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fider the reading of the words, then their fense and importance, with the fuitablenefs of the things mentioned in them, to the condition of the foul under confideration; all which will yield us a foundation of the obfervations that are to be drawn from them.

The words rendered ftrictly, or word for word, ly thus:

I have earnestly expected Jehovah; my foul hath expected, and in his word have I tarried, or waited. My foul to the Lord, more than (or before) the watchen in the morning; the watchmen in the morning; or unto the morning.

I have waited or expected; the word in the original fignifies to expect, to hope, to wait, Verbum hoc eft, magno animi defiderio, in aliquem intentum effe, & refpicere ad eum, ex eo pendere. The word denotes to be intent on any one with great defire; to behold or regard him, and to depend upon him; and it alfo expreffeth the earneft inclination and intention of the will and mind.

Paul seems to have expreffed this word to the full, Rom. viii. 19. by anoxapadoxía an intent or earnest expectation, expreffing itself by putting forth the head, and looking round about with earnestnefs and diligence. And this is alfo fignified exprefly by this word, Pfal. Ixix. 20. (in the Heb.) And I looked for fome to take pity; buc illuc anxie circumfpexi, fiqui forte me commiferaturus effet. I looked round about, this way and that way, diligently and folicitoufly, to fee if any would pity me, or lament with me.

Thus, I have waited, is as much as, "I have dili"gently, with intention of foul, mind, will, and af"fections looked unto God, in earnest expectation of "that from him, that I ftand in need of: And which "must come forth from the forgiveness that is with "him."

2. I have, faith he, waited for, or expected JEнOVAH; he ufes the fame name of God in his expectation, tha he firft fixed on in his application to him.

And it is not this or that means, nor this or that

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affiftance, but it is Jehovah himself that he expects and waits for. It is Jehovah himself that must fatisfy the foul; his favour and loving-kindness; and what flows from them. If he come not himfelf, if he gives not himself, nothing elfe will relieve.

3. My foul doth wait or expect; it is no outward duty that I am at, no lip-labour, no bodily work, no formal, cold, carelefs performance of a duty; no, my foul doth wait; it is foul-work, heart work I am at: I wait, I wait with my whole foul.

4. In his word do I hope, or wait. There is not any thing of difficulty in thefe words; the word ufed in the Hebrew) fignifies to hope, expect, endure, and fuftain, with care, folicitoufness, and endeavours. Hence the LXX have rendered the word by ri; and the vulg. Lat. fuftinui, I have fustained and waited with pati

ence..

And this on the word; or he fuftained his foul with the word of promise that it fhould not utterly faint. Seing he had made a difcovery of grace and forgivenefs, though yet at a great distance; he had a fight of land though he was yet in a form at fea; and therefore encourageth himself, or his foul, that it doth not defpond.

But yet all this that we have spoken reaches not the intenseness of the foul of the Pfalmift in this his expectation of Jehovah. The earneft engagement of his foul in this duty rifeth up above what he can exprefs. Therefore he proceeds, verfe 6. My foul, faith he, for the Lord, (that is, expects him, looks for him, waits for his coming to me in love and with forgivenefs more. than the watchers for the morning, the watchers for the morning.

These latter words are variously rendred and varioufly expounded. The LXX, and vulgar Latin render them, from the morning watch until night; others, from thofe that keep the morning watch, unto thofe that keep the evening watch. More than the watchers in the morning, more than the watchers in the morning.

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The words alfo are variously expounded.

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would have it to fignify, the placing of our hopes on the morning of Chrift's refurrection, and continuing in them until the night of our own death.

Hierom who renders the words, from the morning watch to the morning watch, expounds them of continu ing our hopes and expectations from the morning that we are called into the Lord's vineyard, to the morning when we fhall receive our reward, as much to the fenfs of the place as the former: And fo Chryfoftom interprets of our whole life.

It cannot be denied but that they were led into these mistakes by the tranflation of the LXX, and that of the vulgar Latin, who both of them have divided thefe words, quite contrary to their proper dependance; and read them thus, My foul expected the Lord. From the morning watch to the night watch, let Ifrael truft in the Lord. So making the words to belong to the following exhortation unto others, which are plainly a part of the expreffion of his own duty.

The words then are a comparison, and an allufion unto the watchmen, and may be taken in one of these two fenfes.

1. In things civil; As thofe who keep the watch of the night, do look, and long for, and expect the morning, when being difmiffed from their guard, they may take that fleep that they need and defire, which expreffes a very earneft expectation, enquiry and defire : Or,

2. In things facred; With the Chaldee paraphraft, which renders the words, more than they that look for the morning watch, which they carefully obferve, that they may offer the morning facrifice. In this fenfe, as faith he, the warders and watchers in the temple, do look diligently after the appearance of the morning, that they may with joy offer the morning facrifice in the appointed feafon; fo, and with more diligence doth my foul wait for Jehovah.

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You see the reading of the words; and how far the fense of them opens itfelf unto us by that confidera

tion.

Let us then nextly fee briefly the feveral parts of them as they stand in relation one to another. We have then,

1. The expreffion in the duty wherein he was exercifed, and that is earnest waiting for Jehovah.

2. The bottom and foundation of that his waiting and expectation; that is, the word of God; the word of promife, he diligently hoped in the word.

3. The frame of his fpirit in, and the manner of his performance of this duty expreffed.

(1.) In the words themfelves that he uses, according as we opened them before.

(2.) In the emphatical reduplication, yea, triplication of his expreffion of it; "I wait for God, my foul wait"eth for God, my foul waiteth for the Lord."

(3.) In the comparison inftituted between his dif charge of his duty, and other performances of a corporal watch, with the greatest care and diligence; more than they that watch for the morning: So that we have,

1. The duty he performed; earnest waiting and expectation.

2. The object of his waiting, Jehovah himself.

3.

mife.

His fupportment in that duty, the word of pro

4. The manner of his performance of it.

1. With earnestnefs and diligence.

2. With perfeverance.

Let us then now confider the words, as they contain the frame and working of a fin-entangled foul.

Having been raised out of his depths by the difcovery of forgiveness in God, as was before declared ; yet not being immediately made partaker of that for giveness, as to a comforting fenfe of it, he gathers up his foul from wandering from God, and fupports it from finking under his prefent condition.

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It is, faith he, "Jehovah alone with whom is for"giveness that can relieve and do me good; his favour, his loving-kindness, his communication of mercy and grace from thence, is that which I ftand in need of; "on him therefore do I with all heedfulness attend "on him do I wait; my foul is filled with expectation "from him: Surely he will come to me, he will come "and refresh me; though he feem as yet to be afar off. "and to leave me in these depths; yet I have his word "of promife to fupport and stay my foul, on which I will lean, until I obtain the enjoyment of him, and "his kindness which is better than life."

And this is the frame of a fin-entangled foul, who hath really by faith discovered forgiveness in God, but is not yet made partaker of a comforting refreshing fenfe of it. And we may reprefent it in the enfuing obfer

vations.

Obferv. 1. The first proper fruit of faith's discovery of forgiveness in God unto a fin-diftreffed foul, is waiting in patience and expectation.

Obferv. 2. The proper object of a fin-diftreffed foul's waiting and expecting, is God himself as reconciled in Chrift; I have waited for Jehovah.

Obferv. 3. The word of promife is the foul's great fupportment in waiting for God; in thy word do I hope.

Obferv. 4. Sin-diftreffed fouls wait for God with earneft intention of mind, diligence, and expectation; from the redoubling of the expreffion.

Obferv. 5. Continuance in waiting until God appears to the foul, is neceffary and prevailing; Neceffary, as that without which we cannot attain affitance; and prevailing, as that wherein we fhall never fail.

Obferv. 6. Eftablishment in waiting where there is no prefent fenfe of forgiveness, yet gives the foul much fecret reft and comfort; This obfervation arifeth from the influence that thefe verfes have unto thofe that follow. The Pfalmift having attained thus far, can now Ccc 2

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