prefers continually for his church; and all ought to prefer for themselves and for others.

"6. God hath spoken in his holiness, or, by his Holy One: I will rejoice, or, exult, i. è as a conqueror: I will divide Shechem, and mete out the valley of Succoth."

As a ground of hope and confidence, David here declares, that God, by the mouth of a Holy prophet, had spoken and promised him the success for which he prayed in the foregoing verse. And that this was known among the people, appears from a speech of Abner to the elders of Israel, 2 Sam. iii. 18. "The Lord hath spoken of David, saying, By the haud of my servant David, I will save my people Israel out of the hand of the Philistines, and out of the hand of all their enemies." Having, therefore, mentioned this prediction, much of which was already accomplished, he exults as a conqueror, resolving to divide into districts, and portion out under proper officers, the country about Samaria, now become his own.

7. Gilead is mine, and Manasseh is mine; Ephraim also is the strength of mine head: Judah is my Lawgiver."

"Gilead, Manasseh, Ephraim," and the other tribes of Israel, upon the death of Ishbosheth, the Son of Saul, whom Abner had set over them, joined the royal tribe of Judah, and came in with one accord to the house of David. See 2 Sam. ii. 8. and v. 1. " Ephraim," as a tribe abounding in valiant men, is styled by its prince," the strength of his head," or the support of his life and kingdom; and "Judah," as the seat of empire, replenished with men of wisdom and understanding, qualified to assist the throne by their salutary counsels, is dignified with the title of "Lawgiver." Thus are the tribes of the spiritual "Israel" subject to Messiah, and serve him in various capacities, as the Spirit furnishes different men with different powers; some being endued with zeal and fortitude to labour and suffer; others with knowledge and discretion to instruct and govern.

8. Moab is my wash-pot; over Edom will I cast out, or, extend, my shoe: Philistia, triumph thou because of me; Heb. Over Philistia give a shout of triumph. The parallel passage, Psalm cviii. 9. has it—Over Philistia I will give a shout of triumph."

After having mentioned the submission of the Israelitish tribes to his sceptre, David predicts the extension of his kingdom over the neighbouring nations, those inveterate enemies of the people of God; such as the Moabites, the Edomites, and, above all, the Philistines. The absolute reduction of these nations under his dominion, is expressed metaphorically, by the phrases of "making them his wash-pot, and extending his shoe, i. e. setting his foot" upon them. The Son of David also must "reign, till he hath put all enemies under his feet," 1 Cor. xv. 25. And the Christian, in these words, now declareth his hope of being enabled to do the same; to conquer through his Lord, and to triumph with him.

9. Who will bring me into the strong city? Edom?"

Who will lead me into

Bozrah, the capital of "Idumea, or Edom," was a fortified town, situated on a rock deemed impregnable. See Obad. ver. 3. Considering, therefore, the strength of the adversary, David, by this question, acknowledgeth his own impotency, and the need he had of superior aid in order to achieve this important conquest. How great need, then, have we of an Almighty Saviour, who may enable us to overcome our last and strongest enemy, death! And it is very remarkable, that Christ's victory over this very enemy is set forth by the prophet Isaiah, under the striking image of a king of Israel returning in triumph from the reduction of Idumea. "Who is this that cometh from Edom, with dyed garments from Bozrah," &c. Isa. lxiii. 1. The reader will be no less entertained than instructed, by a discourse of Bishop Andrews on this subject, being the seventeenth of his Sermons on Easter-day.

"10. Wilt not thou, O God, which hadst cast me off? And thou, O God, which didst not go out with our armies ?”

The question in the last verse, "Who will bring me into Edom?" is here answered by another question, "Wilt not thou, O God," &c. that is, To whom can we have recourse for assistance but to thee, O God? Deserted by thee, we fall; but do thou go forth with us, and we shall again rise superior to every enemy. So saith the Christian soldier; "Lord, to whom shall we go? Thou hast the words of eternal life :" Thou hast overcome the sharpness of death, and opened the kingdom of heaven to all believers.

"11. Give us help from trouble: for vain is the help of man. 12. Through God we shall do valiantly; for he it is that shall tread down our enemies." David, like a wise and pious prince, acknowledgeth the weakness of the fleshly arm, and strengtheneth himself in the Lord his God. Much more ought we to confess the impotence of nature, and to implore the succours of grace; that so we may happily accomplish our spiritual welfare, tread Satan under our feet, and triumph finally over the last enemy, death himself.

PSALM LXI.

ARGUMENT.

In the person of David, for awhile driven into exile, and then restored to his kingdom, we here behold the church, or any member thereof, 1, 2, 3. preferring a petition for deliverance from the troubles and temptations of this mortal state; 4, 5. expressing faith and hope in God; 6, 7. praying for the prosperity and perpetuity of Messiah's kingdom; and, 8. resolving to praise God evermore for the same.

"1. Hear my cry, O God; attend unto my prayer. 2. From the end of the earth will I cry unto thee, when my heart is overwhelmed: lead me to the Rock that is higher than I."

The church, extended far and wide among the nations, crieth aloud unto God, by the prayers of its members, even "from the ends, or utmost parts of the earth.' The world is to Christians a sea of troubles and temptations, from which they daily beseech God to deliver them, and to place them on the "rock" of their salvation; which rock is Christ. Grounded on him, by faith in his sufferings and exaltation, we may defy all the storms and tempests that can be raised against us by the adversary, while, as from the top of a lofty mountain on the shore, we behold the waves dashing themselves in pieces beneath us.

3. For thou hast been a shelter for me, and a strong tower from the enemy."

Meditation on God our Saviour, as set forth in the Scriptures, will ever prove to the believer "a strong tower," or fortress, in which he will be safe from the darts of the enemy, and will be furnished with impregnable arguments wherewith to oppose and blunt the force of every temptation, which Satan can launch against his soul.

"4. I will abide in thy tabernacle for ever; I will trust in the covert of thy wings."

They who sojourn in the "tabernacle" of the church militant on earth, and continue faithful members of the same, shall take up their eternal residence in that permanent "temple," the church triumphant in heaven. Below, they are protected by the all-shadowing wing" of God's fatherly providence; above, they will be rewarded with the all-illuminating vision of his glorious presence.

5. For thou, O God, hast heard my vows; thou hast given me the heritage of those that fear thy name."

The "vows" of David, made during his banishment, were heard, and he

was restored to the possession of his kingdom, in that land which God had given to his people for an heritage. The vows of Messiah, made in the days of his pilgrimage, were heard, and he hath resumed his ancient throne in the heavenly Jerusalem. The prayers of the faithful, made in the land where they are in exile, are heard, and their spirits shall return to God, who will give them the heritage of those that fear his name.'

"6. Thou wilt prolong the King's life; and his years as many generations. 7. He shall abide before God for ever; O prepare mercy and truth, which may preserve him. [Or, 6. Thou wilt add days to the days of the King; his years as generation and generation. 7. He shall dwell before God for ever; mercy and truth shall preserve him.]"

These words must be applied to Him, of whom it was said by the angel, "The Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David; and he shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever, and of his kingdom there shall be no end," Luke i. 32. The ancient church prayed for "His" exaltation and glory, under those of his representative; nay the Chaldee paraphrast expounds this passage of Messiah only; "Thou shalt add days to the days of King Messias: his years shall be as the generation of this world, and of the world to come." Nor can a better paraphrase be easily devised.

"8. So will I sing praises unto thy name for ever, that I may daily perform my vows."

For the preservation and prosperity, the exaltation, the power, and the everlasting glory of Christ's kingdom, with all the benefits and blessings thereof, we are bound to sing praise unto God's holy name for ever, and daily to perform the vows made in baptism, that we would believe in him, and serve him all the days of our life: until that blessed day shall dawn, which no night is to follow, when faith shall end in vision, and duty be resolved into praise.

TWELFTH DAY.-MORNING PRAYER.

PSALM LXII.

ARGUMENT.

This Psalm containeth, 1, 2. a resolution to trust in God alone, 3, 4. a denunciation of judgment against the persecutors of the Just One: 5-7. a repeated act of faith and resolution to trust in God, with, 8. an exhortation to all nations to do the same, and that, 9, 10. because there is no confidence to be placed in man, or in the world; but only, 11. in the Divine power, and, 12. mercy.

"1. Truly my soul waiteth, or, resteth, upon God: from him cometh my salvation. 2. He only is my rock and my salvation; he is my defence, Heb. high place; I shall not be greatly moved."

David in the midst of trouble, and perhaps tempted to have recourse to sinful expedients for his preservation, determines still to repose all his confidence on the promised mercy of him who is the "salvation," the "rock," and the " 'high place,' or fortress of men. Christ would not be delivered from his sufferings by any other means than those which the Father had ordained. The church in like manner, should patiently wait for the salvation of God, and not attempt through distrust of the Divine mercy, to save herself by unwarrantable methods of her own devising.

"3. How long will ye imagine mischief against a man? Ye shall be slain, all of you: as a bowing wall shall ye be, and as a tottering fence." From a declaration of his trust in God, the prophet passeth to an expostulation with his enemies, for continually plotting against him; and fore. telleth that their destruction will happen suddenly and irremediably, like

the downfall of a wall that is out of the perpendicular, or a stone-fence, the parts of which are not cemented together. See Isa. xxx. 13. How striking is this expostulation, and this prediction, if considered as addressed by Messiah to his implacable enemies.

"4. They only consult to cast him down from his excellency: they delight in lies: they bless with their mouth, but they curse inwardly."

The adversaries of David "consulted," how to deprive him of those honours to which God designed to exalt him; the scribes and Pharisees took counsel against Jesus with the same intent: and to rob the Christian of the glory and immortality prepared for him, is the end of every temptation which the enemy throws in his way, whether it be of the terrifying, or, which oftener succeeds, the flattering, alluring, and deceiving kind.

"5. My soul, wait thou only upon God; for my expectation is from him. 6. He only is my rock and my salvation; he is my defence, or, high place; I shall not be moved. 7. In God is my salvation and my glory: the rock of strength, and my refuge, is in God."

The consideration suggested in the preceding verse, namely, that the enemy is ever intent upon our ruin, should stir us up, after the prophet's example, to renew our faith, and strengthen ourselves yet more and more, continually, in the Lord our God, who alone giveth victory, salvation, and glory.

8. Trust in him at all times; ye people, pour out your heart before him: God is a refuge for us."

The comforts which David had found, he exhorteth others to seek in faith and prayer; in such a faith, as fixeth itself on God when the whole world is against it; and such prayer, as poured forth all the desires of the soul into the bosom of the Almighty. How often, in repeating the Psalms, do we declare, that "God is our refuge;" yet how very seldom do we recur to him as such in the hour of temptation!

"9. Surely men of low degree are vanity, and men of high degree are a lie to be laid in the balance, they are altogether lighter than vanity."

A reason is here assigned, why we should at all times "trust in God;" namely, because there is nothing else in which we can trust, but it will in the end deceive us. Weighed in the "balance" of heaven, the power of man to save is "less than nothing." Let us weigh everything in that exact and faithful balance.

"10. Trust not in oppression, and become not vain in robbery: if riches increase, set not your heart upon them."

Of all things here below, wealth is that on which poor deluded man is chiefly tempted, even to the end of life, to place his confidence; and when "riches increase," it proves a hard task for the human heart to keep its affections sufficiently detached from them. But he who by injustice acquireth the earthly mammon, justly forfeiteth the treasures of heaven; and he who is made vain and covetous by money, however honestly gotten, renders that a curse to one, which was designed as a blessing to many, and drowns himself in the spring which should have watered all around him.

"11. God hath spoken once; twice have I heard this, or, these two things have I heard; that power belongeth unto God. 12. Also unto thee, O LORD, belongeth mercy: for thou renderest to every man according to his work."

In opposition to the vain boasts of worldly men, trusting in their riches, &c. is cited the declaration of God, when, from mount Sinai, he proclaimed himself to be JEHOVAH, the fountain of all "power," in heaven above, and on earth beneath, jealous of the glory of this attribute, ready to avenge himself on the wicked, and able to abase the pride of man. At the same time also, he proclaimed himself" the LORD God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abundant in goodness and truth, keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity, and transgression, and sin," Exod. xxxiv. 6. To all mankind, therefore, the prophet here recommendeth meditation on these

two most interesting subjects, the power of God to punish sin, and his mercy to pardon it. Fear of the former will beget desire of the latter, and both together will set a man upon doing works worthy of their parent faith; works, which God of his infinite "mercy," for the sake of Christ, has graciously promised to accept, and to "reward."

PSALM LXIII.

ARGUMENT.

David, in the wilderness of Judah, expresseth, 1, 2. his longing desire after the presence of God, and the divine pleasures of the sanctuary; 3-6. he blesseth and praiseth God both day and night, in the midst of affection, and 7—8. declareth his faith to be immoveable; 9, 10. he predicteth the fate of the wicked, with, 11. the exaltation, triumph, and glory of Messiah, to be exhibited in his own. The whole Psalm is applicable to the circumstances of Christ in the flesh, and to those of his people in the world.

"1. O God, thou art my God; early will I seek thee: my soul thirsteth for thee, my flesh longeth for thee, in a dry and thirsty land, where no water is; 2. To see thy power and glory, so as I have seen thee in the sanctuary.'

After the example of the persecuted David in the wilderness of Judah, and that of the afflicted Jesus upon the earth, the true Christian dedicates to God" the sweet hour of prime;" he opens the eyes of his understanding, together with those of his body, and awakes each morning to righteousness. He arises, with an inextinguishable thirst after those comforts, which the world cannot give; and has immediate recourse by prayer to the fountain of the water of life; ever longing to behold the Divine power and glory in the sanctuary above, of which he has been favoured with some glimpse in the services of the church below.

"3. Because thy loving-kindness is better than life, my lips shall praise

thee."

"Life" is the greatest of earthly blessings, all others being included in it: "all that a man hath," saith Satan, "will he give for his life," Job ii. 4. Not so the Psalmist. He knew a pearl of far greater price, namely, "the loving-kindness" of Jehovah, on which is suspended, not only the life which now is, but that which is to come. The sense of this lovingkindness tuned the harp of the son of Jesse, and now tunes those of the spirits before the throne.

"4. Thus will I bless thee while I live: I will lift up my hands in thy

"While we live," however wretched our condition may be, we have an opportunity of obtaining pardon, grace, and glory; for which we ought at all times to bless" God, "lifting up pure hands" in prayer, employing them in every good work, and all in the "name" of Jesus.

"5. My soul shall be satisfied as with marrow and fatness; and my mouth shall praise thee with joyful lips; 6. When I remember thee upon my bed, and meditate on thee in the night-watches."

Solitude and stillness render the "night-watches" a fit season for meditation on the so often experienced mercies of God; which when thus called to remembrance, become a delicious repast to the spirit, filling it with all joy, and peace, and consolation, giving songs in the night, and making darkness itself cheerful. How cheerful, then, will be that last morning, when the righteous, awaking up after the Divine likeness, shall be "satisfied" with all the fulness of God, and "praise him with joyful lips," in those eternal courts, where there is no night, and from whence sorrow and sighing fly far away.

7. Because thou hast been my help, therefore in the shadow of thy