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those internal sufferings, which are the fear and horror of death; by which the spirit of man is most powerfully instructed, if he be wise and sustain the teaching. And hence, these things came into a very usual expression with the Psalmist, "Thou shalt not be afraid of the terror by night;" not expressing exactly what that terror is; for that is known only by experience.-But he that will know more about these nights in their allegorical significations, let him consult the sermons of Taulerus.

Ver. 8.-I saw the Lord always before me: for he is on my right hand, so that I should not be moved.

Here he opens the mystery of that counsel for which he blessed the Lord in the preceding verse :-namely, that he set the Lord alone before his eyes;' and such a Lord who was always at his right hand, that he should not be moved; that is, a propitious and merciful Lord. And this is what was shewn at the beginning of the Psalm, where he cried, "Preserve me, O God, for I hope in thee." This is what I have so often observed already--that no one can sustain a suffering or death, unless he is able to use this counsel, and unless he is able to set before him an all-merciful God, yea, a God as full of mercy as possible; as it is said, Wisdom i. 1, "Think of the Lord in goodness." And again, Psalm iii. 2, 3, " Many there be that say unto my soul, There is no help for him in his God, But thou, O Lord, art a shield for me; my glory, and the lifter up of my head." And again, Psalm xxvi. 3, "For thy loving-kindness is before mine eyes; I have walked in thy truth." For I have said,—that the object of hope is the pure unmerited mercy of God freely held out to in the promise, and nothing but this; which is to be begged and sought for by the unworthy. And hence, all those counsellors are the worst, and are devilish, who cast their sins in the teeth of the suffering or dying, or who set before them God as an exactor, who is to be gained over by satisfactions and proposed good works. The Lord never gave such counsel, but Satan; and

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therefore all who follow it, grow nearer and nearer to desperation and blasphemy than to blessing and mercy.

The Hebrew and Hieronymus have it, I set the Lord always before me.' And the Lord being thus set before the man, gives him a heart courageous, happy, and prepared to all good works, and to do and bear all things: and it is this 'setting before,' as I have often said, that is to be the spring of our whole life and of all our works. For who would not do and dare every thing most willingly who had a persuasion that he pleased God, and that God was propitious and favourable? And what sin, however pleasing, would he not contemn and hate while enjoying this trust and confidence in God? This faith, in truth, does not, and cannot, do any evil, even as also it cannot be overcome by any evil. No one, but he who has experienced it, can conceive how this faith draws from all evil and moves to all good. Wherefore, in this verse, the Spirit most beautifully sets before us the very nature, effects, and worth of that faith which thus trusteth in God. For what is it to trust in God, but for the man to set God always before him, and to be firmly persuaded that God is on his right hand, so that he shall not be moved? And he that remains in this setting before,' how shall he not always live well and work well? What storm of evil shall ever subvert him? He is founded upon the firm rock!

Hence the Hebrew here uses very emphatic words.First we have "I placed" or 'set.' For 'to place or set' implies firmness and a foundation: shewing, that faith is an affection or state of mind, constant, and most firm, which never wavers nor totters at any time.

Then we have "the Lord." For the faith is not fixed in our own works; no, nor in any creature whatever; but in God alone: and hence it is called divine strength, because it deals with the divine mercy. Whereas, an evil conscience and ungodliness deal with a man's own sin and free-will.

The next is, "before my eyes." This expresses the liveliness and vigilance of faith. For faith is not, as some of our moderns will have it, a habit that lies

still, snoring and sleeping in the soul; but is always turned towards God with a straight and perpetually looking and watching eye. Hence it comes to pass, that it is the author and origin of all works, nay, the first thing and last in all good works, yea, it is the whole life.

And to these he adds "always." This is to embrace every time: because faith makes the good times of peace, and endures the evil times of war; it is never inactive; nay, it is always most active. Hence we see, how excellent a logician David is, who gives faith its right definition. And what else are all the Psalms than certain definitions of faith, hope, and love? And it is under these feelings and affections that all and each of us are exercised; and they shew, that faith, hope, and love, are properly certain pure and divine affections.

"For he is on my right hand :" that is, he is present in secret and in spirit, even though my enemies persecute me on the left hand, or openly. We have the same, Psalm xx. 6, "With the saving strength of his right hand:" that is, his right hand is powerfully saved, how weak soever his left hand may be. And so here also, Christ is left in weakness on the left hand, but is upheld by power on his right hand.-The scriptures use the expressions 'right hand,' and 'left hand,' figuratively, for the internal and external man; as Christ says, Matt. vi. 3, " But thou when thou doeth thine alms, let not thy left hand know what thy right hand doeth: that thine alms may be in secret." Wherein he means, that alms are the secret of the right hand, and that the doing them openly is the left hand: of which we shall perhaps say more hereafter.

"That I should not be moved." He does not say, that I should not be touched, that I should not be tempted, or that I should not be made to feel. For faith is a powerful affection. The man wishes to rest after being exercised, but he cannot, nor is he permitted so to do; yet, he always remains conqueror, and is never moved nor hurled from his place. For this is the victory even our faith, saith John, 1 Epist. v. And Paul

saith, that God always enables us to triumph (that is, to be triumphers,) in Christ.

Ver. 9.-Therefore, my heart is glad, and my tongue rejoiceth; my flesh also shall rest in hope.

This is what I said before, that this good confidence of heart in God, is infallibly followed by joy of heart, and the most sweet affections toward God and all creatures. For the Holy Spirit is so poured into the heart of him that thus believeth, that his heart, in return, is opened and enlarged unto all promptitude to do and bear all things freely, both before God and before men. He loves his enemies as well as his friends, and is made the willing servant of all that he might profit all: being made, not only not careful, but prodigal of his own. Thus, Psalm iv. when David had said, "The light of thy countenance is lifted up upon us, O Lord :" he immediately adds, "Thou hast put gladness in my heart:" here again coupling those two things, faith and joy of heart; as he did also in this place.mp

And upon this joy immediately follow praise, preaching, gratitude, and a glorying in the divine mercy, and that with the greatest joy of heart. And therefore, he does not simply say, my tongue shall confess thee, but "shall rejoice:" that is, shall speak gloryingly and exultingly. Which affection the Hebrew sets forth with another and very emphatic word, thus, My glory hath rejoiced: but we have "tongue" instead of glory. And here it appears to me, that it is peculiar to David above all others, to call vocal and external praise and boasting, his "glory;" in which he not only glorifies God but, from the intenseness of his affection, glories in that glorifying of him: for he thus speaks, Psalm cvi. 47 "That we may give thanks unto thy holy name, and triumph in thy praise." And Psalm xxx. 12, " To the end that my glory may sing praise unto thee, and not be. silent. O Lord my God, I will give thanks unto thee for ever. And again, cviii. 1, Iwill sing and give praise, even with my glory." And also, lvii. 8, "Awake up, my glory awake, psaltery and harp: I myself will

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awake right early."- In all these instances it is evident, that my glory' is the same as my singing,' or 'my voice,' with which he glories and glorifies. Hence, we

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must take care that we do not here understand glory" to signify the fame of the Psalmist, but rather, his duty wherein he glories in God, nay, wherein he glories and rejoices in glorifying God. Nor do I remember reading "glory" to have this signification in any other part of the scriptures. This expression, therefore, is the effusion of a bursting and overflowing affection: but this, experience and exercise alone can bring a man to the understanding of: it cannot be taught either by the tongue or by the pen.

But a question may here arise,--Whether all these things are said in the person of Christ in the time of his passion? If we receive it thus, it is manifest that Christ exulted in the midst, yea, in the very excess, of his passion; as these words of the Psalm shew: concerning which, many men have started many and different queries, and I know not whether their searchings have ever fully satisfied them. I, however believe, that there is no necessity for referring these words to the passion : for the prophets neither preserve the exact order of all things as they were carried on by Christ: nor do they sing all things concerning him in one place, but leave many things out in many places. Nor, indeed, is it necessary that every thing should be described in its exact order, when the prophecy speaks in the person of Christ or of any other. It is sufficient that all things which are predicted are true, and that the rest are left to be revealed in the fulfilment of the thing predicted. Even the evangelists themselves do not always preserve the exact order of things which they relate.

And, as a general rule for understanding the scriptures, especially the prophets, we are to observe,-that many things are spoken by way of anticipation and recapitulation. Thus here, while Christ confesses that he rejoices and glories in the Father, and proclaims him, saying nothing about all the works and miracles that he wrought during that joying and glorying, he comes at