of their lips,' or their 'hard speeches' spoken against the Son of God; their slanders, lying accusations, and outrageous blasphemies, together with that horrid imprecation in which they involved their descendants; who have groaned under the weight of it for near these 1700 years, and yet still continue to justify the deeds of their fathers, retaining that' pride' in their name, and long since forfeited privileges, which provoked the Romans to destroy their city and country.

13. Consume them in thy wrath, consume them, or thou shalt consume them, &c. that they may not, or, shall not, be; and let them, or, they shall, know that God ruleth in Jacob unto the ends of the earth.

This prediction was accomplished in the total subversion of Jerusalem by Titus, when the Jews, having no longer any city, temple, or civil polity, ceased to be,' as a nation. And they have seen enough to have convinced them, that God is the God 'not of the Jews only, but of the Gentiles also. The gospel hath been preached, idolatry hath been overthrown, the nations have been converted to the faith of Abraham, and that of David, whose Psalms are used throughout the world; and God, who ruled in Jacob, and was known in Jewry,' now is known and ruleth unto the ends of the earth; for they have seen the salvation,' and submitted to the sceptre of King Messiah.

14. And at evening let them, or, they shall return; and let them, or, they shall, make a noise like a dog, and go round about the city. 15. Let them, or, they shall, wander up and down for meat, and grudge, or, howl, if they be not satisfied.

The punishment inflicted on the wicked often carries the mark of their crime. It is just that they who have thirsted after the blood of the righteous, should want a drop of water to cool their tongues; and the hunger of a dog is deservedly their plague, of whom a resemblance of that unclean animal's disposition hath been the sin. Such is the present condition of the Jews, excluded from the church, and suffering all the calamities of a spiritual famine; and such will be the condition of all those who are to wail and lament in vain, without the holy city for evermore.-Rev. xxii. 15.

16. But I will sing of thy powers; yea, I will sing aloud of thy mercy in the morning: for thou hast been my defence and refuge in the day of my trouble. 17. Unto thee, O my strength, will I sing: for God is my defence, and the God of my mercy.

While the wicked murmur and repine at the dispensations of Heaven, the righteous are employed in giving thanks and praises for the same; and the 'morning' which is to consign the former to the habitations of despair, where no sounds are heard but those of hideous wailings and horrid blasphemies, shall transport the latter to the mansions of felicity, resounding with incessant hallelujahs.

PSALM LX

ARGUMENT.--This Psalm is thought to have been composed by David, when, after his coming to the throne, the tribes of Israel had submitted to his sceptre, and he was engaged in the reduction of the adjacent countries. See the history, 2 Sam. chap. v. and viii. 1-3. He describes what

Israel had lately suffered from foreign enemies, and domestic feuds; 4, 5, 6. he declareth himself appointed to conduct his people to victory and triumph, according to a divine prediction; 6, 7. he rejoiceth in the accession of the other tribes to that of Judah, and, 8-12. sees Edom, Moab, and Philistia, already subdued by the mighty power of God. All this is now to be spiritually applied in the Christian church, to the establishment and enlargement of Messiah's kingdom, prefigured by that of David.

1. O God, thou hast cast us off, thou hast scattered us, thou hast been displeased; O turn thyself to us again.

When the church, by her sins, hath rejected God, she is rejected by him; she is delivered into the hands of her enemies, and suffers persecution: when, by repentance and supplication, she returneth to him, he is ready to meet and receive her. The history of Israel is one continued exemplification of these most interesting truths. It should be the care and endeavour of every church, and every individual, to profit thereby.

2. Thou hast made the earth, or, the land, to tremble; thou hast broken it; heal the breaches thereof, for it shaketh.

The persecutions of the Israelitish church often shook the land' of promise; the persecutions of the Christian church have frequently moved the whole earth. Afflictions of this kind may be likened to wounds sometimes made in a diseased body by skilful surgeons, to be healed again, when, by a discharge of the corrupt humours, they have answered the end for which they were intended.

3. Thou hast showed thy people hard things; thou

VOL. II.

hast made us to drink the wine of astonishment, or, intoxication.

The Israelites had not only suffered 'hard things' from their professed enemies the Philistines, by the overthrow of Saul and his army, but their civil dissensions at home showed that they had drunk deep of the bitter cup of infatuation. See 1 Sam. xxxi.

and 2 Sam. ii. and iii. From these two sources flow the calamities of churches and of kingdoms in all ages, whensoever it pleaseth God to visit their transgressions upon them by the instrumentality of

men.

4. Thou hast given a banner to them that fear thee, that it may be displayed because of the truth.

For the temporal salvation of Israel, God raised up David, according to his promise; to whose standard, as a centre of unity, the worshippers of the true God might resort. For the spiritual and eternal salvation of the church, God raised up his Son Jesus, according to his promise, and displayed the banner of the cross,' under which believers are enlisted, and led on to triumph, because of the truth.' Remarkable to this purpose are the words of Isaiah; 'In that day there shall be a root of Jesse, which shall stand for an ensign of the people; to it shall the Gentiles seek, and his rest,' after the battle is over, and the victory gained, 'shall be glorious.' Isa. xi. 10.

5. That thy beloved may be delivered, save with thy right hand, and hear me.

This prayer, which king David preferred for Israel, the great Intercessor prefers continually for

his church; and all ought to prefer for themselves and for others.

6. God hath spoken in his holiness; or, by his ́ Holy One, I will rejoice, or, exult, i. e. as a conqueror; I will divide Shechem, and mete out the valley of Succoth.

As a ground of hope and confidence, David here declares, that God, by the mouth of an holy prophet, had spoken and promised him the success for which he prayed in the foregoing verse. And that this was known among the people, appears from a speech of Abner to the elders of Israel, 2 Sam. iii. 18 The Lord hath spoken of David, saying, By the hand of my servant David I will save my people Israel out of the hand of the Philistines, and out of the hand of all their enemies.' Having, therefore, mentioned this prediction, much of which was already accomplished, he exults as a conqueror, resolving to divide into districts, and portion out under proper officers, the country about Samaria, now become his own.

7. Gilead is mine, and Manasseh is mine; Ephraim also is the strength of my head; Judah is my lawgiver.

'Gilead, Manasseh, Ephraim,' and the other tribes of Israel, upon the death of Ishbosheth, the son of Saul, whom Abner had set over them, joined the royal tribe of Judah, and came in, with one accord, to the house of David. See 2 Sam. ii. 8, and v. 1. Ephraim,' as a tribe abounding in valiant men, is styled by its prince, 'the strength' of his head,' or the support of his life and kingdom; and Judah,' as the seat of empire, replenished with men of wisdom and understanding,