this Psalm.

Ir is a probable conjecture that David may have been led to The scheme of
write this Psalm while still a youth at Saul's court, when there
discerning the arts and deceits of courtiers. We may illus-
trate it by referring to the case of Joseph and his many foes.
Here is the Righteous One, or "the Perfect" (ver. 4), set before
us-a name applicable to Christ in its fullest significancy, but
applied also to his members, as being "Perfect" in purpose.
and in prospects, impartially aiming at the whole will of their
God in heart and life. But the world hates such, as his brethren
hated Joseph; the world lays snares, and levels arrows of
malignity at them. "The archers have shot at them"-at our
Joseph and his seed. He says, verse 5, " They will tell about
hiding snares," and they think no eye is on them.

"They search deep into iniquity,” (to find out the most deadly device).
"We have got it ready! Here is a well-matured plan !" (This is their

shout over their deep-laid plot.)

"And close is each one,

And deep of heart." (Ver. 6.)

But there is another that is an Archer: "God has shot at them." God has his bow, and his time is coming, (ver. 7). “All their hard speeches," are to be brought into judgment at the Lord's coming (Jude 15); and if they wounded others sorely, sorely shall they in turn be wounded. Theirs shall be a doom like Korah's (ver. 8), when all Israel fled at the cry (Num. xvi. 34).

"He has cast them down! Their tongues come on themselves." (Ver. 8.) All earth shall then discern the righteous ways of God. That is the day of his Redeemed so often spoken of, so long expected -the day when the Righteous shall "enter into the joy of their Lord," and utter aloud their rejoicings and their glorying in Him. "The Righteous One shall be glad in the Lord,

And flee for refuge to none but to him;

And all the upright in heart shall boast themselves." (Ver. 6.)

May we not, then, describe this song of Zion as one in which we find

Our Joseph and his seed foreseeing the doom of the archers that have shot at them.

The title.

The contents.

PSALM LXV.

To the chief Musician. A Psalm and Song of David.

1 PRAISE Waiteth for thee, O God, in Sion: and unto thee shall the vow be performed.

2 O thou that hearest prayer, unto thee shall all flesh come.

3 Iniquities prevail against me: as for our transgressions, thou shalt purge

them away.

4 Blessed is the man that thou choosest,

And causest to approach unto thee, that he may dwell in thy courts:

We shall be satisfied with the goodness of thy house, even of thy holy temple.

5 By terrible things in righteousness wilt thou answer us, O God of our salvation,

Who art the confidence of all the ends of the earth,

And of them that are afar off upon the sea:

6 Which by his strength setteth fast the mountains; being girded with power:

7 Which stilleth the noise of the seas, the noise of their waves, and the tumult of the people.

8 They also that dwell in the uttermost parts are afraid at thy tokens: Thou makest the outgoings of the morning and evening to rejoice.

9 Thou visitest the earth, and waterest it:

Thou greatly enriches it with the river of God, which is full of water:
Thon preparest them corn, when thou hast so provided for it.

10 Thou waterest the ridges thereof abundantly: thou settlest the furrow
thereof:

Thou makest it soft with showers: thou blessest the springing thereof. 11 Thou crownest the year with thy goodness; and thy paths drop fatness. 12 They drop upon the pastures of the wilderness: and the little hills rejoice on every side.

13 The pastures are clothed with flocks; the valleys also are covered over with

corn:

They shout for joy, they also sing.

“A psalm of David; a true song," is the import of the title, thus describing the tone that prevails throughout. Possibly (as some think) it was composed at Passover time, when the sheaf of first fruits of barley harvest used to be offered.

Every note in this song tells the feeling of a happy soul reviewing the past, and seeing mercy abounding then and now. Messiah and his redeemed ones-the Lamb and his 144,000might sing it on their Mount Zion, and we may sing it now. The Head leads the choir, and this is the substance of the song

"O God, praise is thine!" such praise as leaves the worship- The contents. per "silent," because the theme is too great for his harp to handle. Now is the vow performed to thee! "O Hearer of Prayer, to thee (yes, even as far as to Thee, ), the Holiest of all, all flesh are coming now." Our iniquities (iniquities which have been imputed to our Head) once prevailed against us (as Gen. vii. 24, 11) like the waters of the deluge, surmounting the highest hills; but thou purgest them away, and we sing, "Blessed is the man whom thou causest to approach unto thee as a priest" (Num. xvi. 8). Aye, blessed, indeed, for he shall dwell in thy courts, and there be satisfied with good; thy house, thy holy place, yielding him its heavenly stores. When we cried to thee, terrible things (things of such surpassing glory and majesty as spread awe around) were thine answer. Thou wert God of salvation, displaying thy grace in such a way as to draw the confidence of all ends of earth. Creator, too, setting fast the mountains! and God of providence, stilling the raging waves of the most tumultuous sea, and by thy wonderful signs (“tokens,” ninix) causing distant lands, the lands of the setting and rising sun, the east and the west, to fear and to rejoice.

And now let us sing together of the crowning act of all, displaying grace, creation, and providence in one-thy dealings with this Earth, which thou wilt renew into paradise. Once we sang, "What is man that thou visitest him?” and now we sing, "Thou visitest his dwelling-place, and makest it teem Seed-time and with plenty!" Yes, "Thou hast the earth under thy care, and waterest it."

"The fountain of God has plenty of waters. (Heng.)

Thou preparest (Horsley, makest sure) their corn, for lo! thus
hast thou prepared!" (V. 9.)

What a table spread with abundance is that once barren earth!
* "To thee belongeth silence-praise;" praise without any tumult (Alexan-
der). It has been said, "The most intense feeling is the most calm, being con-
densed by repression." And Hooker says of prayer, "The very silence which
our unworthiness putteth us unto doth itself make request for us, and that in
the confidence of his grace. Looking inward, we are stricken dumb; looking
upward, we speak and prevail" (v. 48, 4). Horsley renders it, "Upon thee is
the repose of prayer.”

N

harvest scenes.

It is "thus (as in Ps. Ixiii. 3) thou dealest as God, with infinite liberality." The soaking rain descends on her furrowed fields.

“Thou layest down its ploughed fields ;

Thou des moisten it with showers;

Thou blesseth the springing thereof.

Thou hast crowned the year, so as to make it a year of goodness;

Thy chariot-wheels drop fatness.

They drop on the wilderness which has pastures now (meadow-lands);
The hills are girded with gladness."

What a changed world! And every season we see something of this exhibited. But the yearly return of spring and summer after winter is an emblem of Earth's suminer day, Scenes in the when it shall be renewed. Then, even more than now, it shall

New Earthi,

be sung,

"The pastures are clad with flocks ;

The valleys are covered over with corn!

They shout for joy! they break out into song!

Who does not seem, in reading this majestic Psalm, to hear the very melody that issues from the happy people of that New Earth? Originally it may have been sung as a "Psalm of David, a lively song," at a Feast of Tabernacles, when Israel's happyland and prosperous tribes furnished a scene that naturally suggested the future days of a renewed earth-earth's golden age returned. It is, however, on a much higher key than this; it is a Song of the Lamb, while he leads his glorified ones to fountains of living water, and shews them their old world presenting at length a counterpart to heaven-all paradise again, and better than paradise. Is it not then

Prayers exchanged for praises because of blessings
showered on Earth?

PSALM LXVI.

To the chief Musician. A Song or Psalm.

1 MAKE a joyful noise unto God, all ye lands:

2 Sing forth the honour of his name: make his praise glorious.

3 Say unto God, How terrible art thou in thy works!

Through the greatness of thy power shall thine enemies submit themselves unto thee

4 All the earth shall worship thee,

And shall sing unto thee; they shall sing to thy name.

Selah.

5 Come and see the works of God: he is terrible in his doing toward the children of men.

6 He turned the sea into dry land: they went through the flood on foot: There did we rejoice in him.

7 He ruleth by his power for ever; his eyes behold the nations:

Let not the rebellious exalt themselves. Selah.

8 O bless our God, ye people, and make the voice of his praise to be heard,
9 Which holdeth our soul in life, and suffereth not our feet to be moved.
10 For thou, O God, has proved us: thou has tried us, as silver is tried.
11 Thou broughtest us into the net; thou laidst affliction upon our loins.
12 Thou hast caused men to ride over our heads; we went through fire and
through water:

But thou broughtest us out into a wealthy place.

13 I will go into thy house with burnt offerings: I will pay thee my vows, 14 Which my lips have uttered, and my mouth hath spoken, when I was in trouble.

15 I will offer unto thee burnt sacrifices of fatlings, with the incense of rams; I will offer bullocks with goats. Selah.

16 Come and hear, all ye that fear God, and I will declare what he hath done for my soul.

17 I cried unto him with my mouth, and he was extolled with my tongue. 18 If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear me:

19 But verily God hath heard me; he hath attended to the voice of my

prayer.

20 Blessed be God, which hath not turned away my prayer, nor his mercy

from me.

Another

(as lxv. 1), at once a solemn Psalm, and The title,

a lively Temple song. It is specially the song of Messiah and The plan. the Church of Israel-a kind of Red Sea song, sung, however, in Canaan.

"Raise the shout of joy!

All the earth to God!

Shew forth the glory of his name?

Give glory (to him) as his praise."

Then, leading us to such scenes as were spoken of in Psalm lxv. 5

"Say unto God, How awful these works of thine!"

There is a Bethel-solemnity in these scenes, though they bring us to the very gate of heaven

"All the earth shall worship Thee.

They sing they sing thy name!" Selah.