wicked man was a very sore trial to David. He was obliged to flee from Jerusalem on account of Absalom's rebellion. In addition to his son's ingratitude, this man came out and cursed him, giving utterance to all manner of false and wicked accusations. Under these trials he was deeply humbled, and committed his cause to God. Here you have a more detailed expression of what he felt at the time. And this psalm was written for our instruction and comfort. (2 Sam. xvi. 5-14.)

His

The Lord is a refuge for the soul at all times, and under all circumstances; more especially is he so in the day of trouble, This holy man appeals to the Lord. He calls him his God. He declares, that he put his trust in him. He prays to be saved from his persecutors, and delivered. enemies at this time were more like savage lions, than human beings; for they were ready to rend him in pieces, and devour him. What a comfort to have the Lord to flee to in the time of trial! (v. 1, 2.) What a resource for the afflicted may always be found in the God of all mercy!

At the same time we should take care, that such allegations are false. Accusations from within, as well as without, must make a man miserable indeed: and his burden will then be doubly heavy. If your own heart condemn you, there is one greater than your heart, and knoweth all things. But if you can appeal unto the Lord, and say, "If I have done any such thing," it will be a great support under your distress; and you may confidently expect that the Lord will plead your cause, and put your enemies to flight. He will arise in anger to his enemies, but in mercy to you; and others, beholding his mercy, will learn to put their trust under the shadow of his wings. Thus the trials of one will be overruled for the good of another; and the mercy vouchsafed to some, may encourage others to seek the same for their own souls; and so they may be led to praise and glorify his

name.

It is always a proper subject for prayer, that the wickedness of the wicked may cease. David prayed for this. "Oh, let the wickedness of the wicked come to an end; but establish the just." (v. 9.) Now there are various ways in which this prayer may be

answered. God can restrain the wicked; and so make them cease from sin. Or, he can fill their minds with something else; and so draw them off from their wicked ways. Or, he can turn their hearts, and grant them repentance unto life; and then they will learn to do his will. The latter is the chief thing we should aim at, if it so please God, in all our prayers for the cessation of sin, on the part of the wicked. It amounts to this. Oh! that they may repent and believe the gospel! Oh! that they may be saved through the blood of Christ from all their sins; and be brought to love and serve the Lord in newness of life.

Thus to pray, for the conversion of others, is a mark of Christian love. And is there not a loud call for its exercise? What is the condition of the wicked? To what are they exposed? To what will they come in the end, if they are not saved? Here you are expressly told. Does God judge the righteous? That same God is angry with the wicked every day. (v. 11.) Every day are the wicked exposed to the just displeasure of Almighty God. And if they repent not, their doom is sure and certain. The sword of vengeance is already sharpened. The bow of his wrath is already bent. The arrows of his fury are already prepared. If the season of longsuffering be past without mercy, the sinner dies without hope. Will you not lay this awakening truth to heart? Will you not cry to God in time? "Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the Lord, and he will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon." (Is. lv. 7.) If this happy change take place, then will you be enabled to express your grateful love, and say, "I will praise the Lord according to his righteousness will sing praise to the name of the Lord most high" (v. 17).

and

To the chief Musician * upon Gittith, A Psalm of David. LORD our Lord, how excellent is thy name in all the earth! who hast set thy glory above the heavens.

5 For thou hast made him a little lower than the angels, and hast crowned him with glory and honour.

6 Thou madest him to have dominion over the works of thy hands; thou hast put all things under his feet:

7 All sheep and oxen, yea, and the beasts of the field;

8 The fowl of the air, and the fish of the sea, and whatsoever passeth through the paths of the seas.

9 O LORD our Lord, how excellent is thy name in all the earth!

THE second chapter of the epistle to the Hebrews will afford a clue to the true gospel interpretation of this psalm. There can be no doubt that it hath "seemed good to the Holy Ghost," to employ present persons and things to shadow forth further and future blessings and glory. Thus David, when following his father's sheep at Bethlehem, and surveying the vast wonders of the creation, is made to express his astonishment at the divine condescension in regard to man; and here he is introduced as setting forth the deep humiliation of Christ, though he were constituted the supreme Lord of all.

The title of address. "O LORD our Lord." O Jehovah our Lord. These are the titles of Christ. The one denotes his divine essence; as one with the Father. The other bespeaks his gracious office; as our Saviour and Redeemer. It answers much to that expression in another place. "The LORD said unto my Lord." (Ps. cx. 1.) Only there is this difference. The one is an address to Jehovah the Son, as our Saviour; the other is spoken by Jehovah the Father of the Son, as our Lord and Saviour. This word, Jehovah, teaches you that Christ is God; inherently, essentially, and everlastingly God.

This other word, Lord, denotes that he is God manifest in the flesh, to be the Saviour of sinners, invested with all power in heaven and earth for that purpose; and therefore able to save to the uttermost all that come to God by him.

Yet, great and glorious as he is, the feeblest instruments proclaim his praise. "Out of the mouth of babes and sucklings hast thou ordained strength because of thine enemies, that thou mightest still the enemy and the avenger." (v. 2.) How often has this been the case! When Christ was upon earth, babes sang his praise, when men hated him. Often ever since have infant tongues proclaimed his love, when men and women disregard his mercy, and live and die in their sins. (Matt. xi. 25; xxi. 16.)

Indeed, wherever we turn our eyes we behold some magnificent displays of his power and glory. Can you consider the heavens; and not see the work of his fingers? Can you survey the sun, moon, and stars; and not read the ordinations of his wisdom and power? Or, can you consider the case of man; lost, ruined, and helpless man; man sunk in all the ruins of the fall, and, left to himself, doomed to perish for ever; and not behold still greater manifestations of his wisdom, love, mercy, and grace? Would he think of this fallen being in mercy? Would he set his love upon him? Would he undertake his cause? Would he come down from heaven? For a little time, would he become a little lower than the angels? Would he suffer, bleed, groan, and die; yea, die upon the cross for his redemption and salvation? Would he, in his own most precious blood, wash away his sins? Would he, by his Spirit, renew his heart? Would he, by his grace, pull this brand out of the fire, number him with the children of God, and make him the happy monument of his mercy and love for evermore?

Is not this matchless grace and marvellous love indeed? How could the great and glorious Jehovah so manifest his love, mercy, grace, and power, as in the wonderful process of redemption and salvation? Creation sinks almost to nothing compared with the cross. The greatest glory shines in the face of Jesus. Christ. All comparison fails here by reason.

of the glory that excelleth. He is the "chiefest among ten thousand," and as altogether glorious as he is lovely. May he be high and glorious in our esteem! and lovely and precious to our soul! Then shall we be prepared to speak of his grace, and to shew forth his honour and praise.

PSALM IX.

1 David praiseth God for executing of judgment. 11 He inciteth others to praise him. 13 He prayeth that he may have cause to praise him.

I

To the chief Musician upon Muth-labben,
A Psalm of David.

WILL praise thee, O LORD, with my whole heart; I will shew forth all thy marvellous works.

2 I will be glad and rejoice in thee: I will sing praise to thy name, Ŏ thou most High.

3 When mine enemies are turned back, they shall fall and perish at thy presence.

4 For 'thou hast maintained my right and my cause; thou satest in the throne judging 'right.

5 Thou hast rebuked the heathen, thou hast destroyed the wicked, thou hast put out their name for ever and ever.

6'0 thou enemy, destructions are come to a perpetual end: and thou hast destroyed cities; their memorial is perished with

them.

7 But the LORD shall endure for ever: he hath prepared his throne for judgment.

8 And he shall judge the world in righteousness, he shall minister judgment to the people in uprightness.

9 The LORD also will be 'a refuge for the oppressed, a refuge in times of trouble.

10 And they that know thy name will put their trust in thee: for thou, LORD, hast not forsaken them that seek thee.

11 Sing praises to the LORD, which dwelleth in Zion: declare among the people his doings.

12 When he maketh inquisition for blood, he remembereth them: he forgetteth not the cry of the humble.

13 Have mercy upon me, O LORD; Consider my trouble which I suffer of them that hate me, thou that liftest me up from the gates of death:

14 That I may shew forth all thy praise in the gates of the daughter of Zion: I will rejoice in thy salvation.

15 The heathen are sunk down in the pit that they made: in the net which they hid is

their own foot taken.

16 The LORD is known by the judgment

which he executeth: the wicked is snared in the work of his own hands. "Higgaion. Selah.

17 The wicked shall be turned into hell, and all the nations that forget God.

18 For the needy shall not alway be forgotten: the expectation of the poor shall not perish for ever.

19 Arise, O LORD; let not man prevail: let the heathen be judged in thy sight.

20 Put them in fear, O LORD: that the nations may know themselves to be but men. Selah.

THIS is a remarkable psalm. God is praised for the wonderful works that he doeth. Others are called upon to praise him. The psalmist prays, that he may have fresh and continual cause to praise him.

Praise is a most delightful duty and privilege. It is a duty we owe to God. We ought to praise him. It is a very high privilege. A very great portion of our happiness consists in praising him. It is a sin not to praise God, because it is an essential part of the duty we owe him. He must be happy who does praise him; because that very spirit of praise denotes either that we have some true and saving knowledge of his words, or some experience of his mercy and grace, or both; and where that is the case, men cannot but be happy.

But we must be careful how this praise is to be rendered. "I will praise thee, O Lord, with my whole heart; I will shew forth all thy marvellous works. I will be glad and rejoice in thee. I will sing praise to thy name, O thou Most High" (v. 1, 2). Here are several things to be observed with respect to this most delightful exercise of praise. It must be the utterance of the heart; yea, of the whole heart. Nothing can avail, in the service of God, unless the heart be in it; and it ought to occupy the whole heart. The first requisition, which the Lord demands, is the heart. "My son, give me thine heart." The measure of obedience required by the law is, Thou shalt love (and so praise) the Lord thy God with all thy heart. The grand promise of the work of grace is fulfilled in the

heart. "A new heart will I give them." And when a sinner is accepted in the Beloved, that very spirit, by which he is enabled to love and bless the Lord, is shed abroad in the heart by the Holy Ghost given to us. Every part, therefore, of true and vital godliness originates in, and flows out from, the heart; and as repentance, and faith, and love, so praise must exist in, and proceed from, the heart. Hence David determines

praise the Lord with his whole heart." Such must be your feeling, otherwise you cannot really praise him at all, as you ought

to do.

In thus pouring forth the strains of praise, you must also be equally careful, that the right object receives this just revenue, and that the right motives are urged in its due exercise. We are to praise the Lord; not ourselves. We are to shew forth his marvellous works; not ours. We are to be glad and rejoice in him, not in ourselves. His name is to receive all the praise; not ours. To praise the Lord aright, then, we must have some acquaintance with him; some knowledge of his works; some experience of his grace; some saving insight into his glorious name. Praise cannot spring from ignorance. Dead souls cannot praise. "The living, the living, he shall praise thee." Lost sinners cannot praise him. How can you praise God for what you never had? How can you praise him whom you never knew? How can you praise him for what you have never felt, nor tasted, nor enjoyed? It cannot be. Must you not know something of his marvellous works, before you can praise him for them? Must you not know something of the marvellous work of creation; of the still more marvellous work of redemption; of the equally marvellous works of regeneration, conversion, and salvation, before you can praise the Lord for them? Must you not have received the forgiveness of your sins, and an inheritance among all them that are sanctified by the faith of Christ, before you can say, "Bless the Lord, O my soul, and all that is within me bless his holy name?" Ask, then, your own heart. Are you thus prepared to praise the Lord? Can you thus praise him? and do you thus utter forth his praises? If this be not the case, how can

13 Wherefore doth the wicked contemn God? he hath said in his heart, Thou wilt not require it.

14 Thou hast seen it; for thou beholdest mischief and spite, to requite it with thy hand the poor 13 committeth himself unto thee; thou art the helper of the fatherless.

15 Break thou the arm of the wicked and the evil man: seek out his wickedness till thou find none.

16 The LORD is King for ever and ever: the heathen are perished out of his land.

17 LORD, thou hast heard the desire of the humble thou wilt "prepare their heart, thou wilt cause thine ear to hear:

:

The mournful complaint. What is the nature of this complaint? The Lord seemed to stand at a distance from him, and to hide his face in the day of trouble. This made him uneasy and unhappy. Hence he pours out this complaint, and longs for more lively experience of his presence, mercy, and love. How may you know whether you really partake of the grace of God? Not always by your happy and joyful experience; but often by the uneasiness, sorrow, and trouble you feel when the Lord hides his face from you. Grace cannot live at a distance from God. What comes from God, leads to him. A gracious soul cannot be happy but in nearness to him; in the enjoyment of his favour; in the light of his countenance; in walking in his ways; in realising his salvation. He who can be satisfied without these blessings, is most assuredly in a very fearful state. He has much cause to fear, that his soul is in the gall of bitterness, and in the bonds of iniquity.

The awakening description. Here is a description of a wicked man. He is proud, full of sin and evil imaginations. He is a great boaster. He boasts of his own heart's desire; and loves and praises those whom

others, or deadly and destructive to himself. The judgments of God, in the ruin of his enemies and the protection of his people, are far above out of his sight. He neither understands nor cares for them. As for his enemies, he puffeth at them. His proud, presumptuous heart leads him to say, "I shall never be moved, for I shall never be in adversity." His mouth is full of cursing, deceit, and fraud. Any meanness, baseness, or villany, he can practise in order to accomplish his selfish and wicked ends. And to crown the whole, he says in his heart, "God hath forgotten; he hides his face; he will never see;" I may do as I like, and no one will ever call me to an account (v. 4-11). Is this a singular character? Is it not common? Though not in all the particulars, does it not apply, in most of the leading features, to the sinners of all times and all places? Then, would God be unjust if he took vengeance? If such sinners as these were cut off and cast into hell, would there be anything wrong in so doing? On the other hand, if any such sinners as these find mercy, must not the Lord be exceedingly merciful and gracious? See, then, the energetic prayer. could not contemplate these things without being deeply moved. He could not consider his own misery, but he prayed for its speedy removal and the Lord's gracious return. He could not behold this general wickedness, but he prayed the Lord to interpose. That such contemners and despisers may be arrested in their evil ways; that an end be put to their mischievous imaginations; that the Lord would arise and help the poor and the fatherless, who commit themselves to him; that he should hear the desire of the humble, prepare their heart, and hearken to their cry, are all proper subjects for prayer to the great King over all, that the earth may no more groan under such wickedness and oppres

David

of Christ may be more powerfully felt, and more extensively prevail, throughout the earth. Let us, then, cherish the mind here displayed. Let us learn to feel for the misery of the wicked, and pray for their repentance and conversion, after this eminent example. Assured that the "Lord is King for ever," we may confidently trust in him,