*and in his law doth he meditate day and in his season: his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall d prosper.

eight.

3 And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit

Josh. i. 8. Ps. cxix. 1, 97.

C

4 The ungodly are not so: but are like the chaff which the wind driveth

away. bJer. xvii. 8. Ezek. xlvii. 12. Gen. xxxix. 3, 23. Ps. cxxviii. 2. Isai. iii. 10.- Job xxi. 18. Heb. fade. Ps. xxxv. 5. Isai. xvii. 13. xxix. 5. Hos. xiii. 3.

GODLY man walks, the SINNER stands, and the SCORNFUL pass not by it, turn from it, and pass away;" Prov.

man sits down in the way of iniquity.

Mark certain circumstances of their differing characters and conduct. 1. The ungodly man has his counsel; 2. The sinner has his way; and 3. The corner has his seat.

The ungodly man is unconcerned about religion; he is neither zealous for his own salvation, nor for that of others: and he counsels and advises those with whom he converses to adopt his plan, and not trouble themselves about praying, reading, repentance, &c., &c.; there is no need for such things; live an honest life, make no fuss about religion, and you will fare well enough at last. Now "blessed is the man who walks not in this man's counsel;" who does not come into his measures, nor act according to his plan.

The sinner has his particular way of transgressing; e is a drunkard, another dishonest, another unclean. Few are given to every species of vice. There are many covetous men who abhor drunkenness; many drunkards who abhor covetousness; and so of others. Each has his easily besetting sin; therefore, says the prophet, let the wicked forsake HIS WAY. Now Weed is he who stands not in such a man's WAY. The scorner has brought, in reference to himself, all religion and moral feeling to an end. He has sat dra-is utterly confirmed in impiety, and makes a mock at sin. His conscience is seared; and he is a believer in all unbelief. Now blessed is the man who sits not down in his SEAT.

will

SOOD,

See the correspondent relations in this account. 1. He who walks according to the counsel of the ungodly 2. Stand to look on the way of sinners; and thas, being off his guard, he will soon be a partaker in their evil deeds. 3. He who has abandoned himif to transgression will, in all probability, soon become hardened by the deceitfulness of sin; and sit den with the scorner, and endeavour to turn religion to ridicule.

The last correspondency we find is:-1. The seat swers to the sitting of the scornful. 2. The way swers to the standing of the sinner; and 3, the sel answers to the walking of the ungodly.

The great lesson to be learned from the whole is, sa is progressive; one evil propensity or act leads to another. He who acts by bad counsel may soon do eril deeds; and he who abandons himself to evil doings may end his life in total apostasy from God. "When lust has conceived, it brings forth sin; and when sin is finished, it brings forth death." Solomon, the son of David, adds a profitable advice to those words of his father: "Enter not into the path of the wicked, and go not in the way of evil men; avoid it,

iv. 14, 15.

As the blessedness of the man is great who avoids the ways and the workers of iniquity; so his wretchedness is great who acts on the contrary to him we must reverse the words of David: "Cursed is the man who walketh in the counsel of the ungodly; who standeth in the way of sinners; and who sitteth in the seat of the scornful." Let him that readeth understand.

Verse 2. But his delight is in the law of the Lord] Yo chephtso, his will, desire, affection, every motive in his heart, and every moving principle in his soul, are on the side of God and his truth. He takes up the law of the Lord as the rule of his life; he brings all his actions and affections to this holy standard. He looketh into the perfect law of liberty; and is is therefore blessed in his deed. He not only reads not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the word; and meditates on what he has read, feeds on it; and thus to gain knowledge from the divine oracles, but he receiving the sincere milk of the word, he grows thereto him; it is his work day and night. As his heart is by unto eternal life. This is not an occasional study in it, the employment must be frequent, and the disposition to it perpetual.

Verse 3. Like a tree planted] Not like one growing wild, however strong or luxuriant it may appear; the proper growth of which all the advantages of soil but one that has been carefully cultivated; and for and situation have been chosen. If a child be brought up in the discipline and admonition of the Lord, we have both reason and revelation to encourage us to expect a godly and useful life. Where religious education is neglected, alas! what fruits of righteousness can be expected? An uncultivated soul is like an uncultivated field, all overgrown with briars, thorns, and thistles.

,palgey mayim פלגי מים

By the rivers of water] the streams or divisions of the waters. Alluding to the custom of irrigation in the eastern countries, where streams are conducted from a canal or river to different parts of the ground, and turned off or on at pleasure; the person having no more to do than by his foot turn a sod from the side of one stream, to cause it to share its waters with the other parts to which he wishes to direct its course. This is called "watering the land with the foot," Deut. xi. 10, where see the note.

His fruit in his season] In such a case, expectation is never disappointed. Fruit is expected, fruit is borne; and it comes also in the time in which it should come. A godly education, under the influences of the Divine Spirit, which can never be withheld where they are earnestly sought, is sure to pro

The way of the ungodly

PSALMS.

shall perish.

5 Therefore the ungodly shall not stand in 6. For the LORD knoweth the way of the the judgment, nor sinners in the congregation righteous: but the way of the ungodly shall of the righteous. perish.

a Wisd. v. 1.

duce the fruits of righteousness; and he who reads, prays, and meditates, will ever see the work which God has given him to do; the power by which he is to perform it; and the times, places, and opportunities for doing those things by which God can obtain most glory, his own soul most good, and his neighbour most edification.

b Ps. xxxvii. 18. Nah. i. 7. John x. 14. 2 Tim. ii. 19.

An ungodly man is never steady; his purposes are ! abortive; his conversation light, trifling, and foolish; his professions, friendships, &c., frothy, hollow, and insincere; and both he and his works are carried away to destruction by the wind of God's judgments.

Verse 5. Therefore the ungodly shall not stand] This refers to the winnowing mentioned in the preHis leaf also shall not wither] His profession of ceding verse. Some of the Versions have, The untrue religion shall always be regular and unsullied; godly shall not arise in the judgment—they shall have and his faith be ever shown by his works. As the no resurrection, except to shame and everlasting conleaves and the fruit are the evidences of the vegeta- tempt. But probably the meaning is, When they tive perfection of the tree; so a zealous religious come to be judged, they shall be condemned. They profession, accompanied with good works, are the shall have nothing to plead in their behalf. That the evidences of the soundness of faith in the Chris- impious were never to have any resurrection, but be tian man. Rabbi Solomon Jarchi gives a curious turn annihilated, was the opinion of several among the to this expression: he considers the leaves as express- Jews, and of some among Christians. The former ing those matters of the law that seem to be of no believe that only the true Israelites shall be raised real use, to be quite unimportant, and that apparently again; and that the souls of all others, the Christians neither add nor diminish. But even these things are not excepted, die with their bodies. Such unfounded parts of the divine revelation, and all have their use; opinions are unworthy of refutation. so even the apparently indifferent actions or sayings Verse 6. The Lord knoweth] y yodea, approveth of a truly holy man have their use; and from the the way, aloweth the way, Coverdale, of the righteous, manner and spirit in which they are done or said, tsaddikim, from p¬8 tsadak, to give even weight ; have the tendency to bear the observer to something great and good.

Whatsoever he doeth shall prosper.] It is always healthy; it is extending its roots, increasing its woody fibres, circulating its nutritive juices, putting forth fruit-buds, blossoms, leaves, or fruit; and all these operations go on, in a healthy tree, in their proper seasons. So the godly man; he is ever taking deeper root, growing stronger in the grace he has already received, increasing in heavenly desires, and, under the continual influence of the Divine Spirit, forming those purposes from which much fruit to the glory and praise of God shall be produced.

Verse 4. The ungodly are not so] The Vulgate and Septuagint, and the Versions made from them, such as the Ethiopic and Arabic, double the last negation, and add a clause to the end of the verse, "Not so the ungodly, not so; they shall be like the dust which the wind scatters away from the face of the earth." There is nothing solid in the men; there is nothing good in their ways. They are not of God's planting; they are not good grain; they are only chaff, and a chaff that shall be separated from the good grain when the fan or shovel of God's power throws them up to the wind of his judgments. The manner of winnowing in the eastern countries is nearly the same with that practised in various parts of these kingdoms before the invention of winnowing machines. They either throw it up in a place out of doors by a large wooden shovel against the wind; or with their weights or winnowing fans shake it down leisurely in the wind. The grain falls down nearly perpendicularly; and the chaff, through its lightness, is blown away to a distance from the grain.

the men who give to all their due; opposed to reshaim, ver. 1, they who withhold right from all; see above. Such holy men are under the continual eye of God's providence; he knows the way that they take; approves of their motives, purposes, and works because they are all wrought through himself. He provides for them in all exigencies, and defends them both in body and soul.

The way of the ungodly shall perish.] Their projects, designs, and operations, shall perish; God's curse shall be on all that they have, do, and are. And in the day of judgment they shall be condemned to everlasting fire in the perdition of ungodly men. The wicked shall perish at the presence of the Lord Reader, take warning!

ANALYSIS OF THE FIRST PSALM.

The To Kрivoμεvov in this Psalm is, Who is the happ man? or, What may make a man happy?

2.

I. This question the prophet resolves in the first tw verses: 1. Negatively. It is be, 1. "That walk not in the counsel of the ungodly." "Tha stands not in the way of sinners." 3. "That sits no in the seat of the scornful." 2. Positively. It is he 1. "Whose delight is in the law of Lord." 2. "Wh doth meditate in the law day and night."

II. This happiness of the good man is illustrate two ways, 1. By a similitude. 2. By comparing hi with a wicked man.

1. The similitude he makes choice of is that of tree; not every tree neither, but that which ha these eminences: 1. It is "planted;" it grows not itself, neither is wild. 2. "Planted by the rivers waters;" it wants not moisture to fructify. 3.

PSALM II.

PSALM II.

This psalm treats of the opposition raised, both by Jew and Gentile, against the kingdom of Christ, 1-3. Christ's victory, and the confusion of his enemies, 4-6. The promulgation of the gospel after his resurrection, 7-9. A call to all the potentates and judges of the earth to accept it, because of the destruction that shall fall on those who reject it, 10-12.

PSALMS.

1 Ps. xxii. 27. lxxii. 8. lxxxix. 27. Dan. vii. 13, 14. See John xvii. 4, 5. xix. 15.b Ps. lxxxix. 23. Rev. ii. 27. xii. 5.- e Heb. xii. 28. d Phil. ii. 12. ―e Gen. xli. 40.

I need not tell the learned reader that the Hebrew
verb ➡ yalad, to beget, is frequently used in reference
to inanimate things, to signify their production, or the
erhibition of the things produced.
These are the generations,
heavens and the earth; this is the
God produced and exhibited them.
Eng. Concord., Venema, &c.

In Gen. ii. 4: toledoth, of the order in which See Heb. and

be instructed, ye judges of the

earth.

b

11 Serve the LORD with fear,

and rejoice with trembling.

12 d Kiss the Son, lest he be angry, and ye perish from the way, when his wrath is kindled but a little. 'Blessed are all they put their trust in him."

that

1 Sam. x. 1. John v. 23. Rev. vi. 16, 17.- - Ps. xxxiv. 8. lxxxiv. 12. Prov. xvi. 20. Isai. xxx. 18. Jer. xvii. 7. Rom. ix. 33. x. 11. 1 Pet. ii. 6.

before the judgment-seat of God; watch, pray, believe, work, and keep humble.

Verse 12. Kiss the Son, lest he be angry] It is remarkable that the word son (2 bar, a Chaldee word) is not found in any of the Versions except the Syriac, nor indeed anything equivalent to it.

The Chaldee, Vulgate, Septuagint, Arabic, and Æthiopic have a term which signifies doctrine or discipline: "Embrace discipline, lest the Lord be angry with you," &c. This is a remarkable case, and especially that in so pure a piece of Hebrew as this poem is, a Chaldee word should have been found;

Verse 8. Ask of me, and I shall give thee] Here a Fond branch of Christ's office as Saviour of the world is referred to; viz., his mediatorial office. Having died as an atoning sacrifice, and risen again from the dead, he was now to make intercession for mankind; and in virtue and on account of what he had done and suffered, he was, at his request, to have the nations for his inheritance, and the uttermost parts of the earth for his possession. He was to become supreme Lord in the mediatorial kingdom; in consequence of which he sent his apostles throughout the Labitable globe to preach the gospel to every man. Verse 9. Thou shalt break them with a rod of iron] This refer to the Jewish nation, whose final reJection of the gospel was foreseen, and in whose place the Gentiles or heathen were brought into the church of Christ. They were dispossessed of their land, their city was razed to its foundations, their temple Is kindled but a little.] The slightest stroke of the was burnt with fire, and upwards of a million of them-iron rod of Christ's justice is sufficient to break in ires were slaughtered by the Romans! So heavily pieces a whole rebel world. Every sinner, not yet did the iron rod of God's judgments fall upon them reconciled to God through Christ, should receive this as a most solemn warning.

bar, instead of 12 ben, which adds nothing to the strength of the expression or the elegance of the poetry. I know it is supposed that bar is also pure Hebrew, as well as Chaldee; but as it is taken in the former language in the sense of purifying, the Versions probably understood it so here. Embrace that which is pure; namely, the doctrine of God.

may

for their obstinate unbelief.

Verse 10. Be wise-O ye kings] An exhortation of the gospel to the rulers of all kingdoms, nations, and states, to whom it may be sent. All these Lould listen to its maxims, be governed by its precepts, and rule their subjects according to its dictates. Be instructed, ye judges] Rather, Be ye reformed east away all your idolatrous maxims; and receive the gospel as the law, or the basis of the law, of the

land.
Verse 11. Serve the Lord with fear] A general
direction to all men. Fear God with that reverence
which is due to his supreme majesty. Serve him as
subjects should their sovereign, and as servants should

their master.

Rejoice with trembling.] If ye serve God aright, ye cannot but be happy; but let a continual filial fear moderate all your joys. Ye must all stand at last

As all judgment is committed to the Son, the Jews and others are exhorted to submit to him, to be reconciled to him, that they might be received into his family, and be acknowledged as his adopted children. Kissing was the token of subjection and friendship.

Blessed are all they] He is only the inexorable Judge to them who harden their hearts in their iniquity, and will not come unto him that they may have life. But all they who trust in him—who repose all their trust and confidence in him as their atonement and as their Lord, shall be blessed with innumerable blessings. For as the word is the same here as in Ps. i. 1, wx ashrey, it may be translated the same: "O the blessednesses of all them who trust in him!"

This psalm is remarkable, not only for its subjectthe future kingdom of the Messiah, its rise, opposition, and gradual extent, but also for the elegant change of person. In the first verse the prophet speaks; in the third, the adversaries; in the fourth and fifth, the prophet answers; in the sixth, Jehovah speaks; in the seventh, the Messiah; in the eighth and ninth, Jehovah answers; and in the tenth to the twelfth,