Exposition of the Whole Bible

N the Vulgate Latin verfion is added, at the

Sinifbing of the tabernacle; faggefting that this pialm was compofed at that time, and on that oceafion: not at the finifhing of the tabernacle by Mo- Jes, but at the finithing of the tent or tabernacle which David made for the ark in Zion, 2 Sam. vi. 17. The title in the Arabic verfion is, ‘* a pro- ** phecy concerning the incarnation, ark and taber- “ nacle.”” In the Septuagint verfion, from whence the Vulgate feems to have taken the claufe, it is at

* Kimchi in loc, vid. Aben Ezram in Joc. Mofeh in Aben Ezra in loc, with my fong will I praife him; praife is due to God, what glorifies him, and is acceptable to him; it becomes the faints, is comely for them, and it is pleafant:work to them, when grace is in exercife; fee Pfal. Ixix. 30, 31. this may be underftood of one of his fongs, and one of the beft of them, and of one™better than this, as a Jewifh writer® obferves.' “: Maa y. 8. The Lord is their ftrength, &c.)- The ftrength of his people, mentioned in the next verfe; not only the ftrength of David in particular, but of all his people in general; fee P/al. xxxvil-39. And beis the faving ftrength of bis anointed; meaning either himfelf, as before, who was anointed by Samuel, king of J/rael, and therefore had not invaded and thruft himfelf into an office he had no call and right unto; or the Meffiah, the Lord’s anointed, whom he heard, helped, and ftrengthened in the day of falvation, and delivered him from the power of death and the grave, and raifed him from thence, and gave him glory; fee P/al. xx. 6.

¥.g. Save thy people, &c.} The pfalmift begins the pfalm with petitions for himfelf, and clofes it with prayers for the people of God; whom God has chofen for his people, taken into covenant ta be his people, and given them to his Son as fuch; thefe he has refolved to fave, and has appointed Chrift, and fent him into the world to be the Saviour of them, and to them he makes known and applies the gfeat falvation by his Spirit; fo that this prayer was a prayer of faith, as are alfothe following’ petitions. And: ble/s thine inberitance; the people whom the Lord has chofen for his inheritance, and has given to Chrift as his portion, and’ are his peculiar pofleffion; and thefe he blefies with all fpiritual bleffings, with grace here, and glory’ hereafter, as is requetted. Feed them aljo; as the fhep-* herd does his flock, by leading them into green paf-’ tures, by giving them the bread of life, by nourifh-_ ing them with the word and ordinances, by the means of his miniftring fervants, who are under-' fhepherds appointed to feed the faints with know-’ ledge and underftanding. And lift them up for ever; above their enemies, and out of the reach of’ them; bear and carry. them now, as the fhepherd™ does his lambs, in his arms and bofom; and raife’ them out of their graves, and give them the dominion in the morning of the refurrection, and caufe’ them to reign as kings and priefts with Chrift, as’ they ever will.:

fire the exodion, exit, or going out of the tabernacle; that is, of the feaft of tabernacles; and which was the eighth day of the feaft, and was called N1¥yp which * word the Septuagint render sfodsey, the word here” ufed, Lev. xxiii. 36. Numb. xxix. 35. though it? was on the firft of the common days of this fealt; that this pfalm was fung, as Maimonides “ fays, Some think it was compofed when the pfalmift was~ in a thunder-ftorm, or had lately been in one, which he in a very beautiful manner defcribes. Kimehj thinks it refers to the times of the Meffiah; and it may indeed be very well mterpreted of the gofpel, and is very {uitable to gofpel-times, y. 1. Give unto the Lord, O ye mightyy8cc.] The Jargum refers this to the angels, ‘* give praife be- ** tore the Lord, ye companies of angels, fons of «¢ the mighty;” thefe are mighty ones, and excel all other creatures in ftrength; and are the fons of the mighty, or of God; it is their duty and their bufinefs to glorify and to worfhip him and his Son Jefus Chrilt, as they do continually; but rather, the princes and great men of the earth are here meant, who are fo called, P/al. Ixxxii. 1, 6, 7. and Ixxxix. 6, 7. 1 Cor. i. 26. and thefe, as they receive much honour and glory, both from God and man; and becaufe they are apt to feek their own glory, and afcribe too much to themfelves, are called upon particularly to give glory to God; and the more, inafmuch as they may be the means of:

engaging their fubjects, by their influence and example, to do the fame, and who may be included in them; for this is not to be underftood of them exclufive of others, as appears from P/a/. xcvi. 7, 8, 9. moreover, all the faints and people of God may be intended, who are all princes and kings; and may be faid to be mighty, efpecially thofe who are itrong in faith 3 and thele are they who give mott glory to God. Give unto the Lord glory and Hrengih; give glory to Jehovah the Father, by celebrating the perfections of his nature; by commending the works of his hands, the works of creation; by acquiefcing in his providential difpenfations; by returning thanks to him for mercies received, temporal and fpiritual, particularly for falvation by Chrift, and above all for Chrift himfelf; by exercifing faith in him as a promifing God; by livfng becoming his gofpel, and to the honour of his nathe: give glory to the Son of God, by afcribing all divine perfections to him, by attributing falvation to him, and by trufting in him alone for it: give glory to the Spirit of God, by aflerting his deity, by referring the work of grace and converfion to him, and by depending upon him for the performance of the good work begun: give /frengtb to each perfon, by acknowledging that power belongs to them, which is feen in creation, redemption, and effectual vocation; or elfe ftrength may mean the fame thing as praife and glory; fee P al.

viii. 2. compared with Matt, xxi. 16. and both may defign ftrong praife and glory, exprefied in the ftrongeft and with the greateft vigour and vehemency of {pirit.

y. 2. Give unto the Lord the glory due to bis name, &c.\ Or the glory of bis name *; which is fuitable to his nature, agreeable to his perfections, and which belongs unto him on account of his works. Worfbip the Lord in the beauty of bolinefs; the Lord is only to be worfhipped, and not any creature, angels, or men; not Zebovab the Father only, who is to be worfhipped in Spirit and in truth; but the Son of God, and the: Holy.Ghoft alfo, being of the fame nature, and poffeffed of the fame perfections; and that with both internal and external worfhip; and in true holinefs, in, which there is a real beauty: holinefs is the beauty of God himfelf, he is glorious in it; itis the beauty of angels, it makes them fo glorious as. they, are 5 and it is the beauty of faints, it is what makes them like unto Chrift, and by which they are partakers of the divine nature; and in the exercife of holy graces, and in the difcharge of holy duties, ‘fhould they worfhip the Lord; unlefs this is to be underftood of the place of worfhip, the fanétuary, or holy place in the tabernacle; or rather, the church of God, which holinefs becomes; but the former fenfe feems beft.

¥. 3. The voice of the Lord is upon the waters, &c.] What follows concerning thunder, the voice of the Lord, gives fo many reafons why he fhould have glory given him and be worfhipped; the heathens ¥ paid their devotion to thunder and lightning: but this fhould be done to the author of them; which may be literally underftood of thunder, and is the voice of the Lord; fee Pfal. xviii. 13. Fob xl. 9. and which is commonly attended with large fhowers of rain, Yer. x. 13. and is very terrible upon the waters, and has its effect there, P/al. civ. 7. and this is the rather mentioned, becaufe that there is a God above who is higher than the mighty, who are called upon to give glory to him; and becaufe that thunder has been terrible to kings and great men of the earth: or this may be figuratively interpreted of the voice of Chrift in the gofpel, which reaches to many nations and people, compared to waters, Rev. xvii.15. The difciples had a commiffion to preach it to all nations, and the found of their words went into all the world, Rom. x. 18. The God of glory thundereth; this fhews that thunder may be meant by the voice of the Lord, who is glorious in himfelf, and in all his works; and may be applied to the gofpel of Chrift, who is the Lord of glory, and whofe minifters, at leaft fome of them, are fons of thunder; fee 1 Cor. ii. 8. Mark iti. 17. The Lord is upon many waters; that is, his voice is, as before, which is thunder;. and that this belongs to God, the heathens were fo fenfible of, that they called their chief deity Fupiter Tonans *.

y. 4. Ibe voice of the Lord is pewerful, &c.] Or with power *; as thunder, in the effect of it, fhews; and {fo is the gofpel, when it comes, not in word only, but is attended with the power of God to the converfion and falvation of fouls; it is then quick and powerful, Heb, iv. 12. and the word of Chrift perfonal, when here on earth, was with power, Luke iv. 32. Ibe voice of the Lord is full of majefty; Chrift in his ftate of humiliation fpake and taught as one having authority; and now in the miniftration of his gofpel by his fervants he goes forth with glory and majefty, Pjal. xlv. 3,4.

y. 5. Ihe voice of the Lord breaketh the cedars, &c.] Such an effet thunder has upon the talleft, ftrongeft, and largeft trees, as to break them into fhivers. Yea, the Lord breaketh the cedars of Lebanon; &@ mountain in the north part of the land of Judea, fo called from its whitenefs, both by reafon

-of the fhow with which fome part of it is covered in fummer, as Tacitus obferves®; and partly from the colour of the earth that has no fnow on it, which looks as white as if it was covered with white tiles, as Maundrel * fays; and where the goodlieft cedars grow; and to which may be compared proud, haughty, lofty, and ftout-hearted finners, who are broken, brought down, and laid low by the voice of Chrift in his gofpel, his power attend- sing it, The Zargum renders it, the Word of the

¥. 6. He maketh them alfo to frip like a calf, 8ec.

That is, the cedars, the branches being broken off, or they torn up by the roots, and toffed about by the wind; which motion is compared to that of a calf that leaps and fkips about, Lebanon and Sirion,:Re a young unicorn, that is, thefe mountains move and {kip about through the force of thunder, and the violence of an earthquake attending it; fo hiftorians report, that mountains have moved from place to place, and they have met and dafhed againft one another‘. Sirion was a mountain in Judea near to Lebanon, and is the fame with Hermon; which was called by the Sidonians Sirion, and by the Amorites Shenir, Deut. iii. 9. This may regard the inward motions of the mind, produced by the gofpel of Chrift under’a divine influence; fee Ffa. xxxv. 6 and xl, 4—8., ¥. 7. The voice of the Lord divideth the flames of fire.} Or cutteth with flames of fire’; that is, the _ thunder breaks through the clouds with flames of ~ fire, or lightning, as that is fometimes called, P al.

cv. 32, and with which it cleaves afunder trees and matts of fhips, cuts and hews them down, and divides them into a thoufand fhivers. Some refer this, in the figurative and myftical fenfe, to the giving of the Law on mount Sinai®, on which the Lord defcended in fire, and from his right hand went a fiery law; but rather, this may be applied to the cloven or divided tongues of fire which fat upon the difciples on the day of Pentecoff, as an emblem of the extraordinary gifts of the Spirit beftowed on them; though it feems beft of all, as before, to underftand this of the voice of Chrift in the gofpel, which cuts and hews down all the goodlinefs of men, and lays them to the ground, Hof: vi. s. and is of a dividing nature, and lays open all the fecrets of the heart, Aveb. iv. 12. and through the corruption of human nature, is the occafion of dividing one friend from another, Luke xii. 51,52. and like flames of fire it has both light and heat in it; it is the means of enlightning mens eyes to fee their fad eftate, and their need of Chrift, and falvation by him; and of warming their fouls with its refrefhing truths and promifes, and of inflaming their love to God andChrift, and of fetting their affections on things above, and of caufing their hearts to burn within them. j y¥. 8. Lhe voice of the Lord foaketh the wildernefs, &c.] The ground of it, the trees in it, and the beafts that harbour there; and caufes them to be in pain, and’to bring forth their young, as the word fignifies, and as it is rendered in‘the next verfe; all which effects thunder produces, and may myfttically fignify the preaching of the gofpel among the Gentiles, and the confequence of it. The Gentile world may be compared to a. wildernefs, and is called the wildernefs of the people, Ezek. xx. 35. the inhabitants of it being ignorant, barren, and unfruitful; and the converfion of them is expreffed being fent thither, has been the means of fhaking ahe minds of many, with ftrong and faving convidtions, which made, them tremble and’cry out, What thal] we do to be faved'?’ The Lord fhaketh the wilderne/s of Kade/b'; which’ was. the terrible wildernefs that the children of J/rael pafled through to Canaan’s land; the fame “with the wildernefs of

“fromthe city of that name, on the borders of E- | dom, Numb. xx. 1, 16. the Targum paraphrafes ‘it, “* The word of the Lord fhaketh the wilder-

« nefs of Rekam;” in the Zargum in the king’s Bible it is, ** makes the ferpents in the wildernefS “ of Rekam to tremble;” but that thunder fright-> ens them, I have not met with in any writer, =~ ¥. 9. Lhe voice of the Lord maketh the binds to calve, &c.] Which being timorous creatures, the bringing forth of their young, which is naturally very painful and difficult, is leffened and facilitated by thunder; they being either fo frighted with it, that they feel not their pains; or their pains being haftened by it, become more eafy; and naturalifts obferve, that the time of bringing forth their young is at that feafon of the year when thun~ der is moft frequent; fee Fob xxxix. 14. Thunder has a like effect on fheep, and makes them abortive®: this may be applied to the gofpel, which is the means of bringing forth fouls to Chrift by his churches and minifters; who may very fitly be compared to hinds for their love and lovelinefs, their fwiftnefs and readinefs to do the will of Chrift; and their eager defires after communion with him, Prov. v. 19. Pal. xviii. 33. and xlii. 1. And di/- covereth the forefts; or maketh bare *; by beating off the leaves and branches of trees, and them to the ground; or by caufing the wild beafts that frequent them to retire to their holes and dens; which effects are produced by thunder: and this aptly agrees with the gofpel, which is a revelation of fecrets, of the thickets, and deep things of God; of his council, covenant, mind and will; and of the myfteries of his grace to the fons of men, and generally to babes, or men of their capacities; and of its {tripping them of all their own righteoufnefs and dependence on it. And in his temple doth every one {peak of his glory; either in heaven, where angels and glorified faints are continually employed in fpeaking of his glorious name, nature, and works; orin the temple, or tabernacle at Ferufa— lem, where the Levites ftood to praife*the Lord morning and evening, and where the tribes went up to worfhip, and to give thanks unto the Lord. 1 Chron. xxii. 30. Pfal. cxxii. 4. or the church of God, which is the temple of the living God, whither faints refort, and where they dwell, and fpeak of the glory of God, of his divine perfeétions, and of his works of creation and providence; and of the glory of the perfon of Chrift, and falvation by him 3 and of the glorious work of grace begun iri theit’ fouls by the blefied Spirit; for hither fuch — as have heard the voice of Chrift, and have felt. the power of it, and have found it to be a foulfhaking, an heart-breaking, and an illuminating voice, come, and declare it to the glory of the grace’ of God, ie Ts y. 10. The Lord fitteth upon the flood, 8cc.] Noab’s flood; which is always defigned by the word here ufed: the Lord fat and judged the old world for its’ wickednefs, and brought a flood upon them, and deftroyed them and then he abated it, fent a wind? to affwage' the waters, ftopped up the wine dows’ of heaven, and the fountains of the great deep, afid reftrained rain from heaven; and he now fits-upon the confluence of waters in the heavens, at the time of a thunder-ftorm, which threatens ~~ with an overflowing flood; and he remembers his covenant, and’ reftrains them from deftroying the earth any any more: and he fits upon the floods of ungodly men, and ftops their rage and fury, and fuffers them not to proceed to overwhelm his people and intereft; and fo the floods of afflictions of every kind, and the floods of Satan’s temptations, and | of errors and herefies, are at his control, and he.

permits them to go fo far, and no further. 2éa, the Lord fitteth King for ever; he is King of the whole world, over angels and men, and even the kings of the earth; and he is alfo King of faints, in whofe hearts he reigns by his Spirit and grace; and the gofpel-difpenfation is more eminently his kingdom, in which his fpiritual government is moft vifible; and this will more appear in the latter-day-_ glory, when the Lord fhall be King over all the earth; and after which the Lord Chrift will reign with his faints here a thoufand years, and then with them to all eternity, and of his kingdom there fhall be no end..

y. 11, Lhe Lord will give firength unto bis people, &c.] His fpecial people, his covenant-people, whom he has chofen for himfelf; thefe are encompafled with infirmities, and are weak in themfelves; but there is ftrength for them in Chrift: the Lord promifes it unto them, and beftows it on them, and which is a pure gift of his grace unto them; this may more efpecially regard that ftrength, power, and dominion, which will be given to the people of the moft High in the latter day; fince it follows, upon the account of the everlafting kingdom of Chrift. The Lord will ble/s his people with peace; with internal peace, which is peculiar to them, and to which wicked men are {trangers; and which arifes from a comfortable apprehenfion of juttification by the righteoufnefs of Chrift, of pardon by his blood, and atonement by his facrifice; and is enjoyed ina way of believing; and with external peace in the latter day, when there fhall be no more war with them, nor perfecution of them; but there fhall be abundance of peace, and that without end; and at laft with eternal peace, which is the end of the perfect and upright man; and the whole is a great blefling.

A pfalm and fong, at the dedication of the houfe of David.

PEAHIS is the firft time that a pfalm is called a fong; fome pfalms are called by one name, | fome by another, and fome by both, as here; and fome are called hymns: to which diftinétion of them the apoftle refers in Eph. v. 19. A pfalm was fang upon mufical inftruments,.a fong with the voice; it may be this pfalm was fung both ways: the occafion of it was the dedication of David’s houfe: the Targum interprets it of the houfe of the fanétuary, the temple; and fo moft of the Jewifh commentators‘; which might be called his houfe, hecaufe it was his intention to build it; his heart was fet upon it, he provided materials for it, and gave his fon Solomon the’form of it, and a charge to build it; and, as is thought, compofed this pfalm to be fung, and which was fung by the Lewites at the dedication of it: others, as Aben Ezya, are of opinion, it was his own dwelling-houfe, _made of cedar, which he dedicated according: to the Jaw of Mo/fes, with facrifices and offerings, prayer and thankfgiving, 2 Sam. v. 11. and vii. 2. Deut. xx. 5. fo Apollinarius calls it, a new houfe David built; but fince there is nothing inthe whole pfalm thar agrees with the dedication, either of the temple, or of David's own private houfe, it feems better, with other interpreters, to underftand it of the purgation of David's houfe from the wickednefs and inceft of his fon 4b/alom, upon his return to it, when the rebellion raifed by him was extin- “ouifhed, which might be reckoned a new dedication of it; fee 2 Sam. xx. 3. and to a deliverance from fuch troubles this pfalm well agrees. Theodoret interprets it of the reftoration of the human nature by Chrift, through his refurrection from the dead.

Yet. I will extol thee, O Lord, &c.} Or lift thee up on bigh*, ‘The Lord is high in his name, he is the moft High; and in his nature, there is | none befides him, nor like unto him; and in place, he dwells in the high and holy place; he is above all, angels and men; he is above all gods; he is the King of kings, and Lord of lords; he cannot be higher than he_is: to extol him, therefore, is to declare him to be what he is; to exalt him in high praifes of him, which the pfalmift determined to do, for the following reafons. For thou bast lifted meup; ot drawn me.up, or out's from the pit of nature; the low eftate of unregeneracy; the pit wherein isno water; the horrible pit, the mire and clay of fin and mifery, in which all men, whilft unconverted, are; and out of which they cannot lift themfelves, being ftrengthlefs, yea dead in fin: this is God’s work; he. takes out of this pit, he draws out of it by his efficacious grace; he raifes up the poor out of the duff, and lifts up the beggar from the dunghil; and this is an inftance of his grace and mercy, and requires a new fong of praife: or this may regard fome great fall by fin, from which he was reftored, through the grace and power of God; or deliverance from great troubles, compared to waters, out of which he was drawn, Pfal. xviii. 16. and was lifted up above his enemies; and agrees very well with his being brought to his palace and throne again, upon the defeat of Ab/alom. And hast not made my foes to rejoice over mes as Satan does over unregenerate finners, when he poffefies their hearts, and keeps the houfe and goods in peace; and as the men of the world do over fallen faints, when forfaken by the Lord, and affiicted by him, and are under the frowns of his providence; but the confpirators againft David were not fuffered to fucceed and rejoice over him, which they otherwife would have done; and for this he praifes the Lord. » ¥.2. O Lord, my God, I cried unto thee, &c.] In the time of his diftrefs and trouble; and whither fhould he go but unto his covenant-God and Father? And thou haft bealed me; either of fome bodily difeafe that attended him; for the Lord is the phyfician of the body, as well as of the foul; and that either immediately, or by giving a bleffing to means ufed; and the glory of. fuch a mercy. fhould be given to him: or elfe of foul-difeates, ' ae which which are natural and hereditary, epidemical, naufeous, mortal, and incurable, but by the grace of God, and blood of Chrift; and the healing of them either refpects the pardon of them at firft converfion; for healing difeafes, and forgiving iniquities, fignify one and the fame thing; or elfe trefh difcoveries and applications of pardoning grace, after falls into fin, which are an healing backflidings, and reftoring comforts; and this is God’s work, none can heal but himfelf, and he does it effectually, univerfally, and freely, and which calls for thankfulnefs, Pfal. ciii. i— 3. or this may be underftood in a civil fenfe,. of reftoring him to his houfe, his throne and kingdom, and the peace y. 3. O Lord, thou hast brought up my foul from the grave, &c.| When his life being in danger, was near unto it, ‘fob xxxiii. 22, 28. otherwife the foul dies not, nor does it lie and fleep in the grave, or thou haft brought up my foul from bell™; that is, delivered him from thofe horrors of confcience, and terrors of mind by reafonof fin, which were as hell

Thou hajt kept me alive; preferved his corporal life when in danger, and maintained his {piritwal life; and quickened him by his word, under all his afflictions, and kept him from utter and black de- That I fold not go down to the pit; either There is in this claufe a keri

{pair. of the grave or hell. and a celib; a marginal reading, ‘and a textual writing:, according to the latter it is, from them that go down to the pit; which fome verfions ° fol- fow; that is, thou haft preferved me from going along with them, and being where, and as they are: our verfion follows the former; the fenfe is y. 4. Sing unto the Lord, O ye faints of bis, 8c.) Such to whom he has been gracious and merciful, and has bleffed with pardoning grace, and juftifying righteoufnels, adoption, and a right to eternal life; and who are holy, godly perfons; in whofe hearts principles of grace and holinefs are formed; and who are kind and bountiful to others; all which the word® here ufed fignifies: and thefe are the Lord’s; they are fet apart for him, and they are fanctified by him; and therefore fhould fing -his praifes, both vocally, and with melody in their hearts’ Andgive thanks at the remembrance of his bolinefs which is effential to him, and in which he is glorious; and which appears in all his ways and works of providence and grace, and both in » the redemption and fanétification of his people; and befides this, there is the holinefs of Chrift, which is imputed to his faints, and the fanétification of the Spirit, which is wrought in them; and at the remembrance of each of thefe, it highly becomes them to give thanks to the Lord, fince hereby they. are made meet to be partakers of his kingdom and glory. y¥. 5. For bis anger endureth-but 4 moment, &c.] Anger is not properly in God, he being a fimple, uncompounded, immoveable and unchangeable being; nor is it ever. towards his people in reality, “unlefs anger is diftinguifhed from wrath, and is confidered as confiftent with his everlafting and, unvariable love to them; but only in their apprehenfion, he doing thofe things which in féme. refpects are fimilar to thofe which men do when they are angry; he turns away from them and hides his face, _ he chides, chaftifes, and afflicts, and then they con- clude he is angry and when he returns again and takes off his hand, manifefts his pardoning love, © and comforts them, then they underftand it that his anger is turned away from them; for in this improper denfe-of it, and as his children conceive of. _ it, it is but for a moment, or a very fhort time; he — forfakes them but for/a moment, and their light — afflictions endure no longer, J/a. liv. 7,8. 2 Cor. iv.17. In bis favour is life; by vhigie meant his free love and favour in Chrift towards his people; and defigns either the duration of it, that it lives and always is, even when he feems to be anery, and that it lafts as long as life does, yea to all eternity; neither ‘death nor life can feparate from it; or the object of it, God delighting not in the death but the life of a finner; or rather the effects of it, it is what makes the prefent life to be properly life, and really comfortable; without it men may be faid rather to be dead than to live, notwithftanding all enjoyments; and therefore it is better than lite, abftraéted from it, P/a/. Ixiii. 3. it quickens the foul in a fpiritual fenfe, and makes grace lively; it invigorates faith, encourages hope, and makes ove to abound, and it iffues in eternal life, Weeping may endure for a night; the allufion is tothe time when afflictions are ufually moft heavy and preffing upon perfons, when they moft feel them, or however, are free from diverfion, and at leifure to bemoan themfelves; and may point at the feafon of weeping, and caufe of it, the night of affliGtion, or of darknefs and defertion, and denotes the fhort continuance of it; weeping is here reprefented as a perfon, and as a lodger, for the word may be rendered Jedge?; but then it is as a wayfaring man, who continues but for a night; fee J/a. xvii. 14. But joy cometh in the morning; alluding to the time when all nature is frefh and gay, when man rifes chearful from his reft, darknefs removes, light breaks forth, and the fun rifes and fheds its beams, and every thing looks pleafant and delightful; moreover, the mercies of God aré new every morning, which caufe joy, and call for thankfulnefs; and efpecially it is a time of joy after weeping and darknefs, when the fun of righteoufnefs arifes with healing in his wings 3 as it will be to perfection in the refurreétion-morn, when the dead in Chrift will rife firft, and be like to him, and reign with him for evermore. ¥. 6. And in my profperity, 8c.] Either outward profperity, when he was fettled in his kingdom, and was acknowledged king by all the tribes _ of J/rael, and had gotten the victory over all his - enemies, and was at reft from them round about; or inward and fpiritual profperity, having a fpiritual appetite for the word, being in the lively exercife of grace, growing in it, and in the knowledge of Chrift; favoured with communion with God, haying frefh difcoveries of pardoning grace and mercy, corruptions being fubdued, the inward man renewed with fpiritual ftrength, and more fruitful in every good word and work, This being the cafe, 7 faid, I foall never be moved, fo in outward profperity men are a to fing a.requiem to themielves, and fancy it will always be thus with them, be in health of body, and enjoying the affluence of temporal things, and fo put away the evil day in one _ fenfe and another from them; and even good men —_ themfelves are fubje&t to this infirmity, 7ob xxix. 48—-20. and who alfo, when in PomPiate rames of foul, and in. profperous circumfances in {piri t tual things, are ready: to’conclude, ie will always be is there profit in the blood of the faints to them that.

thus with them, or better., Indeed they can never be moved as to their ftate and condition with refpect to God; not from his heart, where they are fet as a feal; nor out of the arms of Chrift, and covenant of grace; nor.out of the family of God; nor from a ftate of juftification and grace; but they may be moved as to the exercife of grace, and difcharge of duty, in which they vary; and efpecially when they are felf-confident, and_ depend upon their own ftrength for the performance of thefe things, and for a continuance in fuch frames, which feems to have been David’s cafe; and.therefore he correéts himfelf, and his fenfe of things, in‘the following verfe.

¥.7. Lord, by thy favour thou haft made my mountain to ftand ftrong, &c.| ‘The pfalmift found himfelf miftaken, and acknowledges it; that as it was not owing to his own merit that he enjoyed the profperity that he did, fo neither was the continuance of it owing to his goodnefs, power, and ftrength, but to the free grace and favour of God; as the church of God is compared to a mountain, and the feveral individuals of believers are like to mount Zion; fo the foul of a child of God may be called his mountain, which is made ftrong by the Lord as to its ftate in Chrift, being fet on him, the rock of ages, and fure foundation, where it is fafe and fecure; and as to its grace, whenever it is in any ftrong exercife, which is altogether owing to the favour of God, and continues as long as he pleafes. Thou didft hide thy face, and I was troubled; the Lord may hide his face from his people, and yet their ftate be fafe; their mountain ftands ftrong in that refpeét; yet this generally produces a change of frames; it gives trouble, and faith and hope become feeble and languid in their acts and exercifes; this fhews the changeablenefs of frames, that they are not to be depended upon; that they are entirely owing to the pleafure of God, and that rejoicing only fhould be in him: very likely fome regard is had to the affair of Ab alom’s rebellion, which came unawares, unthought of, when David was in the greateft profperity and fecurity.

y. 8. I cried to thee, O Lord, &c.] In his trouble, when the Lord had hid his face from him, and he was fenfible that he had departed from him, he was not ftupid and unaffected with it; nor did he turn his back upon God, and fought to others; but he cried after a departing God, which fhewed love to him, and fome degree of faith in him, by looking again towards his holy temple, and waiting upon him until he returned. And unto the Lord I made fupplication; in the moft humble manner; intreating his grace and mercy, and that he would again fhew him his face and favour.

¥.9. What profit is there in my blood? &c.] Should that be fhed, and he die by the hands of his enemies, through divine permiffion: death is not profitable to a man’s felf by way of merit; it does not atone for fin, fatisfy juftice, and merit heaven; even the death of martyrs, and of fuch who fhed their blood, died in the caufe of Chrift, and for his fake, is not meritorious; it does not profit in fuch fenfe: there is profit in no blood but jn the blood of Chrift, by which peace is made, pardon procured, and redemption obtained. Indeed death is confequentially profitable to good men; it is an outlet of all forrows and afflictions, and the inlet of joy and happinefs; it is the faints paflage to heaven, and upon it they are immedi- | ately with Chrift, and reft from their labours; nor the preparations for.the bujl g fhed it; for when inquifition is made for it, ven-

'geance will be taken on them who have fhed it, and blood will be given them to drink, as will be particularly to antichrift: nor is there any profit in it to the Lord himfelf; which feems to’ be what is chiefly defigned, fince it is ufed by the pfalmift as an argument with him in prayer, that he might not be Jeft by him,,and to his enemies, fo as to perifh, fince no glory could. accrue to God by it from them; they would not give him thanks for it, but afcribe it to themfelves, and fay their own hand had done it; fo far, the pfalmift fuggefts, would

-his death be from being profitable to God, that it would rather be a lofs to the intereft of religion; fince he had not as yet fully reftored religion, and fettled the pure worfhip of God in order, and made ding thghoufe of God, he intended. God may ke-ff6rified in the death of his people; either by their dying in the faith of intereft in him;-or by fuffering death for his namefake; but, in a ftrict fenfe, there is nothing either in life.or death in which man can be profitable unto God; fee Fob xxii, 2, 3. and xxxv. 7, 8, fome underftand this of life; becaufe the life is in the blood: as if the fenfe was, of what advantage is life to me? it would haye been better for me if I had never been born, had had no life and being at all, if I muft for ever be banifhed from thy prefence, and go down’ to'the pit of hell;.which they fuppofe is defigned in the following phrafe... When I go down to the pit; though the grave feems rather to be meant, and.the former fenfe is beft. Sail the duft, praife thee? that is, men, whofe original is duft, being reduced to duft again, as the body at death, when laid in the grave, and corrupted there is; this lifelefs duft, cannot praife the Lord: the foul indeed dies not with the body 5 nor does it fleep in the grave with it; nor is it un-employed in heaven; but is continually engaged in the high praifes of God:. but the. fenfe of the pfalmitt is, that fhould he die, and be buried, and be reduced to duft, he fhould no more praife the Lord in the land of the living, among men, to the glory of divine grace and goodnefs; fo that this revenue of his glory would be loft. Shall it declare thy truth? either the truth of the gofpel, which lies in the word of God; or rather the faithfulnefs of God in the performance of his promifes; fee P/a/. xl. 10. Ja. XXXVill. 18, 19.;

y. 10. Hear, O Lord, and have mercy upon me, &c.] By lifting up the light of his countenance again upon him; by manifefting and applying his pardoning grace to him, and by delivering him out of all his afflictions. Lord, be thou my helper; in this time of trouble; for he knew that vain was the help of man; and he was entirely in the right to betake himfelf to the Lord, who was able to help him, when none elfe could.

y. 11. Thou haft turned for me my mourning into dancing, 8c.] This, with what follows, expreffes the fuccefs he had in feeking the Lord by prayer and fupplication; there was a fudden change of things, as it often is with the people of God; fometimes they are mourning by reafon of fin, their own and others; or on account of afflictions; or becaufe of fpiritual decays; or through the temptations of Satan; or, as it was the cafe of the pfalmift now, becaufe of the hidings of God’s face; but this mourning is exchanged for joy and gladnefs, whenthe Lord difcovers his pardoning love, revives his work in their fouls, takes off his afflicting hand from them, rebukes the tempter, and delivers out of his temptations, and fhews himfelf, his grace and favour. Thou hajft put off my fackcloth; which was ufed in mourning for relations, and in times of calamity and diftrefs, and as a token of humiliation and repentance, Gen. xxxvii. 34. E/th. iv. 1. Fonab iii. 8. And girded me with gladnefs; by thefe phrafes the fame thing is fignified as before; fee Ifa. \xi. 3.

y¥. 12. Lo the end that my glory may fing praife to thee, &c.] Meaning either his foul, the more noble and glorious part of him; or the mémberg of his body, his tongue, which is the glory of it, and with which he glorified God; fee P/al. xvis 9. - compared with Aéfs ii. 26. this was the end that was to be anfwered, by changing the fcene of things; and which was anfwered. O Lord my God, I will give thanks unto thee for ever; to the end of life, as long as he had a being, and to all eternity, Pfal. civ. 33. Ferom interprets the whole pfalm of the refurrection of Chrift.