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he has loved, chosen, redeemed, adopted, justified, pardoned, regenerated, and sanctified; all which appears to them in effectual vocation, is manifested by the application of covenant grace to them, and is witnessed to their spirits by the Spirit of God, and which their faith claims an interest in: and these are happy, thrice happy persons; for all that God has is their's; all his perfections are on their side and for their good; he is their portion, shield, reward, and their all in all, his covenant, its blessings and promises are all their's; they have enough, having all things, and can want no good thing, nor need they fear any enemy; the Lord takes care of them, sets a guard about them, resents all injuries done them, prevents the designs of their enemies, makes all things work together for their good, provides all things necessary for them for time and eternity, and will be their God and guide even unto death; covenant interest always continues, and therefore such must be ever happy.

PSALM CXLV.

The five foregoing Psalms were all full of prayers; this and the five that fol low it to the end of the book, are all full of praises; and though this only is entitled David's Psalm, yet we have no reason to think but that they were all his as well as all the foregoing prayers. And it is observable, 1. That after five Psalms of prayer, follow six of praise; for those that are much in prayer, shall not want matter for praise; and those that have sped in prayer must abound in praise. 2. That the book of Psalms concludes with Psalms of praise, all praise, for praise is the conclusion of the whole matter, it is that in which all the Psalms centre. And it intimates that God's people, towards the end of their life, are sometimes favoured to abonud much in praise, and the rather, because at the end of their life they hope to remove to the world of everlasting praise. When the days of mourning in Zion are fally ended, she will be singing only songs of joy and praise, such as this and the remaining hymns of this divine book, which has hitherto presented us with various scenes of danger and distress, as well as deliverance and mercy, for Christ and his body the church. But now the scene begins to close, and so he is no longer set before us as a man of sorrows, but as the object of our joy and praise, our God and King. To him therefore, as such, the prophet here addresses himself, magnifying him as his God and King; foreseeing also, and foretelling that all ages shall celebrate his mighty acts, that his sants will shew the glory of his kingdom, which is to be eternal, that Adam's sons may know the power of God the Father, and the glory of his kingdom, ver. 1-13. And then, continuing still to celebrate the praise of this his God and King, he calls every one to join with him in doing the

same.

VER. 1. "I will extol thee, my God, O King."]— Or the King, the King Messiah, who is by way of eminence called the King, as in Psalm xxi. 1. and the King of kings, the King of Zion, of his church and people, the King of saints, of all believers in him, by the appointment of God, by the conquest of his grace, over whom he reigns by his Spirit and grace; for this his kingdom is spiritual, is in righteousness, and everlasting; and this great King is not a creature, but God, the mighty God, David's Lord and God, and the Lord and God of every saint; whom David loved as such, believed in, looked unto for salvation: from whom he received grace and expected glory, and knew and claimed his interest in him, which is the great privilege of believers, John xxii. 28.

Ver. 4. "And shall declare thy mighty acts."]-His mighty acts of nature, in creating all things out of nothing, and upholding all things by the word of his power; his mighty acts of grace in redeeming his people out of the hands of him that is stronger than they; and from all their sins, and from the curse and condemnation of the law, and wrath to come; and the victories which he has obtained over sin, satan, the world, and death: or thy powers; the powers of the world to come, Heb. vi. 5. the miracles wrought by Christ on earth, and by his disciples in gospel times, some times called mighty works, as the raising of the dead, &c. Matt. xi. 5, 20, 21.

Ver. 5. "I will speak of the glorious honour of thy majesty."-Of the majesty of the divine person of Christ, of the honour due unto him, of the glory of him as of the only begotten of the Father, as he is the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person; of his glory as Mediator, and the honour that belongs to him as such, with which he is now crowned at the right hand of the majesty on high, angels, authorities, and powers, being subject unto him as the Lord and King of glory.

"And of thy wondrous works."]-In becoming incarnate, in dying for the sins of his people, in rising from the dead the third day, in ascending to heaven, and receiving gifts for men in pouring down the Spirit on them, in governing his church throughout all ages of the world, and judging the world at last.

Ver. 7. "They shall abundantly utter the memory of thy great goodness."]-Not only his essential goodness, or the perfections of his nature, nor his providential goodness only, but his special grace and goodness to his own people,

in becoming their surety, in assuming their nature, in laying down his life for them, in working out their salvation, in paying their debts, and providing for them food and raiment, and all things pertaining to life and godliness: which goodness is great, inexpressibly great and passing knowledge; if we consider the spring of it, his good-will and free favour, and not the works and merits of men; the mul titude of persons it reaches to, all the elect of God, a number which no man can number.

"And shall sing of thy righteousness."]-His essential righteousness as God, his righteousness as Mediator, or his righteous and faithful performance of his office as such, and his justifying righteousness, which he undertook to work out and bring in: and those that know it, and have an inte rest in it, have great reason to sing, because it is commensurate to the demands of law and justice.

Ver. 8. "The Lord is gracious."]-These are the epithets of our Lord Jesus Christ, and may be truly and with great propriety said of him; he is gracious, kind, and good, in the instances before-mentioned; he is full of grace, and readily distributes it; his words are words of grace; his gospel and the doctrines of it are doctrines of grace; his works are works of grace, all flowing from his wondrous grace and mercy.

"And full of compassion."]-Or merciful, in the most tender manner; hence he came into the world to save sinners, and in his pity redeemed them.

"And of great mercy."]-A merciful high priest, typified by the mercy-seat, where we may find grace and mercy at all times; through whom God is merciful to sinners, and to whose mercy we are to look for eternal life.

Ver. 9. "The Lord is good to all."]-Which is to be understood, not of the general and providential goodness of God to all men, to all his creatures, and the works of his hands, but of the special goodness of Christ before-mentioned, ver 7. which extends to all the chosen people of God; who are all loved by Christ, redeemed by him, justified and glorified by him; and to gentiles as well as jews; for whom he tasted death, laid down his life a ransom for them, and became the propitiation for their sins.

Ver. 10. "And thy saints shall bless thee."]-Which are mentioned last, not as distinct from the former, but as explanative of them, as well as of their work: these are

they that are set apart by the Lord, on whom his favours are bestowed, to whom Christ is made sanctification, and who are sanctified by his blood, and also by his Spirit; and being sensible of the blessings of grace they receive from him, rise up and call him blessed, and ascribe blessing, honour, glory, and praise to him for ever and ever.

Ver. 11. "They shall speak of the glory of thy kingdom."-That is, the saints who are his special workmanship, in the celebration of his praise. The church is Christ's kingdom, in which he reigns, and all the subjects of it are kings and priests unto God: here proper laws are made and observed, and officers appointed to explain them, and see them put in execution; glorious ordinances are administered, in which Christ the King is seen in his beauty, and the glorious gospel, which is his sceptre, is held forth, and by which he rules in the midst of his enemies. More especially this may regard the glorious kingdom of Christ in the latter day; both in his spiritual reign, in which there will be a great display of glory; as a large effusion of the Spirit, much spiritual light and knowledge; great holiness of heart and life; an abundance of peace, temporal and spiritual; great purity of gospel doctrine, worship, and ordinances and also in his personal reign, when he will appear glorious, and reign before his ancients gloriously, and his saints will appear with him in glory; the new Jerusalem will have the glory of God upon her; a glory there will be then both on the bodies and souls of the saints, Christ will have with him in that state.

Ver. 14. "And raiseth up all those that be bowed down."-With a body of sin, under which they groan, being burdened, and which presses them sore; with satan's temptations, like the woman in the gospel, bound together by him; and with various troubles and afflictions; but the Lord raises and bears them up under all, and comforts and refreshes them.

Ver. 16. "And satisfiest the desire of every living thing."]-Of every one that is made spiritually alive, quickened by the Spirit and grace of God; these desire spiritual things, spiritual food, more grace and more communion with God, and conformity to Christ: and these desires are before the Lord, and sooner or later they are satisfied, they have what they desire; especially this will be their case, when they awake in the divine likeness. The words may be rendered, And satisfies every living one with

that which is acceptable; with favour, with good-will; with loving-kindness, which is better than life: so Naphtali is said to be satisfied with favour, Deut. xxxiii. 22. as all living saints are or will be.

Ver. 19. "He will fulfil the desire of them that fear him."]-The Lord grants to such whatever they desire of him, in his fear, under the direction of his Spirit, according to his will and in submission to it. Do they desire good things of him, temporal or spiritual? there is no want of any good thing to them that fear him; how should there, when such great goodness is laid up for them? Do they desire his presence, and the discoveries of his love? the Sun of righteousness arises on them that fear his name, and his secrets are with them, and his mercy is upon them from everlasting to everlasting. Do they desire his protection from enemies? the angel of the Lord encamps round about them, and the Lord himself is their help and their shield.

"He also will hear their cry, and will save them."]That is, be will hear and answer their prayer, which they put up to him in their distress.

Ver. 20. "The Lord preserveth all them that love him."]-All do not love Christ, none but those that are born again and believe in him: love to Christ is a fruit of the Spirit, and accompanies faith in him; it flows from the love of Christ shed into the heart, and from a view of his loveliness, and a sense of his benefits; and where it is true and genuine, it is superlative and sincere, and shews itself by a regard to his truths and ordinances, to his people, ways, and worship.

PSALM CXLVI.

This and all the rest of the Psalms that follow, begin and end with hallelujah, a word which puts much of God's praise in a little compass; for in it we praise him by his name Jah, the contraction of Jehovah. In this excellent Psalm, 1. The Psalmist engageth himself to praise God, ver. 2. He engageth others to trust in him, which is one necessary and acceptable way of praising him and (1.) He shews why we should not trust in men, ver. 3, 4. (2.) Why we should trust in God, ver. 5. Because of his power in the kingdom of nature, ver. 6. His dominion in the kingdom of providence, ver. 7. And his grace in the kingdom of the Messiah, ver. 8-10.

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