Notes on the Old and New Testaments

1. Praise ye the Loed. Marg., as in^&h.ySallelujah. SeeKotes ou Ps. cvi. 1. ^ Blessed is the man. Heb., The blessings of the man. See Notes ou Ps. i. 1. That is, Blessed, or happy, is such a one. If That feareth the LoED. In Ps. cxi. 10, the psalmist had referred to " the fear of the Lord" as " the beginning of wisdom," and had alluded to the success, prosperity, or happiness which attends the fear of the Lord, or true religion. This psalm is designed more fully to illustrate that thought. If That delighteth greatly in his commandments. See Notes ou Ps. i. 2. It is a characteristic of true piety to find pleasure in the commands of God;— in the commandments themselves, and in obedience to them.

2. Sis seed shall le mighty upon earth. His children; his posterity. That is, they shall be prospered; honoured; distinguished among men: — distinguished for their virtues, for their influence, for their success in life. This refers to what was regarded among the Hebrews as an object of great desire, and is in accordance with the promises everywhere found in their Scriptures. See Notes on Ps. xxv. 13; xxxvii, 25, 26. Comp. Gen. xii. 2; xvii. 6; Ex. xx. 6. It is in accordance, also, with a general fact in the course of events. The best security for the virtue and success of children is the virtue and the piety of parents; the surest inheritance as pertaining to happiness, respectability, and usefulness in life, is that which is derived from the example, the prayers, the counsel of a pious father and mother. 1[ The generation of the upright shall le Messed. The family; the children. Such promises are to be expected to be fulfilled in general; it is not required by any proper rules of interpreting language that this should be universallj and always true.

3. Wealth and riches shall be in his house. The Septuagint and the Vulgate render this, "glory and riches shall be in liis house." The word, however, properly means riches or wealth, and the two terms are used apparently, to convey the idea that wealth or property in varied forms would be in his house; that is, not merely gold and silver, but all that was understood to constitute wealth — variety of garments, articles of furniture, etc. This promise is of the same nature as that of the previous verse. It pertains to a general truth in regard to the influence of religion in promoting prosperity. Comp. Notes on 1 Tim. iv. 8. ^ And his righteousness endurethfor ever. That is, The eff^ects of it shall be transmitted from age to age in the prosperity, the respectability, the wealth, the happiness of his descendants. It travels on from age to age, and blesses distant generation?

4 Unto the upright there aiiseth " light in the darkness: he is gracious, and full of com- V Ps. xcvii. 11; Isa. Iviii. 10.

4. Unto the upright. The just; the pious; the man who fears God. ^ There ariseth light in the darkness. This is a new form of the blessing which follows the fear of the Lord, or another of the benefits which spring from true religion, and by which the pious man is distinguished from other men. The distincfion is not that daj's of darkness will not come upon him as well as upon others; for he may be sick as others are, he may be bereaved as others are, he may lose his property as others do, —since there are general laws that affect mankind in these respects. God has not promised that he will interpose to save his people /rom these things, but that he will save them in them. The peculiarity in regard to those who fear God is, that these things will not always continue; that they shall not be overwhelmed by them; that it will not be uninterrupted and unmitigated gloom; that the sky shall not be always overcast. Comp. Notes on Ps. xcvii. 11 j Job xi. 17. If He is gracious, and full of compassion, and righteous. These words are designed to be applied to the " upright" man, and are intended more fully to designate bis character, and to show tvhy light shall spring up to him when he is in darkness. It is because his character is really pure and holy, so that whatever cloud may come over it for a time, however it may be temporarily obscured, however he may be calumniated by men, or however God may for a time seem to forsake him and to treat him as if he were a bad man, yet ultimately his character will appear as it really is. Light will come in upon the darkness. The clouds will break away. The prejudices against him will be dispersed. Full justice will be done to his character both by man and by God, and the world will see that he is a just and pious man. See Notes on Ps. xvsvii. 5, 6. Every man wiU ultimately be seen as he is; every man will attain the position, and have the reputation which he ought to have.

5. A good man shoiceth favour. He has the means to show favour to others, or to promote their welfare, and he is disposed to do this. It is the characteristic of a good man — of a heart that is truly pious — to do good to others; to promote their welfare here, and to assist them in their endeavour to secure happiness in the world to come. If And lendeth. The original word here— HJ?, lavah — means to join oneself to any one; to cleave to him; then, to form the union which is constituted between debtor and creditor, borrower and lender. Here it is used in the latter sense, and it means that a good man will accommodate another— a neighbour — with money, or with articles to be used temporarily and returned again. A man who always borrows is not a desirable neighbour; but a man who never lends— who is never willing to accommodate— is a neighbotir that no one would wish to live near— a crooked, perverse, bad meji. True religion will always dispose a man to do acts of kindness in any and every way possible. ^ JSe tvill guide his affairs. The word here used means literally to liold, contain; to hold up, or •astain; to nourish, to furnish the means of living. Gen. xlv. 11; xlvii.

6 Surely he y sliall not be moved for erer: tlie righteous shall.be in everlasting remembrance.

7 He » shall not be afraid of evil tidings: his heart is fixed, trusting in the Loed.

12; 1. 21. Here it means that he would uphold or manage his business. ^ With discretion. Marg,, judgment; so the Hebrew. He would do it prudently, sensibly, economically, wisely. This is, or should be, one of the characteristics of a good man. Religion prompts to this; religion will aid a man in doing this; religion will tend to check everything of a contrary nature. A man who neglects his " affairs," who pays no attention to his business, who is indifferent whether he is successful or falls, is a man who gives Just so much evidence that he is a stranger to true religion.

6. Surely he shall not he moved for ever. Luther, " For he shall remain always." He shall be fixed, stable, firm, prosperous. He shall not be driven from place to place. He shall have a permanent home. He shall have a steady reputation. He shall have a constant influence. He shall be a firm, established, prosperous man. Of course this is to be taken in the general, and should not be pressed to mean that it will be, in the most literal sense, and always, true; for a good man may be " unfortunate in business," and suffer with others; he may be sick; he may see reason to change his residence; he will certainly die. But still it is true that religion tends to produce this permanency, and that in this respect there is a marked difference between men who are truly pious, and those who are not. ^ The righteous shall he in everlasting remembrance. In Prov. x. 7, it is said that "the name of the wicked shall rot;" and the meaning here is, that the way to secure a grateful remembrance among men after we are dead is to be righteous, — to do something that shall deserve to be remembered. It cannot mean that a man who is righteous will never be forgotten, or that his name and deeds will never pass from the recollection of mankind, — for that would not be true; but that men will delight to cherish the memory of the righteous; that they will be disposed to do justice to their character after they are dead; that the benevolent and the upright will be remembered when the names of the wicked shall be forgotten. The world has no interest in keeping up the memory of bad men, and as soon as it can be done hastens to forget them. Wicked men are remembered only when their deeds are enormous, and then their memory is cherished only to admonish and to warn. The world has no interest in keeping up the memory of Benedict Arnold, or Alexander VI., or Caesar Borgia, except to warn future generations of the guilt and baseness of treason and profligacy; it has an interest in never suffering the names of Howard, of Wilberforce, of Henry Martyn, to die, for those names excite to noble feelings, and to noble eflbrts wherever they are known. Such names are to be had " in everlasting remembrance."

7. Me shall not he afraid of evil tidings. Of bad news; of reverses and losses; of the destruction of his ship at sea, or his property by land; of disaster by flood, by famine, by war. His heart will so fully confide in God that he can commit all calmly into his hands. He will feel assured that all will be well; that nothing occurs but that which the wisest and the best Being in the universe sees it best should occur; and that in all which does take place he is able to sustain the sufferer.

8 His heart is established, he shall not be afraid, until he see his desire upon his enemies.

9 He hath dispersed; he hath given to the poor; his « righteousness * endureth for

ever: his horn shall be exalted with honour.

10 The wicked shall see it, and be grieved; he shall gnash c with his teeth, and melt away; the "^ desire of the wicked shall perish.

There is nothing so well fitted to make the mind calm as trust in God. What has a man to be afraid of who does trust in him? Comp. Ps. xxvi\. 3; xlvi. 2; Ivi. 3, 4; Heb. xiii. 6; Prov. i. 33. Tf Sis heart is fixed. Is firm; is established. See Notes on Ps. Ivii. 7. ^ Trusting in the LoED. This is the reason whi/ his heart is "fixed" or firm. It is not any native courage or resolution; it is not any firmness of his own; it is simply because he has confidence in God, and feels assured that all things will be well.

8. His heart is established. Sustained; upheld. This is the same idea, though somewhat varied in form. The word means to sustain; to support; and the idea is, that there is some basis of support — some strength — which is not his own. Tf He shall not be afraid. When he is assailed by enemies. ^ Until he see his desire uj)on his enemies. This implies that he had nothing really to fear. He would certainly overcome his foes; and in the mean time he might look calmly on all their eSbrts to destroy him, for those efforts would be vain. So the believer now looks calmly on all his spiritual foes. He has nothing to fear, for he will overcome them all; he will certainly triumph; he will trample them all under his feet. He may well, therefore, endure these conflicts for a brief period, for the issue is certain, and the conflict will soon come to an end.

9. He hath dispersed, etc. This is another characteristic of a righteous man, and another reason of the permanent honour which will be rendered to him. The meaning is, that he is liberal; he freely scatters what he has; he divides it with those who are needy and unfortunate. One part of mankind have an overplus — have more than they need for themselves and their families — and that overplus is what is designed to meet the wants of the unfortunate, the weak, the aged, the imbecile, the infirm, who have not enough. It is the treasury of God — the reservoir where that is gathered which is to be distributed for the wants of the helpless and the dependent. The righteous man is one who enters fully into this arrangement, and who feels that all this overplus belongs to God, and is to be appropriated as he shall direct. ^ His righteousness endureth for ever. His acts of charity are constant. His piety is not fitful, spasmodic, uncertain; it is steady principle; it is firm and solid; it may always be relied on. See ver. 3. % His horn shall be exalted inth honour. See Notes on Ps. Ixxv. 10.

10. The toicked shall see it, and he grieved. They shall see his prosperity; shall see the evidence that God approves his character and his conduct. The word rendered grieved means rather to be angry or enraged. Perhaps the ^ovAfret would best express the sense. ^ Se shall gnash with his teeth. As indicative of hatred and wrath. See Notes on Ps. xxxvii. 12. % And melt away. Disappear, — as snow does

PRAISE 1 ye tlie Lord. Praise, O ye servants of fclie Lord, praise tlie name of the Lord.

2 Blessed be the name of the Lord, from this time forth and for evermore.

that melts; or as a snail (see Notes on P3. Iviii. 8); or as waters that run away (see Notes on Ps. Iviii. 7); or as wax (see Notes on Ps. Ixviii. 2). Their wrath shall be of no avail, for they themselves shall soon disappear. IF The desire of the wicked shall perish. He shall not be able to accomplish his desire, or to carry out his purposes. He shall be disappointed, and all his cherished plans will come to nought. This is in strong contrast with what is said in the psalm would occur to the righteous. They would be prospered and happy; they would be able to carry out their plans; they would be respected while living, and remembered when dead; they would find God interposing in their behalf in the darkest hours; they would be firm and calm in the day of danger and of trouble; they would put their trust in the Lord, and all would be well. Surely there is an advantage in our world in being a friend of God.

The author of this psalm, as of those which immediately precede it, is imknown. It is very general in its character, and has no allusion to any circumstances by which one could determine the name of the author, _ or the occasion on which it was written. In connexion with the five following psahns, it constitutes what was kno^vll among the Hebrews as the Hallel; that is, the song of praise, sung on great occasions, at the annual festivals, and especially at the Passover and the Feast of Tabernacles. Buxtorf, Lex. Tal.,v- 613, etseq.. ^^ ^,.

This psalm, which is expressive of the majesty of trod, as havmg a clami to universal praise, consists essentially of two parts:—

I. The general statement that God is to be praised, and a call on all to engage in that service, vers. 1-3. _ n. Reasons why he should be praised, vers. 4-9. (1.) He is exalted above all nations, ver. 4; (2.) None can be compared with him, ver. 5; (3.) He is condescending, and looks with interest on the things in heaven and on earth, ver. 6; (4.) He exalts the poor to positions of honour and influence, vers. 7, 8; (5.) He constitutes and appoints families, with all that is tender and joyous in the domestic relation, ver. 9.

1. Praise ye the Lord. Marg., as in Heb., Hallelujah. See Notes on Ps. cvi. 1. IT Praise, O ye servants of the Lord. You who profess to serve and obey him; who acknowle(^e him as your God. In the original this is also the word Sallelu, 1^5rr- IF Praise the name of the LoED. Still the same word Sallelu. The name of the Lord is put here, as it is often, for the Lord himself.

2. Blessed be the name of the Lord. Blessed be the Lord; or. Let the name of the Lord be blessed. % From this time forth and for evermore. Now and for ever. He is worthy of praise now, and he ever will be. What he is now, he will always continue to be; and as praise is proper now, it wiU be for ever and ever. An eternal God has claims to eternal praise.

sun, unto the going down of tlie same, the Lord's name is to be praised.

4 Tne Lord is high above all nations, and his glory above the heavens.

5 Who is like unto the Lord our God, who ^ dwelleth on high;

6 Who / humbleth himself to behold the things that are in heaven, and in the earth!

farthest west, — the sua in its rising and setting being the remotest object that we see in the horizon. ^ The Loed's name is to be praised. This does not mean that it ivill be — though that is true; but that it ought to be, — that it is worthy of universal praise. All men in the east and in the west — everywhere — should praise and adore that name.

4. The LoED is high above all nations. Heb., Exalted above all nations is Jehovah. That is, he rules over all nations; he directs their affairs; he is their sovereign king. As a matter of fact, and from the necessity of the case, he is on a throne which is elevated above all the kings and kingdoms of the world. He is the Sovereign not only of one nation, but of all; and it is meet that this should be acknowledged by them all. T[ And his glory above the heavens. That which renders him glorious. The manifestations of his glorious character are not confined to the earth; they extend to the heavens; — they are not confined to the visible heavens; they extend far beyond, in the regions of illimitable space. The universe — the earth and the starry worlds — all are full of the manifestations of his glory; and far beyond the bounds of created things (if they have a boundary), God is there — without limit — the same God — worthy there of universal praise! Who can comprehend such a God? Comp. Notes on Ps. viii. 1.

5. Wlio is like unto the LoED our Ood? Who can be compared with Jehovah our God? See Notes on Isa. xl. 17-25. The meaning is, that no creature — no idol — can be compared with Jehovah. The remark here has special reference to his attributes as immediately specified — his humbling himself to behold the things in heaven and in earth; his raising up the poor, etc. It is true in general, in regard to God, that no creature can be compared with him; it is true, in regard to each one of his attributes, that they are far above all created excellence. TT TFho dwelleth on high. Marg., exalteth himself to dwell. Literally, "The one making high to sit." The language is applicable to one who is seated on a lofty throne. Comp. Ps, viii. 1. He has his dwelling — his throne — his permanent seat — in the heavens: — so high and exalted that it requires infinite condescension to look upon the earth, or even upon the heavens.

6. Who humbleth himself, etc. So high that it is necessary he should stoop even to behold the things which seem most lofty to us; and who actually does stoop thus to regard the things which he has made in heaven and on earth. ^ To behold the things that are in heaven, and in the earth! More literally, " to look in heaven and in earth." Even to look on heaven, high as it is to us, — still more to look on earth, so insignificant as compared with the vast bodies in the heavens, — is condescension on the part of God. It requires him to stoop — even to look on the sun — the stars — the distant worlds! Yet he does this. There is not a world which he does not survey constantly; not a creatm-e

7 He " raiseth up tke poor out of the dust, and liftetli the needy out of the dunghill;

8 That he may set him with princes, even with the princes

9 He maketh the barren woman to ^ keep house, and to be a joyful mother of children. Praise ye the Lord.

whose interests lie does not regard; not an insect— a flower— an atom —that he does not regard with as much minute attention as though there were nothing else to demand his care.

7 Se raiseth up tlie poor out of the dust. From the most humble condition in life. He exalts them to conditions of wealth, rank, honour. He h&B power to do this; he actually does it. This is not intended to he affirmed as a universal truth, or to assert that it is always done, hut that it is among the things which show his majesty, his power, and his goodness, and which lay the foundation for praise. 1" And lifteth the needy out of the dunghill. From the condition of lowest poverty. Instances are sufficiently abundant in which this is done, to justify such an assertion, and to show that it is a proper foundation of praise to God.

8. That he may set him toith princes. May give him a rank— a position —with nobles and great men upon the earth. Many instances of this nature have occurred in the history of the world. Not a few of the nobles of England, including several of its lord chancellors, have been raised thus from very humble life; and in every nation God shows that he has power to give to those of humblest rank a name and place which no hereditary titles and honours can bestow: thus Shakspearc was the son of a glover and woolstapler. God has power to come into the humblest cottage of poverty, and to bring forth those who shall stand foremost in their generation as men of genius and power. Nothing is more absolute than the power which God thus holds over the nations of the earth, and it is meet that a Being who has this power, and who exercises it, should be praised and honoured. ^ Even with the pnnces of his people. Among those who are selected to preside over the people whom he has chosen for himself. It is implied here that this would be a hio-her honour than to be exalted to power among a heathen people— a people ignorant of the true God. It is a higher honour to be counted worthy to rule a Christian nation than a heathen people; it is a higher honour to be a ruler in the church— over those whom God has redeemed for himself— than it is to administer a secular government.

9. Se maketh the barren woman to Tceep house, etc. Marg., as in Heb., to dwell in a house. That is, to be at the head of a famUy. See Notes on Ps. Ixviii. 6. Comp. 1 Sam. ii. 5. This, too, is suggested as a reason why God should be praised and adored. In instances where all hope of posterity is cut off, he interposes, and diffuses joy through a dwelling. We may look abroad, and see abundant occasion for praising from the humblest condition,— in his exalting those of lowly rank to places of honour, trust, wealth, and power; but, after all, if we wish to find occasions of praise that will most tenderly affect the heart, and be connected with the warmest affections of the soul, they will be most likely to be found in the domestic circle — in the mutual love — the common joy— the tender feelings— which bind together the members of a family. In such a family, the words with which this psalm begins

WHEN » Israel went out of •' Egypt, tlie house of Jacob from a people of strange language,*

3 The sea saw " it, and fled: Jordan " was driven back.

and ends, "Hallelujah," "Hallelujah," are peculiarly appropriate j and if any community on earth should apply these words to itself it should be such a family, called upon by everything tender, holy, and lovely, to praise the Loed.

This psalm, a part of the Hallel (see Notes on the Litrod. to Ps. cxiii.), is occupied in celebrating the praises of God for what he had done in the delivering of his people from Egyptian bondage, and in conductiag them to the promised land. It is the language of exultation, joy, and triumph, in view of the gracious interpositions of God in their deliverance. The psalmist sees the moimtains and hDls seized as it were with consternation, leaping and skipping like sheep; Jordan, as it were, frightened and fleeing back; the very earth ti-embling, — at the presence of God. Everything is personified. Everything is full of life; everj-thing recognizes the presence and the power of the Most High. It would be appropriate to use such a psalm on the great festivals of the Jewish nation, for nothing could be more proper than to keep these events in their history before the minds of the people.

The author of the psalm is unknown; and the occasion on which it was composed cannot now be determined. It is a most animated, elevated, cheering psalm, and is proper to be used at all times to make the mind rejoice in God, and to impress ua with the feeling that it is easy for God to accomplish his pm-poses.

1. When Israel went out of Egypt, Literally, "In the going out of Israel from Egypt." This is not to be confined to the exact act of the exodus, but embraces all that properly entered into that migration, — the whole train of events which resulted in their being brought into the promised land. Tf T?ie house of Jacob. The family of Jacob, — a name appropriately used here, since it was the family of Jacob that had gone down into Egypt, and that had increased to these great numbers. T[ From a people of strange language. Speaking a foreign or a barbarian tongue. See Notes on Ps. Ixxxi. 5.

2. Judah tvas his sanctuary. His home; his abode; his sacred dwelling-place. Judah was the principal or leading tribe, recognized as the tribe where power was to be concentrated, and from which the Messiah was to proceed (Gen. xlix. 8-12); and hence the name was early used to denote the entire people, and ultimately, as modified in the word Jews, became the common name of the nation. "^ And Israel his dominion. The nation that he ruled; the nation that had his law; the nation that he governed by his presence, — or, of which he was the recognized king. There can be no doubt that the reference here is to God, but it is remarkable that the name " God" is not used. Perhaps the reason may be that this psalm was designed to be employed in connexion with the preceding one, and as that consists entirely of the praises of God, it was not necessary to repeat the name when his praise was to be continued under another form, and in connexion with another line of thought.

4 The movmtains p skipped like rams, and the little hills like lambs.

5 What ailed thee, O thou sea, that thou fleddest? thou Jordan, that thou wast driven back?

6 Ye mountains, that ye skipped like rams; mw? ye little hills, like lambs?

the presence of the Lord, at the presence of the God of

3. The sea saw it. The word it is supplied, not very properly, by our translators. It would be more expressive to say, " The sea saw:" that is. The sea— (the Red Sea)— saw the mighty movement— the marshalled hosts— the moving masses— the cattle— the pursuing enemies— the commotion— the agitation— on its usually quiet shores. We are to conceive of the usual calmness of the desert — the waste and lonely solitudes on the banks of the Red Sea,— and then all this suddenly broken in upon by vast hosts of men, women, children, and cattle, fleeing in consternation, followed by the embattled strength of Egypt, — all rolling on tumultuously to the shore. No wonder that the sea is represented as astonished at this unusual spectacle, and as fleeing in dismay. ^ And fled. As if affrighted at the approach of such an host, coming so suddenly upon its shores. ^ Jordan was driven back. Referring to the dividing of the waters of the Jordan when the children of Israel passed over to the promised land. Josh. iii. 13-17. They also seemed astonished at the approach of the Hebrews, and retired to make a way for them to pass over.

4. The mountains skipped like rams. As flocks in their gambols. They seemed to move from place to place; everything seemed to be unsettled, and acknowledged the presence of the Omnipotent One. The word rendered skipped means to leap for joy; to dance. See Notes on Ps. xxix. 6. The reference here is to the agitations and commotions of the peaks of Sinai, when God came down to deliver the law. Ex. xix. 16-18. 1" And the little hills like lambs. Heb., Like the sons of the flock. The reference here is to the less prominent eminences of Sinai. The lofty hills, and the smaller hills surrounding, seemed to be all in a state of commotion.

5. 6. What ailed thee, 0 thou sea, that thou fleddest 1 etc. Literally, " What to thee, 0 sea," etc. That is. What influenced thee, — what alarmed thee, — what put thee into such fear, and caused such consternation? Instead of stating the cause or reason why they were thus thrown into dismay, the psalmist uses the language of surprise, as if these inanimate objects had been smitten with sudden terror, and as if it were proper to ask an explanation from themselves in regard to conduct that seemed so strange.

7. Tremble, thou earth, at the presence of the Lord, etc. This is at the same time an explanation of the facts referred to in the previous verses, and the statement of an important truth in regard to the power of God. The true explanation — as here implied — of what occurred to the sea, to the Jordan, to the mountains, and to the hills, was the fact that God was there; the inference from that, or the truth which followed from that, was, that before that God in whose presence the very mountains shook, and from whom the waters of the sea fled in alarm, the whole earth should tremble.

8 Which •■ turned the rock into a standing water, the flint into a fountain of waters.

OT ' unto us, O Lord, not unto us, but unto thy name

8. Which turned the rock into a standing loater. That is. Before him who could do this, the earth should tremble; the inhabited world should stand in awe of such amazing power. The words rendered a standing water, mean properly a pool of water. They indicate nothing in regard to the permanency of that pool; they do not imply that it remained as a standing pool during the sojourn of the Israelites in the wilderness, — whatever may have been the fact in regard to that. The simple idea is, that, at the time referred to, the rock was converted into a pool; that is, the waters flowed from the rock, constituting such a pool, ^ The flint. Another name for the rock,— used here to describe the greatness of the miracle. If Into a fountain of waters. That is. The waters flowed from the rock as from a fountain. The Bible is a book of miracles, and there is nothing more improbable in this miracle than in any other.

In the Septuagint, the Latin Vulgate, the Syriac, the Arabic, and in many manuscripts, there is no division of the psalm here, but the following psalm is united with this, as if they were a single poem. IFAt/, in those versions, the division of the Hebrew was not followed, cannot now be ascertained. The division in the Hebrew is a natural division, and was evidently made in the original composition.

It is not possible now to ascertain on what occasion this psalm was composed, or who was its author. It has been generally believed that it was written in the later periods of the Jewish history, and after the captivity m Babylon. There is no improbability in the supposition, though there is nothing so marked in the psalm as to make this supposition necessary. It is evident from vers. 2, 3, that it was composed in a time of national calamity, and especially of such national disaster as might lead the surrounding nations to say of them that they were forsaken by the God whom they worshipped. This charge is replied to by saying that what had occuiTed had taken place under the Divine permission, and was no proof that Jehovah was not the true God. This thought leads the author of the psalm to prove the utter powerlessness of idols as compared with Jehovah, and, in view of this, to exhort the people of Israel still to trust in their own God as the Bemg m whom alone they could hope for protection and safety.

I. A statement that all which they had was to be traced to God, ver. 1.

II. The existing troubles of the nation as being so great that the heathen were led to infer that Jehovah could not help them, and to ask, with some show of plausibility, where now was the God in whom they trusted? ver. 2.

III. The general statement of the psalmist that what had occurred was to Be traced to God; that it was not evidence that he had forsaken them, but was proof that he was a sovereign, ver. 3. j • m •

IV. A statement of the utter weakness, helplessness, and mefflciency of idols; of their entire powerlessness as being without life; and of the stupidity and folly of worshipping such lifeless objects, vers. 4-8.

V. An exhortation to trust in the Lord, on the ground of what he had done, and of the blessings which were to be expected of him, vers. 9-16.

VI. An exhortation to do this at once, since death would soon occur, and praise could not be rendered to him in the grave, vers. 17, 18.

give glory, for thy mercy, and for tliy truth's sake.

2 Wherefore ' should the heathen say, Where is now their

3 But » our God is in the heavens; he hath done whatsoever he hath pleased.

1. Not unto us, O LOED, not unto us, but unto thy name give glory. This apparently abrupt commencement of the psalm was undoubtedly in reference to some circumstances which would be well understood at the time when the psalm was composed, but which cannot be definitely ascertained now. It seems to have been in view of some existing troubles, and the language at the same time expresses a hope of the Divine interposition, and a feeling that the praise of such interposition would belong wholly to God. The phrase "give glory" means, give all the honour and praise. See Notes on Ps. xxix. 1, 2. If T'or thy mercy. The mercy or the favour which we seek and look for, — thy gracious help in the time of trouble. ^ And /or thy truth's sake. Thy faithfulness to thy promises; thy faithfulness to thy people. The psalmist anticipated this manifestation of faithfulness with confidence; he felt that all the praise for such an anticipated interposition would belong to God.

2. Wherefore should the heathen say. The nations; they who worshipped idols, and who claimed that those idols were true gods. Why should we, thy people, be so left, so forsaken, so afflicted, as to lead these idolaters to suppose that we worship a false God, or that the God whom we adore is destitute of power or faithfulness; — either that he does not exist, or that he cannot be relied on. It is evident that they were now in circumstances which would give some plausibility to the question here asked. ^ Where is noio their God? They seem to be forsaken. God, the God whom they worship, does not come forth for their defence. If he exists at all, he is destitute of power, or he is not true to the people who worship him, and he cannot be trusted. Comp. Notes on Ps. xlii. 3, 10; Ixxix. 10.

3. But our Qod is in the heavens. The Septuagint adds, " and in the earth." This is not, however, in the Hebrew. The idea is. Our God really exists. He is the true God. He reigns in heaven. His plans are such as are and should be formed in heaven: — lofty, vast, incomprehensible. But he is still our God; our Ruler; our Protector. He is not a god of earth — whose origin is earth, — who dwells on earth alone, — like the idols of the heathen; but the whole vast universe is under his control. If -Se hath done whatsoever he hath pleased. And, therefore, what has been done is right, and we should be submissive to it. He is a sovereign God; and mysterious as are his doings, and much as there seems to be occasion to ask the question " Where is now your God?" yet we are to feel that what has occurred has been in accordance with his eternal plans, and is to be submitted to as a part of his arrangements. It is, in fact, always a sufficient answer to the objections which are made to the government of God, as if he had forsaken his people in bringing affliction on them, and leaving them, apparently without interposition, to poverty, to persecution, and to tears, that he is " in the heavens;" that he rules there and everywhere; that he has his own eternal purposes; and that all things are

4 Their idols " are silver and gold, tlie work of men's hands.

5 They have mouths, but they speak not; eyes have they, but they see not;

6 They have ears, but they hear not; noses have they, but

7 They have hands, but they handle not; feet have they, but they walk not; neither speak they through their throat.

8 They that make them are like unto them; so is every one that trusteth in them.

ordered in accordance with his will. There must, therefore, be some good reason why events occur as they actually do.

4. Their idols. Their gods — the gods which they worship, as contrasted with the God whom we adore. The design of this description (vers. 4-8) is to show the utter vanity of trusting in such gods, and to lead the people of Israel to put their trust in the true God — in Jehovah. ^ Are silver and gold. Made of silver and gold, and they must have, therefore, the properties of silver and gold. They can be of value only as silver and gold. They cannot do the work of mind; they cannot do the work of God. The psalmist was not disposed to depreciate the real value of these idols, or to throw contempt on them which they did not deserve. He was disposed to treat them fairly. They were silver and gold; they had an intrinsic value as such; they showed in the value of the material how much the heathen were disposed to honour their objects of worship; and they were not held up to contempt as shapeless blocks of wood or stone. The psalmist might have said that most of them were made of wood or stone, and were mere shapeless blocks; but it is always best to do justice to an adversary, and not to attempt to underrate what he values. The argument of an infidel on the subject of religion may be utterly worthless as an argument for infidelity, but it may evince ability, learning, subtilty, clearness of reasoning, and even candour; — and it is best to admit this, if it is so, and to give to it all the credit which it deserves as a specimen of reasoning, or as stating a real diificulty which ought to be solved by somebody, — to call it "silver and gold" if it is so, and not to characterize it as worthless, weak, stupid — the result of ignorance and folly. He has great advantage in an argument who owns the real force of what an opponent says; he gains nothing who charges it as the offspring of stupidity, ignorance, and folly — unless he can show that it is so. ^ The work of men's hands. Shaped and fashioned by men's hands. They cannot, therefore, be superior to those who made them; they cannot answer the purpose of a God.

5-7. They have mouths, etc. They are shaped like men, but have none of the attributes of intelligent beings.

8. They that make them are like unto them. Stupid; senseless; irrational. See Notes on Isa. xliv. 9-20. IT So is every one that trusteth in them. Men who do this show that they are destitute of all the proper attributes of reason, since such gods cannot help them. It is most.strange, as it appears to us, that the worshippers of idols did not themselves see this; but this is in reality no more strange than that sinners do not see the folly of their course of sin; that men do not see the folly of worshipping no God. In fact, there is less of folly among the

9 O Israel, trust thou in tlie Lord -.he is "' their telp and their shield/

10 O house of Aaron, trust in the Lokd: he is their help and theii' shield.

11 Te that fear the Loed, trust in the Lokd: he is their help and their shield.

12 The Lord hath been mindful v of us: he will bless

heathen than there is in this class of men. The worship of an idol shows at least that there is some religious tendency in the mina; some conviction that God ought to be worshipped,- some aspii-ation after a proper object of worship; some appreciation of the true dignity and rank of man as made for worship; but what shall be said of the man who evinces no such tendency,— who has no such aspiration or desire,— who endeavours to extinguish in his nature all that was designed to express the idea of worship, or to lead him to God,— who never starts the inquiry whether there is a God,— who never prays for light, for guidance, for pardon, for a preparation for death and eternity,—who never even testifies so much interest in religion as to set up an image of gold, or wood, or stone, as indicative of the fact that he is made above the brutes? There are multitudes of the heathen less stupid and foolish than men in Christian lands.

9. O Israel, trust thou in the Loed. This exhortation is founded in a great measure on what had been just said in regard to idols. They had no power. There was no reason why they should be confided in. They could not help in the day of trouble; and as men need a god, and as the idols cannot be to them as gods, the exhortation is addressed to his people to trust him. He would be to them all that was imphed in the name Ood; all that was wanted in a Qod. If Se is their help. The help of those who trust in him. He is able to help them m the time of trouble; he is willing to help them; he will help them. 'Hiey who put their trust in him will find him a sure and certain help, ihis is the experience of all who confide in him. % And their shield. Their protector. See Notes on Ps. v. 12; xviii. 2; xxxiii. 20. Comp. Gen. XV. 1; Deut. xxxiii. 29; Prov. xxx. 5. -, j. r

10. 0 house of Aaron, etc. Ministers of religion; descendants ot Aaron. His family was consecrated to the various services of the sanc-

"n!" Ye that fear the Lobd, etc. All the people that reverence God; all his true worshippers.

12. The Lord hath heen mindful of us. This would be pecuharly appropriate if the psalm was written, as is commonly supposed, after the return from the captivity of Babylon. In such circumstances it would be every way proper to bring before the mind of the people the fact that God had remembered them and had delivered them. ^ He will bless us. Our past experience furnishes the fullest evidence that he wUl continue to bless us. He who has delivered us from so great calamities, and who has restored us to our native land after so long and 80 painful a captivity, will not forsake us now. There can be now no circumstances in which he cannot bestow on us all the blessings which we need; there will be none when we may not hope that he wiU blesa us. If he could save us from such troubles, he can save us from all j

us: he will bless tlie house of Israel; he will bless the house of Aaron.

13 He = wiU bless them that fear the LoKD, both small ' and great.

14 The Lord shall increase you more and more, you and your childi-en.

15 Ye o a/re blessed of the LOED, which made heaven and earth.

16 The heaven, even the heavens, are the Lokd's: but the earth hath he given to the children of men.

17 The dead * praise not the

if he did thus interpose, we may argue that he will always grant us his help when we need it. ^ He will bless the house of Israel; he will bless the house of Aaron. Comp. vers. 9, 10.

13. Se will bless them that fear the Loed. Comp. ver. 11. ^ Both small and great. Marg., as in Heb., with. The little with the great; children and grown persons; the poor and the rich j the ignorant and the learned; those of humble rank, and those of most exalted birth and condition.

14. The LOED shall increase you more and more. He will increase your numbers and your power. We may suppose tliat the people were "greatly diminished by the captivity, and that on their return to their country their number was comparatively small. This promise of a great increase was in accordance with the cherished wishes of the ■^^^ebrew people, and with the repeated promises which God had made to their fathers. Comp. Gen. xv. 5; xxii. 17; xxxii. 12. % You and your children. The blessing shall be not only on you, but it shall go down to future generations.

15. Te are blessed of the Loan. Blessed in your present comforts and mercies; blessed in his promises in regard to the time to come,• blessed in the prospects which are before you. ^ Which made heaven and earth. The true God; the great Creator of all things. It was not the blessing of a creature — man or angel — it was the blessing of the living God.

16. The heaven. Heb., The heavens. •[[ Even the heavens are tlie Loed's. a more literal and correct rendering of this would be, " The heavens are heavens for Jehovah." That is, he has reserved the heavens as a home for himself, or as his peculiar possession and abode. Comp. Isa. Ixvi. 1; Matt. v. 34; Acts vii. 49. IT ^ut the earth, etc. He prepared earth for the abode of man; he has placed man upon it to cultivate it; he has given its fruits and productions to man, to be held and enjoyed by man; he has made all on earth subject to man, — the dwellers in the air, the land, and the waters. All this he has given to man; not to the angels. Earth is the home of man, the birth-place of man; the place where he lives, where he shows the result of his toil, his skill, and his ingenuity; the place where he builds houses, bridges, monuments, works of aft; the place where he prepares for another state of existence; the place where he dies, and is buried. It is, as formed by the Creator, a beautiful abode fitted up for man; how much more beautiful would it be, if man never defiled or desolated it by sin! how happy an abode would it have been if sin had never entered it!

Lord from this time forth and for evermore. Praise the Lord.

those who are dead caunofc praise God, or cannot worship him, this should be done while we are in the land of the living. This opportunity, like all other opportunities, will be cut off in the grave, and hence we should be faithful in this duty, and should avail ourselves of this privilege, while life lasts. In regard to the sentiment here expressed, and the grounds on which that sentiment was entertained, see Notes on Isa. xxxviii. 18, 19; Ps. vi. 5. ^ Neither any that go down into silence. Into the grave — the land of silence, Ps. xciv. 17. Nothing is more impressive in regard to the grave than its utter silence. Not a voice, not a sound, is heard there, — of birds or men — of song or conversation — of the roaring of the sea, the sighing of the breeze, the fury of the storm, the tumult of battle. Perfect stillness reigns there; and the tirst sound that shall be heard there will be the archangel's trump.

18. But we will bless the Loed, etc. While life lasts; now and ever onward. Our lives are spared; and while those lives shall be continued they shall be spent in praise. We will transmit the praise to future times; and when we are dead, the voice of praise shall be prolonged by those who come after us. It may be added here that we have now higher and clearer views of the grave and of the future world than the psalmist had, and that though it is certain that our voices of praise must be stilled by death, yet in another world we shall continue the work of praise in strains more lofty than here, and in a continuance of service that shall never end. The gi-ave is, indeed, before us all; but so is also heaven, if we belong to those who truly fear the Lord, and who sincerely worship him through Christ Jesus.

The author and date of this psalm are unknown. It seems to be rather of a private than a public character, and there are expressions in it which must have been dra^vn from the personal experience of its writer. It is adapted to public use only because m all public assemblages there are those who would find their own experience represented by the language of the psalm. It ma)/ have been composed after the return from Babylon, but there is nothing in the psalm to limit it to that time, and the language is such that it ma^j have been composed at any period after Jerusalem became the place of public worship, ver. 19.

The Septuagint and the Latin Vulgate, which combined the two previous psalms into one, divide this into two, at the end of ver. 9. The reason why this was done is imknown.

The psalm appears to have been composed in reference to a dangerous sickness, or some deep affliction which threatened life, vers. 3, 8, 9, 15; and it expresses a purpose to praise and serve God in view of the fact that the author had been delivered from impending death, and that his days had been lengthened out upon the earth.

I. An expression of love and gratitude in view of the mercies of God, and of a purpose to serve him as long as life should last, vers. 1, 2.

n. A description of his sufferings, as if the pains of hell had seized him, vers. 3, 4.

PSALM CXYI. T LOYE "^ tlie Lord, because •*- lie hatli heard my voice and my supplications.

2 Because lie hath, inclined his ear unto me, therefore will

3 The son-ows of death compassed me, and ' the pains of heU 2 gat hold upon me: I found trouble and sorrow.

HI. A description of the mercy and goodness of God as interposing in answer to his prayer, and delivering him, vers. 5-11.

IV. A solemn declaration of his pui-pose to praise God for all his mercies; to take the cup of salvation and call on his name; to pay his vows in the presence of the people of God; to offer the sacrifice of thanksgiving; to worship in the courts of the Lord's house, in the midst of Jerusalem, vers. 12-19.

1. I love the LoED. The Hebrew rather means, " I love, because the Lord hath heard," etc. That is, the psalmist was conscious of love; he felt it glowing in his soul; his heart was full of that peculiar joy, tenderness, kindness, peace, which love produces; and the soui'ce or reason of this, he says, was that the Lord had heard him in his prayers. ^ Because he hath heard, etc. That is. This fact was a reason for loving him. The psalmist does not say that this was the only reason, or the main reason for loving him, but that it was tlie reason for that peculiar joy of love which he then felt in his soul. The main reason for loving God is his own excellency of nature; but still there are other reasons for doing it, and among them are the benefits which he has conferred on us, and which awaken the love of gratitude. Comp. Notes on 1 John iv. 19.

2. Because he hath inclined his ear unto me. See Notes on Ps. v. 1. Because he has been gracious to me, and has heard my prayers. This is a good reason for serving God, or for devoting ourselves to him, but it is not the only reason. We ought to worship and serve God whether he hears our prayers or not; whether he sends joy or sorrow; whether we are favoured with prosperity, or are sunk in deep affliction. Men have worshipped God even when they have had no evidence that he heard their prayers; and some of the most pure acts of devotion on earth are those which come from the very depths of darkness and sorrow. *![ Therefore will I call upon him as long as I live. Marg., as in Heb., in my days. Encouraged by the past, I will continue to call upon him in the future. I will retain a firm faith in the doctrine that he hears prayer, and I will express my practical belief in the truth of that doctrine by regular and constant habits of worship. When a man once has evidence that God has heard his prayer, it is a reason why he should ■always call on him in similar circumstances, for God does not change.

3. The sorrows of death. What an expression! We know of no intenser sorrows pertaining to this world than those which we associate with the dying struggle — whether our views in regard to the reality of such sorrows be correct or not. We may be — we probably are — mistaken in regard to the intensity of sufiering as ordinarily experienced in death; but still we dread those sorrows more than we do anything else, and all that we dread may be experienced then. Those sorrows, therefore, become the representation of the intensest forms of suffering;

4 Then / called I upon the name of the Lord: O Lord, I beseech thee, deliver my soul.

6 The Lord preserveth the simple: I was brought low, and he helped me.

and sucli, the psalmist says, he experienced on the occasion to which he refers. There would seem in his case to have been two things combined, as they often are: — (1) actual suffering from some bodily malady which threatened his life, vers. 3, 6, 8-10 j (2) mental sorrow as produced by the remembrance of his sins, and the apprehension of the future, ver. 4. See Notes on Ps. xviii. 5. IT ^nd the pains of hell. The pains of S7ieol—B.£ides; the grave. See Notes on Ps. xvi. 10; Job X. 21, 22; Isa. xiv. 9. The pain or suffering connected with going down to the grave, or the descent to the nether world; the pains of death. There is no evidence that the psalmist here refers to the pains of hell, as we understand the word, as a place of punishment, or that he means to say that he experienced the sorrows of the damned. The sufferings which he referred to were those of death— the descent to the tomb. \ Gat hold upon me. Marg., as in Heb., found me. They discovered me — as if they had been searching for me, and had at last found my hiding-place. Those sorrows and pangs, ever in pursuit of us, will soon find us all. We cannot long escape the pursuit. Death tracks us, and is upon our heels. If I found trouble and sorroiu. Death found me, and I found trouble and sorrow. I did not seek it, but in what I tvas seeking I found this. Whatever we fail to " find " in the pursuits of life, we shall not fail to find the troubles and sorrows connected with death. They are in our path wherever we turn, and we cannot avoid them.

4. Then called I upon the name of the Loed. Upon the Lord. I had no other refuge. I felt that I must perish unless he should interpose, and I pleaded with him for deliverance and life. Comp. Notes on Ps. xviii. 6. 'K O liom), I beseech tJtee, deliver mi/ soul. My life. Save me from death. This was not a cry for salvation, but for life. It is an example for us, however, to call on God when we feel that the soul is in danger of perishing, for then, as in the case of the psalmist, we have no other refuge but God.

5. Gracious is the Loed. This fact was his encouragement when he called on God. He believed that God was a gracious Being, and he found him to be so. Comp. Notes on Heb. xi. 6. 1" And righteous, etc. Just; true; faithful. This, too, is a proper foundation of appeal to God: — not that we are righteous, and have a claim to his favour, but that he is a Being who will do what is right; that is, what is best to be done in the case. If he were an unjust Being; if he were one on whose stability of character, and whose regard for right, no reliance could be placed, we could never approach him with confidence or hope. In this sense we may rely on \\\s justice — Vis justness of character— as a ground of hope. Comp. Notes on 1 John i. 9: " If we confess our sins, he is faithful ii.niS.just to forgive us our sins."

6. The Loed preserveth the simple. The LXX. render this lobes — vijTTiM. The Hebrew word has reference to simplicity or foDy, as in Prov. i. 22. It then refers to those who are the opposite of cautious

7 K-etum tinto thy rest,* O my soul; for the Lord hath dealt bountifully with thee.

8 For thou hast delivered

9 I wiU walk before the Lord in the land of the living.

or cunning; to those who are open to persuasion; to those who are easily enticed or seduced. The verb from which the word is derived — • riDD) fathah — means to open, to expand; then, to be open, frank, ingenuous, easily persuaded or enticed. Thus it may express either the idea of being simple in the sense of being foolish, easily seduced and led astray; or, simple in the sense of being open, frank, ingenuous, trustful, sincere. The latter is evidently its meaning here. It refers to one of the characteristics of true piety, — that of unsuspecting trust in God. It would describe one who yields readily to truth and duty; one who has singleness of aim in the desire to honour God; one who is without guile, trick, or cunning. Such a man was Nathanael (John i. 47): " Behold an Israelite indeed, in whom is no guile." The Hebrew word used here is readered simple, Ps. xix. 7; cxix. 130; Prov. i. 4, 22, 32; vii. 7; viii. 5; ix. 4; xiv. 15, 18; xix. 25; xxi. 11; xxii. 3; xxvii. 12; Ezek. xlv. 20; and foolish, Prov. ix. 6. It does not elsewhere occur. The meaning here is, that the Lord preserves or keeps those who have simple and unwavering trust in him; those who are sincere in their profeseions; those who rely on his word. ^ I was brought low. By affliction and trial. The Hebrew literally means to hang down, to be pendulous, to swing, to wave — as a bucket in a well, or as the slender branches of the palm, the willow, etc. Then it means to be slack, feeble, weak, as in sickness, etc. See Notes on Ps. Ixxix. 8. Here it probably refers to the prostration of strength by disease. 1[ And he helped me. He gave me strength; he restored me.

7. Return unto thy rest, 0 my soul. Luther, " Be thou again joyful, 0 my soul." The meaning seems to be, " Return to thy former tranquillity and calmness; thy former freedom from fear and anxiety." He had passed through a season of great danger. His soul had been agitated and terrified. That danger was now over, and he calls upon his soul to resume its former tranquillity, calmness, peace, and freedom from alarm. The word does not refer to God considered as the " rest " of the soul, but to what^he mind of the psalmist had been, and might now be again. ^ For the LoED hath dealt bountifully with thee. See Notes om Ps. xiii. 6.

8. For thou hast delivered my soul from death. My life. Thou hast saved me from death. This is such language as would be used by one who had been dangerously ill, and who had been restored again to health. % Mine eyes from tears. Tears which he had shed in his sickness, and in the apprehension of dying. It may refer to tears shed on other occasions, but it is most natural to refer it to this. Comp. Notes on Ps. vi. 6. If And my feet from falling. From stumbling. That is, he had not, as it were, fallen by the way, and been rendered unable to pursue the journey of life. All this seems to refer to one occasion — to a time of dang-erous illness.

11 I said in my haste, All men are liars.

Isa. xxxviii. 20. This expresses a full belief that he would live, and a purpose to live "before the Lord;" that is, as in his presence, in his service, and enjoying communion with him.

10. I helieved, therefore Tiave I spoken. This, in the Septuagiut and Latin Vulgate, begins a new psalm, but without any good reason. This language is borrowed by the Apostle Paul to express his confidence in the truth of the gospel, and the efl'ect which that confidence had on him in causing him to declare the truth. 2 Cor. iv. 13. The meaning here is, that in the time of his afiliction the psalmist had true faith in God; and, as a result of that, he was able now to speak as he did. At that timie he trusted in God; he called on him; he sought his mercy, and God heard his prayer; and now, as the consequence of that, he was enabled to give utterance to these thoughts. Faith was at the foundation of his recovery, and he was now reaping the fruits of faith. ^ I was greatly afflicted. In danger of death. The psalmist reviewed this now, and he saw that all that he had felt and dreaded was real. He loas in imminent danger. There loas occasion for the tears which he shed. There toas reason for the earnestness of his cry to God.

11. I said in my haste. The Hebrew word here used means to flee in haste; to be in alarm and trepidation; and the idea seems to be, that the assertion referred to was made under the influence of excitement, — or that it was not the result of sober reflection, but of an agitated state of mind. It does not necessarily imply that that which was said was false, for many true statements may be made when the mind is agitated and excited; but the meaning is, that he was then in such a state of mind as to suggest the belief, and to cause the assertion that all men are liars. Whether calm reflection would, or would not, confirm this impression of the moment would be a fair question after the excitement was over. ^ All men are liars. Are false; no one is to be relied on. This was said in the time of his afiliction, and this added much to his afiliction. The meaning is that, in those circumstances of distress, no one came to his aid; no one sympathized with him; there was no one to whom he could unbosom himself; no one seemed to feel any interest in him. There were relatives on whom he might have supposed that he could rely j there may have been those to whom he had shown kindness in similar circumstances; there may have been old friends whose sympathy he might have had reason to expect; but all failed. No one came to help him. No one shed a tear over his sorrows. No one showed himself true to friendship, to sympathy, to gratitude. All men seemed to be false; and he was shut up to God alone. A similar thing is referred to in Ps. xli, 5-9; Ixxxviii. 18; comp. also Job xix. 13-17. This is not an unnatural feeling in afiliction. The mind is then sensitive. We need friends then. We expect our friends to show their friendship then. If they do not do this, it seems to us that the entire world is false. It is evident from the whole course of remark here that the psalmist on reflection felt that he had said this without due thought, under the influence of excitement, — and that he was disposed, when his mind was restored to calmness, to think better of mankind than he did in the day of afliliction and trouble. This also

12 What shall I render unto tlie Lord for all tis benefits toward me?

13 I wiU take the cup of salvation, and call upon the name

14 I '" will pay my vows unto the LoED now in the presence of all his people.

is not uncommon. The world is much better than we think it is when our own minds are morbid and our nerves are unstrung; and bad as the world is, our opinion of it is not unfrequently the result rather of our own wrong feeling than of just reflection on the real character of mankind.

12. What shall I render unto the Loed for all his lenejits toward me? All his " recompences," — the same word which in ver. 7 is rendered " hath dealt bountifully." The question here has reference to that. What return can be equal to his bounties; what will be a proper acknowledgment of them; with what can I repay him for them all? The question is a natural and a proper question. It is one which we naturally ask when we "iiave received a favour from our fellowmortals; how much more proper is it in view of the favours which we receive from God, — especially in view of the mercy of God in the gift of a Saviour; the love manifested in the redemption of the soul! What CAN be an adequate return for love like that,— for mercies so great, so undeserved?

13. I tvill take the cup of salvation. Comp. Notes on Ps. xi. 6. The " cup of salvation " means the cup by which his sense of the greatness of the salvation might be expressed— the cup of thanksgiving. Comp. Notes on 1 Cor. x. 16. The reference seems to be to a custom in festivals of drinking a cup of wine as a special expression of thanks or of obligation. The act would be more solemn, and the truth more deeply impressed on the mind, when accompanied by some religious rite — some ceremonial, as in the Lord's Supper, expressly designed to call the mercy of God to remembrance. ^ And call upon the name of the Loed. Engage in a solemn act of devotion; make it a matter of special ceremony or observance to call the mercy of God to remembrance. This was one way of rendering to the Lord a return for the benefits received at his hands;— as it is now. Christians do this at the table of the Lord — in the observance of the Lord's Supper.

14. I tvill pay my voivs, etc. I will perform or execute. The word voios here refers probably to the solemn promise which he had made in his sickness — the promise to devote himself to God, should he be restored to health. Comp. Notes on Isa. xxxviii. 15, 20. Such pro-

■ mises are commonly made in sickness, and, alas! almost as commonly disregarded and forgotten on a restoration to health. Yet such vows should be sacredly observed, for (a) They are right and proper; (b) they are made in most solemn circumstances; (c) they are usually sincere; (d) they are of the nature of a covenant with God; (e) they are_ made when we are in the best position to take just views of life — of this life, and of the life to come;.(/) the subsequent life would be happier and better if they were faithfully carried out. Comp. Notes on Ps. xxii. 25; Ixvi. 13, 14. IF In the presence of all his people. Publicly. The vows were made in private; on the sick bed; when alone; in the silence of the night-watches; when no eye was upon him who made them but the eye of God. There is a propriety, however, that the expression of thanksgiving should be public. Compare Isa. xxxviii. 20. Indeed, nothing is more proper than public thanks for a restoration from sickness; and as in our public assemblies prayer is often specially offered for the sick at their own request, so it would be equally proper that, at their request, public thanks should be rendered for theiirecovei-y. _.

15. Precious in the sight of the Lokd is the death of his saints. Of his people; his friends. Luther renders this, " The death of his saints is held to be of value"— (wif tverth ffehalten)—" hefore the Lord." The word rendered precious — nf>\ yakar — means costly, as precious stones, 1 Kings x. 2, 10, 11; /ear, beloved, as relatives and friends, Ps. xlv. 9; honoured, respected, Ecc. x. 1,• splendid, heautiful. Job xxxi. 26; rare, 1 Sam. iii. 1. The idea here is, that the death of saints is an object of value; that God regards it as of importance; that it is connected with his great plans, and that there are great purposes to be accomplished by it. The idea here seems to be that the death of a good man is in itself of so much importance, and so connected with the glory of God and the accomplishment of his purposes, that he will not cause it to take place except in circumstances, at times, and in a manner, which will best secure those ends. The particular thought in the mind of the psalmist seems to have been that as he had been preserved when he was apparently so near to death, it must have been because God saw that the death of one of his friends was a matter of so much importance that it should occur only when the most good could be effected by it, and when the ends of life had been accompHshed; that God would not decide on this hastily, or without the best reasons; and that, therefore, he had interposed to lengthen out his life still longer. Still, there is a general truth implied here, to wit, that the act of removing a good man from the world is, so to speak, an act of deep deliberation on the part of God; that good, and sometimes great, ends are to be accomplished by it; and that, therefore, God regards it with special interest. It is of value or importance in such respects as the following: — (1) As it is the removal of another of the redeemed to glory — the addition of one more to the happy hosts above; (2) as it is a new triumph of the work of redemption,— showing the power and the value of that work; (3) as it often furnishes a more direct proof of the reality of religion than any abstract argument could do. How much has the cause of religion been promoted by the patient deaths of Ignatius, and Polycarp, and Latimer, and Kidley, and Huss, and Jerome of Prague, and the hosts of the martyrs! What does not the world owe, and the cause of religion osve, to such scenes as occurred on the death-beds of Baxter, and Thomas Scott, and Halyburtou, and Paysou! _ What an argument for the truth of religion, — what an illustration of its sustaining power, — what a source of comfort to us who are soon to die, — to reflect that religion does not leave the believer when he most needs its support and consolations; that it can sustain us in the severest trial of our condition here; that) it can illuminate what seems to us of all places most dark, cheerless, dismal, repulsive—" the valley of the shadow of death!"

16 0 LoED, truly I am thj sei-vant; I atn zhj sei-vant, and the son of thine handmaid: thou hast loosed my bonds.

17 I will offer to thee the sacrifice " of thanksgiving, and will call upon the name of the Lord. o Lev. vii. 12.

18 I P will pay my vows unto the LoED now in the presence of all his people,

19 In the courts « of the Loed's house, in the midst of thee, O Jerusalem. Praise ye the LoED.

16. 0 LoED, trull/ I am thi/ servant. In view of thy mercy in delivering me from death, I feel the obligation to give myself to thee. I see in the fact that thou hast thus delivered me, evidence that I am thy servant — that I am so regarded by thee; and I recognize the obligation to live as becomes one who has had this proof of favour and mercy. ^ The son of thine handinaid. Of a pious mother. I see now the result of my training. 1 call to my recollection the piety of a mother. I remember how she served thee; how she trained me up for thee; I see now the evidence that her prayers were heard, and that her efforts were blessed in endeavouring to train me up for thee. The psalmist saw now that, under God, he owed all this to the pious efforts of a mother, and that God had been pleased to bless those efforts in making hitn his child, and in so guidiug him that it was not improper for him to speak of himself as possessing and carrying out the principles of a sainted mother. It is not uncommon — and in such cases it is proper — that all the evidence which we may have that we are pious, — that we are living as we ought to live, — that we are receiving special favours from God, — recalls to our minds the instructions of early years, the counsels and prayers of a holy father or mother. ^ Thou hast loosed my bonds. The bonds of disease; the fetters which seemed to have made me a prisoner to Death. I am now free again. I walk at large. I am no longer the captive — the prisoner — of disease and pain.

17. Itfill offer to thee the sacrifice of thanlcsgiving. I will publicly thank and praise thee. See Notes on Ps. cvii. 22. ^ And will call upon the name of the LOED. Will worship and praise the Lord.

19. In the cotirts of the Loed's house. See Notes on Ps. Lxv. 4. Comp. Ps. Isxxiv. 2; xcii. 13; xcvi. 8; c. 4; cxxxv. 2. ^ In the midst of thee, 0 Jerusalem. Where the tabernacle, and afterwards the temple, was reared. ^ Praise ye the Loed. Hallelujah. A call on others to join in the praise of God. The psalmist felt his own heart drawn to the service of praise by all the mercies of God; he desired, as an expression of his own feelings, that others should unite with him in that sacred exercise. When our own hearts are filled with gratitude, we wish that all others may partake of the same feeling.

The occasion and the author of this psalm are aKke unknown. De "Wette regards it as a Temple-psalm, and agrees with Piosenmiiller in the supposition that it was sung either at the beginning or the end of the service in the temple. Knapp supposes that it was used as an intermediate service, sung during the progress of the general service to vary the devotion,

A PRAISE •• the Lord, all ye nations: praise H01, all and to awaken a new interest in the service, either sung by a choir or by

^^L^'manyC^uscripts of Kennicott and De Kossi, and in several editions of the SmZrTthis Jsalm is united with the foUowing. The psalm has no SdepenS character or meaning of its o.vn, and seems to ^avebf ^ <i^; Ki^prl like the "Doxoloffies" in our Books of Psahns and Hymns, to be Shed to o^er psalms%s occasion might require. There is no psalm designed for pubUc worship to which it might not thus properly be attached.

1. 0 praise the Loed, all ye nations. The idea is that God has a claim to'universal worship), and that all t^e nations of the earth are under obligations to adore him as the true God. He is not the God of the Hebrew people only, but of all people; h>s pra.se ^^lo'^ldj.e celebrated not merely by one nation, but by all This is one of the Dassages in the -Old Testament, anticipating what is more fully dis- Eed fu the New Testament, in which the sacred writer extends his vh on beyond the narrow boundaries of Judea, and looks to the world the whole world, as the theatre on which the true religion was to be ^spCd! and for which it was designed. It is 1-guage such as «,o«W be indited by the Spirit of inspiration on the supposition that the time would come when the barrier between Jews '^^d Gentiles would be broken down, and when all the nations of the earth would be m the nosses^ionT the true religion, and would unite in the worship of the Lme God. This doctrine: however, was not fully made known until the coming of the Redeemer. The announcement of this was made by he Relemer himself (comp. Matt. viii. 11,• xii. 21; —"- 19) L P^u the occasion of no small part of the trouble which the Apost e Paul had with his countrymen (comp. Acts xui. 46; xviii. 6; xxi. Zi, xx i. 21 xivi 20, 23); it was one of the doctrines which Paul especially endeavoured to establish, as a great truth of Christianity, that all the baiTers between the nations were to be broken down and he Gospel proclaimed to all men alike, Rom. m. 29; ix. 24 30; xi. 11; xv. 9-11, 16 18 Gal. ii. 2; Eph. ii. 11-18; ili. 1-9. It is under the gospel th^t this language becomes peculiarly appropriate. J P^^^^^^^' allleveovle. People of all lands. The word here rendered praise- S SaM-means properly to soothe, to still, to restram.-as, for example billows (Ps. Ixxxix. 9); and then, to praise, astf to soothe Zhni,-Llcere laudibus, Pacuv. The idea of sootMng or nnt^. JaJLrhowever, is not necessarily in the word, but it may be underftooKii the general sense of praise. We may in fact of en soothe or nppease men-angry, jealous, suspicious men-by skdful flattery or Ee-f^r there are few, even when under the influence of anger or Tatied who may not thus be approached, or who do not value praise and commendation more thaa they do the indulgence of passion;_ but we canno" hope thus to appease the anger of God. ^e. 'ipProach him to utter our deep sense of his goodness, and our ^«";;^,t„7j°l^^^ J^^; racter; we do not expect to turn him from anger to love-to make him forget his iustice or our sins— by soothing flattery. 1 pfrUs merciful kir^ness is great toward us. His kmdness; his

Praise ve the compassion; his love. All natious — all people — may say this, and therefore the psalm is adapted to universal praise. Especially may this he said in view of the love of God to mankind in the gift of a Saviour — a Saviour not for any one people peculiarly or exclusively, but for the world, John iii. 16. % And the truth of the LoED endureth /or ever. All that God has said: — his declarations; his promises; his assurances of mercy. They are the same in all lands where they are made known, and they are the same in all ages of the world. Truth is a representation of things as they are; and truth, therefore, must he ever the same. What was true in the first ages of the world in regard to the relation of the sum of the squares on the two sides of a rightangled triangle to the square of the hypothenuse is true now, and will always be true; and so, what God has affirmed at any one time will always remain the same in all ages and in all lands. What was truth to Abraham is truth to us; what was truth to Paul is truth to us; what was truth to the martyrs is truth to us; wbat is truth to us will be truth to all generations of the world in all lands, and will be truth for ever. This fact, too, is a just foundation for universal praise, and therefore the psalm is so adapted to be used in all lands and among all people. How often in our own language has this psalm been the medium of the utterances of praise in Christian sanctuaries: —

" From all that dwell below the skies, Let the Creator's praise arise; Let the Redeemer's name be sung, Through every land, by every tongue. Eternal are thy mercies, Loril; Eternal truth attends thy word; Thy praise shall sound from shore to shore. Till suns shall rise and set no more."

Eosed, nothing can now be ascertained with certainty. The common opinion as been that it is a psalm of Daniel, and that it was composed when his troubles with Saul ceased, and when he was recognized as king. Some, however, have referred it to Hezekiah on the occasion of his restoration from sickness; others to the time of the retm-n from the Babylonish exile; and others to the time of the Maccabees. It would be useless to examine these opinions, as they are all of them mere conjecture, and as no certainty can now be anived at.

"Wliat is apparent on the face of the psalm is, that it was a psalm of thanksgiving, to be employed in the temple when an offering or sacrifice was led up to the altar (ver. 27) to be presented as an acknowledgment of mercy from God, on some occasion of deliverance from danger, by some one whose claim to rule bad been rejected, but who was now victorious over his enemies, and recognized as the rightful leader and ruler of the people. The psalm is in a measure dramatic. The author is the speaker in the first twenty-one verses; in the remainder of the psalm the priests and the people speak, and at the close, the psahnist again utters praise. The psahn consists of the following parts: — I. The author of the psalm speaks, vers. 1-21.

(1) He calls on all tc praise the Lord, and to unite with him in the expression of thanks, because what had occtuTed was a matter of interest to all the people; — to Israel, to the house of Aaron, to the priesthood, to all that feared God, vers. 1-4.

p) A description of his peril and deliverance, vers. 5-18. He had been in distress; he had called on the Lord; he had seen the benefit of trusting in the Lord rather than in man. All nations had compassed him about as bees; they had thrust sore at Mm; they had sought his life; but he had not been dismayed; he had felt, even in the midst of his dangers, that he would live to declare the works of the Lord, vers. 17, 18. (3) The speaker approaches the temple. He asks that the doors may be opened that he may enter and praise the Lord. He addresses those who have charge of the temple — the ministers of religion — and desu-es leave to come and present his offering, vers. 19-21.

II. The priests and people speak, vers. 22-27.

(1) They recognize him now as the Ruler — the comer-stone — the foundation of the nation's prosperity, and its hope. He had been rejected by those who were professedly laying the foundation of empire, but he had now established his claims to being regarded as the \evy comer-stone on which the whole edifice must rest, ver. 22.

(2) They recognize this as a marvellous work of God, and as fitted to excite the deepest admnation, ver. 23.

(3) They recognize this as a joyful day, as if God had created a day for the very purpose of celebrating an event so joyous, ver. 24.

(5) They direct him to bring his offering, and to brad it to the horns of the altar preparatory to sacrifice. He is permitted freely to come. His offering is recognized as proper, so that he can approach with an assurance of acceptance, ver. 27.

III. The author of the psalm again speaks, vers. 28, 29. He acknowledges God as his God, and calls on aU to praise liim.

Portions of the psalm are, in the New Testament, applied to Christ; and it has been made a question whether it had, or had not, an original reference to him. Thus in Matt. xxi. 42; Mark xii. 11; Luke xx. 17, it is quoted by the Saviour as illustrating a truth in regard to himself. In Acts iv. 11, the twenty-second verse of the psahn is applied by Peter to the Saviour, as having been fulfilled in him, — or, as meaning that the language of the psalm would properly describe the fact which had occuiTed in the treatment of Jesus of Nazareth. Many of the Jewish rabbins regarded the psahn aa referiing to the Messiah, and not a few Christian interpreters have supposed that it had such an original reference.

It seems clear, however, from the psalm itself that it could not have been composed primarily with reference to him. There are portions of it which cannot, without a very forced use of language, be applied to him, as for example, the allusion to the attack made by "all nations" on the person refen-ed to in the psahn (ver. 10), and in the allusion to the danger of death (vers. 17, 18). The person referred to in the psalm was in danger of death, but he was not given over to death. He had the assurance in the very midst of the danger that he would not die, but would continue to live (ver. 17). The Redeemer, however, did die. His enemies accomplished their purpose in this respect. They put him to death, though he rose again, from the dead.

It is clear, therefore, I think, that the psalm had not an original r(ference to the Messiah. Still, there is much in it which is applicable to him, and which might be used as expressive of what occuiTed to him. It contains principles also which may be as applicable to him as they were to the psalmist; and, therefore, it is used by the Saviour to enforce the moral of his own parable in reference to himself, as having had a counterpart in theno^vn history, in a case which must have been familiar to them all. As such, it is right to use it now, as illustrating what occurred in the treatment of the Redeemer.

A GIVE ' tlianks unto the ^ Lord; for lie is good; because his mercy « endureth for ever.

2 Let " Israel now say, that his mercy endureth for ever.

3 Let the house of Aaron now say, that his mercy endureth for ever.

4 Let them now that fear the LoED say, that his mercy

6 I w called upon the Loed 1 in distress: the Loed answered me, and set me in a large place.

6 The '= Loed is 2 on my side; I will not fear: what can man do unto me?

1. O give thanks unto the LoBD, etc. Let others unite with me in giving thanks to the Lord; let them see, from what has occurred in my case, what occasion there is for praise. Every instance of a particular favour shown to any one is to others an occasion for praise, inasmuch as it is an illustration of the general character of God. On this verse comp. Notes on Ps. cvi. 1. The language is nearly the same.

2. Let Israel now say, etc. The Hebrew people; the people of God. They have now, in my case, a new illustration of the mercy of God which ought to animate them, and to encourage their hearts. Comp. Ps. cxv. 9.

3. Let the house of Aaron noto say, etc. Comp. Ps. cxv. 10. The ministers of religion. They are appointed to serve God; to lead in his worship; to defend his truth; to keep up faith in the truth of religion. They are, therefore, interested in my case, and may derive from it a new proof of the merciful character of God which they may employ, not only for their own encouragement in personal piety, but in tlie duties of their office. My case furnishes a new argument, of which they can make use in defending the truth, and in illustrating the power of religion.

4. Let them now that fear the Loed say, etc. Comp. Ps. cxv. 11. All that worship God are interested in what God has done for me. It is a manifestation of the Divine character which should cheer them. They are called, therefore, to unite with the author of the psalm in praise and thanksgiving, not merely from sympathy with him, but because great truths of reUgion had been illustrated, in his case, which were of as much importance to them as to him.

5. I called, upon the Loed in distress. Marg., as in Heb., out of distress. In the very midst of trouble he called upon the Lord; his voice was heard, as it were, coming from the depth of his sorrows. See Xotes on Ps. xviii. 6. ^ The Loed answered me. That is, he heard my prayers, and delivered me. See Notes on Ps. xviii. 6. ^ And set me in a large place. I was before pressed on every side; sorrows compassed me around; I could not move; I had no liberty. Now he gave me space and fi-eedom on every side, so that I could move without obstruction or pain. This is literally, " The Loed"— (not Jehovah^ here, but Jah) — " answered me in a large place." See Notes on Ps. iv. 1; xviii. 19.

Q. The liQ^T) \s on my side. Marg., as in Heb., /or Tne. The Lord is with me. He is my helper. He defends my cause. 1 I vnll not fear.

7 The Lord taketh my pai-t with them that help me: therefore shall I see my desire upon them that hate me.

8 It y is better to trust in the Lord, than to put confidence in man:

9 It is better to trust in the Lord, than to put confidence in • piinces.

10 All nations compassed me about: but in the name of the Lord will I ' destroy

I have nothing to be afraid of. God is more mighty than any or all of my foes, and he can deliver me from them all. Comp. Ps. Ivi. 4, 9, 11. ^ TFTiat can man do unto me? Any man; all men. They can do no more than God permits. They cannot destroy me when he means to save me; they cannot defeat his gracious designs towards me. I am safe if God is my Friend. Comp. Notes on Rom. viii. 31.

7. The LOED taketh my part tvith them that help me. The psalmist had friends. There were those who stood by him. He relied, indeed, on their aid, but not on their aid without God. He felt that even their help was valuable to him only as God was with them. There was direct dependence on God in reference to himself; and there was the same sense of dependence in respect to all who were engaged in his defence. This might be rendered, however, simply "for my help," and is so rendered by De Wette. The Septuagint and Latin Vulgate render it, " The Lord is my helper." ^ Therefore shall I see my desire upon them that hate me. Literally, " I shall see upon those that hate me;" that is, I shall look upon them according to my wish; I shall see them overthrown and subdued. See Notes on Ps. liv. 7. Comp. Ps. xcii.ll; cxii. 8.

8. It is hetter to trust in the Loed than to put confidence in man. This is stated apparently as the result of his own experience. He had found men weak and faithless; he had not so found God. Comp. Ps. xl. 4; Ixii. 8, 9. Literally, "Good is it to trust in Jehovah more than to confide in man." This is the Hebrew form of comparison, and is equivalent to what is stated in our version, " It is better," etc. It is better, (1) because man is weak, — but God is Almighty; (2) because man is selfish, — but God is benevolent; (3) because man is often faithless and deceitful, — God never; (4) because there are emergencies, as death, in which man cannot aid us, however faithful, kind, and friendly he may be, — but there are no circumstances in this life, and none in death, where God cannot assist us: and (5) because the ability of man to help us pertains at best only to this present life, — the power of God will be commensurate with eternity.

9. It is better... than to put confidence in princes. Even in the most mighty of the human race; in those who of all men may be supposed to have the most ability to aid us; in those whose favour is often sought more than the favour of God. Princes are but men; often as faithless and deceitful as other men; often less reliable in their character than those in more humble life; and in the great matters where we most need aid — in sickness, in danger, in death, in the eternal world — as absolutely powerless as men in the lowest condition of poverty, or in the most humble rank.

10. All nations compassed me about. They surrounded me; they hemmed me in on every side, so that I seemed to have no chance to escape. It would seem from this that the psalm waa composed by

11 They compassed me about; yea, they compassed me about: but in the name of the Lord I will destroy

12 They compassed me about like bees; " they are quenched as the fire of thorns: ' for in the name of the Lord I will 2 destroy them.

13 Thou hast thrust sore at

some one who was at the head of the government, and whose government had heen attacked by snrrounding nations. This would accord well with many things that occui-red in the life of David; but there were also other times in the Jewish history to which it would be applicable, and there is nothing that necessarily confines it to the time of David. •([ £ut in the name of the LOED will I destroy them. Marg., as in Heb., cut them off. This is the language which he used at that time; the purpose which he then formed; an expression of the confidence which he then cherished. He meant to subdue them; he had no doubt that he would be able to do it.

11. They compassed me about; yea, they compassed me about, etc. The sentiment and the language of the previous verse are here repeated, as if to give force to what he had said, or to deepen the impression. His own mind dwelt upon it, and the events to which he referred came so vividly to his recollection, and were so important, that he dwells upon them. Tht subject was worth more than a passing remark. The mind was full, ana the language comes from an ovei-flowing heart.

12. They compassed me about like bees, (a) As thick or numerous as bees; {b) armed as bees, — or, their weapons might be compared to the stings of bees. ^ They are quenched as the fire of thorns. The Septuagint and the Vulgate render this, " They burn as the fire of thorns." The connexion would seem to demand this, but the Hebrew will not bear it. The figure is changed in the Hebrew, as is not uncommon. The mind of the psalmist at first recalls the number and the malignity of his foes; it then instantly adverts to the rapid manner in which they were destroyed. The illustration from the "fire of thorns" is derived from the fact that they quickly kindle into a blaze, and then the flame soon dies away. In Eastern countries it was common to burn over their fields in the dry time of the year, and thus to clear them of thorns and briars and weeds. Of course, at such a time they would kindle quickly, and burn rapidly, and would soon be consumed. So the psalmist says it was with his enemies. He came upon them, numerous as they were, as the fire runs over a field in a dry time, burning everything before it. Comp. Notes on Isa, xxxiii. 12. % For in the name of the Loed I will destroy them. That is, such was his purpose then; such was the reason why they so soon and suddenly disappeared.

13. Thou hast thrust sore at me that I might fall. Literally, " Thrusting thou hast thrust at me." This is" the Hebrew mode of expressing intensity, repetition, or emphasis. The meaning is, that they had made a deadly thrust at him; that they had repeated the blows; that they had come with a fierce determination to crush and destroy him. The psalmist, as it were, sees the enemy again before him, and addresses him as if he were present. Everything is vivid to the mind; the whole scene appears again to pass before him.

me, that I miglit fall: but c the i salvation is in the tabernacles of the righteous: the right hand of the LoED doeth valiantly.

16 The right hand of the Lord is exalted; the right hand of the Lord doeth valiantly.

14 The LoED <* is my strength and song, and is become my salvation.

15 The voice of rejoicing and

14. The LoED is mi/ strength and song. He is the source of strength to me; and he is the subject of my praise. There is no ground of praise in myself for anything that I have done, but all is due to him. ^ And is become my salvation. He has saved me. I live because he preserved me. So we shall be saved in heaven solely because he saves us, and there, more than can be possible here, we shall say, " God is our strength and our song, and is become our salvation."

15, 16. Tlie voice of rejoicing and salvation. Rejoicing for salvation; — song, praise, thanksgiving. Luther renders this beautifully; " They sing with joy for victory in the houses of the righteous." ^ Is in the tabernacles of the Hghteous. The tents of the righteous j their dwellings. That is, (a) it is a fact that the voice of joy and rejoicing is there; {b) it is appropriate that it should be so, or that a righteous family should be happy, — the dwelling-place of praise; (c) God will add to the happiness of the righteous, or will make their habitation happy, peaceful, blessed. There is nothing that diffuses so much happiness through a family as religion; there is no joy like that when a member of a family is converted; there is no place on earth more happy than that where a family bows before God with the feeling that all are children of God and heirs of salvation. ^ The right hand of the LoED doeth valiantly. Heb. Doeth strength. That is, God does great things, laying the foundation for joy and praise.

17. I shall not die, but live. Evidently the psalmist had apprehended that he would die; or, he had felt that he was in imminent danger of dying. In this language he seems, as in ver. 13, to go back again to the scenes referred to in the psalm. He lives them over again. Ho describes the feelings which he had then. He saw that he was in danger. His enemies were thick round about him, and sought his life. But he had then the assurance that they would not be victorious; that they would not accomplish their object; that he would be protected; that he would live to declare what God had done for him. He does not say hoio he had this assurance, but there is no impropriety in supposing that he had it, as Hezekiah had in similar circumstances (see Isa. xxxviii. 5-8, 21), by a direct Divine intimation. Things like this are not uncommon now, when, iu danger or in sickness, the mind is strongly impressed with the belief that there will be a restoration to health and safety, and when the mind is made calm and peaceful by that belief — the very calmness of the mind under such a belief contributing not a little to that result. Why should we hesitate to believe that such a faith and hope may come from the Lord? Comp. Acts xxvii. 22-25. 1" And declare the works of the LoED. Declare what he has done.

and declare tlie / works of tlie Lord.

18 Tlie Lord hatli chastened 3 me sore: but he hath not given me over unto death.

19 Open '' to me the gates of righteousness: I will go into them, and I will praise the Lord;

20 This gate of the Lord, into which the righteous shall enter.

21 I will praise thee; for thou hast heard me, and art become my salvation.

22 The » stone which the builders refused is become the head stone of the corner.

18. The LOED hath chastened me sore. Heb., "The Lord has chastened— has chastened me." See Notes on ver. 13. The psalmist had been greatly afflicted, and he now looked upon his affliction in the light of a fatherly chastkement or correction. It had been a severe trial, and he was not insensible to its severity, though he regarded it as designed for his own good. % But he hath not given me over unto death. He interposed when I was in danger; he rescued me when I was on the verge of the grave. This is the close of the psalmist's statement in regard to the Divine dealings with him. He had passed through great danger; he had been sorely afflicted; but he had been rescued and spared, and he came now to express his thanks to God for his recovery. In the following verse he addresses those who had the care of the sanctuary, and asks that he might be permitted to enter and offer his thanks to God.

19. Open to me the gates of righteousness, etc. The gates of the house devoted to a righteous God; the gates of a bouse where the principles of righteousness are strengthened, and where the just emotions of the heart may be expressed in the language of praise. Comp. Notes on Isa. xxvi. 2. The language here may be regarded as addressed to those who had charge of the house of the Lord — the priests — requesting that they would open the doors and permit him to eutO'r to praise God for his mercy. Comp. Isa. xxxviii. 20.

20. This gate of the LoED. This gate dedicated to the service of the Lord; that belongs to the house of the Lord. Tf Into which the righteous shall enter. Thi'ough which the righteous pass. That is. It is for such persons, and all who come with a purpose to serve and worship God should be permitted to pass through them; I claim the privilege, therefore, of so passing through these gates into the house of God, for I come to praise him. All who are truly righteous, all who desire to worship God, all who wish and purpose to be holy, have a right thus to enter the house of God — to be recognized as his friends — to be permitted to join in all the devotions of his people; all such will have a right to enter the temple above. None have a right to exclude them here; none in heaven will be disposed to exclude them there. '

21. I will praise thee. Within thy courts. If For thou hast heard me, and art become my salvation. See ver. 14.

22. The stone which the builders refused. See Notes on Matt. xxi. 42, 43. Comp. Mark xii. 10, 11; Acts iv. 11; 1 Pet. ii. 7. This is an allusion to a building, as if a stone should be east away hy workmen as

23 This is ' the Lord's I doing; it is marvellous in our

unfit to be worked into the edifice. The figure would then be applicable to any one who, for any purpose, was rejected. Thus it might have been applied many a time to David; so doubtless, to others who urged claims to authority and power; and so, eminently, to the Lord Jesus Christ. We are not to suppose that this had original reference to the Messiah, but the language was applicable to him; and it is used in the passages above referred to, in addresses to the Jews, merely to show them how the 'principle was found in their own writings, that one who was rejected, like a stone regarded as unfit to be worked into any part of a building, might be in reality so important that it would be laid yet at the very corner, and become the most valuable stone in the edifice, — that on which the whole superstructure would rest. \ Is become the head stone of the corner. The principal stone placed at the corner of the edifice. This is usually one of the largest, the most solid, and the most carefully wrought of any in the edifice. Of course one would be needed at each corner of the building to constitute a firm support, but usually there is one placed at one corner of an edifice larger and more carefully wrought than the others, often laid with imposing ceremonies, and prepared to contain whatever it may be thought necessary to deposit in the foundation of the building to be transmitted to future times as preserving the names of the builders, or expressing the design of the edifice. Such a position he who had been rejected was to occupy in the civil polity of his country; such a position eminently the Lord Jesus occupies in relation to the church. Eph. ii. 20.

23. This is the Loed's doing, Marg., as in Heb., This is from the Lord. That is. It is to be traced to the Lord alone. It is not the result of human wisdom or power. The deliverance from danger, — the raising up from the low condition, — the change by which he who was rejected was restored to his rightful place, — all this was to be traced to God alone. So it was in the case of the psalmist; so it was in the case of the Redeemer. None but God could have made him who was rejected, despised, crucified, and laid in the grave, the Saviour of a world. The place which the once-rejected Redeemer now bears in the church, — the honours bestowed on him as the head of the church, — the triumph of his gospel in the world, -^all prove that it is the work of God. T[ It is marvellous in our eyes. It is fitted to excite wonder. It is not one of those things which are to be ranked with the common and weU-known events that are easily explained, and that excite no wonder; it is one of those things which cannot be explained by any known law; which belong to the " supernatural;" which bear the marks of a direct Divine interposition; which are fitted to excite the admiration of mankind. Thus it was in the case of the psalmist; thus, pre-eminently, it was in the case of the Redeemer. No operation of natural laws will constitute a sufficient explanation of the latter. It is a matter for wonder, for rejoicing, and for praise, that one, despised, rejected, crucified, has been raised from the grave; that his religion has spread so far over the world; that it influences mankind as it does; and that he himself is exalted to a rank "far above all principality, and power, and might, and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this world, but also in that which is to come." Eph. i. 21.

24 This is the day which the LoED hath made; we will rejoice and be glad in it.

24, This is the day which the Lord hath made. As if it were a new day, made foi- this very occasion; a day which the writer of the psahn did not expect to see, and which seemed therefore to have heen created out of the ordinary course, and added to the other days. He was in danger of death; his days were likely to be cut off and ended, so that he should see no more. But God had spared him, and added this joyous day to his life; and it was meet that for this he should be praised. It was so full of joy, so unexpected, so bright, so cheerful, that it appeared to be a new d[ay coming fresh from the hand of the Almighty, unlike the"other days of the year. So the Sabbath — the day that commemorates the resurrection of the Redeemer — is God's day. He claims it. He seems to have made it anew for man. Amidst the other daj's of the week, — in a world where the ordinary days are filled up with so much of earth, so much toil, trouble, care, vexation, vanity, wickedness, — it seems like one of the days that God made when he first made the world; before sin aad sorrow entered; when aU was calm, serene, happy. The Sabbath is so calm, so bright, so cheerful, so benign in its influence; it is so full of pleasant and holy associations and reminiscences, that it seems to be a day fresh from the hand of God, unlike the other days of the week, and made especially, as if by a new act of creation, for the good of mankind. So when a man is raised up from sickness — from the borders of the grave — it seems to be a new life given to him. Each day, week, month, year that he may live, is so much added to his life, as if it were created anew for this very purpose. He should, therefore, regard it not as his own, but as so much given to him by the special mercy and providence of God, — as if added on to his life. Comp. Isa. xxxviii. 5. *![ We will rejoice and be glad in it. The psalmist, and all who united with him in his thanksgivings. So the Christian Sabbath. It is a day of joy — all joy, and no sorrow. It is a day to be happy in; — a day of rest; a day, when the cares and toils of life are suspended j a day, when we are no longer harassed with those things which vex us in the worldliness of the week; a day, when we think of God, of redemption, of hope, of heaven. The Sabbath should be a day of joy, and not of gloom; it tuould be the happiest of all days to weary and jaded men everywhere, if they observed it aright. In a world of toil and sorrow, it is among the richest of God's blessings to men j it strengthens, refreshes, and cheers the heart of burdened and sorrowful man here; it lifts the soul to joyous contemplation of that eternal Sabbath where wearisome toil and sorrow shall be no more.