12, 13. Many bulls have compassed me: strong bulls of Bashan have beset me round. They gaped upon me with their mouths, as a ravening and a roaring lion.'

From the 11th verse to the 19th, the sufferings of the holy Jesus are described, in terms partly figurative, and partly literal. A lamb, in the midst of wild bulls and lions,' is a very lively representation of his meekness and innocence, and of the noise and fury of his implacable enemies. Bashan' was a fertile country, Numb. xxxii. 4. and the cattle there fed were fat and strong.' Deut. xxxii. 15. Like them, the Jews, in that good land, ‘waxed fat and kicked,' grew proud and rebelled; 'forsook God that made them, and lightly esteemed the rock of their salvation.' Let both communities and individuals, when blessed with peace, plenty, and prosperity in the world, take sometimes into consideration this flagrant instance of their being abused; with the final consequence of such abuse.

14, 15. ‘I am poured out like water, and all my bones are out of joint,' or sundered: 'my heart is like wax, it is melted in the midst of my bowels. My strength is dried up like a potsherd, and my tongue cleaveth to my jaws; and thou hast brought me into the dust of death."

For our sakes Christ yielded himself, like' water,' without resistance, to the violence of his enemies; suffering his 'bones,' in which consisteth the strength of the frame, to be distended and dislocated on the cross; while, by reason of the fire from above, to the burning heat of which this paschal Lamb was exposed, his heart dissolved and melted away. The intenseness of his passion drying up all the fluids, brought on a thirst, tormenting beyond expression; and, at last, laid him low in the grave. Never, blessed Lord, was love like unto thy love! Never was sorrow like unto thy sorrow! Thy spouse and body mystical, the church, is often, in a degree, conformed unto thee; and as thou wert, so is she in this world.

16. For dogs have compassed me: the assembly of the wicked have enclosed me: they pierced my hands and my feet.'

Our Lord, who compared himself above, ver. 12. to a

lamb in the midst of bulls and lions, here setteth himself forth again under the image of a hart, or hind, roused early in the morning of his mortal life, hunted and chased all the day, and in the evening pulled down to the ground, by those who compassed' and 'enclosed' him, thirsting and clamoring for his blood, crying, 'Away with him, away with him! crucify him, crucify him!' And the next step was, the 'piercing his hands and his feet,' by nailing them to the cross. How often, O thou Preserver of men, in thy church, thy ministers, and thy word, art thou thus compassed, and thus pierced!

17. I may tell all my bones: they look and stare upon me.'

The skin and flesh were distended, by the posture of the body on the cross, that the bones, as through a thin veil, became visible, and might be counted; and the holy Jesus, forsaken and stripped, naked and bleeding, was a spectacle to heaven and earth. Look unto him, and be ye saved, all ye ends of the world!

18. They part my garments among them, and cast lots upon my vesture.'

'The soldiers, when they had crucified JESUS, took his garments, and made four parts, to every soldier a part, and also his coat; now the coat was without seam, woven from the top throughout. They said therefore among themselves, Let us not rend it, but cast lots for it, whose it shall be; that the Scripture might be fulfilled, which saith, They parted my raiment among them, and for my vesture they did cast lots.' John xix. 23, 24.

19. But be not thou far from me, O LORD: O my strength, haste thee to help me.'

The circumstances of the passion being thus related, Christ resumes the prayer with which the Psalm begins, and which is repeated, ver. 10, 11. The adversary had emptied his quiver, and spent all the venom of his

Qui macilenti sunt, sic habent ossa prominentia, ut facile omnia possint tactu secerni et numerari. David, quatenus hæc ei conveniunt, dicere hoc potuit de se fuga et molestiis emaciato. Sed Christus aptius ita loqui poterat, quod magis emaciatus esset, et corpore nudo atque in cruce distento, magis adparerent ossa.' Le Clerc, cited by Bishop Lowth, in Merrick's Annotations.

malice; Messiah therefore prayeth for a manifestation of the power and favor of Heaven on his side, in a joyful and glorious resurrection. And to a resurrection from the dead every man will find it necessary to look forward for comfort.

20, 21. Deliver my soul from the sword; my darling' from the power of the dog. Save me from the lion's mouth for thou hast heard me,' or and hear thou me, 'from the horns of the unicorns.'

The wrath of God was the sword,' which took vengeance on all men in their representative; it was the flaming sword,' which kept men out of Paradise; the sword, to which it was said, at the time of the passion--'Awake, O sword, against my shepherd, and against the man that is my fellow, saith the LORD of hosts: smite the shepherd, and the sheep shall be scattered:' Zech. xiii. 7. Matt. xxvi. 31. The ravening fury of the 'dog,' the lion,' and the 'unicorn,' or the, oryx,' a fierce and untameable creature of the stag kind, is made use of to describe the rage of the devil and his instruments, whether spiritual or corporeal. From all these Christ supplicates the Father for deliverance. How great need have we to supplicate for the same, through him!

22. I will declare thy name unto my brethren; in the midst of the congregation will I praise thee.'

The former part of the Psalm we have seen to be prophetical of the passion. The strain now changes to an epinikion, or hymn of triumph, in the mouth of the Redeemer, celebrating his victory, and its happy consequences. This verse is cited by the apostle, Heb. ii. 11. Both he that sanctified, and they who are sanctified, are all of one; for which cause He is not ashamed to call them brethren, saying, I will declare thy name unto my brethren,' &c. And accordingly, when the deliverance, so long wished, and so earnestly prayed for, was accomplished by the resurrection of Jesus from the dead, he declared the name of God,' by his apostles, to all his

Heb. ''n' my united one. May it relate to any thing more than 'WD? the human nature united with the Divinity in the person of Christ? Quære.' Bishop Lowth, in Merrick's Annotations.

'brethren;' and caused the church to resound with incessant praises and hallelujahs; all which are here represented as proceeding from the body, by and through him who is the head of that body.

23. Ye that fear the LORD, praise him; all ye the seed of Jacob, glorify him; and fear him, all ye the seed of Israel.'

If Christ arose from the dead, to declare salvation to his brethren, and to glorify God for the same, how diligent ought we to be in doing the former; how delighted in the performance of the latter! Messiah first addressed himself to his ancient people, the seed of Jacob,' to whom the Gospel was first preached. How long, O Lord, holy and true, shall thy once highly favored nation continue deaf to this gracious call of thine! All ye seed of Jacob, glorify him; and fear him, all ye seed of Israel.'

24. For he hath not despised nor abhorred the affliction of the afflicted; neither hath he hid his face from him; but when he cried unto him, he heard.'

The great subjects of praise and thanksgiving, in the church, are the sufferings of the lowly and afflicted Jesus, and the acceptance of those sufferings by the Father, as a propitiation for the sins of the world; which acceptance was testified by raising him from the dead; inasmuch as the discharge of the surety proved the payment of the debt. The poor and afflicted brethren of Christ may take comfort from this verse; for if they suffer in his spirit, they will be raised in his glory.

25. My praise shall be of thee in the great congregation: I will pay my vows before them that fear him."

The vow of Christ was, to build and consecrate to Jehovah a spiritual temple, in which the spiritual sacrifices of prayer and praise should be continually offered. This vow he performed after his resurrection, by the hands of his apostles, and still continueth to perform,

་

Bishop Lowth is of opinion, that this verse and the following are the song' of praise, which, in the verse preceding, the speaker says, he will utter in the congregation.' The introduction of it, as his lordship justly observes, gives a variety to the whole, and is highly poetical.” Merrick's Annotations.

by those of his ministers, carrying on the work of edification in the great congregation' of the Gentile Christian Church. The vows of Christ cannot fail of being performed. Happy are they whom he vouchsafeth to use, as his instruments, in the performance of them.

26. 'The meek shall eat and be satisfied: they shall praise the LORD that seek him: your heart shall live for ever.'

A spiritual banquet is prepared in the church for the meek and lowly of heart; the bread of life and the wine of salvation are set forth in the word and sacraments; and they that hunger and thirst after righteousness, shall be 'satisfied' therewith: they, who seek' the Lord Jesus in his ordinances, ever find reason to 'praise him;' while, nourished by these noble and heavenly viands, they live the life, and work the works of grace, proceeding still forward to glory; when their heart shall live for ever,' in heaven.

27. All the ends of the world shall remember, and turn unto the LORD: and all the kindreds of the nations shall worship before thee.'

The great truths of man's creation and fall, with the promise of a Redeemer to come, were 'forgotten' by the nations, after their apostasy from the true God, and the one true religion; but were, as we may say, recalled to their remembrance,' by the sermons of the apostles, and the writings of Moses and the prophets, translated, and spread among them. By these they were converted to the faith, and now composed the holy church universal throughout the world; being the glorious proofs and fruits of the resurrection of Jesus from the dead.

28. For the kingdom is the LORD's; and he is the governor among the nations."

On his

There is good reason why the nations should worship Christ, and throw away their idols; since in his hand, not in theirs, is the government of the world. ascension he was crowned King of kings, and Lord of lords; he ruleth in the church by his Spirit; and blessed are the hearts that are his willing subjects in the day of his power.

29. 'All they that be fat upon earth shall eat and