out of the covenant of grace, and from an interest in it; out of the hands of Christ, or off him the foundation; out of the house and family of God; out of a state of grace and righteousness, into condemnation: and though he may be distressed by afflictions, yet not destroyed; and though he may be so shaken, as to fall from some degree of stedfastness in the faith, and into sin, yet not so as to perish everJastingly the saint's perseverance is a sure and certain truth, to be depended upon.

Ver. 7. "His heart is fixed."]-On the love of God, and is rooted and grounded in it; and is firmly persuaded of his interest in it, and that nothing can separate him from it: it is fixed on Christ, the foundation; his faith is fixed and settled in him, and so are his affections; and nothing can separate from his love to him, Rom. viii. 35, £6, 37, 38, 39. Or, his heart is prepared; to meet the Lord in the way of his judgments: he expects tidings of evil things, and that he shall receive evil things, as well as good, at the hands of the Lord; and therefore is not afraid of them, or surprised at them when they come; as well as his heart is prepared by the Lord to serve him, and is ready to every good work.

"Trusting in the Lord."]-In his covenant God and Father, who will never leave him nor forsake him; in his grace which is sufficient for him in the worst of times, and who will supply all his wants: in his strength to enable him to do his duty; to bear up under trials and exercises, and to do and suffer his will and pleasure; and in his power, ta protect and preserve him, and keep him unto salvation,

PSALM CXIII.

The prophet here, while he is stirring up the servants of the Lord to give him praise, is enabled by the Spirit to see him praised by all nations, and the barren, the church among the gentiles also, becoming a joyful mother of children.

VER. 5. "Who is like unto the Lord our God ?”]Among the gods of the nations, as Kimchi; or among the angels of heaven, or among any of the mighty monarchs on earth; there is none like him for the perfections of his nature, for his wisdom, power, truth, and faithfulness; for his holiness, justice, goodness, grace, and mercy; who is

eternal, unchangeable, omnipotent, omniscient, and omnipresent; nor for the works of his hands, his works of creation, providence, and grace; none ever did the like: and what makes this reflection the more delightful to truly good men is, that this God is their Gød ; and all this is true of our Immanuel, God with us; who is God over all, and the only Saviour and Redeemer. Austin observed, What great matter is it to say unto God, Who is like thee?' unless it be understood of that person in the Godhead, who condescended to take the form of a servant, in the nature of man ; and in that, to contend and struggle, as it were, with the rulers of the darkness of this world, those enemies of God, and man's salvation. See also Jer. x. 7. where the comparison made between Jehovah and the wise men of the nations, proves the same thing.

Ver. 6. "Who bumbleth himself to behold the things that are in heaven, and in the earth!"]-The persons in the highest heavens, the angels whom he upholds in their beings, and admits into his presence; who always behold his face, and he beholds them, delights in their persons, and accepts their services. This may also be applied to Christ, who humbled himself to look upon the angels in heaven, and take them under his care and protection, and to be the head of them, and confirm them in that estate in which they were created; and who from all eternity vouchsafed to look with delight upon the sons of men, rejoicing in the habitable parts of the earth, where he knew they would dwell; and in the fulness of time he humbled himself to come down on earth in human nature, and dwell among men, and become very man in that nature; made himself of no reputation, and humbled himself so as to become obedient to death, the death of the cross, and be made sin and a curse for his people. This was an humiliation indeed!

Ver. 9." He maketh the barren woman to keep house." This may be understood of Zion, who was as a barren woman; Isaiah liv. 1. Gal. iv. 27. It may be illustrated by the case of the primitive and apostolic church, which, at first, had but very few converts, but afterwards, both in Judea, and in the gentile world, had large numbers; as the church in the latter day will also have, when the fulness of the gentiles is brought in, and the nation of the Jews born at once.

PSALM CXIV.

This Psalm celebrates the wonders that were done for Israel, by dividing the sea, and the waters of Jordan, in a foresight of the like or greater wonders, when he that scattered Israel shall gather them; as Austin infers from Micah vii. 15-20. and as the latter part of the Psalm seems to intimate. In the Septuagint, Hallelujah is prefixed as a part of the Psalm, and possibly might be so; because otherwise, in ver. 2. there is a relative without an antecedent.

VER. 2. "And Israel his dominion."]-In this they were typical of the saints called by grace, who are then translated from the power of satan into the kingdom of Christ, whom they acknowledge to be their Lord and King, and whose laws, commands, and ordinances, they willingly observe; the people of God are often represented as a kingdom, and Christ as king of saints.

PSALM CXV.

The Israel of God is here begging mercy, for the glory of his name; exposing the vanity of idol worship; assuring the blessing of the Lord to all that fear him; proclaiming him, maker of heaven and earth, and rejoicing in the hope of praising him for ever; while the dead (in tres passes and sins), go downwards, and will never praise him more.

VER. 1. "Not unto us, O Lord, not unto us, but unto thy name give glory."]-So it is rendered in both our transslations. But the meaning, surely, would more clearly appear, if it were rendered, as it may be, though not for us. For it is a petition, in which the Israel of God are begging deliverance for the glory of his name, though they could not hope for it for any deservings of their own; and for which they plead, not only his mercy, but also his truth; or the promises made them in and through Christ. There is no glory due to men, no, not to the best of men, nor to be given them on any account whatever; neither on account of things natural, civil, and temporal, nor on account of things spiritual and eternal; but all to be given to the Lord; for, as for their beings, and the preservation of them, with all the mercies of life, food, raiment, &c. they are not of themselves, but of the Lord, and so are the salvation of

their souls, their election and redemption, their regeneration, conversion, and sanctification, their justification and pardon; whatsoever good thing is in them, or done by them.

Ver. 17. "The dead praise not the Lord."]-The souls of departed saints can and do praise the Lord; these die not with their bodies, nor sleep in the grave; they go immediately to God and Christ, and are employed in the service of God continually; particularly in praising him, as do the angels with whom they join; they sing the song of Moses and of the Lamb, of providence and grace, especi ally the song of redeeming love, with which they always praise the Lord; but they cannot praise him with their bodily organs until the resurrection.

PSALM CXVI.

The Jews were wont to sing this, with some other Psalms, after their passover for which, doubtless, they had the direction of some of their prophets, who saw it represented Christ, the true paschal Lamb, singing thus after his last passover, to prepare himself, as it were, for immediate sufferings and death, in full assurance of being heard in that he feared; and with the most affectionate praise and thanksgiving then devoutly offered, and promised also to be continually offered, in the courts of the heavenly sanctuary, whither he was going to prepare a place for all his faithful servants; who therefore have here a most affecting example of offering praise, even in a day of trouble, within the courts of the Lord's house here on earth, till they come to do it in the Jerusalem above, in the courts of the heavenly sanctuary.

VER. 1. "I love the Lord."]-That is, I am full of love; I love ardently and most affectionately, as commentators well explain it, and that because the Lord accepts, or will hear my prayer, helping me in that I feared: so that in my days (of distress or trouble) I will preach, proclaim, or sing aloud of his goodness. This place, and also ver. 13. and 17. seem to require this sense.

Ver. 2. "Therefore will I call upon him as long as I live."]-Or, in my days. Prayer is the first and last action of a spiritual life; it is the first thing a regenerate man does, Behold, he prayeth;" as soon as he is born again, he prays, and continues praying all his days, and generally goes out of the world praying, as Stephen did," Lord Jesus, receive my spirit;" and it is the Lord's hearing prayer that encourages his people to keep on praying, and which

makes the work delightful to them. Christ was often at this work in life, and died praying, Luke vi. 12. and xxiii. 46.

Ver. 3. "The sorrows of death compassed me.”]— Christ was a man of sorrows all his days; and in the garden he was surrounded with sorrow; exceedingly sorrowful, even unto death, in a view of the sins of his people imputed to him, and under a sense of wrath for them, he was about to bear and his agonies in the article of death were very grievous, he died the painful and accursed death of the

cross.

"And the pains of hell gat hold upon him."]-This applied to Christ may design the wrath of God and curse of the law, which he endured in the room and stead of his people, as their surety; and which were equivalent to the pains of the damned in hell; or it may refer to his being laid in the grave, in a straight and narrow place, as the word signifies; where he lay bound in grave-clothes, till he was loosed from the pains and cords of death, it being not pos sible he should be held by them, Acts ii. 24.

Ver. 5." Gracious is the Lord."]-So the psalmist found him, calling upon him; so he is in Christ, the author and giver of all grace to help in time of need.

"And righteous."]-Faithful to his promises, just in every dispensation of his providence, even in afflictive ones, righteous in punishing the enemics of his people, and in saving, justifying, and pardoning them for Christ's sake.

"Yea, our God is merciful."]-Compassionate, tender hearted, full of bowels of pity, as a father to his child; and sympathizes with his people under all their afflictions, and saves them out of them; Psalm lxxxvi. 5, 15.

Ver. 7. "Return unto thy rest, O my soul."]-To Christ, whose rest is glorious, and which lies in a cessation from a man's own works; not from doing them, but from de pending on them, or from labouring for life by them; in a deliverance from the bondage of the law, its curse, and condemnation, and from the distressing guilt of sin on the conscience; in spiritual peace and joy, arising from the application of the blood of Christ, and from a view of his righteousness and justification by it, and of his sacrifice, and of the expiation of sin by that; which is enjoyed in the ways and ordinances of Christ.

"For the Lord hath dealt bountifully with thee."]In times past, even in an eternity past, having loved him with an everlasting love, chosen him in Christ, made a co