melancholy reflection to be made, at the close of a long life, that, after reciting them, at proper seasons, through the greatest part of it, no more should be known of their true meaning and application, than when the Psalter was first taken in hand at school?

Many sensible and well-disposed persons, therefore, who, when they read or sing the Psalms, desire to read and to sing "with the spirit and the un

derstanding," have long called for a commentary which might enable them to do so, which might not only explain the literal sense of these divine compositions, and show how they may be accommodated to our temporal affairs, as members of civil society *; but might also unfold the mysteries of the kingdom of God, which are involved in them, and teach their application to us, as members of that spiritual and heavenly society of which Christ Jesus is the head, and for whose use, in every age, they were intended by their omniscient Author. A work of this kind

* A concern for the present peace and prosperity of the world, and of that kingdom in it to which we belong, ought ever to be entertained and cherished by the most exalted Christian. And if this part of the subject should, at any time, in the following work, appear to be but slightly touched upon, the reason is, because it lies obvious upon the surface, and has been so frequently inculcated by other expositors. Nor are mankind indeed so liable to forget the relation they bear to the world, as they are to overlook that which subsists between them and their Creator and Redeemer.

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though often desired, has never yet been executed, upon any regular and consistent plan. The survey of a province in theology, hitherto almost unoccupied among the moderns, which promised a great deal of pleasing as well as profitable employment, gave birth to the attempt which hath been made to cultivate it, in the ensuing Commentary; in which the author has only endeavoured to evince, by an induction of particulars, the truth of what so many learned and good men have asserted in general, concerning the prophetical, or evangelical, import of the Psalter. Dr. Hammond, in the preface to his Annotations, tells us, he chose to leave every man to make applications of this kind for himself, finding he had work enough upon his hands in the literal way. But so much having been done by him, and other able critics, in that way, it seems to be now time that something should be done in the other, and some directions given, in a case where directions cannot but be greatly wanted.

Very few of the Psalms, comparatively, appear to be simply prophetical, and to belong only to Messiah, without the intervention of any other person. Most of them, it is apprehended, have a double sense, which stands upon this ground and foundation, that the ancient patriarchs, prophets, priests, and kings, were typical characters, in their several offices, and in the more remarkable passages of their lives,

their extraordinary depressions, and miraculous exaltations, foreshowing Him who was to arise, as the Head of the holy family, the great Prophet, the true Priest, the everlasting King. The Israelitish polity, and the law of Moses, were purposely framed after the example and shadow of things spiritual and heavenly; and the events which happened to the ancient people of God, were designed to shadow out parallel occurrences, which should afterwards take place, in the accomplishment of man's redemption, and the rise and progress of the Christian church. For this reason, the Psalms composed for the use of Israel, and Israel's monarch, and by them accordingly used at the time, do admit of an application to us, who are now" the Israel of God," and to our Redeemer, who is the king of this Israel †.

Nor will this seem strange to us, if we reflect, that the same divine Person, who inspired the Psalms, did also foreknow and predispose all the events of which he intended them to treat. And hence it is evident, that the spiritual sense is, and must be, pe

* Gal. vi. 16.

+ That expressions and descriptions in human writings are often so framed as to admit of a double sense, without any impropriety or confusion, is shown by the very learned Mr. MERRICK, in his excellent Observations on Dr. BENSON'S Essay concerning the Unity of Sense, &c. subjoined to his Annotations on the Psalms.

culiar to the Scriptures; because of those persons and transactions only, which are there mentioned and recorded, can it be affirmed for certain, that they were designed to be figurative. And should any one attempt to apply the narrative of Alexander's expedition by Quintus Curtius, or the Commentaries of Cæsar, as the New Testament writers have done, and taught us to do, the histories of the Old, he would find himself unable to proceed three steps with consistency and propriety. The argument, therefore, which would infer the absurdity of supposing the Scriptures to have a spiritual sense, from the acknowledged absurdity of supposing histories or poems merely human to have it, is inconclusive; the sacred writings differing, in this respect, from all other writings in the world, as much as the nature of the transactions which they relate differs from that of all other transactions, and the author who relates them differs from all other authors.

"This double, or secondary, sense of prophecy, "was so far from giving offence to Lord Bacon, that "he speaks of it with admiration, as one striking ar

gument of its divinity. In sorting the prophecies "of Scripture with their events, we must allow (says "he) for that latitude, which is agreeable and fami"liar unto divine prophecies, being of the nature of "the Author, with whom a thousand years are but

as one day; and therefore they are not fulfilled

punctually at once, but have springing and ger"minant accomplishment through many ages, though the height, or fulness of them, may refer "to some one age.

"But, that we may not mistake, or pervert, this "fine observation of our great philosopher, it may 66 be proper to take notice, that the reason of it holds "in such prophecies only as respect the several suc"cessive parts of one system; which being intimate"ly connected together, may be supposed to come "within the view and contemplation of the same

prophecy; whereas it would be endless and one << sees not on what grounds of reason we are authorized, to look out for the accomplishment of prophecy, in any casual unrelated events of general history. The Scripture speaks of prophecy, as respecting Jesus, that is, as being one connected "scheme of Providence, of which the Jewish dispensation makes a part; so that here we are led "to expect that springing and germinant accomplishment, which is mentioned. But had the Jew"ish law been complete in itself, and totally unre"lated to the Christian, the general principle-that "a thousand years are with God but as one day— "would no more justify us in extending a Jewish prophecy to Christian events, because perhaps it

was eminently fulfilled in them, than it would

justify us in extending it to any other signally cor