16 Who led his people through the wilderness: for his mercy endureth for ever.

17 Who fmote great kings: for his mercy endureth

for ever;

18 Yea, and flew mighty kings: for his mercy. endureth for ever;

19 Schon king of the Amorites: for his mercy endureth for ever;

20 And Og the king of Bafan: for his mercy endureth for ever.

21 And gave away their land for an heritage: for hismercy endureth for ever;

22 Even for an heritage unto Ifrael his fervant: for his mercy endureth for ever.

23 Who remembered us when we were in trouble: for his mercy endureth for ever;

24 And hath delivered us from our enemies: for his mercy endureth for ever.

25 Who giveth food to all flefh: for his mercy endureth for ever.

26 O give thanks unto the God of heaven: for his mercy endureth for ever.

27 O give thanks unto the Lord of lords: for his mercy endureth for ever.

Pfalm cxxxvii. Super flumina.

Y the waters of Babylon we fat down and wept : when we remembered thee, O Sion.

2 As for our harps, we hanged them up: upon the trees that are therein.

3 For they that led us away captive required of us then a fong, and melody in our heavinefs: Sing us one of the fongs of Sion.

66

16] Exod. xv. 22. 19] Numb. xxi. 2 23. 20] Numb. v. 24. Pfalm cxxxvii.] This is a defcription of the sadness of the Babylonifh captivity, and the vehement defire of the people to return to Canaan. 1]" As I was among the captives by the river of Chebar." Ezek. i. 1. 2] "Many fingers were carried captive." Ezek. ii. 41. Thefe would of courfe carry their inftruments with them, and be infulted as it is faid here. Their fongs were facred, and unfit to be fung before idolaters. But the words, bow fhall we fing, &c. are not an answer given to them, but the free utterance afterwards of the feelings of the Jews among themselves.

4 How fhall we fing the Lord's fong: in a frange land? 5 If I forget thee, O Jerufalem: let my right hand forget her cunning.

6 If I do not remember thee, let my tongue cleave to the roof of my mouth: yea, if I prefer not Jerufalem in my mirth.

7 Remember the children of Edom, O Lord, in the day of Jerufalem: how they faid, Dowa with it, down with it, even to the ground.

8 O daughter of Babylon, wafted with mifery: yea, happy fhall he be that rewardeth thee as thou haft ferved us.

9 Bleffed fhall he be that taketh thy children: and throweth them against the ftones.

Pfalm cxxxviii. Confitebor tibi.

Will give thanks unto thee, O Lord, with my whole heart: even before the gods will I fing praife unto thee. 2 I will worship toward thy holy temple, and praife thy Name, becaufe of thy loving-kindness and truth: for thou haft magnified thy Name, and thy word above all things.

5] Let my hand lofe its fkill in touching the harp.

6] If I do not make it the principal fubject of my joy.

7 Edom] The people of God befeech him to take their caufe in hand, and to avenge them on their adverfaries, particularly on the Edomites, who, though their brethren according to the fleth, being defcended from Efau, the brother of Jacob, yet in the days of Jerufalem's affliction, when the Chaldeans came against it, were aiding and encouraging those pagans to deftroy it utterly. Obad. v. 10. "In the day that thou stoodeft on the other fide, in the day that the ftrangers carried away captive his forces, and foreigners entered into his gates, and caft lots upon Jerufalem, even thou wat as one of them. But thou fhouldeft not have looked on the day of thy brother in the day that he became a ftranger: neither fhouldett thou have rejoiced over the children of Judah in the day of their deftruction. For the day of the Lord is near upon all the heathen: as thou haft done, it fhall be done unto thee; thy reward fhall return upon thine own head, but upon mount Sion fhall be deliverance."

9] Ifaiah xiii. 16, “Their children also shall be dashed to pieces before their houfes fhall be fpoiled, and their wives ravished.”

their eyes; Pfalm cxxxviii. This pfalm is a thankfgiving to God for his mercies, for his gracious hearing of the prayers of his lowly fervants, and for his powerful and wonderful deliverance of them in the fight of their heathen enemies.

The gods] Kings and judges..

3 When I called upon thee, thou heardeft me: and enduedst my foul with much strength,

4 All the kings of the earth fhall praise thee, O Lord: for they have heard the words of thy mouth;

5 Yea, they fhall fing in the ways of the Lord: that great is the glory of the Lord.

6 For though the Lord be high, yet hath he respect unto the lowly as for the proud, he beholdeth them afar off.

7 Though I walk in the midft of trouble, yet fhalt thou refresh me: thou shalt ftretch forth thy hand upon the furiousness of mine enemies, and thy right hand fhall fave me.

8 The Lord fhall make good his loving-kindnefs toward me: yea, thy mercy, O Lord, endureth for ever; despise not then the works of thine own hands.

MORNING PRAYER.

Pfalm cxxxix. Domine, probafti.

Lord, thou haft fearched me out, and known me: thou knoweft my down-fitting, and mine up-rifing; thou understandeft my thoughts long before.

2 Thou art about my path, and about my bed: and fpieft out all my ways.

3 For lo, there is not a word in my tongue: but thou, O Lord, knoweft it altogether.

4 Thou hast fashioned me behind and before and laid thine hand upon me.

5 Such knowledge is too wonderful and excellent for me: I cannot attain unto it.

Pfalm cxxxix.] It seems evident from the latter part of this noble and inftructive pfalm, that the author penned it at a time when he was perfecuted and calumniated, as an appeal between him and his adversaries to the all-feeing Judge.

2) "The actual conftant confideration of God's prefence would be the readieft way in the world to make fin ceafe from among the children of men, and for men to approach to the bleffed eftate of the faints in heaven, who cannot fin, for they always walk in the prefence and behold the face of God."-Bishop Taylor.

6 Whither fhall I go then from thy Spirit: or whither thall I go then from thy prefence?

7 If I climb up into heaven, thou art there; if I go down to hell, thou art there also.

8 If I take the wings of the morning and remain in the uttermoft parts of the sea;

9 Even there alfo fhall thy hand lead me: and thy right hand fhall hold me.

10 If I fay, Peradventure the darkness fhall cover me: then fhall my night be turned to day.

1 Yea, the darkness is no darkness with thee, but the night is as clear as the day: the darkness and light to thes are both alike.

12 For my reins are thine: thou haft covered me in my mother's womb.

13 I will give thanks unto thee, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made: marvellous are thy works, and that my foul knoweth right well.

14 My bones are not hid from thee: though I be made fecretly, and fashioned beneath in the earth.

15 Thine eyes did see my substance, yet being imperfect and in thy book were all my members written; 16 Which day by day were fashioned: when as yer there was none of them.

17 How dear are thy counfels unto me, O God: 0 how great is the fum of them!

18 If I tell them, they are more in number than the fand when I wake up, I am prefent with thee.

19 Wilt thou not flay the wicked, O God: depart from me, ye blood-thirsty men.

20 For they fpeak unrighteoufly against thee: and thine enemies take thy Name in vain.

12 Covered] Job x. 2, Who clothed us with fkin and flefh, and fenced us with bones and finews." A work fo aftonishing, that before the pfalmift proceeds in his defcription of it, he cannot help breaking forth in rapture at the thought, "I will praife thee, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made."

14 Beneath This was, perhaps, a proverbial phrase among the Hebrews, equivalent to the preceding word, fecretly.

19, 20] David now draws towards the intended conclufion from the premifes fo largely expatiated upon in the former part of the pfalm; as if

21 Do not I hate them, O Lord, that hate thee: and am not I grieved with those that rise up against thee? 22 Yea, I hate them right fore: even as though they were mine enemies.

23 Try me, O God, and feek the ground of my heart: prove me, and examine my thoughts.

24 Look well if there be any way of wickedness in me and lead me in the way everlasting.

Pfalm cxl. Eripe me, Domine.

DELIVER me, O Lord, from the evil man : and pre

serve me from the wicked man;

2 Who imagine mifchief in their hearts: and ftir up flrife all the day long.

3 They have sharpened their tongues like a serpent: adder's poifon is under their lips.

4 Keep me, O Lord, from the hands of the ungodly: preferve me from the wicked men, who are purpofed to overthrow my goings.

5 The proud have laid a fnare for me, and spread a net abroad with cords: yea, and fet traps in my way. 6 I faid unto the Lord, Thou art my God: hear the voice of my prayers, O Lord.

7 O Lord God, thou ftrength of my health: thou haft covered my head in the day of battle.

8 Let not the ungodly have his defire, O Lord: let not his mischievous imagination profper, left they be too proud.

9 Let the mischief of their own lips fall upon the head of them that compass me about.

10 Let hot burning coals fall upon them: let them be caft into the fire, and into the pit, that they never rife up again.

II A man full of words fhall not profper upon the earth: evil fhall hunt the wicked perfon to overthrow him.

he had faid, And wilt not Thou, O God, who feeft and knoweft all things, who haft formed and hitherto preferved thy fervant in fo wonderful a manner, "wilt Thou not flay the wicked, and deliver me as Thou haft promised to do, out of their hands?" I know Thou wilt.

Pfalm cxl.] David prays for deliverance from his malicious and treacherous enemies, and predicts their final destruction.