4 In whose eyes vile men are despis'd, 5 His coin puts not to usury, " Nor take reward will he Against the guiltless. Who doth thus Shall never moved be. PSALM XVI. As there is no change of person throughout this whole psalm, the apostles Peter and Paul, teach us to view the latter part of it as spoken in the person of Christ, (Acts ii. 25. xiii. 35.) to whom alone it can proper Verse 4. In whose eyes a vile person is contemned; &c. Such a person as opposed to one that fears God, as in the next clause, whom he cannot but despise for that reason, as unfit to be associated with, or honoured for what he is not; just as Mordecai despised Haman, notwithstanding the clevation of his outward condition. Our Lord sWARE or vowed to his own hurt, even to the laying down of his life, and CHANGED NOT; and all his people should be faithful to their word or promise, in all things lawful, whatever inconvenience this may occasion. Verse 5. He that putteth not out his money to usury, &c. The Jews were forbidden to lend upon interest to their brethren, who did not need to borrow money for trade, but only from necessity; but they were allowed to lend to those of other nations, who carried on commerce, upon proper interest. But what is properly called usury is forbidden in every case. To take reward against the innocent, in a inatter of life or properOur Lord denied himself the lawful use of riches, ty, is a great crime. though he could command them at pleasure, and received the durable riches only that he might bestow them even upon those who had rebelled against him Instead of taking a reward against the innocent, he gave his own precious life a ransom for the guilty. Such conduct proclaims him worthy to be the Saviour of a lost world, and gives him every title to our love, gratitude and obedience. Our blessed Lord is such an High Priest as hath exemplified each particular of the character here described, as receiving its full completion in his own conduct, and that from the best principles and motives.-Having therefore perfectly performed these things, it was impossible he should be deprived of the glorious reward of his obedience, as he was never moved from the arduous path that led to its full possession. All those who copy these virtues and graces which shone so brightly in his life, from the like principles and motives, will not fail of obtaining from Him the crown of life, and dwelling in his presence in the heavenly Zion. ly apply; to him therefore the whole may have a particular reference, David can be viewed in no part of it but as a type or figure of his Son and Lord, the Messiah. It contains a prayer for protection and support in the time of danger-a declaration of love to the saints, and complacency in them—a solemn protestation against idolatry, and the worshippers of idols-acts of love, joy and confidence in the Lord, as an everpresent and all-sufficient help in trouble-and one of hope in a subsequent resurrection, and elevated state of glory and blessedness, reserved for Messiah after his labours of love were finished, as the glory set before him. 1 LORD, keep me; for I trust in thee. 2 To God thus was my speech, Thou art my Lord; and unto thee My goodness doth not reach: 3 To saints on earth, to th' excellent, Where my delight's all plac'd. Notes on Psalm XVI.-Verse 1. Preserve me, O God: for in thee I put my trust. In such words might David often address his prayer to God, as do also all true believers in every age. But here we may view, Messiah especially as supplicating the Father, for the promised and expected deliverance from the power and malice of his enemies, and all the sufferings that lay in the way to the kingdom; and was heard in that he feared with holy filial reverence. Verses 1, and 2. O my soul, thou hast said unto the LORD, &c. The apostrophe in the first clause, O my soul,' is naturally supplied from what follows; for all the powers of the mind and heart are engaged in cleaving to the Lord as our God and portion. Some versions render the latter clause of the first of these two verses, My goodness is from thee;' others, 'is not for thee,' or 'upon thee;' that is, for thy benefit and advantage, or lays thee under no obligation. This, as spoken by David, refers to Messiah, whom he represented in his regal character, and to whom he would ascribe all his goodness, as we also should do; but as spoken by himself, refers to the Father, to whom he ascribes all his goodness as man, which was intended for the benefit of those whom he came to seek and save. For their sake obedience was performed to the divine law, and expiation made. The term rendered EXCEL, denotes also 'honourable, mighty, magnificent,' and the like; for these saints, HIS SEED, shall be mighty upon earth,' the excellent and honourable ones on the new earth, in whom the Lord shall peculiarly delight, Ps. cxii. 2. In the view of that delightful and long-expected event, Messiah, in the character of Wisdom, expresses his joy, by anticipation, in the habitable parts of this earth, and his delights with the sons of men,' even with the sons of Adam, as distinct from his own. Prov. viii. 31. 4 Their sorrows shall be multiply'd Of their drink-offerings of blood 5 God is of mine inheritance The lot that fallen is to me Thou dost maintain alone. Verse 4. Their sorrow shall be multiplied &c. Here those that endow it present their offerings and devotions to it, the verb having these two s ses, shall reap accumulated misery, instead of happiness, from such c duct. This threat applies to those that substitute any Messiah of their o instead of the true one, so would deprive him of his due glory. The heathen supposed that their gods were peculiarly delighted w swine's blood, which they presented on their altars, of which they of partook at their sacrifices, as an act of communion with their idols. Jews were forbidden to take up their names into their lips, or to swear them, this being an acknowledgement of their divinity. Exod. xxiii. Deut. xii. 3. Hos. ii. 16, 17. From these texts we see that prohibit extended to whatever respected idolatry, and must have been so und stood by the Psalmist. Christians are not allured at greater latitude. Verses 5, and 6. The LORD is the portion of mine inheritance, &c. kingdom over all Israel was the portion of David's inheritance, and was a figure and pledge of Messiah's heritage and reward, which he one day completely and infallably enjoy, The same thing is intende the other phrase-the portion of my cup, in allusion to the cup of which the master of the feast gave unto the hand of those whom he tertained at his table. The expression is also taken in a bad sense, so denotes the share of trouble and affliction God may appoint to any and extends even to future punishment, Psal. lxxv. 8. In this sense applied to our Lord's sufferings. The cup which my heavenly Father eth to me, shall I not drink it?The pleasant places in which Da lines or lot had fallen, as in ver. 6th, and the goodly heritage to whic was raised, intend the same royal possession, or we may view the latt comprehending all the blessings of the everlasting covenant which Go made with him in figure, and with Messiah his Son and Lord in rea The terms lot and lines refer to the mode of dividing the land of pro and by a natural transition come to signify the portion or share of pro ty so divided. As Messiah put David in possession of it to him and son Solomon his Anointed; whence no part of his inheritance, pron Ps. ii. can finally be lost, or alienated without end. How pleasant, goodly shall Messiah's heritage appear, when restored by his grace, beautified with his salvation and glory! 6 Unto me happily the lines In pleasant places fell; Yea, the inheritance I got 7 I bless the Lord, because he doth And in the seasons of the night 8 Before me still the Lord I set: Sith it is so that he Verse 7. I will bless the LORD who hath given me counsel: &c. Heb. consulteth for me, made such provision for my honour and happiness, and inspired me with that wisdom by which I was led to chuse the Lord for my portion, and find my happiness in his favour. The reins denote the inward thoughts and affections, by which the Lord instructed him in the night watches, and dark seasons of adversity. In these situations such gracious and spiritual communications are still made from above, in the happy experience of the Christian pilgrim. If Christ though an only begotten Son, learned obedience as man, and was perfected or consecrated to his high offices, by the things which he suffered; do not we much more ncel some similar discipline? Verse 8. I have set the LORD always before me; &c. A believing, realizing view of Gon's presence, as our immediate witness, our guardian, helper and Judge, has the most powerful influence in preserving from sin and apostacy, and exciting to the practice of every thing pious, virtuous, and praise-worthy. David found this in his day, Christ exemplified it in a measure peculiar to himself, and every Christian will find it so amidst all the trials of life. If our Lord found such exercise conducive to his stability and perseverance, can it be unnecessary in the case of any of his people? What is the reason that temptation have such force, trials such weight, and that our fears are so many, great and frequent, but because our faith is weak, and our watchfulness is intermitted. When we cease to set the Lord before us, like Peter when his faith failed, we soon begin to sink; and sinners, who are utter strangers to this exercise, soon become a prey to their spiritual foes, the sins that more easily beset them, and their enemies without. Our Lord could not be removed from his arduous path of duty and trial, as the foe could not overreach him; nor can all the hostile powers of earth or hell prevent his attaining the full possession of the glorious reward promised him, in the everlasting covenant, by his heavenly Father. Verse 9. Therefore my heart is glad, &c. By glory here, and in Psal. cviii. 1. we are to understand the tongue, or organs of speech, inclusive of that reason and understanding of which they are the vehicle; and which may be said to rejoice, when they express the joy of their heart Doth ever stand at my right hand, I shall not moved be. 10 Because my soul in grave to dwell in divine praises.-The resting of the flesh or body in hope, expresses an assurance of the resurrection, and so, in the case of our Lord, must include his whole mystical body, fitly termed flesh, in their unrenewed state, which includes their being raised up from the grave of sin and death, in their fullest extent, into newness of life. The resurrection of Christ's natural body was doubtless the figure, pledge, and pattern of the resurrection of his whole mystical body, in the proper sense of that term; but all the members in their own order, in regard of priority of time, and precedence of dignity. The same prospect is a never-failing source of consolation to Christians in life and death. Verse 10. For thou wilt not leave my soul in hell; neither will thou suffer thy Holy One to see corruption. To confine the original term, rendered soul, to the animal frame or the human body, is to make the last clause a mere insipid tautology, and to contradict other parts of Scripture. What is capable, from its nature, of seeing or enduring corruption, is quite distinct from the soul, which was not to be left in hell; importing an actual descent thither, and a real deliverance from that state. The last clause intimates that our Lord's body would remain so short a time in the tomb, that, mangled as it was, and in a hot climate, it would not begin to putrify. As the term rendered soul, includes, or rather intends, the conscious part of man, which no created being can destroy, by killing the body; so the word translated hell, is well known often to interd the state of the dead, in the fullest sense. The compilers of the Creed, therefore, speak of our Lord's descent to hell as quite distinct from his Lial. In Ps. xviii. 4, 5. we read of two deaths, the sorrows of the first of which compassed our Lord, when wicked men were let loose upon him; and the snares of the latter prevented, overtook and surrounded him, when the sorrows and cords of hell compassed him about. Here are evidently two deaths very different in their nature and effects, the one within the reach of human power and agency to execute on this side of the grave; but the other such as falls not within the sphere of that agency. Do not we also read, that the Lord laid him in the lowest pit, that his wrath lay hard upon him, and that he afflicted him with all his waves? Ps. lxxxviii. 6, 7. Can this language be accommodated with any propriety to what our Lord suffered in the garden, or on the cross, or to his body in the grave?—None of those states could be called literally or metaphorically, the lowest pit. Though our Lord remained for a time in that state, yet is he said to be free among the dead, as he could not be detained as a prisoner; which looks beyond his death and burial, and supposes his life entire, ver. 5. As there is no pit lower than hell, there the prediction must have been realized. It is evident that these things cannot apply to Ileman, the writer of the psalm; and hence commentators |