this help from, and this being heard by, the divinity. For it is faith and hope that speak in this passage: or, it is concerning faith and hope being heard that the history speaks. And when faith and hope are heard, they feel nothing, and experience nothing, and understand nothing of the being heard; because these are things that appear not.

And this is what the word SELA itself, at the end of this passage, particularly intimates; viz. a deep subject and feeling which require a pause, and which ought not to be passed lightly over: so hard and difficult a thing is it to expect, and wait for, salvation from the " holy hill" of God. The foolish man does not understand these deep thoughts of God; as it is said Psalm xcii. 6. And therefore, God reprobates the thoughts of the people and the counsels of princes, Psalm xxxiii. 10; for he "knoweth that the thoughts of men are but vain," Psalm xciv. 11. Nay, in these depths the faithful man is constrained to cry out, "All men are liars," Psalm cxvi. 11. So necessary is it in these deep things, that all human understanding should be slain and brought in captivity unto God!

Verse 5.-I laid me down and slept; I awaked; for the Lord sustained me.

The words, "I laid me down" signify, in the Hebrew, the posture of the person lying down or sleeping: but," and slept," signifies the sleep itself. So that the sense is, I laid down, I slept: whereby he signifies, that he laid down, and that he rested in the tomb and was dead: of which resting, much mention is made in many parts of the scriptures. Thus, Gen. xlix. 9,

Resting, he laid down, as a lion, and as an old lion: who shall rouse him up?" And Psalm iv. 8, "I will both lay me down in peace, and sleep." In which passages, we find the very same two verbs which are found in this verse, though they are not translated by the same words: so that, by the former you are to understand the resting, and by the latter, the sleeping.

This is that rest spoken of Psalm xvi. 9, "My

flesh also shall rest in hope." And Isaiah xi. 10, And his sepulchre shall be glorious:' (for it is thus that Hieronymus translates it:) but the LXX. have faithfully translated it, And his rest shall be honour,' or, as the Hebrew has it, And his rest shall be glory.' As if he had said, While the glory of all other kings is put an end to by death, and their glory (as the apostle saith) ends in confusion; the glory of this King, on the contrary, begins in death, and by death all his confusion is at an end. And so it is also with all those that are Christ's; according to that of Psalm cxvi. 15, "Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his saints: " because their life is ignominious in the sight of men. But I have only hinted these things by the way.-We Dow return to this "rest."

This is that "rest" which was signified by the Sabbath of old, which means rest, and which is signified also by our holidays; on which days, figuratively and spiritually considered, Christ causes us to be dead to, and to rest from, all our works, (that is, our sins,) and to keep holiday, that we may live unto God only, and no longer work ourselves, but let God work and reign in us.-Hence it is that it was so positively and rigorously commanded of old, that no servile work should be done on the Sabbath, but that it should be a day holy unto the Lord. On which Augustine, commenting on Genesis, says, that it is to be understood as referring to our works, which are always sins. Wherefore, nothing but the works of our master, free works, principal works, yea, divine works only, are to be done, now that Christ has procured a Sabbath for us, or has swallowed up, and done away with all our works by his Sabbath and rest.

And to this refers also the circumstance of Christ's lying the whole Sabbath-day in the sepulchre: which was done, that the circumstance itself, the time, and the figure, may all concur to show forth the same thing, and commend to us this all-sacred rest. And a horrible thing it is, in this time of grace and holy rest, for a man to be busily employed in his own works, and to be found totally

destitute of divine works. Like the Jews, to whom these words were spoken, "Remember that thou keep holy the Sabbath-day;" who, understanding nothing about it, still continue in their own works, and, by their very keeping holy the Sabbath-day, most awfully pollute it. But these remarks we have made mystically. We now return to Christ.

Christ, by the words of this verse, signifies his death and burial; as we have shown at the beginning of this Psalm. For it is not to be supposed that he would have spoken so importantly concerning mere natural rest and sleep: especially since that which precedes, and that which follows, compel us to understand him as speaking of a deep conflict and a glorious victory over his enemies. By all which things he stirs us up and animates us to faith in God, and commends unto us the power ́and grace of God; that he is able to raise us up from the dead; an example of which he sets before us, and proclaims it unto us as wrought in himself. For there is no one thing that more deeply affects and afflicts us poor miserable men, than the terror and dread of that death to which we are condemned in our first parent Adam. Nor is there any news that we can hear more joyful, than to hear that this curse is changed, and, (which is greater still,) overcome; and that death is not only conquered, but also made the servant and helper unto a better life than that which we had before.

By the death and resurrection of Christ, therefore, a greater consolation is brought in and proclaimed to us, than any other that can be proclaimed unto the human race: namely, that death, the evil incident to all, is so overcome, so put under the feet of them that believe, that it is compelled to work together for the enjoyment of that very life which it seems to put an end to and swallow up. Who therefore may not here sing? Who may not rejoice with Christ? Surely this power of Christ, which is so full of joyful tidings, ought to be uttered forth, not with weeping lips and simple expressions only, but in a Psalm and song of praise, as

triumphal praises are wont to be sung, in order that we may be the more animated to a contempt of this life and to a love of death; for music itself has a certain peculiar effect in rousing and enlivening our spirits. Thus Elijah had a minstrel, and Moses prepared trumpets for war: and hence, the Spirit makes use of music also in things so salutary and necessary, because, it is a hard matter to leave life behind and long for death: and therefore, he would have this exhortation in the manner of a song, that he might the more easily move us, and might show us, that it is a way in which we may be the soonest moved.

And this is shown also farther in his using gentle words, and such as tend wonderfully to lessen the horror of death. "I laid me down (saith he) and slept." He does not say, I died and was buried: for death and the tomb had lost both their name and their power. And now death is not death, but a sleep: and the tomb not a tomb, but a bed and resting place. Which was the reason why the words of this prophesy were put somewhat obscurely and doubtfully, that it might by that means render death most lovely in our eyes, (or rather most contemptible,) as being that state from which, as from the sweet rest of sleep, an undoubted arising and awaking are promised. For who is not most sure of an awaking and arising, who lies down to rest in a sweet sleep (where death does not prevent?) This person, however, does not say that he died, but that he laid him down to sleep, and that therefore he awaked. And moreover, as sleep is useful and necessary for a better renewal of the powers of the body, (as Ambrosius says in his hymn,) and as sleep relieves the weary limbs; so is death also equally useful, and ordained for the arriving at a better life. And this is what David says in the following Psalm, "I will lay me down in peace and take my rest, for thou, Lord, in a singular manner hast formed me in hope."

Therefore, in considering death, we are not so much to consider death itself, as that most certain life and resurrection which are sure to those who are in Christ:

that those words John viii. 51, might be fulfilled, "If a man keep my saying, he shall never see death." But how is it that he shall never see it? Shall he not feel it? Shall he not die? No! He shall only see sleep, for, having the eyes of his faith fixed upon the resurrection, he so glides through death, that he does not even see death; for death (as I have said) is to him no death at all. And hence, there is that also of John xi. 25, “ He that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live." All these things are begun in baptism, and are consummated at the end of life. For (as the Apostle saith,) Rom. vi. 4, "We are buried with him by baptism into death: " which passage, as I understand it, does not refer to the spiritual death of sin only, but unto corporal death also; because sin does not die wholly until the body is extinct, or, as Paul expresses it, until this body of sin is destroyed. Wherefore, in baptism we are immediately begun to be prepared for death, that we may by death be brought the more quickly

unto life.

Augustine here asks, why David saith, in the future," For the Lord shall sustain me?" for it is thus that the Hebrew has it, though our translation has rendered it by the perfect, "sustained." And although it is true that in the prophets the perfects are: mingled with the futures, and thereby two things are signified, that the things prophesied of were future as: to their events, but, past and already accomplished as to the clear knowledge of the prophets; yet, this is perhaps put in the future for our consolation and exhortation, when it saith, that the Lord not only sustained Christ our head, but will sustain also all his members that follow him. So that we are to understand him as speaking in his own person, and in the persons of us all, both for himself and for us also.

This Hebrew word IISMECHENI, which Hieronymus renders raise me up,' and in other places' sustaineth,' has a peculiar force and energy which the Latin does not express, and which Reuchlin renders, shall put his hand on me,' shall approach,'' shall draw near unto