be, this will certainly be found true, in every inftance, at the last day.

13. So we thy people, and sheep of thy pafture, will give thee thanks for ever: we will fhew forth thy praife to all generations.

Such is the refolution of a church, under perfecution; and fuch ought to be the practice of every church, when delivered out of it, and restored to the favour and protection of her God. The fame is the duty of every foul, with regard to afflictions and mercies of a private kind. But how glorious will be the day, when, triumphant over fin and forrow, over every thing that exalteth and oppofeth itself, the church univerfal fhall behold the adverfary difarmed for ever; while she herself, placed in pastures of joy, and led to the waters of eternal comfort, fhall, from age to age, inceffantly fing the praifes of her great Shepherd and Bishop, her King, and her God!

PSALM LXXX.

ARGUMEN T.

The church, ftill in captivity, 1-3. crieth unto God for help and redemption; 4-7. complaineth of her grievous afflictions; 813. defcribeth her former exaltation, and prefent deprefsion, under the beautiful figure of a Vine; 14-16. returneth again to her fupplications, and 17-19. prayeth for the advent of Messiah, to quicken and comfort

her,

her, vowing all loyal obedience, adoration, and praife to him, as the author of her falvation.

1. Give ear, O Shepherd of Ifrael, thou that leadeft Jofeph like a flock; thou that dwelleft between the cherubims, Shine forth.

Ifrael"

The Christian church is now become the of God: Jefus Chrift is the " fhepherd" of this Ifrael, who leadeth his people "like a flock;" he dwelleth in the midft of them by his Spirit, as of old he dwelt in the holy places, "between the cherubims." Let us befeech him to hearken to our prayers, and to manifeft the glory of his power, in our defence and deliverance.

2. Before Ephraim, Benjamin, and Manaffeh, ftir up thy ftrength, and come and fave us.

God is entreated to go forth, in his strength and his falvation, before the tribes of Ifrael, as formerly in the wilderness. Ephraim, Benjamin, and Manaffeh are particularly mentioned, perhaps, because, according to the established order, those three tribes immediately followed the ark and cherubim, the symbols of the divine prefence. See Numb. ii. 18.

3. Turn, or, reftore us again, O God, and cause thy face to shine; and we shall be faved.

This verfe is a kind of Chorus, occurring three times in the courfe of our Pfalm. It implies, that the church is in captivity, from which the prayeth to be "reftored" to her former freedom and profperity; that the expecteth fuch restoration, not from any might or merit of her own, but from the grace and

mercy of her Saviour; as well knowing, that her night can be turned into day, and her winter give place to spring, only by the fun of righteousness rifing, and caufing his face to fhine upon her defolations. This ought, therefore, to be the wifh and the prayer of every perfecuted church, and of every afflicted foul.

4. O LORD God of hofts, how long wilt thou be angry against the prayer of thy people?

The fins of a people may for a time" feparate be"tween them and their God, and hide his face from "them that he will not hear :" Ifai. lix. 2. he

may

cover himself with a cloud, that their prayers fhould "not pass through;" Lam. iii. 44. and seem to reject even the devotions of his diftreffed fervants, while he is proving the strength of their faith, and the fincerity of their repentance. But if the former be strong, and the latter fincere, they will continue to afk, till they have obtained; nor cease to knock, till the door be opened.

5. Thou feedeft them with the bread of tears, or, of weeping; and giveft them tears to drink in great measure.

There cannot be a more ftriking picture of Sion in captivity! Her bread is dipped in tears, and her cup is filled to the brim with them: no time is free from grief and lamentation. They who fin, must fubmit to penance; which if a man doth not impose on himself, God will impose it on him: whereas, if we judged ourselves, we should not be thus judged of the Lord. The church hath appointed feafons,

and

and given directions for this purpose; but who obferves either the one, or the other?

6. Thou makeft us a ftrife unto our neighbours': and our enemies laugh among themselves.

Israel, when forsaken by her God, was a prey, for which all the neighbouring nations contended, exulting over her, and fcoffing at that condition, to which, not their counfels, or armies, but her own iniquities, had reduced her. Hence let us learn how to form a juft eftimate of the real ftate both of communities and individuals. Righteoufnefs alone exalteth man; fin is his reproach, and will be his deftruction.

7. Turn us again, O God of hofts, and caufe thy face to fhine, and we shall be faved. See above, ver. 3. 8. Thou haft brought a vine out of Egypt: thou haft caft out the heathen, and planted it.

God is reminded of the favour once fhewn by him to the church of Ifrael, and of that prosperity which The once enjoyed. She is compared to a "vine," removed, from the unkindly foil of Egypt, to the happier regions of Canaan, and there planted by Jehovah, in the place of nations extirpated for their unfruitfulness. The vine is a plant weak, and lowly, and needing fupport; when fupported, wild and luxuriant, unless reftrained by the pruning knife; capable of producing the most valuable fruit; but, if barren, the most unprofitable among trees, and fit only for the flames. In all thefe refpects it is a lively emblem of the church, and ufed as fuch by Isaiah, v. 7. by Ezekiel, xv. xvii. xix. and by our Lord himself, Matt. xxi. 33. The Chriftian church, after

her redemption, by the death and refurrection of Jefus, was planted in the heathen world, as Ifrael had been in Canaan; and the defcription fuits one as well as the other.

9.

Thou preparedft room before it, and didst cause it to take deep root, and it filled the land.

10. The hills were covered with the Shadow of it, and the boughs there of were like the goodly cedars; or, and the goodly cedars were covered with the boughs thereof.

As the vine ftriketh it's roots deep into the foil prepared for it, and then diffuseth it's numerous branches all around, covering the fertile hills, by the fides of which it is planted, or running up the lofty cedars, to the bodies of which it is joined; fuch was the growth and fruitfulness of the Ifraelitish church; but much greater was that of the church Christian. Her roots were faft fixed in the hearts and affections of the faithful, and her boughs shot forth abundantly; they often felt the knife, but increased under it, both in number, and vigour; till at length, she overshadowed the Roman empire with her branches, and replenished the earth with her fruit, grateful to God and man.

11. She fent out her boughs unto the fea, and her branches unto the river.

This relates to the extent of Paleftine, which was occupied by the tribes of Ifrael, even from the Mediterranean " 66 fea," weftward, to the "river" Euphrates, eastward. This was promifed, Deut. xi. 24. "From the river Euphrates to the uttermoft sea shall "your coaft be;" and fulfilled in the days of Solomon. See 1 K. iv. 21. Pf. lxxii. 8. To the Chrif