intended to denote King Messiah himself *. Assured of his coming, the church prayeth that the “hand,” the protection and the power of Jehovah might be upon" him, over him, and with him, in his great undertaking finally to deliver her out of all her troubles, and to "lead her captivity captive."

18. So will not we go back from thee: quicken us, and we will call upon thy name.

The end of our redemption is, that we should serve him who hath redeemed us, and " go back" no more to our old sins. That soul which hath been "quickened," and made alive by Christ, should live to his honour and glory; that mouth which hath been opened by him, can do no less than show forth his praise, and " call upon his” saving “name.”

19. Turn us again, O LORD God of hosts, cause thy face to shine; and we shall be saved. See ver. 3.

PSALM LXXXI.

ARGUMENT.

This Psalm, whensoever, or by whomsoever, composed, was, probably, intended to be sung at the feast of trumpets, as also at any other feast-time. It contains, 1-3. an exhortation duly to observe the festivals of the church, 4, 5. as God had appointed, who is introduced expostulating with his

* "Virum dexteræ tuæ:" Davidem a te designatum et confirmatum regem, et in ejus figurâ Christum. Bossuet.

people, on account, 6-10. of his mercies, and, 11, 12. their ingratitude, and, 13-16. under the form of a most affectionate wish, renewing his promises, on condition of their obedience.

1. Sing aloud unto God our strength: make a joyful noise unto the God of Jacob. 2. Take a psalm and bring hither the timbrel, the pleasant harp with the psaltery.

If Israelites were thus exhorted to keep their feast days with joy and gladness of heart; to exalt their voices, and join together all their sweetest instruments of music, in honour of him who had rescued them from the Egyptian bondage, and given them a law from Sinai; in what exulting strains ought we to celebrate the festivals of the Christian church? With what triumph of soul, and harmony of affections, are we bound to "sing aloud to God our "strength," who hath redeemed us from death, and published the Gospel from Sion? since, as the apostle saith, "holy days, new moons, and sabbath days," of old "were" only "a shadow of things to come; "but the body is of Christ." Col. ii. 16.

3. Blow up the trumpet in the new moon, in the time appointed, on our solemn feast day.

In the Jewish church, notice was given of feasts, jubilees, &c. by sound of trumpet. All the new moons, or beginnings of months, were observed in this manner; see Numb. x. 1. but on the September new moon, or first day of the seventh month, was kept a great festival, called "the feast of trumpets ;" Levit. xxiii. 24. Numb. xxix. 1. which, probably,

is here intended. This September new moon had a particular regard paid to it, because, according to the old calculation, before Israel came out of Egypt, it was the first new moon in the year, which began upon this day, the first of the (afterwards) seventh month. The tenth of the same month was the great day of atonement; and on the fifteenth was celebrated the feast of tabernacles. See Levit. xxiii. 27. and 34. Our Psalm, therefore, seems to have been designed for the purpose of awakening and stirring up the devotion of the people upon the solemn entrance of a month, in which they were to commemorate so many past blessings, prefigurative of much greater blessings to come. We have now our feast-days, our Christmas, Easter, Whitsuntide, &c. On these, and all other solemn occasions, let the evangelical trumpet give a sound of victory, of liberty, of joy and rejoicing; of victory over death, of liberty from sin, of joy and rejoicing in Christ Jesus our Saviour.

4. For this was a statute for Israel, and a law of the God of Jacob. 5. This he ordained in Joseph, for a testimony, when he went out through, or, against, the land of Egypt: where I heard a language that I understood not.

The meaning is, that the observation of feasts, with blowing of trumpets, was a statute, law, or testimony, ordained in Joseph, or Israel, by God himself, after he had destroyed the Egyptians, and brought his people into the wilderness, where the law was given. Concerning the words, "I heard a 'language that I understood not," it is difficult to

account for the change of person; but the sense seems to be, That the children of Israel received the law, when they had been in bondage under a people of strange and barbarous language, or dialect. The passage is exactly parallel to that in Psal. cxiv. 1. "When Israel went out of Egypt, and the house of "Jacob from a people of strange language," &c.The new law, with its sacraments and ordinances, was promulged after the spiritual redemption by Christ; as the old law, with its rites and ceremonies, was published, after the temporal deliverance by Moses.

6. I removed his shoulder from the burden; his hands were delivered from the pots.

From this verse to the end, it is plain, that God is the speaker. He reminds Israel of their redemption, by his mercy and power, from the burdens and the drudgery imposed on them in Egypt. Moses describeth their then state of servitude, by saying, "The Egyptians made their lives bitter with hard

bondage, in mortar, and in brick, and in all "manner of service in the field;" Exod. i. 14. that is, probably, in making vessels of clay, as this verse seems to imply. Let us remember, that we have been eased of far heavier burdens, delivered from severer task-masters, and freed from a baser drudgery; the intolerable load of sin, the cruel tyranny of Satan, the vile service and bitter bondage of concupiscence.

7. Thou calledst in trouble, and I delivered thee: I answered thee in the secret place of thunder: I proved thee at the waters of Meribah.

God declares his readiness, at all times, to hear the prayers and relieve the distresses of his people, as he did when they cried unto him in Egypt, and in the wilderness, and received answers from the cloudy pillar. In that deep recess he had fixed his awful throne, and from thence, on proper occasions, he manifested his power and glory, protecting Israel, and confounding their adversaries. In Psalm xcix. 6. it is said of" Moses, Aaron, &c." They called 66 upon the Lord, and he answered them: he spake "unto them in the cloudy pillar;" which passage seems exactly parallel to that in the verse under consideration" Thou calledst, and I answered thee " in the secret place of thunder." He who spake unto Israel in the cloudy pillar, hath since spoken to us by his Son he who "proved them at the waters " of Meribah," Exod. xvii. 6, 7. now proves us, by various trials, in the world.

8. Hear, Omy people, and I will testify unto thee: O Israel, if thou wilt hearken unto me; 9. There shall no strange god be in thee; neither shalt thou worship any strange god. 10. I am the LORD thy God, which brought thee out of the land of Egypt: open thy mouth wide, and I will fill it.

God here addresseth himself to the Israelites, putting them in remembrance of that first and great commandment against idolatry; of his claim to their obedience, as their God and Saviour; and of his being both able and willing to satisfy the utmost desires and wishes of such, as would apply to him for blessing and comfort. Behold, then, the rebellion, the ingratitude, and the folly, of that man, who saith