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14. Behold, he travaileth with iniquity, and hath conceived mischief, and brought forth falsehood.

This is not to be understood as if "travail" were previous to "conception." The first is a general expression; "Behold, he travaileth with iniquity;" the latter part of the verse is more particular; as if it had been said, "and having conceived mischief, he bringeth forth falsehood." When an evil thought is instilled into the heart of a man, then the seed of the wicked one is sown; by admitting, retaining, and cherishing the diabolical suggestion in his mind, he "conceiveth" a purpose of " mischief;" when that purpose is gradually formed and matured for the birth, he " travaileth with iniquity;" at length by carrying it into action, “he bringeth forth falsehood." The purity of the soul, like that of the body, from whence the image is borrowed, must be preserved by keeping out of the way of temptation.

15. He made a pit, and digged it, and has fallen into the ditch which he made. 16. His mischief shall return upon his own head, and his violent dealing shall come down upon his own pate.

All the world agrees to acknowledge the equity of that sentence which inflicts upon the guilty the punishment intended by them for the innocent. No one pities the fate of a man buried in that pit which he had dug to receive his neighbour; or of him who owes his death-wound to the return of an arrow shot against heaven. Saul was overthrown by those Philistines whom he would have made the instruments of cutting off David. Haman was hanged on his own gallows. The Jews who excited the Romans to crucify Christ, were themselves, by the Romans, crucified in crowds. Striking instances these of the vengeance to be one day executed on all tempters and persecutors of others; when men and angels shall lift up their voices, and cry out together "Righteous art thou, O LORD, and just are thy judgments."

17. I will praise the LORD according to his righteousness; and will sing praise to the name of the LORD most high.

Whatever doubts may at present arise concerning the ways of God, let us rest assured that they will all receive a solution; and that the "righteousness" of the great Judge, manifested in his final determinations, will be the subject of everlasting hallelujahs.

PSALM VIII.

ARGUMENT.

This is the first of those Psalms which the church has appointed to be read on Ascension-day. It treats, as appears from Heb. ii. 6, &c. of the wonderful love of God, shown by the exaltation

of our nature in Messiah, or the second Adam, to the right hand of the Majesty on high, and by the subjection of all creatures to the word of his power.

1. O LORD, our Lord, how excellent is thy name in all the earth! who hast set thy glory above the heavens.

The prophet beholds in spirit the sufferings of Christ, and the glory that should follow; like St. Stephen afterward, he sees heaven opened, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God; the sight fills his heart with wonder, love, and devotion, which break forth in this address to "Jehovah as "our Lord;" for such he is by the twofold right of creation and redemption, having made us, and purchased us. On both accounts, "how excellent," how full of beauty and honour is his name, diffused by the gospel through "all the earth!" But more especially do men and angels admire and adore him for the exaltation of his "glory," the glory of the only begotten, high "above the heavens," and all created nature, to the throne prepared for him before the foundation of the world.

2. Out of the mouth of babes and sucklings hast thou ordained, Heb. founded, or, constituted strength, because of thine enemies, that thou mightest still the enemy and avenger.

This verse is cited by our Lord, Matt. xxi. 16. and applied to little children in the temple, crying, "Hosannah to the Son of David!" which vexed and confounded his malignant adversaries.

The import of the words, therefore, plainly is, that the praises of Messiah, celebrated in the church by his children, have in them a strength and power which nothing can withstand; they can abash infidelity, when at its greatest height, and strike hell itself dumb. In the citation made by our Lord, which the evangelist gives from the Greek of the LXX. we read, "thou hast perfected praise," which seems to be rather a paraphrase than a translation of the Hebrew, literally rendered by our translators, "thou hast ordained strength."

3. When I consider thy heavens, the work of thy fingers, the moon and the stars which thou hast ordained: 4. What is man that thou art mindful of him? and the son of man, that thou visitest him?

At the time of inditing this Psalm, David is evidently supposed to have had before his eyes the heavens, as they appear by night. He is struck with the awful magnificence of the wide extended firmament, adorned by the moon walking in brightness, and rendered brilliant by the vivid lustre of a multitude of shining orbs, differing from each other in magnitude and splendour. And when, from surveying the beauty of heaven, with its glorious show, he turns to take a view of the creature man, he is still more affected by

the mercy, than he had before been by the majesty of the Lord: since far less wonderful it is, that God should make such a world as this, than that He, who made such a world as this, should be " mindful of man," in his fallen estate, and should “ visit” human nature with his salvation.

5. For thou hast made him a little, or, for a little while, lower than the angels, and hast crowned him with glory and honour. 6. Thou madest him to have dominion over the works of thy hands: thou hast put all things under his feet.

On these two verses, with that preceding, St. Paul has left us the following comment. "One in a certain place TESTIFIED, saying, What is man, that thou art mindful of him? or the son of man that thou visitest him? Thou madest him a little lower than [marg. a little while inferior to] the angels; thou crownest him with glory and honour, and didst set him over the works of thy hands; thou hast put all things in subjection under his feet. For in that he put all in subjection under him, he left nothing that is not put under him. BUT NOW we see not YET all things put under him. BUT we see JESUS, who was made a little lower than the angels, for the suffering of death, crowned with glory and honour." Heb. ii. 6, &c. See also 1 Cor. xv. 27.

7. All sheep and oxen, yea, and the beasts of the field; 8. The fowls of the air, and the fish of the sea, and whatsoever passeth through the paths of the sea.

Adam, upon his creation, was invested with sovereign dominion over the creatures, in words of the same import with these; Gen. i. 28. which are therefore here used, and the creatures particularized, to inform us, that what the first Adam lost by transgression, the second Adam regained by obedience. That " glory" which was "set above the heavens," could not but be over all things on "the earth." And accordingly, we hear our Lord saying, after his resurrection, "All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth.” Matth. xxviii. 18. Nor is it a speculation unpleasing, or unprofitable, to consider, that he who rules over the material world, is Lord also of the intellectual, or spiritual creation, represented thereby. The souls of the faithful, lowly and harmless, are the sheep of his pasture; those who, like oxen, are strong to labour in the church, and who, by expounding the word of life, tread out the corn for the nourishment of the people, own him for their kind and beneficent master; nay, tempers fierce and untractable as the wild beasts of the desert, are yet subject to his will; spirits of the angelic kind, that, like the birds of the air, traverse freely the superior region, move at his command; and those evil ones, whose habit

ation is in the deep abyss, even to the great Leviathan himself; all, all are put under the feet of King Messiah; who," because he humbled himself," and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross, was therefore highly exalted, and had a name given him above every name, that at the name of JESUS every knee should bow, whether of things in heaven, or things on earth, or things under the earth; and that every tongue should confess that JESUS is LORD, to the glory of God the Father." Phil. ii. 8, &c. 9. O LORD, our Lord, how excellent is thy name in all the earth! Let therefore the universal chorus of men and angels join their voices together, and make their sound to be heard as one, in honour of the Redeemer, evermore praising him, and saying, O Lord, our Lord Jesus Christ, King of Righteousness, Peace, and Glory, King of kings, and Lord of lords, how excellent, how precious, how lovely, how great and glorious is thy Name, diffused over all the earth, for the salvation of thy chosen. Blessing, and honour, and glory, and power be unto him that sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb, for ever and ever. And let heaven and earth say, AMEN.

II DAY.

MORNING PRAYER.

ARGUMENT.

PSALM IX.

This Psalm consists of two parts, a thanksgiving, 1—12, and a prayer, 13-20. Upon what particular occasion it was composed, is not known; probably, to celebrate the victories gained by David over the neighbouring nations, after God had exalted him to be king in Sion. See ver. 11. But most certainly the Psalm was intended for the use of the Christian church; and she continually, by using it, 1, 2. declares her resolution to celebrate the praises of her God; since 3, 4. her enemies were vanquished, and her cause was carried; 5, 6. the empire of Satan was subverted, and 7, 8. the kingdom of Christ established; 9, 10. affording to believers refuge and salvation, for all these blessings, 11. Christians are excited to praise their Redeemer, who 12. forgets nothing that is done or suffered for his sake. 13, 14. The church petitions for final deliverance from the world, and the evil thereof; 15, 16. building her hope upon the mercies already received; 17, 18. she foretells the destruction of the wicked; and 10, 20. prays for the manifestation of God.

1. I will praise thee, O LORD, with my whole heart; I will show forth all thy marvellous works.

In this animated and exalted hymn, the church begins with de claring her resolution to" praise Jehovah," as the author of her salvation; and that, neither coldly, as if the salvation were little worth,

nor partially, reserving a share of the glory of it to herself; but with the" whole heart," with an affection pure and flaming, like the holy fire upon the altar. She is determined to" show forth" to the world, for its conviction and conversion," all his marvellous works," the most "marvellous" of which are those wrought for, and in the souls of men. Outward miracles strike more forcibly upon the senses; but they are introductory only to those internal operations, which they are intended to represent.

2. I will be glad and rejoice in thee, I will sing praise to thy name, O Most High.

Christians are taught to "be glad and rejoice," not in abundance of wealth, or plenitude of power, not in the pleasures of sense or the praise of men, but in God their Saviour; and their joy is as far superior to the joy of the worldly, as the object of one is to that of the other. He who, with the spirit and the understanding, as well as with the voice, sings praise to thy name, O Most High," is employed as the angels are, and experiences a foretaste of the delight they feel.

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3. When mine enemies are driven back, they shall fall, or, they stumble, or, fall; and perish at thy presence.

The church begins to explain the subject of her joy, which is a victory over her "enemies;" a victory not gained by herself, but by the" presence of God" in the midst of her. The grand enemy of

our salvation was first vanquished by Christ in the wilderness, and "driven back," with the words "Get thee behind me, Satan." The same blessed person afterwards completely triumphed over him upon the cross, when the" prince of this world was cast out.” This is that great victory, which we celebrate in psalms, and hymns, and spiritual songs, from generation to generation; and, through faith in him who achieved it, we are likewise enabled to fight, and to overcome.

4. For thou hast maintained my right and my cause; thou satest in the throne judging right.

The same important transaction is here described in forensic, as before it was in military terms. Satan having gotten possession of mankind, might have pleaded his right to keep it, since by transgression they had left God, and sold themselves to him. But Christ, as the church's representative and advocate, made the satisfaction required, paid down the price of redemption, " took the prey from the mighty, and delivered the lawful captive," Isa. xlix. 24. Thus was our "right and our cause maintained;" thus we were rescued from the oppressor, and he who" sat on the throne judged righteous judgment." Something of this sort may be supposed to

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