wonderful works of God, the establishment and preservation of his church in the world; for which she wishes all generations, after her example, to adore and praise his holy name, for ever and ever.

I. Great is the LORD, and greatly to be praised in the city of our God, in the mountain of his holiness." The Prophet preparing to celebrate the beauty and magnificence of the church, begins with setting forth the praises of her great Founder; whose wisdom, mercy, and power, as they are conspicuous in all his works, so, more especially, in this, the chief and crown of all; for which his name can never be sufficiently extolled, by the inhabitants of the new Jerusalem; and by them it ought to be extolled, for ever and ever.

2. Beautiful for situation, the joy of the whole earth is mount Zion, on the sides of the north, the city of the great King.'

How 'beautiful' is the holy and heavenly Zion, or the Christian church; how truly is she the joy of the whole earth,' by the glad tidings which her ministers continually publish; how properly is this Jerusalem styled, 'the city of the great King!'

3. God is known in her palaces for a refuge.'

The great Founder of the church is also her protector and defender; the dependence of the new Jerusalem, like that of the old, is not in man, or in the arm of flesh, but in the God who resideth in the midst of her. For, surely, unless he kept the holy city, the watchmen in the towers would wake but in vain.

4. For, lo, the kings were assembled, they passed by together.'

Never were the power and malice of earthly princes more violently bent to hinder the building of Jerusalem, or to pull down what was already built, than they were to prevent the edification of the church, and to root up its foundations. But the event, with regard to the latter, was the same which had often happened, in the case of the former.

5. They saw it, and so they marvelled; they were troubled, and hasted away.' 6. Fear took hold upon them there, and pain, as of a woman in travail.' The potentates of the world saw the miracles of the No. XXII.

Div.

Y

apostles, the courage and constancy of the martyrs, and the daily increase of the church, notwithstanding all their persecutions; they beheld with astonishment the rapid progress of the faith through the Roman empire; they called on their gods, but their gods could not help themselves; idolatry expired at the foot of the victorious cross, and the power which supported it became CHRISTIAN. 7. Thou breakest the ships of Tarshish with the east wind.'

In the foregoing verse, the consternation amongst the enemies of the church was compared to the horrors of a travailing woman; here it is likened to the apprehensions of despairing mariners. Nor indeed can any thing in nature more fitly represent the overthrow of Heathenism by the Spirit of the Gospel, than the wreck of a fleet of ships in a storm at sea. Both are effected by the mighty power of God.'

8. As we have heard, so have we seen in the city of the LORD of hosts, in the city of our God: God will es

tablish it for ever.'

The church heard, by the prophets, of the future birth, life, death, resurrection, and ascension of Messiah; of the effusion of the Spirit, and her own enlargement, establishment, and preservation, in the Gentile world. These predictions, which she had so often heard,' she hath 'seen' accomplished, even unto this day;2 and therefore doubts not of God's continuing his favor and protection to the end of time.

Sensus est: qualis ventus vehemens conterit naves magni maris, talis est Dei vis tuentis Jerusalem, et hostilem exercitum dissipantis. BOSSUET. Illustrations of this kind are sometimes introduced, by the sacred writers, with the mark of comparison; and frequently, as here, without it. The meaning evidently is, that as the east wind shatters in pieces the ships of Tarshish, so the divine power struck the Heathen kings with terror and astonishment.

2Sicut audivimus.'-Prophetia Isaiæ videtur hic notari; sensusque est: sicut audivimus ab Isaia prophetatum, fore ut obsidio mirabiliter solveretur, ac Sennacherabi dux Rabsaces, ejusque exercitus, cæderetur, sic impletum vidimus. Isa. xxxvii. 21. 2 Reg. xix. 20. Qua figura cœlestis Jerusalem incolæ et ipsi canunt, sicut audivimus,' ex auditu fidei, Gal. iii. 25. ' sic vidimus,' jam sublato velo, atque aperta Dei facie. 'Deus fundavit eam :' nihil habet metuendum, tanto exempta periculo. Prophetice, de Ecclesia fundata super petram, ideoque inconcussa. Matt. xvi. 18. Bossuet.

9. 'We have thought of,' or we wait in silence and pa tience for, thy loving-kindness, O God, in the midst of thy temple.'

Contemplation of all the wondrous works which the Lord our God hath wrought for us, produces faith in his promises, and resignation to his will : and he that, with these dispositions, waits for God's mercies, in God's house, shall not wait in vain.

10. According to thy name, O God, so is thy praise unto the ends of the earth: thy right hand is full of righteousness.'

Wherever the name of God is known, and his works are declared, there the sacrifice of praise must needs be offered to him, by men, who are made sensible of his mercies towards them: and the day is coming, when all the world shall be forced to acknowlege, that his right hand is full of righteousness," and his judgments are just.

11. Let mount Zion rejoice, let the daughters of Judah be glad, because of thy judgments.'

The church, and all her children, are exhorted to rejoice, with joy unspeakable and full of glory, on account of the manifestation of divine power, on her behalf, against her enemies. Thus, at the fall of the mystic Babylon, it is said Rejoice over her, thou heaven, and ye holy apostles and prophets, for God hath avenged you on her.' Rev. xviii. 20.

12. 'Walk about Zion, and go round about her: tell the towers thereof. 13. ، Mark ye well her bulwarks, consider her palaces; that ye may tell it to the generations following.'

Christians are here enjoined to contemplate, again and again, continually, the fabric of the spiritual Jerusalem, wonderfully raised, and as wonderfully preserved; to consider attentively the parts designed for use, for strength, for ornament; that they may be able to instruct posterity in the nature and history of this holy building, and in their duty of forwarding and defending the same, from generation to generation.

14. For this God is our God for ever and ever : he will be our guide even unto death."

Let the world worship whom or what it will, we wor

ship none other but Him who, by his Spirit, founded, and, by his power, preserveth the church; who, by that Spirit, 'guideth' us through life, and, by that power, will enable us to overcome 'death;' that so we may rejoice and triumph for evermore, as citizens of the city of God, and subjects of the King of glory.

PSALM XLIX.

ARGUMENT.

[The Prophet, after a solemn introduction, 1-4. in which the whole world is called on, to hear a lesson of divine wisdom, 5. proposes the subject in a question, implying the great folly of yielding to the temptation of fear, in the time of affliction and persecution, when the rich and the powerful are in arms against the innocent and righteous sufferer; inasmuch as, 5—9. no man, by his riches or power, can redeem his brother, or himself, in the evil day; but, 10. wise and foolish die, and leave their estates to others; and, 11-13. notwithstanding all their care and pains, are soon forgotten, while they are detained, by death, in the grave, till they rise to judgment and condemnation. On the other hand, the Prophet, in the person of Messiah, 15. declares his faith in a joyful resurrection to life and glory, through the power of Jehovah; and, 16-20. exhorts believers, neither to fear nor envy the man of the world, considering what his latter end is to be.]

1. Hear this, all ye people: give ear, all ye inhabitants of the world:' 2. Both low and high, rich and poor, together.'

This Psalm opens with great dignity, and the Prophet speaks as one having authority.' He demands an audience, like that which is to be assembled at the last day; having something to deliver, which is universally important and interesting; something which concerns every age, and condition, and nation, under heaven. And we may observe, that although the sound of this Psalm, when

This God will be our God to all eternity, and (by that power which he has already exerted in our protection) will conduct us through life with safety.' MERRICK.

first uttered, could be heard only within the confines of Judea, yet the knowlege of it hath since actually been diffused in the Christian church, throughout the world, from the rising to the setting sun. But how few, alas! have duly attended to the salutary lesson, which it so divinely teacheth.

3. My mouth shall speak of wisdom; and the meditation of my heart shall be of understanding.'

At the call of folly, what multitudes are always ready to assemble! But Wisdom, eternal and essential Wisdom, crieth without; she lifteth up her voice in the streets; and who is at leisure to attend her heavenly lectures? The 'mouth' of Jesus always' spake of wisdom?' but few regarded him: the 'meditation of his heart' was ever 'of understanding;' but it was accounted madness.

4. 'I will incline mine ear to a parable: I will open my dark saying upon the harp.'

In the promulgation of wisdom and understanding to the world, the Prophet, as the faithful scribe of the Spirit, was to speak only what he should hear, by 'inclining his ear,' to his divine Teacher; he was to speak in the way of parable,' or proverb, or problem, that is, in such a way as should require study and diligence, to unfold and explain; in such a way, as the world is not inclined to understand, or listen to; as our Lord delivered his doctrines when on earth. And, that melody might serve as a vehicle for instruction, this important lesson was to be set to music, and played on the harp.

5. Wherefore should I fear in the days of evil, when the iniquity of my heels shall compass me about?

The iniquity of my heels,' says Bishop Lowth, is hardly sense. Suppose apr to be, not a noun, but the present participle of the verb; it will then be 'The wickedness of those that lie in wait for me,' or 'endeavour to supplant me.' Bishop Hare likewise, as Mr. Merrick has observed, translates apy, insidiantium mihi.' I had, at first, given another turn to the Psalmist's question, and by the iniquity of my heels,' had understood to be meant, the iniquity of my footsteps,' that is, my goings,' or 'ways;' (apr being used for footsteps, Ps. lvi. 7. and Cant. i. 8.) as if it had been said-Why, for