to dwell with "the living God;" to see the face of Him, "in whom is life, and the life is the light of men?" John i. 4. Did the Israelites, from all parts of Judea, go up, with the voice of jubilee, to keep a feast at Jerusalem; and shall Christians grieve, when the time is come for them to ascend, and to celebrate an eternal festival in heaven? 3. Yea, the sparrow hath found an house, and the swallow, or, ringdove, a nest for herself, where she may lay her young, even thine altars, O LORD of hosts, my King and my God. The Psalmist is generally supposed, in this verse, to lament his unhappiness, in being deprived of all access to the tabernacle, or temple, a privilege enjoyed even by the birds, who were allowed to build their nests in the neighbourhood of the sanctuary. It is evidently the design of this passage to intimate to us, that in the house, and at the altar of God, a faithful soul findeth freedom from care and sorrow, quiet of mind, and gladness of spirit; like a bird that has secured a little mansion for the reception and education of her young. And there is no heart, endued with sensibility, which doth not bear its testimony to the exquisite beauty and propriety of this affecting image. 4. Blessed are they that dwell in thy house: they will be, or, are, still praising thee. Here the metaphor is dropped, and the former sentiment expressed in plain language. "Blessed are," not the mighty and opulent of the earth, but "they that dwell in thy house," the ministers of the eternal temple in heaven, the angels and the spirits of just men made perfect; their every passion is resolved into love, every duty into praise; hallelujah succeeds hallelujah; "they are still," still for ever, "praising thee." And blessed, next to them, are those ministers and members of the Church here below, who in disposition, as well as employment, do most resemble them. 5. Blessed is the man whose strength is in thee; in whose heart are the ways of them: Heb. the ways are in the heart of them. Not only they are pronounced blessed who "dwell" in the temple, but all they also who are "travelling" thitherward (as the whole Jewish nation was wont to do three times in a year), and who are therefore meditating on their "journey," and on the "way" which leadeth to the holy city, trusting in God to "strengthen," and prosper, and conduct them to the house of his habitation, the place where his glory dwelleth. Such a company of sojourners are Christians, going up to the heavenly Jerusalem; such ought to be their trust in God, and such the subject of their thoughts1. 6. Who, passing through the valley of Baca, make it a well the rain also filleth the pools. 7. They go from strength to strength, every one of them in Zion appeareth before God; or, the God of gods appeareth, i. e. to them in Zion. After numberless uncertain conjectures offered by commentators upon the construction of these two verses, it seemeth impossible for us to attain to any other than a general idea of their true import; which is this, that the Israelites, or some of 1 In ejus animo versantur semitæ ferentes ad templum quo properat. Morali sensu; quicunque sanctus est, quotidie in priora extenditur, et præteritorum obliviscitur, cum Paulo, Phil. iii. 13.-BOSSUET. Jerusalem is represented in the New Testament as a type of heaven. I see nothing irrational, therefore, in supposing, that the inspired writer, in describing the ascent to Jerusalem, might have in view also that spiritual progress, leading to the city which is above, the mother of us all. The words before us are certainly very applicable to the advances made, in this progress, from strength to strength, from one stage of Christian perfection to another.-MERRICK. them, passed, in their way to Jerusalem, through a valley that had the name of "Baca," a noun derived from a verb which signifies to "weep ;" that in this valley they were refreshed by plenty of water; that with renewed vigour they proceeded from stage to stage, until they presented themselves before God in Zion. The present world is to us this valley of weeping; in our passage through it, we are refreshed by the streams of Divine grace, flowing down from the great fountain of consolation; and thus are we enabled to proceed from one degree of holiness to another, until we come to the glorified vision of God in heaven itself. Mr. Merrick's poetical version of this passage is extremely beautiful, and applies at once to the case of the Israelite, and to that of the Christian :— Blest, who, their strength on Thee reclined, 8. O LORD God of hosts, hear my prayer: give ear, O God of Jacob. 9. Behold, O God our shield, and look upon the face of thine anointed. After extolling the happiness of those who dwelt in the temple, and of those who had access to it, the Psalmist breaks forth into a most ardent prayer to his God, for a share in that happiness. He addresseth Him as "the Lord of hosts;" Almighty in power; as "the God of Jacob," infinite in mercy and goodness to his people; as their "shield," the object of all their trust for defence and protection; and beseecheth Him to "look upon the face of his anointed," that is, of David, if he were king of Israel when this Psalm was written; or rather of Messiah', in whom God is always well pleased; for whose sake He hath mercy upon us, through whose name and merits our prayers are accepted, and the kingdom of heaven is opened to all believers. 10. For a day in thy courts is better than a thousand: I had rather be a door-keeper in the house of my God, than to dwell in the tents of wickedness. One day spent in meditation and devotion, affordeth a pleasure, far, far superior to that which an age of worldly prosperity could give. Happier is the least and lowest of the servants of Jesus, than the greatest and most exalted potentate who knoweth Him not. And he is no proper judge of blessedness who hesitates a moment to prefer the condition of a penitent in the porch, to that of a sinner on the throne. If this be the case upon earth, how much more in heaven? O come that one glorious day, whose sun shall never go down, nor any cloud obscure the lustre of his beams; that day, when the temple of God shall be opened in heaven, and we shall be admitted to serve Him for ever therein ! 11. For the LORD God is a sun and shield: the LORD will give grace and glory: no good thing will he withhold from them that walk uprightly. Jesus Christ is our "Lord," and our "God;" He is a "sun" to enlighten and direct us in the way, and a "shield" to protect us against the 1 "Christi tui ;" regis, qui Christi figura.-Bossuet. enemies of our salvation; He will give "grace" to carry us on "from strength to strength," and "glory" to crown us when we "appear before him in Zion;" He will "withhold" nothing that is "good" and profitable for us in the course of our journey, and will Himself be our reward when we come to the end of it. 12. O LORD of hosts, blessed is the man that trusteth in thee. While, therefore, we are strangers and sojourners here below, far from that heavenly country where we would be, in whom should we trust to bring us to the holy city, New Jerusalem, of which the Lord God and the Lamb are the temple, but in thee, O Saviour and Redeemer, who art the Head of every creature, the Captain of the armies of heaven and earth, the Lord of hosts, and the King of glory? "Blessed," thrice "blessed, is the man that trusteth in thee." PSALM LXXXV. ARGUMENT. This Psalm, appointed by the Church to be used on Christmasday, 1--3, celebrateth the redemption of the Israel of God from their spiritual captivity under sin and death; 4-7, teacheth us to pray for the full accomplishment of that redemption in ourselves; 8-11, describeth the incarnation of Christ, with the joyful meeting of mercy and truth, righteousness and peace, at his birth, and 12, 13, the blessed effects of his advent. 1. LORD, thou hast been favourable unto thy land: thou hast brought back the captivity of Jacob. 2. Thou hast forgiven the iniquity of thy people, thou hast covered all their sin. 3. Thou hast taken away all thy wrath: thou hast turned thyself from the fierceness of thine anger. These three verses speak of the deliverance from captivity, as already brought about; whereas, in |