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a great deep: O LORD, thou preservest man and beast.

7 How excellent is thy loving-kindness, O God! therefore the children of men put their trust under the shadow of thy wings.

8 They shall be abundantly satisfied with the fatness of thy house; and thou shalt make them drink of the river of thy pleasures.

9 For with thee is the fountain of life in thy light shall we see light,

10 O continue thy loving-kindness unto them that know thee; and thy righteousness to the upright in heart.

11 Let not the foot of pride come against me, and let not the hand of the wicked remove me.

12 There are the workers of iniquity fallen: they are cast down, and shall not be able to rise. (O)

PSALM XXXVI.

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PSALM XXXVII.

A Psalm of David.

[in God,

FRET not thyself because of evildoers, neither be thou envious against the workers of iniquity.

2 For they shall soon be cut down like the grass, and wither as the green herb.

3 Trust in the LORD, and do good; so shalt thou dwell in the land, and verily thou shalt be fed.

4 Delight thyself also in the LoRD; and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart.

5 Commit thy way unto the LORD; trust also in him; and he shall bring it to pass.

6 And he shall bring forth thy righteousness as the light, and thy judgment as the noonday.

EXPOSITION.

(0) A Psalm of David, the servant of Jehovah, complaining of the atheism, deceit, and cruelty of his enemies-Bishop Patrick supposes that this psalm was probably composed toward the beginning of Saul's jealousy against David. (1 Sam. xviii. 9.)

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The first verse of the psalm is attended with considerable perplexity, which seems partly owing to some error in the copyist. Bishop Louth reads it, "The wickedness of man, according to the wickedness in his heart, saith, There is no fear of God before mine eyes." For some versions and a few manuscripts, instead of "my heart," read "his heart," which affords this sense, that "the traugression of the wicked saith, (asserteth) within his own heart, that there is no fear of God before his eyes." Applying this to Saul, the wicked man supposed to be here alluded to, a late ingenious writer supposes the psalmist to reflect thus within himself:-" I have made my own observations on that cruel man, Saul, and I have imagined he is an Atheist. observe, although he commits many crimes, for which, did he fear God, he would always blush; yet he never blushes till his ini

quities appear hateful in the eyes of his fellow-creatures. He even affects to be a good man, and wears the mask till it cements with his face, accounting himself as good as any other man, till somebody detects his vices, and exposes him to shame, and this is the common condition of almost all bad men." This seems not an improbable sense of the passage.—(Robinson's Claude ii. 419.)

In the latter part of the psalmi, David celebrates the mercy and kindness of the Lord, and prays for its extension and con tinuance. God is considered as the fountain of life, and light, and blessedness. "God, like the sun, (says Bishop Horne) cannot be seen but by the light which himself emits :" and he is no less the universal source of life and blessedness.

"O thou whose power o'er moving worlds presides,
Whose voice created, and whose wisdom guides,
On darkling man in pure effulgence shine,
And cheer the clouded mind with light divine!
'Tis thine alone to calm the pious breast
With silent confidence and holy rest;
From thee, great God! we spring-to thee we
bend;

Path, Motive, Guide, Original, and End."
Dr. Johnson.

NOTES-Psalm XXXVI, Con.

Ver. 7. How excellent-Heb. "How precious!'' Ver. 8. Abundantly satisfied (Heb. "watered;" Ainsworth, " moistened") with the fatness-That is, with the richness of the (moral) provisions of thy house.

Ver. 10. O continue (Heb. " draw ont at length," Ainsworth," extend ") thy loving-kindness. Ver. 11. The foot of pride-Or, " of the proud,"

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7 Rest in the LORD, and waît patiently for him: fret not thyself because of him who prospereth in his way, because of the man who bringeth wicked devices to pass.

8 Cease from anger,and forsake wrath: fret not thyself in any wise to do evil. 9 For evil doers shall be cut off: but those that wait upon the LORD, they shall inherit the earth.

10 For yet a little while, and the wicked shall not be: yea, thou shalt diligently consider his place, and it shall not be.

11 But the meek shall inherit the earth; and shall delight themselves in the abundance of peace.

12 The wicked plotteth against the just, and gnasheth upon him with his

teeth.

13 The LORD shall laugh at him: for be seeth that his day is coming.

14 The wicked have drawn out the Sword, and have bent their bow, to cast down the poor and needy, and to slay such as be of upright conversation. 15 Their sword shall enter into their own heart, and their bows shall be broken.

16 A little that a righteous man hath is better than the riches of many wicked.

17 For the arms of the wicked shall be broken: but the LORD upholdeth the righteous.

18 The LORD knoweth the days of the upright: and their inheritance shall be for ever.

19 They shall not be ashamed in the evil time: and in the days of famine they shall be satisfied.

20 But the wicked shall perish, and the enemies of the LORD shall be as the fat of lambs: they shall consume; into smoke shall they consume away.

[providence.

21 The wicked borroweth, and payeth not again: but the righteous sheweth mercy, and giveth.

22 For such as be blessed of him shall inherit the earth; and they that be cursed of him shall be cut off.

23 The steps of a good man are ordered by the LORD: and he delighteth in his way.

24 Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down: for the LORD upholdeth him with his hand.

25 I have been young, and now am old; yet have I not seen the righteous forsaken, nor his seed begging bread.

26 He is ever merciful, and lendeth; and his seed is blessed.

27 Depart from evil, and do good; and dwell for evermore.

28 For the LORD loveth judgment, and forsaketh not his saints; they are preserved for ever: but the seed of the wicked shall be cut off.

29 The righteous shall inherit the land, and dwell therein for ever.

30 The mouth of the righteous speaketh wisdom, and his tongue talketh of judgment.

31 The law of his God is in his heart; none of his steps shall slide.

32 The wicked watcheth the righteous, and seeketh to slay him.

33 The LORD will not leave him in his hand, nor condemn him when he is judged.

34 Wait on the LORD, and keep his way, and he shall exalt thee to inherit the land when the wicked are cut off, thou shalt see it.

35 I have seen the wicked in great power, and spreading himself like a green bay tree.

36 Yet he passed away, and lo, he was not: yea, I sought him, but he could not be found.

NOTES.

Ver. 7. Rest-Heb. "Be silent;" i. e. wait, and armur not.

Ver. 10. It shall not be-Ainsworth & Lowth," He shall not be (found);" I.XX," Lo! he was gone!" Ver. 2. As the fat (Heb." the precious, or rich") of lambs-Which blazes for a moment, and then expires."

Ver.23. Ordered-Marg. " Established."

Ver. 25. He is ever-Heb." All the day," or "every day.”

Ver. 35. A green bay tree-Marg. "A green tree that groweth in his own (or native) soil.""

This psalm is alphabetical, but not strictly so throughout; whether the deviations are owing to the laxness of the Hebrew laws of versification, as some have thought, or to the negligence of transcribers, as is now the more general opinion, we presume not to determine.

Prayer for}

PSALM XXX.

PSALMS.

A Psalm and Song at the dedication of the house of David.

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WILL extol thee, O LORD; for thou hast lifted me up, and hast not made my foes to rejoice over me. 2 O LORD my God, I cried unto thee, and thou hast healed me.

3 O LORD, thou hast brought up my soul from the grave: thou hast kept me alive, that I should not go down to the pit.

4 Sing unto the LORD, O ye saints of his, and give thanks at the remembrance of his holiness.

5 For his anger endureth but a moment; in his favour is life: weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning.

6 And in my prosperity I said, I

PSALM XXX.

shall never be moved.

[healing mercy.

7 LORD, by thy favour thou hast made my mountain to stand strong: thou didst hide thy face, and I was troubled.

8 I cried to thee, O LORD; and unto the LORD I made supplication.

9 What profit is there in my blood, when I go down to the pit? Shall the dust praise thee? shall it declare thy truth?

10 Hear, O LORD, and have mercy upon me: LORD, be thou my helper.

11 Thou hast turned for me my mourning into dancing: thou hast put off my sackcloth, and girded me with gladness;

12 To the end that my glory may sing praise to thee, and not be silent. O LORD my God, I will give thanks unto thee for ever. (H)

EXPOSITION.

(H) A Psalm and Song at the dedication of the house of David.-This title, lite rally considered, is attended with no difficulty; it is, therefore, with some surprise, that we have seen learned men attempt a mystical explication, explaining this "house," of David's body, which had been sick, or of his "soul," which had fallen into sin; and, after all, applying it to the Messiah, whose body had never been sick, that we know of, and whose soul, we know, was never stained with sin. That David had a house of cedar," while as yet the ark dwelt in curtains, we have certain information. (2 Sam. vii. 2.) And as we know also, that it was customary with the Israelites to dedicate their houses to God when finished, (see Deut. xx. 5.) there can be no difficulty in supposing the patriarch David did so. Nor is it improbable (though not recorded) that at the time of dedicating this house, David might be but just recover ing from a recent illness, and think this a proper opportunity for expressing his gratitade for such recovery.

Considering the psalm in this light, it may

afford much useful admonition to persons in similar circumstances; and some parts of it are peculiarly beautiful, particularly the fifth verse." For his anger (is but) for a moment-in his favour is life: weeping may lodge for the evening, but shouting for joy (cometh in the morning." Such is the predominancy of divine mercy, and of human happiness!

Affliction has its proper effect on us, when it sends us to a throne of grace. When David was afflicted, then he prayed: and his plea in this case was, "What profit is there in my blood, when I go down to the pit? Shall the dust praise thee? shall it declare thy truth?" So Hezekiah argued, Isaiah xxxviii. 18., and the sum of the plea is, "Lord, if I am spared, I will magnify thy name, and study to advance thy glory; but death will put a period to my labours, and my voice shall be heard no more!"

The learned Mr. Hutchinson having adopted the plan of applying all the Psalms indiscriminately to the Messiah, represents him as pleading the inefficacy of his blood without a resurrection from the dead; and we know that a like system was adopted

NOTES.

PSALM XXX. Title,-A Psalm and Song-Rather," A Psalm, (being) a song at the dedication of the house of David."

Ver. 1. Lifted me up-Ainsworth, "Drawn me out." as from the mouth of a p.t or a well.

Ver. 4. At the remembrance-Marg. "Memorial." Ver. 5. For his anger, &c -Heb. "For his anger (is but) a moment," &c. -Weeping may endure-Ainsworth, "In the evening lodgeth weeping; at De morning shouting joy."

Ver. 7. Made my mountain to stand strong→→ Heb. "Settled strength for my mountain;" . e. Mount Sion, where David resided: but, figuratively, it refers to the establishment of his kingdom. Ainsworth.

Ver. 12. To the end that my glory-The Margin explains the "glory" here named, of the psalmist's tongue, or soul, and we prefer the former, as opposed to silence. See Ps. lvii. 8.

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Prayer and praise]

PSALM XXXI.

PSALMS.

To the chief Musician. A Psalm of David. thee, O LORD, do I put my trust; let me never be ashamed: deliver me in thy righteousness.

2 Bow down thine ear to me; deliver me speedily: be thou my strong rock, for an house of defence to

save me.

3 For thou art my rock and my fortress; therefore for thy name's sake lead me, and guide me.

4 Pull me out of the net that they have laid privily for me: for thou art my strength.

5 Into thine hand I commit my spirit thou hast redeemed me, O LORD God of truth.

6I have hated them that regard lying vanities: but I trust in the LORD. 7 I will be glad and rejoice in thy mercy for thou hast considered. my trouble; thou hast known my soul in adversities;

8 And hast not shut me up into the hand of the enemy: thou hast set my feet in a large room.

9 Have mercy upon me, O LORD, for I am in trouble: mine eye is consumed with grief, yea, my soul and my belly.

10 For my life is spent with grief, and my years with sighing: my strength faileth because of mine iniquity, and my bones are consumed.

[for deliverance.

11 I was a reproach among all mine enemies, but especially among my neighbours, and a fear to mine acquaintance: they that did see me without fled from me.

12 I am forgotten as a dead man out of mind: I am like a broken vessel.

13 For I have heard the slander of many fear was on every side: while they took counsel together against me, they devised to take away my life.

14 But I trusted in thee, O LORD: I said, thou art my God.

15 My times are in thy hand: deliver me from the hand of mine enemies, and from them that persecute me.

16 Make thy face to shine upon thy servant: save me for thy mercies' sake. 17 Let me not be ashamed, O LORD; for I have called upon thee: let the wicked be ashamed, and let them be silent in the grave.

18 Let the lying lips be put to silence; which speak grievous things proudly and contemptuously against the righteous.

19 Oh how great is thy goodness, which thou hast laid up for them that fear thee; which thou hast wrought for them that trust in thee before the sons of men!

20 Thou shalt hide them in the secret of thy presence from the pride of man: thou shalt keep them secretly in a pavilion from the strife of tongues.

21 Blessed be the LORD: for he

EXPOSITION.

by some of the early Christian fathers, who were intoxicated with the love of allegory: we, however, consider this scheme not only as fauciful and injudicious; but as dishonourable to Him, whom we doubt not but it was designed to honour. When did the Saviour boast in his prosperity, "I shall never be moved?" He was, at least, from arriving at maturity, “a man of sorrows,”

and knew that he came into the world to suffer and to die. Bishop Horsley himself was sensible of this, and owns that this application cannot be here admitted without referring his " prosperity" to his state of glory at the resurrection, after which he was to be no more moved! an interpretation that appears to us violently forced, and unwarrantable.

NOTES.

PSALM XXXI. Ver. 2. Be thou my strong rock -Heb. To me a rock of strength," Ainsworth, A rock of fortresses;" i. e. a fortified rock. Ver. 6. Lying vanities.-This phrase is often used in reference to idols. Deut. xxxii. 2), &c.

Ver, lu. Because of mine iniquity.That is, says Ainsworth, “punishment due for iniquity." Gen. 15. But Dr. Boothroyd remarks, that the angient versions read "affliction," which he follows. Ver. 9, 10. Consumed That is, wasted, as by

pining disease, to the appearance of a skeleton.

Ver. 12. A broken vessel-Heb. "A vessel that perisbeth;" i. e. becomes useless, and of no value 66 Let Ver. 17. Let them be silent, &c.-Marg. them be cut off for the grave.

Ver. 18. Grievous things-Heb. "A hard thing.” Ver. 20. Pride-Conspiracies." Parkhurst, Gesenius.

Ver. 21. A strong city-Marg. "A fenced city."

PSALMS.

The blessedness] hath shewed me his marvellous kindness in a strong city.

22 For I said in my haste, I am cut off from before thine eyes: nevertheless thou heardest the voice of my supplications when I cried unto thee.

23 O love the LORD, all ye his saints: for the LORD preserveth the faithful, and plentifully rewardeth the proud doer.

24 Be of good courage, and he shall strengthen your heart, all ye that hope in the LORD. (I)

PSALM XXXII.

A Psalm of David. Maschil. BLE LESSED is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered.

2 Blessed is the man unto whom the LORD imputeth not iniquity, and in whose spirit there is no guile,

3 When I kept silence, my bones

PSALM XXXI.

[of forgiveness.

waxed old through my roaring all the day long.

4 For day and night thy hand was heavy upon me: my moisture is turned Selah. into the drought of summer.

5 I acknowledged my sin unto thee, and mine iniquity have I not hid. I said, I will confess my transgressions unto the LORD; and thou forgavest the iniquity of my sin. Selah.

6 For this shall every one that is godly pray unto thee in a time when thou mayest be found: surely in the floods of great waters they shall not come nigh unto him.

7 Thou art my hiding place; thou shalt preserve me from trouble; thou shalt compass me about with songs of deliverance. Selah.

8 I will instruct thee and teach thee in the way which thou shalt go: I will guide thee with mine eye.

9 Be ye not as the horse, or as the

EXPOSITION.

(1) A Psalm of David, pleading for mercy. The occasion of this psalm is not mentioned, but Bishop Patrick, and most other commentators apply it to the period when Saul pursued him in the wilderness of Maon, but was diverted from that pursuit by being informed that the Philistines had invaded Judea. 1 Sam. xxiii. 24-29. Part of the fifth verse having been used by our Saviour upon the cross (Luke xxiii. 46.) many expositors make no hesitation in applying to him the whole psalm; but Mr. Scott judiciously remarks, that when our Saviour used this clause he omitted the following, "Thou hast redeemed me," &c. as more properly relating to the type than to the antitype. Besides which, it should be remembered that the martyr Stephen used the like expression, as did many saints and martyrs in various ages: but the quotation of a single phrase by no means warrants the application of the whole psalm: though it must be allowed that David was an eminent type of our

Redeemer, it by no means follows that he was so in all respects. David was a great sinner as well as a great saint, and looked for pardon to the same mercy as we do. (Verses 5, 7, 9, 10, 16.)

Sin, in no way, could be attached to our Saviour but by imputation. "He was wounded for our transgressions;" but in no degree polluted by them: nor did he become, in any proper sense, a transgressor, though among such he was numbered. (Isa. liii. 5, 12.) Many passages in this psalm certainly suit the circumstances of his mortal life; but as no types in all respects correspond to their antitype, so is it with respect to typical prophecies, which require the same caution and prudence in their application. As our Saviour was not the subject of sin, neither was he the proper object of mercy; for he paid the penalty of sin, and having satisfied the law on our behalf, justice had no further demands on him or us: " being delivered for our of fences, he was raised again for our justification." (Rom. iv. 25.)

NOTES.

PSALM XXXII. Title,-A Psalm giving Instruction. Heb. Maschil; an instructing, or didactic Psalm. Dr. Hales and others consider this psalm (As well as the 51st) to have been composed on David's repentance for his sin "in the matter of Uriah."

Ver. 3. When I kept silence-That is, " before I confessed my sin." David might grieve heavily, but refused to confess the cause, until Nathan was sent to him, 2 Sam. xii.

Ver. 6. In a time when, &c.-Heb." In a time of finding."

Ver. 8. I will guide thee with mine eye-Heb. "I will counsel thee; mine eye shall be upon thee." Ver. 9. Held in with bit and bridle.- Bishop Horsley renders it," But the muzzle must compress his jaws." The Arabian horses, it appears, were 50 wild as to render this necessary. See Horsley, p. 223, 224.

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