and with the froward thou wilt shew thyself froward.] And keep thy promises faithfully with those whose piety is unfeigned, and who immoveably keep their fidelity to thee. But if any will take crooked ways to obtain their ends, thou wilt ensnare them in their own devices; and by such means as they least think of, lead them to destruction.

Ver. 27. For thou wilt save the afflicted people; but wilt bring down high locks.] For thou art wont to deliver those who are poor and miserable, when they humbly wait on thee; and to lay those low, who ́(proud of their power) insolently oppress them.

Ver. 28. For thou wilt light my candle: the LORD my God will enlighten my darkness.] I myself am an instance of it, who owe all my prosperity and joy to thee; by whom (when my hopes were ready to expire, 1 Sam. xxvii. 1.) I was brought out of a calamitous estate into this splendour and royal greatness which now I enjoy.

Ver. 29. For by thee I have run through a troop: and by my God have I leaped over a wall. For the strong. est and most numerous enemies were not able to stand before me: I easily scaled the highest walls, wherein they thought themselves most securely defended against me, 2 Sam. v. 7. &c.

Ver. 30. As for God, his way is perfect: the word of the LORD is tried; he is a buckler to all those that trust in him.] God is not like to men, for he never deserts his servants (as men are wont to do those that depend upon them) in difficult and dangerous affairs: his promises are freer from deceit, than the most refined gold from dross; and none shall be able to hurt those that rely upon them.

Ver. 31. For who is God save the LORD? or who is a rock save our God?] For who is there that can frustrate his intentions, or resist his will? what power is there above or equal to his whom we worship, that can injure those whom he will protect, or defend those whom he will destroy?

Ver. 32. It is God that girdeth me with strength, and maketh my way perfect.] It was this mighty Lord that inspired me with courage, and removed all obstacles out of my way, to the completing my conquests, (2 Sam. v. 10.)

Ver. 33. He maketh my feet like hinds feet, and setteth me upon my high places.] If swiftness was necessary, he made me as nimble as an hind, to pursue mine enemies even into those places which for their height and cragginess were thought inaccessible.

Ver. 34. He teacheth my hands to war, so that a bow of steel is broken by mine arm.] If there was heed of dexterity or strength, he bestowed it on me to such a degree, that I was able to wrest the strongest bow out of my enemy's hand, and break it in pieces.

Ver. 35. Thou hast given me the shield of thy salvation: and thy right hand hath holden me up, and thy gentleness hath made me great.] If at any time I fell into the thickest troops of them, I was safely protected by thee, and delivered. Thy mighty power upheld me from being oppressed by their numbers; and by thy goodness, with a handful of men, I got great

victories.

Ver. 36. Thou hast enlarged my steps under me, that my feet did not slip.] Thou didst open a wide passage to me in my greatest straits, and in the most uneven and difficult ways I never stumbled:

Ver. 37. I have pursued mine enemies, and overtaken them: neither did I turn again till they were consumed.] But having routed my enemies, I pursued them so closely, that I overtook them in their flight; and did not return to my camp till I had destroyed them.

Ver. 38. I have wounded them, that they were not able to rise: they are fallen under my feet.] I gave them such a blow, that they were not able to renew the fight; but were so perfectly subdued, that they lay at my feet.

Ver. 39. For thou hast girded me with strength unto battle: thou hast subdued under me those that rose up against me.] Which is all to be ascribed to thy mighty power, O God, who gavest me both the courage to fight, and success in the encounter with such numerous enemies as hoped to destroy me.

Ver. 40. Thou hast also given me the necks of mine enemies, that I might destroy them that hate me.] To thy praise I again mention it, (not to magnify my own prowess), that they who hated me, submitted their very necks to me, that I might kill them, or impose what yoke I pleased on them.

Ver. 41. They cried, but there was none to save them: even unto the LORD, but he answered them not.] They sought for help of their allies and confederates; but it was beyond their power to deliver them; for they were deserted by the Lord, who regarded not their cries unto him;

Ver. 42. Then did I beat them small as the dust before the wind: I did cast them out as the dirt in the streets.] But left them to be beaten and dispersed by me, till they were as weak as the small dust, which is tossed up and down with every wind; and as contemptible as the dirt in the street, which every body tramples under foot.

Ver. 43. Thou hast delivered me from the strivings of the people; and thou hast made me the head of the heathen: a people whom I have not known shall serve me."] Thus hast thou continued thy kindness to me, till thou seatedst me on the throne, both of Israel and Judalı; whose contentions are ceased, and both united in me, (2 Sam. v. 1.) And since that time, thou hast not only delivered me from those dangerous rebellions, (2 Sam. xviii.), and seditious motions, (2 Sam. xx.), which have been raised among my own people to dethrone me, but made foreign nations subject to me, and people whom I had no knowledge of, to become my tributaries.

Ver. 44. As soon as they hear of me, they shall obey me: the strangers shall submit themselves unto me.] The very report of me and of my victories, made some of them heartily submit themselves to me; and others dissemble their hostility, and offer me their service.

Ver. 45. The strangers shall fade away, and be afraid out of their close places.] They trembled and fell, like withered leaves, at the sound of my name; and, distrusting their strong holds, came creeping out with fear, to surrender them into my hands.

Ver. 46. The LORD liveth, and blessed be my Rock; and let the God of my salvation be exalted.] Blessed be the Lord, (to whose eternal glory and honour I speak all this): let him be everlastingly praised, who hath preserved me in so many dangers: let him who not only preserved, but exalted me, be magnified and exalted with the highest praises.

Ver. 47. It is God that avengeth me, and subdueth the people under me.] For he is that mighty God (I can never say it often enough) who hath many and many a time executed vengeance for me on those who were injurious to me, and hath brought many nations under my empire.

Ver. 48. He delivereth me from mine enemies; yea, thou liftest me up above those that rise up against me; thou hast delivered me from the violent man.] It is he to whom I owe my life, (which my enemies, if he had not rescued me, would have taken from me); and, which is more, thou hast made me superior to them all, and set me on a throne, in spite of the fierce and violent persecution of Saul, from which thou didst mercifully deliver me.

Ver. 49. Therefore will I give thanks unto thee, O LORD, among the heathen, and sing praises unto thy name.] And therefore I will every where make my thankful acknowledgements unto thee, O Lord: those strange nations shall know that I ascribe my victories unto thee; in honour of whose great name, I will sing this perpetual song.

Ver. 50. Great deliverance giveth he to his king; and sheweth mercy to his anointed, to David, and to bis seed for evermore.] The Lord hath granted wonderful and manifold deliverances to me, who reign not by usurpation, but by his special appointment; and the same mercy, by which alone I was advanced to this dignity, shall be continued to me, and to my posterity, till the coming of that great King whose kingdom shall have no end.

PSALM XIX.

To the chief musician. A Psalm of Davil. THE ARGUMENT.-A Psalm composed by David, (and delivered by him to the master of the music in the tabernacle), declaring that no man can be ig. norant of God, who would consider his admirable works; much less could the Jews, whom he had instructed by his law; and therefore justly expect ed their greater care not wilfully to offend him.

Ver. 1. THE heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament sheweth his handy-work.] There is no part of this great fabric of the world, which doth not direct us to a most mighty Being, by whom it was made; but above all the rest, the heavens, which are so vasily extended, and wherein we see so many glorious bodies, proclaim aloud to all mankind, the immense greatness, and power, and wisdom, and goodness of God, which shine most brightly there.

Ver. 2. Day unto day uttereth speech, and night unto

night sheweth knowledge.] By their settled and orderly revolution the day and the night are made; from whose constant succession, and commodious variations, there issues forth (as water from a fountain) perpetual instruction, and matter of praise and thanks to his most wise goodness.

Ver. 3. There is no speech nor language where their voice is not heard.] They cannot speak, indeed, aswe can do, nor do we hear any words they utter and yet, without these, they are understood by all nations; even by the most barbarous, who understand not a word of any other language.

Ver. 4. Their line is gone out through all the earth, and their words to the end of the world in them bath be set a tabernacle for the sun;] They all read here, as in a book, the wonderful art and skill of that Almighty Being, who framed this regular structure; though they be never so remote, they hear them preach (as the apostles hereafter shall preach more fully) how great and how good he is: especially if they hearken to that universal minister of his, the sun, which hath its habitation fixed for it here;

Ver. 5. Which is as a bridegroom coming out of his chamber, and rejoiceth as a strong man to run a race ] And comes forth every morning decked with such a ra diant light, that no bridegroom looks so chearfully, or is so adorned on his marriage-day. Its swiftness, also, is as admirable as its beauty, for the mightiest champion can but weakly imitate it, in the speediness, evenness, and unweariedness of its course.

Ver. 6. His going forth is from the end of the heaven, and his circuit unto the ends of it: and there is nothing hid from the beat thereof.] It runs from the east to the west every day; and, in its yearly revolution, visits the southern and northern parts: so that all the earth feels the benefit of its quickening heat.

Ver. 7. The law of the LORD is perfect, converting the soul the testimony of the LORD is sure, making wise the simple.] Thus is God visible to all the world in the face of the heavens.; but to us he is conspicuous in a more excellent manner, by the revelation he hath made of himself in the law of Moses: which is a more perfect light to guide us, than the sun itself; restoring and comforting the drooping souls, more than the sun cheers our bodily spirits. For it is a sure testimony of God's will, and of his love, and preserves ignorant souls from being seduced to worship the sun as a god; for it makes them, at the first word, so wise, as to understand that the Lord created the heavens as well as the earth;

Ver. 8. The statutes of the LORD are right, rejoi cing the beart: the commandment of the LORD is pure, enlightening the eyes.] And from thence delivered to us. a complete rule of life for all sorts of men among us; who see with great joy all officers and rulers, both sacred and civil, directed how to manage all for the public good; and every private man taught to keep himself pure from all manner of wickedness; it be ing as clear as the sun, what he ought to do, and what to avoid.

Ver. 9. The fear of the LORD is clean, enduring for ever the judgements of the LORD are true, and righteous

altogether.] The true worship of God is unalterably settled, (Deut. xii. 32.), free from all profane mixtures of superstition and all our transactions with men are prescribed to be in perfect truth and righteousness.

Ver. 10. More to be desired are they than gold, yea; iban much fine gold: sweeter also than honey, and the boney-comb. We are happier in this, than in all the gold and precious treasures which are brought from other countries, or in the most delicious pleasures which he hath provided for us in our own.

Ver. 11. Moreover, by them is thy servant warned: and in keeping of them there is great reward.] I say nothing but what I have tried for by following the admonitions of thy holy laws, both in my private and public capacity, thy servant is become thus il lastrious and in their observance there is not only much satisfaction at present, but a far greater reward in the conclusion.

Ver. 12. Who can understand his errors? cleanse thou me from secret faults.] All our unhappiness is, that we do not observe them so strictly as we ought. They are a perfect rule; but our obedience, alas!, is so exceedingly imperfect, that we cannot so much as number our wanderings from it: many of which we never observed; and therefore are so far from meriting any reward for obedience, that I must humbly beg thy pardon for the demerits of my negligence;

Ver. 13. Keep back thy servant also from presumptucus sins, let them not have dominion over me: then shall I be upright, and I shall be innocent from the great transgression.] And the assistance of thy grace likewise (without which, I shall still farther swerve from thy law) to preserve me from all wilful sins against thee. I am devoted to thy service, O Lord; therefore I beseech thee so to strengthen my will to please thee, that no temptation may prevail with me to consent deliberately to offend thee. Then shall I (notwithstanding my infirmities and ignorances) be accounted upright before thee, and be free from a great deal of guilt, which otherwise, by manifold transgressions, I shall draw upon me.

Ver. 14. Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight, O LORD, my strength, and my Redeemer.] And I shall have Redeemer.] And I shall have the confidence also then to address myself unto thee, both openly and in secret, with hopes that all my sacrifices (offered from an heart that sincerely studies to be obedient to thee) shall be acceptable in thy sight, O Lord, to whom I fly for safety and deliverance, in all the assaults which the enemies either of my body or my soul make upon me.

PSALM XX.

To the chief musician. A Psalm of David. THE ARGUMENT.-A psalm composed by David, (and by him delivered to the master of the music in the tabernacle); wherein the people are taught to pray for his success in some great expedition; it is probable, (from ver. 7.), against the Ammonites and

Syrians, who came with great numbers of horsemen and chariots to fight with him, 2 Sam. x. 6. 8. 1 Chron. xix. 7.

Ver. 1. THE LORD hear thee in the day of trouble; the name of the God of Jacob defend thee: The Lord, who never fails those that seek him, hear thy prayer, when the enemy distresseth thee in the day of battle; (2 Sam. x. 9. &c.); the mighty God. who hath made a gracious covenant with Jacob and his posterity, protect thee, and make thee victorious. Ver. 2. Send the help from the sanctuary, and strengthen thee out of Zion.] O God, who hast pitched thy tabernacle among us, and dwellest in Mount Sion by a visible token of thy presence, succour cur sovereign in the time of need, and support him in all assaults of such numerous enemies as are combined against him;

Ver. 3. Remember all thy offerings, and accept thy burnt sacrifice. Selab.] Shew, by some signal token from heaven, that thou art pleased with all his obla tions and burnt sacrifices, whereby he made his supplication to thee, for thy blessing on him in this undertaking.

Ver. 4. Grant thee according to thine own heart, and fulfil all thy counsel.] Make him as prosperous as he himself wishes; and enable him to accomplish whatsoever he designs.

Ver. 5. We will rejoice in thy salvation, and in the name of our God we will set up our banners: The LORD fulfil all thy petitions.] In confidence of thy help, we will shout when we set upon our enemies; in thy power and might we will advance courageously against them for the Lord will not fail to grant the petitions of our sovereign, whose cause is so just, and who hath been so insolently treated by them, (2 Sam. x. 3. 4.)

Ver. 6. Now know that the LORD saveth his anointed; he will hear him from his holy heaven, with the saving strength of his right hand.] This is the assured hope of every soul of us; we are as certain as if he had already obtained it, that the Lord will make him victorious; for he reigns by his special appointment, who, as he infinitely excels in strength, and commands all the hosts of heaven, so will declare the exceeding greatness of his power, in giving him.

an illustrious deliverance.

Ver. 7. Some trust in chariots, and some in horses ; but we will remember the name of the LORD our God.] We are not daunted at the vast numbers of our confederate enemies, some of which boast of their chariots, others of their horses; but to all these we oppose the mighty power of the Lord, who hath heretofore done such great things for us.

Ver. 8. They are brought down and fallen; but we are risen and stand upright.] And we triumph before-hand, saying, They are thrown down from their chariots, and fallen from their horses, wherein they trusted; but we, whom they despised, are erect and stand immoveable, merely by our confidence in the Lord.

Ver. 9. Saue, LORD; let the King hear us when

se call.] Let it be unto us, O Lord, according to our desires and our hopes; preserve our king, and in the day when we cry unto thee for help, inake our armies victorious.

PSALM XXI.

To the chief musician. A Psalm of David.

THE ARGUMENT.-Theodoret truly observes, that in this psalm, as well as the former, David (who was the author of it, and delivered it to the master of the music in the tabernacle) speaks in the person of the people, whom he instructs how to give God thanks, (not for Hezekiah's recovery from his great sickness, and the lengthening of his days, as Theodoret takes it, but) for granting him those victories which they prayed for in the psalm fore going. And it is generally looked upon as describing, under that figure, the exaltation, glory, and majesty of Christ, which he obtained by his bloody death and passion. Many of the Hebrews themselves apply it to the Messiah, so that it may be called a psalm of triumph, after the victories which David got over his enemies; which were a type of Christ's victory over death, and of the triumph that ensued. And truly there are some things in it which are more literally fulfilled in Christ than in David, as ver. 4. 5. 6.

Ver. 1, THE king shall joy in thy strength, O LORD, and in thy salvation how greatly shall be rejoice!] Thou hast heard the prayers of thy people, O Lord, when they cried unto thee, saying, Lord, save the king, (xx. 9.), who will never cease, therefore, to thank thee, with the greatest joy and gladness, for that extraordinary strength and courage wherewith thou didst endue him. Q how much be yond all his expression is his joy and thankfulness, for thy wonderful deliverance of him!

Ver. 2. Thou hast given him his heart's desire, and hast not with bolden the request of his lips. Selab.] Thou hast granted all that his heart desired, (xx. 4.), as well as that which he openly requested with his lips :

Ver. 3. For thou preventest him with the blessings of goodness; thou settest a crown of pure gold on his head Yea, more than his heart desired; for when he thought of no such thing, thou wast graciously pleased to anoint him to a kingdom; in which having settled him, thou hast added a new glory to him, and set an illustrious crown upon his head, I Chron.

XX. 2.

Ver. 4. He asked life of thee, and thou gavest it him, even length of days for ever and ever.] He desired only to escape with his life, when he was encompassed with inevitable dangers; and thou, moreover, didst promise to prolong his days, (2 Sam. vii. 12.), and to continue the crown to his posterity for many generations, (2 Sam. vii. 16. 19.); as thou wilt do to

his Son Christ for ever and ever.

Ver. 5. His glory is great in thy salvation: honour

Great is the

and majesty hast thou laid upon him.] fame, also, which he hath won by the many victories thou hast given him, (2 Sam. vii. 9.) All nations honour him, (as they shall much more do the Messiah), and reverence that royal majesty to which thou hast exalted him, (1 Chron. xiv. 2, 17)

Ver. 6. For thou hast made him most blessed for ever; thou hast made him exceeding glad with thy coun tenance, And, which is a far greater glory, thou hast not only bestowed extraordinary benefits upon. himself, but made him a blessing to future generations, whom thou wilt bless for his sake, (1 Kings, viii, 15. 20. 56.) By which special favour and token of thy love to him, thou hast raised him to the highest pitch of joy as well as of greatness.

Ver. 7. For the king trusteth in the LORD, and, through the mercy of the Most High, he shall not be moved, Which shall never cease to cheer and refresh his spirit, because he confides in him who never fails to perform his promises; through his kindness, who is superior to all, the throne of David shall stand fast, though all the power on earth shall combine to overturn it.

Ver. 8. Thine hand shall find out all thine enemies, thy right-hand shall find out those that hate thee.] They are thy enemies, O Most High! as well as his, who endeavour to disturb him; and they shall never escape thy vengeance; wheresoever they skulk or fly for safety, thy vengeance shall pursue them, and punish their spiteful opposition to thee.

Ver. 9. Thou shalt make them as a fiery oven in the time of thine anger; the LORD shall swallow them up in his wrath, and the fire shall devour them.] Woe be to them, when the time comes wherein thou wilt call them to an account for their hatred to thee. They shall as certainly perish, as if they were cast into a fiery oven; the Lord, who is justly incensed against them, shall utterly consume them with a sharp and unavoidable destruction.

Ver. 10. Their fruit shalt thou destroy from the earth, and their seed from among the children of men.] They shall be so far from finding any favour, that thou shalt quite extinguish their families, and wholly abolish such a wicked generation;

Ver. 11, For they intended evil against thee; they imagined a mischievous device, which they are not able to perform.] Who intended to destroy thy anointed, and root out thy religion. Their design was so mischievous, and therefore they deserve to be thus punished, though they were not able to effect it.

Ver. 12. Therefore shalt thou make them turn their back, when thou shalt make ready thine arrows upon thy strings against the face of them.] It may most justly provoke thee to set thyself against them; and as their aim, and the bent of their heart, was to throw down him whom thou hast advanced, so to make them the mark of thy highest displeasure, till they fall down wounded, and rise no more.

Ver. 13. Be thou exalted, LORD, in thine own strength, so will we sing and praise thy power.] Whereby all good men shall be excited to extol thy power; and therefore shew the greatness of it, O

Lord, and magnify thyself before their eyes; and then, whatsoever others do, we, who are delivered by thee, will set forth thy mightiness in our songs, and celebrate it with perpetual praises.

PSALM XXII.

To the chief musician upon Aijeleth Sahar*. A Psalm of David.

THE ARGUMENT. A psalm composed by David, (and directed to the master of music in the tabernacle), wherein, under his own person, (who was persecuted as a hind is by the hunters early in the morning, ver. 16.), he makes a large description of the sufferings of Christ, and, in conclusion, of his exaltation, and the propagation of his kingdom to the utmost ends of the earth. Some of which things are delivered in such expressions, that they are more literally fulfilled in our Saviour, than ever they were in David, to whom they belong but in a metaphorical sense. I shall note the particulars in their proper places, underneath the paraphrase, which I would not too much enlarge or interrupt, by inserting them here.

Ver. 1. MY God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? Why art thou so far from helping me, and from the words of my roaring ?] O my God, my most gracious God, whose power no creature can resist, how strange doth it seem, that I, who have been thy care so long, am now left without any visible means of escaping those that seek my life; and that the loudest cries which I pour out of a heart loaden with sorrow and grief, are far from prevailing for any relief! Matth. xxvii. 46.

Ver. 2. O my God, I cry in the day-time, but thou bearest not; and in the night-season, and am not silent.] O my God, (for so I will still call thee, even in the greatest distresses), there is no day, no night passes, wherein I do not, with incessant cries, most importunately call upon thee, but can obtain no rest from my persecutions.

Ver. 3. But thou art holy, O thou that inhabitest the praises of Israel.] Yet thou art he that hatest all those who unjustly persecute thy servant, and keepest thy word most faithfully with them that depend upon thee; as appears by the many deliverances thou hast sent them from thy holy place, where they celebrate thy name with their perpetual praises.

Ver. 4. Our fathers trusted in thee; they trusted, and thou didst deliver them.] They that are gone before us have left us many remembrances of thy mercy to those that piously relied on thee; in all their straits they applied themselves unto thee, as their only deliverer; and by thy help they escaped the greatest dangers.

Ver. 5. They cried unto thee, and were delivered; they trusted in thee, and were not confounded.] Their fervent prayers prevailed with thee, (though mine

VOL. III.

can now obtain no audience); they were confident thou wouldest preserve them in safety, and their hope

did not make them ashamed.

Ver. 6. But I am a worm, and no man; a reproach of men, and despised of the people.] Whereas I, who have waited on thee also after their example, am so disappointed in my expectation, that my adversaries are ready to tread me under their feet: so weak I am, and thereby so contempuble, that not only the great men, but the baser sort and dregs of the people, publicly reproach and despise me.

Ver. 7. All they that see me laugh me to scorn; they shoot out the lip, they shake the head, saying,] All that see the straits to which I am reduced openly deride* me; they make mouths at me, and, in a scornful manner, shake their heads, and jest upon me, saying,

(This was most exactly and literally fulfilled in cur Saviour Christ, Matth. xxvii. 39. 43.)

Ver. 8. He trusted on the LORD, that he would deliver him: let him deliver him, sceing he delighted in him.] This is he that talked so much of the favour of God to him, and depended upon him that he would deliver him: let us see now what he will do for him: let him deliver him out of our hands, and shew thereby that he is so dear, as he pretends, unto him.

Ver. 9. But thou art be that took me out of the womb, thou didst make me hope when I was upon my mother's breasts.] This insolent language is very grievous to my soul, but it shall not cast me into utter despair of thy mercy: I will rather continue to wait upon thee, who, without my knowledge, and when I could not call upon thee, didst grant me a greater deliverance than this which I now ask of thee: for thou broughtest me out of my mother's womb, and then providedst nourishment for me, tookest a singular care of me while I hung upon her breasts.

Ver. 10. I was cast upon thee from the womb: thou art my God from my mother's belly.] In my infancy thou didst preserve me from all the mischiefs to which that weak estate is incident, and ever since hast been my most gracious protector; for, from my first coming into the world till this moment, I have had nothing to trust unto but only thy good providence, which all along declared (though I was the youngest of my brethren) what a large share I had in thy loving-kindness.

Ver. 11. Be not far from me, for trouble is near; for there is none to help.] And shall I think thou wilt now forsake me when I call upon thee, and acknowledge thy former care, and hope for thy future? Go on, O God, to conclude as thou hast begun, and continue to do me good. And now that there is an appearance of the sorest distress, and I am no more able to help myself than when I was an infant, and have less help and succour from others, be thou pleased to exert thy power, as thou hast ever done, for my de-. liverance.

Ver. 12. Many bulls have compassed me: strong bulls of Bashan have beset me round.] It must be thy