Commentary on the Holy Bible

Verse 14. He also exalt^h the horn]' Raises to power and authority his people. '

A people near unto him.} The only people who l^ow him, and make 'their approaches unto him with the sacrifices and offerings which hd ha^ himself prescribed. Praise ye thie Lord! ^.

. O what a hymn of praise is here! It is a universal ■cherus! All created nature have a share, and all peribrnf their respectiTe parts.

All intelligent beings ^e esj^cially called to praise him who made them in his love, and sustains them by his beneficence. Man particularly, in' all the stages of his being: — infancy, youth, manhood,' and old' age,' all human beings have their peculiar interest in the great Father of the spirits of all flesh. ^ He loves' man, wheresoever found, of whatsoever colour, in whatever circura'stances, and in all'the stages of his pilgrimage from his cradle to his gudbe.

Let the lisp of the infant, the shovt of the adtflt^ and the sigh of the aged, ascend to the universal parent, as « gratitude-offering. He guirds those who hang upon 'the breast; controls and directs th§ headstrott^ ^d giddy, and sustains old age in its in^mities; and sandflies to it the suderings that bring on the terrtiination oflife.

Reader, this is thy God! How great, how good, how merciful, how compassionate! • Breathe thy ftoul up to hini; breath§ it into him; and let it be preserved in his bosom fill mortality -be swalloiK-edup oflife, and an that is imperfect be done away.

Jesus is thy sacrificial ofiTeiring; Je^s is thy Mediator. He has taken thy humanity, and placed it on the throne!. He creates all things mew; and faith in his blood will bring thee tortus glory! Amen I hallefaijah! *

The beautiful morning hymn of Adam and Eve, (Paradise Lost, book v., line 153» Si»,,) —

14 p He also exalteth the horn.\ ^ ^''' ^^' of his people, "Jlhe praise of'j^l his saints^ even of the children of Israel, 'a people nesbr.unto him- Praise ye theXoRD..

bas been universally admired, ' How many have spoken loud in ita praises, i^ho hd,ve never atteinpted to express their feelings in a stanza of the hundred and forti^ eighth Ps3lm! But to Ihe rapturous adorer^ of Milton's jjoetry what is the song of David, or. this grand music' of t}ie sphese9! Know this, O forgetful man, that Milion's morning hymn is a paraphrase of {his Psabn; apd ia^ indebted to it for every excellency it possesses. *It is Ijtde else tljan the psalmist speaking in English in* stead of Hebrew verse.

The paalnust calls upon the whole creation to be instramontal in praising God. By.which he shows,-^

L His ardent desire that *God be praised. As if creatures, endowed with reason, were (oo few, therefare he calls on inanimate things to.join and be heralds. of his wondrous works.

n. His intention; what he wolUld and could have done.

II L That what could be done should be done.

IV, That all really do praise him in their kind and mannfer. - This Psalm is disposed into -excellent distribution.

1. He cidls opoif celestial creatures in general; 2,^ In particular. 1. On angels: " Praise ye the Lord from the hieavens," &c.' Ye of celestial order. 9. " llraise him in the heights," &c. The heavens above. 3. '' PfEiHe him, all his hosts," &e. Which in St. Luke are called ihe heavenly host, ^.

He mentions "the whole body df the heavenly orbs.

1, ^^ Praise him, ye heavens. of heavens," &c. The higher «tate of blissi

2, "And ye waters,'-' -Ac. All the orbs above the ' air, in Scripture called heavens; and the waters tha are above the firmament.

And in the two, next verseii he gi^es the reason.

2. " He hath established them,?' &c. They are iuoorruptihk.

. From the heavens' he now descends to the earth, air, Wat^r, &c.: " Praise the Lord from.the earth," Ac. All ye elementary substances.

The scMtU exhorted to

.1. ** The highest kings,";Jto. They who eommandr aind they who obey. •,

3.. '* Both yonng men and maidens.** Both sexes.; '4. " Old men and childifen,"— «ll ages r M Let them praise the name of ilie. Lordv".

And for this reason:•?—. ^

1. <* For his name is excellent 9lone." No tiame i^ so si^blime ajid worthy.

PSALMS.. he gtanmsfy JQjfitL

' The prophet concludes thia Pfetalm wil}i.6«d's goad' nesa to the. Church, which fonisher him with aooCher reason: —

3. ^ "Eren of the children of Israel," ^c. A people coBsecrated* to God./'Ali which is to he underi^ood ast metely of Itrq/el aeoordilkg to the flesh, bat God'jp wfiritual Church. Now those who axe true Jbrmdiiefrni those eq>ecially, he excites to sing,^—

2 Let Israel rejbice in «him that made him: let the children of Zion be joyful in th^ir "King.., -■.:

NOTES ON PSALM CXLIX. ' lliis seems ta be an epin^fnon, or scui^ of triumph, after some glorious victory; probably in the time of the Maccabees. It has been also understood as. predicting the stfcoess of the Gospel iq the nations'' of the earth.. According to.the i$yrtac,'it-cobcerns the new temple, by which th^ Christian Church is meant. It has no tiite in the Hebrew, nor in any 'Of the Versions, and no author's name. •. *

Verse 1.; Sing, unto the Lord a new iong} That is, as we hUve ofleii had occasion to Yemark, -aH excellent song, the best we can possibly pronounce. So tBeVord ann chad'ash is often understood; and so the word novus, " new," was qfteii used among the Latin writers:-^

/ PoIIIo amat nostram, quamvis sit rustica,'iAusa^. - ' Pellio et ipse facit kova carmina.

Congregation of saints.] The Israelites, who were, by professum and hy ^junction, a holy peofie^ ■ ess-

'4 T-Ot ^the^LoRD taketh pleasiire in his people: Nhe will beautify ihe m6ek with salvation.';. -. ' S Let the saints be joyfid in glory r kt thesi "* sing- albpd.upoa their beds.

• Verse 9. In him^that made him]' Let them renenber in their exultations to give all glpiy to the Lerdf 'for ho is the Author of their being and th^ blessings. And let tfiem.kiiow ihat he^ is ^ir King aJso; that they should submit to hvs autharUy, and be guided aad regulated in their hearts and conduct by^ his tami.

Verse 3. Let' them praise his yaane m Me donee] Stnoa bemacholi^wUh thfi^ pipe, or sdm^ kind o$uM musicl classed here with ^n toph^ the tabor or drwrn^. and nUD hnnXfr, xheharp.; **Sino machol,^ sayS Park* hurst, _^^ some fistular ivrnd-instrument qfmmsie, with holes, za a flutCf pipe, or fife, from ^ chei, to make a hole oir opening,^* 1 know no place ^in tbe Qible where Sino machol and nSno machalatk mean donee of any kind; they constantly signify some kind of

Verse 4. The Lord taketh pleasure in kis people] The pleasure or j^gd will of God is in his people: lit loves them ardently, and will load them with his beriO' Hts,' while they are hi/mble and thankful; far;

He will beautify] 1MD* yephaer, he wiU make Joir, the meek, xy^}f anavim, the lotply, thb humbii'with sal* Virion, hj^HTD bishuah;^ which St JeroDie thus tnnslatei^, Et exaltahit mansuetos in Jesu, <^And be will exalt the meek in Jesus." Whether this rendei ing be correct or not, there is no other way by "^hich 4be humble soul can be exalted, but by Jxsva, as the r»> deeming Saviour. "'.-,

Verse 5. Let the saints be joyful in glory] Xetthem be gloriously joyful: seeing themselves ao honoured and BO'Suecesrfulf let tllem he. joyful. Grod Ins put

6 Let the high praises of God ie^ in iheir incnitb, and ^ a two-edged sword in their }iand;.

7 To' execute vengeance -upon the heathen, €tnd punfshitieQts upon the people;

Sing aloud upon their beds.] While they are reelkiing on their couches: ' > At 'their festal haiiqaet«, let thei]a shout the praises of the Lord. Tn imititttoa of this we often have atvOur public; entertainments the following words sun^r, taken^from the Vulgate pf Psalm CZT. ^: Noir Hobis, Domine, noiv vdms; -sed nohhvi TOO da oLORi^M! ^uper MistoxcQRiTf a tva et tkrItatb Itca! " Not.unto us, O Loid, not unto hs, hui qrite thy name give glory, for thy mevcy and for thy tniih'saaike.'^ • Let them mingle their (basting With Dividesongs. This reclining on coaches, while ' they bJte their food^ is jstill practised in Asiatic coantries.-

Verfte 6. Let the high prtfisesijf Oprf] •^{let th|^ mng. songs the most sublime,' with the. loadest noifle consistent with harnumy..'^

• And a tioo-edged sword in their hand] Perhaps. there is an aUusion here to the manner in. which the Jews were obliged to labour in jrehailding the walls 6f Jerusalem: " Every one with Ope of hifli hands wrought in the work, and with the other hW l^ld a weapon,'^ Neh. iv. 1 7*.

. Verse 7. To execute tengeance upon, the Heathen] This niay refer simply to their purpose of defending tiiemselves to the uttermost, should their qneinies attack them while building > their wall.: snd they had^ every reason to believe that God would be with^tb^m; and that, if their enemies did attack thenh, they sheuld he able to inflict the severest punishment upon them.

'. Punishments upon the,people] The otr&ithful and treaeheVous /(PU75; for we find that some, even of^th«.*ir $i06ksi had joined with ^an^/a/ and To^toA; (see Neh. ▼i. 17-19:) and it appe^s also that many of them had formed alliances with those heathens, which were contrary tp the law; see Neh. liiii. 15-3Q. * •.

Verse 8. To bind their kings with chains, and their tumbles with fetters of iron] That is, if these kings, governors of provinces, and chiefs among' the people, had attacked <^em, God would have, enahled them to defeat them, take their generals prisotfers, and lead them in triumph to Jerusalem. • It is certain also^that in the times of the Maccabees the Jews had marfy.signal victories over the SamdritahSj Philistines, and Moabites; and over 'An/t/7cAti^, king of Syria:' See the Books of the Maccabees. To. these the psalnAiet iDay,-here refer in a hyperbolical way, not nnoi^nal in poetry and in songs of triumph; "*

Verse 9. To execute upon 'litem the judgment written] III Dcut. vii. i, '&c., God promises his people oomtplete victory over, all (heir enemies, and over the heathen. God repeatedly promises such victories* to bis &itbfiil people \ and this is> properly speaking) the judgment written, i. e., foretold. • ' • *

9 ■* To execute upon them the jqd^eht written} "this hortoarrhare alLhis saints. Praise ye. the Lord.

This honour, ht^oe aU- his saintSi] They shaU all he'sapported, defepded, &nd sav^d'hy the Lord^ Israel had, this honour; and such victories -over their enemiest while they cbntinded faithfhl to their God. When they relaps^ into iniquity, their enemlds prevailed against them ^ they were defeated, their eit^ taken^ * their tefhple burnt, to the ground, more than a million of themselves^ slaughteredr and the rest led into captivity;.-andf scattered through the world, they continue without' king, of VsmpW, <a tme worship, to the prSr sent day.- •

"But do not* these last Verses contain a pt'omUe that adl the natihns of the earth i^all be brought Under the dominion of the Church of Christ; ^that.aO heathen • and yingodly kings shaQ be put down, and pious mm put ia their ' places t'^ I ^o n6t think so.~ I beliete pod never intended that' his (jhnrch. should have the jchii govermneitt of^ the woild. Jtis^Qhurch', like its Hounder and JIeadf^'A\>n&WT he fi ruler and divider among men.. The.meil who^ Under pretence of supe^ /W j«iic/ily, affect this, are ilpt of G9d; the 411^. God is not in them; they are puffed up with pride, and. fall into the condemnation of the devi|. Wo unto the inhabitants of the earth,'^hen xMChureh takes tfi^ ci<F»r g03ernment of the world into its.hand,4 Were 4t possible that God shotild Host religioui people with civil government, anarchy woukl soon en^ue; for every professed 1>eliever in Christ would consider him* self oil a pax With anyotheV and'eve^y other believer^ the" right to rule, and the necessity to dbey would h0 immediately lost, and every man would do what was right. In his -own eyes^ for, where thegi^e ojf (God "makes all equal, who:can {nresume to say, I have "DiVlne aflthdrity to govern my firflows t l*he Church of Rome has claimed this right; aiid the pope, in con^qoence, became a secular.prmce { hot.the nMioUs of the world have seen the vanity and. iniquity of.the cFairo, and* refused allegiance. Those whom it did. govern, with force and with crdelty did it rule them; and -the.odious yoke • is now utiiversaMy cast off. Certain enthusiasts i^nd hypocrites, nptof that Qhurch, have also attempted' to set up ajf/M monarchy, a dvU government hj the saints! and diaholio saints they were. To such pretenders God gives neither countenance nox support.^ The secular and. spiritual govemmeqt God will ever i:eep distinct; 'and the Church shall have no power' but that of ^oing good; and this only in proportion uUts holioess, heavenlj^-minaedness, and piety to God. That the verses above may be underetQod in k spiritual ^w^^ as applicable to the influence of the word of God preached,'m^ be seen in the followfng analysis.

Analysis or th« HundRto *nd FoRXY-lHzn'H PqaLm. In thia Ps^m^tfae saints df God are exeited to give due thadks.

. U. For the glory and pmileges they shall receWe, tor* 5^9.

1. The saints: "F&r praise is not cpmely in the niooth of sinnets," * •

From thfe plaQp in wtich it most 'be done.."TJi^. public congregation.. \

41 From the manner. WitH alacrity;

And this part he egnclndes with a strong reason: * t. <'F«:.the LordHaketh pleaaiire^" &c.. He bTes thoile who most resemble liin^ in holiness and purity.

to prtme'Ooi. None' others 'will he

Their work is twofbld: Present aad^futiire. "l, Present: /* The high pruses," l&c. The Ujgfaeit that can be thought of. ' \ ^ /

a. For the future; **Xet a tWo-edged aword," Ae. When Christ shall pome to judgment, the sainft ai the last shall btf.j^dges^

Then the exercise of this judiciary power ehaid he^

.•He coneli|deB with an acclamation. This gtary of sitting With Christ and-judging (he worU» is ihitfjaj

A, general exhofialian to praise God^ I, 2.^ ^ dancet sltingtd instruments and (ftgans^A to join in the exercise,,•*•".

t^ RAISE » ye the Lord, Prjiise God in h» sanctuary: praise hial in the lirqiam^n^ of his power.

ThiaPsalln is without title and author iu |he Hebrew, 4uid id all the ancient Tjorsions. It is properly the full chorus of all voices, and instruments in the tednple^ at the conclusion of the grand Hallelujah, to wjiich the five cbncludiiig.Psalms belong.

Verse f. Praise Gbd in his sanctuqry] InrihaAy places we have' the compound word Tins'?!! hdleluyah, praise ye Jehovah"; but this is the first place in which wiB find SdTlSSn halelu-et^ praise Grod,'or the strong God. Praise him who is Jehovah j ^e infinite and self-existent' Being; and praiae him who is-^od, SI 01 Elohifn, the great God in covenant with m^- kind, to bless and Jiave.them unto eternal' life.

In his sanctuafy-^in the temple; in whatever place is dedicated to his serSrice.^ Or, ifi his hoUn^ss-^ through liis own holy infiliencein your hearts.

This 'firmament of his power.] Through the whole expanse, to the utmost limits of hia^^ power. As J^'p") rakia is the firmament or vast expanse that surrounds Jthe globe, and probably that in which all the celestial bodies of the solar system are included, it may.liave that meaning here. Praise him whose power and goodness extend through all worlds; and let the inhabitants of |dl those worlds share in the.gngid chorus, that it may be universal. • o 690

;2 ^Praise him for his mighty acts': prai3C him ^ccor<Kng to liis excellent ** greatness.. 3 Pittisc him with the sound of the *lram-

.^ Verse 2; For his fnfghty aets\ Whether manifffHsj in creation, government, merpj, or justice.

His excellent greatness.] iVnJIrlsnD kerob gwdh, ^cording to the mnltitade of his magnitude, or of kif majesty. ^p&eB memspealbnyrfQ ttnctHajn^ hqr i AfisT the manyfoldness of his Dpucklenessi-^Angio-Saxon. After the mykelhes of his greathede.-— Old Psalter. Let - the 4)raise be such aif is beeoming' so great, ts holy,. and so glorioua a Being.. ■ " '

Verse 3. The sound of the trumpet '^W sophar, from its noble, cheering, and majestic sound;^ for the original has this ideal meaning.. >>

. 4 Plraise hind / with the timbrel and ' dance: praise- him with ^ stringed iostrumients »id organs^

• Sfringed instruments] D'W mtn/Um. 't'his literal^ BigDifies. strings put in qrder; perhaps a triafkguhr kind of hollow instrument -qh which the' Mripg» were regulMly placed, growing shorter dioA shorter till'tfaiBy dame to a point. This woul3 ^ve a ^rariety xA abonde^ /rooHft deep hass to a high treble..'In an ancient MS. Fsaher before me, David is represented in two piacesr, playing oo such an instrument. It may be -the sambadkj.or psaltery, or some suchinstroment^ -

Organs!] aj>;? ugab. Yery likely the syrinx or numih organ;.. Pan^s pipe i bo|h ef the anCijSnny apd modems. The fistula^ septem disparihus nodis con^ juncta, made of seven pieces of cane o^ thick N«^at«, of unequal lengths, applied te the lipsy-^.each'bbwii iato, according to the note iptended to be expressed; This instrument is of^n met wkh-in the i^ient-^co^ H^ or pastoral writers. - '. r

Verse 5. Loud cymhah] O'SySv tseltselim,. Two hollow plates of br^ss, which, beiiig strack -together, produced a sharp clanging sound. X^ h^^trument is still ill use. ' What the high-'iounding. cymbals meant I.know not; unless those of It larger makei struck ^le the headj and eonseqaenltly emitting' II lotfdef sound. • *

Vdrse 6, Let every thing that hath breath] l^ither iq ma^e a vocal noise, oj a sound '^by blowing into pipes^ Jifes, flutes^ trumpets^ i$(c. Let ^1 join to> get her, and pot forth all your strength land.all your tkiU in*sbunding the praises of Jehov^ ^ - and then let ^juhipersai ^r^^with HALLELUJAH \ close the grand ceremony., |t is evident.that this Psalm has bo other meaning than merely the summoning up all the voices, and all the instruments^ to complete, the service in ¥Vhh chorus.

_0f such peculiar importance did^he Book of Psalms ^pear to our blessed Lord and his apbstles, that they have quoted nearly fiiXy of them iteveral times in the.Ne\^ Testament. There is scarcely a state* id human, life that is not distinctly nfarked in the;n; together with aii the variety of experience which is found, not merely among pious Jeujsf but among Christians^ the' n\o8t deeply acquainted with the things of Ctprist.

The minister' of Ood^s word, who wishes to preaoh e^gpperunentaliy, should have frequent recourvB to this ■acred book; akxi by considering the variops parts tbat refer to Jesus Christ and the Christian Church, lie wilU^ ahle to build up the people of God on their roost holy faith; himself will grow.in grace, and in the knowledge of God; and he will^ever have an Abundance of the most profitable mattfir' for the edification of the Church of Christ.

, This Psalm' is the Bame jn^ith the.formeri Iti the hundred and forty -fighih, all creatqres ate.invited to praiae God; in x\xq^ hundred and fotiy-niaiht men

5 Praise him upon the loud ' cymbals: ynine him upotf the high-sotmding cymbals.

6 Let.eyery thing that hath breath praise the LoRpV Praise ye the Loltb/

especially, afld those who are in the Church; but in this, that (hey praise him with all kinds of instruments. ^ I. An invitation to.praise* God, Which Word 1^ repeats thirteen times^ according to the thirteen attributes of txqd|«aa the rabhins reckon them^ - '.

IL.That dits be done with, all sorts of insfmmenta, h^tifbating ^lat it is to be performed with all the.eaiei zeal, and ardeilcy of -affection^

•X Thnwghoat the Pqalni he erito on men to praise God.. \..

. li. <* praise God in his sabcttucry.'? Or bt your hearts, whic& are the teinples of the Holy Ohott.

n.. The prophet desires that no Way be omitted hj^ wHicii we may show oar zeal knd ardency». in pfaising him. •

i, '^ Ppluse hifn with' the sooad of the trumpet,^ 4^c. An instrument tised Jn thenr'soJemn feasts.

5. ** Praise him upon the high-sounding,cymb^^^ &c. An instrument which yields, a loud soundi ae bdls among us. • -..

His conclusion is of nniyeraal reference, '<* Let every thing," Ac.. /. ^

?. '/Every thing that hath life," Ac. Whether spiritual, atf angels; or animaf, as/man' and beasts. Or, metaphprical|y, such as, thoogh' inanimate, may be said to praise God, because they obey his order and intention. T^hus, all. thing* praise God, hecaase all things that have life or being derive it unmediately from himself.

Masopctio Nones.on thc Book of Psalms.

*<Thd; hnndted and fifty Psalms.are completed. There.Are fiv&,.hooks(, Jifteeh Psi^s of degreesi and sixty otpraiies.; The number of vanes iafour thou-

Mond eight hundred and -ihirty'ttco. There ate aome who htfve added twelve others; bat we do not needf^ them. And may God be jiiraised for erer!''

At the end of the Arabic is the following: — ' The end of the Jhe hooks of Psahns. • The >Snr< book ^nds with the/ortie/A Psako; the second, with the sie^entieth Psdm; the third, with the eighHetk Psahn; the foUrJhj with the hundred and fiJtemiA\ and the j^A, with the lait P^Om, i. e., the Amiirstf and fiftieth. ^' \ ■.

Besides these hundred ox^ fifty Psalms, there is one additional in the Syriae, Septuagint, JEthiopic, n4 Arahix:, of which it will be necessary to siy flomethi% and to give a translation. ^

1. The Psalm is not found in the Hehjrim, nor' in th^ Vhaldee, nor iii the- Vulgate, \ '

3. it is found, as stated above, in the^%nac, JSeptuagitpt^ JEChiopic, and ArMe; bat not in the Angle Sdxon, though Dom. Calmet has stated the contrary.. But I have not heard of it in any MS. of.that versioB; nor is it in Spelman^ printed copy.

4. It has never been received either by 'the Qreek ox Latin Charch; nor ha^ it ever been consider^ u canonical.... • '. •. ' " •

^6. It is certainly very ancient, stands in. the Oodex Alexand^nus, anjS has* been - printed in the Paris and London Polyglots,^, • ' ' • *

' 0. Though the Greek is considered the most aiithentic'eepy of this Psajm, yet there are. some things in the 8yriac jind Arabic neoessary to malce a full sense. " The ^ri^ic alonQ states the rnannkr of Goliath^ ^ death. • 7 The title is, ''A Psalm in the handwriting of Dfi¥id, beyond the number.ef the psalms, eompoded \j David,. when lie fought in single combat with Qpliath;" I shall nuJce it as complete as J* can {rem tiie different versions. '. - '

T. WAS the teasf amottg my^ bretliren; and the youngest in my father*s house 5 and I kept also my father's shee]^, * / •.

3 A^d who to}4 it to my Lqrb? \Ardb.: 4iid who is he who taught me?] The Lord himself, he id my Master, and the Hearer of all that call upon. him.

4 He sent his angel, and took me away frdm my father's she^p; and anointed me wUh the oil of his anointing. [Others, the oil of his^ mercy.]

If we were sure this wa3 David's eomposition,. we should not be willing to see it (m/ of the number of the PsalmsfOT standing among the apocryphal writings. As a matter of curiosity f insert it; as, if a forgery, it is yery ancient ^ and I leave it to the inteHigent reader to add -his own notes, and form his own 'analysis^

The subscription to the Synae says soiae-^ twelve more. Tjie Codex Alexandrinus -has fourteen more. They are the following:-^ -.

1. The Song of Moses and the children of Isnlel, Exod. XV. 1, &c...

8. The prayer of Manasseh; see the' Apocrypha.. 0. "^^e prayer of Azarias, or of tfe Three Chil-,

G My brethren were taUef and more beautiful than i; nevertheless the Lori> delighted not in thera... -, jg I went out to meet the Philistine, an^he cursed me' by his idols..,

8. And I. drew^ out his own sword from its sheath, and cut off his head, and' look away the reproach from the cUildjren of Israel. • ' ~,

10. The Hymn of onr Fathers, see the Benedidte umnia opera in the Liturgy. ', '

. 1 4. The ^/ivoc ia^ivo^, oi Morning Hypm as iissd in the service qf the Cfreek Ckurch.

IVty old Psalter seems to have copied sn6h aiit^oiity as the Codex Alexandrinus, for it has. added sevetid similar pieces, after the hundred and fiftieth pBaSm, where we read, Explicit Psdlmos, incipit eanttcwk Ysaie.

0. There are sereral curious maxims, &c.', which follow the commandpaents, such as Seven weries of Mtrcy; Seven gastdy weries of Mercy; -, Sevhi Virtues;' The keeping of the five s'ensei T Fourteen painis of trouthe. Another head, which is torn off.

I suppose these hymns were added on the same prineiple ttiaX the general assembly of the Kirk of Scotland added, by an act in 1479 and 1760, a nnihher of Terses «nd portions bf the* sacred writings,^' among which are iseveral of the above, to their authorued rersion of the Psalms of David in metre to be sung in all kirks and fatddlies.

WiiEif the histprica). books of the Old Testament were under consideration, I formed the resolution to say but little on those parts where the history of David is concerned, till I 'should come to the end of the Psalms, where,- if I did. not give s geiieral history of his life, I might at least draw his jcharacter. But so many tacts in David's histbry ^ere found to require illustration, I wi^s obliged often to anticipate my design, and enter into discussions which I had hoped to beOle to produce with good effect at the end qf his writings. J must therefore refer back ^'several partioolars in the Books of Sar^uel, Kings, and Chronicles, that concern the history of this most extraordinary' man'; and the objections produced against his spirit and conduct by persons not friendly to Divine reflation.. '

Where I have found David to blame, I have not palliated ^ conduct; and though it is with me a makim to lean to the most favourable side when 'examining the characters of men, yet. I hope' I have nowhere served the cause ot Antinomianism, which I abominate, Dor endeavoured.to render any.thing,, morally ^vil, renial, because it was found in the conduct of a reli-v gipus mjLtt or a prophet. -Vice must never be countenanced, though individuals, -on thie whole highly respectable, suffer by its disclosure. Which disclosure ' should take place, only when the interests of religion aibd truth -ttbsolutely require it..

David, Doudt or Daoud, in, the son of Jess^, of ^ ah obscure family in.the tribe of jiidah, and of the inconsiderable village of Bethlehem, in the same tribe, was born, according to the best accounts, A. M. 2919, B;. C. 1085. He was the joungest of.eight sons, and *was deeper of his father's sheep, pavid^as descended from Jacob, by his son Juddh, in<'(hat line which united both the regal and sacerdotal functions; and in his own person were conjoined the regal and prophetic offices. It is supposed he was anointed by Samuel, about A. M. 2934, wh^n he was but*^ about fifteen years of age; and that, tie * slew.Goliath in A. M. 2942/ when. he was in the twenty-third or twenty 'fourth year of his i^. He became king df

He is oflsn mentioned by the Asiatic writers, ^d by Mohdmmedi iirthe Koran^ in these words, " Da^ud slew Geealout; (Goliath;) uid God gave him a king-' dopn and wisdom, and taught him Whatsoever he Wished to know." •

Hussain YaeJ^ one of tji^ commentators on the' Koran, obdeiVes bn-ihe above pas^e: " That Goliath wSQ.of sncb'an enormous size that his armour^ which' ■was of vron^ weig]ied one tHoushnd pounds; and that his helmet alone weighed thref hundred; jsevertheless David shmg a stone with such force as to break through the helmet, pierce the skull, and beat out the Philistine^s brains. - -

'* God gave him the gift of prophecy, and the Book Ziboor; (Psalms;) and taught him to make hair and sackcloth, which was the work of the prophets; and instructed him. in; the language of bir^St which, with the stones of the field, were obedient to him, and iron was softened by his hands. Dhring the forty days which he sj^nt in bewailipg his «ins, plants grew where be watered the ground with his t6ars."

.,The fifohammedans.all allow that the Ziboor, Or Book of Psalms, was given to David by immediate inspiration, and that it contains 150 sourats or chapters. His.'skill in music }8 also proverbial among the Mohammedans. Hence some verses in the Anvari Sohiely, which are to this effect: " You decide the greatest difficulties with as much ease as Daoud touched the. chorda of his lyre when he chanted his Psalms."

If we could^ persuade the JklohaJnmedans that^ the Book of Psalms which we now possess was the real, work of David, something woi:dd be gained towards their donversion.. But ' they say t]ie Jews have cor- * rupted it, as tjie Christians have the Angeel, (Gospel,) and the book wliich they produce as tha Psalms of David consists of extracts only from the Psalms, with., a variety of other matters" which have no relation either to David or his work. ' -

1. David stands before the world in bis history and writin|{s as a priyate person destitute oi ambition, appatpQtly in a low, if not mean, situation in Ufe, oc^ntribaiing te the support of a niime;K>us family, of which he. ibuned a part, by keeping the sheep of his iather in the wiliferness or champaign country in the vicinity of

• Bethlehem. In those times, and in such a rocky ai^i. mountainous country as Judea, this situation required a person of considerable address, skiU^ courage^ and tn/useular strength, Thcr flock' must not.only be 1^ out and in te iSnd. the propet pasture, but their inaladies / must he skilfully treated, and they def9nded against the' attacks of wild* beasts, than which none could be more formidable for rapacity and strength thaiUhe lionand the bear. These were among the savage inhabitaifls of the country of Judea, and Were the ijestroy^rs of the flocks, and the terror of the shepherds. The l|Ud was dso. infested ^mih handilti, or lawlesa'solitary. iroversy who bought by depr^ations among the flecks to lire at the expense of others. *Tba office therefore of a shepherd was neither mean npr ynin^portarU^ aa.^ principal part of the property bf the Jews^oopsisted in iheir flocks.^ - '. *

From th^ ancient history of all civilized natiQii^ we l^am that the persons thought qualified for it were such as had a.liberal education, good nati^ P*^^* 1^ld V9^t^ highly trustworthy and.c6uragiM>us.. Tfteso' most evidently w^re all cOtobined in the character of David, That >is education was.good, his JaOguage and akill in music prove; and that- his mind tfas highly cultivated,^ the depth, sublimity,, and purity of his compositions demonstrate; an^ that his coure^e and personal strength must have been great, his slay*, ing the lion and bear that' had attacked the floOk und^r his protection* are the clearest proofs.., -

9. His ilnll m music was so gr^at aa to-be prover^ biaL In this cu)riona art he excelled al) his contemporaries, so as abne to' acquire the character 6f the noeei singer of JsraeL^ Hi6 sncc^sss in quieting, the tmbalent and maniacal spirit of Baul by his perform-, ances on the lyre stands stiDngly marked in his-hislo)ry; and the eflects' produced were equal to any mentioned. 10 the now fabulous histories ot Greece or RoqAe. The wondrous harp cf Orpheus, by which beasts and birds were enraptujred'/and the very stones and trees moved, iu hajrnioby together, so as to compose of themselveii (he celebrated city of 'Thobesi we may well leave out' of the question, as the Mle is too gross to be credited, iinless. we take the' exposition of. an ancient author, PhUodemuSt some fragments of whose. works have hoen recovered from the ruins of Herculaneum, from which we learn that the fable of the builditig of Thebes by the melody of hia lyre arose from the fact that he was a musician who attended the builders,, played to them during their labour, by whose contributions he earned a competent support, and caused them to go so lightly through their >ork,. that he* was hyperbolicaliy i^aid to have built the walls of the city by. the power ^ his music.. Nothing can he mose natural than daa explanaticDj nor could any thing serve better for ^ foondatioQ of' the fable. Indeed it has been eonjeotured by one of David^s biogn^bers, Dr. Detan^yy- |hat 'Hie history of David was. the. origin of tifat of OrpheuR The coincidence of the times, and the other eircum(^.taoee8 alleg^ by this entertaining writer* have not served to persuade vae of the tnith of his hypothesis. ^ Wo can amply support the. credit of fhs Hebrew musician without impairing the eiedihOity of the* history and identity of the person of 'the anftieat Greek lyrist. •..

It is not likely, hdWever, that David was a per-, former on one kind of instrutpent only. Theie 'were maUy kinds of musicfil instruments in fais time ibat were all used in the'ofdinauces of leligipn, and app^ rentiy employed -in those parts of it where the compo- -sitions of Datid were used.. Calmet.and others ttajn properly divided the^e in'^truments into three chtfses. l.** SxtiUHotD initrurAentsy 2. Wufo insirumenU, Aj)d-3. Siieh as were flayed on by a plbctAom.

As ail these instrunients were used ip the aerviee of God,. and most of theni are mentioned in the Psaliiis, it is very likely that such a.eonsniiiBite musician and poet played oii the whole.

3. That David was a skilful military leader, Tt(fug99 little proof. When for the safety of his ^wd life he wai» obliged to leave the court of Saul, and become an elile in the wilds of a country so' much indebted to his.courage and valour, he was under thb necessity of associating to himself men of desperate fortunes and. of.no. character. ThesOi to the amount* q£ four. Aim- 4red, he so disciplined and managed, as to soften their lawljsss' disposition/ and repress their propensity to phinder and rapine, so that they, never went on any jdlpedition that- was not Under his direction, and made no inroads but what- tended to Strehj[thei\.the hands of his countrymen, and weaken those of theit^ ^pemies. Neither by day nor night, so complete was his. authority over them, were they permitted to take even a lamb or a kid from the Jock* of any man, though they had frequent opportunities of doing so in countries so thinly inhabited, and where the flocks,were nnmenNis. On the contritrt. they were protectors of the diflSireot herds which were fed in those parts of ^ wilderness where theywere obliged to sojourn. To have succeeded in disciplining such ^ description of men is highly to the credit of his address and skill, especially wh^n we consider that they were composed of such as had run away from the claims o{ \\\eis cf^itors; frooi the authority of their masters; who were, distressed ia their circhmstances, and diso&ntented with th6 go-

^ternment, fa t^eir, sitoation in iife, 1 Sam. xxii.. 9. I question much whether any of the heroes of the last •£ present century, from Peter and Fr/derifik the Great down to Napoleon Bonapvte, ^destitute of all cubsidiary authority, and without any oiher^ officer to assist them in the command, could^ haT« discipline four hundred such men, brought them under ^ierfect. obedience, and prevented them fsom indulging their sestless and marauding spirit!with so mahy temptations before their eyes, while prey was so easy to' be adjiored, and their, general privations rendeired -such aopplies necessary. ^

,4. A» a hero, David appears very conspicqdus, if we take this word in its general acceptation, a man emimenifor hraveryi. And here his pfoflering to figljt inth Goliath, the famous I^hilistkie champion. who had defied and terrified all the -hosts of Israel, is at once a proof of his inravery and patriotism. ^ very vemote times, and down to a late period, military ett- <|uette permitted feuds and civil bfoils to b^ hettled. by W^^lo combat. In the presence of the hostile armies, previously to the shock of general battle, a man either stepped out from the ranks, or by a herald h\A defiance to any per^n in- the hostile army, and sttpa]ated certain conditions of combat, in order to spare the effusion' of blood; to the exact fUIfilmefit of which hf pledjged himself and his party., This wa^ done very circiuii-. slanttally in the case before us. Wheh the Israelites ajid the Philistines had drawn up their forces in battle krray^at Ephes-dammim, la champion of Gath called Goliath^ of gigantic stature and strength, came out of «tl^ c^mp of" the Philistines, aqd stood and cried unto the armies of Israel: '* Why are ye come out to set your battle in array % Choose yoa a n&n for you, and let 4iim come down to me. If he be' able to^ght With BI9, and to kill roe, then ^11 we. be' ypur servants; ^ but if I prevail against him, and^kill him, then shkllye be our servants, and serve us." - And concluded with defying the armies of Israel.'- Saul, though ]ie was k man of great personal courage,. and tHe whol^ Israel-.itish army. Were greatly dismayed at this challenge; and the more particularly so, because no man. dared to 'take it up, notwithstanding the king had ofiered '«* 0- enrich the accepter wi^h.great giAs, give him hjs 'daughter in marriage, and make fiis father^a house free in Israel;" 1 Sam. xvii. 1, ^o. Dauid had cot^e to the camp with provisions for his brothers, who were Ifi Saul's army; (for it appears that the Israelitish militia bore their own expenses when ^heir services were requisite for the safety of their country;) and healing the defiance of the Philistine, proposed to take np tfae challenge; and having obtained S^Ps consent, went forth, fought and slew the Philistine in the manlier related in the cYaupysi quoted above.

On numerous occasions he signalia^ himself in the. same way; njis natural courage, heighteqed by. his cop-; stant dependence on God, never forsook him, and was always invincible. He was the Hie of his kingdom, and the soul of his army;. knew well how to distinguish and employ eminent abilities, had the ablest ge- * nerab, and the address to form a multitude of heroes like himself.

her of. thirty-seven.. The account given of these (9 Sam. xxiii.) would ahnost render credible the legend of Kiiig Arthur, and the Knights of the Round Table; and it is pro&jble that the first idea of -that ancient romance was taken firom the genuine historj^ of Davia an4 bis thirty-seven ohampions.. 5.. How David would have acquitted himself as a lenegi^er we cannot tell; for God had taken, care to leave nothing of this kind to the wisdom, folly, or.oaprieSB of any man. The laws were, all made and th^ constitution framed by Jehovah himself; and no legitimsCte king of the Jews wa^ permitted to enact, any. Ilbw laws, or abrogate or change the old. The faith-. ful andoonstitutional king was he who ru|ed according to the laws already established, as well in religious as in civil matters; for although the Jewish theocracy was somewhat changed by the. election of l^aul) yet jLhe monarch was considered only as the vicegerent of the Almighty; and David, taking care to abldjs by thO' laws as they th^n were, and governing his subjects acqqrdioglyy-was said to be after God's own hearty oc a man, af tor God's own heart: and this is the sense ii( which Uiis phrase is tp be understood. And as Davidtook ^reat c^re that no innovatioil should be made in* the constitution,, that.the l&w. of Grod should be the law of the empire, and ruled /according to that law, therefore he was most prepeHy said.to be a man <xftfr..God's own heart, to fulfil all his counsels; apd by this faithful attachment to |he laws. he was contradistin* guishedfrom Sai)l, who in several -respects ^changed, that law, and made -not a -few attempts to alter it ^iIl some -of its most essential principles*^ On these gK)unds God rejected him and chose David.

But as a civil magistrate ^avid^ conduct was ub- ■ nnpeach^ble^: his court was reguh^ted according to.'the meptims of the Pivine law;.and the universal pros- ■ perity of his kingdom is a* decisive propf that judgment and justice were faithfully adniinistered in it. The strong ^noi oppress- the weak^ nOr the rich thepoorf and,, alt^ougli the empire was seldom at rest from war during his reign, yet it was so conducted dia^.his ^ub-. jects were neither oppressed nor impoverished. Many pf his Psalms bear testimony to these matters, as they cont^ appeals to Grpd relative to the^ sincerity of hir heartylthe uprightness of his conduct, and^his impaiw tiality in administering justice among the people. To David the cry of the distressed was never. uttered ia vain \ apd the curse of the -widow* and fatherless.was., never pronounced again^ him for' a neglect of justice,..or partiality in '^dmin&tering it according to the laws.

6. David, I think, may be fitly ranked amo'ng ecc/esiastical reformers; for, although the ^and body of the' Jewish- religion was so firmly fixed, that it could not be changed, yet these were several circumstances in the form of Divine worship that, appear to have been left to the pious.diSQretio.n of the Jewish prophets, priests, and kings, to-improVe as-tim^ and circumstances might require. Thi^t God might be. constantly wonthipped, that the Jewirii ritual might be carefully observed, -and all the Dii^nely appointed ecclesiastical persons have their proper share of the public service, David divided the thirty^eight thousand Leintes into courses, assigning to each course it^particular servicot 1 Cbron«zxiiL He did the same by the pnests^ for* e9ft "

tgrs, singers, Ac,; and appointed twelve ei^^Utms to serfe each^a month, and have the rale and inspection of the different ooursea and orders, to. 400 that the worship of God was properly conducted. The twenlythird, twenty-fourth, twenty-fifth, twenty-sixth, diad twenty-seventh chapters of thefir^t book of Chronicles, give a ▼ery detailed and circumstantial account of the. improvements which David made in t^e form and executiifn of ther difl(^rent parts of public worship. Almost every pious king of Judah had matters of this kind to regulate and settle: but it appears that David/s plan seek tha Lor4 their ($od, and Dato their lahg; tad shall fear, the Lord and his goodliest in die latter days.** That* none of these scriptures. speak ^f Dmni^ sm of Jesse, is evident from this, that Hosea liredltlnee hundred years qfter David, Jeremiah fonrliiindrBd and serenty-three, and Ezekid four hundred and rnlBcty-' three....

But in what was David a type of Christ f Pfiaei* pally, I think, in the nrnno TH David, i^hieh. sigmfies the beloved one, 4hat one mofe loved thin, any oC^; and this is what is expressed from hearen by God was 80 'perfect, ihat it became a standard: and when^, himself^ when he says. This is my Son, *0 A/oirfrif, any decay took place in the form of puUic worship, ' ' ^ - - the chief aim of the succeeding kings was, to reduce every thing- to the form in which David had left it. This is ^ full proof of the perfection of his plan. '

7. That.patid was favoured with the gift of pro-, phecy, is, I think, universally allowed.. And although there.have been propheu pro tempore, who were not remarkable for piety, yet there never was one on

^^hom the p^phetic Spirit rested, ihsX was not tiruly. - pi^us. All such had deep communion with God: their' sonls were upright, and their bodies became temples. 6f the Holy Ghost. Thi^ was most assuredly the. case With David: the prophetic SpiHt oversha^ dowed and rested upon him; 'in gener^ he hc^d deep nommunion with God; and- even in his Psalms, we ean scarcely say when he. does nor prophecy.. Some learned and very pious men consider the Whole Psalter as a tissue of prophecies i»ncerning Christ and. his kingdom; and in tliis wajr. Our Lord and hib apostles ' quote many Of them; -Gould w.e. jreally ascertain which were David-s, perhaps we might find them all* of tbis description \ though the subjects to which- they a^ply jnight not be so clearly distinct; but theDs were so* many written hefo¥e, at, under, 9xA after, the Qabylo^ msh captivity, that ard beoome so mixed with those of JpaVid, that it is difficulty and ib some biases impossible, to ascertain them. Where he evident^ prophecies of Christ and his Church, I have particularly remarked It in the notes.- I have not j^one so far as some, learned and pious commentators haye gone,. in applying the Psalms to Christ aiidHiis Church, \>6caose I was not satisfied that they have such reference. Ev?en thosel which are of David> composition, and liate reference to Christ, are so mixed up with his. own etate, that it ' is Often impossible to say when the Psahnist prophesies of the Root of Jesse, and. when he simply refers to his own circum/Kances: and, on the Whole, I am only sore of' those which. sure thus q^uotecT by our Lord and his.^[x>stles»

8. That David was a type of Christ 'ip proved' by the Scriptuires themselves, see Jer. xxxV9: ".They ahall serve the* Lord their God, and Datid their king, whom I will r&ise^up onto them;" Ezek. xxxlv. 93: ^ And I wiil set up one shepherd over them, and -he riiall feed them, even my -servant T)Kjm; he shall fted them, and he shall -be their jshepherd«^ Ver. 24; •• And I the Lord will be their God,^and my servant David a prince among them." See. also Ezek.' xx^ii. 24; and compare this with Jer. xxiii. 4, 5; John X. 11 r Heb.'xiii. 24; 1 Pet, ii. ^5 } and v. 4; flosea, chap. iii. ver. 5, speakn ih the same way: ^AQeHrard^ shall tiie children of.Israel retom'i and ev 4' evdOKfioa, thb bcloted O^k, tn whom I have delighted. This 'is the '^^titite^ David; the- man t^kr my own heart, Jle was his type dso, in being 1^ royal prophst-r^ne in wh6m the Holy Spirit dwelt, and one who was a traly spiritual king;- a character that sel* dom occurs in Uia history of- the World..

Were we te consult those*who have laboured on the types,' we (night find all the following resembianees stated,; and^ in theit way, wondrously proDtfil / -David was a type of Christ, 1. la his originally xocpxk appearance. 2. In his' mean education. 3. In his unctibi). 4. In his* emineht qualifications. 5. In •his variods persecutions.. 6. ' In his enemies. 7. In \]M distresses. 8. Ih hie delivemnce.. 9. ■ *< In htt victories and' conquests^. And, 10.. Jn bin taking to wife the adulterous woman, and thereby hripglng'guilfr upon himself.*' See Parkhurst, All the first nism pir-' ticulars might be coritrqverted, as^hot having any thisg in them exclusively typical; ^d' the tenih is horrible, if nqt blasphemous. No analogies, no metaphorieal meanings can support this* •abominable position. I bave already given my opinion: to elucidate ^ pav> ticulars above, I shall never attempt. - ' ^

^ 9. But 4be highM merit of David, «nd that whaeb ^seenis to have been almost exclusively his own, was his poetic genius. As a Divine poet, even Grod hi<nself bad 'created none greater, eijther before, ox sitice. In this science nnd - gift he- is.therefore the chef-d^emvn of. the Almighty. Mbses wrote some fine Toses; Solomon two fine poems, an ode BXkd'tai: elegy,' The prophets, particulariy /ihuiA, in »everal,chaplers of his prophecy; feremiah, in his book of Lamentations; and some of^ the minor, prophets, in a few sdeet verses, haje given us i^eimeos of a profound poetieal genius: bnt we have no whole llke^that of David. Tlie svklimity, the depth, the excursive fancy, the discursive power, the vast compass of thought, the knowledge. of heaven and earth, nf God and fi^re, the work of the Spirit, the endlessly varied.teAiptations of Satan, the knowledge of the human heart, the travail of the eool, the full comprehension of the prosopopoeia qr personification of the whole of inanimate nature, of every virtue, and' of every vice, the immense gnu^ of though! embodying and arrangingi«nd afterwards plothing in soitsUe language, the vast assemblage of ideas furnished by the natural and spiritual world; in a word, the 9pirit of poetry, the true genie createur, the rav noitirw^ not^otf, framework oftheframer, the poetry of the poet, not' the fiction of the inventive genius i but the production of truth, hidden before in the bosom pf God ajld natni^ and exhibited in the' most pleasing colours, with the most impreeatve -palhob and inesistible hannoiud dje* o

Sketch i^ihe life and Character of Jkniid.

lion: these qaalities, these sapra-mmljaiie dxceDences, are found in np other poet that ever graced the' annals of the world; they exist in their perfection only, in Darid king of Israel. What is peculiarly remarkable lu'Darid is, he has succeeded to theyery highest de- 'gree in every species of poetic composition that has for its object the glory of God and therwelfafe of man; ■mud there is not one poet who has succeeded him, that has not failed when he attempted to sing of God, the punishment and rewards ^of the future world, and the uasearchable riches of Christ.

The hymns which he produced have been^the gene-. «d song of the universal Church; and men of all iiationii find in these compositions a language at once aiiitable to their feelings, and expressive of their highest ioys- and deepest sorrows, as well as ef all the endlessly Varied wijBhes and desires of iheir heuts. Hail, thou sweet singer of Israel! thy voice is still heaid in all the assemblies of the saints. ' • *..

In my noties ondifiereiU places of the Psalter I have ■ taken the opportunity of poititing out some of the. beau^ ties of these incomparable^ productions. But- 1 must here state that the true excellence of thi» work will never be fully ^nown, till it be translated according to ks rytHmical order, oc hemistich plan, in whroh the h^rmooy of its versification Will be feh, and the Hrhble he much more easily apprehended and practically understood... Had we a second. ZtM^/A to take up David, as' the first did Isaimh, the Church of God would have the utmost reason to rejoice;.and each devout penitent and believer would be enabled to sing more with the jplri/and the understanding, than they can possibly db in taking up the beslt translation of the Psaloui, whetttier metrical or prosaic, now extatit. •.. -"

We have no less thaii four versions, two in prose and two in verse, given by public authority* to the good people of this land. Of the (brmer there is one in the public service of the Church> compiled out of various translations; and one by King James's translators, in the authorized version of the Bible: the latter indeseribably the better of this class.:The iuio metrical versions are by Stem^d, Hopkins, and others, and by Brady and T^te^ The former is the most just 9pd literal: but none of them wprthy'of the subject. All these have already passed under review. *

10. That there should haVe been any doubt enter-, tained as to the piety vf David appears very strange: most certainly, no man. ever gave more unequivocal proofs of pie^ and devotedness to God than he gave. It was utterly impossible that any man could have written such Psalms as' David has, whose soul was not deeply imbued with the JSpirif of lioliness; add this appears, not only in his tmitings, bot^ In his general conduct. That' in some cases ho grievously departed iVom,God, who would attemp>t to deny? His adultery with Bathshoba, and the consequent murder of the brave Uriah, were crimes of a very, deep dye. I can say no more on these, than I have said ahready in my notes on 2 Sam. xi.,and in the observations at the end of ^at chapter; and to these I beg to refer the reader. His pretended cruelty to the Ammonites has been adduced as a proof of a hard ^d wicked heart. See the notes 00*3 Sam. xii. 31^ where this charge is shown to.be> unfounded.:^. WhatayiBf joUiqititiea hav6 been 0 ' charg^ against him, from facts re.corded in his history^ have already '-heen amply considered where the facts are ifientioned. But all these, make the worst of them we can, are but insulated facts; they never existed in fudnt, they made no pai( of his general character; and his repentance otk ihe account of that which ilras his great.blot, was the deepest and most exemplary we have on record. - If a man have fallen into sin, and made |he speediest return to God by. confession and repentance, he proves that that transgression is no part of 'his character. 'He does jlqX repeat it; he loathes and abhors it. It requires malice against God^s booft to say.this crime was a ^art of David's character. Adultery and murder were no pjart of the character of David: he fell once into the first, and endeavoured. to cover it bjrthe death of an innocent man; but who can prov.&that he ever repeated either 1 Whileit is granted that a man of God should never sin against his Maker, it must also be granted that, in a state of probation, a holy man may sin; that such may be renewed unto ret>entaQce, and sin against their God no more, are also possible cases. And it is not viess -possible that a-hol^ man 6f God may fall in\6 sin, continue in it, repeat^it and re^epeat-it, and rise no more.. t)f -thi^ dreadful possibility the Scnpture gives ample praoC There are but few in the Church of.God that have kept, their garments unspotted- from the world, and ft^tained their ^rst love: but it should have been otherwise; and had they watched unto ^prayer, they would not' have fallen. I only contend for the possibility, not for the necessity y of the^^ase. And I c6ntend tba:t,;in the case of Da^^ vid, a life so long,'- so holy, so bseful, and,* except in these instances,' so tndy exemplary, entitles him to the character of a holy man of God'; and, allowing but^a little (or the dispensation under which he lived, one of the holiest, if not tbb Ao/f^5/r that, ever, wore a orown» or wielded ^ sceptre. For ihe supf^itioh that on his deathrbed he retracted the proqiise of life to Shimei, ■ see the notes on 1 Kings ii. 9, where he is ^ amply vindicated.. f.,. s"

On the whole,. t can cheerfoily sum up all in the Words of Dr. Delaney: " David was-s true believer, a zealous adorer of Qod, teacher of his: /oto and worshipij *ahd inspire^ of his praise. A glorious example, a perpeitial ^ud inexhaustible fountain of jtrue piety. A consummate and unequalled hero, ^ skilfhl and fortunate captain, a steady patriot, a wise rider^ a faith— ful, ^h^rous, and' magnanimous friend; and, what is yet rarer, a no lea^ generous and 'magnanimous enemy,, A true penitent,' s. Divine musician^ a sublime poet, an inspired prophet. By birth a peasant, by merit a prince. In youth a hero, in manhood a monarch, and in age a iotiif.^' *:".

The matter of Bathsheba and Uriah are almost hit only bloU There >e sinhed deeply; amd no man eret suffered more in his body, soul, and ddtnestic affairs, than lie did in consequence. His penitence was aa deep and extraordinary' as his crime; and nothing could surpass.both, but that eternal mercy th^t took away the guilt, assuaged the sorrow, and restored thiif most liumbleid transgressor to character, holiness, happiness, and heaven. Reader, let the God of David be exalted for ever! fiiorreettdfor the Press, Marek Ibth^ 18S9.— A. 0.

^HERE has scarcely been any diBpute conceniing either the author or Divine authority of tfiis book, either in the J^ishpr Christian S^hmch: all ailow that it V^La writtem by Solomon; > and the general belief is, tha$ he wrote the book by. Divine itisjdration. ' It has, indeed; been su^^sedihat' Solotnon collected the major paft of tfiese proverbs from tho^e who had preceded him, vfheitier Hebrews' iSr htathens; butth6 latter opinion has beencontroyerted,.as derogating fropi the authority of the book. But this supposition has veiy little, weight;, for, whatever of truth is found in or among, men, came originally from God; and if be jemployed^ an inspired man to collect those rays (flight, «nd embody th^m for the ufie of his.Chui^ch, he.had a right sq to do, and to claim his own wheresoever found, and, by giving it a^eu; authentication^ to-rerlder it more useful in- reference tp the end for.which it was originaUy comn!mnicated.. God is the Pather of lights, and from him came all true wisdom^ not only ii) its disciursive teachiqgs^ but in all' its detached maxims for the government and regulatioiidf life. I think it very likely that Solomon did "ndt compose theoi t^; but he collected every thing 6f this "kind within Bis reach, and what ^as. according to the Spint of truth, by which h^ was inspired, he condensed iA this book;,and ais the Divine Spirit f^ave.iti so theprovicfence of God h?is.preserved ity for the use of his Church..

That true Light, which lightens every man that *cometh into the world, first taught i^en to acknowledge himself as- the Fountain ^nd. Giver pf all good; and.then by,sKqrt maxims, conveyed in Xe^sb, energetic words,.taught them to regulate thoi]; conduct in life, in respect fo the dispensations of his providence, and in reference to each other indpme^tic, social, and. civillrfe; and this was done by anch proverbs* as we find collected* in this book, -The different cbanges that take -place in society;* the ne^ relations which in process of tinie men yrould bear to each other; the invention of arts and sciences; and the experience of those who had peirticuiarly cpnsidered the ways of the Lord, jmd marked the. eperationn of his hands; would* give rise ta many maxims, differing from the original stock only in their application to those net^ rc?<?<wms and vofyiVi^ drcwm^tencCT.

The heathen, who had any connection v^ith the firfit worshippers of the Almighty would observe the ipaxipis by Which ^^ey 'regulated the affair^ of life, and would naturally borrow from them; and hence those original teachings became diffused throughout the world; and we find there is riot an ^rtcient' nation on earth that is without its code of proverbs or proverbial maxims. Th^ ancient. SaKscrit is full of them; and they, abound in the Persian hxii Arabic languages, an.d- in all ijtid dialects formed from these,^in a^ the countries of the East. The. Hbetopadbsa of Vishnoo Satma, the Anvari Sqheili, the Bahar Danush, Kalila we Dumna, and* all the "other forms of that original work: the fables of Lockman, jEsop, Phcedrus, AvienUs,, &c.i- are collpctione. of pl-overbs,.iilustratcd by. their application to the most import^t purposes of dpniestic, social, arid civil life.. -

Those nations with which we are best acquainted have their collections of proverbs; and perhaps those with which we are unacquainted have theirs also. Messrs. Visdelau and Galand formed a cpUection of A^'a^tP proverbs, and published it in their supplement to th^e Bibliotheque. Orientale of IfHerbelot. Thid is a collection of very great worth, curiosity, and importance. Mr. J. Ray, F. R. S., formed a collection of this kind, particularly, of such as are or have been in use in Great Britain: this is us curious as it is entertaining and useful.

The term proverb, pravwbium, cexnpounded of pro/ for, and verbumy a word, speech, or saying, leads us to an original meaning of the thing it&etf. It was an oZ/ej'Oficaf saying, whfire.'^.more was meant than met the eye'^r-a short saying that stood for a whole discourse^ the words of which are metaphoricitl; e. g., this of the rabbins: " I have given thee my lamp: give me thy lamp. K diou keep my lamp, I will'keep^thy lamp; but if thou quench my lamp,7I will quench thy lamp*" Here the word Icarnp is a metaphor: 1. For JHvine revelation. 2. For th&kuThcm souL I have given thee my word and Spirit; give me thy soul and heart. If thoU observe my wordy and follow Uie. dictates of my Spirit, j will regulate thy heart, and keep thy ^oti/from eveiy evil;, but if thou disobey my word; and— qumch ixiy Spirit, i will withdraw my Spirit, J^ave thee- to the Hardness and darkness of thy own heart, and send thee at last into outer darkness^ Such as this is properly the proverb; the*u;ord.which sjiandsfor a discourse..