' and thine enemies shall be found liars unto thee.' The margin of our Bibles gives the word 'subdued,' which is brought into the text of the Revised Version.

The Septuagint gives simply evσovraι σɛ, with which agree the Vulgate and the Spanish.

Ostervald gives a fuller and freer rendering: 'Tes ennemis seront constraints de se soumettre à Toi.'

Diodati: 'I Tuoi nemici Ti s' infingono.' This (Italian) rendering is a very precise and literal one, for the verb 'infingere,' or rather 'infignere,' signifies 'to dissemble. This very correct rendering is given in our Prayer Book Version at Ps. xviii. 45, 'As soon as they hear of Me, they shall obey Me: but the strange children shall dissemble with Me.' It is not, however, rendered thus except in Ps. xviii.

God declares His hatred of this spirit of evil in Jer. iii. 10, 11, in the words, 'And yet for all this her treacherous sister Judah hath not turned unto Me with her whole heart, but feignedly, saith the Lord. And the Lord said unto me, The backsliding Israel hath justified herself more than treacherous Judah.'

PSALM lxvi. 7.

'He ruleth by His power for ever; His eyes behold the nations; let not the rebellious exalt themselves. Selah.'

Whether we can perceive it or not, those verses to which the word 'Selah' is attached are always worthy of special notice. This verse presents no exception to the rule. I need hardly say that the history and the prophecies of the Old Testament contain the truest and the most striking record in existence of the dealings of God with nations. This is true both as to spiritual and to temporal things. This verse not only affirms the fact that The Lord reigneth,' but that His reign is eternal, that is (as I see it to be here taught us), from eternity, dispensationally and through all future ages.

The word translated here 'for ever,' like the Greek alov, signifies not only eternity, but also a limited space of time, most precisely expressed in some cases as a dispensation. Hence it is most suitably employed when the will of God is the subject; for when we regard it in its full scope it must take in the whole range of His dealings, and of His purpose; not only that which falls within the finite limits of our experience, but that which the ever-seeing eye has viewed from eternity, without limit or undefined uncertainties in the future. Thus it is that 'The Lord sitteth upon the flood,' and that 'The Lord sitteth king for ever.' To such a Ruler what we call prophecy is but history; for He knoweth the end from the beginning; what He decrees must be so that many of the prophecies of the Old Testament are written in the past tenses of the Hebrew.

But when the limited duration of the special dealings and arrangements of God is concerned, the word also applies; and surely those who delight to see the hand of their Almighty Father will not fail to trace His dealings as the 'word of God,' the records of the past, the revealings as to the future, and the events of the present unfold them to our view. There are many passages in which the word must be accepted in a limited sense, and I will give a few of them, first stating confidently that such passages in no respect or degree affect such as predicate of other things, or of God Himself, that they or He are eternal.

In Exod. xxi. 6 it is said that the master, when the Hebrew servant has agreed to renew his engagement after his seven years have passed, shall bore his ear, and that he shall serve him for ever.' In 1 Sam. xxvii. 12, Achish says of David,' He has made his people Israel utterly to abhor him; therefore he shall be my servant for ever.' In Eccles.

xii. 5, ‘Man goeth to his long home,' if rendered literally would be to 'his eternal home.' The limits within which this work is confined prevent my giving many more examples, such as 'everlasting hills,' etc. There are also a great many passages cited as examples of defined limit, which might be taken as expressive of eternal duration, such as 'everlasting joy shall be upon their heads' (Isa. xxxv. 10). These I do not use for proof.

The verse before us therefore teaches us that it is by the power of God that His absolute rule is maintained from everlasting to everlasting.' Subordinate to this supreme rule in its grand scope, not a sparrow falls to the ground without His knowledge.' Every ruler and every dominion rises or falls in the strictest accordance with this rule. A Cyrus must be guided by Almighty power to do the Almighty bidding; and even the rise and falling of families is ordained and effected by the unseen hand. So it is with all the spiritual arrangements of God. There has been a Patriarchal and a Legal dispensation; there is now the one body, the Church; and there will be a Millennial reign. All these are within the circumference of Eternity (if I may use an inappropriate expression to explain what is undefinable), and are included within the clause, He ruleth by His power for ever.'

The following clause, 'His eyes behold the nations,' refers to that national rule which is connected with and dependant upon the arrangements of God with respect to 'Israel' from time to time. The eighth verse of Deut. xxxii. gives us the key wherewith to open the treasury of God's providential sway over this lower earth: When the Most High divided to the nations their inheritance, when He separated the sons of Adam, He set the bounds of the people according to the number of the children of Israel.' Every national arrangement and experience,

whether directly from the hand of God or indirectly from policy of the various governments, is connected, has been, and shall be connected with the Jewish nation as God's earthly people. Much of this is hidden from us, but God inspects it minutely, as the Hebrew word implies; for it is used to express the looking into a thing, having the primary sense of inclining, or bending forward, in order to behold.* The eyes and hearts of the nations may turn away contemptuously from Zion, whom no man careth for, perhaps; but the steps taken are made by God to tend thitherward, according to His purpose of chastisement or of blessing. The time is rapidly approaching of which the Spirit prophecies in Zech. xii. Jerusalem will soon become a burdensome stone for all nations,' as well as subsequently 'a praise among the kingdoms of the earth.'

Thus we are led to the understanding of the last clause. The final and greatest rebellion against the God of the whole earth, and against His anointed King, will be that of the personal Antichrist, who will oppose himself against all that is called God, and that is worshipped.' It is in anticipation of this being brought to a close by the Lord descending in judgment, that the triumphant voice of praise is said to fill heaven. The words of Rev. xii. 10 are certainly words of anticipation. They may well be set side by side with the words we are considering. The rebellious will exalt themselves; and how busy men are now in seeking to obliterate God from His universe! Yet God patiently holds it in His steady hand. Faith can say: 'Now is come salvation and strength, and the kingdom of our God and the power of His Christ,' although it has to look through the devil's final and greatest wrath upon *The Revised Version renders the word 'observe.'

become the kingdoms of our Lord and of His and He shall reign for ever and ever.'

I cannot extend my remarks upon this vers further, seeing that they have already exceede limits within which I profess to confine myself. therefore ask my readers to refer to my annotations Ps. ix. 16 (pp. 43-45).

It will be seen that in the translations given her eternal character of God's reign is the principal tho The Septuagint gives the strictly literal sense of Hebrew:

Septuagint : Τῷ δεσπόζοντι ἐν τῇ δυναστεία αὐτοῦ τοῦ αἰῶνος.
Vulgate Qui dominatur in virtute sua in æternum.'
Diodati : 'Egli, colla sua potenza, signoreggia in eterno.'
Ostervald 'Il domine eternellement.'

Spanish

Siempre.'

Martin Luther: Er herrschet mit seiner Gewalt ewiglich

PSALM lxvii. 1.

'God be merciful unto us, and bless us, and make His face shine upon us. Selah.'

I will refer my reader to my remarks upon Job x 8 (p. 31), but as that verse represents the lifting of the face towards God, rather than the shining of Go face upon us, I will add a little to what I have the said. This is an earnest prayer marked by the wo 'Selah.' It expresses an earnest desire for an experien of God's special favour.

The word here translated make to shine' expresse something more than favour towards the suppliant.