thing to fear in the worst of times; which is a riddle to a natural man.

Ver. 7. "Nor give to God a ransom for him."]-This shews that redemption work is out of the power of all creatures, and that it belongs only to Christ. Hence our Lord Jesus, the Redeemer of his people, paid the ransom price to God, and offered himself a sacrifice to him; see Eph. v. 2. Rev. v. 9. But this ransom is not of man, but of God; it is of his finding out in his infinite wisdom: he set forth and sent forth Christ to be the ransom or propitiation, as the word here used signifies; and Christ came to give his life and himself a ransom for many, and is the propitiation for their sins: and this is a sufficient one, a plenteous redemption, and there needs no other, nor is there any other.

Ver. 8. "For the redemption of their soul is precious." The only price of redemption of the soul is the precious blood of Christ; his life is the ransom-price, yea, he himself, 1 Peter i. 18, 19. Matt. xx. 28. 1 Tim. ii. 6. nor is the redemption of the soul possible upon any other foot.

"And it ceaseth for ever."-That is, the redemption. of the soul; it must have ceased, it could never have been accomplished, had not Christ undertaken it, and performed it; he has obtained eternal redemption, and in him we have it, and in no other.

Ver. 14. "And the upright shall have dominion over them in the morning."]-The upright are such to whom the uprightness or righteousness of Christ is shewn or imputed, and who have right spirits renewed, and principles of grace and holiness formed in them, and walk uprightly in their lives and conversations; these in the morning of the resurrection day, when Christ, the Sun of righteousness shall arise, when the light of joy and gladness shall break forth upon his coming, at the beginning of the day of the Lord, which will last a thousand years; they, the dead in Christ, rising first, shall, during that time, reign with him as Kings and priests; when the wicked being destroyed in the general conflagration, shall become the footstool of Christ, and be like ashes under the soles of the feet of his people; and the kingdom, the dominion, and the greatness of the kingdom under the whole heaven, shall be given to the saints; see 1 Thess. iv. 16. Rev. xx. 5, 6. Mal. iv. 2, 3. Dan, vii. 27.

Ver. 15. "For he shall receive me. Selah."]—Or, For he hath received me: into his arms of love, into his grace and favour: which he does openly at conversion, and in effectual vocation; men being drawn to Christ by the cords of love, come to him and are received by him, who casts none out; and the argument from hence is very strong, that such whom Christ receives by his grace, he will redeem from the grave, or raise at the last day to the resur rection of life.

PSALM L.

The design of the foregoing psalm is in this most awfully enforced, as it represents Jehovah coming forth to judge the world; commanding his saints to be gathered before him, and they who are truly such, may be admitted to behold God in salvation. And then the hypocrites, whether Jews or gentiles, who trust altogether to outward services, with all those that forget God, will find none to help or save them.

VER. 2. "Out of Zion, the perfection of beauty, God hath shined."]-That is, Christ, he is the perfection of beauty; he is fairer than the children of men; he is more glorious than the angels in heaven: as mediator, he is full

grace and truth, which makes him very lovely and amia ble to his people: he is the express image of his Father's person; and the glory of all the divine perfections is as conspicuous in his work of salvation, as well as in himself. Or else the gospel may be meant, which has a beauty in it: it is a glorious gospel, and holds forth the beauty and glory of Christ. All truth is lovely and amiable, especially evangelical truth: it has a divine beauty on it, it comes from God, and bears his impress; yea, it is a perfection of beauty: it contains a perfect plan of truth, and is able to make the man of God perfect; and this was to come out of Zion, Isaiah ii. 3. and which great light first arose in Judea, and from thence shone out in the gentile world, like. the sun in all its lustre and glory, Tit. ii. 11.

Ver. 5. "Gather my saints together unto me."]These words are spoken by Christ to the ministers of the gospel, to gather in, by the ministry of the word, his elect ones among the gentiles; Matt. xxiv. 30. called his saints, who had an interest in his favour and loving-kindness, and were sanctified or set apart for his service and glory.

"Those that have made a covenant with me by sacrifice."]-The covenant of grace which was made with Christ from everlasting, and which was confirmed by his blood and sacrifice; this his people may be said to make with God in him, he being their head, surety, and representative: now these covenant ones he will have gathered to himself.

Ver. 7. "O Israel, and I will testify against thee."]In the original it is testify in thee, to thee, or for thee;" which makes it appear much more beautiful with the latter part of the verse, 66 'I am God, even thy God;" to own thee, to testify my grace in thee, and to give proofs of my love to thee before men and angels, because I am God, even thy God in covenant; therefore I am engaged for thee.

Ver. 23. "Whoso offereth praise, glorifieth me."]Celebrates the divine perfections, gives God the glory of all mercies; which honours him, and is more grateful and well-pleasing to him than all burnt-offerings and sacrifices.

"And to him that ordereth his conversation aright."] -According to the rule of God's word, and as becomes the gospel of Christ; to him "will I shew the salvation of God;" or, cause to see or enjoy it: not only temporal salvation from time to time, but spiritual and eternal salvation; to see an interest in it, and to possess it; and particularly Christ, the author of it, who is the salvation of God's providing, appointing and sending, and whose glory is greatly concerned therein; Isaiah lii. 10. Luke ii. 25, 30.

PSALM LI.

To the foregoing awful representation of the process and terrors of the great day, David very fitly subjoins this his penitential psalm. He leads us in the way of finding mercy in that day; and, for our encouragement, lets us see how graciously the good Spirit of God visits a broken and contrite heart. When his, through grace, became such, he was enabled still to look with comfort on the SECRET ONE, ver. 6. the Lamb of God, promised from the beginning, but “hid from ages and generations." Filled with hope, that by this blessed Secret One he should obtain wisdom and the grace of repentance, he goes on lamenting, and begging mercy for his sin: and then concludes, humbly rejoicing in the hope of his manifestation, and coming to build the walls of Jerusalem. Those whose consciences charge them with great sins, should, with an eye to Christ, pray over this psalm frequently.

VER. 1. "Have mercy upon me, O God, according to thy loving-kindness."]-Not according to his merits, nor

according to the general mercy of God, which carnal ment rely upon; but according to his everlasting and unchange able love in Christ; from which as the source, and through whom as the medium, special mercy comes to the children of men. The acts of special mercy are according to the Sovereign will of God: he is not moved to mercy, neither by the merits nor misery of men, but by his free grace and favour; it is love that sets mercy to work this is a most glaring gleam of gospel light.

Ver. 2. "Wash me thoroughly from mine iniquity."I -Which supposes defilement by sin, and that very great, and such as none can remove but the Lord himself; who, when he takes it in hand, does it effectually and thoroughly; Ezek. xxxvi. 25. David's sin had long lain upon him, the filth of it had as it were eat into him, and spread itself over him, and therefore he needed much washing; wash me much, all over, and thoroughly.

"And cleanse me from my sin."]-Which only the blood of Christ can do, 1 John i. 7.

Ver. 5. "Behold I was shapen in iniquity."]-The sense of this passage is, that as soon as ever the mass of buman nature was shaped and quickened, or as soon as soul and body were united together, sin was in him, and he was in sin, or became a sinful creature.

Ver. 6. "Behold, thou desirest truth in the inward parts."]-With delight and pleasure, as the word signifies; meaning Christ, the truth and the life.

"And in the hidden part thou shalt make me to know wisdom."-Either Christ, the wisdom of God; or the gos pel, and particularly that part of it which concerns the pardon of sin; or a true knowledge of sin, and of the way of life and salvation by Christ, which is the truest and highest wisdom and the phrase hidden or secret, may either denote the nature of the wisdom made known, which is hidden wisdom, the wisdom of God in a mystery; or the manner in which it is made known; it is in a hidden way, privately and secretly, and indiscernibly like the wind, by the Spirit and grace of God; or the seat and subject of it, "the hidden part," as we supply it; the hidden man of the heart.

Ver. 7. "Purge me with hyssop."]-Or, thou shalt purge me with hyssop; or expiate me: which was used in sprinkling the blood of the paschal lamb on the door-posts of the Israelites in Egypt, that the destroying angel might pass over them, Exod. xii. 22, 23. And this petition of the psalmist shews, that he saw himself a guilty creature, and

in danger of the destroying angel, and a filthy creature like the leper, and deserving to be excluded from the society of the saints, and the house of God.

"And I shall be clean."]-Thoroughly clean; for the blood sprinkled on the heart by the Spirit, clears it from an evil conscience, purges the conscience from dead works, and cleanses from all sin.

"Wash me."]-Or, thou shalt wash me; alluding to the washing at the cleansing of a leper, and the purification of an unclean person, Lev. xiv. 8. Numb. xix. 19. but had in view the fountain of Christ's blood, in which believers are washed from all their sins, Zech. xiii. 1. Rev. i. 5.

"And I shall be whiter than snow."]-Who was black with original corruption and actual transgressions; but the blood of Christ makes not only the conversation-garments white that are washed in it; but even crimson and scarlet sins as white as wool, as white as snow.

Ver. 8. "Make me to hear joy and gladness."]-Which he had not heard for some time; sin had sadly broke in upon, and interrupted his spiritual peace and joy; for though the love and favour of God cannot be lost, yet his sensible presence, which puts joy and gladness into the heart, may; and though an interest in Christ ever continues, and union to him is always the same, yet a view of interest in him, which fills with "joy unspeakable and full of glory," and communion with him may not be had for a time: and though justification by his righteousness, from whence flows much peace, is an invariable blessing, yet the comfortable percep tion of it may be taken away.

Ver. 9. Hide thy face from my sins."]-In whose sight they were committed, being now ashamed of them himself, and ashamed that any should see them, and especially his God.

Ver. 10. "Create in me a clean heart, O God."]Which was now defiled with sin, and of which being convinced, he was led more and more to see the impurity of his heart and nature, from which all his evil actions flowed; and being sensible that he could not make his heart clean himself, and that this was the work of God, and a work which required creating power, he intreats it of him.

Ver. 11. "Cast me not away from thy presence."]The people of God are never cast away from his favour, or out of his heart's love; but they may for a while be without his gracious presence, or not see his face, nor have the light