5. Hold up my goings in thy paths, that my footsteps: slip not.'

The word of God affords us direction, but the grace of God must enable us to follow its direction, and that grace. must be obtained by prayer. The paths of God' are opposed to the paths of the destroyer,' the way of righte ousness to that of sin. The image here is taken from one walking in a slippery path, for such is that of human life, by reason of temptations; so that the believer, especially if he be young, feeble, and inexperienced, has great need, of a divine supporter in every step he takes.

6. I have called upon thee, for thou wilt hear me,' or because thou hast heard me, O God: incline thine ear unto me, and hear my speech.'

The sweet experience of former deliverances giveth a comfortable assurance of protection in present and future dangers; and this should cause us to fly for refuge at all times, by strong supplication and prayer, to him who is able and willing to save us from death.

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7. Show thy marvellous loving-kindness, O thou that savest by thy right hand them which put their trust in thee from those that rise up against them.'

This is an address to the loving-kindness,' or mercy of God, which the Psalmist entreats him to display and magnify in his favor, since it was the promise, the delight, and the glory of Jehovah, to save those who believed and trusted in HIM. There are two ways of rendering the latter clause of this verse: either, Thou who savest by thy right hand,' &c. as our translation has it :or, Thou that savest them which put their trust in thee from those that rise up at, or against, thy right hand, meaning the opposers of the divine counsels and dispensations: as in Zech. iii. 1. Satan is said to stand at Joshua's right hand,' to obstruct the building of the temple.

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8. Keep me as the apple of the eye; hide me under the shadow of thy wings. 9. From the wicked that oppress me, from my deadly enemies, who compass me about.' +2 ༼ }(f ་ } { {{

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He who has so fenced and guarded that precious and tender part, the pupil of the eye, and who has provided&

for the security of a young and helpless brood under the wings of the dam, is here entreated to extend the same providential care and parental love to the souls of his elect, equally exposed to danger, equally beset with enemies. Of his readiness so to do he else where assureth us, under the same exquisite imagery, Zech. ii. 8., He that toucheth you, toucheth the apple of his eye.' Matt. xxiii. 37., O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, how often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings!' 10. They are enclosed in their own fat; with their mouth they speak proudly.'

The last argument made use of by the Psalmist, in his address to God, is the character of his adversaries. He begins with their pride,' and its cause, fulness of bread,' or high living. Dr. Hammond prefers the rendering which follows: 'They have shut up their mouth with fat; they speak proudly.' Either way the meaning plainly is, that pride is the child of plenty, begotten by self-indulgence, which hardens the hearts of men against the fear of God, and the love of their neighbours; rendering them insensible to the judgments of the former, and the miseries of the latter. Let every man take care, that, by pampering the flesh, he do not raise up an enemy of this stamp against himself.

11. They have now compassed us in our steps: they have set their eyes bowing down to the earth.'

They have compassed us in our steps; that is, literally, Saul and his followers had watched, pursued, and at last hemmed in David and his men: They have set, or fixed their eyes' on us, to lay us prostrate upon the earth,' or finally to make an end of us. Such are our spiritual enemies; such is their intention, and our danger.'

12. Like as a lion that is greedy of his prey, andias it were a young lion lurking in secret places.

The similitude of a lion, either roaring abroad in quest of his prey, or couching in secret, ready to spring moment it comes within his reach, is often employed by David, to describe the power and malice of his enemies. Christians cannot forget, that they like

wise have an adversary of the same nature and character; one ever seeking whom, and contriving how, he may devour.

13. Arise, O LORD, disappoint him, cast him down: deliver my soul from the wicked, which is thy sword:" 14. From men which are thy hand, O LORD, from men of the world, which have their portion in this life, and whose belly thou fillest with thy hid treasure they are full of children, and leave the rest of their substance to their babes.'

The Psalmist, having characterised those who pursued after him to take away his life, now entreats God to 'arise,' or appear in his cause, to disappoint, or prevent' the enemy in his designs, and to cast him down, to overthrow and subdue him. The next words may be thus rendered: Deliver my soul from the wicked by thy sword, from men by thy hand, O LORD, from the men of the world;' the expressions, 'sword' and hand of Jehovah,' being frequently used to denote his power

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or * mortals of the מתים מלחד and vengeance. The

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tran sitory world,' from whom David prays to be delivered, are said to be such as have their portion in this life, such as, in our Saviour's language, have their reward' here, and are not to expect it hereafter! whose bellies thou fillest with thy hid treasure; whom thou permittest to enjoy thy temporal blessings in abundance, to 'receive their good things' on earth, and to fare sumptuously every day;' as if it were to convince in what estimation we ought to hold the world, when we see largest shares of it dealt out to the most worthless of the sons of Adam: They are full of, or abound in children, and leave the residue of their substance to their babes after living in plenty, perhaps to a good old age, they leave behind them a numerous and florishing posterity, who inherit their estates, and go on, as their fathers did before them, without piety to God, or charity to the poor. From these men and their ways, we have all reason to -say with David, 'Good Lord, deliver us!'

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15. As for me, I will behold thy face in righteousness: b shall be satisfied, when I awake, with thy likeness, Instead of setting our affections on things below, the

Prophet instructs us, after his example, to place all our happiness in the vision of God, and in that righteousness which leads to it; since the hour is coming, when we shall awake, and arise, after the divine similitude; when we shall be like God, for we shall see him as he is, and by seeing him shall be changed into the same image: and then shall every desire be satisfied with the fulness of joy, with the exceeding abundance of unutterable glory.

THIRD DAY.-EVENING PRAYER.

PSALM XVIII.

ARGUMENT./

[This Psalm, as we are informed by the sacred history, 2 Sam. xxii. 1,, was composed and sung by David, in the day that the Lord had delivered him out of the hand of all his enemies, and out of the hand of Saul. It contains, ver. 1-3. an address of thanks to Jehovah; 4—6. a relation of sufferings undergone, and prayers made for assistance; 7-15. a magnificent description of the divine interposition in favor of the sufferer, and 16-19. of the deliverance wrought for him, 20-24. in consideration of his righteousness, 25-28. according to the tenor of God's equitable proceeding; 29-36. to Jehovah is ascribed the glory of the victory, which, 37-42. is represented as every way complete, by the destruction of all opponents, and, 43-45. the submission of the heathen; for these events, 46-50. God is blessed and praised. As the sublimity of the figures used in this Psalm, and the consent of ancient commentators, even Jewish as well as Christian, but above all, the citations from it in the New Testament, do evince, that the kingdom of Messiah is here pointed at, under that of David, an application is therefore made of the whole, in the ensuing comment, to the sufferings, resurrection, righteousness, and conquests of Christ, to the destruction of the Jews, and conversion of the Gentiles. In a word, the Psalm, it is apprehended, should now be considered as a glorious epinikion, or triumphal hymn, to be

made

sung by the church, risen and victorious in Christ her Head.]

1. I will love thee, O LORD, my strength.'

Let us suppose king Messiah, like his illustrious progenitor of old, seated in peace and triumph on the throne designed and prepared for him. From thence let us imagine him taking a retrospect view of the sufferings he had undergone, the battles he had fought, and the victories he had gained. With this idea duly impressed on our minds, we shall be able, in some measure, to conceive the force of the words, on, with all the yearnings of affection: I will love thee, O Jehovah, my strength, through my union with whom, I have finished my work, and am now exalted to praise thee, in the name of a redeemed world.' Whenever we sing this Psalm, let us think we are singing it in conjunction with our Saviour, newly risen from the dead; a consideration which surely will incite us to do it with becoming gratitude and devotion.

2. The LORD is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer; my God, my strength, in whom I trust; my buckler, and the horn of my salvation, and my high

tower.'

In other words, explanatory of the figures here made use of, Through Jehovah it is, that I have stood immoveable amidst a sea of temptations and afflictions; he has supported me under my troubles, and delivered me out of them; his protection has secured me, his power has broken and scattered mine enemies; and by his mercy and truth am I now set up on high above them all.How lovely these strains, in the mouth of the church militant! How glorious will they be, when sung by the church triumphant! It is observable, that the words, 'in whom I trust,' or, as the original has it, I will trust in him,' are referred to, in the margin of our English Bible, as quoted from this verse by St. Paul, Heb. ii. 13. If it be so, the reader, by turning to the place, may furnish himself with a demonstration, that in the 18th, as well as in the 16th Psalm, David speaks in the person of Christ.

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3. I will,' or did, ' call upon the LORD, who is worthy