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now become like a desert, barren and unfruitful in the knowledge of divine things.

Ver. 35. "And dry ground into water-springs.”]— This may be figuratively understood of the gentile world, which before the coming of Christ, and the preaching of the gospel, and the pouring down of the Spirit, was like a wilderness and dry ground; but now watered with the. word and ordinances, and the grace of God, and in many places, has become fruitful in grace and good works.

Ver. 36. "And there he maketh the hungry to dwell.”] -So such as hunger and thirst after righteousness, make to such places where the waters are, the word is preached, and ordinances administered; and here they take up their dwelling, their bread being given them, and their waters sure unto them.

Ver. 41. "Yet setteth he the poor on high from afflic tions."-This may be applied to the saints and people of God, who, for the most part, are poor in purse, the poor of this world, whom he chooses, calls, and saves; poor in knowledge, capacity, and gifts; poor as to their spiritual circumstances, having neither food nor clothing; poor in spirit, and sensible of it; and poor by reason of afflictions: these the Lord sets on high, sets them among the princes of his people, makes them kings and priests, sets them on Christ the rock, who is higher than they, higher than the angels, and than the heavens; sets them above the angels, their nature being advanced above their's in Christ, and they being represented by him in heavenly places; and standing in the relation of sons to God, and of spouse and bride to Christ, and angels being their ministring servants; and 'ere long they will be set on thrones, and have a crown of glory, life, and righteousness put upon them, and be possessed of an everlasting kingdom, and be out of the reach of afflic

tion.

Ver. 42. "The righteous shall see it, and rejoice."]— Shall see the increase and prosperity of the saints, the glory of the church in the latter day, and rejoice at it; the judg ments of God upon the wicked, upon antichristian princes and states, and rejoice on that account; Rev. xviii. 20. and xix. 1, 2. and the several deliverances of persons in distress before-mentioned, and rejoice with them that rejoice.

PSALM CVIII.

In a joyful foresight of the mercies which the foregoing Psalm is teaching the church to hope for, she is here, ver. 1-5. professing her heart fixed, prepared, and resolved, to be praising God among the nations. Then ver. 6. her glorious Head is introduced, making intercession for this his faithful church, which the Lord vouchsafes to love. And then again the church expresses her joy, in what God in his Holy One thus speaks: firmly trusting through him to divide Shechem, and triumph over all his enemies; represented here, as in Psalm 1x. under the names of Edoni, &c. those ancient enemies of the people of God.

See the Note on Psalm lx.

PSALM CIX.

The prophet David is here sustaining the person of his great root and offspring, Christ; who, ver. 1-5. is complaining of unjust and most violent persecutions from those to whom he was doing good and shewing love. And then, having forewarned his enemies (by the example of Judas) of the dreadful consequence of their wicked hatred and opposition, ver. 6-20. he returns, ver. 21. to his humble supplications, in full assurance of deliverance; and promises that thankful praise which was to be, and now daily is offered, by his mystical body the church; for which as for his own soul, he is represented offering these inter cessions; that it might be preserved, and delivered from all its enemies, those of the latter days especially; containing the certain destruction of all the enemies of Christ.

VER. 1. "Hold not thy peace."]-It is the Messiah, as man, that puts up this petition, and it agrees with Psalm xxii. 2.

"O God of my praise."]-Worthy of all praise, because of the perfections of his nature, and for the mercies he bestows; and is and ought to be the constant object of the praise of his people; and was the object of the praise of Christ; Psalm xxii. 22, 25. who praised him. for his wonderful formation as man, having such a holy human nature, so suitable to his divine person, and so fit for the service of his people; for his preservation from his enemies, and the deliverance of him from death and the grave, by his resurrection; for bearing his petitions, and for the special grace bestowed on his people; Psalm cxxxix. 14. . Ver. 4. "For my love, they are my adversaries."]For the love that Christ shewed to the Jews; to their bodies,

in going about and healing all manner of diseases among them; to their souls, in preaching the gospel to them in their several cities; and for the love he shewed to mankind in coming into the world to save them, which should have commanded love again; but instead of this they became his implacable adversarics: they acted the part of satan; they were as so many satans to him, as the word signifies.

Ver. 6. Set thou a wicked man over him."]-Here some single person is designed, even Judas, notorious for his enmity and ingratitude to Christ; and by the wicked one set over him, may be meant satan, as in the next clause, as be is sometimes called, Matt. xii. 38. I John v. 18. into whose hands and power Judas was put, under whose influence he was; who entered into him, took possession of him, and put it into his heart to betray his Master, John xiii. 2, 27.

"And let satan stand at his right hand.”]-To direct and influence him, to solicit and tempt him to do the evil he did, and to accuse him for it when done: Zech. iii. 1.

Ver. 7. "When he shall be judged, let him be condemned." When he shall be arraigned at the bar of his own conscience, and be charged with the sin of which he is guilty; let conscience, which is as a thousand witnesses, rise up against him, and condemn him; so it did Judas, Matt. xxvii. 3, 4. or when he shall stand before the judgmentseat of Christ at the last day, "let him go out a wicked," or a guilty, or condemned man; let him hear the awful sentence,Go, thou cursed, into everlasting fire."

Ver. 17. As he loved cursing, so let it come unto him."-Judas loved that which brought a curse on him, sin; and so he may be said to love the curse; just as sinners are said to love death, Prov. viii. 36. He was desirous of, and sought after it, to bring Christ to an accursed death; and which he accomplished and pleased himself with; and therefore it was a just retaliation upon him, that the curse should light on him, and he himself come to a shameful and ignominious death.

Ver. 18. "So let it come into his bowels like water."] -The meaning is, let the wrath of God and the curse of the law come into his conscience, and make sad work there, and fill him with dread and terror, and that in great abundance, and with great force; like a flood of waters that carry all before it; or like the waters of jealousy which made the belly to swell and the thigh to rot; or the flying roll of the curse, which entering into the house of the sin ner destroyed it, and all in it, Numb. v. 22. Zech. v. 4.

"And like oil into his bones."]-Which is more piercing and penetrating than water; and signifies the inward and quick sense he should have of his sins, and of the wrath of God for them; Job xx.11.

Ver. 19. Let it be unto him as the garment which covereth him."]-Let him be surrounded on all sides with the wrath of God; and let it be visible to all, as a man's garment on him is.

Ver. 20. "Let this be the reward of mine adversaries, from the Lord, and of them that speak evil against my soul."-These words set forth Christ's right as King in Zion to adjudge the wicked to hell for their wickedness; and it likewise sets forth the glories of his distinguishing grace to his elect; while sovereign pleasure let Judas fall into hell: this is what enhances the glories of grace, for the elect will always see that they as much deserved to be in hell as any that are there.

Ver. 22. "For I am poor and needy."]-As he was in human nature, being born of poor parents, brought up in a mean manner, had not where to lay his head, and was ministered to by others; though he was Lord of all, and immensely rich in the perfections of his nature, and in his vast empire and dominion, and the revenues arising from thence, 2 Cor. viii. 9. It may here chiefly respect his helpless and forlorn estate as man, at the time of his sufferings and death; Psalm xl. 17.

"And my heart is wounded within me."]-With the sins of his people on him, with a sense of divine wrath, and when under divine desertions, especially when his soul was exceeding sorrowful even unto death, Matt. xxvi. 38.

PSALM CX.

In the foregoing Psalm the Messiah was represented to the prophet David in distress, and making supplications as with strong crying and tears. But here the scene is changed: he sees him now, ver. 1. called up to the throne of glory, to sit there on the right hand of the Majesty on high. He addresses himself to him therefore, ver. 2. in a joyful foresight of the greatness of his power, the willingness of his people, the multitude of his seed, the perpetuity of his priesthood, his judging among the nations, his reparing the ruins of our poor bodies though laid in dust, and his exaltation, or final triumphs over all his enemies. The whole Psalm is pure gospel; it is only and wholly concerning Christ, the Messiah, promised to the fathers, and expected by them: it is plain

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the Jews of old, even the worst of them, so understood it, however the modern Jews have endeavoured to pervert it, and to rob us of it; for when the Lord Jesus proposed a question to the pharisees upon the first words of this Psalm, where he takes it for grauted that David in spirit calls Christ his Lord, though he were his son, they chose rather to say nothing, and to own themselves overcome, than to make it a question, whether David doth indeed speak of the Messiah or not; for they did freely yield so plain a truth though they foresaw it would turn to their own disgrace, Matt. xxii. 41, &c. Of him therefore no doubt the prophet here speaks, and of no other man. Christ as our Redeemer executes the office of prophet, priest, and king, both in his state of humiliation and exaltation; and of each of these we have here an account. 1. His prophetical office, ver. 2. 2. His priestly office, ver. 4. 3. His kingly office, ver. 1, 3, 5, 6. 4. His estates of humiliation and exaltation, ver. 7. In singing this Psalm may we act faith upon Christ, submit ourselves entirely to him, to his grace and government, and triumph in him, by whom we are ruled and taught, and saved for ever; and as the prophet, priest, and king of the whole church, who shall reign till he has put down all opposing rule, principality, and power, and delivered up the kingdom to God the Father.

VER. 1. "The Lord said unto my Lord, Sit thou at my right hand, until I make thine enemies thy footstool."] In the first place, the prophet being taught of God, describes the person of Christ, in both his natures, and in his kingly office, which he exerciseth in heaven from the beginning of the world to the end thereof, until all his enemics shall be destroyed. Whence learn, first, albeit the understanding of Christ's person and offices be necessary unto the church, yet none know the Son save the Father, and they to whom he will reveal him; for David knew Christ only by the Father's teaching: "The Lord said," saith he. Secondly, Christ is David's son, and David's Lord also: David's son, in that Christ assumed his human nature of David's seed; and David's Lord, because he is God, very God and very man in one person : "The Lord said unto my Lord," that is, God the Father revealed to me concerning God the Son, my Lord and Redeemer. Thirdly, Christ in his kingly office is exalted to the fellowship of glory and power with the Father, authorised by him in his kingdom, and established therein by divine decree: "The Lord said unto my Lord." Fourthly, Christ since the beginning of the world hath had, and to the end of the world shall have enemies to his kingdom, who shall fight against him, but he shall prevail over them completely and gloriously, to their shame and confusion: "Sit thou at my right hand, until I make thine enemies thy footstool." Fifthly, no less than divine power is able to subdue the enemies of Christ's kingdom; for devils and, wicked men, sin, death, and hell, are opposite

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