that, by comparing it with former discouragements, we may be cheerful and thankful. If God has made a favourable change in any of our private affairs, we should remember our crosses; that our gratitude may be more lively, and that we may not presume.

2. Let our faith humbly plead the promises of God. Hath he spoken to his people and servants in his holiness? Let them rejoice, in the assurance that he will be faithful to his engagements. Are we become the children of God, and have we an interest in Christ? we may then assuredly say, Pardon is mine, and peace is mine; over this and the other spiritual enemy will I triumph; and shall soon possess the good land which he hath promised. But

3. We should nevertheless, go forth in the strength of the Lord, and guard against pride, and vain confidence. Let us wait upon him by faith and prayer, to give us strength and courage for our christian work and warfare; remembering our own weakness, and the insufficiency of every creature; therefore pray, that God would give us help from trouble. Whatever be our strength, courage, and resolution, it is he that must tread down our enemies; and if we take to ourselves the whole armour of God, and maintain an humble, believing dependence upon him, he will bruise Satan under our feet shortly, and we shall be more than conquerors, through him who hath loved us.

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PSALM LXI.

To the chief musician upon Neginal, [A Psalm] of David. Probably composed when he fled from Absalom's rebellion.

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EAR my cry, O God, in my great extremity; attend unto my prayer. From the end of the earth, or land, that is, the country beyond Jordan, will I cry unto thee, when my Cheart is overwhelmed with grief and fears: lead me to the rock [that is] higher than I; a place of defence which I am not able to obtain without thee, and where my enemy will not be able to reach 3 me. For thou hast, in several former instances, been a shelter for me, [and] a strong tower from the enemy, especially from Saul. In full confidence that I shall be restored, and have liberty to 4 attend there, I resolve that I will abide in thy tabernacle for ever, that I may serve and enjoy God all my days: I will trust in the covert of thy wings;* in thy almighty and comfortable pro5 tection. Selah. For thou, O God, hast heard my vows; my prayers mingled with promises: thou hast given [me] the heritage of those that fear, thy name; when I consider what a train of wonderful deliverances and mercies have brought me to the throne, 6 I am encouraged to hope I shall be continued there; Thou wilt

These were the workings of his soul during his wanderings; but, as th's psalm was to be used in the tabernacle service, he goes on to celebrate God's goodness in his deliver

ance.

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prolong the king's life: [and] his years as many generations; 7 as if his life was but just beginning. He, that is, his posterity, shall abide before God for ever: or it may refer to a future state; after a long, prosperous life on earth, he shall dwell for ever in thine heavenly presence: O prepare, or send forth thy mercy and truth, [which] may preserve him; let thy goodness and faithfulness ap pear in my preservation, which will be a firmer security than all my 8 guards and armies. So will I sing praise unto thy name for ever, that I may daily perform my vows, which I promised in my trouble.

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REFLECTIONS.

wherever he is driven, or however he is afflicted, he can cry unto God. Though he is banished to a wilderness, to the ends of the earth, still a way is open to the throne of grace; and when troubles surround him, and his heart is overwhelmed, God is near to hear his prayer, and will afford him help. Let this teach us to make prayer our refuge in times of affliction; and as afflictions increase, our prayers should be more frequent and earnest; and let this thought animate and encourage us, that God has been a shelter to us hitherto.

2. Let a serious remembrance that God hears our vows, engage us to perform them. We are all under vows to God; every prayer in which we join, is in effect, a solemn promise and vow. Many of us are under engagements peculiarly strong to be his servants; may we remember, as the psalmist expresses it, daily to perform them. Religion is to be the business of every day; and as God delivers us from our enemies and afflictions, and daily loads us with his benefits, we ought to be faithful to those engagements, of which God is a witness and a party; and serve him in righteousness and holiness all the days of our life.

3. Let it be our great ambition to partake of the heritage of those who fear God. David, amidst all his distresses, triumphs in this, that God hath given him the heritage of those who fear his name. Pious men have a heritage peculiar to themselves, in which the ungodly have no share; they have present comforts and hopes, and a sure title to an inheritance incorruptible, undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for them. Their inheritance is more noble, Honourable, satisfying, and enduring than the greatest inheritance on earth; we need nothing else to make us happy. Let this be our language, whatever I want, let me be ever so poor and mean, Lord, give me the heritage of those who fear thy name, and let me have my lot and portion among them. The clearer promises of the gospel encourage our hope of this blessedness; and may the Lord enlighten the eyes of our understandings, that we may know what is the hope of our calling, and what the inheritance of the saints in light..

PSALM LXII.

To the chief musician, to Jeduthun, A Psalm of David.

This psalm contains neither prayers nor thanksgivings, but only firofessions of faith and confidence in God, and encouragements to others to trust in him. It was probably composed after the rebellion of Absalom was quashed.

1 RULY my soul waiteth upon God; looketh up to him for

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[is] my rock and my salvation; [he is] my defence; though I have powerful enemies, yet he is my rock; though I have. many forces, yet my chief dependence is on him: therefore I shall not be greatly moved; I may be threatened, disturbed, and terrified for a while, but I shall not be dethroned or confounded. 3 How long will ye imagine mischief against a man, a single man, the Lord's anointed? ye shall be slain all of you: as a bowing wall [shall ye be,] whose height hastens its ruin, [and as] a totter-, 4 ing fence, whose own weight overthrows it. They only consult to cast [him] down from his excellency; to deprive me of the dignity which God hath promised me: they delight in lies: they bless with their mouth, fawn, flatter, and profess loyal'y, but they. 5 curse inwardly, their hearts contrive mischief. Selah. My soul, wait thou only upon God, trust to nothing else; for my expecta 6 tion [is] from him, and from him alone. He only [is] my rock and my salvation: [he is] my defence; I shall not be moved; they shall not prevail so far as even to disturb and perplex me. In God [is] my salvation and my glory; he will support my dignity, and defend me from all their designs: the rock of my strength, 8 [and] my refuge, [is] in God. Trust in him at all times, especially in the most perilous seasons; ye people, pour out your heart before him, with sincere, fervent devotion: God [is] a refuge for

9 us.

Selah. Surely men of low degree [are] vanity, inconstant and weak, [and] men of high degree [are] a lie, false, deceitful, and treacherous; to be laid in the balance of impartial reason, and tried by experience, they [are] altogether [lighter] than vanity, 10 than the lightest trifle. Trust not in wealth procured by oppression, and become not vain in robbery: if riches increase by honest methods, set not your heart [upon them,] as if they could be 11 fully satisfying. And a good reason follows, God hath spoken once; twice have I heard this; he hath spoken by his word and providence, and I have observed many instances of it, that power 12 [belongeth] unto God, therefore he only is to be trusted in. Also unto thee, O LORD, [belongeth] mercy; thou wilt therefore preserve and provide for them who trust in thee: for thou renderest to every man rewards or punishments according to his work, which is a great encouragement to commit my affairs to thee, and leave my cause with thee.

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REFLECTIONS.

ET our souls learn to wait only upon God; that is, in the cerns to him, accommodate ourselves to his providence, and humbly and patiently wait his determinations, sensible that his time and way are best. This confidence in God should be habitual: in lesser as well as greater difficulties, we shall find it good to hope and quietly wait for the salvation of God.

2. If we would have a well grounded trust in God, we should pour out our hearts before him, This is an instructive description of prayer; it includes confessing our sins before him, offering up our desires to him, and making known every care and sorrow, every fear and every desire. No praying can be acceptable to God which does not proceed from the heart; it will be in vain to pour forth many words, unless the heart be also poured forth.

3. We are here taught the vanity of depending on the things or the men of the world. David's experience and advice reads us an excellent lesson of prudence; which if it is attended to, will save us from many disappointments and much sorrow. The world is the same now as it was in his day; the lower ranks of men are unstable and weak; the higher ranks are deceitful. Great men's promises are no more to be depended on than in former times. Let us learn to look unto God: with him is no vanity, variableness, or deceit. The things of the world are equally unsatisfying, and unable to make us happy. If riches are gained by fraud and oppression, they will end in the anguish and misery of the possessors; if they are ever so honestly gotten, and men set their hearts upon them, take complacency, and place confidence in them, as their portion and happiness, they will be deceived and ruined by them. May we therefore not trust in uncertain riches, but in the living God.

4. We should often think of the natural and moral perfections of God, that our minds may be guarded against temptations, and comforted under sorrows, We have often heard this, and seen it verified, that power belongeth to God; that he is almighty; that all the power of creatures is his power; that he is able to prevent every evil we fear, and bestow every thing we want. To him also belongeth mercy; which is a further encouragement to trust in him; for he will reward our poor imperfect services, and be our glory and defence. When we are in danger of trusting in man or riches, and forgetting God, let us remember, that he renders to every man according to his works; and that in the day of final retribution, rich and prosperous sinners will be punished, and humble, patient, waiting saints be abundantly rewarded. Therefore turn thou to thy God, keep mercy and judgment; and wait on the Lord continually.

PSALM LXIII.

A Psalm of David, when he was in the wilderness of Judah ; her haps driven thither by Absalom's rebellion.

This is a most noble and delightful psalm, full of lively and warm devotion. There is little in it that needs explanation; would to God it were as easy to keep up David's affections in our hearts, as to understand his words.

GOD, thour [art] my God; early will I seek thee, with great diligence and earnestness: my soul thirsteth for thee, my flesh longeth for thee in a dry and thirsty land, where no water is; my desire after thee is more urgent than my bodily 2 appetite; To see thy power and thy glory, so [as] I have seen thee in the sanctuary; my prevailing desire is to see the powerful and glorious evidence of thy presence and lové, as I have enjoyed 3 them in the sanctuary. Because thy loving kindness [is] better" than life, than all prosperity, or even the splendors of a court, my lips shall praise thee, for past favours, and that restoration 4 which I hope thou wilt soon grant me. Thus will I bless thee while I live: I will lift up my hands in thy name; with such sentiments and affections, I will abound in prayer and praise while 5 Ilive. My soul shall be satisfied as with marrow and fatness ;* 6 and my mouth shall praise [thee] with joyful lips: When I remember thee upon my bed, [and] meditate on thee in the [night] watches; I shall have greater satisfaction than any worldly delights can afford, while I meditate on thy perfections, especially thy goodness, in the watches of the night; which will in some 7 measure supply the want of ordinances. Because thou hast been' my help in former exigencies, therefore in the shadow of thy wings will I rejoice, in thy powerful and kind protection, for the 8 future. Though thou seemest to cast me off, yet My soul followeth hard after thee; is greatly desirous of thy presence, and of communion with thee, and my thoughts are still running after thee: thy right hand upholdeth me in these desires and resolutions, and 9 it will still defend me. But those [that] seek my soul to destroy [it,] shall go into the lower parts of the earth'; to the state' 10 of the dead. They shall fall by the sword, that is, in battle; their

dead carcasses shall lie unburied, and they shall be a portion for 11 foxes and other will beasts. But the king shall rejoice in Gød for my deliverance; every one that sweareth by him, all my loyal subjects who swear allegiance to me, and keep their oath, shall glory but the mouth of them that speak hes, that reproach my government and slander my character, shall be stopped.

This is used in scripture and ancient writings to express the greatest dainties; so in Homer, a person says of her son, He had been fed with marrow and the fat of sheep.*