that, although He dwelleth in the highest heavens, He surveyeth not only the outward acts, but the very hearts and imaginations of men upon earth-must we not each of us cry out, "Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; it is high, I cannot attain unto it;" I cannot admire it enough, for I cannot conceive of it aright !- "The actual, constant consideration of God's presence would be the readiest way in the world to make sin to cease from among the children of men, and for men to approach to the blessed estate of the saints in heaven, who cannot sin, for they always walk in the presence, and behold the face of God." See Bishop Taylor's "Holy Living," chap. i. sect. 3. 7. Whither shall I go from thy Spirit? Or whither shall I flee from thy presence? 8. If I ascend up into heaven, thou art there: If I make my bed in hell, or, the grave, behold thou art there. 9. If I take the wings of the morning, and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea: 10. Even there shall thy hand lead me, and thy right hand shall hold me. 11. If I say, Surely the darkness shall cover me; even the night shall be light about me. 12. Yea, the darkness hideth not from thee: but the night shineth as the day: the darkness and the light are both alike to thee. We can never sin with security, but in a place where the eye of God cannot behold us. And where is that place? Had we a mind to escape his inspection," whither should we go?" Heaven is the seat of his glory, creation the scene of his providence, and the grave itself will be the theatre of his power; so that our efforts will be equally vain, whether we ascend, or descend, or fly abroad upon the wings of the morning light, which diffuseth itself with such velocity over the globe from east to west. The arm of the Almighty will still VOL. II. E e at pleasure prevent, and be ready to arrest, the fugitives in their progress. Darkness may, indeed, conceal us and our deeds from the sight of men; but the Divine presence, like that of the sun, turns night into day, and makes all things manifest before God. The same consideration which should restrain us from sin, should also encourage us to work righteousness, and comfort us under all our sorrows; namely, the thought, that we are never out of the sight and protection of our Maker. The piety and the charity, which are practised in cottages; the labour and the pain which are patiently endured in the field, and on the bed of sickness; the misery and torment inflicted by persecution in the mines, the galleys, and the dungeons; all are under the inspection of Jehovah, and are noted down by Him against the day of recompense. sees, and He will reward, all we do, and all we suffer, as becometh Christians. He who, for our sakes, caused his Son to descend from heaven to the lower parts of the earth, and from thence to ascend to heaven again, will watch over, preserve, and re-assemble the parts of our bodies, though dissolved in the grave, buried in the ocean, or dispersed to the four winds. So that, with allusion to this event also, a dying servant of God may exclaim, Whither can I go from thy Spirit? Or whither can I flee from thy presence? If, as to my spiritual part, I ascend into heaven, thou art there to receive me; if, as touching my body, I make my bed in N, or the grave, behold thou art there, to secure me. If I take the wings of the wind, or those yet more expeditious ones of the morning, and am carried by them to dwell in the midst of the sea, instead of the bowels of the earth, still shall I be under thy power and providence; even there shall thy hand lead me, and thy right hand shall hold me fast, preserving me for a joyful resurrection at the time appointed. 13. For thou hast possessed, or, formed, my reins; thou hast covered me in my mother's womb. 14. I will praise thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made: marvellous are thy works; and that my soul knoweth right well. That God seeth in darkness, and that from Him nothing is hidden, his knowledge of, and power over our most inward parts, do plainly show. He "formed," and He therefore "possesseth," as his own property, our "reins," and is consequently privy to all those affections and desires which flow from thence. It was He who "covered" us in the womb, or, as it is elsewhere expressed, Job x. 11, who "clothed us with skin and flesh, and fenced us with bones and sinews;" a work so astonishing, that before the Psalmist proceeds in his description of it, he cannot help breaking forth in rapture at the thought: "I will praise thee, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made!" 66 Obstupeo, et memet læta formidine lustro, With awful joy I view this frame of mine, 15. My substance was not hid from thee, when I was made in secret, and curiously wrought, or variegated like needle-work, in the lowest parts of the earth. 16. Thine eyes did see my substance, yet being imperfect; and in thy book all my members were written, which in continuance were fashioned, when as yet there was none of them. By the "lower parts of the earth" is undoubtedly to be understood the "womb," where the foetus is gradually formed and matured for the birth, like plants and flowers under ground. The process is compared to that in a piece of work wrought with a needle, or fashioned in the loom; which with all its beautiful variety of colour, and proportion of figure, ariseth by degrees to perfection under the hand of the artist, framed according to a pattern lying before him, from a rude mass of silk, or other materials. Thus, by the wisdom and power of God, and after a plan delineated in his book, is a shapeless mass wrought up into the most curious texture of nerves, veins, arteries, bones, muscles, membranes, and skin, most skilfully interwoven and connected with each other, until it becometh a body, harmoniously diversified with all the limbs and lineaments of a man, not one of which at first appeared, any more than the figures were to be seen in the ball of silk. But then (which is the chief thing here insisted on by the Psalmist), whereas the human artificer must have the clearest light whereby to accomplish his task, the Divine workmaster seeth in secret, and effecteth all his wonders within the dark and narrow confines of the womb. The re-formation of our corrupted and dissolved bodies, which is to be wrought, at the last day, in the womb of the earth, in order to their new birth, will crown all the works of the Almighty. 17. How precious also are thy thoughts unto, or, concerning, me, O God! how great is the sum of them! 18. If I should count them, they are more in number than the sand: when I awake, I am still with thee. From the wonders of God's forming hand, the Psalmist proceeds to those of his all-directing providence, which afford additional proofs of the Divine omniscience and omnipresence. The "thoughts" and counsels of Jehovah concerning David, his appointment to the throne, his troubles and his preservation in the midst of them, were "precious" and delightful subjects of meditation and praise, never to be exhausted of the rich matter they contained. With these in his mind he lay down at night to rest, and "when he awoke" in the morning, his thoughts naturally recurred to the pleasing theme; he began where he had left off, and found himself, in heart and soul, "still present with God," still ruminating on Him and his works. The mercies of Heaven in the redemption of the Church, by the sufferings and exaltation of the true David, according to the Divine decree concerning Himhow precious are they to believers! How great is the sum, how far exceeding all human arithmetic to number them! Let them be to us the constant subjects of contemplation, admiration, aud thanksgiving, day and night; and let death, that last sleep, find us engaged in an employment, which, when we awake and arise from the grave, we shall resume, and prosecute to eternity in the presence of God. 19. Surely thou wilt slay the wicked, O God: or, Wilt thou not slay the wicked, O God? depart from me, therefore, ye blood-thirsty men. 20. For they speak against thee wickedly, and thine enemies take thy name in vain. David now draws the intended conclusion from the premises, so largely expatiated upon in the former part of the Psalm. As if he had saidAnd wilt thou not, O God, Thou who art every where present, seeing and knowing all things: Thou to whom the justice of my cause, and the iniquity of mine adversaries, are equally open; Thou who hast formed, and hitherto, in so wonderful a manner, watched over and preserved thy servant; "wilt Thou not slay the wicked," and deliver me, as Thou hast promised to do, out of their hands? I know Thou wilt; "depart from me, therefore, ye blood-thirsty men;" I trust in |