trivances of the enemies of his Church. Lastly, This Psalm teaches us, that the strength and assistance of man is but vanity, and that there is none but the Lord who can help and deliver us in our distress, and in whom we may safely and perfectly confide.

PSALM LXI.

THIS is a Psalm of prayer, and full of comfort. In it David prays the Lord to take him into his protection; and expresses the greatest joy and gratitude under the sense of God's favour, and the hope of his assistance.

Reflections.

In this Psalm we see David groaning and calling upon the Lord for help; but at the same time we see him full of joy and confidence. Such are the dispositions of all those that fear God: they implore his assistance when any dangers threaten them, and make him their secure refuge. But at the same time their confidence in him is unshaken and constant, and they rejoice in full assurance of his favour, and a sense of his goodness; saying with the prophet, whatever their condition be, O God, thou hast heard my desires; thou hast given me the heritage of those that fear thy name; wherefore I will sing praise unto thy name for ever, and will daily perform my vows.

PSALM LXII.

I. David testifies, that his confidence in God made him perfectly easy. II. He shows, that we ought not to trust in men, nor in worldly goods, but in God alone, who is the Lord of all things, and the judge of all men.

Reflections.

David teaches us, by his example, I. That the true and only way to enjoy uninterrupted peace and tranquillity of mind, is to trust in God alone: and

that when we depend upon him, we fear nothing that men can do to us. II. That it is great blindness to trust in men, who are vanity itself; to set our heart upon the good things of this world, or become proud and haughty when we abound in them. Lastly, He declares very expressly in this Song, that in the Almighty alone we ought to place our confidence, since he is the Lord and Judge of the world, and will render to every one according to his works. These three instructions, contained in this Psalm, are of the greatest use to secure our happiness and tranquillity. PSALM LXIII.

KING David, being persecuted, and flying into the wilderness of Judah, as we read in the twentythird chapter of the First Book of Samuel, offers up to God the prayer contained in this Psalm, wherein he declares, that he desired nothing so earnestly as to be in the house of the Lord, and that the sense of God's goodness filled him with unspeakable joy, and a confidence not to be shaken by all the attempts of his enemies.

Reflections.

I. The ardent zeal with which David, when a fugitive, and persecuted, desired to enjoy the presence of the Lord in his holy tabernacle, shows, that whilst we are strangers and sojourners in this world, there is nothing we ought more earnestly to desire, than to serve God, to praise him in his house, and to behold his face one day in heaven. II. The comfort, joy, and confidence, which David gives such extraordinary proofs of in this Psalm, most evidently show, that the sense of the grace and love of God produces unspeakable joy and satisfaction in the hearts of the faithful, even when they are most afflicted; that they fear no evil whilst they are under his protection; and that nothing can disturb or rob them of their peace. If therefore we desire to attain true happiness, we must seek it in God alone, that he may be our comfort and joy.

PSALM LXIV.

THE Psalmist entreats God to defend him from the subtilty and cruelty of his enemies, and foretells their ruin, which he says will be manifest to all.

Reflections.

WE see here, how the wicked often make use of artifices and deceit to succeed in their designs, and to destroy the innocent; but that God preserves those that call upon him, and trust in him, from the snares that are laid for them, and turns the devices of their enemies to their own confusion. This is a doctrine which ought to fill the righteous with joy and confidence, and engage us to adore the goodness, wisdom, and justice of the Lord, in his ceedings both with good and bad men.

PSALM LXV.

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THIS Psalm has two parts. In the first, David speaks of the spiritual blessings which God granted to those that worshipped him in Sion; and in the second, of the temporal blessings which God bestowed upon the children of Israel; and particularly of the fruitfulness of the land of Canaan.

Reflections.

THE two parts of this Psalm contain chiefly these two instructions: I. That as God was formerly worshipped in Sion, and there hearkened to the prayers that were offered up to him, he now dwells in his Church, and receives favourably the desires of all those that call upon him, pardons their sins, and. poureth his benefits upon them. This should convince us how happy we are in being members of the Church of God, and in the number of those whom he has chosen, and for whom he has prepared those comforts of infinite price, which refresh the soul, and produce that fulness of joy which David here expresses. II. The next instruction is, that God

governs the world by his power; and particularly, that he provides men with the necessaries of this life, by making the land fruitful, and causing it to produce bread for our sustenance. These reflections should convince us of our obligation to celebrate and praise his name, and to thank him, as the author of all the good things we enjoy, and gratefully employ them to his glory.

PSALM LXVI. .

THIS is an exhortation to celebrate the divine power, and the deliverances God had granted his people, in bringing them out of Egypt, and upon several other occasions. The prophet praises God afterwards for the favours he had received from him, and calls upon all good men to join their praises with his, and to learn by his example, to trust in God, and to fear him more and more.

Reflections.

THIS Psalm engages us, I. To celebrate the power and glory of God, which appear particularly in the wonders he has done in all ages for his Church, both under the Old and New Testament. II. We learn here, that God, to try the faithful, delivers them up sometimes to the power of the wicked, and causes them to pass through fire and water; that is, exposes them to trials and dangers; that he proceeds thus with them to prove them, and to purify them; but that at last he delivers them, and grants them rest. III. The example of the prophet teaches us, that when God has delivered us from any danger, we should thank him for it, declare his goodness, and stir up our neighbours to praise him with us; but above all, that we should faithfully discharge the vows and promises we made to him in our distress. IV. We ought to take great notice of these words of the Psalmist; If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear me. They teach us, that God does not receive the prayers of the wicked;

and that if we desire he should hear us, our heart ought to be upright and sincere before him; and that we should sincerely and inviolably adhere to his worship, and the promoting his glory.

PSALM LXVII.

THE people of Israel pray God to bless them, and to grant that all the people in the world may praise and adore him.

Reflections.

THIS Psalm engages us to these two duties: I. We are to look upon the blessings of God as the source of all temporal and spiritual good things that may contribute to our happiness, and to pray continually to him in the words of the prophet, saying, God be merciful unto us, and bless us, and cause his face to shine II. We must offer up this prayer, upon us. not only for ourselves, but for all people, that God would make himself known to them, and that his name may be praised by all nations. This prayer suits us still better than it did the Jews, since under the Gospel Dispensation the nations of the earth were to be enlightened with the knowledge of God, and enriched with his blessing, through Christ Jesus.

PSALM LXVIII.

David celebrates the power of the Lord, which he had been pleased to give proofs of, by destroying the enemies of his people, by leading them in the wilderness, and by bringing them into the land of Canaan, where that people enjoyed perfect prosperity under the divine protection. This Psalm, which was sung when the ark of the covenant was removed to Jerusalem, is partly prophetical, and contains several things that relate to Christ Jesus and his kingdom.