"O wretched man that I am, who shall deliver me from this body of death!" 66 Bring my soul out of prison, that I may give thanks unto thy name. And now his prayer is heard, the grace of Christ cometh to his assistance, and he is made "free indeed." His chains, like those of St. Peter, fall off at the word of his Deliverer; he is "saved out of his distress; he is brought out of darkness and the shadow of death," into the glorious light and liberty of the sons of God. The joy consequent upon such a deliverance will be exceeded only by that which shall take place in the hearts, and be expressed by the voices of the redeemed, on the day when Christ shall accomplish the redemption of their bodies also, as he hath already effected that of his own, from the power of the grave; when he shall dash in pieces the brazen gates, and adamantine bars of that prison-house, put an end for ever to the bondage of corruption, and lead captivity captive into the highest heavens.

17. Fools, because of their trangression, and because of their iniquities, are afflicted. 18. Their soul abhorreth all manner of meat; and they draw near unto the gates of death. 19. Then they cry unto the LORD in their trouble, and he saveth them out of their distresses. 20. He sent his word, and healed them, and delivered them from their destruction. 21. O that men would praise the LORD for his goodness, and for his wonderful works to the children of men! 22. And let them sacrifice the sacrifices of thanksgiving, and declare his works with rejoicing.'

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The recovery of men from sickness affords a third image of the benefits conferred on our nature by the Redeemer. Sickness, as we are here informed, is the punishment of human folly and iniquity. When it is extreme, it deprives man of all relish and appetite for his food; nay, it makes him loathe and detest the very sight and smell of that which should nourish and support him; in which case, he must waste away, and soon "draw near to the gates of death." But from those dreadful gates the power of God can snatch us, when we are just about to enter them. To an infirm and emaciated body he can restore health, strength, and beauty; for diseases are his ministers and messengers; they visit us at his command, and at his command they retire, and we recover again. The Israelites in the wilderness, "because of their transgressions, and because of their iniquities, were often afflicted" with a plague. But when they repented, and atonement was made, the plague ceased. They were stung by fiery serpents; but when they cried unto Jehovah, he sent his word, and healed them. They were troubled," as the author of the book of Wisdom observes, "for a small season, that they might be admonished, having a sign of salvation to put them in remembrance of the commandment of thy law. For he that turned himself towards it, was not saved by the thing that he saw, but by thee, who art the Saviour of all," Wisd. xvi. 6. 7. Sentence of death was passed upon Hezekiah; he already saw himself at "the gates of the grave," and expected no more to "behold man with the inhabitants of the world." Yet his prayer prevailed for a respite, and fifteen years were added to his life, Isa. xxxviii. Now the mind, by reason of sin, is not less subject to infirmities than the body. These infirmities reduce a man to a state of languor and listlessness; he finds himself iucapable of action, indisposed for the reception of divine truths, without taste for knowledge, or inclination for virtue; he even nauseates the book of God, and the bread of heaven; and the life of faith is in great danger. But the case is not desperate, while there is breath enough left to call in, by prayer, the great Physician of spirits. The most inveterate malady gives place to his efficacious medicines: appetite revives, health returns, and the believer is reinstated in the vigour and beauty of holiness. Let all who have been thus "healed and saved from destruction," either of body or soul, acknowledge to Jehovah his mercy, and his wonders wrought for the children of Adam: "let them sacrifice the sacrifices of thanksgiving, and declare his works with rejoicing." 23. They that go down to the sea in ships, that do business in great

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waters: 24. These see the works of the LORD, and his wonders in the deep. 25. For he commandeth, and raiseth the stormy wind, which lifted up the waves thereof. 26. They mount up to heaven, they go down again to the depths; their soul is melted because of trouble. 27. They reel to and fro, and stagger like a drunken man, and are at their wits end; Heb. all their wisdom, or skill, is swallowed up. 28. Then they cry unto the LORD in their trouble, and he bringeth them out of their distresses. 29. He maketh the storm a calm, so that the waves thereof are still. 30. Then are they glad because they be quiet; so he bringeth them unto their desired haven. 31. O that men would praise the LORD for his goodness, and for his wonderful works to the children of men! 32. Let them exalt him also in the congregation of the people, and praise him in the assembly of the elders." The fourth similitude chosen to portray the dangers of our present state, and the goodness of God displayed in our salvation, is taken from that signal instance of the Divine power and providence, the preservation of mariners in a storm at sea. The description which the Psalmist hath given us of such an event admitteth of no comment. Experience alone can illustrate its beauty, evince its truth, and point out the propriety of the circumstances which are selected to furnish us with a full and complete idea of the whole. Few of us, indeed, are ever likely to be in that terrible situation. But then we cannot help reflecting, that there is a ship, in which we are all embarked; there is a troubled sea, on which we all sail; there are storms, by which we are all frequently overtaken; and there is a haven which we all desire to behold and to enter. For the church is a ship; the world is a sea; temptations, persecutions, and afflictions, are the waves of it; the prince of the power of the air is the stormy wind which raises them; and heaven is the only port of rest and security. Often during the voyage, for our punishment, or our trial, God permitteth us to be thus assaulted. The succession and the violence of our trouble, the elevations and depressions of mind and fortune, the uncertainty of our counsels, and our utter inability to help ourselves, are finely represented by the multitude and impetuosity of the waves, the tossings and agitations of the vessel, the confusion, terror, and distress among the sailors. In both cases, prayer is the proper effect, and the only remedy left. With the earnestness of affrighted mariners, who will then be devout, though they never were so before, we should "cry unto the Lord Jesus in our trouble;" we should, as it were, "awake" him, like the disciples, with repetitions of, "Lord, save us, we perish!" Then will he arise, and rebuke the authors of our tribulation, saying unto them, "Peace, be still;" and they shall hear and obey his voice. "He will make the storm a calm, so that the waves thereof shall be still;" and at length he will "bring us" in peace, joy, and gladness, "to our desired haven," there to "exalt him in the congregation" of his chosen, and "praise him in the" great "assembly" of saints and angels. This is the consummation so devoutly wished and requested by the church for all her children, at the time of their baptism, that they, "being delivered from God's wrath, may be received into the ark of Christ's church; and, being steadfast in faith, joyful through hope, and rooted in charity, may so pass the waves of this troublesome world, that finally they may come to the land of everlasting life." Thus we see there is no spiritual evil, out of which God is not both able and willing to deliver us, when we call upon him. Are we ignorant of the way to the heavenly city? He will guide and conduct us thither. Are we bound with the chains of sin and death? He will loose and deliver us. Are our minds diseased and languid? He will heal and invigorate them. Are we in danger of being overwhelmed by the troubles of the world? He will preserve us in the midst of them, until he bid them cease. Of his power and inclination to do these things for our souls, he hath given assurance to all men, by those pledges of his love, the benefits and blessings conferred on the bodies of his people, in leading them through the wilderness to Canaan; in rescuing them so often

from the miseries of captivity; in healing their diseases; and in saving those of them who "did business in great waters," from the perils of the sea. Certainly, the mind of man cannot have a nobler subject for meditation in this world, than the wonders of Providence, considered as representing the mercies of redemption.

33. He turneth rivers into a wilderness, and the water-springs into dry ground, 34. A fruitful land into barrenness, for the wickedness of them that dwell therein. 35. He turneth the wilderness into a standing water, and dry ground into water-springs: 36. And there he maketh the hungry to dwell, that they may prepare a city for habitation; 37. And sow the fields, and plant vineyards, which may yield fruits of increase. 38. He blessed them also, so that they are multiplied greatly, and suffereth not their cattle to decrease."

In this latter part of the Psalm, the prophet farther exemplifieth the power, the justice, and the goodness of God: his power, in being able to change the very nature of things; his justice and his goodness, in so doing, either to punish the rebellious, or to reward the obedient. A "well-watered" and fertile country," shall "for the sins of its inhabitants," be converted into "a dry and barren one." The plain of Jordan, which, before the over. throw of Sodom and Gomorrah, was "well watered everywhere, like the garden of Jehovah," Gen. xiii. 10. hath, since that overthrow, been a land of salt and sulphur, and perpetual sterility. Nay, even the once fruitful Palestine itself, that flowed with milk and honey, is at this day a region of such utter desolation, that the very possibility of its ever having sufficed to maintain the people who formerly possessed it, is now called in question. And, indeed, while the rain of heaven shall continue to be in the hand of God, how easy is it for him, by withholding it during a few months, to blast all the most promising hopes of man; and, instead of plenty, joy, and health, to visit him with famine, pestilence, and death! On the other hand, when the ways of a people please him, he can rid them of these dreadful guests; the rain shall descend from above, the springs shall rise from beneath, the earth shall yield her increase, the cattle shall feed in large pastures, the seasons shall be kindly, the air salutary, and the smiling face of nature shall attest the loving-kindness of the Lord. Thus, in the dispensations of grace, hath he dealt with Jews and Gentiles. The synagogue of the former, once rich in faith, watered with the benedictions of Heaven, fruitful in prophets and saints, adorned with the services of religion, and the presence of Jehovah, hath been, since the murder of the Son of God, cursed with infidelity, parched like the withered tops of the mountains of Gilboah, barren and desolate as the land of their ancient residence, whose naked rocks seem to declare to all the world the hard-heartedness and unprofitableness of its old possessors. When the "fruitful field" thus became a "forest," the "wilderness," at the same time, became a "fruitful field." A church was planted in the Gentile world, and the Spirit was poured out upon it from on high. In that" wilderness did waters break out, and streams in that desert." There was faith sown, and holiness was the universal product. "The wil derness and the solitary place was glad, and the desert rejoiced, and blossomed as the rose. It blossomed abundantly, and rejoiced even with joy and singing; the glory of Lebanon was given unto it, the excellency of Carmel and Sharon;" the privileges and honours of the synagogue were conferred upon the church; and the nations now "saw the glory of Jehovah, and the excellency of God;" Isa. xxxii. 15. xxxv. 1, 2. Spiritual increase, health, and plenty; spiritual peace, joy, and happiness, appeared in beauteous and lovely procession; and the blessing of Jesus was upon this his new inheritance in every way.

39. Again, they are minished, and brought low through oppression, affliction, and sorrow. 40. He poureth contempt upon princes, and causeth them to wander in the wilderness, where there is no way. 41. Yet setteth he the poor on high from affliction, and maketh him families like a flock."

But let not those who have received the largest share of Heaven's favours, therefore boast and presume. The continuance of those favours dependeth upon the continuance of their fidelity and obedience. Mighty empires, with their "princes," have, for their wickedness, been "brought low" by the arm of Jehovah, and laid in the dust, while nations poor and feeble, and never thought of, have been taken from thence, and exalted over them. What revolutions have in like manner, happened, and probably are still to happen, in the church! Jerusalem is fallen, through unbelief; and the Gentile church standeth only by faith, from which if she depart, vengeance will be executed on her likewise. Yet, even in the worst of times, there is a promise, that "the poor" in spirit, the faithful and humble disciples of the holy Jesus, shall be preserved from the evil, and "set on high from afflic tion ;" yea, that they shall be multiplied "like a flock," under the care of the good Shepherd, to preserve his name, and to continue a church upon the earth, until he shall return again.

"42. The righteous shall see and rejoice; and all iniquity shall stop her mouth."

Two consequences will follow from this alternate display of the mercy and the judgment of God. The righteous, finding themselves still the objects of the former, will have cause to rejoice and give thanks; and the wicked, when visited with the latter, will be forced by their silence at least, to own that their punishment is just. This will certainly be the case at the last day, when the dispensations of God, and the perfect rule of equity observed in them, shall be manifested to all the world."

"43. Whoso is wise, and will observe these things, even they shall understand the loving-kindness of the LORD; or, Who is wise? and he will observe these things; and they shall understand the loving-kindness of the LORD."

A truly "wise" person will treasure up in his heart the contents of this most instructive and delightful Psalm. By so doing, he will fully "understand and comprehend the weakness and wretchedness of man, and the power and "loving-kindness" of God, who, not for our merit, but for his mercy's sake, dispelleth our ignorance, breaketh off our sins, healeth cur infirmities, preserveth us in temptations, placeth us in his church, enricheth us with his grace, sheltereth us from persecution, blesseth us in time, and will crown us in eternity.

TWENTY-SECOND DAY.-EVENING PRAYER,

PSALM CVIII.

This Psalm is composed of parts taken, without any material alteration, from two others. The first five verses occur in Psalm lvii. 7-11; the last eight are found in Psalm lx. 5-12. The reader is therefore referred to the exposition already given of those Psalms.

PSALM CIX.

ARGUMENT.

St. Peter, Acts i. 11. hath taught us to apply the predictions in this Psalm to the betrayers and murderers of Messiah, who is, consequently, the person here speaking, and, 1-5. complaining of the injuries which he suffered from them; after which, 6-20. he forewarneth them of all the judgments and sore calamities that should come upon them and their posterity; 21-25. he returneth to the subject of his passion; 26-29. repeateth his supplications for himself and his church; and, 30-31. concludeth with an act of praise. In this

light was the Psalm considered and interpreted in the ancient church, by Chrysostom, Jerome, Augustine, Theodoret, and others.

"1. Hold not thy peace, O God of my praise; i. e. who art the subject of my praise; 2. For the mouth of the wicked, and the mouth of the deceitful are opened against me; they have spoken against me with a lying tongue. 3. They compassed me about also with words of hatred; and fought against me without a cause. 4. For my love they are my adversaries: but I give myself unto prayer. 5. And they have rewarded me evil for good, and hatred for my love."

The holy Jesus, in these words, maketh supplication to the Father for redress and deliverance. He complaineth of the manner in which he was treated, when he came unto his own, and his own received him not," John i. 11. Sometimes "the mouth of the wicked was opened upon him," roaring against him, like the roaring of lions, while they cried out, "He is a Samaritan, and hath a devil, and is mad; away with him, away with him, crucify him, crucify him." Sometimes, "deceitful and lying tongues" were employed, either to entangle and entrap him in his talk, or to bear false witness against him. And all this was done, not only without a cause, but men were his bitter and implacable "adversaries," in return for that "love" which brought him from heaven, to save them with an everlasting salvation. Let the afflicted and traduced disciple rejoice, in that he is conformed to the image of his Master. And from the example of that Master let him learn what course to take, when in such circumstances-" But I give myself unto prayer."

6. Thou wilt set a wicked man, or, the wicked one, over him, and Satan shall stand at his right hand. 7. When he is judged, he shall be condemned; and his prayer shall become sin."

A transition is here made to the adversaries of Messiah; primarily to Judas, "who was guide to them that took Jesus," Acts i. 16.; secondarily to the synagogue, of whom Judas may be considered as an epitome and representative. It is foretold, that by betraying and murdering the best of Masters, they should subject themselves to the tyranny of the worst; that they should become slaves to the "wicked one," who should justly be "set over them," when they had delivered themselves into his hands; that "Satan," who had stood by them to tempt them, should stand at their right hand to accuse them at the tribunal of God; that when tried, they would be convicted and condemned, and even their prayer would be abomination in the sight of the Lord, as being offered without true contrition and repentance, without faith, hope, or charity. Such is the wretched state of the Jews, estranged from God, and in bondage to the devil; such the prayers, which, from hardened and malignant hearts, they continually utter, for the excision of all Christians, and for the extirpation of that blessed name on which Christians call. These prayers, instead of lightening the burden of their sins, certainly add to its weight. Enable us, O Lord Jesus, to resist Satan as a tempter, that he may not be our accuser; and grant us always so to pray, that our prayers may me heard.

"8. His days shall be few, and another shall take his office."

This is the verse which St. Peter hath cited and applied, in his discourse to the disciples, at the election of Matthias into the place of Judas. "Men and brethren, this scripture must needs have been fulfilled, which the Holy Ghost, by the mouth of David, spake before concerning Judas, who was

Hæc autem cecinit David spirituali sensu in personâ Christi a Jadæis impetiti omnimodis blasphemiis. Bossuet.

As most of the following verbs are in the future tense, and the rest have evidently a predictive and future import, the same liberty is here taken, as in Psalm Ixix. of rendering them throughout uniformly in that tense: by which means the curses pronounced in this Psalm will at once appear to be of the same import with those in the xxviiith chapter of Deuteronomy. The reader is entreated, when he shall have perused this Psalm, to turn to that chapter and judge for him

self.