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An earnest persuasion to build

a Matt. 13. 35.

Ps. 78. 2.

+ Heb. to generation and generation.

PSALMS.

2 Both low and high, rich and poor, together.

3 My mouth shall speak of wisdom; and the meditation of my heart shall be of understanding.

4 a I will incline mine ear to a parable: I will open my dark saying upon the harp.

5 Wherefore should I fear in the days of evil, when the iniquity of my heels shall compass me about?

6 They that trust in their wealth, and boast themselves in the multitude of their riches;

7 None of them can by any means redeem his brother, nor give to God a ransom for him ;

8 (For the redemption of their soul is precious, and it ceaseth for ever :)

9 That he should still live for ever, and not see corruption.

10 For he seeth that wise men die, likewise the fool and the brutish person perish, and leave their wealth to others.

11 Their inward thought is, that their houses shall continue for ever, and their dwelling places + to all generations; they call their lands after their own names.

Ver. 3. My mouth shall speak &c.] I am going to utter things of most important concern, even weighty matters, which my heart has deeply pondered. Travell. I will speak such things as shall teach men to be truly wise, and to judge and determine prudently in all things. Rosenmüller.

4. I will incline mine ear &c.] I myself will diligently attend to the lesson I am going to unfold, and the important instruction shall be accompanied with the melody of musick. Travell.

5. Wherefore should I fear &c.] Why should I give way to fear and despondency in the time of calamity, when the wickedness of my wealthy and powerful adversaries compasses me about, to supplant and overthrow me? Bps. Horne and Lowth.

-of my heels] Rather, " of my supplanters;" of those who endeavour to supplant me. Parkhurst. 7. None of them &c.] None of them, with all his wealth and power, can save his dearest friend from the grave, or preserve him alive when God calls him. Bp. Patrick.

8. (For the redemption &c.] The redemption of a man's life is too difficult and precious a thing for a man to undertake; so that it must ever be a vain attempt. Bp. Patrick, Travell.

the faith of resurrection on God only.

12 Nevertheless man being in honour abideth not: he is like the beasts that perish.

13 This their way is their folly: yet their posterity + approve their Heb. delight sayings. Selah.

in their

mouth.

14 Like sheep they are laid in the grave; death shall feed on them; and the upright shall have dominion over them in the morning; and their || beauty shall consume || in the grave Or, strength. from their dwelling.

soul

|| Or, the grave being an habitation to every one of

15 But God will redeem my + from the power of || the grave: for them. he shall receive me.

Selah.

16 Be not thou afraid when one is made rich, when the glory of his house is increased;

+ Heb. from the hand of

the grave. Or, hell.

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no service after death, is doubtless a folly; but it is a folly, which, like many others, is at once blamed and imitated. Bp. Horne.

14. Like sheep &c.] They must, like sheep driven to the slaughter, become the prey of death, and go in crowds to the grave: and then the just, whom they insulted, shall triumph over them in that glorious dawn of the resurrection; their faded beauty shall moulder away in the silent habitation of the grave. Travell.

18. Though while he lived &c.] While men enjoy all the pleasures which their riches afford them, they call themselves the only happy people: and whoever follows their steps will be sure to have the praise of wicked and foolish people. Bp. Wilson.

20. Man that is in honour, &c.] That man who lives in outward honour, and yet wants true wisdom and understanding to know God and himself, lives and dies like a beast. Bp. Hall.

Let us seriously lay to heart, that our time in this world is but a short eve to an everlasting holyday; and that the world itself is but a barren, steep, and stormy passage, to the most fertile and pleasant land that ever was inhabited; where, if we have behaved ourselves well in the way, more glorious mansions are prepared for us than the greatest monarch of the earth was ever 11. Their inward thought is, &c.] Nevertheless, in possession of: let us in our daily morning prayers worldly-minded men secretly please themselves with the humbly and earnestly beseech God to root out of our hopes, that their habitations and estates shall continue hearts all those immoderate desires and inclinations toin their family from age to age; they indulge them- wards the pomp and pleasures of this life, which intoxiselves in the idea of an imaginary immortality, by giv-cate us, and we shall be ashamed all the day after to ing their own names to their lands. Travell.

13. This their way is their folly:] The practice of labouring to acquire wealth and greatness, which be of

entertain any of those proud, and covetous, and ambitious thoughts, that are so contrary to our prayers; and so, by devoutly wishing to be what we ought to be, we

The majesty of God in the church.

|| Or, for Asaph.

PSALM L.

PSALMS. The pleasure of God is not in ceremonies,

1 The majesty of God in the church. 5 His order to gather saints. 7 The pleasure of God is not in ceremonies, 14 but in sincerity of obedience.

¶ A Psalm of Asaph. HE mighty God, even the LORD, hath spoken, and called the earth from the rising of the sun unto the going down thereof.

2 Out of Zion, the perfection of beauty, God hath shined.

3 Our God shall come, and shall not keep silence: a fire shall devour before him, and it shall be very tempestuous round about him.

4 He shall call to the heavens from above, and to the earth, that he may judge his people.

5 Gather my saints together unto me; those that have made a covenant with me by sacrifice.

6 And the heavens shall declare his righteousness: for God is judge himself. Selah.

7 Hear, O my people, and I will speak; O Israel, and I will testify against thee: I am God, even thy God.

8 I will not reprove thee for thy sacrifices or thy burnt offerings, to have been continually before me.

9 I will take no bullock out of thy house, nor he goats out of thy folds.

10 For every beast of the forest is mine, and the cattle upon a thousand hills.

11 I know all the fowls of the mountains and the wild beasts of

the field are † mine.

12 If I were hungry, I would not. tell thee: a for the world is mine, and the fulness thereof.

13 Will I eat the flesh of bulls, or drink the blood of goats?

14 Offer unto God thanksgiving; and pay thy vows unto the most High:

15 And call upon me in the day of trouble: I will deliver thee, and thou shalt glorify me.

16 But unto the wicked God saith, What hast thou to do to declare my statutes, or that thou shouldest take my covenant in thy mouth?

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+ Heb. with

me.

a Exod. 19. 5.

Deut. 10. 14.
Ps. 24. I.
Job. 41. 11.

28.

22.

Cor. 10. 26,

17 Seeing thou hatest instruction, b Rom. 2. 21, and castest my words behind thee. 18 When thou sawest a thief, then

shall grow fixed, and steady, and superiour to those thence give his commission to reveal the Gospel to all vain temptations. Lord Clarendon.

Psalm L. This Psalm sets forth, that the Divine favour is not to be conciliated by sacrifices or by any of the external rites and services of religion, but rather by sincere piety, and by the devout effusions of a grateful heart and yet, that even these will not be accepted without the strictest attention to justice, and every practical virtue. It consists therefore of two parts: in the first, the devout but ignorant and superstitious worshipper is reproved; and in the second, the hypocritical pretender to virtue and religion. Each part of the subject, if we regard the imagery and diction only, is treated rather with variety and elegance, than with sublimity; but if the general effect, if the plot and machinery of the whole be considered, scarcely any thing can appear more truly magnificent.

God is here introduced as entering upon a solemn and publick action or pleading before the whole world, against his disobedient people. He summons all mankind, from east to west, to be present to hear his appeal; and the solemnity is held on Zion, where He is attended by the same terrible pomp that accompanied Him on mount Sinai. Bp. Lowth.

Asaph.] Whether this Asaph was the Levite who lived in the same age with David, or some other Prophet in aftertimes, cannot be certainly determined. Bp.

Patrick.

Ver. 1. The mighty God, &c.] That is, The decree is gone out from God the Father, touching the calling of all nations by God the Son.

2. Out of Zion,] As God in a special manner was present here in his tabernacle, so shall the Son of God, in fulness of time, be visibly present in that place, and

nations. Fenton.

4. He shall call to the heavens &c.] The heavens and the earth are invoked as witnesses, which is a pompous form of expression common with the Hebrew writers: "He shall call the heavens from on high: and the earth to the judgment of his people.' Bp. Lowth.

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5. Gather my saints &c.] He shall say, Bring those men before me, whom I have separated to myself to be a holy nation, and who have made a solemn agreement with me, confirmed by the blood of sacrifices. Bp. Patrick, Travell.

8. I will not reprove thee &c.] It is not for any defect in thy external and ceremonial service of sacrifices and other appointed offerings that I complain of thee: these have been performed with scrupulous exactness. Travell.

9-12. I will take no bullock] The Jewish folly of doating on the legal offerings, as things in themselves acceptable to God, and conferring justification on man, is reproved in these verses, from the consideration, that the various animals slain in sacrifice were long before, even from the creation of the world, the sole right and property of Jehovah; which, therefore, He needed not to have required at the hands of his people; nor would He have done so, but for some further end and intent signified and represented by such oblations. What that end and intent was, Christians know; and Jews formerly did know. Learn we hence, not to dream of any merit in our works and services; since God has a double claim, founded on creation and redemption, to all we have, and all we are. Bp. Horne.

14. Offer unto God thanksgiving; &c.] God here declares, that the sacrifice which is truly acceptable to Him is a heart thankful for all the blessings He has

but in sincerity of obedience.

+ Heb. thy portion was with

adulterers. + Heb. Thou sendest.

f Heb. that disposeth his way.

about 1034. a 2 Sam. 12. 1. & 11. 2.

PSALMS.

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David prayeth for remission of sins.

came unto him, after he had in to Bathsheba.

gone

HAVE mercy upon me, O God, according to thy lovingkindness: according unto the multitude of thy tender mercies blot out my transgressions.

2 Wash me throughly from mine iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin.

3 For I acknowledge my trans

21 These things hast thou done, and I kept silence; thou thoughtest that I was altogether such an one as thyself: but I will reprove thee, and set them in order before thine eyes. 22 Now consider this, ye that for-gressions: and my sin is ever before get God, lest I tear you in pieces, and there be none to deliver.

23 Whoso offereth praise glorifieth me: and to him † that ordereth his conversation aright will I shew the

salvation of God,

PSALM LI.

1 David prayeth for remission of sins, whereof he maketh a deep confession. 6 He prayeth for sanctification. 16 God delighteth not in sacrifice, but in sincerity. 18 He prayeth for the church.

¶ To the chief Musician, A Psalm of David, a when Nathan the prophet

bestowed; and the faithful performance of all the vows and promises which have been made to Him. Bp. Patrick.

21. These things hast thou done, &c.] All this wickedness hast thou committed, and I have forborne to punish thee; but my forbearance, instead of leading thee to amendment, has made thee consider me, either as ignorant of thy wickedness, or inclined to evil like thyself: but I will now rebuke thee sharply for it, and set all thy evil deeds in order before thine eyes. Bp. Patrick.

23. Whoso offereth praise] This verse sums up the two principal points of charge. "I look upon him only as the man who truly honours me, that offers before me a grateful heart; and none but the man that sets himself to order his life aright shall ever find protection and blessing from God." Mudge.

The duty of praise is the end of our being, and the very rule and law of our nature. It is the most excellent part of our religious worship, enduring to eternity after the rest shall be done away. It recommends itself to us by several peculiar properties and advantages; as it carries more pleasure in it than all other kinds of devotion; as it enlarges and exalts the several powers of the mind; as it breeds in us an exquisite sense of God's honour, and a willingness to promote it in the world; as it teaches us to be humble and lowly ourselves, and yet preserves us from base and sordid flattery, from bestowing mean and undue praises upon others. Bp. Atterbury.

Psalm LI. No one can read this Psalm of David, but must see all the characters of true repentance in the person who wrote it, and the marks of the deepest sorrow and humiliation for the sins of which he had been guilty. How earnestly does he plead for mercy, and acknowledge his unworthiness! How ingenuous VOL. II.

me.

4 Against thee, thee only, have I sight: that thou mightest be justified b Rom. 3. 4. sinned, and done this evil in thy when thou speakest, and be clear when thou judgest.

5 Behold, I was shapen in iniquity; and in sin did my mother † conceive + Heb. warm

me.

6 Behold, thou desirest truth in the inward parts: and in the hidden part thou shalt make me to know wisdom.

C

me.

Numb. 19. 18.

7 Purge me with hyssop, and I c Lev. 14. 6. shall be clean: wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.

the confessions he makes of his offences!___How heavy the load of guilt which oppressed him! The smart of it pierced through his very bones, and the torture he felt was as if they had been broken and crushed to pieces. Dr. Chandler. This Psalm is inserted in the Commination service, and so is used with the other penitential Psalms in the service on Ash-Wednesday.

Ver. 2. Wash me throughly &c.] The soul, that is sensible of her pollution, fears she can never be sufficiently purified from it; and therefore prays yet again and again, continually, for more abundant grace, to make and to keep her holy. Bp. Horne.

4. Against thee, thee only, have I sinned,] For none else knew it, till Thou madest it known, 2 Sam. xii. 12. Bp. Wilson.

that thou mightest be justified &c.] Rather, so that Thou art righteous in thy sentence, and just in thy judgment. Edwards.

5. I was shapen in iniquity; &c.] I derive from my parents an original corruption, and a natural proneness to evil. Travell. This corruption is here only alleged as the cause of transgressions, not as their excuse; seeing that, the greater our danger of falling, the greater should be our care to stand. Bp. Horne.

6. Behold, thou desirest truth &c.] The force of "behold" is, "It is too plain; I feel it but too sensibly; the punishment I suffer is evidence sufficient, that Thou art not contented with a superficial appearance of goodness: Thou lovest truth and sincerity in the bottom of the heart." God was now teaching him this, by the correction He made him suffer. The punishment inflicted tended to give him a right understanding of things, and to work it deep into him. Mudge.

7. Purge me with hyssop, &c.] As the priest is wont to denote unclean persons to be cleansed, by sprinkling them with water mixed with the ashes of an heifer,

E

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Heb. bloods.

me.

11 Cast me not away from thy presence; and take not thy holy spirit from me.

12 Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation; and uphold me with thy free spirit.

13 Then will I teach transgressors thy ways; and sinners shall be converted unto thee.

14 Deliver me from + bloodguiltiness, O God, thou God of my salva

tion: and my tongue shall sing aloud

of thy righteousness.

15 O LORD, open thou my lips; and my mouth shall shew forth thy praise.

16 For thou desirest not sacrifice; Or, that I else would I give it thou delightest not in burnt offering.

should give it.

d Isa. 57. 15. & 66. 2.

:

17 The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: a broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise.

which sprinkling was performed with a bunch of hyssop; so be Thou pleased to absolve me from the guilt of the great sins I have been guilty of, and restore me to thy former favour. Dr. Wells.

8. Make me to hear &c.] Renew the joy of my heart, in the comfortable assurance of thy forgiveness; that so my soul, which is now dejected and justly grieved for my sin, may find cause of rejoicing in Thee. Bp. Hall.

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11. Cast me not away &c.] The soul that is truly penitent dreads nothing but the thought of being rejected from the "presence," and deserted by the Spirit" of God. This is the most deplorable effect of sin; but it is one that in general, perhaps, is the least considered and regarded of all others. Bp. Horne. and uphold me with thy free spirit.] He prays to be preserved and continued in a state of salvation by the Spirit of God, which might enable him to act as became a Prophet and a king, free from base desires and enslaving lusts. Bp. Horne.

12.

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14. Deliver me from bloodguiltiness,] Deliver me from the punishment due to this crying sin, the murder of a trusty servant, and of several of my servants, 2 Sam. xi. 17. Bp. Patrick.

16.

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thou desirest not sacrifice;] This is not to be understood absolutely and universally, as appears from ver. 19, but comparatively. See the note on Psalm xl. 6. Poole.

18.-build thou the walls of Jerusalem.] Be favourable to Jerusalem, and let its walls, which I have begun to build, 2 Sam. v. 9, be perfectly finished, 1 Kings iii. 1. Bp. Patrick.

19.-sacrifices of righteousness,] That is, such sacrifices as are offered with true piety of heart. Rosenmüller.

He prophesieth

18 Do good in thy good pleasure unto Zion: build thou the walls of Jerusalem.

19 Then shalt thou be pleased with the sacrifices of righteousness, with burnt offering and whole burnt offering: then shall they offer bullocks upon thine altar.

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From the third verse of this Psalm, we should learn to correct a propensity in the human mind, which is very general and very natural, yet, at the same time, unfavourable in a high degree to the Christian character; namely, that when we look back upon our lives, our recollection dwells too much upon our virtues; our sins are not, as they ought to be, before us; we think too much of our good qualities, or good actions, too little of our crimes, our corruptions, our fallings off and declensions from God's laws, our defects and weaknesses. But this is not the true Christian disposition, and it is dangerous to our salvation. We ought rather to let our "sins be ever before us," our omissions, deficiencies, failures, our irregularities of heart and affection, our vices of temper and disposition. These are the things which should occupy our attention, this should be the bent and direction of our thoughts, for they are the thoughts which will bring us to God evangelically. Archdeacon Paley.

Psalm LII. The occasion of this Psalm is to be found in 1 Sam. xxii. where we read, that Doeg, in order to ingratiate himself with Saul, discovered to him those who were confederate with David, particularly Ahimelech and afterwards, at the desire of Saul, murdered the priests of the Lord. Travell

:

Ver. 1. Why boastest thou &c.] The Psalmist thought it strange that any man should value himself for being able to do mischief, when God esteemed it his glory to do good. In vain did Doeg the Edomite boast himself in the mischief he had done, by massacring the innocent priests and their families; since "the goodness of God," which is unchangeable, had decreed the preservation of David. Bp. Horne.

4. - devouring words,] That is, such as are mischiev

the destruction of Doeg.

+ Heb. beat thee down.

| Or, substance.

a Ps. 14. 1, &c. & 10. 4.

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5 God shall likewise † destroy thee | upon the children of men, to see if for ever, he shall take thee away, and there were any that did understand, pluck thee out of thy dwelling place, that did seek God. and root thee out of the land of the living. Selah.

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1 David describeth the corruption of a natural

man. 4 He convinceth the wicked by the light of their own conscience. 6 He glorieth in the salvation of God.

3 Every one of them is gone back: they are altogether become filthy; there is none that doeth good, no, not

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To the chief Musician upon Maha-1 David, complaining of the Ziphims, prayeth

lath, Maschil, A Psalm of David.

TH

HE a fool hath said in his heart, There is no God. Corrupt are they, and have done abominable inib Rom. 3. 10. quity: there is none that doeth good. 2 God looked down from heaven

ous, and by which the innocent may be destroyed. Rosenmüller.

6. The righteous also shall see, &c.] All good men shall remark the righteous judgment of God, and shall be confirmed in their fear of offending Him; they shall deride thy folly and disappointed ambition, and shall say; &c. Bp. Patrick, Travell.

8. But I am like &c.] As for me, notwithstanding his crafty designs against me, I am, in comparison of him, in a flourishing condition; my unchangeable trust in the goodness of God shall make me grow and increase, like a fruitful olive tree in the courts of God's house. Travell.

9.-for it is good before thy saints.] That is, it is a goodly thing, it carries a good appearance, it looks well before the friends of God, to see me praising Him, and putting my trust in Him. Mudge.

It very much concerns us to follow the wise man's counsel, and "to weigh our words in a balance, and make a door and bar for our mouth," Ecclus. xxviii. 25. If licentious and unbridled thoughts will, in spite of all our watches and guard, steal into our hearts, let us be sure that no unruly words break out of our mouth; and if, in the variety of our language and expressions, some inconsiderate, rash, and imprudent words escape from us, at least let them not be malicious and detracting words, to wound the credit and good name of our neighbours: let us inform and instruct the weak without insolence, and reprove and advise the wilful without bitterness; let us do all good offices towards advancing the reputation of those who desire to advance God's glory and the public peace, and all charitable offices towards those who are in misery and distress, by what means soever

for salvation. 4 Upon his confidence in God's help he promiseth sacrifice.

¶ To the chief Musician on Neginoth, Maschil, A Psalm of David, a when a 1 Sam. 23. the Ziphims came and said to Saul, Doth not David hide himself with

us?

19. & 26. 1.

they fell into it; let us endeavour to strengthen all men with our mouth, and that our speech may drop upon them and then God will bless and protect, and prosper us, against all the violence and all the calumnies which aim at our destruction. Lord Clarendon.

Psalm LIII. This Psalm of David was composed by him at first, as it stands Psalm XIV. and on the rebellion of Absalom. But probably upon the new revolt made presently after the death of Absalom, by the Israelites that followed Sheba, David made two or three variations in Psalm XIV. and so used it upon this new occasion. Dr. Wells.

-Mahalath,] This word probably denotes some kind of musical instrument, but of what kind it is difficult now to determine. Rosenmüller, Edwards.

5.-for God hath scattered the bones] God hath destroyed him who thought to oppress thee, O my soul, and his bones lie scattered on the ground. See 2 Sam. xx. 6-22, Bp. Patrick.

Psalm LIV. This Psalm was composed by David at a time of his great distress, and seasonable deliverance afforded him by God, when, hiding himself in the wilderness of Ziph, the Ziphites made discovery to Saul, and he went with forces to seek him, but gave over the pursuit, by reason of the Philistines invading his land. See 1 Sam. xxiii. 14, to the end. Dr. Hammond. The application to Christ and to Christians is plain and easy; for which reason our Church hath appointed this Psalm to be read on Good Friday. Bp. Horne.

Neginoth,] See the note upon the title to the fourth Psalm.

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