THE BOOK OF PSALMS. (continued 3)

Mark ye well her bulwarks, consider her palaces; that ye may tell it to the generation following.

For this God is our God for ever and ever; he will be our guide even unto death.

This is a thanksgiving almost like Psalm xlvi. For the Psalmist praises God, and magnifies and extols his works, because he had so marvellously defended the city of Jerusalem against the neighbouring nations, and against kings and tyrants; and because he had often delivered it when besieged by the most bitter and the most powerful enemies; while those enemies themselves were driven back in a wonderful manner, and put to open shame; and because he had saved it from infinite perils and destructions, in defiance of the very gates of hell; and had preserved the city, the temple, the word, and the worship of God.

But, more especially, David is here celebrating the truth of God;—that God faithfully fulfils his promise; ‘According to thy name, (saith he) so is thy glory, and so are thy works unto the ends of the earth:’ that is, according as thou hast promised us, “I will be your God,” and accordingly as we have believed that word, so hast thou given us to experience the fulfilment of it;—thou hast been with us, and delivered and defended us; our city and our temple stand in the midst of enemies, as if in the midst of flames, preserved and unhurt.

We sing this Psalm, because God is pleased to preserve his church and gospel against the roaring and hatred of kings and princes; who cease not from attacking them by violence and craft with all their might: and yet, they shall perish and be confounded, and covered with shame, while the gospel shall remain as it was before, unhurt and unhindered.

PSALM XLIX.

An earnest persuasion to build the faith of resurrection, not on worldly power, but on God.—Worldly prosperity is not to be admired.

To the chief Musician. A Psalm for the sons of Korah.

Hear this, all ye people; give ear, all ye inhabitants of the world.

Both low and high, rich and poor together.

My mouth shall speak of wisdom; and the meditation of my heart shall be of understanding.

I will incline mine ear to a parable; I will open my dark saying upon the harp.

Wherefore should I fear in the days of evil, when the iniquity of my heels shall compass me about?

They that trust in their wealth, and boast themselves in the multitude of their riches.

None of them can by any means redeem his brother, nor give to God a ransom for him.

(For the redemption of their soul is precious, and it ceaseth for ever.)

That he should still live for ever, and not see corruption.

For he seeth that wise men die, likewise the fool and the brutish person perish, and leave their wealth to others.

Their inward thought is, that their houses shall continue for ever, and their dwelling-places to all generations: they call their lands after their own names.

Nevertheless, man being in honour, abideth not: he is like the beasts that perish.

This their way is their folly: yet their posterity approve their sayings. Selah.

Like sheep they are laid in the grave; death shall feed on them; and the upright shall have dominion over them in the morning: and their beauty shall consume in the grave from their dwelling.

But God will redeem my soul from the power of the grave; for he shall receive me. Selah.

Be not thou afraid when one is made rich, when the glory of his house is increased.

For, when he dieth, he shall carry nothing away; his glory shall not descend after him.

Though, while he lived, he blessed his soul: (and men will praise thee when thou doest well to thyself.)

He shall go to the generation of his fathers; they shall never see light.

Man that is in honour, and understandeth not, is like the beasts that perish.

This is a Psalm that instructs us unto faith, and teaches us to trust in God against that great god of this world, who is called Mammon. David here gives a long and striking introduction to the Psalm, that he may excite and wholly arrest our attention. He here sharply rebukes all who trust in the riches and wealth of this world; concerning whom Christ also severely says, “Woe unto you that are rich, for ye have received your consolation.” Luke vi. 24.

“The love of money, (saith Paul,) is the root of all evil;” and yet the whole world leave the true God and worship this idol; and are actuated more and more with the furious desire of getting wealth. All men, from the least to the greatest, except those that fear God, are in pursuit of money. Hence it is, that all the prophets exclaim, “For from the least of them, even unto the greatest of them, every one is given to covetousness,” Jeremiah vi. 13. And hence also have arisen all those proverbs and trite sayings of the poets among the Greeks and Latins. ‘All things give way to money,’—‘money is the first thing to be sought after; virtue is a secondary consideration.’

But all such admirers of, and slaves to riches are pointed at and exposed in this Psalm; as are also all those who trust in their wealth, nothing of which they can take with them when they die. And here also true faith is highly extolled; by which we trust in God, who can deliver us from death, and give us eternal life and salvation. And death is the time when not only gold, but all creatures put together, cannot save and deliver a man!

PSALM L.

The majesty of God in the church.—His order to gather saints.—The pleasure of God is not in ceremonies, but in sincerity of obedience.

A Psalm of Asaph.

The mighty God, even the LORD, hath spoken, and called the earth from the rising of the sun unto the going down thereof.

Out of Zion, the perfection of beauty, God hath shined.

Our God shall come, and shall not keep silence: a fire shall devour before him, and it shall be very tempestuous round about him.

He shall call to the heavens from above, and to the earth, that he may judge his people.

Gather my saints together unto me; those that have made a covenant with me by sacrifice.

And the heavens shall declare his righteousness: for God is judge himself. Selah.

Hear, O my people, and I will speak; O Israel, and I will testify against thee: I am God, even thy God.

I will not reprove thee for thy sacrifices or thy burnt offerings, to have been continually before me.

I will take no bullock out of thy house, nor he-goats out of thy folds.

For every beast of the forest is mine, and the cattle upon a thousand hills.

I know all the fowls of the mountains: and the wild beasts of the field are mine.

If I were hungry I would not tell thee: for the world is mine, and the fulness thereof.

Will I eat the flesh of bulls, or drink the blood of goats?

Offer unto God thanksgiving; and pay thy vows unto the most high.

And call upon me in the day of trouble: I will deliver thee, and thou shalt glorify me.

But unto the wicked God saith, What hast thou to do to declare my statutes, or that thou shouldest take my covenant in thy mouth?

Seeing thou hatest instruction, and castest my words behind thee.

When thou sawest a thief, then thou consentedst with him, and hast been partaker with adulterers.

Thou givest thy mouth to evil, and thy tongue frameth deceit.

Thou sittest and speakest against thy brother: thou slanderest thine own mother’s son.

These things hast thou done, and I kept silence; thou thoughtest that I was altogether such an one as thyself: but I will reprove thee, and set them in order before thine eyes.

Now consider this, ye that forget God, lest I tear you in pieces, and there be none to deliver.

Whoso offereth praise glorifieth me: and to him that ordereth his conversation aright will I shew the salvation of God.

This Psalm teaches us, in the teeth of all hypocrites and all the worship of hypocrites, what is true worship, and which are acceptable sacrifices in the sight of God. For hypocrites consider their works, and merits, and sacrifices as of such high value, that they think GOD ought to acknowledge the benefit of their services; and they imagine that he has need of them. Whereas, on the contrary, the Holy Spirit declares with a loud voice by the prophets, what the true worship of God is; namely, that of the First Commandment: which is, to worship God, and adore him; and to acknowledge that we receive all things from his hand, and that all glory is due to him!

Observe, therefore,—there is here clearly expressed, in the plainest words, what is the highest worship of God; and what sacrifice is the most acceptable to him. And we are here briefly told, that the true way and road to God is, to call upon him in the day of trouble, and give him thanks for the infinite benefits which we receive from him; (as the last verse here sings;) for this is truly to “pay our vows unto God, and to offer unto him thanksgiving,” (as the 14th verse saith.) These are not those foolish monastic vows, and the like; but that highest of all vows, which the Decalogue and the First Commandment require; where it saith, “To-day have ye vowed unto the Lord your God: he will be your God:” that is, ye are made the people of God, that ye may have him for your God; and that ye may truly believe in him, call upon him, and cleave unto him alone. Of this those foolish hypocrites and self-imagined saints know nothing whatever.

PSALM LI.

David prayeth for remission of sins, whereof he maketh a deep confession.—He prayeth for sanctification.—God delighteth not in sacrifice but in sincerity.—He prayeth for the church.

To the chief Musician, A Psalm of David, when Nathan the prophet came unto him, after he had gone in to Bath-sheba.

Have mercy upon me, O God, according to thy loving-kindness: according unto the multitude of thy tender mercies blot out my transgressions.

Wash me thoroughly from mine iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin.

For I acknowledge my transgressions: and my sin is ever before me.

Against thee, thee only, have I sinned, and done this evil in thy sight: that thou mightest be justified when thou speakest, and be clear when thou judgest.

Behold, I was shapen in iniquity; and in sin did my mother conceive me.

Behold, thou desirest truth in the inward parts: and in the hidden part thou shalt make me to know wisdom.

Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean: wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.

Make me to hear joy and gladness; that the bones which thou hast broken may rejoice.

Hide thy face from my sins, and blot out all mine iniquities.

Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me.

Cast me not away from thy presence; and take not thy holy spirit from me.

Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation; and uphold me with thy free spirit.

Then will I teach transgressors thy ways; and sinners shall be converted unto thee.

Deliver me from blood-guiltiness, O God, thou God of my salvation: and my tongue shall sing aloud of thy righteousness.

O LORD, open thou my lips; and my mouth shall shew forth thy praise.

For thou desirest not sacrifice; else would I give it: thou delightest not in burnt offering.

The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: a broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise.

Do good in thy good pleasure unto Zion: build thou the walls of Jerusalem.

Then shalt thou be pleased with the sacrifices of righteousness, with burnt offering and whole burnt offering: then shall they offer bullocks upon thine altar.

This, among all the Psalms, is a signal and golden one. It contains experiences and feelings truly Davidical; and teaches us what sin is, what the origin of sin is, and how great and awful an evil the fall of Adam was. And also, (which is an excellent part of it indeed,) it shows us how we obtain the remission of sins. For in this Psalm, we have it clearly expressed, that sin is a great and innate evil, and an awful depravation and corruption of nature, in all the powers both of soul and body. Unless, therefore, we are born again by faith in Christ, and are renewed in spirit and made new creatures of God, the sense of the loss of God and of eternal life and salvation is so heavy a burthen, and the power of sin and the sting of death so great, that the conscience is shaken with unspeakable distress and terror; and the anguish that takes hold on it drinks up the very marrow, and bruises and breaks the very inmost bones, until the word of grace and of the Spirit again raises us up and refreshes us; as David here says, “That the bones which thou hast broken may rejoice.”

But in hearts that are purified and renewed by the Spirit, there is a new light shining; there are new motions and spiritual affections; a sure rest and peace of conscience; a true and full assurance of salvation; a fervent and lively joy of spirit; a rejoicing in God and a peace with him; a heart full of thanksgiving, and a patience under afflictions. Hence those that fear God, those that are born again, if they are at a point concerning the good will of God towards them, are those who can rightly teach and instruct others unto godliness. “Then (says David) will I teach transgressors thy ways;” then will I teach them to call upon and praise the name of the Lord, and to give thanks unto him; and in a word, to worship and adore God truly and aright, to bear patiently the cross and afflictions, and to offer great and glorious sacrifices; (for that is the way in which he here expresses himself, calling “a broken and a contrite heart” the favourite sacrifice of God;) for that is the highest and most excellent worship of God: and he rejects, in plain words, all sacrifices which are offered by hypocrites without that sacrifice; which sacrifices of theirs they consider to be the highest acts of worship.

In concluding the Psalm, David begs of God that he would be pleased to build and preserve the city of Jerusalem; that is, the place of the word and the true worship of God. In the same manner, we ought also to pray. “Do good unto Zion, O Lord:” that is, ‘O Lord, thou seest the virulent hatred of hypocrites: Do thou, O Lord, preserve the true church, and the true worship of God in it;’ that is, the worship of the First Commandment. Confound all those who boast of their good works and sacrifices, and who neglect faith towards God, and trample under foot the First Commandment. But preserve and comfort those who adore thee in truth, serve thee, and sacrifice unto thee in the spirit.

PSALM LII.

David, condemning the spitefulness of Doeg, prophesieth his destruction.—The righteous shall rejoice at it.—David, upon his confidence in God’s mercy, giveth thanks.

To the chief Musician, Maschil, A Psalm of David, when Doeg the Edomite came and told Saul, and said unto him, David is come to the house of Ahimelech.

Why boastest thou thyself in mischief, O mighty man? the goodness of God endureth continually.

Thy tongue deviseth mischiefs, like a sharp razor, working deceitfully.

Thou lovest evil more than good, and lying rather than to speak righteousness. Selah.

Thou lovest all devouring words, O thou deceitful tongue.

God shall likewise destroy thee for ever: he shall take thee away, and pluck thee out of thy dwelling-place, and root thee out of the land of the living. Selah.

The righteous also shall see, and fear and shall laugh at him:

Lo, this is the man that made not God his strength; but trusted in the abundance of his riches, and strengthened himself in his wickedness.

But I am like a green olive-tree in the house of God: I trust in the mercy of God for ever and ever.

I will praise thee for ever, because thou hast done it: and I will wait on thy name; for it is good before thy saints.

This is a Psalm of consolation; and the title of it shows plainly what are its contents. David is here complaining of Doeg who betrayed him, and who was the cause of much hurt and bloodshed. 1 Sam. xxii.

This Doeg furnishes a type of all those betrayers and blood-shedding hypocrites who are in the halls of kings and princes; and who lyingly, and with hatred, traduce the word of God and the doctrine of truth: of which stamp there are now numbers rising up on every side, who irritate and urge on kings and princes to slay the sincere ministers of the word: such as those in our time, who kill many good men on account of the sacraments and marriage, and make no end of shedding the blood of God’s Abels.

Against the furious cruelty of these men, therefore, this Psalm comforts the godly; and promises them, that such shall not go unpunished, but shall fall under those awful curses mentioned in Deut. xxviii:—that they shall be rooted out of the earth; that their houses shall be destroyed; and that they shall lose both their bodies and their estates; but, that those who fear God shall be preserved; that they shall remain in the house of the Lord; and that they shall persevere in teaching and hearing the word of God, in defiance of the devil and all the wicked.

PSALM LIII.

David describeth the corruption of a natural man.—He convinceth the wicked by the light of their own conscience.—He glorieth in the salvation of God.

To the chief Musician upon Mahalath, Maschil. A Psalm of David.

The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God. Corrupt are they, and have done abominable iniquity: there is none that doeth good.

God looked down from heaven upon the children of men, to see if there were any that did understand, that did seek God.

Every one of them is gone back; they are altogether become filthy: there is none that doeth good, no, not one.

Have the workers of iniquity no knowledge? who eat up my people as they eat bread: they have not called upon God.

There were they in great fear where no fear was; for God hath scattered the bones of him that encampeth against thee: thou hast put them to shame, because God hath despised them.

Oh that the salvation of Israel were come out of Zion! When God bringeth back the captivity of his people, Jacob shall rejoice, and Israel shall be glad.

This Psalm is a prophecy like that of Psalm xiv; and it is a Psalm of instruction. The two Psalms are of the same purport, and contain almost the same words and expressions. In a word, they both cut at hypocrites and self-justifiers, who persecute the sound doctrine and its preachers; and at the close they give a prophetic declaration concerning the gospel, and the kingdom of Christ which should proceed out of Zion.

PSALM LIV.

David, complaining of the Ziphims, prayeth for salvation.—Upon his confidence in God’s help he promiseth sacrifice.

To the chief Musician on Neginoth, Maschil, A Psalm of David, when the Ziphims came and said to Saul, Doth not David hide himself with us.

Save me, O God, by thy name, and judge me by thy strength.

Hear my prayer, O God; give ear to the words of my mouth.

For strangers are risen up against me, and oppressors seek after my soul: they have not set God before them. Selah.

Behold, God is mine helper: the LORD is with them that uphold my soul.

He shall reward evil unto mine enemies: cut them off in thy truth.

I will freely sacrifice unto thee; I will praise thy name, O LORD, for it is good.

For he hath delivered me out of all trouble; and mine eye hath seen his desire upon mine enemies.

This is a fervent prayer against the persecutors of the word, who lay plots against the lives of the good, and those that fear God, for the word of God’s sake; just like king Saul and the people of Ziph, who lay in wait for the life of David, on account of the name and word of God, by which Saul was to be dethroned and David made king in his stead. David, therefore, prays, that the vengeance of God might overtake such cruelty and malice.

PSALM LV.

David in his prayer complaineth of his fearful case.—He prayeth against his enemies, of whose wickedness and treachery he complaineth.—He comforteth himself in God’s preservation of him, and confusion of his enemies.

To the chief Musician on Neginoth, Maschil. A Psalm of David.

Give ear to my prayer, O God; and hide not thyself from my supplication.

Attend unto me, and hear me: I mourn in my complaint, and make a noise;

Because of the voice of the enemy, because of the oppression of the wicked: for they cast iniquity upon me, and in wrath they hate me.

My heart is sore pained within me; and the terrors of death are fallen upon me.

Fearfulness and trembling are come upon me, and horror hath overwhelmed me.

And I said, Oh that I had wings like a dove! for then would I fly away and be at rest.

Lo then would I wander far off, and remain in the wilderness. Selah.

I would hasten my escape from the windy storm and tempest.

Destroy, O LORD, and divide their tongues: for I have seen violence and strife in the city.

Day and night they go about it upon the walls thereof; mischief also and sorrow are in the midst of it.

Wickedness is in the midst thereof; deceit and guile depart not from her streets.

For it was not an enemy that reproached me: then I could have borne it: neither was it he that hated me that did magnify himself against me; then I would have hid myself from him;

But it was thou, a man mine equal, my guide, and mine acquaintance.

We took sweet counsel together, and walked unto the house of God in company.

Let death seize upon them, and let them go down quick into hell: for wickedness is in their dwellings, and among them.

As for me, I will call upon God; and the LORD shall save me.

Evening, and morning, and at noon, will I pray, and cry aloud; and he shall hear my voice.

He hath delivered my soul in peace from the battle that was against me: for there were many with me.

God shall hear and afflict them, even he that abideth of old. Selah. Because they have no changes, therefore they fear not God.

He hath put forth his hands against such as be at peace with him; he hath broken his covenant.

The words of his mouth were smoother than butter, but war was in his heart: his words were softer than oil, yet were they drawn swords.

Cast thy burden upon the LORD, and he shall sustain thee: he shall never suffer the righteous to be moved.

But thou, O God, shalt bring them down into the pit of destruction: bloody and deceitful men shall not live out half their days; but I will trust in thee.

This Psalm is a prayer: and although it may in the 10th and 11th verses, be understood of Christ himself, praying against his betrayer Judas, when he says, “If it had been mine enemy that reproached me,” &c. yet, it is manifest to me, that it is a general prayer of the godly against all the craft of insidious and deceitful men, and against the artful Italian flattery of some persons, who are friends as far as their tongue goes, but who have one thing on their tongue and another in their heart, and consider craft and dissimulation in all things to be the highest wisdom; as if they could deceive God also!

They know how to promise, and do promise all things to your face: so that David justly describes them thus, “Their words are smoother than oil:” but when you have turned your back, they blacken your character; and their mouth is more destructive than arrows and coals of fire; and their tongue is a sharp sword, and a drawn dagger. And this is what David complains of in verse 12;—that they deceive effectually with their countenance, their look, and their eyes, and cover, under these fox-like arts, Satanic bitterness and virulence. They eat and drink with you, and pretend to be your friends and intimates, (as Judas did with Christ;) they keep holy days and go to the house of God with you.

This is the reason, therefore, that David so utterly execrates them, and says, “Let them be taken out of the way suddenly, and let them descend into hell alive.” For virulent, outside-show hypocrites, like these, distress the hearts of those that fear God in a manner that is beyond description.

This very judgment which David threatens in this Psalm we see executed, in our day, upon many tyrants and originators of sects; who are taken off in a moment. For this execration is prophetic; foretelling the end of all hypocrites, who will not listen to those that admonish them in a godly manner, nor regard their advice; as it is expressed in verse 19, “But they (says David) will not regard; they are not changed; nor will they fear God; they go on in their course, till they are taken out of the way suddenly.”

PSALM LVI.

David, praying to God in confidence of his word, complaineth of his enemies.—He professeth his confidence in God’s word, and promiseth to praise him.

To the chief Musician upon Jonathelem-rechokim, Michtam of David, when the Philistines took him in Gath.

Be merciful unto me, O God; for man would swallow me up: he fighting daily oppresseth me.

Mine enemies would daily swallow me up: for they be many that fight against me, O thou Most High.

What time I am afraid, I will trust in thee.

In God I will praise his word; in God I have put my trust: I will not fear what flesh can do unto me.

Every day they wrest my words: all their thoughts are against me for evil.

They gather themselves together, they hide themselves, they mark my steps, when they wait for my soul.

Shall they escape by iniquity? in thine anger cast down the people, O God.

Thou tellest my wanderings: put thou my tears into thy bottle: are they not in thy book?

When I cry unto thee, then shall mine enemies turn back: this I know; for God is for me.

In God I will praise his word; in the LORD will I praise his word.

In God have I put my trust: I will not be afraid what man can do unto me.

Thy vows are upon me, O God: I will render praises unto thee.

For thou hast delivered my soul from death; wilt not thou deliver my feet from falling, that I may walk before God in the light of the living?

This is a fervent prayer; in which David complains of Saul and the men of his party, because he was obliged to flee out of the land to the Philistines. So bitterly and hostilely did Saul and the men of his conspiracy persecute David, and plot against his life, that he could be in safety no where. He encourages and supports himself, however, with a constant and undaunted faith. ‘I will glory (says he) in the word of God: for I have a command, a declaration, and a promise of God in my favour: he has declared that Saul shall be dethroned, and that I shall be king. I will not be afraid what man can do unto me. Let them gainsay: let Saul and the Saulites oppose and fight against me. Let them say, and say again, that I shall not be king. If God be for me what can man do against me?’

We ought also to pray, after the manner of this Psalm, against tyrants; who unceasingly persecute the word of God and us, and will never suffer us to be at rest. We, however, have that strong and Davidical consolation,—that the word of God is for us, though they unceasingly attack that in us, and corrupt, pervert, and reproach it; crying out that we are heretics; and arrogating to themselves only, the appellation of the church.

PSALM LVII.

David in prayer fleeing unto God, complaineth of his dangerous case.—He encourageth himself to praise God.

To the chief Musician, Al-taschith, Michtam of David, when he fled from Saul in the cave.

Be merciful unto me, O God, be merciful unto me: for my soul trusted in thee: yea, in the shadow of thy wings will I make my refuge, until these calamities be overpast.

I will cry unto God most high; unto God that performeth all things for me.

He shall send from heaven, and save me from the reproach of him that would swallow me up. Selah. God shall send forth his mercy and his truth.

My soul is among lions: and I lie even among them that are set on fire, even the sons of men, whose teeth are spears and arrows, and their tongue a sharp sword.

Be thou exalted, O God, above the heavens; let thy glory be above all the earth.

They have prepared a net for my steps; my soul is bowed down: they have digged a pit before me, into the midst whereof they are fallen themselves. Selah.

My heart is fixed, O God, my heart is fixed; I will sing and give praise.

Awake up, my glory; awake psaltery and harp; I myself will awake early.

I will praise thee, O LORD, among the people; I will sing unto thee among the nations:

For thy mercy is great unto the heavens, and thy truth unto the clouds.

Be thou exalted, O God, above the heavens, let thy glory be above all the earth.

This Psalm is a prayer; in which David again complains concerning Saul, and those around him; on account of whose plots and snares, he was compelled to flee into a cave. It is nearly of the same purport as the Psalm preceding.

We ought to make use of this Psalm also against tyrants, and against sycophants, and certain powerful ones, about the palaces of kings and princes; who persecute us on account of the word and name of God, and persecute our doctrine also; interpreting every thing that we do in the worst sense; and traducing and hating all that fear God.

And David here paints forth the cruelty of these characters; “Their teeth (says he) are spears and arrows, and their tongue a sharp sword.” Thanks be to God therefore, that he does not forsake his people, but makes their enemies fall into the pit which they themselves have made; so that they are utterly subverted and taken in their own craftiness!

PSALM LVIII.

David reproveth wicked judges, describeth the nature of the wicked, devoteth them to God’s judgments, whereat the righteous shall rejoice.

To the chief Musician, Al-taschith, Michtam of David.

Do ye indeed speak righteousness, O congregation? Do ye judge uprightly, O ye sons of men?

Yea, in heart ye work wickedness; ye weigh the violence of your hands in the earth.

The wicked are estranged from the womb; they go astray as soon as they be born, speaking lies.

Their poison is like the poison of a serpent; they are like the deaf adder that stoppeth her ear;

Which will not hearken to the voice of charmers, charming never so wisely.

Break their teeth, O God, in their mouth; break out the great teeth of the young lions, O LORD.

Let them melt away as waters which run continually: when he bendeth his bow to shoot his arrows, let them be as cut in pieces.

As a snail which melteth, let every one of them pass away: like the untimely birth of a woman, that they may not see the sun.

Before your pots can feel the thorns, he shall take them away as with a whirlwind, both living and in his wrath.

The righteous shall rejoice when he seeth the vengeance: he shall wash his feet in the blood of the wicked.

So that a man shall say, verily there is a reward for the righteous: verily he is a God that judgeth in the earth.

This is a Psalm of consolation against those hardened heretics, and enthusiastic spirits, who pertinaciously defend their own errors, and stop their ears; and who are so blinded and taken captive, that they can hear no one; but pursue, with headlong precipitation, their own designs, and rush on to the accomplishment of them, like a horse at full speed. And these, as if they would devour the godly, cease not to threaten them in the most terrifying manner.—David, however, here makes use of five beautiful similitudes: under which, he represents their vain attempts, and shows, that those very plots which they lay for others, fall upon their own heads.

1. The sudden inundation with which they make their attack, rushes with such violence and roaring, that it seems as if it would tear up and carry away every thing before it: and yet it flows by, and suddenly disappears!

2. Their arrow, fixed on the bow, threatens certain destruction: but, in a moment, the bow and arrows are broken together, and the deadly weapon accomplishes nothing!

3. The snail puts forth his horns from his shell, as if he were just going to do some deadly and mighty injury: but those horns prove to be soft and ineffectual; they do nothing: nor have the power of doing any hurt whatever.

4. An imperfect conception, disengaged by abortion, makes the womb of the mother to extend, as if there were a perfect conception, and as if something great would at length come forth: but before it is brought forth, it perishes, and never sees the sun.

5. You may see a branch of buck-thorn, (which is the most prickly kind of thorn,) filled with young sharp points and prickles, and seeming as if it would one day tear many in pieces at once, and maim persons on every side of it; but, before the prickles are fully ripe and strong, the whole bush is, perhaps, cut down by the woodman, and he burns it in the fire, and reduces it to ashes!

So, just according to these similitudes, those enemies of God and truth, plan, plot, and breathe out dreadful things; but like a mighty flame, where there is no more fuel left to feed it, their fury ends in nothing!

PSALM LIX.

David prayeth to be delivered from his enemies.—He complaineth of their cruelty.—He trusteth in God.—He prayeth against them.—He praiseth God.

To the chief Musician, Al-taschith, Michtam of David; when Saul sent, and they watched the house to kill him.

Deliver me from mine enemies, O my God: defend me from them that rise up against me.

Deliver me from the workers of iniquity, and save me from bloody men.

For, lo, they lie in wait for my soul; the mighty are gathered against me; not for my transgression, nor for my sin, O LORD.

They run and prepare themselves without my fault: awake to help me, and behold.

Thou, therefore, O LORD God of hosts, the God of Israel, awake to visit all the heathen: be not merciful to any wicked transgressors. Selah.

They return at evening: they make a noise like a dog, and go round about the city.

Behold, they belch out with their mouth; swords are in their lips; for who, say they, doth hear?

But thou, O LORD, shalt laugh at them: thou shalt have all the heathen in derision.

Because of his strength will I wait upon thee: for God is my defence.

The God of my mercy shall prevent me; God shall let me see my desire upon my enemies.

Slay them not, lest my people forget: scatter them by thy power; and bring them down, O LORD our shield.

For the sin of their mouth, and the words of their lips, let them even be taken in their pride; and for cursing and lying which they speak.

Consume them in wrath, consume them, that they may not be; and let them know that God ruleth in Jacob unto the ends of the earth. Selah.

And at evening let them return, and let them make a noise like a dog, and go round about the city.

Let them wander up and down for meat, and grudge, if they be not satisfied.

But I will sing of thy power; yea, I will sing aloud of thy mercy in the morning: for thou hast been my defence and refuge in the day of my trouble.

Unto thee, O my strength, I will sing: for God is my defence, and the God of my mercy.

This Psalm is a prayer; and may be very properly understood as offered up in the person of Christ, complaining of, and prophecying concerning the Jews; on whom, on account of their denial of Christ, and their rejection of the gospel, the awful judgments of God should fall; but yet, not so as to destroy the whole nation entirely; but, in such a manner, as to make of them an example to all future nations;—that they should be scattered abroad as exiles, and left vagabonds among all nations; and should be punished by being given up to blindness, and maddened fury; so as not to be able to teach anything, or say anything, but blasphemies against Christ. And this we see fulfilled in them in reality: for all their books and commentaries are replete with the most bitter reproaches and blasphemies against Christ and his gospel. And, for this their wickedness, they suffer dreadful and unceasing punishments: for they ‘go about the city like hungry dogs,’ seeking food, and finding it not.

The meaning of this prophecy is, therefore, that at the end, after the times of the apostles, the Jews should be left as exiles, should be banished from their own land, should wander about as outcasts, should be oppressed under foreign jurisdictions, should be driven out from one country to another, and should be cast out without any certain dwelling-place; and that they should seek out any corner of the world, where they might collect together again the wrecks and remains of their kingdom, and endeavour to find out another one to lead them, but should be frustrated in every attempt. And their exile and dispersion shall remain unfinished until the end appointed: till then, they shall remain and waste away like famished dogs, and run and smell about round the cities, and gape like dogs, but shall not be filled: and they shall perish without a king, and without a kingdom.

But with respect to the history of this Psalm, it may rightly be understood as referring to David, praying against the heirs of Saul and the Saulites; who, being at length stripped of their kingdom, wandered about like yawning and hungry dogs, ejected from their kingdom, and forsaken and held in contempt, until they all utterly perished. For God declared that the house of Saul should not be raised up; though the posterity of Saul greatly desired his kingdom.

PSALM LX.

David, complaining to God of former judgment,—now, upon better hope, prayeth for deliverance.—Comforting himself in God’s promises, he craveth that help whereon he trusteth.

To the chief Musician upon Shushan-eduth, Michtam of David, to teach; when he strove with Aram-naharaim and with Aram-zobah, when Joab returned, and smote of Edom in the valley of salt twelve thousand.

O God, thou hast cast us off, thou hast scattered us, thou hast been displeased; O turn thyself to us again.

Thou hast made the earth to tremble; thou hast broken it: heal the breaches thereof; for it shaketh.

Thou hast shewed thy people hard things: thou hast made us to drink the wine of astonishment.

Thou hast given a banner to them that feared thee, that it may be displayed because of the truth. Selah.

That thy beloved may be delivered; save with thy right hand and hear me.

God hath spoken in his holiness; I will rejoice, I will divide Shechem, and mete out the valley of Succoth.

Gilead is mine, and Manasseh is mine; Ephraim also is the strength of mine head; Judah is my lawgiver;

Moab is my washpot; over Edom will I cast out my shoe: Philistia, triumph thou because of me.

Who will bring me into the strong city? who will lead me into Edom?

Wilt not thou, O God, which hadst cast us off? and thou, O God, which didst not go out with our armies?

Give us help from trouble: for vain is the help of man.

Through God we shall do valiantly: for he it is that shall tread down our enemies.

This is a signal thanksgiving. David gives thanks for the happy state of his kingdom, in which religion and political government flourished and prospered; for, in these two things, well-ordered, consist all things divine and human. Before the time of David, in the days of Saul, all things were in disorder, and the kingdom was in a declining state; as the former verses of the Psalm show. The Philistines had greatly afflicted the Israelites: so much so that even the ark of the Lord was despised and profaned.

Again, in the reign of Saul, all things were carried on with injury, oppression, and wickedness: which is always the case, when God forsakes magistrates, and suffers them to go on in their own ways. And the example of David, who was obliged to have recourse to such various, wise, and cautious means for safety, shows that the palace of Saul was full of Ahithophels, and of all such pests of religion and good government.

But, says David, “Thou, O Lord, hast given a sign to them that feared thee, that they may display it, and may believe and be assured, that thou art present with them.” For God had given to his own a sign, and had left it to them; by which, all those that believed in the grace of God, might be comforted; namely, the ark of the covenant and the mercy-seat; which God had delivered, by signal miracles, out of the hand of the Philistines. For God had promised and declared, that he would hear all those that called upon him before this ark, and this mercy-seat; and that he would there vouchsafe his presence.

At the end of the Psalm, he enumerates all his countries and his people; and, in a very striking and eminent way, extols the true worship of God, the true religion. “God (saith he) speaks in his holiness (or sanctuary); I will rejoice:” that is, God is present in my kingdom by his word, which is there preached: in this I will rejoice.

He enumerates, in order, these countries: Succoth, Shechem, Gilead, Manasseh, Ephraim, Judah, Moab, Philistia. And, at the end, he confesses, that, to defend and protect all these, by a good government, and to ensure them victory against all their enemies,—against Edom and Philistia, (that is to carry on war and to extend dominions, successfully,) is not in the power of human wisdom or human strength; “For vain (saith he) is the help of man. All successful valour and victory are from God.” Why he does not mention by name more countries than these nine, it belongs to a full commentary to explain; the narrow limits, therefore, of our present summary, will not allow us to enter upon that explanation.

We may sing this Psalm to the honour of God also, because in the church of Christ, God is continually making new orchards and gardens; and daily increasing the number of its churches and parishes; in which the word of God is preached; in which the sacraments are administered in a godly manner; and in which there are various gifts of the Holy Spirit.

PSALM LXI.

David fleeth to God upon his former experience.—He voweth perpetual service unto him, because of his promises.

To the chief Musician upon Neginah. A Psalm of David.

Hear my cry, O God; attend unto my prayer.

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.

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

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

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

Thou wilt prolong the king’s life; and his years as many generations.

He shall abide before God for ever: O prepare mercy and truth, which may preserve him.

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

This is a prayer against the enemies of the people of God, and especially also for magistrates, and for the king—that God would increase faith in him, and further him in the knowledge of his holy name and word; that he may walk in faith and in the fear of God; that his government may be happy and endure; and that religion and good government may not be injured and distracted by seditions and wars. For Solomon, in his Proverbs, says, “That for the sins of the people, God changes kings and kingdoms.” But where there are many kings, there, (according to the manner of all human vicissitudes,) what one builds up, another casts down: as the proverb goes, “A new king, a new law,”—all changes in a state are dangerous: happy is that kingdom, therefore, which, being once well constituted, is long preserved in the same state.

PSALM LXII.

David professing his confidence in God discourageth his enemies.—In the same confidence he encourageth the godly.—No trust is to be put in worldly things.—Power and mercy belong to God.

To the chief Musician, to Jeduthun. A Psalm of David.

Truly my soul waiteth upon God: from him cometh my salvation.

He only is my rock and my salvation; he is my defence; I shall not be greatly moved.

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.

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

My soul, wait thou only upon God; for my expectation is from him.

He only is my rock and my salvation: he is my defence; I shall not be moved.

In God is my salvation and my glory: the rock of my strength, and my refuge, is in God.

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

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.

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

God hath spoken once; twice have I heard this; that power belongeth unto God.

Also unto thee, O LORD, belongeth mercy: for thou renderest to every man according to his work.

This Psalm contains most excellent doctrine: it greatly exalts the dignity of faith, showing how firm a safeguard faith in God is, and what a strong defence it is against all the evils of life. On the other hand, the Psalmist shows the vanity of all confidence in men;—that nothing is more vain, or more fallacious than to trust in man. ‘God (says he) is my rock, my strength, and my defence: God is my hope, my salvation, my strength, my glory, my life, and my trust. God is my safe protection. God is my faithful helper; who never deceives me. Therefore, vain are the sons of men. The sons of men are all liars:’ that is, all human things are deceiving, uncertain, and cannot be held fast.

Many are to be found, who trust in the favour of kings and princes; and on that account, they are puffed up with pride and insolence, and oppress others with the more confidence; and especially if they see their wall bowing down and giving way; that is, if they see a man declining in his affairs, who was once in prosperity; or if they see him not protected by wealth and influence against injury: such an one as this, they endeavour to overthrow wholly; and to that end, ingratiate themselves with the powerful, and wind themselves into their affections, on whose favour they depend; as on a propitious deity.

But such see not how fallacious the favour of men is, and how variable and uncertain their wills are; in a word, they see not that “vain is the help of man!” Nor will they believe it to be vain, until they find it out by experience, and are brought to lament their error; as Cicero and many other wise men have done. Cicero exclaims with respect to Octavius, ‘O how vain was all my reputation for being a wise man, &c.! O how far was I from being wise indeed; though I sometimes evinced that wisdom which was esteemed to be such; but in vain!’ Thus writes he in his epistle to Octavius.—Therefore the sum of all religion is ‘Trust in God and injure not thy neighbour!’ So shalt thou rightly conduct thyself before both God and men!

PSALM LXIII.

David’s thirst for God.—His manner of blessing God.—His confidence of his enemies’ destruction, and his own safety.

A Psalm of David, when he was in the wilderness of Judah.

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;

To see thy power and thy glory, so as I have seen thee in the sanctuary.

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

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

My soul shall be satisfied as with marrow and fatness; and my mouth shall praise thee with joyful lips:

When I remember thee upon my bed, and meditate on thee in the night watches.

Because thou hast been my help, therefore in the shadow of thy wings will I rejoice.

My soul followeth hard after thee: thy right hand upholdeth me.

But those that seek my soul, to destroy it, shall go into the lower parts of the earth.

They shall fall by the sword: they shall be a portion for foxes.

But the king shall rejoice in God; every one that sweareth by him shall glory: but the mouth of them that speak lies shall be stopped.

This is a prayer containing the deep feelings of an afflicted heart, thirsting after the word of God, which is the word of consolation! David called thus upon God, when he fled from the face of Saul, and lay hid in the wilderness of Judah. “My soul thirsteth for thee; my flesh longeth for thee, that I may see thee in thy sanctuary.” O how fervently does he desire to be present in the tabernacle, and before the mercy-seat in the sanctuary! And to hear the word of God, in the assembly of those who there truly worshipped him? He complains, also, bitterly against the Saulites; who so hostilely lay in wait for his life, that he could be in safety no where; and was compelled to be away from the place of the worship of God; even away from the sanctuary.—Notwithstanding all this, however, he raises himself up with a holy firmness, and magnanimity, and glories in being king, depending on the choice and promise of God; by which he comforts and sustains himself during the time of that most miserable flight and calamity.

This Psalm may be used by those who are under the oppression of tyrants, who feel a hungering and thirsting after the word of God, and who can, under their calamity, glory in being the sons and heirs of God, because they have the knowledge of Christ, and love the word; and who can persevere in this confidence, until the impious Saul be destroyed, and David exalted; that is, until God raise up and comfort those that fear him.

PSALM LXIV.

David prayeth for deliverance, complaining of his enemies.—He promiseth himself to see such an evident destruction of his enemies, as the righteous shall rejoice at it.

To the chief Musician, a Psalm of David.

Hear my voice, O God, in my prayer: preserve my life from fear of the enemy.

Hide me from the secret counsel of the wicked; from the insurrection of the workers of iniquity.

Who whet their tongue like a sword, and bend their bows to shoot their arrows, even bitter words;

That they may shoot in secret at the perfect: suddenly do they shoot at him, and fear not.

They encourage themselves in an evil matter; they commune of laying snares privily; they say, Who shall see them?

They search out iniquities; they accomplish a diligent search: both the inward thought of every one of them, and the heart, is deep.

But God shall shoot at them with an arrow; suddenly shall they be wounded.

So they shall make their own tongue to fall upon themselves; all that see them shall flee away.

And all men shall fear, and shall declare the work of God: for they shall wisely consider of his doing.

The righteous shall be glad in the LORD, and shall trust in him; and all the upright in heart shall glory.

This is a most ardent prayer, full of the feelings of a heart under great straits, by reason of the unceasing and infinite malice of the devil, the perfidy of men, and the ingratitude of the world.

David here cries unto God, on account of having experienced so much treachery, even from those of his own household, (as always is the case, in the cause of religion). He cries to the Lord against his betrayers and his most virulent slanderers,—those vipers, who, by wicked speeches, and all the arts of perfidy and malice, did not cease to plot against him. Of this base gang were his own son Absalom, Ahithophel, and others like them; and especially many in the court of Saul; Doeg, &c.

He continues, however, perseveringly to comfort and console himself;—that, by the just judgment of God, these same enemies shall bring evil upon their own heads; and that those very base and viperous tongues, which now cannot rest nor cease to slander, shall only wound themselves; as, in the end, it happened unto Absalom, Ahithophel, and Doeg.

In the same way also, we ought to pray against all those vipers, our enemies, in the halls of kings, bishops, and princes: who attack us with satanic craft and hatred, and with all the arts of wickedness. But they shall fall themselves into the snares which they have laid, (as we have seen it exemplified in numberless instances;) and they shall only plan mischief which shall fall upon their own heads; that men may openly behold and see the works of God, and acknowledge that God himself has visited them.

PSALM LXV.

David praiseth God for his grace.—The blessedness of God’s chosen by reason of benefits.

To the chief Musician. A Psalm and Song of David.

Praise waiteth for thee, O God, in Zion: and unto thee shall the vow be performed.

O thou that hearest prayer, unto thee shall all flesh come.

Iniquities prevail against me: as for our transgressions, thou shalt purge them away.

Blessed is the man whom thou choosest, and causest to approach unto thee, that he may dwell in thy courts: we shall be satisfied with the goodness of thy house, even of thy holy temple.

By terrible things in righteousness wilt thou answer us, O God of our salvation; who art the confidence of all the ends of the earth, and of them that are afar off upon the sea:

Which by his strength setteth fast the mountains; being girded with power:

Which stilleth the noise of the seas, the noise of their waves, and the tumult of the people.

They also that dwell in the uttermost parts are afraid of thy tokens: thou makest the outgoings of the morning and evening to rejoice.

Thou visitest the earth, and waterest it: thou greatly enrichest it with the river of God, which is full of water: thou preparest them corn, when thou hast so provided for it.

Thou waterest the ridges thereof abundantly; thou settlest the furrows thereof; thou makest it soft with showers; thou blessest the springing thereof.

Thou crownest the year with thy goodness; and thy paths drop fatness.

They drop upon the pastures of the wilderness; and the little hills rejoice on every side.

The pastures are clothed with flocks; the valleys also are covered over with corn: they shout for joy, they also sing.

This is a remarkable Psalm of thanksgiving; (and all productions of this kind were formed by the prophet out of the First Commandment,) wherein thanks are rendered unto God, because he preserves among his people (to whom he has given his word against Satan, heretics, and all adversaries) the true religion, and the true worship of God; and because he preserves also political peace, and guards the state from all seditions, wars and tumults; and dispels all the storms of the counsels of war, slaughter and bloodshed. For war is nothing less than a horrible storm and tempest, which hurls into confusion all things divine and human; and throws them into a perturbation, like as when the waves of the sea rage with violence.

The Psalmist gives thanks to God that he preserves peace;—(in which one thing are contained all the treasures of good;) that he gives rain from heaven and fruitful seasons; and that he crowns the year with his goodness: that is, that during the revolution of the year, he accomplishes and performs, as it were, a certain round of divine blessing and goodness. For, in the spring, there first appear the blossoms; and then, shortly after, the strawberries and cherries; and then, ere long, plums, apples, and berries of various juice and virtue; (to say nothing about the perpetual verdure of the herbs which flourishes all the while, and is continually revived with fresh supplies of dew). To these we are to add, the infinite variety of herbs and odours. And then, at the time of harvest, our barns are filled with wheat, rye, barley, and corn, and grain of every kind. In the autumn, our presses overflow with wine of an infinite variety of taste and fragrance, and our vats are filled to the brim. Thus the Lord fills the whole revolution of the year, and every part of it, with his overflowing and infinite goodness: and indeed every single fruit is, as it were, a fund, and a world of the goodness of God.

But how few are there, in general, who think about these numberless and valuable blessings, and render thanks unto God for them? Alas! we have innumerable examples of the impious manner in which the noble, the powerful, and the rich, have abused the saving doctrine of faith and Christian liberty, and also that peace which God has hitherto miraculously preserved to us:—we have numberless examples, I say, of the manner in which they have abused these great blessings, to their own lusts, as Sodom and Gomorrah did:—but they shall be visited with Sodom and Gomorrah’s judgment.

You see, therefore, that those in the kingdom of David, and among the people of Israel who composed these Psalms, were excellent and great men. For these are spiritual and truly divine poems. No poems ever equalled these. No poets, not even Homer himself, ever equalled these poets, who thus speak of God, his works, and his creatures. These Psalms contain the greatest and most weighty things, in a marvellous brevity of expression!

PSALM LXVI.

David exhorteth to praise God, to observe his great works, to bless him for his gracious benefits.—He voweth for himself religious service to God.—He declareth God’s special goodness to himself.

To the chief Musician, a Song or Psalm.

Make a joyful noise unto God, all ye lands:

Sing forth the honour of his name; make his praise glorious.

Say unto God, How terrible art thou in thy works! through the greatness of thy power shall thine enemies submit themselves unto thee.

All the earth shall worship thee, and shall sing unto thee; they shall sing to thy name. Selah.

Come and see the works of God he is terrible in his doing toward the children of men.

He turned the sea into dry land: they went through the flood on foot: there did we rejoice in him.

He ruleth by his power for ever; his eyes behold the nations: let not the rebellious exalt themselves. Selah.

O bless our God, ye people, and make the voice of his praise to be heard;

Which holdeth our soul in life, and suffereth not our feet to be moved.

For thou, O God, hast proved us: thou hast tried us, as silver is tried.

Thou broughtest us into the net; thou laidst affliction upon our loins.

Thou hast caused men to ride over our heads: we went through fire and through water; but thou broughtest us out into a wealthy place.

I will go into thy house with burnt-offerings; I will pay thee my vows,

Which my lips have uttered, and my mouth hath spoken, when I was in trouble.

I will offer unto thee burnt-sacrifices of fatlings, with the incense of rams: I will offer bullocks with goats. Selah.

Come and hear, all ye that fear God, and I will declare what he hath done for my soul.

I cried unto him with my mouth, and he was extolled with my tongue.

If I regard iniquity in my heart, the LORD will not hear me:

But verily God hath heard me; he hath attended to the voice of my prayer.

Blessed be God, which hath not turned away my prayer, nor his mercy from me.

This is a general thanksgiving, for God’s having rescued and delivered his people so often out of the hands of their enemies, and out of the very jaws of death itself; as he did at the Red Sea. The Books of Judges and Kings are full of these deliverances.

These deliverances are no less great and wonderful, at this day, in the church, when God delivers those that fear him out of temptations, both internal and external. For Satan, of whom that earthly Pharaoh was so especial a type, being inflamed with so horrible a desire of distressing and destroying, daily persecutes the church: and he would, if he could, so harm every single one of the godly, and so beset them on every side, that they should see nothing but death, and an angry God: out of all these things, however, God delivers his own.

PSALM LXVII.

A prayer for the enlargement of God’s kingdom, to the joy of the people, and the increase of God’s blessings.

To the chief Musician on Neginoth, a Psalm or Song.

God be merciful unto us, and bless us; and cause his face to shine upon us. Selah.

That thy way may be known upon earth, thy saving health among all nations.

Let the people praise thee, O God; let all the people praise thee.

O let the nations be glad, and sing for joy; for thou shalt judge the people righteously, and govern the nations upon earth. Selah.

Let the people praise thee, O God; let all the people praise thee.

Then shall the earth yield her increase; and God, even our God, shall bless us.

God shall bless us; and all the ends of the earth shall fear him.

This is a prophecy concerning the kingdom of Christ; foretelling, that it should be a spiritual kingdom, in which grace and the remission of sins should be proclaimed, not only in Judea, but throughout all nations. “Let the people praise thee, O God, yea let all the people praise thee; for thou judgest the people righteously, &c.” That is, thou reignest, by the Gospel, throughout all nations: thou judgest all: (that is, all sinners in the hypocrisy of nature,) that they may be brought to give thanks unto thee for thy mercy, and may rejoice, and praise the blessings of the gospel.

This sacrifice of praise, this offering of thanks, is the highest worship of God, and is a sacrifice truly acceptable unto him, (as we have continually observed;) for David does not here say, ‘The nations shall become proselytes, and shall be circumcised, and shall flock to Jerusalem:’ but “The nations shall remain uncircumcised, and shall, nevertheless, sing praises unto God, and shall laud and magnify him:” that is, the gospel shall be preached among all nations, and the kingdom of Christ shall arise, the kingdom of grace and of the mercy of God.

PSALM LXVIII.

A prayer at the removing of the ark.—An exhortation to praise God for his mercies, for his care of the church, for his great works.

To the chief Musician, A Psalm or Song of David.

Let God arise, let his enemies be scattered: let them also that hate him flee before him.

As smoke is driven away, so drive them away: as wax melteth before the fire, so let the wicked perish in the presence of God.

But let the righteous be glad: let them rejoice before God; yea, let them exceedingly rejoice.

Sing unto God, sing praises to his name: extol him that rideth upon the heavens by his name JAH, and rejoice before him.

A father of the fatherless, and a judge of the widows, is God in his holy habitation.

God setteth the solitary in families: he bringeth out those which are bound with chains; but the rebellious dwell in a dry land.

O God, when thou wentest forth before thy people, when thou didst march through the wilderness; Selah:

The earth shook, the heavens also dropped at the presence of God: even Sinai itself was moved at the presence of God, the God of Israel.

Thou, O God, didst send a plentiful rain, whereby thou didst confirm thine inheritance, when it was weary.

Thy congregation hath dwelt therein: thou, O God, hast prepared of thy goodness for the poor.

The LORD gave the word: great was the company of those that published it.

Kings of armies did flee apace; and she that tarried at home divided the spoil.

Though ye have lien among the pots, yet shall ye be as the wings of a dove covered with silver, and her feathers with yellow gold.

When the Almighty scattered kings in it, it was white as snow in Salmon.

The hill of God is as the hill of Bashan; an high hill, as the hill of Bashan.

Why leap ye, ye high hills? this is the hill which God desireth to dwell in; yea, the LORD will dwell in it for ever.

The chariots of God are twenty thousand, even thousands of angels; the Lord is among them as in Sinai, in the holy place.

Thou hast ascended on high, thou hast led captivity captive: thou hast received gifts for men; yea, for the rebellious also, that the LORD God might dwell among them.

Blessed be the LORD, who daily loadeth us with benefits, even the God of our salvation. Selah.

He that is our God is the God of salvation; and unto God the LORD belong the issues from death.

But God shall wound the head of his enemies, and the hairy scalp of such a one as goeth on still in his trespasses.

The LORD said, I will bring again from Bashan; I will bring my people again from the depths of the sea:

That thy foot may be dipped in the blood of thine enemies, and the tongue of thy dogs in the same.

They have seen thy goings, O GOD; even the goings of my God, my King, in the sanctuary.

The singers went before, the players on instruments followed after; among them were the damsels playing with timbrels.

Bless ye God in the congregations, even the LORD from the fountain of Israel.

There is little Benjamin with their ruler, the princes of Judah and their council, the princes of Zebulun, and the princes of Naphtali.

Thy God hath commanded thy strength: strengthen, O God, that which thou hast wrought for us.

Because of thy temple at Jerusalem shall kings bring presents unto thee.

Rebuke the company of spearmen, the multitude of the bulls, with the calves of the people, till every one submit himself with pieces of silver: scatter thou the people that delight in war.

Princes shall come out of Egypt; Ethiopia shall soon stretch out her hands unto God.

Sing unto God, ye kingdoms of the earth; O sing praises unto the LORD; Selah:

To him that rideth upon the heaven of heavens which were of old: lo, he doth send out his voice, and that a mighty voice.

Ascribe ye strength unto God: his excellency is over Israel, and his strength is in the clouds.

O God, thou art terrible out of thy holy places: the God of Israel is he that giveth strength and power unto his people. Blessed be God.

This Psalm is, in the Latin, most obscurely translated; so much so, that this one Psalm may well put us in remembrance of what we are indebted unto God, for the great light which he has given us in this our day; in having blessed us with the study of languages, and with good books and instructors. Yet, in return for this universal, great, and unspeakable gift, through the unceasing revilings of Satan, God hears nothing but, ‘O this Lutheran poison! O this Lutheran heresy!’—The world shall suffer heavy punishment for the contempt of the blessing of this great and merciful light!

In the former Latin translation of this Psalm there were the most monstrous renderings; such as ‘Rex vir tutum dilecti dilecti.—Speciei domus dividere spolia.—Si dormiatis inter medios cleros.—Nives dealbabuntur in Salmon.—Mons Dei, mons pinguis, mons coæquatus.—Arundinis increpa feras. Congregatio taurorum in vaccis populorum,’ &c.

And how much of the same obscurity was there in Hosea, and the like difficult books? What, then, have they profited the church, who, by a sort of madness, and from a hatred of, and longing desire to, suppress the light of the gospel, have all along condemned not only all pious studies, but all useful learning and godliness! But how easy is it to sit down and condemn all things, and, as it were, to spit at the sun that enlightens all things! The truly learned and godly know, however, how arduous it is to imitate the laborious endeavours of those who engage in the work of translations. But let us proceed to speak upon the Psalm.—

This Psalm is a signal prophecy concerning Christ; a prophecy more animated and exalted, than usual, in fervency of spirit; and, as it were, exulting in the Holy Ghost; setting before us a view of the church, and those things which are to take place under the New Testament; and all this is done with a representation so clear and expressive, and with every thing depicted in that exact order, that it seems to be, not a prediction of things to come, but a description of things passing before our eyes. The Holy Ghost foretels the resurrection and ascension of Christ, the revelation of the Holy Spirit from heaven, and the mission of the Apostles: he describes, I say, the whole of this spiritual kingdom: this kingdom of grace and remission of sins, in which Christ should be preached as the true God, and as the Saviour and deliverer from death.

He shows also, that the kingdom and priesthood of the Jews was to be abolished, and that a new and spiritual kingdom was to be erected; which should stand, not in human strength, nor in many thousands of horse and foot, but in the ministry and power of the word!—that it should be a kingdom, in which the Lord should give the word unto those who should preach it, in much power; by which the grace of Christ, and the remission of sins by Christ, should be preached, and not the law of Moses.

He calls the apostles, “kings and heads of armies;” because, by the gospel and the ministry of the word, they continually attack the kingdom of the devil and the gates of hell. For what are all the sermons and exhortations of the apostles, but the most terrible battles and conflicts against sin, death, the devil, hell, and all the righteousness and wisdom of the world?

He also calls them “high hills, rich hills, and the inheritance of God;” and “chariots of the Lord of many thousands;” and also, “the multitude of them that preach good tidings, and sing, and play upon instruments;” because, the apostles and ministers of the word, by preaching the joyful gospel and the word of grace, continually praise, sing of, and celebrate the immense benefits of Christ, and the mercy of God. Thus, throughout the whole Psalm, the fervent prophet exulting in the Holy Ghost, describes, in a most sweet song, the whole kingdom of Christ!

In the end, he prays that God would be pleased to render the church more flourishing, and to give his blessing and a happy success to this kingdom. And indeed, the prophet felt his heart moved, and was peculiarly uplifted and fervent in spirit, when he composed this divine and heavenly psalm concerning the kingdom of Christ.

PSALM LXIX.

David complaineth of his affliction.—He prayeth for deliverance.—He devoteth his enemies to destruction.—He praiseth God with thanksgiving.

To the chief Musician upon Shoshannim. A Psalm of David.

Save me, O God; for the waters are come in unto my soul.

I sink in deep mire, where there is no standing: I am come into deep waters, where the floods overflow me.

I am weary of my crying: my throat is dried: mine eyes fail while I wait for my God.

They that hate me without a cause are more than the hairs of mine head: they that would destroy me, being mine enemies wrongfully, are mighty: then I restored that which I took not away.

O God, thou knowest my foolishness; and my sins are not hid from thee.

Let not them that wait on thee, O Lord GOD of hosts, be ashamed for my sake: let not those that seek thee be confounded for my sake, O God of Israel.

Because for thy sake I have borne reproach; shame hath covered my face.

I am become a stranger unto my brethren, and an alien unto my mother’s children.

For the zeal of thine house hath eaten me up; and the reproaches of them that reproached thee are fallen upon me.

When I wept, and chastened my soul with fasting, that was to my reproach.

I made sackcloth also my garment; and I became a proverb to them.

They that sit in the gate speak against me; and I was the song of the drunkards.

But as for me, my prayer is unto thee, O LORD, in an acceptable time: O God, in the multitude of thy mercy hear me: in the truth of thy salvation,

Deliver me out of the mire, and let me not sink: let me be delivered from them that hate me, and out of the deep waters.

Let not the water-flood overflow me, neither let the deep swallow me up, and let not the pit shut her mouth upon me.

Hear me, O LORD; for thy loving-kindness is good: turn unto me according to the multitude of thy tender mercies.

And hide not thy face from thy servant; for I am in trouble; hear me speedily.

Draw nigh unto my soul, and redeem it: deliver me, because of mine enemies.

Thou hast known my reproach, and my shame, and my dishonour: mine adversaries are all before thee.

Reproach hath broken my heart, and I am full of heaviness: and I looked for some to take pity, but there was none; and for comforters, but I found none.

They gave me also gall for my meat; and in my thirst they gave me vinegar to drink.

Let their table become a snare before them: and that which should have been for their welfare, let it become a trap.

Let their eyes be darkened, that they see not; and make their loins continually to shake.

Pour out thine indignation upon them, and let thy wrathful anger take hold of them.

Let their habitation be desolate; and let none dwell in their tents.

For they persecute him whom thou hast smitten; and they talk to the grief of those whom thou hast wounded.

Add iniquity unto their iniquity; and let them not come into thy righteousness.

Let them be blotted out of the book of the living, and not be written with the righteous.

But I am poor and sorrowful: let thy salvation, O God, set me up on high.

I will praise the name of God with a song, and will magnify him with thanksgiving.

This also shall please the LORD better than an ox or bullock that hath horns and hoofs.

The humble shall see this, and be glad: and your heart shall live that seek God.

For the LORD heareth the poor, and despiseth not his prisoners.

Let the heaven and earth praise him, the seas, and every thing that moveth therein:

For God will save Sion, and will build the cities of Judah; that they may dwell there, and have it in possession.

The seed also of his servants shall inherit it; and they that love his name shall dwell therein.

This Psalm is a prayer full of those most deep and spiritual feelings that were experienced in the person of Christ our Lord. In the beginning of the Psalm, in the first three verses, with what a fervency and weight of words does the Psalmist describe those great terrors of death and hell which Christ undertook and endured, for our sins. “Save me now, O Lord,” saith he, “for the waters overflow me, I sink into the depth of the mire: I have now no where to stand, nothing whereon to set my foot, I sink into the abyss of the sea, and the floods overflow me.” By all which figures and expressions he shadows forth, with all his powers, that unspeakable agony of Christ, which he endured for our sins, when groaning under the infinite weight of the wrath of God.

In the 7th verse Christ confesses himself as bearing our sins, and complains of the Jews, who crucify him. “They gave me,” saith he, “gall for my meat, and in my thirst they gave me vinegar to drink:” so expressively and circumstantially does the prophet foretel the sufferings of Christ! And then he speaks, with the same clearness, concerning the Jews who should be blinded, and their kingdom and priesthood which should be destroyed, as also it was fulfilled; so that now we see the accomplishment of these things, and experience has set them plainly before our eyes.

In the end of the Psalm the prophet shows that the law should be abolished, and that a new worship should be instituted without the law and circumcision: “I will praise the name of the Lord,” saith he, “with a song, and will magnify him with thanksgiving. This also shall please the Lord better than an ox or a bullock that hath horns and hoofs.” By these words he shews that the law should be abrogated with the whole of that splendidly ceremonious worship, the boasted pride of circumcision, the sabbaths, and the sacrifices; and that the worship of the New Testament should be established in its stead; namely, the sacrifice of praise and the preaching of the gospel; for it is by faith in Christ, and obedience to the gospel that we attain unto the true knowledge of God, and it is by truly keeping the first commandment that God is truly worshipped; which, as it is written, (Mark xii. 33.) is “more than all whole burnt offerings and sacrifices.”

PSALM LXX.

David soliciteth God to the speedy destruction of the wicked, and preservation of the godly.

To the chief Musician, A Psalm of David, to bring to remembrance.

Make haste, O God, to deliver me; make haste to help me, O LORD.

Let them be ashamed and confounded that seek after my soul: let them be turned backward, and put to confusion, that desire my hurt.

Let them be turned back for a reward of their shame that say, Aha, aha.

Let all those that seek thee rejoice and be glad in thee: and let such as love thy salvation say continually, Let God be magnified.

But I am poor and needy: make haste unto me, O God: thou art my help and my deliverer; O LORD, make no tarrying.

This Psalm is a prayer against the persecutors and enemies of the church and of the godly: for such instruments of the devil cease not to plot against the good, and those that fear God, with all possible machinations of craft, and with all the bitterness of Cain; and, like Satan himself, they burn with an insatiable desire and determination to destroy the church; nay, more than this, they insult the miseries and calamities of the saints.

PSALM LXXI.

David, in confidence of faith, and experience of God’s favour, prayeth both for himself, and against the enemies of his soul.—He promiseth constancy.—He prayeth for perseverance.—He praiseth God, and promiseth to do it cheerfully.

In thee, O LORD, do I put my trust: let me never be put to confusion.

Deliver me in thy righteousness, and cause me to escape: incline thine ear unto me, and save me.

Be thou my strong habitation, whereunto I may continually resort: thou hast given commandment to save me; for thou art my rock and my fortress.

Deliver me, O my God, out of the hand of the wicked, out of the hand of the unrighteous and cruel man.

For thou art my hope, O Lord GOD: thou art my trust from my youth.

By thee have I been holden up from the womb: thou art he that took me out of my mother’s bowels: my praise shall be continually of thee.

I am as a wonder unto many: but thou art my strong refuge.

Let my mouth be filled with thy praise and with thy honour all the day.

Cast me not off in the time of old age; forsake me not when my strength faileth.

For mine enemies speak against me; and they that lay wait for my soul take counsel together,

Saying, God hath forsaken him: persecute and take him; for there is none to deliver him.

O God, be not far from me; O my God, make haste for my help.

Let them be confounded and consumed that are adversaries to my soul; let them be covered with reproach and dishonour that seek my hurt.

But I will hope continually, and yet will praise thee more and more.

My mouth shall shew forth thy righteousness and thy salvation all the day; for I know not the numbers thereof.

I will go in the strength of the Lord GOD; I will make mention of thy righteousness, even of thine only.

O God, thou hast taught me from my youth: and hitherto have I declared thy wondrous works.

Now also when I am old and greyheaded, O God, forsake me not; until I have shewed thy strength unto this generation, and thy power to every one that is to come.

Thy righteousness also, O God, is very high, who hast done great things: O God, who is like unto thee!

Thou, which hast shewed me great and sore troubles, shalt quicken me again, and shalt bring me up again from the depths of the earth.

Thou shalt increase my greatness, and comfort me on every side.

I will also praise thee with the psaltery, even thy truth, O my God: unto thee will I sing with the harp, O thou Holy One of Israel.

My lips shall greatly rejoice when I sing unto thee; and my soul, which thou hast redeemed.

My tongue also shall talk of thy righteousness all the day long: for they are confounded, for they are brought unto shame, that seek my hurt.

This Psalm is a general prayer; which, I think, may be very properly used in the person of the whole church against all her enemies and persecutors who are now or ever shall be, unto the end. “Forsake me not,” saith he, “in the time of mine old age,” &c. and although this may more especially apply to the prophet himself, as praying for divine protection under his infinite temptations; yet the words may be appropriately applied to the last times, and to the close of the church militant before the last day. For the church has her old age also: and Christ himself and his apostles have foretold, “That in the latter days perilous times shall come:” as Daniel also prophesied, that the truth should be persecuted and iniquity should abound: and this we have experienced under Mahomet, and the Pope, to our infinite peril and sorrow.

Hence, in verses 15–17, the prophet foretells the justice and righteousness of God. “My mouth (saith he) shall show forth thy righteousness. O God thou hast taught me from my youth, and hitherto have I declared thy wondrous works. Now also, when I am old and grey-headed, &c.” This prophecy may be of singular use to us, and apply to us very appropriately: because God has, as it were, brought us back out of hell, and from the depths of the earth, and has made the light of his word to shine again, by which our consciences have a firm and eternal consolation. These our times are like the times of Elias and Enoch: for they commonly say of us, ‘These men will subvert antichrist, and restore all things!’

PSALM LXXII.

David, praying for Solomon, sheweth the goodness and glory of his, in type, and in truth, of Christ’s kingdom.—He blesseth God.

A Psalm for Solomon.

Give the king thy judgments, O God, and thy righteousness unto the king’s son.

He shall judge thy people with righteousness, and thy poor with judgment.

The mountains shall bring peace to the people, and the little hills, by righteousness.

He shall judge the poor of the people, he shall save the children of the needy, and shall break in pieces the oppressor.

They shall fear thee as long as the sun and moon endure, throughout all generations.

He shall come down like rain upon the mown grass: as showers that water the earth.

In his days shall the righteous flourish: and abundance of peace so long as the moon endureth.

He shall have dominion also from sea to sea, and from the river unto the ends of the earth.

They that dwell in the wilderness shall bow before him; and his enemies shall lick the dust.

The kings of Tarshish and of the isles shall bring presents: the kings of Sheba and Seba shall offer gifts.

Yea, all kings shall fall down before him: all nations shall serve him.

For he shall deliver the needy when he crieth; the poor also, and him that hath no helper.

He shall spare the poor and needy, and shall save the souls of the needy.

He shall redeem their soul from deceit and violence: and precious shall their blood be in his sight.

And he shall live, and to him shall be given of the gold of Sheba: prayer also shall be made for him continually: and daily shall he be praised.

There shall be an handful of corn in the earth upon the top of the mountains; the fruit thereof shall shake like Lebanon: and they of the city shall flourish like grass of the earth.

His name shall endure for ever: his name shall be continued as long as the sun: and men shall be blessed in him: all nations shall call him blessed.

Blessed be the LORD God, the God of Israel, who only doeth wondrous things.

And blessed be his glorious name for ever: and let the whole earth be filled with his glory; Amen, and Amen.

The prayers of David the son of Jesse are ended.

This is a most remarkable prophecy concerning Christ and his kingdom, to be spread throughout the whole world, over all kingdoms, and the isles of the sea: which should not be a kingdom of death, sin, and judgment, but a kingdom of grace, righteousness, peace, and joy.—But the life, the victory, the peace, and the glory of the church shall be hidden; they shall be hidden in God; and the saints in this world shall endure the most bitter hatred of the world, and its persecutions; they shall shed their blood for Christ; nevertheless, that blood shall be precious in the sight of the Lord, and he shall require it.

This Psalm also, verse 15, declares that the old worship of the law of Moses should be abrogated, and a new worship set up, which should consist in prayer and the giving of thanks. “Prayer shall be made unto him (saith he) continually, and daily shall he be praised.” For the sacrifice of praise and the preaching of the gospel, is the daily sacrifice, and the highest worship of the New Testament. Here you hear nothing of circumcision, or the law of Moses, as that which the nations should receive. It saith that the kings of nations and nations themselves shall endure and shall praise this king. Therefore, this king, Christ, is truly and properly God. For prayer is the worship of the first and greatest commandment, and is due to God alone; for he alone can deliver from death and every affliction.

PSALM LXXIII.

The prophet, prevailing in a temptation, sheweth the occasion thereof, the prosperity of the wicked.—The wound given thereby, diffidence.—The victory over it, knowledge of God’s purpose, in destroying of the wicked, and sustaining the righteous.

A Psalm of Asaph.

Truly God is good to Israel, even to such as are of a clean heart.

But as for me, my feet were almost gone; my steps had well nigh slipped.

For I was envious at the foolish, when I saw the prosperity of the wicked.

For there are no bands in their death; but their strength is firm.

They are not in trouble as other men; neither are they plagued like other men.

Therefore pride compasseth them about as a chain; violence covereth them as a garment.

Their eyes stand out with fatness: they have more than heart could wish.

They are corrupt, and speak wickedly concerning oppression: they speak loftily.

They set their mouth against the heavens; and their tongue walketh through the earth.

Therefore his people return hither; and waters of a full cup are wrung out to them:

And they say, How doth God know? and is there knowledge in the Most High?

Behold, these are the ungodly who prosper in the world; they increase in riches.

Verily I have cleansed my heart in vain, and washed my hands in innocency.

For all the day long have I been plagued, and chastened every morning.

If I say, I will speak thus; behold, I should offend against the generation of thy children.

When I thought to know this, it was too painful for me,

Until I went into the sanctuary of God; then understood I their end.

Surely thou didst set them in slippery places: thou castedst them down into destruction.

How are they brought into desolation, as in a moment? they are utterly consumed with terrors.

As a dream when one awaketh; so, O LORD, when thou awakest, thou shalt despise their image.

Thus my heart was grieved, and I was pricked in my reins.

So foolish was I and ignorant; I was as a beast before thee.

Nevertheless, I am continually with thee; thou hast holden me by my right hand.

Thou shalt guide me with thy counsel, and afterward receive me to glory.

Whom have I heaven but thee? and there is none upon earth that I desire beside thee.

My flesh and my heart faileth: but God is the strength of my heart, and my portion for ever.

For, lo, they that are far from thee shall perish; thou hast destroyed all them that go a whoring from thee.

But it is good for me to draw near to God: I have put my trust in the Lord GOD, that I may declare all thy works.

This is a Psalm that instructs us against that great offence and stumbling-block concerning which all the prophets have complained; namely, that the wicked flourish in the world, enjoy prosperity, and increase in abundance, while the godly suffer cold and hunger, and are afflicted, and spit upon, and despised, and condemned; and that God seems to be against and to neglect the latter, and to regard, support and give success to the former. And this outside appearance of the false church has, moreover, a great influence with, and excites the admiration of, the world around. Whatever these hypocrites do or say, they boast with great confidence, is pious, holy and divine: on the other hand, they consider the lives of the godly to be ungodly, and their doctrine erroneous. This offence has existed, and has exercised and vexed the godly from the very beginning of the church.

“So foolish was I,” saith Asaph, (v. 22.) that is, I was accounted ungodly, a heretic, and a despiser of God. But these temptations, saith he, remain until I cast away all my own cogitations about this offence, and go into the sanctuary: that is, until I hear or read the word, and find what God saith concerning the ungodly; and until I look into the histories and behold the judgments of God, which have been since the foundation of the world. There I find what God threatens in his First Commandment: and how he has fulfilled this judgment and executed it, even from Cain; by which all the ungodly are overthrown and overwhelmed on a sudden: for they build upon slippery places and upon the sand, but the godly build upon a rock.