mies; of Christ, persecuted by the Jews; of the church afflicted in the world; and of the soul, encompassed by enemies, against whom she is forced to wage perpetual war.

3. What time I am afraid, I will trust in thee. 4. In God I will praise, or, glory in, his word, in God I have put my trust; I will not fear what flesh can do unto me.

Whoever, like the prophet Elisha's servant, beholdeth only the forces of the enemy, will be apt, like him, to cry out, Alas, my master! how shall we do?' 2 Kings, vi. 15. But when our eyes are 'opened,' to see those horses and chariots of fire' which are 'round about us;' when we perceive the promises of their word, and the mighty succours of the Spirit, which are all on our side; we no longer fear the terrors or the temptations of flesh and blood; but find ourselves enabled to do and to suffer all things, through faith in him who strengthened us to the battle. 'He hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee;' so that we may boldly say, 'The Lord is my helper, and I will not fear what man shall do unto me.' Heb. xiii. 5, 6.

5. Every day they wrest my words: all their thoughts are against me for evil. 6. They gather themselves together, they hide themselves, they mark my steps, they wait for my soul.

These words could not be more literally descriptive of the behaviour of David's persecutors, than they certainly are of that conduct which the Scribes and Pharisees observed towards our blessed Lord; when, like serpents by the way-side, they marked

his steps,' till a proper opportunity offered, to dart from their lurking-place, and bruise his heel.' We think it hard, when men use us in this manner; but surely we either forget that the Son of God was so used before us, or that we are his disciples.

7. Shall they escape by iniquity? In thine anger cast down thy people, O God.

The signal vengeance inflicted on the enemies of David, of Christ, and of the church, in different ages, may serve to convince us, that if we would escape,' it must be from sin, not by it.

8. Thou tellest my wanderings: put thou my tears into thy bottle: are they not in thy book?

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Known unto God are all the afflictions of his servants; while banished, like David, from their abiding city and country, they wander' here below, in the land of their pilgrimage. The tears' of penitents are had in remembrance, and, as so many precious gems, will one day adorn their crowns. How dear then, in the sight of God, were thewanderings' and the tears' of the holy Jesus, submitting to perform penance for those sins which he never committed!

9. When I cry unto thee, then shall mine enemies turn back this I know; for God is for me.

What can we possibly desire more, than this assurance, that, how many, or how formidable soever our enemies may be, yet there is one always ready to appear in our defence, whose power no creature is able to resist? This I know,' saith David;

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and had we the faith of David, we should know it too.

10. In God will I praise his word: in the Lord will I praise his word. 11. In God have I put my trust: I will not be afraid what man can do unto me. (See above, on verse 4.) 12. Thy vows are upon me, O God; I will render praises unto thee. 13. For thou hast delivered my soul from death; wilt not thou deliver my feet, or, my feet also, or, assuredly, from falling, that I may walk before God in the light of the living?

At the conclusion of this Psalm, and of many others, the prophet speaketh of his deliverance as actually accomplished; he acknowledgeth himself under the obligation of the vows made to God in the night of affliction, which he is resolved to pay on the morning of triumph and jubilee. O come that glorious morning, when the redeemed shall sing eternal praises to the Lord God of their salvation, for having delivered their souls from death, and their feet from falling, that they may walk before him in the light of the living!'

PSALM LVII.

ARGUMENT.-This Psalm is said to have been composed by David, on occasion of his escape from Saul, in the cave at Engedi. See 1 Sam. xxiv. 3. And the church by her appointment of it as one of the proper Psalms for Easter-day, hath instructed us to transfer the ideas to the resurrection of Christ from the grave. The Psalm containeth, 1-3. an act of faith in the promises; 4. a description of grievous suffer. ings; 5. a prayer for the exaltation of God's glory, which is

repeated again at the conclusion; 6. a prediction of judgment on the adversary; 7-10. a strain of the highest exultation and jubilee.

1. Be merciful unto me, O God, be merciful unto me, for my soul trusteth in thee: yea, in the shadow of thy wings will I make my refuge, until these calamities be overpast.

David, encompassed by his enemies at Engedi, putteth up this prayer to God; the same prayer we may suppose to have been used by our blessed Lord, when drawing near to the grave and gate of death and the church ever continueth the use of it, until she be delivered from the bondage of corruption. In the meantime, she teacheth her children to put themselves, living and dying, under the protection of him who is always ready to gather them, as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings.' There they may rest in peace and security.

2. I will cry unto God most high; unto God that performeth all things for me.

David cried unto God, and was delivered out of the hand of Saul; the Son of David cried unto God, and was delivered from the power of the grave; the saints on earth cry unto God, and shall be delivered out of their troubles; the souls under the altar in heaven cry unto God, Rev. vi. 10, and shall obtain a reunion with their bodies. Thus God performeth all things for us,' as well as for David.

3. He shall send from heaven, and save me from the reproach of him that would swallow me up. God shall send forth his mercy and his truth.

We have all an enemy, who would swallow us up; and we look for the manifestation of the divine mercy and truth' from heaven,' for the salvation of our souls, and the redemption of our bodies. A grand specimen of this manifestation was exhibited to the world, on that glorious morning when Jesus Christ rose from the dead.

4. My soul is among lions: and I lie even among them that are set on fire, even the sons of men, whose teeth are spears and arrows, and their tongue a sharp sword.

The fiercest of beasts, the most devouring of elements, and the sharpest of military weapons, are selected, to represent the power and fury of David's enemies. How much stronger and more furious were the enemies of Christ, who, in the day of his passion, resembled Daniel in the lions' den, the three children in the fiery furnace, and who stood alone, exposed to the assaults of men and evil spirits!

5. Be thou exalted, O God, above the heavens; let thy glory be above all the earth.

God is exalted and glorified among men by the display of mercy and judgment, in the salvation of his children from the hands of their enemies. But chiefly was he exalted, when, having raised up his Son Jesus, he set him at his own right hand, far above all principalities and powers, and every thing that is named in heaven and in earth. This was the great exaltation, prefigured, foretold, and incessantly prayed for, in the ancient church.

6. They have prepared a net for my steps; my