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Yet this is but the beginning of sorrow; for at the great day they shall not be written with the righteous, but punished with everlasting destruction.

4. We should rejoice in the promises here made of the security and continuance of the church, in consequence of Christ's death. God will save and build it up, and have a succession of faithful christians in every age. Let us cast in our lot among them, if we desire to enjoy present comfort and to be honoured of Christ at the last day. Though Christ, and his cause and people, should be ever so much reproached and insulted, his church shall not fall. Let us rejoice in this assurance, and call on our neighbours to join with us in our songs of praise.

PSALM LXX.

This is the same as the fortieth psalm, 13, to the end.

To the chief musician, [A Psalm] of David, to bring to re

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AKE haste,] O God, to deliver me; make haste to help me, O LORD. Let them be ashamed and confounded that seek after my soul: let them be turned backward, 3 and put to confusion, that desire my hurt. Let them be turned 4 back for a reward of their shame that say, Aha, Aha. Let all those that seek thee rejoice and be glad in thee: and let such as 5 love thy salvation say continually, Let God be magnified, I [am] poor and needy: make haste unto me, O God: thou [art] my help and my deliverer; O LORD, make no tarrying.

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PSALM LXXI.

It was probably composed on account of Absalom's rebellion, or some time after, when his fears began to return on account of its revival in Sheba, 2 Sam. xx. 1. It is also of great suitableness and use to Christ's old disciples.

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N thee, O LORD, do I put my trust let me never be put to confusion. Deliver me in thy righteousness, according to the justice of my cause, and cause me to escape: incline thine ear unto me, and save me, though I have no place of safety to fly 3 to. Be thou my strong habitation, whereunto I may continually resort thou hast given commandment, hast promised, to save me; for thou [art] my rock and my fortress, therefore in thee I 4place my confidence. Deliver me, O my God, out of the hand

of the wicked, out of the hand of the unrighteous and cruel man 5 of Absalom and his accomplices. For thou [art] my hope, a

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[thou art] my trust from my youth. By thee have I been holden up from the womb thou art he that took me out of my mother's bowels: my praise [shall be] continually 7 of thee. I am as a wonder unto many; a monster that every one shuns ; or, they wonder at my sudden fall; but thou [art] my 8 strong refuge. Let my mouth be filled [with] thy praise [and with] thy honour all the day; let me have fresh reason to praise 9 thee for my deliverance. Cast me not off in the time of old age; forsake me not when my strength faileth, when I have most need 10 of divine help. For mine enemies speak against me; and they

that lay wait for my soul take counsel together, conspire to take 11 away my reputation and my life, Saying, God hath forsaken him:

persecute and take him; for [there is] none to deliver [him ;] they think thou hast forsaken me, and that none of my subjects will 12 take my part. O God, be not far from me : O my God, make 13 haste for my help. Let them be confounded [and] consumed

that are adversaries to my soul; let them be covered [with] re14 proach and dishonour that seek my hurt. But I will hope con15 tinually, and will yet praise thee more and more. My mouth shall show forth thy righteousness [and] thy salvation all the day; for I know not the numbers [thereof;] I will attempt God's praises daily, though the subject is so great that I never can fully 16 celebrate it. I will go in the strength of the Lord God, and not in my own; I will make mention of thy righteousness, [even,] of thine only; sensible that by my sins I have deserved these calamities, I will ascribe all my deliverances to the riches of divine 17 mercy, and thy faithfulness to thy promises. O God, thou hast taught me from my youth, how good and powerful thou art : and hitherto have I declared thy wondrous works; I have spent my life in declaring that goodness and power to others: therefore 18 Now also when I am old and grey headed, O God, forsake me not; until I have showed thy strength unto [this] generation [and] thy power to every one [that] is to come; let me survive these calamities that I may proclaim thy power in my deliverance to 19 the rising generation. I do not despair of this, for Thy righteousness also, O God, [is] very high, who hast done great things for me already: O God, who [is] like unto thee in power and 20 goodness! [Thou,] which hast showed me great and scre troubles, and hitherto preserved me, shalt quicken me again, and shalt bring me up again from the depths of the earth; shalt save me even now I am given up for dead, and seem quite lost and 21 abandoned. Thou shalt increase my greatness, and comfort me on every side; not only restore, but increase my greatness. And 22 in return, I will also praise thee with the psaltery, [even] thy truth, O my God: unto thee will I sing with the harp, O theủ 23 Holy One of Israel. My lips shall greatly rejoice when I sing unto thee, and my soul which thou hast redeemed; I will praise thee with my instruments and my voice, and my heart sholi accen • 24 pany them in this work: yea, My tongue also shall talk of ti y righteousness all the day long; I will make it the subject of my

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familiar discourse: for they are confounded, for they are brought unto shame, that seek my hurt; I look upon them as already defeated, and am assured that they quickly shall be so.

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REFLECTIONS.

ROM hence we are taught, gratefully to reflect on God's goodness to us, and to go back in our thoughts to our formation and birth. It was God that took us out of the womb, and hath supported us ever since. Let us review the mercies and deliverances of our childhood and youth; especially the blessings of a good education, our having been taught of God from our youth. Let us remember all the way that the Lord hath led us, and observe how goodness and mercy have followed us all our days; that our praise may continually be of him, and that we may devote our lives to his honour and service.

2. From an experience of God's goodness and care, we should be engaged to trust him in every future scene of life. This is the use which David makes of his experience, even to repose his confi» dence in God. We know not what is before us; and may as little expect great and sore troubles as David did. It is good to think what may possibly happen, and habituate ourselves to recollect the goodness and faithfulness of God. Aged saints in particular, should learn from this holy man, to trust in the Lord; to assure themselves, that when they are old and grey headed, God will not forsake them; that though their troubles and sorrows are many, he will quicken them ; and though they die, he will bring them up again. Let this be a motive for them to hope in God continually, and praise him yet more and

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3. We should accustom ourselves to talk of God's righteousness and goodness; be often speaking one to another on topics so important and delightful; talk of the righteousness of his nature, the equity of his providence, the holiness of his laws, and especially of that everlasting righteousness which his dear Son hath brought in, and by which we hope to be justified and saved. These should be the frequent subjects of our discourse, and they will be useful to ourselves and others. Let aged christians in particular, abound in such discourses; they can do little else for God, and should therefore talk of his righteousness all the day long; tell the rising generation their own experience; and leave a solemn testimony to the reasonableness, the importance, the pleasures, and advantages of religion, for the admonition and encouragement of those who shall come after them. Thus will their hoary heads be crowns of glory, being found in the way of righteousness.

PSALM LXXII.

[A Psalm] for Solomon.

This psalm was composed by David just before he died, when Solomon was appointed king, and the grandees of the kingdom swore allegiance to him. But while he was praying for Solomon, the prophetic Spirit of God bore him on to predict the glory of the Messiah's kingdom; for many particulars of the psalm cannot belong to Solomon, especially to the latter part of his reign. The Jewish doctors in general apply it to the Messiah,

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IVE the king thy judgments, O God, and thy righteous. ness unto the king's son; give him a sound understanding 2 and an upright heart; then He shall judge thy people with righteousness, according to thy law, and thy poor with judgment; he shall do justice to all, but take particular care to preserve the S rights of the poor. The mountains shall bring peace to the people, and the little hills, by righteousness; all parts of the land 4 shall abound with plenty and prosperity.* He shall judge the poor of the people, he shall save the children of the needy, and shall break in pieces the oppressor; he shall vindicate the oppress5 ed and punish the proud and the injurious. They shall fear thee as long as the sun and moon endure, throughout all generations; 6 veneration shall be paid to his memory through all ages. He shall come down like rain upon the mown grass: as showers [that] water the earth; the influence of his government shall be refresh7 ing, comfortable, and delightful to all who are under it. In his days shall the righteous flourish, be countenanced and preferred ; 8 and abundance of peace so long as the moon endureth. He shall have dominion also from sea to sea; his kingdom shall be much extended; and from the river Euphrates or Nile, unto the 9 ends of the earth. They that dwell in the wilderness, the most barbarous people, shall bow before him; and his enemies shall 10 lick the dust; be reduced to the most abject submission. The

kings of Tarshish and of the isles shall bring presents: the 11 kings of Sheba and Seba shall offer gifts. Yea, all kings shall 12 fall down before him all nations shall serve him.† For he

shall deliver the needy when he crieth; the poor also, and [him] that hath no other helper; he shall be thus honoured, not because of his riches, wisdom, and magnificence, but for the justice and 13 mercy of his government. He shall spare the poor and needy,

and shall save the souls of the needy; be as tender of their lives 14 and comforts, as of those of the rich and great. He shall redeem their soul from secret deceit and open violence and precious shall their blood be in his sight; he shall never employ them in

• Some commentators, by mountains and bills, understand magistrates of different ranks and degrees, who, under Solomon's wise government, should dispense justice to the people. + This was true of Solomon, when all the kings of the earth came to hear his wisdom but was, or will be more exactly true of Christ.

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15 war to satisfy his own covetousness, ambition, and revenge. And he shall live, have a long and prosperous reign, and to him shall be given of the gold of Sheba : prayer also shall be made for him continually; [and] daily shall he be praised; he shall reign in the hearts of his subjects, who shall applaud his government, and pray for the increase, prosperity, and support of his kingdom. 16 God shall bless the earth with extraordinary fruitfulness; There shall be an handful of corn in the earth upon the top of the mountains; which shall produce such a crop that the fruit thereof shall be tall and large, and shake like the cedars on Lebanon : and [they] of the city shall flourish like grass of the earth; the cities also shall become populous and wealthy; an emblem of the success of the gospel, and the flourishing state of Christ's kingdom. 17 His name and honour shall endure for ever: his name shall be continued as long as the sun: he shall be the promised seed, and [men,] all nations, shall be blessed in him all nations shall call him blessed; shall acknowledge him as a most excellent, glo 18 rious prince, and praise God for him. Blessed [be] the Lord 19 Gop, the God of Israel, who only doeth wondrous things. And blessed [be] his glorious name for ever: and let the whole earth be filled [with] his glory; be possessed with a sense of his wisdom, power, and love, and join with us in his praise; Amen, 20 and Amen. The prayers of David the son of Jesse are ended. This was the last psalm that David composed, and in some instances resembles his last words, 2 Sam. xxiii.

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REFLECTIONS.

HAT an amiable idea does this psalm give us of a good government! How honourable is it to the prince, and how happy to the subjects, when this is its character! Let us daily pray that it may be more and more the character of our sovereign, and of all that are in authority under him; and as far as it is so, we should accept and own it with all thankfulness.

2. Let us rejoice in the prosperity of the Redeemer's kingdom. David, being a prophet, and knowing that God had sworn with an oath to him, that of the fruit of his loins according to the flesh, he would raise up Christ to sit on his throne, uttered this prophecy. Blessed be God, that it is so far accomplished, that so many nations have been brought to know Christ; that so many kings have become subjects to him; that the handful of seed sown in Judea, has produced such a plentiful harvest; that his religion shall continue as long as the sun, and that no power of men or devils can subvert it: it shall spread till all the kingdoms of the earth are become the kingdoms of the Lord and of his anointed.

3. We should be earnestly solicitous to secure the blessings of his administration; to partake of his care and protection, and enjoy the happiness of his subjects. To this end, let us fall down before him, yield ourselves to him, applaud his government, and bring cur

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