has raised you above all your previous name;" or take Jer. xxxii. 20" Thou hast made thee a name" by thy wonders in Egypt, but this promise to David is "above all that name of thine."

In verses 4, 5, he sings to this effect--No king ever heard news like this that thou art making known. When they hear it,

They will sing in the ways of the Lord!" (Ver. 5.) They will sing "upon," as if to say they will enter on these ways (Hengst.); or rather, at or over, because of hearing such an account of Jehovah's dealings with men.

In verses 6, 7, he sings to this effect-Unparalleled grace! The Lofty One has stooped down to shew mercy to one so low as I, to the family of Jesse--yea, to the fallen family of man "The Lord is exalted; and (yet) he looks upon the mean !

While the proud he knoweth afar off." (Comp. Luke i. 51, 52.) This gracious Jehovah removes all my fears, whatever shall betide; for he will help me. And in the person of our Master, he has given his saints a pledge of the fulfilment of verse 7, for the Master "walked in the midst of trouble," as did the three youths in the fiery furnace, and yet was "revived"— brought back to the enjoyment of favour and peace; brought back from the sepulchre to the "fulness of joy.”

In verse 8 he sings to this effect--Lord, leave me not till thou hast brought me into glory. Confidence of getting leads him to ask boldly, as in 2 Sam. vii. 27, and what he asks is, that he may be kept till glory come. For by "the works of thy hand" is meant the undertaking God has commenced. Every saint has this same confidence, remembering that it is written, "He that hath begun a good work in you, will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ," (Phil. i. 6). Our Lord, the Son of David, as well as David's Lord, would often, in the days of his flesh, use this appeal, and sing in man's behalf this glorious Psalm ; and shall we not take it up, now that "the Word" has been fully developed, and developed in such astounding magnificence of grace? It suits us as much as it did David, or any other for it is

Heartfelt praise for Jehovah's Great Promise.

PSALM CXXXIX.

To the chief Musician. A Psalm of David.

10 LORD, thou hast searched me, and known me.

2 Thou knowest my downsitting and mine uprising, thou understandest my thought afar off.

3 Thou compassest my path and my lying down, and art acquainted with all

my ways.

4 For there is not a word in my tongue, but, lo, O Lord, thou knowest it

altogether.

5 Thou hast beset me behind and before, and laid thine hand upon me.

6 Such knowledge is too wonderful for me! it is high, I cannot attain unto it. 7 Whither shall I go from thy Spirit? or whither shall I flee from thy presence?

8 If I ascend up into heaven, thou art there: if I make my bed in hell, behold, thou art there.

9 If I take the wings of the morning, and dwell in the uttermost parts of the

sea,

10 Even there shall thy hand lead me, and thy right hand shall hold me. 11 If I say, Surely the darkness shall cover me! even the night shall be light

about me.

12 Yea, the darkness hideth not from thee; but the night shineth as the day : The darkness and the light are both alike to thee.

13 For thou hast possessed my reins: thou hast covered me in my mother's womb.

14 I will praise thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made!

Marvellous are thy works; and that my soul knoweth right well.

15 My substance was not hid from thee,

When I was made in secret, and curiously wrought in the lowest parts of the earth.

16 Thine eyes did see my substance, yet being unperfect;

And in thy book all my members were written,

Which in continuance were fashioned, when as yet there was none of them. 17 How precious also are thy thoughts unto me, O God! how great is the sum of them!

18 If I should count them, they are more in number than the sand.

When I awake, I am still with thee.

19 Surely thou wilt slay the wicked, O God: depart from me therefore, ye bloody men.

20 For they speak against thee wickedly, and thine enemies take thy name in vain.

21 Do not I hate them, O Lord, that hate thee ?

And am not I grieved with those that rise up against thee?

22 I hate them with perfect hatred: I count them mine enemies.

23 Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts:

24 And see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way ever

lasting.

and speaker.

"A PSALM of David," and no doubt often sung by the "Son of The author David." For, rightly understood, there is not in it any thought of desiring an escape from the Lord's happy presence in verses 7, 8; far from this, it is meant to express delight in the remembrance of Jehovah's omnipresence and omniscience. It is not the utterance of the First Adam, slinking from sight behind the trees of Eden; but it is the utterance of the Second Adam, dwelling in the blissful fellowship with God, which fellowship he would not for all worlds ever lose. Think of it as sung by David, and by Christ, and by all the family of Christ.

The key-note, then, is delight in the Lord's presence. The Difficulties. structure is very simple, and there are no difficulties in any verses but 15, 16; to the understanding of which it is needful to know that "lower parts of earth," is a proverbial expression for secresy-what is hidden from view of man-as the parallelism shews. The verses are to this purpose-"Thou hast at thy disposal "my reins," the seat of my heart, thoughts, and feelings; for

“My substance was not hid from thee when I was made in secret,
When I was curiously wrought, hid from the view of all men.

Thine eyes saw when I was still unprepared (i. e., my unformed sub-
stance; or, the unwound ball of the thread of life),

And in thy book all of them were written, (viz.)

The days which were still to be, and of which none then was.” (Hengst.) And because of this singular care of the Creating Hand, and the skill displayed in the rare workmanship, verse 14 sings

"I praise thee on this account, that I am fearfully distinguished!
Marvellous are thy works! Yes, my soul perceives it well !''

But now let us trace the thread of connection that runs through The plan.
the whole Psalm. There is in verses 1-6, adoration of Jeho-
vah's omniscience. The Lord Jesus could sing it all; even
verse 6, “too wonderful for me" (Prov. xxx. 18), was suitable
to him as man, in his humiliation-days, when he knew not the
day of his Second Coming, and when he stood on the shore and
adored the awful depth of his Father's counsels. The expres-
sion, “Laidst thy hand over me” (by n), denotes a kind,
friendly act; not the act of one in anger, as when

is

used, in such passages as Exod. xxiv. 11. The Psalmist is rejoicing in the shadow of this Omniscient One. "Thou hast searched, and knowest me."

In verses 7-12, there is adoration of Jehovah's omnipresence. If I had cause to flee from thee, whither could I go? "If I scale heaven, or if I spread the grave” (Alexander), or if (ver. 1) the thought occurs, "I will raise the wing of morning," travelling swift as the light which travels 200,000 miles in a second, all would be vain. Whither, then? Not to Heaven, for that is the very centre and seat of his manifested presence; not to Hell, i. e., sheol, or the grave, for the disembodied spirit is even more than before in his felt presence; not to any part of creation, for his providence is at work there in every sparrow that lights on the ground. What a comforting thought to a believer! If God's eye is on me, then I am blessed, though I be obscure, and though I suffer unheeded by man. Heis with the prisoner in the Inquisition, with the soldier, the sailor, the miner; yes, he is so truly with his saints, that wherever their dust may be laid, he will find it, and gathering every particle from the dark grave, will raise up therefrom a glorious body. And let us note that verse 10 expresses the gracious leading of a father and friend-" Thy hand would lead me," like verse 5; while verse 11 is still more expressive of favour—

"If I should say, surely the darkness will crush me, (")

Then night would be light about me.

Were I apprehensive of danger, some appalling evil ready to crush me (72, as Job ix. 17, and as Gen. iii. 15) during the darkness, the Omnipresent One would haste to my help. Is there any reference to Satan's "hour and power of darkness" involved in this use of the first word applied to his assaults on the woman's Seed (W)?

T

In verses 13-18, there is adoration of Jehovah as owner and Creator of men. “For thou (AN), and no other, possessest andhast the right to my most inmost parts;" and then he sings of the wonderful work of the heavenly Father, forming the human frame, closing with that exclamation of amazed delight

" How precious are thy thoughts to me, O God!

I will count them !—(but no)—more than sand they are many !” In this there is a resemblance to Psa. xl. 5, where we find Christ identifying himself with his own, and wondering at his Father's thoughts to usward." There, however, it is chiefly his thoughts, or plans, about our redemption, while here it is more specially about our creation. Unless, indeed, we suppose that the glowing description of verses 14, 15, 16, may refer, not to creation only, but also to the forming anew of the body after it has lain in the dust, when it is to arise in honour, in glory, in power, the very likeness of Christ's perfect human form.

In verses 19, 20, there is presented to us the omniscient and omnipresent Creator as Judge. It is literally, “If thou wouldst slay the wicked!"-an unfinished sentence, pointing at the terrible results. Though at present he bears long with the ungodly, he hates their sin, and will destroy the sinner. In this he glances at the great day when the Judge shall say, "Depart."

In verses 21, 22, there is a protestation on the part of the Psalmist, against all who are foes to Jehovah whom he has held up to our adoration. It reminds us of John xxi. 17.

In verses 23, 24, there is a prayer that this omniscient and omnipresent Creator would keep his worshipper for ever on his side. Some render "wicked way" (ver. 24), the way of an idol (so Gesenius); but Hengstenberg seems right in rendering it, "the way of pain ;" that leads to pain or trouble; the contrast of the “everlasting way," (the "ancient paths" of Jeremiah vi. 16), where a man finds rest to his soul. This is the way that ushers a man into the kingdom, into the bliss of the ages to come. It reminds us of Isaiah xxxv. 8, the holy way in which those walk who enjoy the bliss of the Restored Paradise.

Thus we see that this Psalm is one of joy and happy confidence in God, abounding in views that enlarge the heart and strengthen it. It expresses the worshipper's happy remembrance of the omniscient and omnipresent God;

Satisfaction in thinking upon the all-knowing Creator and Judge.