good land, and the glory of all lands,' was the 'excellent inheritance' chosen for the sons of Jacob, and consigned to them, upon the expulsion of the idolatrous nations. But from that inheritance Israel also hath long since been expelled; and Christians, by these words, are taught to look to 'an inheritance eternal, and incorruptible, and that fadeth not away;' to those happy and enduring mansions which the Son of God is gone to prepare for them that love him, and are beloved of him.

5. God is gone up with a shout, the Lord with the sound of a trumpet.

Literally, if applied to the ark, as Bishop Patrick paraphases the verse, "God is gone up, by the special token of his presence, into that holy place, with shouts of joy and praise; the Lord is gone up in a triumphant pomp, with the sound of the trumpet, and all other instruments of music." See 2 Sam. vi. 5, 15; 2 Chron. v. 2, 12, &c. Ps. cxxxii. 8, 9. But spiritually, as applied now by the Christian church, to the ascension of Christ into heaven, prefigured by that of the ark into the temple-God incarnate is gone up into that holy place, not made with hands; the everlasting doors of heaven are opened, for the King of glory to enter, and repossess his ancient throne; there he is received by the united acclamations of the celestial armies, by that 'shout,' that voice of the archangel, and that trump of God,' which are to sound again, in the he shall so come, in like manner as he heaven.''

6

day when

went into

"Ascendit Deus'-Ascendit arca in Jerusalem cum cantu. Propheticè, Ascendit Christus in cœlum." Bossuet.

6. Sing praises to God, sing praises: sing praises unto our King, sing praises. 7. For God is the King of all the earth: sing ye praises with understanding.

Who can contemplate the glorious triumph of human nature over its enemies, in the person of our King, risen and ascended, without finding himself constrained to break forth into joy, and to sing, with a thankful heart, and an elevated voice, the praises due unto his holy name! These divine hymns were designed for that purpose. Let us therefore sing them, and let us sing them with understanding;' considering by whom they were indited, and of whom they treat; reflecting, that the eternal Spirit is their author, and their subject the blessed Jesus.

8. God reigneth over the heathen: God sitteth upon the throne of his holiness.

We are never suffered to forget, that the end of Messiah's exaltation to the right hand of the majesty in the heavens, was the conversion and salvation of the world; so continually do the prophets and apostles delight to dwell upon that most interesting topic, the conversion of the nations' to the Gospel of Christ. Why do we vainly fancy, that we belong to Him, unless his Spirit reign' in our hearts by faith?

9. The princes of the people are gathered together, even the people of the God of Abraham: for the shields of the earth belong unto God: he is greatly exalted.

This verse plainly describeth the kings of the

Gentiles as acceding to the church; as becoming, with their subjects, through faith, the people of the God of Abraham,' and a part of the sacred peculium; as submitting to God in Christ that power with which they were invested, as 'shields of the earth,' or protectors of their several kingdoms; and as bowing their sceptres to the cross of Jesus.' The sense of the verse, expressed in New Testament language, would be, "the kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord and his Christ, and he shall reign for ever and ever." So let every nation be converted unto thee, O Lord! and every king become thy son and servant; until all the world shall worship thee, sing of thee, and praise thy name!

ARGUMENT.-This Psalm is one of those which by our church are appointed to be used on Whitsunday, because under images taken from the earthly city, Jerusalem, newly rescued from her enemies by him who resided in the material temple on Mount Zion, are celebrated, 1, 2, 3. the glory, the beauty, and the strength of the church Christian, that city and temple of Messiah; who, 4-7. is described as breaking in pieces, and bringing to nothing, the opposition formed against her by the heathen kings and emperors; on which account, 8-11. she expresseth her gratitude and joy; 12-14. exhorteth her people to contemplate, and transmit to posterity, an account of those wonderful works of God, the establish

This latter part of the verse is differently explained by the
Rev. Mr. Merrick, in his poetical paraphrase of this Psalm-
For he, whose hands, amid the skies,
Th' eternal sceptre wield,

To earth's whole race his care applies,
And o'er them spreads his shield.

ment and preservation of his church in the world; for which she wishes all generations, after her example, to adore and praise his holy name, for ever and ever.

1. Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised in the city of our God, in the mountain of his holi

ness.

The prophet preparing to celebrate the beauty and magnificence of the church, begins with setting forth the praises of her great Founder; whose wisdom, mercy, and power, as they are conspicuous in all his works, so, more especially, in this, the chief and crown of all; for which his name can never be sufficiently extolled by the inhabitants of the new Jerusalem; and by them it ought to be extolled, for ever and ever.

2. Beautiful for situation, the joy of the whole earth is mount Zion, on the sides of the north, the city of the great King.

How beautiful' is the holy and heavenly Zion, or the Christian church; how truly is she 'the joy of the whole earth,' by the glad tidings which her ministers continually publish; how properly is this Jerusalem styled, the city of the great King!'

3. God is known in her palaces for a refuge.

The great Founder of the church is also her protector and defender; the dependence of the new Jerusalem, like that of the old, is not in man, or in the arm of flesh, but in the God who resideth in the midst of her. For surely, unless he kept the holy city, the watchmen in the towers would wake but in vain.

4. For, lo, the kings were assembled, they passed by together.

Never were the power and malice of earthly princes more violently bent to hinder the building of Jerusalem, or to pull down what was already built, than they were to prevent the edification of the church, and to root up its foundations. But the event, with regard to the latter, was the same which had often happened in the case of the former.

5. They saw it, and so they marvelled; they were troubled, and hasted 6. Fear took hold upon them there, and pain, as of a woman in travail.

away.

The potentates of the world saw the miracles of the apostles, the courage and constancy of the martyrs, and the daily increase of the church, notwithstanding all their persecutions; they beheld with astonishment the rapid progress of the faith through the Roman empire; they called upon their gods, but their gods could not help themselves; idolatry expired at the foot of the victorious cross, and the power which supported it became Christian.

7. Thou breakest the ships of Tarshish with the east wind.

In the foregoing verse, the consternation amongst the enemies of the church was compared to the horrors of a travailing woman; here it is likened to the apprehensions of despairing mariners. Nor indeed can any thing in nature more fitly represent the overthrow of heathenism by the Spirit of the Gospel, than the wreck of a fleet of ships in a