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desire to dwell with us; yet how little do we desire to dwell with him! In Zion he fixed his abode, and there continued, till the iniquities of Israel provoked him to forsake his holy mountain, and to give up Jerusalem for a prey to the spoilers. Since that time, his tabernacle has been removed into the possession of the Gentiles. Forsake not this thy new Zion, O God, and deliver not us thy people, in like manner, sinful as we are, into the hands of the enemy and the avenger.

"15. I will abundantly bless her provision: I will satisfy her poor with bread. 16. I will also clothe her priests with salvation: and her saints shall shout aloud for joy."

That city, in which the King of heaven deigns to place his throne, can want no manner of thing that is good. There will be always "plenty of provision" for the body and for the soul. The poor will be satisfied with bread, and to the poor in spirit will be given the bread of eternal life. "Salvation" will God appoint for a wall and a bulwark around the "priests" and the temple; joy and gladness shall be heard within, thanksgiving and the voice of melody. What a dreadful reverse of all this do we behold in the present state of the once-glorious, but now desolated Jerusalem! Let not any Christian church, after what has happened to that city, be high-minded, but let all fear.

"17. There will I make the horn of David to bud: I have ordained a lamp for mine anointed."

Bishop Patrick hath well paraphrased this verse: "There, namely, in Jerusalem, will I make the regal power and majesty of David to put forth itself, afresh in his royal successors; no sooner shall one be extinguished, but another shall shine in such splendour, as shall give a lustre to the name of that anointed servant of mine, till the great prince, the Messiah, appear:" then will the "horn" of salvation be raised up in the house of David, to subdue the empires of the world, and to vanquish all opposition; then shall the Branch of Jehovah "bud" into beauty and glory upon the earth; then shall the "lamp" of Israel become a Sun of righteousness, burning and shining with lustre inextinguishable, to all eternity. That this verse doth mystically refer to Christ, the Jews confess, as Dr. Hammond has observed. So saith R. Saadiah, "The Lamp is the King, which illuminates the nations ;" and Kimchi, "The horn of David, is the Messias."

"18. His enemies will I clothe with shame: but upon myself shall his crown flourish."

It is here predicted, that God would blast and bring to nothing every design formed to destroy the house of David, until King Messiah should arise out of it, to sit upon the throne of his Father. In him all the promises centre, and the kingdom is established for ever: "His enemies," who will not have him to reign over them, shall, at the last day, "be clothed with shame" and everlasting confusion; "but upon himself shall his crown flourish," filling heaven and earth with the brightness of its glory.

PSALM CXXXIII.

ARGUMENT.

This short but pleasing Psalm was composed either to recommend unity among the tribes of Israel, or to celebrate it when it had taken place. Bishop Pa trick justly observes, that "it was as fitly used by the first Christians, to express their joy for the blessed union of Jews and Gentiles; and may now serve the uses of all Christian societies, whose happiness lies in holy peace and concord." It containeth, 1. a rapturous exclamation on the comforts and advantages of union, which, 2, 3. are illustrated by the two exquisite similitudes of the holy anointing oil, and of dew.

"1. Behold how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity."

Many things are good which are not pleasant; and many pleasant, which are not good. But unity among brethren, whether civil or religious, is productive both of profit and pleasure. Of profit, because therein consist eth the welfare and security of every society; of pleasure, because mutual love is the source of delight; and the happiness of one becomes, in that case, the happiness of all. It is unity alone, which gives beauty, as well as strength, to the state; which renders the church, at the same time, "fair as the moon, and terrible as an army with banners," Cant. vi. 10.

"2. It is like the precious ointment upon the head, that ran down upon the beard, even Aaron's beard; that went down to the skirts of his garments: 3. As the dew of Hermon,* and as the dew that descended upon the mountains of Zion: for there the LORD commanded the blessing, even life for evermore."

"Unity, beginning in the prince, and diffused through the people, is here illustrated," saith doctor Delany, "by two images, the most apt and beautiful that ever were imagined. Kingdoms are considered as bodies politic, of which the king is the head, and the people, in their several ranks and orders, the parts and members. A spirit of union beginning upon the prince, whose person is sacred, is like oil poured upon the head of Aaron, which naturally descends, and spreads itself over all parts of the body, and diffuses beauty and fragrance over the whole, reaching even to the skirts of the garment. Oil is, without question, the finest emblem of union that ever was conceived. It is a substance consisting of very small parts, which yet by their mutual adhesion, constitute one uniform, well united, and useful body. The sacred oil carries the idea and the advantage of union yet farther; which being extracted from various spices, yet made up one well cohering and more valuable compound. The next image carries the exhortation to union, and the advantages of it still higher. Hermon was the gene ral name of one mountain, comprehending many lesser and lower hills, under the surround of a greater. Union in any nation is the gift of God; and therefore unity among brethren, beginning from the king, is like the dew of heaven, which falling first upon the higher summit of Hermon (refreshing and enriching wherever it falls,) naturally descends to Zion, a lower; and thence even to the humble valleys. Zion was the centre of union to all the tribes; there God himself had promised his people rest, and peace from their enemies; which, however, were of little value without union and harmony among themselves." Thus far this learned and pious author, whose explanation of the Psalmist's imagery, as descriptive of civil unity in the state, is so just and elegant, that I could not forbear transcribing the pas sage at length. It only remains to be added, that these divine pictures receive an additional beauty, and the colouring is much heightened, by their being viewed in another light, as representations of spiritual unity in the church. The spirit of heavenly love was that oil of gladness which Jehovah poured without measure on him who is the High Priest and Head of his church. Insinuating and healing, comforting and exhilarating, it is diffused from him over his body mystical, even down to the least and lowest members; "of his fulness have we all received ;" and, as it is said of Mary's box of spikenard in the Gospel, "the house is filled with the odour of the ointment." Nor did the dew of heaven, in the time of drought, ever prove more refreshing and beneficial to the mountains of Judah, than are the influences of grace, when descending in soft silence from above upon the church, in the union and communion of which, God hath

*Bishop Lowth seemeth fully to have justified our translators in supplying the ellipsis as they have done, and thereby removing the absurdity of making the dew of Hermon, a mountain on one side of Jordan, towards the eastern extremity of Canaan, descend on the mountain of Zion, which was situated on the other side of Jordan at Jerusalem.

† Life of King David, Vol. III. p. 204.

"commanded the blessing, even life for evermore." O come the day, when division shall cease, and enmity be done away; when the tribes of the spiritual Israel shall be united in a bond of eternal charity, under the true David, in the Jerusalem which is above; and saints and angels shall sing this lovely Psalm together.

PSALM CXXXIV.

ARGUMENT.

With this Psalm, Christians in the church, like the Levites of old, in the temple, 1, 2. call upon each other to bless God, and, 3. upon God to bless them all.

"1. Behold, bless ye the LORD, all ye servants of the LORD, which by night stand in the house of the LORD. 2. Lift up your hands in the sanctuary, and bless the LORD."

The first word in this verse, "Behold," seemeth to point at the reasons which the priests in the temple had to "bless Jehovah ;" as if it had been said, Behold, the house of God is built, the holy services are appointed, and the Lord hath given you rest from your enemies, that you may serve him acceptably; set about it, therefore, with gratitude and alacrity. We read, 1 Chron. ix. 33. that the Levitical singers were employed in their work day and night; to the end, doubtless, that the earthly sanctuary might bear some resemblance of that above, where St. John tells us, the redeemed "are before the throne of God, and serve him day and night in his temple," Rev. vii. 15. Christians are the redeemed of the Lord, redeemed from the guilt and dominion of sin, delivered out of the hands of their enemies, the world, the flesh, and the devil, that they may become the servants of Christ. He hath built his church, and in it he wills that men pray, lifting up holy hands, and that they offer the sacrifices of thanksgiving. "Behold," therefore, "bless the Lord Jesus, all ye servants of his ;" bless him in the cheerful and busy hours of the day; bless him in the solemn and peaceful watches of the night; making melody, even then, in your hearts at least, if not with your voices. The pious Mr. Nicholas Farrer exhibited, in the last century, an instance of a Protestant family, in which a constant course of psalmody was appointed, and so strictly kept up, that, through the whole four and twenty hours of day and night, there was no portion of time, when some of the members were not employed in performing that most pleasant part of duty and devotion. The reader may see the curious life of this extraordinary person, as drawn up by Dr. Turner, bishop of Ely, in the Christian Magazine, vol. ii. p. 356.

"3. The LORD, that made heaven and earth, bless thee out of Zion." The two preceding verses, as Mr. Mudge observes, seem directed to the priests of the temple, by some person, probably of consequence, come up to pay his dovotions. This third verse is therefore returned, as from the priests. And thus it is, that prayer and praise which by grace are caused to ascend from our hearts to God, will certainly return in the benedictions of heaven upon our souls and bodies, our persons and our families, our church and our country; like the vapours, which, exhaled by the warmth of the sun from the bowels of the earth, mount upwards into the air; but soon fall again in fruitful showers, causing the little hills to rejoice, and the valleys to laugh and sing.

PSALM CXXXV.

ARGUMENT.

In this Psalm, 1, 2. the servants of Jehovah are exhorted to praise him, 3, on account of his goodness; of the pleasure to be found in the employment; 4.

of his peculiar mercies shown to Israel; 5. of his infinite superiority over the gods of the nations, manifested, 6, 7. in the works of creation, 9-14. in his dealings with the church, and with her adversaries. 15-18. The folly of idolatry, and of those who practise it, is described; and 19-21. Israel is again stirred up to praise Jehovah.

"1. Praise ye the LORD. Praise ye the name of the LORD; praise him, O ye servants of the LORD. 2. Ye that stand in the house of the LORD, in the courts of the house of our God. 3. Praise the LORD; for the LORD is good sing praises unto his name; for it is pleasant."

All the servants of God, they, more especially, who minister in the temple, are repeatedly, as in the foregoing Psalm, excited to praise their blessed Master. Two reasons are assigned why they should do this. First, the "goodness" of that Master, and secondly, the "pleasantness" of the employment. The latter of these reasons hath a natural and necessary dependence on the former. A sense of the Divine mercy will tune our hearts and voices to praise. We, who are upon earth, often find ourselves indisposed for the duty of thanksgiving, because the concerns of the body, the cares and pleasures of life, extinguish, for a time, this sense in us, until grace, prayer, and meditation, render it again lively and active. In the Inhabitants of heaven, who behold God without the veil of matter interposed, it is always so; and, therefore, they rest not day or night from singing hallelujahs, nor cease one moment to rejoice in God their Saviour

"4. For the LORD hath chosen Jacob unto himself, and Israel for his peculiar treasure. 5. For I know that the LORD is great, and that our LORD is above all gods."

A third reason why the children of Israel should praise the name of Jehovah, was the circumstance of their having been selected from among the nations" to be his church, to receive the law and the promises, to have his presence residing in the midst of them, and to be the guardians of the true faith and worship. And a fourth reason, was the "superiority of Jehovah their God over the gods of the heathen," and consequently over those who worshipped them; from whence followed this comfortable inference, that he was able to protect and to defend his people against every enemy that had evil will at Zion. Shall not we, Christians, then, praise the same gracious Lord, who hath chosen us out of the world, who hath given unto us his Gospel, who dwelleth in us by his Spirit, and who by that Spirit maketh us more than conquerors over our spiritual adversaries?

"6. Whatsoever the LORD pleased, that did he in heaven, and in earth, in the seas, and all deep places."

The pre-eminence of Jehovah above the gods of the nations, is evinced by this consideration, that he, at the beginning, created and formed those powers of nature, whose operations "in the heavens, the earth, and the waters," led the heathen world, after it had lost the knowledge of the Creator, to adore the creature as independent. Let us praise him, who, in the intellectual as in the material world, is Lord and King; who is obeyed by the angels in heaven, served by the church upon earth, and feared by the spirits imprisoned in deep places beneath.

7. He causeth the vapours to ascend from the ends of the earth; he maketh lightnings for the rain; he bringeth the wind out of his treasuries." They who in old time paid their devotions to the elements, imagined those elements to be capable of giving or withholding rain at pleasure. There fore we find the prophet Jeremiah reclaiming that power to Jehovah, as the God who made and governed the world. "Are there any among the vani ties of the Gentiles that can cause rain? or can the heavens give showers? Art thou not he, O Jehovah our God? Therefore we will wait upon thee: for thou hast made all these things," Jer. xiv. 22. Among the Greeks and Romans we meet with a Jupiter possessed of the thunder and the lightning, and an Æolus ruling over the winds. The Psalmist teacheth us to restore

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the celestial artillery to its rightful owner. Jehovah, the God of Israel, and Creator of the universe, contrived the wonderful machinery of light and air, by which "vapours are raised from the earth," compacted into clouds, and distilled in "rain." At his command the "winds" are suddenly in motion, and as suddenly at rest again; we hear the sound, but cannot tell whence they come, or whither they go; as if they were taken from secret "storehouses" of the Almighty, and then laid up till their service was required again. The same idea God himself is pleased to give us in the book of Job, where he describeth the instruments of his power, as so many weapons of war in the arsenal of a mighty prince: "Hast thou entered into the treasures of the snow? Or, hast thou seen the treasures of the hail which I have reserved against the time of trouble, against the day of battle and war? By what way is the light parted, which scattereth the east wind upon the earth? Who hath divided a water-course for the overflowing of waters? or a way for the lightning of thunder, to cause it to rain on the earth?" Job xxviii. 22, &c. It is a great instance of the Divine wisdom and goodness, that lightning should be accompanied by rain, to soften its rage, and prevent its mischievous effects. Thus, in the midst of judgment, does God remember mercy. The threatenings in his word against sinners are like lightning; they would blast and scorch us up, were it not for his promises made in the same word to penitents, which, as a gracious rain, turn aside their fury, refreshing and comforting our affrighted spirits. "8. Who smote the first-born of Egypt, both of man and beast. 9. Who sent tokens and wonders into the midst of thee, O Egypt, upon Pharaoh, and upon all his servants."

"Egypt" was the theatre of the grand contest between the God of Israel and the gods of the heathen. The superiority of the former over the latter was shown in every possible way by the miracles of Moses, which demonstrated all the powers of nature to be under the dominion of Jehovah, and to act at his command, so that, instead of being able to protect, they were made to torment and destroy their deluded votaries. See more on Psalm lxxviii. 44, &c. The objects of a man's sin frequently become, in the end, the instruments of his punishment.

10. Who smote great nations, and slew mighty kings: 11. Sihon king of the Amorites, and Og king of Bashan, and all the kingdoms of Canaan: 12. And gave their land for an heritage, an heritage unto Israel his people."

The victories gained by Israel over "Sihon and Og," in their passage to Canaan, and afterwards over the idolatrous kings of that country, are more proofs of the same point. For Israel therefore conquered, because Jehovah fought for them, and "put them in possession of that good land," when the iniquity of its old inhabitants was full, and cried to heaven for vengeance. The enemies we have to encounter in our way to the promised inheritance, will also, if vigorously opposed, fall before us. "The kingdom of heaven suffereth violence, and the violent take it by force." But it is God who fighteth for us, and with us, who giveth us the victory, and putteth us in possession, through our Lord Jesus Christ.

13. Thy name, O LORD, endureth for ever; and thy memorial, O Lord, throughout all generations. 14. For the LORD will judge his people; and he will repent himself concerning his servants."

By the destruction of Pharaoh, with his Egyptians, and by the battles and victories of Joshua; much more, by the overthrow of the spiritual Pharaoh, with his infernal host, and by the battles and victories of the true Joshua, Jehovah hath gotten him glory, and his "name is magnified” in the church from age to age. The people whom he hath redeemed, may, indeed, for the chastisement of their iniquities, be sometimes delivered into the hands of their enemies, and oppressed by them; but it is only to show them their transgressions, and lead them to repentance. When this effect is wrought, he is always ready to "judge" them, to plead and to avenge

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