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my God for thou hast smitten all mine enemies upon the cheek bone; thou hast broken the teeth of the ungodly.

This verse is of that mixed character so frequent in the prophets, in which the Spirit, when it gives assurance of some mercy to the Lord's people, speaks of it as already done. We here therefore may take most blessed encouragement, from the overthrow of David's enemies which followed, that when the Church shall come into the tribulation of the last days, though she may appear for a time deprived of her glory and abased, yet that she shall see her desire upon her enemies; the Lord will arise, and "break the teeth of the young lions ;" and enable those that truly trust in him with their whole heart to cry—

"SALVATION belongeth unto the LORD thy blessing is upon thy people." SELAH. v. 8.

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PSALM IV.

This Psalm is so very similar in its character and allusions to the former, that little doubt can be entertained of its having been written on the same occasion.

v. 1. Hear me when I call, O God of my righteousness; thou hast enlarged me when I was in distress; have mercy upon me, and hear my prayer.

There is again an evidence here of the spirit of prayer, together with a decided reference to former mercies, which in times of distress had been experienced of the Lord, and now formed a ground of confidence in pleading with the Lord again. It shows the importance to the Christian of waiting upon God in prayer: for it is not only a means for the present of obtaining grace, but of establishing his faith also in God. Thus in another place the Psalmist

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"I love the Lord because he hath heard my voice and my sup'plications: because he hath inclined his ear unto me, therefore will I call upon him as long as I live." At the same time however the godly are duly sensible that the Lord is not favourable to their request on account of their own righteousness and David's here addressing the Lord as the "God of his righteousness" evinces, that he looked to the Lord as the alone" Author and finisher of his faith.” This is further evident in the next verse, where he again calls him his Glory, (Ps. 11. 3,) according as it is written—“ He that glorieth, let him glory in the Lord."

vv. 2, 3,0 ye sons of men, how long will ye turn my Glory into shame? how long will ye love vanity and seek after leasing? SELAH. But know that the Lord hath set apart him that is godly for himself: the Lord will hear when I call unto him.

There is an obvious allusion here to the reproach mentioned in verse 2 of the former Psalm, that there was no help in his God; and he indirectly declares the different characters and ends of the two parties. They were the men who sought after leasing or falsehood: he was still the man that was godly. And as they by deceit and false principles could only reap vanity, he on the other hand was persuaded that the Lord had yet set him apart for himself, and that He certainly would hear him when he called upon Him and avenge him on his enemies. So will the Lord rise up for his people in the evil day; and just "when the wicked do spring as the grass, and ' all the workers of iniquity do flourish, it is that they shall be destroyed for ever."m Well therefore will it be for those, who in the midst of the jarrings and contentions, and

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1 Jer. 1x. 24; 1 Cor. 1. 31; 2 Cor. x. 17.

m Ps. XCII.

the war of passions and principles, and the raging of all the elements of strife and ungodliness that will mark the latter days, give heed in time to the admonition which follows:

vv. 4, 5. Stand in awe, and sin not; commune with your own heart upon your bed, and be still. SELAH. Offer the sacrifices of righteousness, and put your trust in the Lord.

Some will be purged by the fire of tribulation in that day, and "when the Lord's judgments are abroad in the earth will learn righteousness."n They will now examine and prove their ways before God; they will no longer rest in the form of godliness without the power, and bring forth only dead works; but they will become worshipers of God in spirit and in truth, and "offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ."o

There is a useful admonition here also to the godly themselves, that they may not in these times of provocation and excitement be moved away from the hope of the gospel, but continue in the faith grounded and settled ;P and not be drawn by rashness of spirit, nor by party feelings, to do any thing contrary to the principles of Christ, but be still, putting their trust in the Lord, and being more than ever watchful to glorify God by sacrifices of right

eousness.

vv. 6, 7. There be many that say, Who will shew us any good? Lord, lift thou up the light of thy countenance upon us. Thou hast put gladness in my heart, more than in the time that their corn and their wine increased.

These "lovers of vanity" who seek after leasing, are like the godly in one respect,—they are seeking

n Isa. XXVI. 9. r 1 Tim, Iv. 8; vi. 6.

happiness, and enquire after good; and as they suppose that a man's life consisteth in the abundance of the things which he possesseth,¶ so do they put their trust in the “unrighteous Mammon" in order to obtain that abundance, and consider nothing an occasion of joy, unless it has a tendency to increase their present possessions, or to secure to them the enjoyment of them.

Godliness however is great gain even here; for it hath the promise of the life which now is, as well as of that which is to come.r Therefore, to the question, Who will shew us any good? the Psalmist replies abruptly,-"Lord, lift thou up the light of thy countenance upon us." The expression signifies with the Psalmist, in general, that favor of God which he shews toward the righteous, when, on the one hand, he shines into their hearts and enlightens them by his spiritual consolation and presence; and when, on the other hand, he interferes to deliver in time of temptation from the world the flesh or the devil. (Compare Psalm xx1, 6; XLII, 5, 11; XLIV, 3; and LXXXIX, 15.) That assurance, which David had of it in answer to his prayer, (already considered, Ps. 111, 5, 6; and repeated here in the next verse,—“I will both lay me down in peace, and sleep : for thou Lord only makest me dwell in safety,")-had already given to him a greater sense of blessedness and quiet in his heart, than the best of merely worldly men can experience from the most abundant harvest, or the utmost increase of " their corn and wine" or any other possessions.

May the God of all consolation grant to his whole Church this peace of God which passeth understanding! Abdiel.

o 1 Pet. II. 5.

P Col. 1. 23.

Luke XII. 15.

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INTERPRETATION OF THE APOCALYPSE.

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CHAPTERS II. AND III. CONTAINING THE THINGS WHICH ARE."

Having considered the introduction, and the first of the three successive parts into which the whole book of the Apocalypse is primarily divided, namely, the vision of the Lord Jesus Christ manifested in his power, and in his various attributes, whereby he is qualified to bring succour to his afflicted church, and to avenge their cause upon their enemies, called The things" which St. John had seen," (chap. 1. 10—20,) we pass on to the consideration of the second of these divisions, "The things which are," consisting of the Epistles to the seven Churches which are in 'Asia," as contained in chapters II and III.

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These epistles, it will be observed, are addressed to St. John immediately from the mouth of Christ himself, without the intervention of any angel or other glorified spirit. Such portions of prophecy are of rare occurrence, and of a very interesting character; as having reference, for the most part, to the severe trials of his Church, which call, as it were, for his own personal interference. The future vindication of their cause by the destruction of their worldly enemies, and the warning to be given them of that persecuting power that should arise out of their own bosom, may be communicated through an intermediate agency; but in reference to their actual sufferings he himself will speak the word of consolation and exhortation, accompanied by assurances of final reward to him who shall overcome. So in Dan. XII. 7, and Rev. x. 5-7, it is his own voice, and the awful sanction of his oath, which prescribes bounds beyond which the afflictions of his people shall not be protracted.

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In these epistles the Church is exhibited to us in one of her most interesting states; viz. in the fiery furnace of trial. The wise husbandman, looking forward to the plenteousness of the harvest, delights to see the object of his culture, as soon as the seed has been well sown, subjected to the strengthening influence of the biting frosts, and the apparently adverse blasts of winter and so our Lord was pleased, in bringing in many heirs of glory, to expose them from a very early period to the most dreadful persecutions; that by this means his power, in sustaining them against all the opposition of the world and of Satan, might be manifested; those who were truly his might be separated from false professors, and grow in grace and in the knowledge of himself. Who that is aware of the hardness and insensibility of his own heart would not desire to possess the fruits of such a culture? who that feels his weakness will not rejoice, that the appointment of all our times of sorrow and of joy are in the hands of Him, who will not lay upon his Church at large, or upon any member of it, more than he will enable them to bear. The exhortations, commendations, admonitions and rebukes, addressed to the Church in the body of each epistle teach us, that in seasons of trial we should search ourselves; and they are calculated also to afford lessons of the greatest utility applicable to all times and to all circumstances.

Intellectually considered, these epistles form a no less interesting and remarkable portion of the Apocalypse; we shall find that in each of them Christ reveals himself under

some one peculiar character; either in his regal, or in his priestly and prophetical,—or in his essential character as the WORD OF GOD;-or, as he that watcheth over the churches to deliver them in the hour of adversity, or as having power to reward with eternal life those whom he shall permit to suffer even unto death;-or as he that searcheth the heart and trieth the reins; and that worketh out the salvation of his Church; being the way, the truth, and the life; by whom alone we can have any knowledge of God the Father, or any access to him.

Each epistle will be found perfect and consistent with itself, as having one of the above mentioned subjects running through the three several parts of which it consists; appearing equally in the revelation of Jesus Christ to that particular church with which it opens,-in the exhortation, rebuke or commendation bestowed upon it, which forms the body of the epistle, and in the promise made by the Spirit to whomsoever shall overcome, with which each of them closes. And while thus perfect in itself, it is connected with the preceding portion of the book by the characteristic with which it opens, referring to that vision of Christ which St. John had seen; and it is on the other hand connected with the subsequent portion of the book, "The things which shall be hereafter," by the promises of the peculiar future rewards which are made by the Spirit, at the close of each epistle, to those who should overcome. These are described in their fulfilment, and shewn to be bestowed on the glorified Church in heaven, in the last four chapters of the Apocalypse, XIX-XXII; which treat of the last period in the history of" the kingdoms of this world," when it is said that they are become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of his

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Christ," and that the time is come that he should "give reward" unto his servants the prophets, and to the saints; and which also speak of the further rewards which they enjoy in the millennial and eternal states.

Thus wonderfully do we find "The things which are" articulated into the general body of the prophecy; and if we are justly called upon to admire the wisdom of God as manifested in the material world; and with what divine skill, in the human body, each part is connected with the rest, so as to conduce together to effect the desired natural end: how shall we not with a yet higher admiration and interest observe the same wisdom displayed where the end to be effected is of a moral and intellectual nature. How extraordinary, that, with such strong ligatures connecting the several parts, commentators should have effected a dislocation. But this circumstance only gives fresh cause of admiration. For as some seeds, and a certain class of insects, have been found to retain the principles of life to the remotest periods in a quiescent state, until the expected circumstances call upon them to assume the exercise of their latent powers; so the Apocalypse, not being intended to be fully revealed at once when first bestowed upon the Church, various methods, such as the peculiarity of its symbolical language, and the secrets of its structure, were employed to keep its powers suspended, and in a quiescent state, but yet preserve them unimpaired, until the important time should arrive that the circumstances of the Church should require its full developement, when it may be expected to burst forth in the novelty, the vigour, and the life of a new production.

But little is recorded in ecclesiastical history, respecting the state of these churches at the time the

Apocalypse was written, which can be made available for the illustration of the peculiar commendation or rebuke, which was addressed by Christ to each of them; and they have been so frequently referred to by divines for the moral lessons they supply, that little which is original of this nature would be either attainable, or is required.

Epistle to the Church of Ephesus.

CHAP. II. 1.

outer court, or court of the Gentiles, emblematical of the merely outward and professing Church, on the other hand;-is itself an emblem of the true spiritual Church of Christ upon earth. This candlestick with its seven branches and lamps, supplied with the purest oil, by which alone the holy place was illuminated having no light from without, represented the Holy Spirit as the sole source of light and grace to the Church; in which signification it is also used, chap. iv. 5, where the Apostle sees seven lamps of fire "burning before the throne," which, it is said are, the seven spirits of God." In the passage before us the symbol is not altogether the same: for seven distinct candlesticks are seen; in the midst of which Christ appears walking and tending them, to maintain their brilliancy and splendour; as it was the office of the priest to do in the tabernacle. And we find, in perfect accordance with the propriety of symbolical language, that a signification is here given to the seven candlesticks of a kindred nature; but yet somewhat differing from that given to the seven branches of the golden candlestick of the tabernacle, and to the seven lamps of Rev. Iv. 5; both which latter represent the Spirit of God, sent forth into and illuminating the Churches. For the candlesticks represent not the Spirit of God which illuminates the Churches, but the seven Churches themselves. And as a want of system in the interpretation of symbolical language on the one hand, and an unintelligent hypercriticism on the other, may be considered as the two opposing errors which commentators are equally call

The first epistle is addressed to the presiding angel, (or principal minister, or bishop,) of the Church of Ephesus; which was the capital of Lydian Asia, in which district all the seven Churches were situated; and the nearest of them to the isle of Patmos, the scene of John's banishment. Christ admonishes the Ephesians, that the words about to be addressed to them came from the lips of him who peculiarly cares for and watches over his Churches and their minis. ters; and were therefore not only entitled to the deepest attention, but calculated to afford them the strongest consolation and support under the persecutions, to which during this period they were so frequently exposed. For it thus commences : These things saith he that holdeth the seven stars in his right hand, who walketh in the midst of the seven golden candlesticks." We are referred by these words to the introductory vision of the preceding chapter, and particularly to verses 12, 13 ; the scenery of which, as in other places of the Apocalypse, is borrowed from the service of the tabernacle or temple; and Christ is here manifested clothed in the priestly garment, like Aaron, or his sons, ministering in the holy place; which-ed upon to avoid it will be useful situated between the holy of holies, to mark here the due latitude which the place of the immediate presence it admits of, and to notice that in of God, and symbol of the Church this present instance the radical symin heaven, on the one hand, and the bolical idea set forth by a lamp burn

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