the pleasure which parents feel, at the fight of a numerous and flourishing offspring. As marriage was from the beginning intended to represent the myftical union between Chrift and his church, which union is spoken of in matrimonial language, through the Scriptures both of the Old and New Testament, we need but extend our view, to behold, under the imagery of the vine and the olive plants, the prolific Spouse of Meffiah, and the Children of Peace affembled round the Table of their heavenly Father. See Pf. lxxx. 8. Rom. xi. 17.

4. Behold, that thus fhall the man be blessed that feareth the Lord.

Are temporal bleffings, then, the reward of piety? They are not it's only, or chief reward; but are often " added," even under the new dispensation, to those who "first seek the kingdom of God, and his righte"oufnefs." When they are withholden, or withdrawn, it is for the security or increase of those more valuable bleffings which are fpiritual. There are times, when father, mother, brethren, fifters, wife, children, and lands must be given up for Chrift's and the gospel's fake. But ample amends are promised to be made to all who thus part with earthly relations and poffeffions. They find in the church other fathers, mothers, brethren, fifters, children, &c. and at the refurrection they will "inherit all things," Rev. xxi. 7. and brighter coronets of glory fhall fparkle from their heads. The Scriptures fhew us the fervants of God in every state and condition; we view them rich and poor, honoured and despised, fick and in health, married and fingle, childless and other

PSAL. 128. wife, in profperity and in adverfity; to teach us, that all things work together for good to them who love God; fo that the believer hath comfort always. If temporal bleffings be granted him, he accepteth them as shadows of those which are eternal; if they are denied, he remembereth that they are only fhadows, and are therefore denied, that he may fix his thoughts and affections more firmly on the substance.

5. The LORD fhall bless thee out of Zion: and thou shalt fee the good of Jerufalem, all the days of thy life, 6. Yea thou shalt fee thy children's children, and peace upon Ifrael.

Every true Ifraelite rejoiceth in the profperity of Zion; a bleffing upon the church diffufeth itself to all the members thereof; and the good of Jerufalem, with peace upon Ifrael, is all the good we can defire to fee upon earth. Hereafter we shall fee greater things than these. Jehovah from the heavenly Zion will blefs us with the vifion of his immortal glory; we shall fee the good of the new Jerufalem, the wealth, beauty, and majefty of that holy city; we fhall fee the generations of the faithful walking in the light of it; with that everlafting peace and rest, which remain for the Ifrael of God. Thefe are the bleffings promised to Meffiah, and to his feed, for

evermore.

PSALM

PSALM CXXIX.

ARGUMENT.

In the former part of this Pfalm, 1—4, the church declareth herself to have been often affailed and perfecuted by her enemies, but as often refcued and preferved by Jehovah; in the latter part of it, 5-8, she predicteth the miferable end of all those who hate Zion.

1. Many a time have they afflicted me from my youth, may Ifrael now fay: 2. Many a time have they afflicted me from my youth: yet they have not prevailed against me.

Affliction is nothing new to the people of God. Many a time have the righteous been under perfecution, from the hour when Cain rofe up against his brother Abel, to this day. Like the bufh which Moses beheld in the defert, the church hath "burn"ed with fire," but is not yet" confumed;" and for the fame reason, because God is in the midft of her*. He who took our nature upon him, was alfo "af"flicted from his youth," but his enemies "prevail"ed not finally against him." And it is obfervable, that what God fpake, by his prophet Hofea, con

Ecclefia jam inde ab initio in Abel, in Enoch, in Noë, in Abraham, in Lot, in Ægyptiaca fervitute, in Moyfe, et Prophetis, graves perpessa inimicos; dicit illa quidem fæpe a juventute fe fuiffe oppugnatam; nihilo tamen feciùs perveniffe ad fenece tutem, ac ne in fenecttute quidem opprimi poffe. Victus enim qui fæviebat, vicit qui fufferebat. BOSSUET,

cerning Ifrael," When Ifrael was a child, then I "loved him, and called my fon out of Egypt," is by St. Matthew applied to Chrift; " Jofeph took "the young child and his mother, by night, and de"parted into Egypt, and was there until the death "of Herod: that it might be fulfilled which was

66

spoken by the prophet, Out of Egypt have I called

my fon." Mat. ii. 14. Hof. xi. 1. The truth is, that there fubfifted between Chrift and the church an union like that between the head and the members of the fame body; they are therefore called by the fame name, ISRAEL, and what is faid concerning one, frequently admitteth of an application to the other. He became like us by taking our nature, and we become like him by receiving his grace. Our fufferings are accounted as his; and his righteousness fpoken of as ours.

3. The plowers plowed upon my back: they made long their furrows 4. The LORD is righteous: he hath cut afunder the cords of the wicked.

The former of thefe two verfes expreffeth a ftate of great affliction, the latter, a deliverance from that ftate. The word which fignifies to dig, or cut the ground, and fo, to plow, is also used fimply for cutting, carving, or graving; See Exod. xxxv. 33. Jer. xvii. 1. Being here applied to the back of captives, and cords having been the instruments of it, in all reason it is to be understood of scourging, which cuts, and, as it were, digs, and plows, and makes furrows in the flesh; and the longer the cords of the fcourges are, the longer are the wounds and furrows. For our fakes he who knew no fin " gave

"his back to the fmiters," Ifai. 1. 6. and permitted those "plowers to make long their furrows upon it." But the righteous Lord cut afunder the cords of "the wicked;" vengeance overtook the wretched inftruments of his fufferings; and the perfecutors of his fervants shall perish in like manner, as the Pfalmift proceedeth to affure us in the verfes following.

5. Let them all, or, they all shall be confounded and turned back that hate Zion.

Since the ways of God are equal, the deftruction which hath lighted on former perfecutors of the church affordeth an affurance, that all, in every age, who hate Zion, fhall, at the day of final retribution, if not before that day, feel the weight of his arm, who is the Saviour, the King, and the God of Zion.

6. Let them, or, they shall be as the grafs upon the house tops, which withereth afore it groweth up: Heb. is pulled up*. 7. Wherewith the mower filleth not his hand: nor he that bindeth fheaves his bosom. 8. Neither do they which go by fay, The bleffing of the LORD be upon you: we bless you in the name of the LORD.

The tranfient profperity of mortal man is often in facred writ compared to grafs, the hiftory of which is contained in these few words, It cometh up, and is cut down. But here the comparison is carried ftill farther. Not the common grafs in the field, but

66

grafs growing on the house tops" is felected to convey the idea of bad men; grafs, which having no depth of earth, into which it may ftrike it's roots,

* Mr. Harmer takes the idea of the Pfalmift to be, " Which "withereth before it unfheaths it's ear." Obferv. 11. 463.