hunted and chased all the day, and in the evening pulled down to the ground, by those who "com

passed" and "enclosed" him, thirsting and clamouring for his blood, crying, "Away with him, 66 away with him crucify him, crucify him!" And the next step was, the "piercing his hands and his "feet," by nailing them to the cross. How often, O thou Preserver of men, in thy church, thy ministers, and thy word, art thou thus compassed, and thus pierced!

17. I may tell all my bones: they look and stare upon me.

The skin and flesh were distended, by the posture of the body on the cross, that the bones, as through a thin veil, became visible, and might be counted * ; and the holy Jesus, forsaken and stripped, naked and bleeding, was a spectacle to heaven and earth, Look unto him, and be ye saved, all ye ends of the world!

18. They part my garments among them, and cast lots upon my vesture.

"The soldiers, when they had crucified JESUS, "took his garments, and made four parts, to every "soldier a part, and also his coat; now the coat was "without seam, woven from the top throughout.

"Qui macilenti sunt, sic habent ossa prominentia, ut fa"cile omnia possint tactu secerni et numerari. David, quate

nus hæc ei conveniunt, dicere hoc potuit de se fuga et mo"lestiis emaciato. Sed Christus aptius ita loqui poterat, quod "magis emaciatus esset, et corpore nudo atque in cruce distento, magis adparerent ossa." Le Clerc, cited by bishop Lowth, in Merrick's Annotations.

They said therefore among themselves, Let us not! "rend it, but cast lots for it, whose it shall be; that "the Scripture might be fulfilled, which saith, They parted my raiment among them, and, for my vest "ture they did cast lots." John xix. 23, 24.

19. But be not thou far from me, O LORD! OI my strength, haste thee to help me.

The circumstances of the passion being thus related, Christ resumes the prayer, with which the Psalm begins, and which is repeated, ver. 10, 11. The adversary had emptied his quiver, and spent all the venom of his malice; Messiah therefore prayeth for a manifestation of the power and favour of Heaven on his side, in a joyful and glorious resurrection. And to a resurrection from the dead every man will find it necessary to look forward, for com fort.

20, 21. Deliver my soul from the sword; my darling* from the power of the dog. Save me from the lion's mouth: for thou hast heard me, or, and hear thou me, from the horns of the unicorns.

The wrath of God was the "sword," which took vengeance on all men in their representative; it was the" flaming sword," which kept men out of Paradise; the sword, to which it was said, at the time of the passion" Awake, O sword, against my shep66 herd, and against the man that is my fellow, saith "the LORD of hosts: smite the shepherd, and the

* Heb. ' my united one. << May it relate to any thing “more than 'D? the human nature united with the Divinity "in the person of Christ? Quære." Bishop Lowth, in Merrick's Annotations.

sheep shall be scattered:" Zech. xiii. 7. Matt. xxvi. 31. The ravening fury of the "dog," the "lion," and the "unicorn," or the " oryx," a fierce and untamable creature of the stag kind, is made use of to describe the rage of the devil and his instruments, whether spiritual or corporeal. From all these Christ supplicates the Father for deliverance. How great need have we to supplicate for the same, through him!

22. I will declare thy name unto my brethren'; in the midst of the congregation will I praise thee. The former part of the Psalm we have seen to be prophetical of the passion. The strain now changes to an epinikion, or hymn of triumph, in the mouth of the Redeemer, celebrating his victory, and its happy consequences. This verse is cited by the apostle, Heb. ii. 11. "Both he that sanctified, and they who are sanctified, are all of one; for which "cause He is not ashamed to call them brethren, saying, I will declare thy name unto my brethren," &c. And accordingly, when the deliverance, so long wished, and so earnestly prayed for, was accomplished by the resurrection of Jesus from the dead, he "declared the name of God," by his apostles, to all his "brethren ;" and caused the church to resound with incessant praises and hallelujahs; all which are here represented as proceeding from the body, by and through him who is the head of that body. nai 23.* Ye that fear the LORD, praise him; all ye

Bishop Lowth is of opinion, that this verse and the following are the " song" of praise, which, in the verse preceding, the speaker says, he will utter "in the congregation." The intro

the seed of Jacob, glorify him; and fear him, all ye the seed of Israel.

If Christ arose from the dead, to declare salvation to his brethren, and to glorify God for the same, how diligent ought we to be in doing the former; how delighted, in the performance of the latter! Messiah first addressed himself to his ancient people, "the "seed of Jacob," to whom the Gospel was first preached. How long, O Lord, holy and true, shall thy once highly favoured nation continue deaf to this gracious call of thine! "All ye seed of Jacob "glorify him; and fear him all ye seed of Israel."

24. For he hath not despised nor abhorred the affliction of the afflicted; neither hath he hid his face from him; but when he cried unto him, he heard.

The great subjects of praise and thanksgiving, in the church, are the sufferings of the lowly and afflicted Jesus, and the acceptance of those sufferings by the Father, as a propitiation for the sins of the world; which acceptance was testified by raising him from the dead; inasmuch as the discharge of the surety proved the payment of the debt. The poor and afflicted brethren of Christ may take comfort from this verse; for if they suffer in his spirit, they will be raised in his glory.

25. My praise shall be of thee in the great congregation: I will pay my vows before them that fear him.

The vow of Christ was, to build and consecrate

duction of it, as his lordship justly observes, gives a variety to the whole, and is highly poetical. Merrick's Annotations.

to Jehovah a spiritual temple, in which the spiritual sacrifices of prayer and praise should be continually offered. This vow he performed after his resurrection, by the hands of his apostles, and still continueth to perform, by those of his ministers, carrying on the work of edification in "the great congregation" of the Gentile Christian Church. The vows of Christ cannot fail of being performed. Happy are they whom he vouchsafeth to use, as his instruments, in the performance of them.

26. The meek shall eat and be satisfied: they shall praise the LORD that seek him: your heart shall live for ever.

A spiritual banquet is prepared in the church for the meek and lowly of heart; the bread of life and the wine of salvation are set forth in the word and sacraments; and they that hunger and thirst after righteousness, shall be " satisfied" therewith: they, "who seek" the Lord Jesus in his ordinances, ever find reason to" praise him;" while, nourished by these noble and heavenly viands, they live the life, and work the works of grace, proceeding still forward to glory; when their "heart shall live for ever," in heaven.

27. All the ends of the world shall remember, and turn unto the LORD: and all the kindreds of the nations shall worship before thee.

The great truths of man's creation and fall, with the promise of a Redeemer to come, were "forgot"ten" by the nations, after their apostasy from the true God, and the one true religion; but were, as we may say, recalled to their "remembrance," by the