PSALM XIV.

ARGUMENT.

This Psalm is in a manner the same with the LIIId. It sets forth, 1-3. the corruption of the world; 4-6. its enmity against the people of God; 7. the prophet longs and prays for salvation. 1. The fool hath said in his heart, there is no God: they are corrupt, they have done abominable works, there is none that doeth good. It does not appear upon what occasion David composed this Psalm. The revolt of Israel in Absalom's rebellion is by most writers pitched upon as the subject of it. But be this as it may; the expressions are general, and evidently designed to extend beyond a private interpretation. And accordingly, the Apostle, Rom. iii. 10, &c. produces some passages from it, to evince the apostacy of both Jews and Gentiles from their King and their God, and to prove them to be all under sin. In this light therefore we are to consider it, as characterizing the principles and practices of those who oppose the gospel of Christ in all ages. "The fool hath said in his heart, there is no God." Infidelity is the beginning of sin, folly "Their the foundation of infidelity, and the heart the seat of both. foolish heart (says St. Paul of the heathen, Rom. i- 21.) was darkened." The sad consequence of defection in principle is corruption in practice. "They are corrupt, they have done abominable works, there is none that doth good." On these words the reader may see a full comment, Rom. i. 28-32.

2. The LORD looked down from heaven upon the children of men, to see if there was any that did understand, and seek God. 3. They are all gone aside, they are all together become filthy, or, putrified: there is none that doeth good, no, not one.

Like a watchman on the top of some lofty tower, God is represented as surveying from his heavenly throne the sons of Adam, and their proceedings upon the earth: he scrutinizes them, and as it were, searches diligently, to find among them a man of true wisdom, one whose heart was turned toward the Lord his God, one who was inquiring the way to salvation and glory, that he might walk therein. But as the result of this extensive and accurate survey, God informs his prophet, and commissions him to inform the world, that all had declined from the paths of wisdom and righteousness; that the mass of human nature was become putrid, requiring to be cleansed, and the vessels made of it to be formed anew. Such is the Scripture account of man, not having received grace, or having fallen from it; of man without Christ, or in arms against him. See Rom. iii. 11, 12.

*4. Have all the workers of iniquity no knowledge? Who eat up my people as they eat bread, and call not upon the LORD.

The "workers of iniquity" work for the wages of death; they fight against God and their own souls; they barter eternity for time, and part with happiness for misery, both in possession and reversion. Well therefore may it be asked," Have they no knowledge?" For common sense, after all, is what they want. They who, with an appetite keen as that to their food, prey upon the poor, and devour the people of God, will themselves be preyed upon and devoured by that roaring lion, whose agents for the present they are; and such as now" call not on the name of the Lord" Jesus for pardon and salvation, shall hereafter call in vain upon the rocks and mountains, to shelter them from his power and vengeance.

5. There were they in great fear ; for God is in the generation of the righteous.

In the parallel place, Ps. liii. 5. after the words, " There were they in great fear," are added these, "where no fear was," which certainly connect better with what follows," For God is in the generation of the righteous." David is supposed to be speaking primarily of Israel's defection from him to Absalom, and here to be assigning the motive of that defection in many, namely, fear of the rebel's growing power, and distrust of his ability to protect them; which fear, he observes, was groundless, because his cause was the cause of God, who would not fail to appear in its support and vindication. The subjects of Christ, in times of persecution, are often tempted to renounce their allegiance, upon the same principle of fear; although of them it may more emphatically be said, that they "fear where no fear is, since God is in the generation of the righteous;" and they who are engaged on the side of the Messiah, will, in the end, most assuredly be triumphant. The latter clause of this verse, in Ps. liii. runs thus, "For God hath scattered, or, shall scatter the bones of him that encampeth against thee; thou hast, or shalt put them to shame, because God hath despised them :" the sense of which is evidently the same with-" God is in the generation of the righteous:" he will defend them, and overthrow their enemies: therefore let them not fear, neither let their hearts be troubled. If this interpretation be disapproved, the words, "There were they

• Between the preceding verse and this are three others inserted in sur common translation, which though taken by St. Paul from other parts of Scripture, yet because (Rom. iii. 13.) they followed the words cited from this Psalm, were probably added thereunto in this place by some transcribers of the copies of the LXX. For in other copies of the LXX. they ez. ist not, any more than in the Hebrew, Chaldee, or Syriac.

in great fear," must be understood of the enemy, and the clause, "where no fear was," must be rendered interrogatively thus," and was there not cause for them to fear? since God is in the generation of the righteous, or, will scatter the bones of him that encampeth against thee," &c.

6. Ye have shamed the counsel of the poor; because the LORD is his refuge.

This is plainly addressed to the adversaries, and charges them with reproaching and scoffing at that confidence in the Lord, expressed by the afflicted righteous in the preceding verse.

7. O that the salvation of Israel were come out of Sion! When the LORD bringeth back the captivity of his people, Jacob shall rejoice, and Israel shall be glad.

The consideration of the apostacy and corruption of mankind, described in this Psalm, makes the prophet express a longing desire for the salvation of Israel, which was to go forth out of Zion, and to bring back the people of God from that most dreadful of all captivities, the captivity under sin and death; a salvation, at which Jacob would indeed rejoice, and Israel be glad. And how doth the whole church, at this time, languish for the consummation of her felicity, looking, even until her eyes fail, for that glorious day of final redemption, when every believing heart shall exult, and all the sons of God shout aloud for joy!

III DAY. MORNING PRAYER. PSALM XV.

ARGUMENT.

This is one of the Psalms appointed to be used on Ascension-day. The Prophet, 1. inquires concerning the person, who should ascend into the hill, and dwell in the temple of Jehovah ; 2-5. he receives, in answer to his question, a character of such person. 1. LORD, who shall abide in thy tabernacle? Who shall dwell in thy holy hill?

The prophet alludes to the hill of Sion in the earthly Jerusalem, to the tabernacle of God which was thereon, and the character of the priest, who should officiate in that tabernacle. But all these were figures of a celestial Jerusalem, a spiritual Sion, a true tabernacle, and an eternal priest. To the great originals therefore we must transfer our ideas, and consider the inquiry as made after Him, who should fix his resting-place on the heavenly mount, and exercise his unchangeable priesthood in the temple not made with hands. And since the disciples of this new and great High Priest become righteous in him, and are by the Spirit conformed to his image, the character which essentially and inherently belongs only

to him, will derivatively belong to them also, who must follow his steps below, if they would reign with him above.

2. He that walketh uprightly, and worketh righteousness, and speaketh the truth in his heart.

The man, therefore, who would be a citizen of Zion, and there enter into the rest and joy of his Lord, must set that Lord always before him. Renewed through grace, endued with a lively faith, and an operative charity, he must consider and imitate the life of that blessed Person, who walked amongst men, without partaking of their corruptions; who conversed unblameably with sinners; who could give this challenge to his inveterate enemies," Which of you convinceth me of sin ?" in whom the grand accuser, when he came, "found nothing;" who, being himself "the truth," thought and spake of nothing else; making many promises, and performing them all.

3. He that backbiteth not with his tongue, nor doth evil to his neighbour, nor taketh up a reproach against his neighbour.

Who, knowing the sins, follies, and infirmities of all mankind, made his tongue an instrument, not of disclosing and exasperating, but of covering and healing these sores in human nature; who esteeming every son of Adam as his neighbour, went about doing good, and then laid down his life, and resigned his breath in prayer for his murderers; who, instead of taking up a reproach, and listening to the calumniator, cast him out and silenced him, erasing the handwriting that was against us, and nailing the cancelled indictment to the cross.

4. In whose eyes a vile person is contemned; but he honoureth them that fear the LORD; he that sweareth to his own hurt, and changeth not.

Who rejected the wicked, however rich and honourable: and chose the well-inclined, however poor and contemptible in the world; who, having, by covenant with the Father, engaged to keep the law, and to taste death for every man, went willingly and steadily through this work, and surmounted every obstacle which could be thrown in his way, until he declared concerning the task appointed him, "It is finished."

5. He that putteth not out his moncy to usury, nor taketh reward against the innocent.

Who was so far from desiring to amass the earthly mammon that he would touch none of it: and received the true riches, only that he might bestow them upon others; who, instead of taking a reward against the innocent, died for the guilty; and

whose sentence, when he shall sit on the throne of judgment, will be equally impartial and immutable.

6. He that doth these things shall never be moved.

In the above comment, it was thought most adviseable to open and display the full intent of what was both enjoined and forbidden, by exemplifying each particular, as receiving its utmost completion in the character and conduct of our blessed Lord. And whoever shall survey and copy these virtues and graces, as they present themselves in his life, will, it is humbly apprehended, take the best and shortest way to the heavenly Zion, and make that use of the fifteenth Psalm, which the church may be supposed to have had in view, when she appointed it as one of the proper Psalms for Ascension-day.

PSALM XVI.

ARGUMENT.

Upon whatever occasion, or in whatever distress David might compose this Psalm, we are taught by St. Peter and St. Paul, Acts ii. 25. and xiii. 35. to consider him as speaking in the person of our Lord Christ, of whom alone the latter part of the Psalm is true. The contents are, 1. a prayer for support; 2, 3. a declaration of love to the saints; 4. a protestation against idolaters; 5-8. acts of love, joy, and confidence in Jehovah; and 9-11. one of hope in an approaching resurrection and glorification.

1. Preserve me, O God, for in thee do I put my trust.

These words are evidently spoken by one in great distress, who addresses himself to heaven for support under his sufferings, pleading his confidence in God, still unshaken by all the storms that had set themselves against it. This might be the case of David, and may be that of any believer. But since the Psalm is a continued speech without change of person, we may consider the whole as uttered by him, who only could utter the concluding verses, and who in this first verse makes his supplication to the Father, for the promised and expected deliverance.

2. O my soul, thou hast said unto the LORD, thou art my Lord: my goodness extendeth not to thee; 3. But to the saints that are in the earth, and to the excellent, in whom is all my delight.

In the Chaldee and Syriac, the latter clause of the former of these two verses is rendered-" My goodness is from thee." An ingenious writer thinks the Hebrew will bear this sense, in the elliptical way, thus-" My goodness! shall I mention that?