Than they accomplish their design,
And meditation vain,

Against Jehovah, who combine,
And his Meffiah's reign.

2 The kings of earth, ah, grov'lling worms! Low fov'reigns of the duft!

Have vainly ftrove to raife high ftorms-
And vainly flies the gust:

3 'Come, come,' fay they,

let us arife,

And boldly burft their cords:
We'll bravely break their feeble ties,
And laugh at all their words.'

4 But he who fills the heav'nly throne
Serenely fees, and fmiles,

Till, with a fierce indignant frown,
He all their boasting spoils:

5 In rage, he fhall fufpend their threats,
And toss them in his ire

To hell, with their infernal feats,
Due to eternal fire!

6. But, high-exalted, reigns my King,
For I have fet him high;

7

And all my hosts shall homage bring,
And low before him lie.-

The firm decree I will declare :

Jehovah faid to me,

Thou art my only Son, my heir;

I have begotten thee:

This day, by raifing from the dead,

I have declar'd my Son;

And, of my kingdom, thee have made
Head and foundation-ftone :

8 Demand of me thine heritage :
The kingdom all is mine;

But, lo, my faithfulness I pledge,
My kingdom fhall be thine;

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• The

The nations fhall together flow,
All round the earthly ball,
And lowly at thy footftool bow,
Obedient to thy call.

9 But proud rebellion, foon fubdu'd,
Falls by thine iron rod

• Of fovereign pow'r, to pieces hew'd, By thee, O mighty God.'

10 Now, therefore, understand, ye kings;
Ye judges, ftand chaftis'd;
While all your glory homage brings,
Your hearts be well advis'd;

11 Jehovah ferve in trembling fear;
In trembling fear exult;

Advancing, to the Son draw near;
Nor dare your God infult.,

12 Greet ye the Son, and hail him GOD—
Behold! he comes along-

Submit yourselves, and kifs the rod,
Or perish in the throng.

For, ere his wrath begin to burn,
And flame a quenchless fire,
Bleft, bleft are they to him who turn,
And fo prevent his ire!

THE laft Pfalm, as was already obferved in the illuftration thereof, perfectly afcertains the meaning of this and the following one-Both whereof are remarkably fimilar, in fpirit and expreffion, to Pfalm xxvii. The attentive reader, who enters into thefe views, will find abundance of pleasure and profit, by tracing out and discovering the innumerable and furprifing parallels, that run through the whole divine effufions of the one Spirit breathing in the Pfalms, and prophefying of all

the

the then future things, now past, and accomplished in Meffiah our King-Bleffed are they whe are honoured to look within the veil, and to be hold his glory.

Clap, clap your hands, exult, and fing
Ye faints, for evermore!
For death's bereaved of his fting,
And hell's dominion's o'er:
Meffiah, coping with his foes,
O'ercame by pray'r and pow'r :
He laid him down, he fiept, he rofe;
But death did them devour.

HOW fore, O Lord, opprefs'd I am!

What hofts around me rife!

They rage like wolves against thy Lamb:
Lord, hear my piercing cries.
For, breathing forth their deadly spite,
They teafe mne night and day,
My foul defigning to affright,
And fcare my hope away.

2 In God, ev'n God, no help,' they fay,
Remains for him at all;'

But God, ev'n God, fupports my way,
And I fhall never fall.

3. For thou my fhield and glory art,
Th' exalter of my head,

Strength of my ftrength, heart of my heart,
The raifer of the dead.

4 Avaunt, my foes!-I cry'd to God;
My God reply'd to me,
From his celeftial high abode,
And fet my fpirit free.

5 I laid me down, I quietly flept,

Jehovah hufh'd my pain,

And all the while my foul he kept;

Then wak'd me up again.

6 I will not fear though thousands ten
Of fierce furrounding foes
Should rush upon me all amain—
The Lord will ward their blows.
7 Arife, O Lord, preferve THY WORD;
Behold, my foes are here!

But brandifh thou thy flaming fword,
And, lo, they disappear!

The dragon thou haft bruis'd, O Lord,
And fav'd THE WOMAN'S SEED;
The dragon's teeth, crush'd by THE WORD,
Have caus' his heel to bleed.
8 Thus thou, my Father, haft fulfill'd
Thy purposes of grace;

And thus Meffiah's blood is spill'd,
O Ifrael, for thy peace.

PSALM IV.

BESIDES what has been already observed in the refpectve illuftrations of the three foregoing. Pfalms, itought, for the honour and further ascertainment of the meaning of this Pfalm, with its pa-, rallels, to be remarked, that it contains in its own, bofom ore peculiar, decifive characteristic evidence of its diine Author, as the only speaker therein: for who befides the King of glory alone,

who is Gd over all, blessed for ever, can, with any popriety, be fuppofed to ufe fuch an expoftulatin as this, O ye fons of men, how long wilye turn my glory into fhame? How long 'wil ye love vanity, and feek after leafing? SeSo expoftulates the eternal Wisdom, the created Word, Prov. i. 22. How long, ye fimple ones, will ye love fimplicity? and the fcorners delight in their fcorning, and fools hate 'knowledge? Turn you at my reproof. Behold, 4 I will pour out my spirit unto you; I will make

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known my words unto you.' Thus alfo, the enemies of this King are directly charged with changing their glory into the fimilitude of an

ox that eateth grafs,' Pfalm cvi. 20.-In the fame derifive ftrain, they are upbraided by the Lord God, Jer. ii. 11. Hath a nation changed their gods, which yet are no gods? but my peo⚫ple have changed their glory for that which doth not profit.'-And, Rom. i. 22. it is faid, They became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened. Profeffing them⚫ felves to be wife, they became fools; and changed the glory of the incorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man, and to birds, and to four-footed beafts, and to creeping things.'-And, laft of all, though these were the figures, or outward figns, the fpirit of the worship thereby fignified was the devil; for fo it is exprefsly afferted by the apoftle, 1 Cor. x. 20. I fay, that the things which the Gentiles facrifice, they facrifice to devils, and not to God.'-Oppofed to this falfe object of worship, become almost univerfal among the nations, we behold the one, living, and true God, declaring himfel the Juft God, the Saviour, the Lord, befites whom there is none-in whom all the feed of Ifrael fhall be justified, and fhall glory.' If. xlv. 20, &c. compared with John xvii. 3. Rom. iii. 26. 1 Cor. viii. 5, 6. and 1 John v. 12.

Chrift glories in his grand employ;
Fools glory all in vain—
The highest pleafures they enjoy
Decay-but his remain:

He boldly to his Father cries';

The Father hears his Son,

And gives him from the grave to rise-
The prize his valour wòn.

Righteous Father, fee thy Son!
My Father, and my God,

Lo,