into his hands: he is the Mediator, surety, and messenger of it, and by his blood it is ratified and confirmed.

Ver. 4. "Thy seed will I establish for ever."]-Meaning not the natural seed of David, but the spiritual seed of Christ, to whom it was promised that he should have a seed, and should see and enjoy it, and which should endure for ever; ver. 29, 36. Isaiah Ivii. 11.

Ver. 5." And the heavens shall praise thy wonders, O Lord."-The person of the Redeemer is wonderful, and that is his name; his incarnation is a most amazing thing, it is the great mystery of godliness, and the redemption wrought out by him, is the wonder of men and angels; when he appeared in the world, the angels of God wor shipped him; at his birth they sung "glory to God in the highest;" and the mysteries of his grace are what they look into with wonder and praise, Heb. i. 6. Luke ii. 13, 14. 1 Pet. i. 12.

Ver. 14. "Mercy and truth shall go before thy face."] -Be and appear wherever he is; all his ways are mercy and truth, Psalm xxv. 10. Mercy, in pardoning and saving sinners that come unto him by Christ; and truth, in performing all his purposes and promises; and these make the joyful sound next mentioned.

Ver. 15. "Blessed is the people that know the joyful sound."]-Of the love, grace, and mercy of God displayed in Christ, of peace and pardon by his blood, of justification by his righteousness, of atonement by his sacrifice, and of complete salvation by his obedience, sufferings, and death; this is the sound of the gospel, and a joyful one it is to sensible sinners, and is so called, in allusion either to a shout made upon a victory gained, and such a sound is the gospel; it declares victory by Christ, over sin, satan, the world, and death, and every enemy, and that he has made his people more than conquerors over them: or to the jubilee trumpet, which proclaimed liberty, and a restoration of inheritances, Lev. xxv. 9, 10. and so the gospel proclaims liberty to the captives, freedom from the dominion of sin, and condemnation by it.

"They shall walk, O Lord, in the light of thy countenance."-Enjoy the gracious presence of God, have the manifestation of himself, the discoveries of his love, communion with him through Christ, and the comforts of the Holy Spirit.

Ver. 16. "In thy name shall they rejoice all the day."] -In him, as the God of all grace, as their covenant God

and Father in Christ, and the God of their salvation; and they will rejoice in Christ, in his name, in which is salvation, and therefore precious; in his person, blood, righteousness, sacrifice, and fulness; and that all the day long, con. tinually; there is always reason, ground, and matter for rejoicing in Christ, though it is sometimes interrupted by sin, temptation, and desertion; Phil. iv. 4.

"And in thy righteousness shall they be exalted.”]— From a low estate of sin and misery to a high estate of grace and glory; from a state of condemnation and death, to a state of justification of life.

Ver. 17. "For thou art the glory of their strength."] -By which they walk, and do all they do, exercise every grace, and discharge their duty; they have their strength from Christ, as well as their righteousness. without whom they can do nothing, but all things through him strengthening them; and as his righteousness exalts them, his strength adorns and glorifies them: how glorious and beautiful does a believer look, that is strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might, in the grace that is in Christ, and in the exercise of faith on him, giving glory to God! and on whom the power of Christ rests!

Ver. 19. And saidst, I have laid help upon one that is mighty."]-This mighty one is the Messiah, the mighty God, the mighty Man, the mighty Mediator and Redeemer; who was mighty to save to the uttermost, and was every way fit for, and equal to the work of a Redeemer; for which reason the Lord "laid help" upon him, not for himself; for this is not to be understood of help promised or given him as man and mediator; this is after spoken of, ver. 21. but for others; and so the Targum adds, for my people: laying it on him, is no other than ordering or enjoining him, to which he agreed, to help his people out of that miserable condition they were fallen into, through Adam's transgression, and their own sins, out of which they could not help themselves: the work assigned to Christ, and devolved on him in council and covenant, was to help them out of this estate by price and power; and to help them on in their way to heaven, through all difficulties, trials, and temptations; and to help them to heaven itself, and introduce them there.

Ver. 20. "With my holy oil have I anointed him."] -Not with material oil, as David his type, I Sam. xvi. 13. but with the Holy Ghost, which may well be called holy oil, in allusion to the holy anointing oil under the law; the oil of gladness with which Christ was anointed above his

fellows, and without measure, at the time of his conception and birth, at his baptism and ascension to heaven, and even in some sense, from all eternity; for so early is he said to be anointed, and to be possessed with all fulness of grace, being invested with and installed into his office as Mediator; and from this anointing he has the name of Messiah and Christ, both which signify anointed, Acts x. 38. Psalm xlv. 7. Prov. viii. 22, 23.

Ver. 21. "With whom my hand shall be established."] -A promise of God's gracious presence with Christ, as man and mediator, which is his work; of a communication of grace and strength from him, to carry him through it; and of his supporting and upholding him under it; which hand of his power and grace would be always prepared and ready for him, as the word signifies, and stable and firm with him, so that he should have success in it; the pleasure of the Lord shall prosper in his hands.

Ver. 22. The enemy shall not exact upon him."]The enemy is the devil, who could not exact a tribute of him, or make him tributary to him: or, in other words, conquer him, and subject him to him: so far from it, that he was conquered by Christ, and all his principalities and powers spoiled; or could not deceive him, in which sense the word is sometimes used.

Ver. 24. "And in my name shall his horn be exalted."] -Or his glory; his power and dominion, of which the horn is an emblem; and his glory is displayed in having the same name his Father has: his name is expressive of his nature, being, and perfections, the name JEHOVAH; and his name of title and office," King of kings, and Lord of lords;" or his name, the word of God, who, as such, is the brightness of his Father's glory.

Ver. 26." He shall cry unto me, Thou art my father."] -Not by creation, as he is the father of angels and men; nor by adoption, as he is the father of saints; but by the grace of union as Mediator, being the begetter of him, Psalm ii. 7. so that he is Christ's own and proper father, and Christ is his own and proper son, John v. 18. Rom. viii. 3, 32. and he frequently called him his father, and asserted him to be in this relation to him, John v. 17. and x. 30. and xx. 17. as no other nature but the human nature of Christ can ever be united to the divine person, therefore called the "only begotten of the Father;" and as such the man Christ calls God his father, and the rock of his salva

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tion; for as a divine person, purely considered, he has no God nor rock of salvation.

Ver. 27. "Also I will make him my first-born."]— Christ is the first-born, with respect to creatures; he is "the first-born of every creature," Col. i. 15, being begotten and brought forth before any creature was in being, Prov. viii. 22, 23, 24, 25. and with respect to the saints, he is "the first-born among many brethren," Rom. viii. 29. they are of the same nature, and in the same family, and in which Christ is a son, and the first-born; and in all things he has the pre-eminence; and he is also "the first-born from the dead, or the first begotten of the dead," Col. i. 18. Rev. i. 5.

Ver. 28. "And my covenant shall stand fast with him."] -Being made with him as the head and representative of his people, it remains, and will remain, sure, firm, and im‐ moveable; its blessings are " sure mercies," and its promises are all "yea and amen in Christ:" the stability of it, and of all that is in it, is owing to its being made with him, and being in his hands, who is the surety, mediator, and messenger of it.

Ver. 29. "His seed also will I make to endure for ever."]-The Messiah's spiritual seed, which were given him by the Father, adopted through him, regenerated by his Spirit and grace, begotten through his gospel, and the ministry of it, and born again in his church, and to whom he stands in the relation of the everlasting Father, Isaiah ix. 6. and liii. 10. The enduring of these for ever, may denote the final perseverance of particular believers; which may be concluded from the relation of Christ.

Ver. 32. "And their iniquity with stripes."]-With the stripes of divine vengeance, of vindictive justice; Christ, the surety of his people endured for them; Isaiah liii. 8. Heb. xii. 6.

Ver. 33. "Nevertheless, my loving-kindness will I not utterly take from him."]-Or, make it void; not from Christ, who always was, and ever will be the dear Son of his love, even whilst he was obeying, suffering, and dying; nor from all those that are in him, loved, and chosen in him, from every one of his spiritual seed, who are all dear sons, and pleasant children; and the love of God to his people is in Christ, and therefore there can be no separation from it; nor will it ever depart from them, or be utterly or at all taken from them, though sometimes the manifestations of it are

withdrawn from them; but the love of God itself is invariable and unchangeable; Rom viii. 38, 39. nor is it removed when God afflicts and chastens his people; for his chastenings are from love, and in love.

Ver. 34. "My covenant will I not break, nor alter the thing that is gone out of my lips."]-Any promise of his, respecting either the temporal, spiritual, or eternal welfare of his people: or not change; as he changes not in his nature and perfections, nor in his love and affections, nor in his counsels and purposes; so neither in his covenant and promises, they are always the same, and have a certain and unchangeable accomplishment.

Ver. 35. "Once have 1 sworn by my holiness."]Swearing is ascribed to God after the manner of men, and is done in condescension to the weakness of his people, and to remove doubts and hesitations from them, relating to things spiritual and eternal; as to his everlasting love to them, his Covenant with them in Christ, and their perseverance in his grace; and it is made by himself.

"That I will not lie unto David."]-He will not lie to any, he cannot, it is impossible he should; he will not lie to David, to David's son, the Messiah, (who is frequently called David in the psalms) with whom the covenant is made, and stands fast; all the prophecies concerning him he bas fulfilled; and all the promises made to him of help and assitance, as man and mediator, in his work, and of the reward of it, a glory with him, he has made good.

Ver. 38. But thou hast cut off."]-Here begin objections to what is before said, and swore to; even to the everlasting love of God, to Christ, and to his seed, and to the unchangeableness and unalterableness of the covenant, and to the continuance and perpetuity of the kingdom and church of Christ, taken from the dealings of the Lord, with the Messiah and his people.

"Thou hast been wroth with thine anointed."]Which is to be understood of him, not as his Son as Godman, who was always the object of his love, but as the sinner's surety, bearing the sins of his people, and all the wrath and punishment due unto them; and so is reconcile. able to the promise, that loving-kindness should not be taken from him, ver. 33.

Ver. 39. "Thou hast made void the covenant of thy servant."]-Which was thought to be null and void when the Redeemer was in the grave, and all hopes of redemp