the mouths of the most pernicious opposers of thee, and of thy people: as the far more to be celebrated works of the Messiah and his disciples, when they shall but speak the word, shall confound even the devil himself, that great enemy of thine, and tormentor of mankind;

Ver. 3. When I consider thy heavens, the work of thy fingers, the moon and the stars, which thou hast ordained;] Who are extremely stupid, if they do not most thankfully acknowledge thy singular love to them. For ,when I seriously look up to thy celestial habitation, and consider the vastness of that admirable structure, and behold also those lights which thou hast placed. there in beautiful order;

Ver. 4. What is man, that thou art mindful of him? and the son of man, that thou visitest him?] I know not what to say, but am perfectly astonished to think, that thou, whose greatness I see so visibly in the heavens, shouldest condescend so far as to shew such grace and favour as thou dost to this wretched creature man; particularly to me, who am the meanest of my brethren. Lord, what am I, that thou shouldest work such salvation by my hands? nay, what is the greatest prince in the world, that thou shouldest thus honour him? But that thou shouldest advance our mortal nature so highly in that Son of man, the Lord Christ, whom the world will vilify and despise, exceeds all wonder, and ought to be the matter of our perpetual admiration.

Ver. 5. For thou hast made him a little lower than the angels, and hast crowned him with glory andhonour.] Thou hast raised man to such a dignity,. and honoured him so highly, (particularly me, whom thou hast used as thy minister to punish that insulting giant, who defied thy armies, 2 Sam. xvii.), that he is not much inferior to the celestial hosts: As shall be more clearly seen in thy Son Christ, whom thou hast determined to advance far above the highest angels in heaven; after he hath for a short space been much beneath them, by submitting himself to a poor condition in our flesh, that he might lay down his life for man, (Heb. xi. 6. 7. &c.).

Ver. 9. O LORD our LORD, how excellent is thy name in all the earth!] All which moves me again to cry out, and conclude as I began, in the highest admiration of thy most powerful wisdom and goodness, saying, O mighty Lord, our most gracious Governor, who can comprehend the excellent greatness of thy majesty? O how transcendent is thy loving-kindness, in all thou hast done, and wilt do for man! how loudly ought the whole world to sound forth thy praise!

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PSALM IX.

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

THE ARGUMENT.-A psalm which David composed and delivered to the master of music in the tabernacle, when he was in some great distress, (ver. 13.), wherein he commemorates God's former deliverance of him; both when he killed Goliah, and got frequent victories afterward over the Philistines, and other enemies of Israel, ver. 11. 15. mention Goliah, because, among the various opinions about Muth-labben, I find none so probable as theirs, who think it hath some relation to him: to whom there are three ways of applying those Hebrew words. All of them, by Almuth,; understand to be meant upon the death. And then Labben, som (think, signifies the son, that is, a great man, as I have expounded in my preface to this Work. Others render it the white; that is, an illustrious, noble person, or one famous in arms, as Goliah was. Others render it intermediate, which agrees also to that champion, who came out and stood between the two armies, and defied Israel, 1 Sam. xvii. 4. &c. Thus the Chaldee Paraphrase here interpreis. But that this psalm was not made just after David's victory over him, with respect merely to his death, is apparent from his mention of Sion, ver. 11 14. which was not then in the hands of Israel. And therefore, he only calls to mind (as I said in the beginning) this deliverance, upon some fresh occasion he had to implore the mighty assistance of the divine power, which then first began to appear to him.

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Ver. 8. The fowl of the air, and the fishes of the sea, and whatsoever passes through the paths of the seas.], Yea, and the fowls of the air cannot fly so high, but he hath ways to reach them: nor can the fishes in lakes or rivers, or those in the deepest ocean, exempt themselves from his dominion.

Ver. 3. When mine enemics are turned back, they shall fall, and perish at thy presence.] It was thou who madest my enemies turn their backs, and seek for safety in flight, (1 Sam. xvii. 51.), and the dread of thee so pursued them, that they stumbled, and fell down wounded, (ver. 52.), and were destroyed, be cause they saw thee appear against them.

Ver. 4. For thou hast maintained my right, and my cause; thou sattest in the throne judging right.] For in that great controversy between us and the Philistines, (1 Sam. xvii. 9.), wherein I stood up against Goliah, thou didst take my part, (as thou hast done since in many other battles), asserting the cause which I defended, and openly giving judgement on my side.

Ver. 5. Thou hast rebuked the heathen, thou hast destroyed the wicked, thou hast put out their name for ever and ever.] Thou hast given a terrible rebuke to the audacious insolence of those nations; thou hast cut off their daring champion, who so impiously defied thy armies, and cursed me by his gods: Thou hast put them to shame, and made their names infamous to all generations.

Ver. 6. 0 thou enemy, destructions are come to a perpetual end: And thou hast destroyed cities, their memorial is perished with them.] Othou insulting enemy! who in thy own thoughts hadst completely devoured us, where are the utter desolations thou threatenedst to our country? and the cities which thou intendedst to lay even with the ground? How vain were thy hopes of leaving no remembrance of them,

but in their ruins!

Ver. 7. But the LORD shall endure for ever: he hath prepared his throne for judgement.] Such shall be the end of the rest of my enemies, who can never prevail against the Lord. For, though earthly thrones may tumble down, he and his throne cannot possibly be disturbed, but remain fixed for ever; and his justice is as immutable, which he will equally dis

pense to all.

Ver. 8. And he shall judge the world in righteousness, he shall minister judgement to the people in upright ness.] For his jurisdiction is not limited, nor can his justice be corrupted: but the whole world is under his government, and no wicked man is so powerful, that he should be able to escape his vengeance, which shall pursue every one of them, and render to them exactly according as they deserve.

Ver. 9. The LORD also will be a refuge for the oppressed, a refuge in times of trouble.] And as he will punish the wicked, be their authority never so great; so he will preserve the righteous, be they never so helpless. They may safely fly unto him for sanctuary against the unjust persecutions of their mighty oppressors, and he will give them seasonable relief in all their distresses.

Ver. 10. And they that know thy name will put their trust in thee: For thou, Lord, bast not forsaken them that seek thee.] All they that are acquainted with thee, and with the merciful and just methods of thy providence, will consent to this; and, abhorring all undue ways of saving themselves in troublesome

times, will heartily confide in thee: For it was never known, that thou, Lord, hast left any man destitute of thy help, who hath piously made his constant addresses to thee.

Ver. 11. Sing praises to the LORD, which dwelleth in Zion: declare among the people his doings.] Let them join therefore their songs with mine, and praise the Lord, who dwells among us by his special presence in the sanctuary. Let us make all the world know what wonderful things he hath done for us, that they may also learn to trust in him :

Ver. 12. When he maketh inquisition for blood, he remembereth them: be forgetteth not the cry of the bumble.] Who, though he may seem to wink for a time at the cruelty of violent men, yet will call them at last to a strict account for all the innocent blood they have shed, and for their unjust and unmerciful usage of meek and humble persons; whose cry he never forgets, (though he doth not presently answer it), but takes a fit time to be avenged of their oppressors.

Ver. 13. Have mercy upon me, O LORD, consider my trouble, which I suffer of them that hate me, thou that lifiest me up from the gutes of death ;] In confidence of this, I cry unto thee now, O Lord, for my seasonable relief, in this necessitous condition to which my ene. mies have reduced me. O merciful God, who hast delivered me from the greatest dangers, from the lion and the bear, from Goliah, who thought to give my flesh to the birds and the beasts, (1 Sam. vii. 44.), from Saul, and all others who were ready to swallow me up; cast a gracious eye upon my present distress, and bring me out of it.

Ver. 14. That I may shew forth all thy praise in the gates of the daughter of Zion: I will rejoice in thy salvation.] That I may go into thy sanctuary, (which now thou hast placed in Sion), and there, in the most frequent assemblies of thy people, add this to all the rest of thy praises, that thou hast heard my cry. O how joyful shall I be! how shall I triumph, when I magnify thy power in my deliverance !

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Ver. 15. The heathen are sunk down in the pit that they made in the net which they bid, is their own foot taken.] Which the experience I have had of thy goodness makes me comfortably expect: for I have often seen all the designs and contrivances of the Philistines and other nations against thy people, to conclude in nothing but their own utter ruin; their engines recoil upon themselves, as Goliah was slain by his own sword.

Ver. 16. The LORD is known by the judgement which he executeth the wicked is snared in the work of his own hands. Higgain. Selab.] This is a thing notorious to all, and for which thou art renowned. By this thou convincest the minds that deny thy providence. Nor is there any thing more admirable, and worthy of our meditation, than this thy righteous judgement upon the ungodly; when they are entangled in their own devices, and, contrary to all expectation, bring upon themselves that destruction which they had prepared for others.

Ver. 17. The wicked shall be turned into bell, and. all the nations that forget God.] This makes me con

fident that I am not deceived, when I look to see these wicked men, who now seek my ruin, precipitate themselves into the pit of destruction. Nay, so shall all those people perish, (though never so numerous), who, forgetting what God had done to others, proceed on in the same impious designs against the in

nocent.

Ver. 18. For the needy shall not alway be forgotten:_the_ expectation of the poor shall not perish for ever.] For the Lord, in due time, will shew that he doth not neglect them when they are poor and helpless, though for the present he defer to relieve them. Let them patiently wait upon him under their affliction, and he will not fail their expectation.

Ver. 19. Arise, O LORD, let not man prevail: let the heathen be judged in thy sight.] And may I desire thee, O Lord, to delay no longer? O suffer not weak and wretched man to domineer on this fashion, nay, boast of his victories; but call all those nations that oppose thee to an account, and condemn them to that punishment which they deserve.

Ver. 20. Put them in fear, O LORD, that the nations may know themselves to be but men.] Strike a terror into them, O Lord, by some sharp vengeance inflicted on them. Shake out of their mind the vain opinion they have of themselves and of their power; and make the nations sensible they are but frail and miserable men.

PSALM X.

THE ARGUMENT.-It is not known by whom, or on what occasion, this psalm was composed: but it is a most lively description of the insolency of wicked atheistical men, when they have power, and are in authority; which they abuse to the oppression of the meaner or weaker sort, and make no conscience by what arts they bring their designs about. Against whom the Psalmist humbly beseeches the divine vengeance, and rests confident they shall be suppressed.

Ver. 1. WHY standest thou afar off, O LORD? why hidest thou thyself in times of trouble?] It is strange, O Lord, to see thee, who hast done us the peculiar honour to say, we have thee nigh unto us on all occasions, (Deut. iv. 7.), now withdraw thyself to such a distance from us, that there is no sign of thy coming to our relief. It perplexes our thoughts, and we cannot find the reason of it, that now, in these grievous straits, which seem to us the fittest opportunity, thou dost not appear for our de

liverance.

Ver. 2. The wicked in his pride doth persecute the poor: let them be taken in the devices that they have imagined.] If our great affliction do not move thy pity towards us, yet the intolerable pride, and insolent rage of the wicked, we are prone to expect, should meet with a rebuke from thy just indignation. Especially since he oppresses the poor, who have no friend but thee alone; whose glory also it is to humble arrogant men, by making those very devices cast

them down, whereby they thought to ruin others, and exalt themselves. O that we might see them fall in this remarkable manner!

Ver. 3. For the wicked boasteth of his heart's desire, and blesseth the covetous, whom the LORD abhorreth.] For whilst the wicked prospers thus in all his designs, he is not only encouraged in those evil courses, but glories in them, and brags that he can do what he lists. Nay, it doth not suffice him to do evil himself, but he commends and praises the unjust extortioners and rapines of other violent men; whom he accounts happy, though the Lord abhors them.

Ver. 4. The wicked, through the pride of his countenance, will not seek after God: God is not in all his thoughts.] But it is to no purpose to tell him how the Lord abhors them; for, scornfully rejecting all such good admonitions, he will not so much as inquire and consider whether there be a God or no ; but rather boldly concludes, there is no God, or if there be, that he cares not what we do.

Ver. 5. His ways are always grievous; thy judgements are far above out of his sight: as for all his enemies, he puffeth at them.] And therefore, though all his business be to molest and torment his neighbours, and he is always bringing forth some mischief or other, yet that thou wilt judge him for it, is the farthest thing from his thoughts. And as for those men that are his adversaries, he contemns them all, and values them not a straw.

Ver. 6. He hath said in his heart, I shall not be moved, for I shall never be in adversity.] He confidently promises himself that none shall be able to disturb him; and rests secure he shall always be thus prosperous; which makes him resolve he will never alter his wicked course of life, let God or man do what they can against him.

Ver. 7. His mouth is full of cursing, and deceit, and fraud: under his tongue is mischief and vanity.] Nor stick at any thing that may serve his ends: for he makes no conscience to call for one curse after another upon himself, to confirm those oaths or promises which he never intends to keep; but by this im

pious means to deceive and cheat those that rely upon his word. He speaks very fair, but it is only to hide the mischievous wickedness which lurks in his heart.

Ver. 8. He sitteth in the lurking places of the villages: in the secret places doth be murder the innocent: his eyes are privily set against the poor.] And if he cannot this way compass all his designs, he makes no scruple to rob and kill upon the high-way: near unto which he lurks, and in covert places, where nobody sees him, shoots at the innocent traveller, especially when he sees he is defenceless, and hath none to help him.

Ver. 9. He lieth in wait secretly as a lion in his den: he lieth in wait to catch the poor: he doth catch the poor when he draweth him into his net.] He lies as close as a lion in his den; and is as cruel when he hath caught his prey. A fowler is not more cunning to draw the birds to his net, than he to get poor helpless men into his power, that he may devour them.

Ver. 1o. He croucheth and humbleth himself, that the poor may fall by his strong ones.] For he can counter

feit himself (if occasion serve) to be a harmless traveller; and look so humbly and innocently, that the poor man, on whom he intends to seize, suspecting no danger, will lie the more open to his sudden and violent assault.

Ver. 11. He hath said in his heart, God hath forgotten, he bideth his face, and he will never see it.] From which God himself, he thinks, will not protect him. They call him (saith he within his heart) the Omnipotent, and the poor commit themselves unto him: but what cares he for them? he regards them not, and will never call me to any account for what I have done against them.

Ver. 12. Arise, O LORD; O God, lift up thine hand: forget not the humble.] Confute these blasphemies, O Lord, and delay no longer, O thou omnipotent Judge of the world, to appear in just displeasure against them. Stretch forth thy hand to confound these violent oppressors, and to relieve all thy afflicted ser

vants.

Ver. 13. Wherefore doth the wicked contemn God? be bath said in his heart, Thou wilt not require it.] What is it, but thy long-suffering, and bearing so much with them, that makes the wicked thus insolently despise thee? He concludes, thou wilt never punish him, because thou art so patient with him.

Ver. 14. Thou hast seen it, for thou beholdest mischief and spite, to require it with thy hand: the poor committeth himself unto thee, thou art the helper of the fatherless.] I doubt not, indeed, that thou takest notice of their villany, and thou wilt requite them in their kind, for all the mischief and vexation of which they have been the authors. The poor have reason to commend their cause to thee; and to expect that thou wilt do them right, who art the protector of the weak, and the friendless, who have nothing to rely upon but thy goodness.

Ver. 15. Break thou the arm of the wicked, and the evil man seek out his wickedness till thou find none.] But the wicked will never believe this, as long as they are able to do mischief; and therefore, I beseech thee to despoil them of all their power to hurt and oppress thy people. Be avenged on them for their wickedness, after which they fancy thou wilt not inquire, and let there be no footsteps of it remaining.

Ver. 16. The LORD is King for ever and ever: the heathen is perished out of his land.] Thou canst easily do it, being the same everlasting King, by whose authority and power the seven impious nations were expelled out of this land.

Ver. 17. LORD, thou hast heard the desire of the bumble: thou wilt prepare their heart, thou wilt cause thine ear to hear:] And I believe thou wilt do it, O Lord, who hast so often since granted the desire of the afflicted. Thou wilt dispose their heart humbly to wait upon thee, and then vouchsafe them a favourable audience.

Ver. 18. To judge the fatherless and the oppressed, that the man of the earth may no more oppress.] When they pray thee to assert the right of the fatherless, and other poor helpless people, and to punish their

insolent oppressors: that those tyrants, sprung out of the earth, and who deserve to be tumbled down thither again, may be no longer terrible to them.

PSALM XI.

THE ARGUMENT.-This psalm, the title tells us, was composed by David and very likely (as Theodoret and others conjecture) when Saul persecuted him; and some advised him to seek his safety in flight or rather, when Saul began to have evil designs against him, and he was invited by some, who pretended friendship to him, to a place of safety in the mountainous country of Judea. When he came to the crown, he delivered it to the master of music in the tabernacle, to be sung there in remembrance of what then passed between his friends, him, and God Almighty, in whom he placed his hope.

Ver. 1. my soul, Flee as a bird to your mountain ?] It is not in fortresses or friends that I place my confidence, and hope for safety, but only in the Lord, who hath anointed me his King. On him I rely; and therefore do not put me in fear, and bid me fly away thus speedily, like a timorous bird before the fowler, to your place of security.

IN the LORD put I my trust: how say ye to

Ver. 2. For lo, the wicked bend their bow, they make ready their arrow upon the string, that they may privily shoot at the upright in heart.] Behold, say you, the danger wherein thou art is no less imminent, than when a fowler hath bent his bow, and fitted his arrow upon the string, and, lying close, hath the bird in his eye, whom he means to shoot: For just so have Saul and his wicked counsellors laid their plot on a sudden to destroy thee.

Ver. 3. If the foundations be destroyed, what can the righteous do?] And if men have no regard to laws and public decrees, which are the foundation of human society, but will boldly violate all known and standing rules of justice and truth; what security can an honest man have? or what should he do, but make haste away from this court, where they act so arbitrarily, and are so perfidious?

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Ver. 4. The LORD is in his holy temple, the LORD's throne is in heaven: his eyes behold, his eye-lids try the children of men.] My answer is, that the world is not governed by chance, nor can men carry things just as they please but the Lord, into whose holy palace no unjust counsels can possibly enter, and whose throne is infinitely above that of the highest king on earth he, I say, is the supreme and most righteous ruler of all affairs; and no mischief can be so secretly contrived, no wicked design so artificially dissembled, but it lies open before his eyes, and he sees through it: nor need he take any pains to discover it; for at the first glance, as we speak, he perfectly discerns how all men are inclined, and looks to the very bottom of their hearts.

Ver. 5. The LORD trieth the righteous, but the wicked, and him that loveth violence, his soul hateth.] And

he may think fit to try the fidelity of him whom he knows to be upright, by many adversities that he may afterward give him the more illustrious testimonies of his approbation and love. But whatsoever success the wicked, and he that delights in doing mischief, may have for the present, he is most hateful to God; and he will, without fail, severely punish him, for abusing his power to oppression and violent dealing.

Ver. 6. Upon the wicked he shall rain snares, fire and brimstone, and a horrible tempest: this shall be the portion of their cup.] The wicked may think themselves very secure, because they are so cunning and so strong; but how can they defend themselves against the Lord, who hath innumerable ways to enshare them when they least think of it; and can as unexpectedly overthrow all their forces, as, when the heavens are most serene, a sudden storm of thunder and lightning, and tempestuous blasts, arises, and tears up the trees by the roots? Thus the Sodomites, thus the Egyptians perished; and such measure will the wise Dispenser of all punishments mete to these violent oppressors.

Ver. 7. For the righteous Lord loveth righteousness, Lis countenance doth behold the upright.] For the Lord, who is just in his own nature, and in all his ways, loves none but those who are like himself; and therefore he will plague all injurious persons, but with special favour defend and reward all upright men, who stedfastly keep (notwithstanding all the injuries they receive) in the paths of righteousness.

PSALM XII.

To the chief musician upon Sheminith. A Psalm of David.

THE ARGUMENT.-This psalm was composed by David, and delivered to the master of music in the tabernacle, to be sung as the 6th Psalm, upon the harp with eight strings. The occasion of it is not expressed; but it is a sad complaint of the corrupt manners of that age; (especially of the court of Saul, ver. 3.), in which it was hard to find an honest plain-dealing man, in whom one might confide. Some think it aims partly at Doeg, and such like courtiers; partly at the Ziphites, and snch perfidious people in the country, who promising him their friendship, (as Theodoret understands it), would have most basely betrayed him unto Saul, his declared enemy.

Ver. 1. HELP, LORD, for the godly man ceaseth; for the faithful fail from among the children of men.] Lord, be thou my safeguard, for there is no such thing as kindness and friendship to be found among men: I dare trust myself with none of them; for there is not so much as any truth and honesty left in the world.

Ver. 2. They speak vanity every one with his neighbour: with flattering lips, and with a double heart, do they speak.] One neighbour cannot with safety be

lieve another: they are all liars and dissemblers, pretending fair in words, but meaning quite otherwise. Ver. 3. The LORD shall cut off all flattering lips and the tongue that speaketh proud things.] This vice hath spread itself so universally among us, that it cannot be rooted up but only by the hand of Heaven: which will destroy these pestilent deceivers; who speak also big and blasphemous words, whereby they

daunt those that are below them.

Ver. 4. Who have said, With our tongue will we prevail, our lips are our own: who is LORD over us?] We will have the better, say they, of all those that oppose us; and our tongues are the weapons whereby we will get the victory. They are our own; who shall hinder us from employing them to supplant whom we please? whether it be true or false which we say, what is that to any body; or who shall call us to an account for it?

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Ver. 5. For the oppression of the poor, for the sighing of the needy, now will I arise, saith the LORD, I will set him in safety from him that puffeth at him.] will the Lord; whom the sighs, and tears, and miserable groans of those poor wretches, who are oppressed by your calumnies, have moved to resolve to take a speedy vengeance on you. He hath absolutely determined to rescue and deliver them from your snares and fraudulent practices: you may puff and storm as much as you please, but shall not be able to hinder it.

Ver. 6. The words of the LORD are pure words; as silver tried in a furnace of earth, purified seven times.] For the promises of God are not deceitful like yours, but sincere, and void of all guile: the purest silver, refined to the greatest perfection, is not more free from dross, than they are from all mixture of falsehood.

Ver. 7. Thou shalt keep them, O LORD, thou shalt preserve them from this generation for ever.] I am confident, O Lord, thou wilt perform them, and not suf fer thy words to fail. Thou wilt ever preserve bin that confides in thee, from this perverse generation, how oft soever they renew their attempts against him.

Ver. 8. The wicked walk on every side, when the vilest men are exalted.] Which will make the wicked not know which way to turn themselves, but be ready to burst with anger and vexation, when they see those poor men, whom they contemned and vilified, not only preserved, but exalted by thy favour to dignity and honour.

PSALM XIII.

To the chief musician. A Psalm of David.

THE ARGUMENT This psalm was composed by David, and delivered to the master of music in the tabernacle. It is not known to what time it relates, but by the matter of it we may understand he was in some great distress when he indited it, either by the persecution of Saul, or of Absalom. Theodoret thinks the latter, and gives this reason