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Zion in thy heavenly kingdom, and say, 'Blessed be the Lord, who hath not given us over for a prey unto their teeth. Our soul is escaped as a bird out of the snare of the fowlers: the snare is broken and we are escaped.'

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8. Our help is in the name of the LORD, who made heaven and earth.'

The great lesson which this Psalm, from the beginning to the end, inculcates, is, that for every deliverance, whe ther of a temporal or spiritual nature, we should, in imitation of the saints above, ascribe 'Salvation to God and to the Lamb.'

PSALM CXXV.

ARGUMENT.

[In this Psalm, the church is comforted with the promises, 1, 2. of God's protection, and, 3. of his removing, in due time, from his inheritance the rod of the oppressor; when, 4. the faithful will be rewarded, and, 5. apostates punished with other workers of iniquity. Aben Ezra, as cited by Dr. Hammond, applieth the Psalm to the days of Messiah.]

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1. They that trust in the LORD shall be as mount Zion, which cannot be removed, but abideth for ever.' 2.' As the mountains are round about Jerusalem, so the LORD is round about his people from henceforth even for ever.'

The stability of the church, and the protection afforded her by Jehovah, were of old represented by the mountain on which the divine presence resided, and by the hills which encompassed Jerusalem, so as to render that city in a manner impregnable. While her inhabitants con tinued to 'trust in the Lord,' this was the case. But when they became faithless and disobedient, she became weak, and like another city. Let not our' trust in God' be a presumptuous, ungrounded assurance; but let it be a confi dence springing from faith unfeigned, out of a pure heart, a good conscience, and fervent charity. Then shall our situation, whether as a church, or as individuals, resem ble that of the holy mount in the beloved city, and our God will be unto us a fortress, and a wall round about. But let us never forget, that the promises to us, like those

to Israel, are conditional: Because of unbelief they were broken off; and we stand by faith.'

3. For the rod of the wicked shall not rest upon the lot of the righteous: lest the righteous put forth their hands unto iniquity.'

God may, and often doth, permit'the rod' or power of the wicked to fall upon the lot of the righteous' in this world. But it is only for the purposes of chastisement, or probation. The rod is not suffered to 'rest,' or abide, there too long, 'lest the righteous,' harassed and worn down by oppression, and seeing no end of their calamities, should be tempted to put their hands to iniquity,' and practise that wickedness, which they find to prosper so well here below. The import of this verse seemeth to be the same with that of our Lord's prediction concerning the troubles of the latter days. Then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no nor ever shall be. And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved. But for the elect's sake those days shall be short ened.' Matt. xxiv. 21, 22.

4. Do good, O LORD, unto those that be good, and to them that are upright in heart.' 5. As for such as turn aside unto their crooked ways, the LORD shall lead them forth with the workers of iniquity; but peace shall be upon Israel.'

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The good and upright in heart' are they who stand steady in every change of circumstances; who complain not of God's dispensations, but, believing every thing to be best which he ordains, adhere to him with a will entirely conformed to his, in adversity no less than in prosperity. To these Jehovah will finally do good; and they shall receive the reward of their faith and patience; while such as, in time of trial, have fallen away, and returned no more, shall be 'led forth' to punishment' with the workers of iniquity,' to whose company their apostasy hath joined them. And then, peace shall be upon Israel of God,' with joy and gladness, for evermore.

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TWENTY-SEVENTH DAY.-EVENING PRAYER.

PSALM CXXVI.

ARGUMENT.

[In this Psalm, the children of Zion, 1-3. describe the joy consequent on their restoration from captivity; 4. they pray God to bring back the rest of their countrymen, and to complete his work; 5, 6. they foresee and predict the success of their labors in rebuilding their ruined city with its temple, and cultivating again their desolated country. The return of Israel from Babylon holds forth a figure of the same import with the exodus of that people from Egypt. And this Psalm, like the prophecies of Isaiah, representeth the blessed effects of a spiritual redemption, in words primarily alluding to that temporal release.]

1. When the LORD turned again the captivity of Zion, we were like them that dream.'

That Cyrus should issue a decree for the Jews to return to their own country, and to rebuild their city and temple; that he should dismiss such a number of captives, not only without money and without price, but should send them home laden with presents; Ezra i. 1-4. this was the work of Jehovah,who only could thus 'turn the captivity of Zion.' A restoration so complete, so strange and unlooked for, brought about at once, without any endeavours used on the side of Israel, seemed in all these respects, as a 'dream;' and the parties concerned, when they saw and heard such things, could scarcely believe themselves to be awake. That the King of kings, of his own mere love and mercy, should take pity on poor mankind, in their more grievous captivity under sin and death; that he should send his only Son to purchase their liberty, his Spirit to enrich, and conduct them to their country above, and his heralds to proclaim such unexpected deliverance to all the world; this likewise was the work of the same Jehovah, who only could THUS 'turn again the captivity of his Zion.' Sinners, when the tidings of a salvation so great and marvellous are preached to them, think themselves in a dream,' and with difficulty give credit even Div. No. XXV.

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to the royal proclamation, though the great seal of heaven be affixed to it.

2. 'Then was our mouth filled with laughter, and our tongue with singing: then said they among the heathen, The LORD hath done great things for them.' 3. 'The LORD hath done great things for us; whereof we are glad.'

The people of God soon find, that they are not mocked with illusions, but that all about them is reality and truth. Then sorrow and sighing, fear and distrust, fly away together. Joy fills their hearts, and overflows by their tongues, in songs of praise. The nations hear, and are astonished, and own the hand of Jehovah in the restoration of his people; Jehovah hath done great things for them.' The chosen people echo back the gladsome sound, and reply, with transports of gratitude, Jehovah hath done great things for us, whereof we are glad.' Every word of this agreeth not more exactly to the return from Babylon, than it doth to that eternal redemption thereby prefigured, which is the grand subject of thanksgiving in the Christian church.

4. Turn again our captivity, O LORD, as the streams in the south.'

The joy occasioned by Cyrus's proclamation having been described in the former part of the Psalm, we may now suppose some of the Jews ready to set out on their return home; at which time, and during their journey, they prefer this petition to God, that he would be pleased to bring back the rest of their countrymen, who like 'floods' rolling down on the thirsty regions of the 'south," might people the land, and by their labors put an end to the desolations of Judah. That God would daily increase the

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'I think the image is taken from the torrents' in the deserts to the south of Judea: in Idumæa, Arabia Petræa, &c. a mountainous country. These torrents were continually dried up in the summer; see Job xi. 17, 18. and as constantly returned' after the rainy season, and filled again their deserted channels. The point of the comparison seems to be the return' and renewal of these (not rivers' but) torrents;' which yearly leave their beds dry, but fill them again; as the Jews had left their country desolate, but now 'flowed again' into it. Bishop LowTH, in MERRICK'S Annotations.-Dr. DURRELL renders this verse as follows-The turning of our captivity, O Lord, is as streams in the south.'

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number of true converts from the world to the church, to clear and cultivate the mystical vineyard, to build and to ornament the whole city, should be the prayer of every laborer in that vineyard, of every citizen in that city.

5. They that sow in tears shall reap in joy.' 6. 'He that goeth forth and weepeth, bearing precious seed, shall doubtless come again with rejoicing, bringing his sheaves with him.'

The fatigue of travelling from Babylon to Judea; the melancholy prospect of a long-depopulated country, and ruined city; the toil necessary to be undergone, before the former could be again brought into order, and the latter rebuilt; all these considerations could not but allay the joy of the released captives, and even draw many tears from their eyes. They are therefore comforted with a gracious promise, that God would give a blessing to the labors of their hands, and crown them with success, so that they should once more see Jerusalem in prosperity, and behold in Zion the beauty of holiness. This promise is conveyed under images borrowed from the instructive scenes of agriculture. In the sweat of his brows the husbandman tills his land, and casts the seed into the ground, where, for a time, it lies dead and buried. A dark and dreary winter succeeds, and all seems to be lost. But at the return of spring, universal nature revives, and the once-desolated fields are covered with corn, which, when matured by the sun's heat, the cheerful reapers cut down, and it is brought home with triumphant shouts of joy. Here, O disciple of Jesus, behold an emblem of thy present labor, and thy future reward. Thou 'sowest,' perhaps, in tears;' thou doest thy duty amidst persecution and affliction, sickness, pain, and sorrow; thou laborest in the church, and no account is made of thy labors; no profit seems likely to arise from them. Nay, thou must thyself drop into the dust of death, and all the storms of that winter must pass over thee until thy form shall be perished, and thou shalt see corruption. Yet, the day is coming, when thou shalt reap in joy; and plentiful shall be thy harvest. For thus thy blessed Master went forth weeping, a man of sorrows,

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