height and summit of desire and hope. I am not sure but that the last words of ver 19 should be joined to ver 20, and read thus—

וְאָמֵן כָּלוּ תפלות דָּוִד בֶּן־יִשִׁי

The "Amen" of the whole Psalm falls on his ear from his own harp strings, and he catches it up and repeats it thus-"Yea, amen! the prayers are ended of David the son of Jesse."

"So let it be! Thy will on earth now done,

No more to seek has David, Jesse's son."

And thus it is that an individual's own peculiar desires shall all be satisfied in that kingdom, satisfied because absorbed in the flood of bliss. Who is there that ever, as in last Psalm and in the next, wearies, or is faint-hearted, or desponding? Look forward and see here

The Righteous One's hopes realised in the glory of the kingdom.

PSALM LXXIII.

A sort of historical series begins here, relating to Israel's position in the world, to their temple, their land (lxxv.), God's deeds therein (lxxvi., lxxvii.), God's dealings in days past (lxxviii.), Israel's desolation (lxxix.), and prayer for the same (lxxx.)

"A Psalm of Asaph;" perhaps one of those specially sung by Hezekiah's appointment at the altar (2 Chron. xxix. 30); and what more fit to be sung there when the ascending smoke and poured out blood declared in type Jehovah's unspeakable gift, and so seemed to say, Yes, God is good to Israel!"

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How well it follows the last Psalm! As if Asaph had been singing it, and thereupon had felt all his surmises and faithless fears dissipated by the triumphant prospects held out there to the people of Messiah. It is a Psalm, not about Messiah himself, but about "his people" (ver. 10), about "Israel" (ver. 1); about the members, not the Head. It is uttered in the presence of the Head; but it tells how his members have often been nearly "offended in Him" (Luke vii. 23). Had Asaph lived in Herod's day, such feelings as are expressed in vers. 3-9 might have been raised by seeing the Baptist in the dungeon, and then in the tomb, while Herod ruled and rioted in luxury.

Ver. 4 should be rendered-"There are no death-bands to them " (Hasley); "they are never fettered with death" (Hengst.), i. e., there are no death-bringing circumstances in their lot. They escape the annoyances and reproaches which God's people meet with; as 1 Cor. x. 13

"They speak of oppression from on high" (ver. 9) (Hengst.); as if they were out of reach of danger, aloft on their rock; or, as old

Sandys renders the line, "They speak like thunder from the troubled sky.". Hence,

"His people return hither" (ver. 10);

i. e., God's people return to the state of mind described in ver. 2, or to this sight which causes the unbelieving surmises. To quote Sandys again, as giving the right sense—

"The good not seldom, through their scandal, stray."

How like a desponding man's words is ver. 12, "Yet they prosper for ever," or more literally, "They are everlasting prosperers !” But now, the thought of giving occasion to others to stumble comes in; and forthwith the same spirit who suggested that consideration, leads him in his thoughts (as some understand the words of ver. 17) to the sanctuary. Standing there, the very thought of the Holy One is enough to remind him of what must be the end of these ungodly ones, but more especially the remembrance that there is a resurrection day—a day when God will arise and scatter these dreams of felicity (ver. 20).

“O Lord, when thou arisest, thou wilt despise their splendid show, As one does a dream, when he awakes out of it !"

*

Telling his grief and shame because of such unbelief, confessing himself a beast or brute, he yet returns to sing that after all this God has not forsaken him, and never will

"And I continually am with thee!

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And thou holdest me fast by my right hand." (Ver. 23.) I am in the wilderness, and thou art my guide, and wilt receive me," as thou didst Enoch (Gen. v. 22, same word). The Hebrew words are rather obscure, but this may be because of the ideas rushing through, so various and so fast. They are literally rendered thus—

"Thou wilt lead me by thy counsel.

And afterwards, glory! Thou wilt receive me!"

Not unlike Psa. xlix. 16-"God shall redeem my soul from the grave ["afterwards glory!"]"for he shall receive me" ["thou wilt receive me"].

All foes, and all prosperous wicked men, are from this point seen as ruined. No wonder. Has glory come? Has the glory of the kingdom dawned on us? Has the Lord himself welcomed us in? Has He given us a place beside himself? Then, from this height we look down and see Antichrist and all such opposers of God, "who go a-whoring from thee." [Comp. Rev. xvii. 5, "mother of harlots."] Meanwhile we draw near to God, re-enter paradise, enjoy our lost fellowship; and our

* Barclay, in his zeal to prove that every Psalm is Christ's words directly, falls into the strange error here of rendering "a lamb,” as if parallel to

Isa. liii. 7. Hengstenberg has remarked, that essence of the brute character.

implies, like p, the

great employment is to praise Him, all clouds of providence being now cleared away, and no more unbelief to hinder our telling of all his

works."

The tone of the latter part of this Psalm especially, is that of James v. 7, 8" Be patient, brethren, unto the coming of the Lord." The prevailing topic may be said to be,

"Messiah's people almost offended in Him.”

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PSALM LXXIV.

"Maschil" refers us to something peculiar in the mode of setting it to music, or playing it on the harp (see Psa. xxxii.), of which we know nothing. As in the last Psalm, so in this, Asaph's name appears. Some, however, suppose this Asaph to be a later individual of the same godly family. Patrick adopts the idea that he may have been the Asaph who was the keeper of the king's forest" (Nehem. ii. 8), and hence some of the allusions to the cedar-trees and the like. It would be arresting to the fancy to set before us Asaph led to compose this melancholy hymn amid some of the lonely woods of his now desolate land! But all we can say is, that it does seem to be the composition of an Asaph long after the days of David, perhaps one of those mentioned as of that family in Ezra iii. 10 (for 2 Chron. xx. 14 is too early), and possibly the very "keeper of the king's forests."

The desolation of Israel's land and people are spread before the Lord. The Head of the Church, who wept over Jerusalem on the Mount of Olives, and lamented their too sure ruin, could use these strains, and pour them into the Father's ear. Every Israelite's heart would thrill in singing such a solemn melody. Every believer's soul should fully enter into the sorrow for ancient Israel which is taught us here.

"The signs" of ver. 4 and ver. 9, are the holy emblems in the sanctuary, the altar, laws, mercy-seat with cherubims, candlestick, and the like. The standards of the enemy appear in the sanctuary instead! Oh how unlike in significance, as in form, the vail that hid the ark because Jehovah was there, and the ensigns of Babylon that too surely proved that Jehovah had forsaken his heritage!

In ver. 5 some render the line to this effect-"The enemy makes himself look like one who lifts up the axe on the trees," applying it to the same subject as ver. 6. But our version gives the better meaning. When the temple was building, every man that cut a cedar on Lebanon to help in the glorious erection, was reckoned famous; whereas now, men have become renowned by using "chisel and club" in destroying the carved work and tracery of the sanctuary walls.*

* Barclay expresses the idea in another form :

"In former days of Jerubbaal,

An high renown was truly won

By hewing down the groves so tall,

Where foul idolatry was shewn." (Judg. vii. 28.)

The appeal (vers. 10 and 11), followed by "Selah," represents to our imagination the suppliant gazing upward to the bosom of his King, to see if that right hand begins to be plucked forth! The pause of expectation is expressed by this "Selah." Thereafter, reasons of confidence are rehearsed. No less than seven times is the emphatic "N" used, "the sevenfold thou" (Hengst.), while his deeds are set forth; and forthwith the suppliant, as if thus anew invigorated to hope, urges his plea

"Give not up thy turtle-dove to the greedy host" (Philipps). Ver 19. If this Psalm was written by a later Asaph, the ver. 20, which speaks of the covenant in connexion with earth's dark places, might tacitly refer to such predictions as Isaiah lx. 1–3. The nations are said, in Rev. xi. 18, to be in the very condition of mind spoken of at the close, when the Lord arises to judge the earth, and to make the kingdoms become "the kingdom of our God, and of his Christ." Israel's case will be attended to that day; Israel's wrongs will be avenged; Israel's sins forgiven; Israel's sorrows relieved. That will be the day when this wailing appeal shall find acknowledgment at the hands of Him who hears the voice both of his own Son, the Head, and of the members of his Son, in this

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• Appeal to the mighty God of Israel in behalf of his scattered heritage."

EZEKIEL I. 4. ILLUSTRATED.

"A whirlwind out of the north, a great cloud, and a fire infolding itself;" or, catching hold of itself. The last clause means, as Greenhill has quoted Sanctius to shew, and as Havernick in substance agrees, that the fire was in the shape of a globe or sphere. Sanctius says, "the fiery globe remained in the cloud, and, like as cabbage-leaves grow up into themselves, and infolding, make a globe, so the flames of fire here." Havernick says, "balled together."

But our illustration is this: Layard, in his last volume of Discoveries in Nineveh and Babylon (p. 294), describes a remarkable electrical phenomenon, of a kind fitted to suggest the reason of the singular manner in which Ezekiel's vision was introduced to his notice. The God who took one of the bushes of shittim-wood in the desert of Horeb out of which to speak to Moses, accommodating his mode of approach to Moses to the nature of the scenery he was familiar with, did on this occasion adopt as his introduction one of the physical phenomena of the region, when about to speak to Jews on the river Chebar. Layard writes: During the day, heavy clouds had been hanging on the horizon, foreboding one of these furious storms which, at this season of the year (April 6th), occasionally visit the desert. Late in the afternoon, these clouds had gathered into one vast circle, which moved slowly, like an enormous wheel, presenting one of the most extraordinary and awful appearances I ever saw. From its sides leapt, without ceasing, forked flames of lightning. Clouds springing up

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from all sides of the horizon were dragged hurriedly into the vortex, which advanced gradually toward us, and threatened to break over our encampment. Fortunately, however, we only felt the stray edge of the storm-a deluge of rain, and hail of the size of pigeons' eggs. The great rolling cloud, attracted by the Senjar hill, soon passed away, leaving in undiminished splendour the setting sun.

This sheds interesting light on the clothing of Ezekiel's vision. The spherical cloud he saw did not drop a deluge of rain and hail, but opened out, and lo! the living creatures! Layard witnessed the above phenomenon during his residence on the river Khabour, the Hebor of 2 Kings xvii. 6, and the Chebar of Ezekiel i. 1. He could find no remains of "Tel-abib" (Ezek. iii. 15); but, says he, "around Arban may have been pitched the tents of the sorrowing Jews, as those of the Arabs were pitched during my visit. To the same pastures they led their sheep, and they drank of the same waters. Then, the banks of the river were covered with towns and villages, and a palace-temple [ruins of which he discovered at Arban] stood on the mound, reflected in the transparent stream." No doubt Chebar was included in "Babel's streams," where they sat and wept.

It might have been noticed, in regard to that remarkable phenomenon described by Layard, that it serves equally to illustrate Job xxxviii. 1, "The Lord answered Job out of the whirlwind." Uz was at all events not far from the region wherein such appearances were familiar

Occurrences.

THE TEN HORNS OF THE BEAST.

Various enumerations have been made of the kingdoms which arose within the bounds of the Roman empire after the barbaric invasions; and the differences observable between the lists given by the several authors who have treated this subject seem to invite a new inquiry.

As the author of the following remarks regards the beast as the symbol, not of the Papacy, but of the Roman empire of the middle ages, the point of time which he selects as most proper for his investigation, is the downfal of the western empire, in the person of the last emperor, Augustulus, who was dethroned A.D. 476.

There appear to be good grounds for limiting the search after the ten monarchs to the territories of the western empire. Let us, then, ascertain what barbarian nations had formed settlements within the western empire at the date of A.D. 476.

Spain was, in 406, invaded by the Sueves, Alans, and Vandals, who committed unparallelled ravages in that unhappy country.* In 411, the Romans were entirely expelled, and three years later, the Visigoths, who had already formed a settlement in Gaul, attacked the three nations which we have mentioned. The Alans were extinguished as a separate nation; the Vandals abandoned Spain for Africa in 428,† while the + Ibid. p. 232.

* Univ. History, vol. xvii. pp. 229, 247.