assurance given to the church, that God had made provision, and issued out orders, for her establishment and security. In the latter clause is a prayer, that he would accomplish all his counsels concerning her; and, as he had begun a good work, so that he would vouchsafe to perfect it unto the day of the Lord.

29. Because of thy temple at Jerusalem, shall kings bring presents unto thee.'

David foretells, that on the establishment of the then church and worship in Jerusalem, the kings of the Gentiles should come, and make their oblations at the temple' of God; which happened in his days, and those of his son Solomon, as an earnest and figure of that plenary accession of the kings of the earth to the church of Christ, which was to take place in the latter days, under the Gospel. See 2 Sam. viii. 9-11. 1 Kings v. 1. x. 1. 24. 2 Chron. ix. 23. Isa. lx. 3. 6. Matt. ii. 11. Rev. xxi. 24.

30. Rebuke the company of spearmen, the multitude of the bulls, with the calves of the people, till every one submit himself with pieces of silver; scatter thou the people that delight in war.'

We have here a prophetical prayer against the enemies of the Israelitish church. The whole verse, when literally translated, runs thus-Rebuke the wild beast of the reeds, the congregation of the mighty among the calves of the nations, skipping, or exulting, with pieces of silver; scatter the people that delight in war.' By the 'wild beast of the reeds,' is to be understood the Egyptian power, described by its emblem, the crocodile, or river horse, creatures living among the reeds' of the Nile. The calves of the nations' intend the objects of worship among the Egyptians, their Apis, Osiris, &c. around which the congregation of the mighty' assembled. And by their skipping with,' or, exulting in, pieces of silver,' may either be meant their dancing at their idolatrous festivals with the tinkling instruments called 'sistra,' which might be made of 'silver,' or else it

The tabernacle is called ', 1 Sam. iii. 3. This might otherwise seem inconsistent with the supposed occasion of the Psalm, and the times of David, when there was yet no temple there.-Bishop LOWTH.

may imply their glorying in pieces of silver,' or, 'in their riches.' The last member of the verse is plain, Scatter the people that delight in war.' The whole is evidently a prayer of the Prophet to this effect, that it would please God to bring down and overthrow the strength, the pride, and the idolatry of Egypt, that ancient adversary and oppressor of Israel.'-The Christian church, in like manner, through faith in the power of her Lord, risen from the dead and ascended into heaven, prayeth for the confusion of her implacable enemies, who delight in opposing the kingdom of Messiah.

31. Princes,' or ambassadors, 'shall come out of Egypt; Ethiopia shall soon stretch out her hands unto God.'

The hostile powers being overthrown, and the church of Israel fully established, the nations around her, even those which had been most given to idolatry, sued for her friendship, and came to Jerusalem, with their gifts and oblations; as, in like manner, after the defeat of Maxentius and Maximin, the Roman empire, with all its tributary provinces, was added to the church of Christ 32. Sing unto God, ye kingdoms of the earth: 0 sing praises unto the LORD.'

Rapt into future times,' the Prophet exhorteth, not Judea only, but all the kingdoms, of the earth, to unite in chanting forth the praises of their God and Saviour.' In the fulness of time, this exhortation was heard and obeyed. For Eusebius thus describes the state of the church in the days of Constantine: "There was one and the same power of the Holy Spirit, which passed through all the members; one soul in all; the same alacrity of faith;

Increpa regem Ægypti populo tuo invidentem, increpa etiam opti mates qui inter populos honore et viribus eminent, argenteis clavis, vel aliis insignibus, ornati. BossUET. See Bishop Lowth, Prælect. vi. ad fin. edit. 8vo. The sense of the verse cannot be better expressed, than it is by Mr. Merrick, in his version :

The beast that from his reedy bed,

On Nile's proud banks, uplifts the head,
Rebuke, indignant; nor the throng
Forget, from whose misguided tongue
The heifer and the grazing steer
The offer'd vow, unconscious, hear;
While to the silver's tinkling sound,
Their feet in solemn dance rebound.

one common consent in chanting forth the praises of God.' Euseb. Eccles. Hist. b. x. chap. 2. And it deserves notice, that the primitive Christians, when, delivered from the rage of persecuting tyrants, they freely celebrated their holy festivals, could find no words so well calculated to express the joy and gladness of their hearts, as the songs of Moses, and David, and the prophets, which seemed to have been divinely penned on purpose for their use, on that glorious occasion. The reader may see several very curious and beautiful instances of this, in the opening of the 10th book of Eusebius's History, and in the panegyric there recorded to have been spoken by him, in a full ecclesiastical assembly, to Paulinus, bishop of Tyre, on the consecration of that church.

33. To him that rideth upon the heaven of heavens, which were of old; lo, he doth send out his voice, and that a mighty voice.'

The praises of the church are sung to him who, after his sufferings here below, reascended to take possession of his ancient throne, high above all heavens; who from thence speaketh to the world by his glorious Gospel, mighty and powerful, as thunder, in its effects on the hearts of men. See Ps. xxix. throughout. The power of Christ's voice, when he was on earth, appeared by the effects which followed, when he said Young man, arise:' 'Lazarus come forth:' Peace, be still:' and it will yet farther appear, when all that are in the graves shall hear the voice of the Son of man, and come forth.'

34. Ascribe ye strength unto God; his excellency is over Israel, and his strength is in the clouds,' Heb. the skies.

God requires his people to ascribe unto him the kingdom, and the power, and the glory; to acknowlege him as the author of life, health, and salvation of all they are, and all they have, in nature and in grace; to glorify him as the Creator and Governor of the world, the Redeemer and Sanctifier of his church.

35. 'O God, thou art terrible out of thy holy places: the God of Israel is he that giveth strength and power unto his people. Blessed be God.'

The Psalmist, here exemplifying the precept laid down

in the foregoing verse, ascribes to God the glory of his appearance in the sanctuary, as the God and King of Israel, terrifying and dismaying his enemies, comforting and invigorating his people. Such is the presence of a glorified Saviour, by his Spirit, in the Christian church. For this, and all other his mercies, she is bound continually to say, and, by her holy services, continually doth she say, BLESSEd be God.

THIRTEENTH DAY.-EVENING PRAYER.

PSALM LXIX.

ARGUMENT.

[The application of many passages in this Psalm to our Lord, made by himself and his apostles, as well as the appointment of the whole, by the church, to be used on Good Friday, direct us to consider it as uttered by the Son of God, in the day of his passion. 1-5. He describeth his sufferings undergone for the sins of men; 6, 7. prayeth that his disciples may not be offended at the pain and shame of the cross; 8-12. relateth the usage he met with at the hands of the Jews; 13-19. maketh his prayer to the Father; 20, 21. complaineth of his desolate estate, of the reproach cast on him, and of the gall and vinegar administered to him; 22-28. foretelleth the judgments of heaven, about to fall on the Jewish nation; 29. returneth to the consideration of his own sorrows, and prayeth for deliverance; 30, 31, praiseth the Father for the accomplishment of that deliverance; 32, 33. exhorteth all men to come and partake of it, and, 34. the whole creation to join in a chorus of thanksgiving

1 In confesso est apud Christianos, in Psalmo lxix. nobis ob oculos poni Christum, eumque passum. Nos addimus, eumque crucifixum ; quia evangelista Matthæus, Marcus, et Johannes, comma vigesimum secundum certæ circumstantiæ crucifixionis Christi applicarunt-Notatum igitur volumus, Christum in tota sua ad Patrem supplicatione (est enim ejusdem argumenti cum Ps. xxii.), describere mortis et calamitatis suæ genus, ut maxime pudendum, et ignominiosum. Item, ad ver. 8. 20, 21.-Christus nullas hic negligit voces, quæ probrum aut ignominiam status, in quo tunc erat, designare valent. VITRINGA, Observ. Sacr. lib. ii. cap. 10.

for it; 35, 36. predicteth the salvation, edification, and perpetuity, of the church.

1. Save me, O God, for the waters are come in unto my soul.' 2. 'I sink in deep mire, where there is no standing: I am come into deep waters, where the floods overflow me.'

The Gospels inform us concerning the constancy and patience of Christ under his sufferings: the sufferings themselves (those in particular of his soul,) are largely described in the Psalms; many of which, and this among the rest, seem to have been indited beforehand by the Spirit, for HIS use in the day of trouble. As the head of the church, he here beseecheth the Father to save,' through him, his mystical body. He compares the sad situation into which he was brought, to that of a drowning man. The divine displeasure, like a stormy tempest, was let loose on him; the sins of the world, as deep mire, inclosed and detained him; whilst all the waters of affliction went over his head, and penetrated to his vitals.

3. I am weary of my crying, my throat is dried; mine eyes fail, while I wait for my God.'

This verse describes the effects of those supplications which the Son of God offered up, with strong crying and tears, in the days of his flesh; Heb. v. 7.; of that thirst, which, through loss of blood on the cross,' dried his throat;' and of that long and patient endurance, when his eyes failed,' and were closed in darkness, while his faithwaited' for the deliverance promised by the Father. The hour is coming, when our eyes must fail, and be closed; but even then, let us wait for our God:' in this respect, 'let us die the death of that righteous' person, who died for us; and let our last end be like his.'. 4. They that hate me without a cause, are more than the hairs of my head; they that would destroy me, being mine enemies wrongfully, are mighty: then I restored that which I took not away.'

6

The Jews, the Romans, and the spirits of darkness, made up that multitude of enemies, which, like an herd of evening wolves, surrounded the Lamb of God, thirsting after his blood, nor resting till they had drawn forth the very last drop of it from his heart. And thus the Div. No. XXIII.

2 F