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sea; nay, nor from the wilderness (7) shall any caravan bring you ought to lift up your head;

"For God is judging now !" (ver. 7). (As Psa. lvii. 11,

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And the processes of judgment are commenced, the reversal of unrighteous sentences, and the pouring out of that terrible "Cup" (ver. 8). John (Rev. xiv. 10) saw this cup, full of “wine without mixture,” i. e., without one drop of water to alleviate its fierce poison; but here it is "full of mixture," i. e., of all strong ingredients, that make its taste more bitter, and its wrathful poison more sure. This blood-red wine of vengeance is the measured-out portion of all earth's wicked, great or small.

At verse 9, Messiah seems to wind up the proceedings by indicating the general result. As in Psa. ii. 7, a full announcement is made of these sentences in their hearing

“And I ("N, who am entitled so to do), declare this a thing cternally fixed :"

and then turning towards his blessed ones, inviting them to join him in praise, he may be said to cry, "Hallelujah !”

“Let me sing (TIN) to the God of Jacob!

And I will cut off all the horns of the wicked" (while my song ascends).

As the final issue of the whole, lo!

"The horns of the Righteous One are exalted !”

prophecy is fulfilled; what Hannah sang of in 1 Sam. ii. 10, and so many others besides, is now come to pass; for his

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name is near,” his kingdom is come. And thus, referring all the while to the beseeching prayer of Psalm lxxiv., Asaph has sung

Messiah's response to his people who are expecting His

Coming.

PSALM LXXVI.

To the chief Musician. On Neginoth. A Psalm or Song of Asaph.

IIN Judah is God known: his name is great in Israel.

2 In Salem also is his tabernacle, and his dwelling place in Zion.

3 There brake he the arrows of the bow, the shield, and the sword, and the

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4 Thou art more glorious and excellent than the mountains of prey.

5 The stout-hearted are spoiled, they have slept their sleep:

And none of the men of might have found their hands.

6 At thy rebuke, O God of Jacob, both the chariot and horse are cast into a dead sleep.

7 Thou, even thou, art to be feared:

And who may stand in thy sight when once thou art angry?

8 Thou didst cause judgment to be heard from heaven; the earth feared, and was still,

9 When God arose to judgment, to save all the meek of the earth. Selah.

10 Surely the wrath of man shall praise thee: the remainder of wrath shalt thou restrain.

11 Vow, and pay unto the Lord your God:

Let all that be round about him bring presents unto him that ought to be
feared.

12 He shall cut off the spirit of princes: he is terrible to the kings of the
earth

MILTON celebrates "the inviolable saints," the holy hosts that The title. guard the throne of God. But the family of saints on earth may claim that title equally with them, being invincible and inviolable in their King. Asaph sings of these "on Neginoth" (see Psalm iv.), and uses the lively "song" for his triumphant strains.

He looks back upon the past, when God made himself renowned as Israel's God, dwelling on Zion, breaking there (p, thitherward, like Ezekiel's “Jehovah-Shammah,” xlviii. 35, q. d., his eye and heart ever toward them) the "flashing arrows of the bow," giving fame to Zion beyond all other hills and kingdoms. All was done by the God of Jacob for his people. The "Selah” (ver. 3) bids us pause to consider this, as it docs again verse 9. By him "the stout-hearted were made a prey; they slept deep their sleep ;" by him who could give foes the same "rebuke" that he gave to the swelling waters (Psalm civ. 7), causing the warrior and his war-chariot

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to be alike motionless and dead in the silent camp. Ah, it is "Thou" (AN) who art to be feared, Thou (N) alone! And we might have noticed also, there is significance in using the name "Salem," (ver. 2). It reminds us of the reign of Melchizedeck, and hints at the slaughter of the kings, whom God's Abrahams overcome.

And ever shall it be thus. Ever shall it be an unanswerable question, "Who shall stand before thee when thou art angry?" (verse 7), down to that great and terrible day when all earth, at the sight of thy throne, shall ask, "Who shall be able to stand?" (Rev. vi. 17). And then shall verses 8, 9, be fulfilled most emphatically—

"Out of heaven thou hast proclaimed judgment (1, see Dan. vii. 10,

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Earth fears, and is at rest! (p, like Josh. xiv. 15, and Isa.

xiv. 7.)

When God arises to judgment,

Saving all the meek of earth. Selah."

Is not this the day when the Saviour comes to reign ?--the day when the results of things shall best be seen-the day when every saint with anointed eye shall see that events all tended to the glory of their God-the day when they shall sing better far than now,

“Surely the wrath of man praiseth thee.

Thou girdest thyself with the remnant of wrath;"

turning it to use, even every particle of it?

Vow, then, and perform the vow, O Israel! a people near to Him (Num. ii. 2). Bring a gift to him that is the true object of fear, to him who has cut off, as in a time of vintage as Rev. xiv. 18), the breath, the life, of princes; to him who is terrible to earth's kings. If this Jehovah be for us, who can be against us? Let us even now sing this

בצר)

Song to the Mighty One, who is the fear of Israel and of

Earth,

PSALM LXXVII.

To the chief Musician. To Jeduthun. A Psalm of Asaph.

1 I CRIED unto God with my voice,

Even unto God with my voice; and he gave ear unto me.

2 In the day of my trouble I sought the Lord:

My sore ran in the night, and ceased not: my soul refused to be com~ forted.

3 I remembered God, and was troubled:

I complained, and my spirit was overwhelmed. Selah.

4 Thou holdest mine eyes waking: I am so troubled that I cannot speak. 5 I have considered the days of old, the years of ancient times.

6 I call to remembrance my song in the night:

I commune with mine own heart; and my spirit made diligent search.
Will the Lord cast off for ever? and will he be favourable no more?

8 Is his mercy clean gone for ever? doth his promise fail for evermore?

9 Hath God forgotten to be gracious? hath he in anger shut up his tender mercies? Selah.

10 And I said, This is my infirmity.

But I will remember the years of the right hand of the Most High.

11 I will remember the works of the Lord: surely I will remember thy wonders of old.

12 I will meditate also of all thy work, and talk of thy doings.

13 Thy way, O God, is in the sanctuary! Who is so great a God as our God? 14 Thou art the God that doest wonders: thou hast declared thy strength among the people.

15 Thou hast with thine arm redeemed thy people, the sons of Jacob and Joseph. Selah.

16 The waters saw thee, O God, the waters saw thee: they were afraid: The depths also were troubled.

17 The clouds poured out water: the skies sent out a sound:

Thine arrows also went abroad.

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18 The voice of thy thunder was in the heaven: the lightnings lightened the world:

The earth trembled and shook.

19 Thy way is in the sea, and thy path in the great waters.

And thy footsteps are not known.

20 Thou leddest thy people like a flock, by the hand of Moses and Aaron.

“For Jeduthun," the choir over which Jeduthun and Heman The title. presided (1 Chron. xvi. 42). They are to sing now a plaintive psalm. Asaph's harp's strings are moaning to the chill nightwind. Instead of triumphing in the Mighty One, whom all The tons must fear, Asaph is full of unkindly fears, fears arising from clouds around his soul. Our Lord on earth had such changes in his soul as we find in this Psalm. One day, under the

opened heavens at Jordan; another, in the gloom of the howling wilderness; one evening, ascending the Transfigurationhill; another, entering Gethsemane. And so with every member of his body. Not that the love of their God varies toward them, and not that they themselves feel that love exhausted; but providences and trials of strange sort, and temptations buffeting the soul, hide the sun by their dark mists.

We find, verses 1-4, The time of darkness pictured to us The contents most pensively and plaintively. "In the night my hand was stretched out, and grew not numb, " (Alexander). And the "Selah in the midst of it, verse 3, seems to give us time to observe the dismal plight of the soul.

In verses 5-9 we have remembrance of former days, leading to the profoundly melancholy question-" Has El (the Mighty God) forgotten to be gracious."

"IIath he in anger shut the spring

Of his eternal love?

And another "Selah" leaves us to pause and ponder.

At verse 10, The cause of this darkness. "This is my sickness," (Jer. x. 19). My present circumstances of body, and the oppressive providences around, have averted mine eye from God's love. Tholuck renders it, "This affliction of mine is a change of the right hand of the Most High ;" but we prefer another view, viz., after having mournfully admitted "This is my infirmity," the thought flashes in, "The years of the right hand of the Most High !" Yes, let me recall what he has done!

At verse 11, The light breaks-God is seen, still mighty to save. Asaph is taught by "the years of the right hand of the Most High," seeing “his way in the sanctuary ;" and in such past "wonders" as Exod. xv. 11. He sees God redeeming "the sons of Jacob" from their Egypt exile, and doing it so as to remind us of “Joseph," once separated from his brethren, but afterwards the head of them all, (11-15). A “Selah” again bids us ponder, and the Psalm closes by recounting some of his wonders in providence. "God's way in the sanctuary" (ver. 13) suggests composing thoughts regarding his "Way in the Sea." (Ver. 19.)

There is a day coming when we shall, with Christ our Head, sing of the Church's safe guidance to her rest, in such strains

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