the hand of her mistress: even fo our eyes wait upon the Lord our God, until he have mercy upon us.

3 Have mercy upon us, O Lord, have mercy upon us: for we are utterly despised.

4 Our foul is filled with the fcornful reproof of the wealthy and with the defpitefulness of the proud.

Pfalm cxxiv. Nifi quia Dominus.

F the Lord himself had not been on our fide, now may Ifrael fay if the Lord himself had not been on our fide, when men rose up against us;

2 They had swallowed us up quick fo wrathfully difpleafed at us.

3 Yea, the waters had drowned us had gone over our foul.

when they were

and the stream

4 The deep waters of the proud : had gone even over our foul.

5 But praised be the Lord: who hath not given us over for a prey unto their teeth.

6 Our foul is escaped even as a bird out of the fnare of the fowler: the fnare is broken, and we are delivered.

7 Our help ftandeth in the Name of the Lord: who hath made heaven and earth.

word which expreffes the fubjection of Eve to Adam, is tranflated in the Bible defire; "thy defire fhall be to thy husband;" but the Seventy use another word, importing "the turning away of the eyes;" awoscope. This interpretation is fupported by the Samaritan and Syriac verfions, and feems to afford a moit elegant meaning, which however has not occurred to the commentators mentioned by Poole: "Thou shalt turn away thine eyes from other things towards thy hufband." The words of the pfalmift furnish the beft paraphrafe of this expreffion. It was the moft unequivocal fign of fubjection; and in another paffage it is used in the fame manner to denote fuperiority on one hand, and a fervile condition an the other: "And unto thee fhall he turn his eyes, (defire) and thou shalt rule over him," (Gen. iv. 7) speaking of Cain and Abel. St. Paul, or whoever wrote the epiftle to the Hebrews, ufes a fimilar word, which will alfo bear a fimilar illuftration; "Looking unto Jefus, the author of our faith." The original word is ftronger than what we tranflate author, ay. It is literally, "Looking off unto Jefus." "To look off, (fays Secker) for fo the word fignifies, from other objects, unfafe, or unworthy, and contemplate him." Serm. on Heb. xii. 2.

Palm cxxiv.] This is an acknowledgment of God's affiftance, and a thankful commemoration of the fignal deliverances wrought by Hm.

THEY

Pfalm cxxv. Qui confidunt.

HEY that put their truft in the Lord fhall be even as the mount Sion: which may not be removed, but ftandeth faft for ever.

2 The hills ftand about Jerufalem: even fo ftandeth the Lord round about his people, from this time forth for evermore.

3 For the rod of the ungodly cometh not into the lot of the righteous: left the righteous put their hand unto wickedness.

4 Do well, O Lord: unto thofe that are good and true of heart.

5 As for fuch as turn back unto their own wickedness : the Lord fhall lead them forth with the evil-doers; but peace fhall be shall be upon Ifrael.

EVENING PRAYER.

Pfalm cxxvi. In convertendo.

HEN the Lord turned again the captivity of Sion:
HEN the Lord turned

WHEN

2 Then was our mouth filled with laughter: and our tongue with joy.

3 Then faid they among the heathen: the Lord hath done great things for them.

4 Yea, the Lord hath done great things for us already : whereof we rejoice.

5 Turnour captivity, O Lord: as the rivers in the fouth.

Pfalm cxxv. This is a declaration of the only true fafety, that which conlifts in our adherence to God, without feeking any irregular indirect means of attaining it. This pfalm is applied by Aben Ezra to the days of the Meffiah.

Pfalm cxxvi.] This pfalm celebrates the return from captivity, and the great joyfulness thereof after their former forrow.

5] "I think the image is taken from the torrents in the deserts to the fouth of Judæa, in Idumea, Arabia Petræa, &c. a mountainous country. These torrents were conftantly dried up in the fummer, (fee Job. vi. 17, 18) and as conftantly returned after the rainy feafon, and filled again their de ferted channels. The point of the comparifon feems to be the return and renewal of thefe (not rivers, but) torrents, which yearly leave their beds dry, but fill them again; as the Jews had left their country defolate, but now flowed again into it."-Lowth. It may be thought prefùmptuous. Nn a

6 They that fow in tears, fhall reap in joy.

7 He that now goeth on his way weeping, and beareth forth good feed: fhall doubtlefs come again with joy, and bring his fheaves with him.

Pfalm cxxvii. Nifi Dominus.

XCEPT the Lord build the houfe: their labour is but loft that build it.

2 Except the Lord keep the city: the watchman waketh but in vain.

3 It is but loft labour that ye hafte to rife up early, and fo late take rest, and eat the bread of carefulness : for fo he giveth his beloved fleep.

4 Lo, children and the fruit of the womb: are an heritage and gift, that cometh of the Lord.

to differ from Bishop Lowth, but there is another fact which feems to illuftrate the pfalmift's words more exactly. In Perfia, for instance, and in other parts of the eaft, the rivers are annihilated as it were by being drained off into artificial channels, which are made for the purpose of watering gardens, or plantations of any kind. Maundrell could not find the Abana, and Pharphar, near Damafeus; and the Barrady itself, of which the others were perhaps only branches, is fo much exhausted in this manner by fupplying the city and gardens, that when it is united again in one channel, on the fouth-eaft fide of the city, it foon lofes itself in a bog, without ever arriving at the fea.

Pfalm cxxvii.] This pfalm is thought to have been firft written by Solomon, to expofe the vanity of worldly folicitude without God's bleifing, as In all other things, fo in that of children. It was one of the pfalms fung aloud by the Levites in commemoration of God's mercy in the return from captivity.

2] The word watchman is not an accommodation of the tranflators to the customs of their own country. The butinefs of these perfons was the fame in the east as it is here, to guard the city, and to fignify the hour of the night.

3 For fo he giveth] The commentators have perplexed this paffage, by fearching out meanings for fleep which I apprehend fo fimple a word will not bear. The particle fo may indeed be tranflated fince. It has been fuppofed that this whole verfe denotes a perfon anxious to obtain the means of fubfiftence by labour protracted till a late hour at night, and again commencing at an early one in the morning. But perhaps it may defcribe the conduct of a perfon impreffed with great fear. He was too much afraid of the thief, or the public enemy, who might come at any watch in the night, to refign himself to fleep. He was haraffed by watch ing late at night, and by rifing again early in the morning, left he fhould be furprised. It is loft labour to do this. "I will lay me down in peace and take my reft, for it is Thou, Lord, only that makeft me dwell in fafety." "When thou lieft down, thou shalt not be afraid : yea shop fhalt lie down, and thy fleep shall be sweet." Prov. iii. 24.

5 Like as the arrows in the hand of the giant: even fo are the young children.

6 Happy is the man that hath his quiver full of them: they fhall not be afhamed, when they speak with their enemies in the gate.

Pfalm cxxviii. Beati omnes.

LESSED are all they that fear the Lord and walk

Bin his ways.

2 For thou shalt eat the labours of thine hands: O well is thee, and happy fhalt thou be.

3 Thy wife fhall be as the fruitful vine: upon the walls of thine house.

4 Thy children like the olive-branches: round about thy table.

5 Lo, thus fhall the man be blessed: that feareth the Lord.

6 The Lord from out of Sion fhall fo blefs thee: that thou fhalt fee Jerufalem in profperity all thy life long; 7 Yea, that thou shalt fee thy children's children; and peace upon Ifrael.

M

Pfalm cxxix. Sape expugraverunt.

ANY a time have they fought against me from my youth up may Ifrael now fay;

2 Yea, many a time have they vexed me from my youth up; but they have not prevailed against me.

3 The ploughers ploughed upon my back and made long furrows.

4 But the righteous Lord; hath hewn the fnares of the ungodly in pieces.

6 In the gate] It ought to be obferved, that if the gate was the place of judicature, it was alfo fometimes the feat of war. "Then was war in the gates." Judges v. 8.

Pfalm cxxviii.] This is a fhort account of the prefent felicity which every pious man fhall certainly enjoy by the special blessing of God.

2] It was not always the lot of the perfon who fowed that he should reap. The former pfalm shews the infecurity of the country.

Pfalm cxxix.] The many dangers of God's people are here recounted, and the many wonderful deliverances which God hath afforded them; and the utter deftruction of their enemies is foretold.

3] "He who knew no fin, gave his back to the fmiters." IL. 1. 6.

Let them be confounded and turned backward: as many as have evil will at Sion.

6 Let them be even as the grafs growing upon the houfe-tops: which withereth afore it be plucked up;

7 Whereof the mower filleth not his hand: neither he that bindeth up the fheaves, his bofom.

8 So that they who go by fay not fo much as, The Lord profper you: we wish you good luck in the Name of the Lord.

Pfalm cxxx. De profundis.

O Lord, hear my voice.

UT of the deep have I called unto thee, O Lord:

2 O let thine ears confider well: the voice of my complaint.

3 If thou, Lord, wilt be extreme to mark what is done amifs: O Lord, who may abide it?

4 For there is mercy with thee: therefore fhalt thou be feared.

5 I look for the Lord, my foul doth wait for him: in his word is my trust.

6 My foul fleeth unto the Lord before the morning watch, I fay, before the morning watch.

6] Maundrell fays, "All that occurred to us new in these days' travel was a particular way used by the country people in gathering their corn, it being now harvest-time. They plucked it up by handfuls from the roots."

8] This refers to the cuftom of bleffing the reapers at their work; of which we have an inftance, Ruth ii. 4; " And behold, Boaz came from Bethlehem, and faid unto the reapers, The Lord be with you: and they anfwered him, The Lord blefs thee." It may be remarked, after Merrick, that Hefiod defcribes one of thefe bad harvests in a fimilar manner; the small handfuls, the reaper fitting in order to lay hold of the fhort ftalk, turning the roots oppofite to each other, and fo binding the fheaf for the fame reafon, and the few perfons who fhould gaze on him when thus employed. There are two other circumstances highly characteristic, which it may not be improper to add; the reaper covered with duft when binding up the fheaves, and the whole fcanty harvest carried home in baskets.

Pfalm cxxx.] This is an affectionate devout prayer to God for mercy, pardon, and propitiation, together with a confident dependence upon Him for it. It feems to have been compofed in the time of the captivity for deliverance out of it. This is the fixth penitential pfalm.

6] My foul hafteneth to the Lord from the morning watches, that is, from the time when they haften to their watches; in other words, the guards every morning that haften to their watches are not earlier than I am in my daily addreffes to God.