5. The LORD trieth the righteous; but the wicked, and him that loveth violence, his soul hateth.

As to the afflictions which persons may suffer, who are embarked in a righteous cause, they are intended to purge away the dross, and to refine them for the Master's use. "Gold," saith the son of Sirach, "is tried in the fire, and acceptable men in the "furnace of adversity," Eccles. ii. 5. In the mean time, God's displeasure against the wicked is ever the same, and their prosperity, instead of benefiting, will in the end destroy them. The cases of David and Saul, Christ and the Jews, the martyrs and their persecutors, are all cases in point, and should be often in our thoughts, to teach us patience, and guard us against despair, in seasons of calamity, pain, or disgrace.

6. Upon the wicked he shall rain snares, or, burning coals, fire and brimstone, and an horrible tempest; this shall be the portion of their cup.

St. Jude, ver. 7. tells us, that the cities of Sodom, Gomorrah, &c. for their abominable sins, "рoxeivτaι daya, are set forth for an example, or specimen, suffering the vengeance of eternal fire." And here we see the images are plainly taken from the dreadful judgment inflicted on those cities, and transferred to the vengeance of the last day. Then the sons of faithful Abraham shall behold a prospect, like that which once presented itself to the eyes of their father; when rising early in the morning, and looking towards Sodom and Gomorrah, and towards all the land of the plain, he "beheld, and lo, the smoke of the country went up as the smoke of a furnace!" Gen. xix. 28. Such must be the " portion of their cup," who have dashed from them the cup of salvation. He, therefore, who would enjoy the prosperity of the wicked here, must take with it their torment hereafter; as he who is ambitious of wearing the crown of righteousness in heaven, must be content to endure tribulation upon earth.

7. For the righteous LORD loveth righteousness; his countenance doth behold the upright.

He who is in himself essential righteousness, cannot but love his own resemblance, wrought in the faithful by his good Spirit; with a countenance full of paternal affection, he beholds, and speaks peace and comfort to them in the midst of their sorrows; until, admitted through mercy to the glory from which justice excludes the wicked, and beholding that countenance which has always beheld them, they shall enter upon a life of boundless and everlasting felicity.

II DAY. EVENING PRAYER. PSALM XII.

ARGUMENT.

The Church, through David, 1, 2. laments the decrease of God's faithful servants, and the universal corruption among men, but, 3-5. rests upon the Divine promises, the truth and certainty of which, 6, 7. she celebrates, and comforts herself therewith, while in a world, where oftentimes, 8. the wicked walk uncontrolled.

1. Help, Heb. save, LORD, for the Godly man ceaseth; for the faithful fail from among the children of men.

Our Lord foretells, that in the latter days, "because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold;" and seems to question whether, "when the Son of man cometh, he shall find faith upon the earth." The universal depravity of Jew and Gentile caused the church of old to pray earnestly for the first advent of Christ; and the like depravity among those who call themselves Christians, may induce her to pray no less earnestly for his appearance the second time unto salvation. It is frequently a benefit to be destitute of help from man, both as it puts us upon seeking it from God, and inclines him to grant it when we do seek.

2. They speak vanity, or, a lie, every one with his neighbour : with flattering lips, and with a double heart do they speak.

When men cease to be faithful to their God, he who expects to find them so to each other will be much disappointed. The primitive sincerity will accompany the primitive piety in her flight from the earth; and then interest will succeed conscience in the regulation of human conduct, till one man cannot trust another farther than he holds him by that tie. Hence, by the way, it is, that although many are infidels themselves, yet few choose to have their families and dependents such; as judging, and rightly judging, that true Christians are the only persons to be depended on, for the exact discharge of social duties.

3. The LORD shall cut off all flattering lips, and the tongue that speaketh proud things: 4. Who have said, with our tongue will we prevail, our lips are our own: who is Lord over us?

They who take pleasure in deceiving others will at the last find themselves most of all deceived, when the Sun of truth, by the brightness of his rising, shall at once detect and consume hypocrisy. And as to men of another stamp, who speak great swelling words of vanity; who vaunt themselves in the arm of

flesh, thinking to prevail by human wit, or human power; equally deplorable will be their case, when the Lord God "omnipotent" reigneth.

5. For the oppression of the poor, for the sighing of the needy, now will I arise, saith the LORD, I will set him in safety from him that puffeth at him.

For the consolation of the afflicted and poor in spirit, Jehovah is here introduced promising, out of compassion to their sufferings, to "arise, and set them in safety," or place them in a state of "salvation." Such all along has been his promise to the church, who, by looking back to the deliverances wrought of old for the servants of God, and above all, to that wrought for the Son of God, is now encouraged to look forward, and expect her final redemption from the scorn and insolence of infidelity.

6. The words of the LORD are pure words; as silver tried in a furnace, or crucible of earth, purified seven times.

The church rejoices in the promises of God her Saviour, because they are such as she can confide in. His words are not like those of deceitful boasting man, but true and righteous altogether. Often have they been put to the test, in the trials of the faithful, like silver committed to the furnace, in an earthen crucible; but like silver in its most refined and exalted purity, found to contain no dross of imperfection, no alloy of fallibility in them. The words of Jehovah are holy in his precepts, just in his laws, gracious in his promises, significant in his institutions, true in his narrations, and infallible in his predictions. What are the thousands of gold and silver, compared to the treasures of the sacred page?

7. Thou shalt keep them, O LORD, thou shalt preserve them from this generation for ever.

As if it had been said, Yes, blessed Lord, what thou hast promised shall surely be performed, since there is with thee no variableness, nor shadow of turning: thou wilt keep thy poor and lowly servants, as thou hast promised, from being circumvented by treachery, or crushed by power: thou wilt preserve them undefiled amidst an evil and adulterous generation; thou wilt be with thy church to the end of the world, and then admit her to be with thee for ever.

exalted.

8. The wicked walk on every side, when the vilest men are While the faithful repose, as they ought to do, an unlimited confidence in God's promises, they have, in the mean time, but too much reason to mourn the prevalence of wickedness, stalking like its author, to and fro, and up and down in the earth, uncon

trolled by those who bear the sword, but who either blunt its edge, or turn it the wrong way. Such is often the state of things here below; and a reflection, made upon the subject by our Lord, when his enemies drew near to apprehend him, may satisfy us how it comes to be so; "It is your hour, and the power of darkness." But that hour will quickly pass with us, as it did with him, and the power of darkness will be overthrown; the Lord will be our everlasting light, and the days of our mourning shall be ended.

PSALM XIII.
ARGUMENT.

This Psalm contains, 1, 2. a complaint of desertion; 3, 4. a prayer for the divine assistance; 5, 6. an act of faith and thanksgiving.

1. How long wilt thou forget me, O LORD, for ever? How long wilt thou hide thy face from me?

While God permits his servants to continue under affliction, he is said, after the manner of men, to have "forgotten, and hid his face from them." For the use, therefore, of persons in such circumstances, is this Psalm intended; and consequently, it suits the different cases of the church universal, languishing for the advent of her Lord, to deliver her from this evil world; of any particular church, in time of persecution; and of each individual, when harassed by temptations, or broken by sickness, pain, and sorrow. He who bore our sins, and carried our sorrows, may likewise be presumed to have made it a part of his devotions in the day of trouble.

2. How long shall I take counsel in my soul, having sorrow in my heart daily? How long shall mine enemy be exalted over me?

To excite compassions, and prevail for help from above, the petitioner mentions three aggravating circumstances of his misery; the perplexity of his soul, not knowing which way to turn, or what course to take; his heartfelt sorrow, uttering itself in sighs and groanings; and the mortifying reflection, that his enemies were exulting in their conquest over him. All this will happen, and be particularly painful, to him who has yielded to temptation, and committed sin.

3. Consider, and hear me, O LORD my God; lighten mine eyes lest I sleep the sleep of death.

On the preceding consideration is founded a prayer to Jehovah, that he would no longer hide his face, but "consider," or, more literally, "have respect to, favourably behold" his servant ;

that he would "hear, attend to, be mindful of," his supplication in distress. The deliverance requested is expressed figuratively, "6 Lighten mine eyes, lest I sleep the sleep of death." In time of sickness and grief, the "eyes" are dull and heavy; and they grow more and more so as death approaches, which closes them in darkness. On the other hand, health and joy render the organs of vision bright and sparkling, seeming, as it were, to impart "light" to them from within. The words, therefore, may be fitly applied to a recovery of the body natural, and thence of the body politic, from their respective maladies. Nor do they less significantly describe the restoration of the soul to a state of spiritual health and holy joy, which will manifest themselves, in like manner, by the eyes of the understanding being enlightened;" and in this case, the soul is saved from the sleep of sin, as the body is, in the other, from the sleep of death.

66

4. Lest mine enemy say, I have prevailed against him; and those that trouble me rejoice when I am moved.

This argument we often find urged in prayer to God, that he would be pleased to work salvation for his people, lest his and their enemies should seem to triumph over him, as well as them; which would indeed have been the case, had Satan either seduced the true David to sin, or confined him in the grave. And certainly, it should be a powerful motive to restrain us from transgression, when we consider, that as the conversion of a sinner brings glory to God, and causes joy among the angels of heaven; so the fall of a believer disgraces the gospel of Jesus, opens the mouths of the adversaries, and would produce joy, if such a thing could be, in hell itself.

5. But I have trusted, or, I trust in thy mercy, my heart shall rejaice, or, rejoices in thy salvation. 6. I will sing unto the LORD, bccause he hath dealt, or, deals bountifully with me.

The heart, which “trusteth in God's mercy," shall alone rejoice in his salvation," and celebrate by the tongue, in songs of praise, the loving-kindness of the Lord. It is observable,

that this, and many other Psalms, with a mournful beginning, have a triumphant ending; to show us the prevailing power of devotion, and to convince us of the certain return of prayer, sooner or later, bringing with it the comforts of heaven, to revive and enrich our weary and barren spirits in the gloomy seasons of sorrow and temptation, like the dew descending by night upon the withered summit of an eastern mountain.

Ꮮ