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PSALM XIV.

THE fool hath said in his heart, There is no God. They are corrupt, they have done abominable works, there is none that doeth good.

2 The LORD looked down from heaven upon the children of men, to see if there were any that did understand, and seek God.

3 They are all gone aside, they are all together become filthy there is none that doeth good, no, not one.

4 Have all the workers of

iniquity no knowledge? who eat up my people as they eat bread, and call not upon the LORD.

5 There were they in great fear: for God is in the generation of the righteous.

6 Ye have shamed the counsel of the poor, because the LORD is his refuge.

7 O that the salvation of Israel were come out of Zion! when the LORD bringeth back the captivity of his people, Jacob shall rejoice, and Israel shall be glad.*

of his children, crying "Hosannah to the son of David""Yea; have ye never read, Out of the mouth of babes and sucklings thou hast perfected praise?" And by comparing that ejaculation of our Lord's, (Matt. xi. 25,) "I thank thee, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent, and hast revealed them unto babes"

with his "Suffer little children to come unto me, and forbid them not, for of such is the kingdom of heaven," (that is, such are the members of the true Christian church,) it would seem that this is one of the many passages in the Psalms which describe the character of that "kingdom of heaven," which Christ came to establish upon earth. Compare also those passages where he gives the title of " these little ones" to those who should truly believe in him.

St. Paul twice (Heb. ii. and 1 Cor. xv.) applies to our Lord the latter part of the 6th verse, "Thou hast put all things under his feet;" and it is very remarkable that our Lord himself, immediately after the words, "I thank thee, Father," &c. adds, "All things are delivered unto me of my Father."

*Psalm xiv.-What" salvation" is spoken of at the 7th verse of this Psalm, we may gather from the place where St. Paul

introduces the former part of it in his Epistle to the Romans, chap. iii. "What, then, are we (Jews) better than they? (Gentiles;) no, in no wise for we have proved both Jews and Gentiles, that they are all under sin""—as it is written, "There is none righteous, no, not one; there is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God, they are all gone out of the way, they are together become unprofitable, there is none that doeth good, no, not one."- "That every mouth may be stopped, and all the world become guilty before God. Therefore by the deeds of the law shall no flesh be justified in his sight, for by the law is the knowledge (or consciousness) of sin. But now, the righteousness of God without the law," (God's way of salvation—the "righteousness" which God will "impute" to the "faith which worketh by love") "is manifested, being witnessed by the law and the prophets."

Since the apostle quotes the former part of the Psalm in shewing that there was no moral difference in the sight of God between Jew and Gentile, it is evident that he considered the charge of universal depravity, which the Psalm contains, as laid against the Jews as well as against their enemies. This shews, then, that the "salvation sighed for" in the last verse, is that salvation which He brought who came "to save his people from their sins"-" to proclaim liberty to the captives, to appoint unto them that mourn in Zion, to give unto them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning," Isa. lxi. 1—3. The Psalm, indeed, seems to point to that glorious time when "the fulness of the Gentiles shall be come in, and so all Israel shall be saved, as it is written, There shall come out of Zion the deliverer, and shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob." Rom. xi. 26. These last words St. Paul quotes from Isaiah lix. 20, the 7th and 8th verses of which chapter he joins with the words which he quotes from this Psalm; and if the reader will carefully examine the whole passage in Isaiah, from the 7th verse of chap. lix. to the words above quoted from chap. Ixi., he will see such a striking resemblance, that the prophet seems to be enlarging (with a great addition of light from above) on the very same subjects which are more briefly mentioned in this Psalm; the first six

PSALM XVI.

I

6 The lines are fallen unto me in pleasant places; yea, have a goodly heritage.

7 I will bless the LORD,
who hath given me counsel:
my reins also instruct me in
the night seasons.
8 I have set the LORD al-

ways
before me: because he is
at my right hand, I shall not
be moved.

9 Therefore my heart is glad, and my glory rejoiceth: my flesh also shall rest in hope.

10 For thou wilt not leave

my soul in hell; neither wilt thou suffer thine Holy One to see corruption.

11 Thou wilt shew me the

path of life in thy presence is fulness of joy; at thy right hand there are pleasures for

evermore.

PSALM XVIII.

I WILL love thee, O LORD,

my strength.

4 The sorrows of death compassed me, and the floods of ungodly men made me afraid.

5 The sorrows of hell comdeath prevented me. passed me about: the snares of

6 In my distress I called upon the LORD, and cried unto my God: he heard my voice out of his temple, and my cry came before him, even into his

ears.

7 Then the earth shook and

trembled; the foundations also of the hills moved and were shaken, because he was wroth.

8 There went up a smoke

out of his nostrils, and fire out of his mouth devoured: coals were kindled by it.

9 He bowed the heavens

:

also, and came down and darkness was under his feet.

10 And he rode upon a cherub, and did fly: yea, he did fly upon the wings of the wind.

11 He made darkness his secret place: his pavilion round about him were dark waters and thick clouds of the skies.

2 The LORD is my rock, and my fortress, and my de- 15 Then the channels of liverer; my God, my strength, waters were seen, and the founin whom I will trust; my buck-dations of the world were disler, and the horn of my salva- covered at thy rebuke, O LORD, tion, and my high tower. at the blast of the breath of thy nostrils.

3 I will call upon the LORD, who is worthy to be praised: so shall I be saved from mine enemies.

16 He sent from above, he took me, he drew me out of many waters.

verses of the Psalm corresponding with verse 1 to 20 of Isaiah lix.; the 7th verse of the Psalm pointing to that which the prophet speaks of from lix. 20 to lxi. 4.

17 He delivered me from my those that rose up against strong enemy, and from them me. which hated me: for they were too strong for me.

18 They prevented me in the day of my calamity: but the LORD was my stay.

19 He brought me forth also into a large place; he delivered me, because he delighted in me.

36 Thou has enlarged my steps under me, that my feet did not slip.

37 I have pursued mine enemies, and overtaken them neither did I turn again till they were consumed.

38 I have wounded them that they were not able to rise they are fallen under my feet.

39 For thou hast girded me with strength unto the battle: thou hast subdued under me

40 Thou hast also given me the necks of mine enemies; that I might destroy them that hate me.

43 Thou hast delivered me from the strivings of the people; and thou hast made me the head of the heathen: a people whom I have not known shall serve me.

44 As soon as they hear of me, they shall obey me: the strangers shall submit themselves unto me.

49 Therefore will I give thanks unto thee, O LORD, among the heathen, and sing praises unto thy name.

50 Great deliverance giveth he to his king; and sheweth mercy to his anointed, to David, and to his seed for evermore.*

* Psalm xviii.—The prophetic pointing of one part of this Psalm, to Christ and his dominion, is shewn by St. Paul in the following passage, Rom. xv. "Now I say that Jesus Christ was a minister of the circumcision for the truth of God to confirm the promises made unto the fathers;" (that is, Jesus Christ came "to be the glory of his people Israel," by verifying and fulfilling the oracles committed to them ;)" and that the Gentiles might glorify God for his mercy," as it is written, (49th verse of this Psalm,) "For this cause I will confess to thee among the Gentiles, and sing unto thy name."

It is written also still more plainly at the 43d verse, “Thou hast made me the head of the heathen; a people whom I have not known shall serve me : as soon as they hear of me they shall obey me;"-words which David could hardly have spoken of himself, in his most prosperous circumstances, but which

PSALM XXI.

THE king shall joy in thy strength, O LORD; and in thy salvation how greatly shall he rejoice!

2 Thou hast given him his heart's desire, and hast not withholden the request of his lips.

3 For thou preventest him with the blessings of goodness: thou settest a crown of pure gold on his head.

4 He asked life of thee, and thou gavest it him, even length of days for ever and ever.

5 His glory is great in thy salvation: honour and majesty hast thou laid upon him.

6 For thou hast made him most blessed for ever: thou hast made him exceeding glad with thy countenance.

PSALM XXII.

MY God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? why art thou so far from helping me, and from the words of my roaring?

2 O my God, I cry in the daytime, but thou hearest not; and in the night season, and am not silent.

3 But thou art holy, O thou that inhabitest the praises of Israel.

4 Our fathers trusted in thee: they trusted, and thou didst deliver them.

5 They cried unto thee, and were delivered: they trusted in thee, and were not confounded.

6 But I am a worm, and no man; a reproach of men, and despised of the people.

All they that see me laugh

have been gloriously fulfilled by the dominion of the Son of David; as was noticed on Psalm ii.

The latter part of the Psalm, then, being unquestionably prophetic of Christianity, it leads us to look more attentively to the former part; and though it is very difficult to conceive what part of David's life could call forth the language we find in verses 5 to 16 inclusive, yet has it not already reminded the Christian reader of that awful day, when " from the sixth hour there was darkness over all the land, unto the ninth hour"-" and the earth did quake, and the rocks rent, and the graves were opened ?" The Jewish spectator that beheld these convulsions of nature, and remembered the words in this Psalm descriptive of the answer of the Almighty to the cry of him in whom "he delighted," when "the sorrows of death compassed him," might well exclaim with the centurion, "Truly this was the Son of God!"

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