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2 Then fhall he judge thy people according unto right: and

defend the poor.

3 The mountains alfo fhall bring peace: and the little hills righteoufnefs unto the people.

4 He fhall keep the fimple folk by their right: defend the children of the poor, and punish the wrong docr.

5 They fhall fear thee as long as the fun and moon endureth: from one generation to another.

6 *He fhall come down like the rain into a fleece of wool: even as the drops that water the earth.

7 In his time fhall the righteous flourish: yea, and abundance fo long as the moon endureth.

of peace,

His dominion fhall be alfo from the one fea to the other: and from the flood unto the worlds end.

9 They that dwell in the wilderness shall kneel before him: his enemies fhall lick the duft.

10 The kings of Tharfis, and of the ifles fhall give presents: the kings of Arabia, and Saba fhall bring gifts.

11 All kings shall fall down before him: all nations fhall do him fervice.

12 For he shall deliver the poor when he crieth: the needy also, and him that hath no helper.

13 He fhall be favourable to the fimple and needy: and shall preferve the fouls of the poor..

He fhall deliver their fouls from falfhood and wrong: and dear fhall their blood be in his fight.

implies that David would always gratefully acknow ledge the divine goodness towards him in delivering him from his Enemies: afcribing the glory to God, and to him alone. Such is the conduct of him whofe Heart is duly affected with a fenfe of God's Mercies.

This Pfalm was probably wrote a little before David's death, when he had declared Solomon to be his fucceffor, had ordered him to be anointed by Zadoc, and publickly inaugurated, 1 Kings i. Hercin he commends his Son to God, befeeching him to endue him with fuch Wisdom and Righteousness as would enable

him to govern his People: defcribing, at the fame time, the future glory and extent of Solomon's Kingdom, and the happiness his Subjects would enjoy under him. Yet, feveral of the antient Jewish Writers allow that this Pfalm relates, in a more exalted fenfe, to the Meffiah.

* He fhall come down like the Rain, &c. This may be applied in a temporal fenfe to Solomon's wife adminiftration of justice, whereby his Kingdom and People fhould flourish and increase. But it feems to be mot perfectly fulfilled in the influence which Chrift's Doe

15 He fhall live, and unto him shall be given of the gold of Arabia: prayer fhall be made ever unto him, and daily shall he be praised.

16 There shall be an heap of corn in the earth, high upon the hills: his fruit fhall fhake like Libanus, and fhall be green the city like grass upon the earth.

17 His Name fhall endure for ever, his Name shall remain under the fun among the pofterities: which shall be blessed through him, and all the heathen fhall praife him.

18 Bleffed be the Lord God, even the God of Ifrael: which only doeth wondrous things;

19 And bleffed be the Name of his Majefty for ever: and all the earth fhall be filled with his Majefty. Amen, Amen.

EVENING PRA Y E R.

Pfalm 73. Quam bonus Ifrael!

RULY God is loving unto Ifrael: even unto fuch as are of a clean heart.

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2 Nevertheless, my feet were almoft gone: my treadings had well-nigh flipt.

3 And why? I was grieved at the wicked: I do alfo fee the un godly in fuch prosperity.

4 For they are in no peril of death: but are lufty and strong. 5 They come in no misfortune like other folk: neither are they plagued like other men.

6 And this is the cause that they are so holden with pride: and overwhelmed with cruelty.

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luft.

Their eyes

swell with fatnefs: and they do even what they

8 They corrupt other, and speak of wicked blafphemy: their talking is against the most High.

trine hath upon all true Believers: by which they are rendered fruitful in every good Work, increafing with the increase of God, Col. i. 10. See alfo Ifaiah lv. 10, 11. This Palm teacheth us how we ought to judge of

the profperity of the Wicked, and the afflictions o the Righteous. For that the felicity of the Wicked is, at beft, but fleeting, tranfitory and unfubftantial; whereas the Righteous enjoy comfort and peace, amit

9 For they stretch forth their mouth unto the heaven: and their tongue goeth through the world.

10 Therefore fall the people unto them: and thereout fuck they no small advantage,

11 Tush, say they, how should God perceive it: is there knowledge in the most High?

12 Lo, thefe are the ungodly, thefe profper in the world, and thefe have riches in poffeffion: and I faid, Then have I cleansed my heart in vain, and washed mine hands in innocency.

13 All the day long have I been punished: and chaftened every morning.

14 Yea, and I had almost said even as they: but lo, then I should have condemned the generation of thy children.

me,

15 Then thought I to understand this: but it was too hard for

16 Until I went into the fanctuary of God: then understood I the end of these men;

17 Namely, how thou doft fet them in flippery places: and cafteft them down, and destroyest them.

18 Oh how fuddenly do they confume: perish, and come to a fearful end !

19 Yea, even like as a dream when one awaketh fo fhalt thou make their image to vanish out of the city.

20 Thus my heart was grieved: and it went even through my

reins.

21 So foolish was I, and ignorant: even as it were a beast before thee.

22 Nevertheless, I am alway by thee: for thou haft holden me by my right hand.

23 Thou fhalt guide me with thy counfel: and after that receive me with glory.

their deepest diftreffes, from the confideration that they are under the continual care and protection of a gra

M

cious God, who will make all things work, together for good to them that love him.

*Whom have I in heaven but thee: and there is none upon earth, that I defire in comparison of thee.

24

25 My flesh, and my heart faileth: but God is the ftrength of my heart, and my portion for ever.

26 For lo, they that forfake thee fhall perish: thou haft deftroyed all them that commit fornication against thee.

27 But it is good for me to hold me faft by God, to put my trust in the Lord God: and to speak of all thy works in the gates of the daughter of Sion.

OG

Pfalm 74. Ut quid, Deus?

GOD, wherefore art thou abfent from us fo long: why is thy wrath fo hot against the sheep of thy pasture?

2 O think upon thy congregation whom thou haft purchased,

and redeemed of old.

3 Think upon the tribe of thine inheritance: and mount Sion, wherein thou haft dwelt.

4 Lift up thy feet, that thou mayeft utterly destroy every ene my: which hath done evil in thy fanctuary.

5 Thine adverfaries roar in the midst of thy congregations: and fet up their banners for tokens.

6 He that hewed timber afore out of the thick trees: was known to bring it to an excellent work.

7 But now they break down all the carved work thereof: with axes and hammers.

8 They have fet fire upon thy holy places: and have defiled the dwelling-place of thy Name, even unto the ground.

9 Yea, they faid in their hearts, Let us make havock of them altogether: thus have they burnt up all the houfes of God in the land.

"If a Man

Whom have I in Heaven but thee, c. "were to chufe a Happiness for himself, (fays Dr. Tillotfon, on this paffage,) and were to ranfack Heaven and Earth for it; after all his fearch and enquiry he "would at laft fix upon God, as the chief happiness "of Man, and the true and only reft and center of our "Soul."

The destruction of the Temple seems to have been the occafion of this Pfalm in which the Jewish Nation defcribes the melancholy fituation to which it is redu ced in its captivity-implores the affiftance of the Almighty, and is comforted with the confideration of the deliverances he had formerly granted to that People, and the proofs of his power in the order of the

10 We fee not our tokens, there is not one prophet more: no, not one is there among us, that understandeth any more.

11 O God, how long fhall the adverfary do this difhonour: how long shall the enemy blafpheme thy Name, for ever?

12 Why withdraweft thou thy hand: why pluckest thou not thy right hand out of thy bofom to confume the enemy?

13 For God is my King of old: the help that is done upon earth, he doeth it himself.

14 Thou didst divide the sea through thy power: thou brakest the heads of the dragons in the waters.

15 * Thou smotest_the heads of Leviathan in pieces: and gavest him to be meat for the people in the wilderness.

16 Thou broughteft out fountains, and waters out of the hard rocks: thou driedft up mighty waters.

17 The day is thine, and the night is thine: thou haft prepared the light and the fun.

18 Thou haft fet all the borders of the earth: thou haft made fummer and winter.

19 Remember this, O Lord, how the enemy hath rebuked: and how the foolish people hath blasphemed thy Name.

20 O deliver not the foul of thy turtle dove unto the multitude of the enemies: and forget not the congregation of the poor for

ever.

21 Look upon the covenant: for all the earth is full of darkness, and cruel habitations.

22 O let not the fimple go away ashamed: but let the poor and needy give praise unto thy Name.

23 Arife, O God, maintain thine own caufe: remember how the foolish man blasphemeth thee daily.

World, and the common courfe of Nature..

Thou fmoteft the Heads of Leviathan in pieces, &c. By this is fgnified the deftruction of Pharaoh and his Hoft in the Red Sea; who being afterwards caft upon

the fhore, the Ifraelites probably were enriched with their fpoils.-The remembrance of paft Mercies encou rage us to hope for more.

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