the former fentiment expreffed in plain language. "Bleffed are," not the mighty and opulent of the earth, but " they

that dwell in thy house," the minifters of the eternal temple in heaven, the angels and the fpirits of juft men made perfect; their every paffion is refolved into love, every duty into praife; hallelujah fucceeds

hal

hallelujah; "they are still," ftill, for ever, "praifing "thee." And bleffed, next to them, are those miRifters and members of the church here below, who, in difpofition, as well as employment, do moft refemble them.

5. Bleed is the man whofe ftrength is in thee: in whofe heart are the ways of them; Heb. the ways are in the heart of them.

Not only they are pronounced bleffed, who "dwell" in the temple, but all they also who are "travelling" thitherward, (as the whole Jewish nation was wont to do, three times in a year) and who are therefore meditating on their "journey," and on the "way" which leadeth to the holy city, trufting in God to " ftrength"en," and profper, and conduct them to the house of his habitation, the place where his glory dwelleth. Such a company of fojourners are Christians, going up to the heavenly Jerufalem; fuch ought to be their trust in God, and fuch the subject of their thoughts*.

6. Who paffing through the valley of Baca, make it a well: the rain alfo filleth the pools. 7. They go from

În ejus animo verfantur femitæ ferentes ad templum quo properat. Morali fenfu; Quicunque fanctus eft, quotidie in priora extenditur, et præteritorum oblivifcitur, cum Paulo, Phil. iii. 13. BOSSUET. Jerufalem is reprefented in the New Testament as a type of heaven. I fee nothing irrational, therefore, in fuppofing, that the infpired writer, in defcribing the afcent to Jerufalem, might have in view alfo that fpiritual progrefs, leading to the city which is above, the mother of us all. The words before us ⚫ are certainly very applicable to the advances made, in this progrefs, from ftrength to ftrength, from one stage of Christian perfection to another. MERRICK.

frength

Arength to ftrength, every one of them in Zion appeareth before God; or, the God of gods appeareth, i. e. to them in Zion.

After numberless uncertain conjectures offered by commentators upon the conftruction of these two verfes, it seemeth impoffible for us to attain to any other than a general idea of their true import; which is this, that the Ifraelites, or fome of them, paffed, in their way to Jerufalem, through a valley that had the name of "Baca," a noun derived from a verb which fignifies to "weep;" that in this valley they were refreshed by plenty of water; that with renewed vigour they proceeded from stage to ftage, until they prefented themfelves before God in Zion. The prefent world is to us this valley of weeping; in our paffage through it, we are refreshed by the ftreams of divine grace, flowing down from the great fountain of confolation; and thus are we enabled to proceed from one degree of holinefs to another, until we come to the glorified vifion of God, in heaven itself. Mr. Merrick's poetical verfion of this paffage is extremely beautiful, and applies at once to the cafe of the Ifraelite, and to that of the Christian.

Bleft, who, their ftrength on thee reclin'd,
Thy feat explore with constant mind,
And, Salem's diftant tow'rs in view,
With active zeal their way pursue:
Secure the thirsty vale they tread,
While, call'd from out their fandy bed,
(As down in grateful fhow'rs diftill'd
The heav'ns their kindliest moisture yield)

The

The copious fprings their steps beguile,
And bid the chearless defert fmile.
From ftage to stage advancing till,
Behold them reach fair Sion's hill,
And proftrate at her hallow'd fhrine,
Adore the Majefty divine.

8. O LORD God of hofts, hear my prayer: give ear, O God of Jacob. g. Behold, O God our fhield, and look upon the face of thine anointed.

After extolling the happiness of thofe who dwelt in the temple, and of those who had access to it, the Pfalmift breaks forth into a moft ardent prayer to his God, for a fhare in that happiness. He addreffeth him as "the Lord of hofts," Almighty in power; as "the God of Jacob," infinite in mercy and goodness to his people; as their "fhield," the object of all their truft, for defence and protection; and befeecheth him to "look upon the face of his Anoint"ed," that is, of David, if he were king of Ifrael when this Pfalm was written; or rather of Meffiah *, in whom God is always well pleafed; for whofe fake he hath mercy upon us; through whofe name and merits our prayers are accepted, and the kingdom of heaven is opened to all believers.

10. For a day in thy courts is better than a thoufand: I had rather be a door keeper in the house of my God, than to dwell in the tents of wickedness.

One day, spent in meditation and devotion, affordeth a pleasure, far, far fuperior to that, which an age of worldly profperity could give. Happier is the

* Chrifti tui ;" Regis, qui Chrifti figura. BoSSUET.

leaft

leaft and lowest of the fervants of Jefus, than the greatest and most exalted potentate, who knoweth him not. And he is no proper judge of bleffedness, who hesitates a moment to prefer the condition of a penitent in the porch, to that of a finner on the throne. If this be the cafe upon earth, how much more in heaven? O come that one glorious day, whofe fun fhall never go down, nor any cloud obfcure the luftre of his beams; that day, when the temple of God shall be opened in heaven, and we shall be admitted to serve him for ever therein!

11. For the LORD God is a fun and fhield: the LORD will give grace and glory: no good thing will he withhold from them that walk uprightly.

Jefus Chrift is our "Lord," and our "God;" he is a "fun," to enlighten and direct us in the way, and a "fhield," to protect us against the enemies of our falvation; he will give "grace" to carry us on from strength to ftrength," and "glory" to crown us when we appear before him in Zion;" he will "withhold" nothing that is "good" and profitable for us in the course of our journey, and will himself be our reward, when we come to the end of it..

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12. O LORD of hosts, blessed is the man that trufteth in thee.

While, therefore, we are ftrangers and fojourners here below, far from that heavenly country where we would be, in whom should we trust, to bring us to the holy city, new Jerufalem, of which the Lord God and the Lamb are the temple, but in thee, O Saviour and Redeemer, who art the Head of every VOL. II. creature,

-F