have we seen in the city of the Lord of hosts; in the city of our God: God upholdeth the same for ever.

8. We wait (n) for thy lovingkindness, O God in the midst of thy temple.

9. O God, according to thy Name, so is thy praise unto the world's end thy right hand is full of righteousness.

10. Let the mount Sion rejoice, and the daughter of Judah be glad because of thy judge

ments.

11. Walk about Sion, and go round about her and tell the towers (o) thereof.

12. Mark well her bulwarks (0), set up (p) her houses that ye may tell them that come after.

13. For this God is our God for ever and ever he shall be our guide unto (9) death.

Psalm xlix. (r)

O HEAR ye this, all ye people :

(n) v. 8. "Wait, &c." We have no occasion to act: if we only wait in thy temple thou effectest our deliverance. In this instance God had told them they need not fight in that battle, and they appointed singers to go before the army, to sing praises unto the Lord; and it was when they began to sing and to praise, that their enemies set upon each other. 2 Chron. xx. 17. 21, 22.

(o) v. 11, 12. "Tell the towers," and "mark well her bulwarks," i. e. (probably) "to see that they have sustained no injury."

(p) v. 12. "Set up," or "examine." (q) v. 13. "Unto," i. e. "until."

un

(r) On death; the inefficacy of every thing but what the Scriptures call " "derstanding ;" (i. e. " righteousness "and the fear of the Lord") to diminish its terrors.

.

(s) v. 4. "The," or

"a." (t) v. 5. "Wickedness," or "sickness,

ponder it with your ears, all ye that dwell in the world;

2. High and low, rich and poor one with another.

3. My mouth shall speak of wisdom and my heart shall muse of understanding.

4. I will incline mine ear to the (s) parable and shew my dark dark speech upon the harp.

5. Wherefore should I fear in the days of wickedness (t): and when the wickedness (u) of my heels compasseth me round about?

6. There be some that put their trust in their goods and boast themselves in the multitude of their riches.

7. But (2) no man may deliver his brother: nor make agreement unto God for him ;

8. For it cost more to redeem their souls so that he must let that alone for ever;

9. Yea, though he live long: and see not the grave.

10. For he seeth (y) that

"or any other peril; when I may be sud"denly taken off."

(u) The wickedness of my heels," or "the dangers which pursue me :- what

ever puts my life in hazard." The point he proposes for consideration is, "what "is the real ground for fear at the ap "proach of death ?”

(x) v. 7. "But, &c." Nothing can arrest its progress, or prevent its consequences. Each man's fate must depend upon what is properly his own: his own conduct, his own principles, his own motives will alone be considered: no goodness, however great or long, in a relation, however near, will have any influence; much less will riches, or talents, or station. In the language of Ezek. xiv. 14. 16. 20. "They shall but deliver their own souls "by their righteousness, they shall deliver "neither son nor daughter."

(y) v. 10. "He seeth," i. e. "it is "seen."

wise (2) men also die, and perish together as well as the ignorant and foolish, and leave their riches for other.

11. And yet they think (a) that their houses shall continue for ever and that their dwellingplaces shall endure from one generation to another, and call the lands after their own names.

12. Nevertheless man will (b) not abide in honour seeing he may be compared unto the beasts that perish; this is the way of them.

13. This is their foolishness : and their posterity praise their saying.

14. They lie in the (c) hell like sheep, death gnaweth upon them, and the righteous shall have domination (d) over them in the morning their beauty shall consume in the sepulchre out of their dwelling.

(x)" Wise men," i. e. (probably) " men "of talent."

(a) v. 11. "They think :" they gratify themselves with this belief.

(b) v. 12. "Will not abide, &c." i. e. (perhaps) "no earthly distinctions can have "continuance; death must remove every "one from them; and then they who have "no other dependence, may at least be "compared to the beasts that perish; "they can have no other hope."

(c) v. 14. " Hell," or "grave." (d)"Domination over," i. e. (probably) "the advantage of being delivered and "raised (as verse 15.); there shall be a morning to their night; they shall rise "from the sleep of death."

66

(e) v. 15. "Hath delivered," or "shall "deliver." The meaning probably is, "I "have a hope, that after death God will "raise and receive me that (as it is ex"pressed in Ps. xvii. 16.) " I shall awake " up after his likeness." See the Apostolical Constitutions, Lib. 5. c. 7. for a discussion on the certainty of the Resurrection, and Graves on the Pentateuch.

(g) v. 18. "For," or "though," and

15. But God hath (e) delivered my soul from the place of hell : for he shall receive me.

16. Be not thou afraid, though one be made rich: or if the glory, of his house be increased;

17. For he shall carry nothing away with him, when he dieth: neither shall his pomp follow him.

18. For (g) while he lived, he counted himself an happy man : and so long as thou doest well unto thyself, men will speak good of thee.

19. He shall follow the generation of his fathers and shall never see light.

20. Man (h) being in honour, hath no understanding but is compared unto the beasts that perish. (i)

MORNING PRAYER. Psalm 1. (k) THE Lord, even the most mighty

begin verse 19. with "Yet." The meaning probably is, "Though he counted himself "happy during his life, and though pro"curing earthly good will procure a man "earthly praise, yet here his happiness "and advantage stops: he cannot save "himself from death, nor can he expect " a joyful resurrection."

(h) v. 20. "Man, &c." or (B. T.) "man "that is in honour, and understandeth "not," (that is, has not true wisdom), "is "like the beasts that perish," i. e. “ has "no further hope;" referring to a proposition advanced in the 12th verse, and shewing with what qualification it is true.

(i) "That perish." See 2. Till. 379.

(k) "The noblest prophecy (according "to Dr. Hales) of the general resurrec"tion, both of good and bad, to be found "in the Old Testament;" and he gives a new translation of it, Hales' Signs, 56. St. Jerome considers it as referring to the general judgment. It probably looks forward also to the Messiah, to whom all judgment was to be committed; and by the address it supposes him to make, intimates beforehand the nature of his religion,

the requisites he would expect, and the vengeance he would inflict. Mr. Vaillant says, "The Son is evidently the speaker;" and Dr. Waterland says it was generally so believed by the primitive fathers. Waterl. 221.

(m) "From the rising, &c." i. e. "from "east to west, from one end of the earth "to the other." So Mal. i. 11.- Isaiah lix. 19. and Ps. cxiii. 3. One instance, among many, of the figurative language of the eastern poetry.

(n) v. 2. Read (as in B. T.) "Out of "Sion the perfection of beauty, hath God "appeared." God's appearing

"" in

"beauty" falls greatly below the majesty of the succeeding verse, and "the per"fection of beauty" was one of the names or characters of Sion. In Ps. xlviii. 2. "The hill of Sion is described as a fair "place, the joy of the whole earth;" and in Lament. ii. 15. Jeremiah says, "They "hiss and wag their heads at the daughter "of Jerusalem, saying, Is this the city "which men call the perfection of beauty, "the joy of the whole earth?"

(o) v. 3. "Keep silence" or "delay." (p) v. 5. "My saints." There are evidently two addresses, one to those who have the appellation given them of " my saints," from verse 7. to the end of verse 15.; and

7. "Hear, O my people, and I "will speak: I myself will testify "against thee, O Israel; for I "am God, even thy God.

8. "I will not reprove thee, be"cause of thy sacrifices, or for thy "burnt-offerings; because they "were not alway before me. (q)

9. "I will take no bullock out "of thine house nor he-goat "out of thy folds.

10. "For all the beasts of the "forest are mine: and so are the "cattle upon a thousand hills.

11. "I know all the fowls upon "the mountains and the wild "beasts of the field are in my sight.

12. "If I be hungry I will not "tell thee: for the whole world is "mine, and all that is therein.

13. "Thinkest thou (r) that I

the other to those who are styled "the un"godly," from verse 16. The former may apply to those who entertain a proper reverence for God, but lay too great a stress upon ceremonial performances, and too little upon internal devotion, the religion of the heart; and the latter to those who, though they profess the true religion, are reprobates in their conduct, and practise all kinds of iniquity; or, "My saints" may refer to the whole body of the Jewish nation; and he may first address those who were punctual in the ritual observances, but gave them too much weight; and, 2dly, those who, professing the true religion, led a life of great ungodliness.

re

(q) v. 8. " Alway before me," i. e. "gularly offered :" a defect in this respect shall not be the ground of my reproof.

(r) v. 13. "Thinkest thou, &c." The inefficacy of sacrifice alone is well pointed out, Isaiah i. 11 to 16. "To what pur

66

pose is the multitude of your sacrifices "unto me, saith the Lord? I am full of "the burnt offerings of rams, and the "fat of fed beasts and I delight not in "the blood of bullocks, or of lambs, "or of he-goats: wash you, make you "clean; put away the evil of your doings "from before mine eyes: cease to do evil,

"learn to do well: seek judgment, re"lieve the oppressed, judge the father"less, plead for the widow." And upon another occasion the question is put, "Hath the Lord as great delight in "burnt-offerings and sacrifices, as in "obeying the voice of the Lord? Be"hold to obey is better than sacrifice, and "to hearken, than the fat of lambs. "I Sam. xv. 22." Sacrifice, in itself, as far as we can judge, has no merit: it is taking away a life, which, without sufficient grounds, we ought to spare: it is merely giving up to God what is already his, and what can be of no benefit to him.

(s) v. 14. "Offer, &c." So Ps. iv. 5. "Offer the sacrifice of righteousness ;" and see Ps. li. 16, 17.

(t) v. 15. "So, &c." i. e. "this is the way to make me hear."

(u) v. 16. "Preach, &c." "professing, "but not performing, making only a shew " of religion."

(x) v.17." Words," i.e." commandments." (y) v. 18. " Partaker," i. e. " associate," giving them countenance, making common cause with them: the same as in Prov. i. 14. "casting in thy lot among them."

(z) v. 21. "Thoughtest, &c." God's forbearance, in not punishing as soon as

HAVE mercy upon me, O God, after thy great goodness: ac

sin is committed, may have a tendency to make sinners think less of the consequences and persist in evil: "Because "sentence against an evil work is not "executed speedily, therefore the heart "of the sons of men is fully set in them "to do evil. Eccl. viii. 11." And it is chiefly "when God's judgments are in "the earth, that the inhabitants of the "world will learn righteousness. Isaiah "xxvi. 9." But we may learn from the parable of the Tares (Matt. xiii. 29.) that God thinks right to leave man to the workings of his own conscience, and not too strikingly to interfere with his free will. God's forbearance and long-suffering is intended to lead sinners to repentance, but to those who despise it, it will bring wrath in the day of wrath. Rom. ii. 4, 5.

(a) v. 23. "Thanks and praise." The tribute of the heart and tongue.

(b)" Ordereth his conversation right," i. e." walketh uprightly."

(c) "The salvation of God," i. "deliverance he can afford."

e.

"the

(d) This Psalm is supposed to have been written by David, after Nathan had reproached him for his sins with regard to Bathsheba and Uriah. (See 2 Sam. xii.) He probably intended it as a public ac

cording to the multitude of thy mercies do away mine offences.

2. Wash me throughly from my wickedness and cleanse me from my sin.

3. For I acknowledge my faults: sin is ever before me.

and

my

4. Against (e) thee only have I sinned, and done this evil in thy sight that thou mightest be justified in thy saying, and clear when thou art judged.

5. Behold, I was shapen in wickedness and in sin hath my mother conceived me.

6. But lo, thou requirest truth in the inward parts (g) and shalt make (h) me to understand wisdom secretly.

7. Thou shalt purge me with hyssop (i), and I shall be clean : thou shalt wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.

8. Thou shalt make me hear of joy and gladness that the bones (k) which thou hast broken, may rejoice.

knowledgement of his crimes, as a proof of the bitter anguish they had occasioned him, and as a memorial of the earnestness with which he had importuned God for forgiveness.

(e) v. 4. For "against" the reading should perhaps be "before," and the meaning may be," It was before thee "only, in thy sight only that I committed "these sins." They were unknown to man, (for according to 2 Sam. xii. 12. God says of them to David, "Thou didst it "secretly,")" so that thou art right in "imputing them to me, and just in con"demning me."

(g) v. 6. "Inward parts." It is truly remarked of our religion, that it puts the restraint where it ought to be, not upon the actions only, but upon the thoughts. If wicked thoughts are indulged, how can wicked actions be avoided?

(h) "Shalt make, &c." "expectest wis"dom," (i. e. righteousness,)" in our "secret thoughts."

9. Turn thy face from my sins: and put out all my misdeeds.

10. Make me a clean heart (1), O God and renew (m), a right spirit within me.

11. Cast me not away from thy presence and take not thy Holy Spirit from me.

12. O give me the comfort of thy help again: and establish me with thy free Spirit.

13. Then (n) shall I teach thy ways unto the wicked and sinners shall be converted unto thee.

14. Deliver me from bloodguiltiness (0), O God, thou that art the God of my health and my tongue shall sing of thy righteousness.

:

15. Thou shalt open my lips, O Lord and my mouth shall shew thy praise.

16. For thou desirest no sacrifice, else would I give it thee : but thou delightest not in burntofferings.

17. The sacrifice (p) of God is

(i) v. 7. "With hyssop." According to Numb. xix. 18. where persons were defiled, hyssop was to be dipped in water, and they were to be sprinkled with it, to purify them, and make them clean.

(k) v. 8. "The bones, &c. :" a figurative expression; the meaning is, "that my misery may end, that I may again "be able to enjoy delight."

66

(7) v. 10. "Člean heart," i. e. "right within ;" not externally only.

(m) "Renew." See ante, 173. note on John iii. 3.

(n) v. 13. "Then, &c." i. e. " I shall "have additional grounds for teaching "sinners: what is exemplified in me may "influence them; the comforts I receive " from repentance, will induce other sin"ners to repent also."

(0) v. 14. "Blood-guiltiness," "in bringing about Uriah's death."

(2) v. 17. "The sacrifice, &c." See Ps. 1. 13. ante, 317. and note (r) there.