12 The wicked plots against the just,
And at him whets his teeth:

13 The Lord shall laugh at him, because
His day he coming seeth.

14 The wicked have drawn out the sword,
And bent their bow, to slay

The poor and needy, and to kill

Men of an upright way.

15 But their own sword, which they have drawn,
Shall enter their own heart:

Their bows which they have bent shall break,

And into pieces part.

16 A little that a just man hath
Is more, and better far,

Than is the wealth of many such
As lewd and wicked are.

17 For sinners' arms shall broken be;
But God the just sustains.

18 God knows the just man's days, and still

Their heritage remains.

In verses 12, 13. the original enmity between the wicked one and the Just, and of the seed of the former, against that of the latter, is described with great force. But God who observes this, and sees the day of punishment to the wicked at hand, bears with them for a season, and so should his people, after his example.

Verses 14, 15. The wicked have drawn out the sword, &c. Here the description is farther pursued; and whether the sword and the arrows of the bow intend sharp and bitter words, and slanderous reports, which were employed against David and his Lord, or actual persecution with the civil sword; the latter verse shews the consequence, in regard of themselves; Their sword shall enter into their own heart, and their bow shall be broken. They may pretend reasons of state, as a pretext to cover their enmity to godliness; but it is evident that they hate good men, because of their upright conversation or because they are of an upright way.

Verses 16, 17. Here the contrast between these two characters is continued; and they are not more opposite in their character and pursuits' than in their end. Sanctified poverty is infinitely preferable to prosperous iniquity; and the question is, however seldom asked, Is God for us, or against us?

Verses 18, 19. The LORD, knoweth, that is, approveth, the days of the upright, &c. In the evil day of famine and war, and in those of future

19 They shall not be asham'd when they

The evil time do see;

And when the days of famine are,
They satisfy'd shall be.

29 But wicked men, and foes of God,
As fat of lambs decay;

They shall consume; yea, into smoke
They shall consume away.
21 The wicked borrows, but the same
Again he doth not pay;

Whereas the righteous mercy shews,
And gives his own away.

22 For such as blessed be of him,
The earth inherit shall;

punishment, what can an earthly inheritance avail? but that of the upright shall be for ever, and yield complete and endless happiness. Instead of being ashamed, or famished in such evil times, their God will honour them, and satisfy their soul with good.

Verse 20. But the wicked shall perish, &c. Though this includes the future misery consequent upon impenitence, yet it also appears to say, that the wicked shall one day so perish as not to exist in that character. This is verified in the conversion of every wicked man now; and the following words lead to this sense; The enemies of the LORD shall be as the fat of lambs, &c. God was honoured by the fat of lambs presented on his alter, which sanctified such gifts. While the flesh consumed into smoke, the fat gave light; and lambs so offered were a type of Messiah. See Mark ix. towards the close; and from that and this passage, let us learn, that future punishment cannot be endless, else it could bear no analogy to a sacrifice; also, that moral corruption, prefigured by flesh, is to evanish like smoke, which is totally dissipated; and that Christ himself is Judge, whence all that he offers to justice as victims, must have an interest in bis own death and intercession, the officiating priest ever praying for the person who brought his offering; and that as both feasted together at the close of the sacrifice, which was never offered without salt, the emblem of the grace of God's covenant, so must all this be realized in antitype. To talk then of the fire of hell as kept burning so long as saints are blessed in heaven, is quite from the purpose; for the fire on the alter is long since gone out, though sent from above.

In verse 21st, while the wicked are represented as not repaying what they borrow; of the righteous it is said, he sheweth mercy and giveth. We understand this as importing, that Christ, the righteous One, and all his faithful people, will shew mercy on the wicked, and impart to them

And they that cursed are of him
Shall be destroyed all.

23 A good man's footseps by the LORD

Are ordered aright;

And in the way wherein he walks

He greatly doth delight.

24 Although he fall, yet shall he not Be cast down utterly;

Because the LORD with his own hand

Upholds him mightily.

25 I have been young, and now am old,
Yet have I never seen

The just man, left, nor that his seed.
For bread have beggars been.

26 He's ever merciful, and lends:

His seed is bless'd therefore,

of their own, without exception. and the context makes it eligible.

The contrast drawn requires this sense,

In verse 22. a reason is assigned why those who are of Christ's household shall inherit the earth, yet so as to bestow it on them to whom the righteous shall shew mercy and give. Their being cut off from it under this dispensation, as cursed of their Judge, whence they cannot inherit by any right inherent in themselves, will not prevent the consummation of Messiah's benign plan of grace.

In verses 23, 24. we see the privilege of the truly pious, his steps, or life and conversation, are ordered, or established by the LORD; and those who take delight in God's way have reason to hope this will be their case. In troubles, temptations and dangers such are upheld, or recovered from their stumbles and falls, as Peter was; for the LORD upholdeth them with his hand or power. See Ps. xci.

Verses 25, 26. I have been young and now am old: yet have I not seen the righteous forsaken, &c. As outward prosperity was an eminent reward of piety in the first ages of the world, the Psalmist might have never seen the righteous so forsaken, that his seed was reduced to the necessity of begging their bread. He that watereth shall be watered also himself; and bread cast upon the waters shall be found many days thereafter, even by posterity. Prov, xi. 25. Eccl. xi. 1.

This character-He is ever merciful and lendeth, and his seed is blessed, belongs peculiarly to Messiah. His immediate seed are the first-born, and he blesses them all. They again are merciful and lend or give to the rest of mankind, who shall hence as their seed be blessed,

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27 Depart from evil, and do good;
And dwell for evermore.

28 For God loves judgment, and his saints
Leaves not in any case;
They are kept ever: but cut off
Shall be the sinner's race.

29 The just inherit shall the land,
And ever in it dwell:

30 The just man's mouth doth wisdom speak:
His tongue doth judgment tell.

31 In's heart the law is of his God,
His steps slide not away.

32 The wicked man doth watch the just,
And seeketh him to slay.

In verses 27-29. the same contrast is carried on, and similar reasons given to induce us to walk uprightly. As the LORD loveth judgment, a term which includes future punishment, it is evident that it must intend a judgment of recovery or restoration, as he hath no pleasure in the death or misery of those who perish. Though the wicked and their seed, who inherit their vices, shall be cut off, like Reuben and Esau, so as not to be heirs; this does not imply their endless exclusion from the portion of illegitimate children. We might have observed that the righ teous shall inherit the land, or the earth as a land of promise, and dwell therein for ever, or during the Millennium, and the new earth state. Thus mercy and judgment shall have free course,

Verses 30, 31. The mouth of the righteous speaketh wisdom, &c. The term righteous here, as often in this Book of Psalms, is in the singular number, and so might be rendered-the Righteous One. Whatever proceeded from his mouth was wisdom, and his tongue talked of judgment. But this too, is the privilege of his obedient people; and in the state to come, when their wisdom shall have attained its perfection, they shall be employed, male and female, in declaring the hidden wisdom, and profound judgments of God to the rest of human kind. When his law shall be in their heart, as it was in their Lord's, and when none of their steps shall any more slide, out of the abundance of the heart the mouth shall speak, to the praise and glory of Messiah's grace.

Verses 32, 33. contain an exact description of the conduct of the Jews, in respect of the Holy One and the Just, Christ Jesus, till at last they accomplished his death. As Jehovah did not leave him in their hard, nor condemn him when he was unjustly accused by his enemies; so neither will he leave any of his people in similar cases. He suffered an unjust sentence, that we might be acquitted when judged,

33 Yet him the LORD will not forsake,
Nor leave him in his hands:

The righteous will he not condemn,
When he in judgment stands.

34 Wait on the LORD, and keep his way,
And thee exalt shall he

Th' earth to inherit: when cut off
The wicked thou shalt see.

35 I saw the wicked great in pow'r,
Spread like a green bay-tree:

36 He pass'd, yea, was not; him I sought,
But found he could not be.

37 Mark thou the perfect, and behold

The man of uprightness;

The apostle writing to the Hebrew converts, under affliction and persecution, directs their attention to the sentiment expressed in the 4th verse; Cast not away your confidence which hath great recompence of reward; &c. Heb. x. 35. What the land of promise was to the seed of Abraham, that heaven is to all true believers; and they shall enter upon this inheritance, of which the former was a figure and pledge, at the very time when they shall see the wicked cut off at the end of this dispensation. But how can those indulge this hope, who make no conscience of waiting on the LORD, in the institutions of his grace, and events of his providence, and of keeping his way, in the hope of such exaltation?

Verses 35, 36. I have seen the wicked in great power, &c. The haughty monarch of Babylon had a mest striking and affecting view of the truth contained in these two verses, Dan. iv. 10, 11, &c. The image presented to him there in vision portrays the rise and fall of men and empires, that leave no vestige, except in the page of history. See the prophet's exposition in verses 20, 21. of that chapter.

After viewing a glory so transient, and unsubstantial at the best, the sacred writer directs us, in verse 37. to the perfect, or Upright One, the latter end of whose every work shall be peace. In order to this, the transgressors shall be destroyed together, or collectively and individually; the end of the wicked shall be cut off, not sure the end of their existence as creatures, else they would be annihilated, but the termination of their being as sinners, which imports their revival in a new character. To this truth the sacred writers often recur; and to render them consistent, we must understand such phrases as importing the final and total extinction of sin and misery; the noblest sense sure of destroying the transgressors together, and of cutting off the end of the wicked.