and public assemblies. This is applied by Saint Paul to Christ 23 Heb. ii. 12. Ye that fear the LORD, praise him, for the benefits received by the Messiah; all ye the seed of Jacob, glorify him; 24 and fear him, all ye the seed of Israel. For he hath not de

spised nor abhorred the affliction of the afflicted; neither hath he hid his face from him; but when he cried unto him, he 25 heard, and supported him. My praise [shall be] of thee in the great congregation, in the temple: I will pay my vows before them that fear him, and thus devote my recovered life to his hon26 our. The meek shall eat and be satisfied; humble souls shall partake of spiritual provisions with joy they shall praise the LORD that seek him: your heart shall live for ever; be support27 ed and comforted with everlasting consolations. 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 gospel 28 shall have a wide spread, and become an universal blessing. For the kingdom [is] the LORD's: and he [is] the governor among the nations, Gentiles as well as Jews, and therefore he shall set up 29 his spiritual kingdom among them also. All [they that be] fat upon earth, shall eat and worship; many rich and great men shall embrace the gospel and partake of spiritual blessings: all they that go down to the dust shall bow before him and none can keep alive his own soul; the floor also, who are in great distress, and can scarce support life, shall submit to Christ and this shall 30 not be the happiness of one age only, but A seed shall serve him; there shall be a succession of christians in every age; it shall be accounted to the LORD for a generation; shall be enrolled and SI reckoned as a chosen generation, and be esteemed his people. They shall come, and shall declare his righteousness unto a people that shall be born, shall propagate the remembrance of this great mercy to them who come after them, that, or, because, he hath done [this,] and shall give God the glory of this wonderful salvation.

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REFLECTIONS.

UR faith in Christ should be strengthened by this remark able prophecy of him. Scarce any thing could be more plain, particular, and full. Several passages are quoted from it in the New Testament; many of them are by no means applicable to David, but all suit the circumstances of our blessed Lord. Let us then reverence that divine inspiration which guided the mind of David to foretell the sufferings and glory of Christ, in language so remarkably fulfilled, and which leaves the Jews inexcusable; who by wicked hands crucified and slew the Lord of life.

2. We are instructed from this psalm how to behave under the afflictions and distresses of life. Good men should not think it strange, if they suspect themselves to be forsaken of God; if he hides his face from them, and seems to shut out their prayer, and suffers Satan or wicked men to distress or tempt them. The servant

is not above his master. Let them therefore learn to make prayer their refuge, as Christ did; to plead their past experience of the divine goodness, and to hope in God amidst the darkest scenes of life.

3. Our love to Christ should be increased by this account of his sufferings, which were so exactly fulfilled. He knew beforehand what he should suffer, what assaults he should meet with from men and devils, what reproaches, insults, and torments; yet he cheerfully came down from heaven to endure them all, and endure them for our sakes too. Surely such love should constrain us to love him, and make us willing to suffer any thing for his sake.

4. Let us rejoice in the glory which followed Christ's sufferings, and the extensive kingdom which he hath established; that the ends of the world are turned to the Lord, and that God is now become the God and king of the gentiles. Christ has still a seed to serve him, and will have through all generations; and at length all the kindreds of the nations shall worship before him, and rich and poor shall alike partake of the blessings of his grace. In this we should rejoice, and long for the more full accomplishment of each delightful prediction. In the mean time,

5. Let us all be solicitous that we and ours may be a seed to serve Christ; and so answer to this prediction, that we and our children may be reckoned among the generation of his people. Let us therefore dedicate ourselves to him as lis loyal subjects and obedient servants, declaring his righteousness and grace to our children, and frequently celebrating what his power and love have done. Then shall we and they partake of the benefits of his kingdom of grace here, and be abundantly refreshed by them; yea, and our hearts shall live for ever.

PSALM XXIII.

A Psalm of David.

This is a short but beautiful composition; and has often afforded great support and encouragement to pious minds. It was probably written by David after the peaceable settlement of the ark in its place, when he began to enjoy tranquillity, and had frequent opportunities of waiting upon God in his tabernacle. David having been a shepherd himself, these thoughts were familiar to his mind, and he would enter with peculiar relish into these descriptions.

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HE LORD [is] my shepherd; not only the shepherd of Israel, but mine; therefore I shall not want any thing that is 2 truly good for me. He maketh me to lie down to repose at noon in green pastures, not in parched ground: he leadeth me beside the still waters, pure and quiet; these are opposed to great vir

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ers, which by their noise might terrify the sheep, or by the rapidity of their current, endanger their being carried away. The meaning is, he hath brought me into a safe and happy condition, made plentiful provision both for my body and soul, for the supports and 3 pleasures of the natural and spiritual life. He restoreth my soul' ; revives me when dejected, and recovers me when I go astray: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake, to 4 manifest his power, love, and mercy. Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; this may refer to any gloomy or distressing scene through which he might be called to pass, and more especially to death itself; but even then he would fear no evil: for thou [art] with me, to support and ani5 mate me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me. Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies; intimating the plenty and elegance of his provisions, notwithstanding the envy and rage of his enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; alluding to an eastern custom of anointing the head of their guests with fragrant ointment, to cheer and refresh their spirits, Psalm xcii. 10. my cup runneth over; I have a superfluity of all good things, and am distinguished by thy providential blessings. He then draws a comfortable conclusion from the divine bounty; 6 Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life; the favour of God and the effects of it, shall attend me wherever I am and I will dwell in the house of the LORD for ever; I shall always have access to his tabernacle, and pay my homage there; and after the days of my life are ended, I shall be brought to God's house and presence above, and have an everlasting happy abode there.

REFLECTIONS.

WE taiming this endearing relation. How kind and gra

E learn hence, to adore the condescension of God, in

cious is he to represent himself under this amiable image, as taking all good men under his pastoral care; the weakest and meanest of them are not below his notice. He extends this favour to us, who might have seen him armed with the sword of an offended sovereign, instead of the rod of a tender shepherd. Let us acknowledge and adore this condescension; for thus he himself expresseth it, Ezek. xxxiv. 31. Ye, the flock of my pasture, are men, and I am your God, saith the Lord God.

2. Let us be solicitous that we may be of the number of his sheep; solemnly commit ourselves to his care, as he invites us to do; particularly by yielding ourselves to the management of Christ, whom God hath constituted the shepherd of the sheep. Let us hear his voice, and follow him; and be like sheep, innocent, gen

This is an allusion to a custom among the eastern shepherds, who had two staffs, one which they used in counting the sheep, called the rod, Lev xxvii. 32. the other a staff, like our shepherd's crook, with which they drew them back when going astray, or catched them schen in danger of falling down a precipice. Thus the psalmist was comforted under a sense of God's care and the instruments he made use of for his deliverance.

tle, and useful. Let us remember, that no wolf in sheep's clothing can deceive his eye, and that there is a day coming when there will be an awful distinction, and an everlasting separation made between the sheep and the goats.

3. We are here taught, thankfully to own the pastoral care of God in all our mercies. Let us think, when we see our table spread with what is necessary for our sustenance and conducive to our pleasure, it is God who spreads it; if our cup runneth over, it is God who fills it. Our lot is of God's choosing; therefore, if we are denied some of the comforts of life, it is because he sees that they are not good for us. He knows that a rich, luxuriant pasture, would often hurt his sheep, and therefore he sometimes keeps them from it. Let us especially thank him for spiritual blessings, for his word and ordinances, those green pastures and still waters, by which he nourishes and refreshes our souls.

4. Under his guidance and care, let us rejoice in the views of life, and death, and the eternal state; confident that he will fulfil all his gracious engagements. The experience we have had of his care, should teach us to draw David's comfortable conclusion, surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life. Let us hope that he will protect us from our adversary the devil, who goeth about as a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. These delightful

views of God should reconcile good men to the thoughts of passing through the valley of death. God will be with them, and comfort them, so that all its terrors shall vanish; they need fear no evil. The dark valley leads us to God's house above, where his servants shall dwell for ever; for thus saith the good shepherd, Igive unto my sheep eternal life, and they shall never perish, neither shall any pluck them out of my hand.

PSALM XXIV.

A Psalm of David.

This psalm was composed when the ark was brought up to mount Zion ; being conducted in solemn procession from the house of Obededom, David, and all Israel with him, playing upon all manner of instruments, as the historian tells us. We cannot enter into the beauty and spirit of this psalm, without considering it as set to music, and sung in different parts by different persons, according to the manner of the Jews. The two first verses were probably sung by the whole company during the procession.

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HE earth [is] the LORD's, and the fulness thereof, every thing it contains; the world, and they that dwell therein; all are his creatures and property; he is not a local deity, confined to one spot, nor the tutelar deity of Israel only; but the God of all the earth. This is designed to illustrate his conde

scension in taking up his peculiar residence among the Israelites, as 2 their God and king. For he hath founded it upon the seas, and established it upon the floods; the waters in the caverns and bowels of the earth are like a foundation for it, and all the beating of the seas cannot overthrow it.When this solemn procession reached the foot of mount Zion, David himself perhaps puts this 3 important question to the attending Levites, Who shall ascend into the bill of the LORD? and who shall stand in his holy place? who shall be an acceptable worshipper at his tabernacle, and be honoured as his faithful servant? To which the Levites in 4 chorus answer, He that hath clean hands, and a pure heart; who hath not lifted up his soul unto vanity, nor sworn deceit. fully; not he who offers the most costly sacrifice, or addresses the most harmonious songs, but he who has clean hands, free from blood, unrighteous gains, and all other works of iniquity; who hath a heart free from hypocrisy and inward pollution; whose soul hath not been lifted up to idols, or been inordinately fond of the vanities and pleasures of the world, and who is faithful to all his engage5 ments both to God and man, He shall receive the blessing from the LORD, not only from the priests, but from Jehovah; he shall have temporal and spiritual prosperity; and righteousness from the God of his salvation, he shall be accepted of God as righteous, shall receive the fruits and rewards of righteousness now, and sal6 vation from him who is the God of salvation. This [is] the generation of them that seek him, these he will reckon acceptable 7 worshippers, that seek thy face, O God of Jacob. Selah. Lift up your heads, O ye gates; and be ye lifted up, ye everlasting doors; and the King of glory shall come in. When this grand cavalcade came to the gates of the city of David, those who carried the ark address this beautiful apostrophe. It is not said, Open the doors, or open yourselves, O ye doors; but Lift up your heads; as if they had said, Let inanimate nature be struck at the appearance of this glorious Being; let the entrance grow wider and higher to receive this sacred guest. They are called everlasting doors, on account of their strength, and their cheerful hopes that God would defend them. Then the porters or Levites, who attended the gate, 8 ask, Who [is] this King of glory? The answer is made by those who bore and accompanied the ark ; The LORD strong and mighty, able to destroy his enemies and defend his subjects, The LORD mighty in battle. The procession going on to the gate of the court of the tabernacle, the king and his attendants again cry 9 out, Lift up your heads, O ye gates; even lift [them] up, ye everlasting doors; and the King of glory shall come in. The 10 priests and Levites that attend there, ask, Who is this King of glory? And then the king and all the people in the procession, as a chorus, cry out with the loudest acclamation, in which they are joined by the priests and Levites about the tabernacle, The LORD of hosts, he [is] the King of glory.* Selah.

If each of these portions of the psalm are considered as set to music, and repeated thus alternately by a vast maltitude, accompanied with instruments of music, I believe it will be allowed to be as grand, as solemn, and as celestial a scene as can possibly be conceived.