Church and to the Church's Head. If verse 1 sings, "I shall not want," it is just a continuance of the testimony of Moses, Deut. ii. 7, "The Lord thy God-knoweth thy walking through this great wilderness: these forty years the Lord thy God has been with thee; thou hast lacked nothing." Christ and his Church together review their wilderness-days and praise the Lord. The song of the Lamb is not less complete than that of Moses.

The occasional retreat to the Sea of Galilee, and desert places, and the Mount of Olives, furnished Christ with many such seasons as verse 2 celebrates. "He maketh me to lie down on pastures of tender grass." His saints know so well that it is his wont to do this in their case, that the Song of Songs asks not, "Dost thou make thy flock rest at noon?" but only,

66

Where?" And as the Lord of the Ark of the covenant (Numb. x. 33) sought out for Israel a place to rest, so did the Father for his true Israel,—that Prince with God,-giving him refreshing hours amid his sorrow; as it is written, "He is at my right hand, that I should not be moved: therefore did my heart rejoice," (Acts ii. 25).

In temptation seasons, or after sore conflicts with man's unbelief, the Lord "restored his soul" (ver. 3); that is, revived it with cordials, even as he does his people after such seasons, and after times of battle with their own unbelief. And when in the hour of trouble and darkness he cried, "What shall I say?" the Father "led him in paths of righteousness, for his name's sake," glorifying his own name in his Son, as we read, John xii. 27.

It was not once only, (though it was specially as the Garden and the Cross drew near,) that his soul was in "the valley of death-shade," (ver. 4). But he passed all in safety; even when he came to that thick gloom of Calvary. And He who led Him through will never leave one of his disciples to faint there. The rod and staff* that slew the bear and the lion, made David confident against Goliath ; so do we obtain confidence

1 Sam. xvii. 40 and 43, Micah vii. 14, These were for defence; also for beating bushes when the sheep went astray, for killing serpents, and the like.

F

from knowing how our Shepherd has already found a safe way through wolves and perils.

In verse 5, the table, the oil, and the cup, might be illustrated in Christ's case by the day of his baptism, by the shining forth of his glory, by such a miracle as that of Lazarus' resurrection, and by the light of the Transfiguration scene, as well by the "meat to eat which the world knew not of," and the "rejoicing in spirit" as he thought upon the Father's will-in all which blessings the sheep still share from time to time, getting occasional exaltations, and moments of "joy unspeakable and full of glory."

Even those scenes of woe, the essence of whose anguish is expressed by "Eli, Eli, lama sabacthani," did not make the Master doubt that "goodness and mercy would follow him,” till he reached his home, his Father's house, with its many mansions. And shall any member doubt of his persevering to the end? loved to the end with the love that first loved him, till he becomes a guest for ever in his Father's house?

What is the "House of the Lord," the true B thel, where the ladder is set between earth and heaven? The Tabernacle was such in type. And of the antitype Christ spoke when, leaving his few sheep in the wilderness and amid wolves, he said, “In my Father's house are many mansions,” (John xiv. 1, 2). It is New Jerusalem; and He is gone to the right hand of the Father to gather in his elect, and then at length to raise up their bodies in glory, that they may enter into the full enjoyment of that House in the "kingdom prepared for the blessed of his Father." Fear not, then, little flock, it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom-and if so, you must be kept for ii; goodness and mercy must follow you all the days of your life, bringing up the rear of the camp, and leaving not a straggler to perish. It will be then that every sheep of his pasture will fully know and use the words of this Psalm, which sets forth with inimitable simplicity,

The Righteous One's experience of the leadings of the

Shepherd.

PSALM XXIV.

A Psalm of David.

1 THE earth is the Lord's, and the fulness thereof: the world, and they that dwell therein.

2 For he hath founded it upon the seas, and established it upon the floods.

3 Who shall ascend into the hill of the Lord? or who shall stand in his holy place?

4 He that hath clean hands, and a pure heart;

Who hath not lifted up his soul unto vanity, nor sworn deceitfully.

5 He shall receive the blessing from the Lord,

And righteousness from the God of his salvation.

6 This is the generation of them that seek him,

That seek thy face, O Jacob. Selah.

7 Lift up your heads, O ye gates; and be ye lifted up, ye everlasting doors; And the King of glory shall come in.

8 Who is this King of glory?

The Lord strong and mighty, the Lord mighty in battle.

9 Lift up your heads, O ye gates; even lift them up, ye everlasting doors; And the King of glory shall come in.

10 Who is this King of glory? The Lord of hosts, he is the King of glory. Selah.

THIS may have been written by David when the ark was brought up to Zion. Every eye in the universe is looking on, and every ear listening in heaven, earth, and under the earth. The strain of this Psalm brings up to our thoughts, Revelation v. 2, 3; for it is as if a voice proclaimed

And then, “ It is He, and no one else, who founded it above the surround

The claim of the Lord's dominion is made in hearing of the universe; and the proclamation challenges a denial. This is done in verses 1, 2, and no one in heaven, or earth, or hell, is found, who does not acquiesce in this declaration of Jehovah's sovereignty.

Amid the universal attention of all beings, a voice asks the question,

“Who shall ascend into the hill of the Lord?

And who shall stand in his holy place?" (Ver. 3.)

The import of the question is this. There is in that world a tabernacle on Zion, typical of God's prepared mansion for his

The tone of the Psalm.

Christ.

redeemed. Who shall enter and "stand" (that is, keep his place) there, claiming as his proper home both that Tabernacle and the better things of which it is the type?

The voice states the character of the accepted one in verse 4,-"He that hath clean hands," that is, he that washes in the water of the laver after being at the altar. This, O men of Israel, has been shewn to you. Is not that every day exhibited in your tabernacle? No priest enters the holy place until he has washed at the laver after being at the altar, (Exod. xxx. 19). Or, to express it without a type,

"He that has a pure heart,

Who has not lifted up his soul to vanity,
Nor sworn deceitfully." (Ver. 4.)

бы

He must be pure, free from charge of sin against God and man. This is the man that receives the blessing," (Gen. xxvii. 36); this is the man that receives it, not as Jacob by stealth, but as the award of "righteousness," being treated as righteous by the "God of salvation." Messiah is this man.

But Israel knew the way to obtain this purity. His "holy place" presented to him in type the provision that the "God of salvation" had revealed for a sinner. And so the voice pronounces, (referring to a company who resemble The Man described),

"This is the generation of them that seek him :

That seek thy face, O Jacob." (Ver. 6).

The generation of those who seek Jehovah are such. And this further praise is given them, viz., "The diligent seekers of thy face are Jacob,” i.e., persons who have a claim to the name of the peculiar people—if we adopt the rendering of Hengstenberg. But, retaining the common version, we understand the words in the following way :-These whose hands are clean are the true seekers of Jehovah : and they are taking the true way to get Jacob's birthright and Jacob's blessing," They seek thy face, O Jacob they do not seek Esau, with the fatness of earth, but thee, Jacob, who hast got the blessing from the Lord.”*

* In Prov. vii. 15, and xxix. 26, we have, "seeking the face of" in the sense of seeking the favour of, or shewing delight in. Their delight is not in Esau, who got "the fatness of earth" (Gen. xxvii. 39) as his portion. And those writers may be right who consider Jacob as a name for Messiah, to whom belong the *ruc birthright and blessing.

If we understand it in reference to the possession of the birthright and the blessing, that is, to the promise of Messiah and the pre-eminence involved herein, we see a reason for introducing the name "Jacob." Properly and directly it is Christ only who can advance the claim to be regarded as "pure," and in all respects unspotted. It is Christ who in his own person is accepted as such, and is proclaimed righteous. But all He does and receives is in behalf of his people; and hence the words, "This is the generation of them that seek Him," q. d., Lo! here is a generation of such men.

There is a pause, intimated by "Selah” (ver. 6), not unlike that in Prov. i., between verses 23 and 24; and the voice, having before declared who may hope to enter the Lord's presence, suddenly announces that their King is at hand! The accepted pure and righteous One is the King!

Lift up your heads, O ye gates ;

And be ye lifted up, ye everlasting doors ;

And the KING OF GLORY shall come in." (Ver. 7.)

That name, “King of Glory, "* from whence is it derived? Is it not from the cloud of glory in the Holy of Holiest? Is He not thus designated as being the Antitype of that symbol of the Divine presence? And the doors are called “Everlasting," because he who enters in at them is to keep for ever and in everlasting freshness this palace and sanctuary which he makes for himself in our Earth. "The beams of his house are to be cedar, and the rafters fir," (Song i. 17) because the upholder of all is come. Earth is now to be his sanctuary and palace-Earth full of his glory Earth with New Jerusalem

come down from heaven.

It is the Lord himself, perhaps, who asks at the wondering universe (just as the Elder asked at wondering John, Rev. vii. 13) concerning his Well-beloved, now brought into the world in honour, and glory, and majesty, not as at his first coming, in humiliation,

"Who is this King of Glory?" (Ver. 8.)

* Dr Allix remarks, "If some Christians have applied it to Christ's ascension, it was for want of considering that it gives to Christ the title of Jehovah, King of Glory (1 Cor. ii. 8), and of being powerful in battle. These titles suppose his enemies destroyed." (Rev. xix. 6.)