fruitful, are proofs and enblems, and therefore here set before us to be considered as such.

VER. 1. "Praise waiteth for thee, O God, in Sion."]This may intend that praise, love, and adoration, that is in the hearts of young converts, when they attend the gates of Sion, and are ready to break forth in praises to the Lord for his great salvation: or it may denote that love and praise with which at times the people of God attend the gates of Sion, and the ordinances of his house.

Ver. 3. "As for our transgressions thou shalt purge them away."]-Or as it may be rendered, Thou shall expiate them, cover them, or make atonement for them; which Christ hath done by his righteousness and sacrifice, and this is the church's only atonement, and covering from sin, guilt, wrath, and condemnation.

Ver. 4. "Blessed is the man whom thou choosest.”]— This is primarily to be understood of Christ, and of his people in him whom he hath chosen, loved, and blessed with the riches of his grace and glory: and from this gracious union, he causeth them to draw near to him, namely, Christ as the elect head of the church; and it follows, that "they dwell in his courts, and are satisfied with the goodness of his house," namely, with the bread of life, the blessings of grace, the promises of his word, and the ordinances thereof.

Ver. 6. "Which by his strength setteth fast the mountains."-By these mountains we may spiritually understand particular churches or particular believers; for they that trust in the Lord shall be as mount Zion, which shall not be moved, because they are established in God's everlasting love, in their union with Christ, in their election in Christ, and in the covenant of grace by Christ, who hath engaged in covenant for them, in promise, by oath and by sacrifice, by his righteousness, resurrection, and intercession, to settle their redemption for ever.

Ver. 9. "Thou greatly enrichest it with the river of God."-This may spiritually be understood of the river of God's love, which greatly enriches his church, as all the blessings of life, hope, peace, and joy, flow from thence: these enrich the mind with understanding and knowledge of God's word, with fruitfulness, and with a lively faith and praise to his name.

Ver. 11. "And thy paths drop fatness."]-This may be understood of the Lord's providential paths, which drop

blessings suitably and seasonably to his people, that they may be fitly compared to fatness for their enriching nature. Likewise it may spiritually denote the paths of the Lord's love in the ministration of his word, by which the Holy Ghost drops fatness, and fulness of blessings to them thereby.

PSALM LXVI.

Here the church seems to be calling all the earth to rejoice with her, in a view of that glorious scene, which is emblematically set before us in the foregoing psalm, when God, by the wonders which he has done and will do, shall have brought all the earth to bow, and yield submission, ver. 1-9. With this consideration she comforts herself under present distresses, and promises (under the figure of burnt-offerings, &c.) sacrifices of praise, when she enters her place of rest, ver. 10-15. into which when she has entered, her children are represented calling out, each of them, to all that fear God, to come and hear what he has done for their souls, ver. 16-19. The subject matter of the psalm seems to point at these things; and so does that title in the Septuagint, which calls it a psalm of the resurrection.'

VER. 1"Make a joyful noise unto God."]-That is, to the Messiah, the incarnate God, who is the great victorious conqueror over sin, death, and the grave; and who went forth in the ministration of his word, conquering and to conquer; and by the power of his grace daily subdues the rebellion of the carnal mind, and brings it into obedience to his will: for which grace the greatest praise is due to his name.

Ver. 2. "Sing forth the honour of his name."]-This shews that all the names of the divine Messiah are full of majesty, glory, and honour; and that it is the duty and pri vilege of the saints to sing and spread forth the honours of his name, that is, his name IMMANUEL," God with us;" his name JESUS," a Saviour;" his name CHRIST, "the anointed;" his name JEHOVAH," the mighty God."

Ver. 4. "All the earth shall worship thee, and shall sing unto thee."]-That is, the church, which is sometimes called the earth, shall worship, adore, and praise the Messiah; for his name, his person, his love, and grace, shall be their theme, their song, their delight, and their joy.

Ver. 7. “He ruleth by his power for ever."] -This shews that Christ ruleth by the power of his sovereign grace in the hearts of his people, in subduing their wills,

drawing their affections, conquering their hearts, making them willing in the day of his power, to own him, love him, and adore him, as their King, their Lord, and their God; likewise all their spiritual revivings and enlivenings of soul are owing to the ruling power of his grace in their hearts.

Ver. 9. "Which holdeth our soul in life."]-This shews, that not only the communication of spiritual life is owing to a divine power upon our minds, but likewise the continuation of it is maintained and supported by the same divine power that implanted it, which is the saints' security; for thereby their life of grace, of union to Christ, and of eternal salvation, is preserved, being bound up in the bundle of life with the Lord their God.

Ver. 16. "I will declare what he hath done for my soul."]-This shews that love and delight the saints take in speaking of the wonders of divine grace, and the great things that God has done for them, in calling them out of darkness into his marvellous light, in revealing his Son in them, in manifesting his grace to them, and in settling their salvation in Christ, and their comforts and consolation by the power of the Holy Ghost; but these words may denote the believer's testimony of his interest in the love of Christ; "I will declare what he bath done for my soul;" that he had died for me, that he has pardoned me, that I am forgiven by his blood, that he has loved me, and given himself for me and a sense of this love gives them a resolution to speak of it for the honour of Christ's name, and for the encouragement of others in the ways of the Lord.

PSALM LXVII.

This psalm relates to the church. Here is (1.) A prayer for the prosperity of the church of Israel, ver. 1. (2.) A prayer for the conversion of the gentiles, and the bringing of them into the church, ver. 2-5. (3) A prospect of happy and glorious times, when God shall do this, ver. 6,7. Thus was the psalmist carried out by the spirit of prophecy to foretel the glorious estate of the christian church, in which jews and gentiles should unite into one flock; the beginning of which blessed work ought to be the matter of our joy and praise, and the completing of it our prayer and hope in singing this psalm.

VER. 2. "Thy saving health among all nations."]— It is Christ's name, person, blood, and sacrifice, that is the

life and health of his people; and it is likewise their saving health, as it is the only healing balm for their wounded spirits; he only is the physician of value, whose precious blood is the "saving health" among the people: some render the words, thy salvation, or, thy Saviour, because Christ was of God's appointing, ordaining, and sending; and therefore the church prays for the spread and know. ledge of him among the nations.

PSALM LXVIII.

This is a most excellent psalm, for the psalmist is led by the spirit of pro phecy to speak glorious things concerning the Messiah, his ascension into heaven, and the setting up of his kingdom in the world. (1) He begins with prayer, both against God's enemies, ver. 1, 2. and for his people, ver. 3. (2.) He proceeds to praise, (1.) For God's having given them victory over their enemies, ver. 11, 12. and delivering them out of the hands of their oppressors, ver. 13, 14. (2.) For the special presence of God in his church, ver. 15, 17. (3.) The ascension of Christ, ver. 18. and the salvation of his people by him, ver. 19, 20. (4.) The victories which Christ would obtain over his enemies, and the favours he would bestow upon his church, ver. 21-28. (5.) The enlargement of the church, by the accession of the gentiles to it, ver, 29-31. And concludes the psalm with an awful acknowledgment of the glory and grace of God, ver. 32-35.

VER. 1. "Let God arise."]-These words are to be understood of Christ, and his resurrection from the power of sin, death, and the grave, as the head of his people. "Let God arise;" namely, the incarnate God, who has died for sin, suffered for sinners, and paid the debt of pe nalty with his own precious blood and death: let him, saith the Holy Ghost, arise victorious over satan, triumphant over death, and a conqueror over the grave. The debt is paid, the elect are discharged, the law is magnified, justice is satisfied, God is honoured, satan is foiled, sin is pardoned, and death, hell, and the grave, are triumphed over. God arise," as the mighty conqueror, as the victorious one: this shews the proper deity of Christ, and that he rose by virtue of the hypostatical union; that he was the God-man upon the cross, in the grave, and in his resurrection; therefore his resurrection is applied to his divine person: not that Deity arose or suffered, but the man in union to the divine nature suffered and rose; therefore it is applied to his person as God-man.

"Let

Ver. 3. "Let the righteous be glad."]-Namely, for the incarnation of Christ, for the righteousness, sacrifice, and resurrection of their incarnate God, who died for their sins, and rose again for their justification. For when they know the power of his resurrection, they rejoice therein, seeing that it is by virtue of his resurrection and the doctrines depending upon it that they are regenerated, born again, risen with him, are discharged from wrath, and enjoy peace with God; likewise they see their own resurrection thereby secure; for as he died for them, so he rose for them, and their resurrection is secured by his.

"Let them rejoice before God."]-When they behold what he has done for them, promised to them, wrought in them, pleaded for them.

"Yea, let them exceedingly rejoice."]-That is, exult for joy; for it denotes a fervency and greatness of joy, which the saints have a solid ground for, namely, to rejoice in Christ's person, in his presence, in his power, in his resurrection, in his grace, and great salvation; for all that Christ is, and all that he has, and all that he hath done, is for them.

Ver. 4. "Sing unto God."]-Namely, the incarnate God, of the wonders of his love, power, grace, and great salvation.

"By his name JAH."]-The word Jah is a contraction of Jehovah, and it comes from the same root, which signifies to be, or to exist essentially; and it is one of the incommunicable names of God, which shews that it is the duty of the saints to adore and exalt the Lord Jesus, not only in his righteousness and resurrection, but in his glorious essential name JAH, as being the self-existent I AM, the mighty God; as all the divine perfections shine forth eternally and essentially in him; which gave an ineffable glory to all his undertakings.

Ver. 7. "O God, when thou wentest forth before thy people."]-Such was the glory and majesty of the Shekinah, or the presence of God, that went before his people in the wilderness, by a pillar of cloud by day, and by a pillar of fire by night: this is called the presence of the God of Israel, which shews that God did shine forth with a singular excellency or glory therefrom; on which account it was called the SHEKINAH, or the habitation of God; and as it was a type of Christ, it evidently shews his essential glory, greatness, and majesty.