their cause; "he repenteth him" of the evil, and averteth it; he is entreated for the land, and becometh gracious to his servants.

15. The idols of the heathen are silver and gold, the work of men's hands. 16. They have mouths, but they speak not; eyes have they, but they see not. 17. They have ears, but they hear not; neither is there any breath in their mouths. 18. They that make them are like unto them: so is every one that trusteth in them."

In these verses is set forth the difference between the God of Israel, and the idols of the nations, as also between the worshippers of each; all tending to confirm the truth of what was asserted, verse 5. "I know that the LORD is great, and that our LORD is above all gods." As the same words occur, Psalm cxv. 4, &c. the reader is referred thither for the explication of them.

"19. Bless the LORD, O house of Israel: bless the LORD, O house of Aaron : 20. Bless the LORD, O house of Levi: ye that fear the LORD, bless the LORD. 21. Blessed be the LORD out of Zion, which dwelleth at Jerusalem. Praise ye the LORD."

He who proved himself superior to the objects of ancient idolatry, is no less superior to every object on which deluded man can place his affections. The Lord gave, and the Lord will take them away. Let the "house of Israel," therefore, and "the sons of Aaron," the church and the ministers thereof, let all who "fear the LORD," bless and praise his holy name in the temple here below, until they shall be admitted to do it for evermore, in that which is above.

TWENTY-EIGHTH DAY.-EVENING PRAYER.

PSALM CXXXVI.

ARGUMENT.

This is a delightful hymn of praise and thanksgiving to Jehovah, 1-3. God of gods, and Lord of lords, for the wonders, 4-9. of creation, 10-26. of providence and grace; which were probably celebrated in due order by one half of the choir, while the other half, or, perhaps, the whole in full chorus, took up the burthen of each verse, "For, his mercy endureth for ever!" A form of acknowledgment, as Bishop Patrick observes, prescribed by David, 1 Chron. xvi. 41. to be used continually in the Divine service. A form highly proper for creatures, and sinful creatures to use, whose great employment it is now, and will be for ever, to magnify the mercy and loving-kindness of their God.

"1. O give thanks unto the LORD: for he is good: for his mercy endureth for ever. 2. O give thanks unto the God of gods: for his mercy endureth 3. O give thanks unto the Lord of lords: for his mercy endureth

for ever. for ever." We are called upon to praise Jehovah, first, for his own essential attributes; then, for the exertion of those attributes in his works. The attributes here mentioned are those of goodness and power; the one renders him willing, the other able, to save: and what can we desire more, but that he should continue to be so? Of this likewise we are assured, by contemplating the unchangeableness of his nature. His disposition altereth not, and his kingdom none can take from him: his mercy endureth for ever. "4. To him who alone doeth great wonders: for his mercy endureth for

ever.

All the works of God are "wonderful," and speak him alone to have been their author. The established course of the world is in reality no less admirable, than are those extraordinary interpositions of Omnipotence, whereby it hath been sometimes interrupted and suspended; though the

latter, on account of their novelty, are apt to affect us more than the former doth, which is ever before our eyes, and therefore less regarded by us. How many of those for whom the wonders of creation, providence, and redemption, have been wrought, think none of them worthy their attention! Angels admire and adore, where man will not deign to cast an eye, or employ a thought.

"5. To him that by wisdom made the heavens: for his mercy endureth for ever. 6. To him that stretched out the earth above the waters: for his mercy endureth for ever."

The heavens above, and the earth beneath, declare the wisdom of their great Maker, and proclaim aloud to an intelligent ear the Divinity of the hand that formed them. The heavens display the love of God to man; the earth teaches the duty of man to God. Heaven is glorious and gracious, earth verdant and fruitful. The bright and ample circumference of heaven, the variegated surface of the earth, and the profusion of good things that distinguish the seasons, contaminated as they all have been by man's transgression, even now yield a prospect which annihilates all human grandeur. What idea, then, are we to frame of those new heavens and earth, from which sin and corruption are excluded, and where righteousness hath fixed her eternal throne?

"7. To him that made great lights: for his mercy endureth for ever: 8 The sun to rule by day: for his mercy endureth for ever; 9. The moon and stars to rule by night: for his mercy endureth for ever."

"Light" is the life and soul of the universe, the noblest emblem of the power and glory of God, who in the night season leaves not himself without witness, but gives us some portion of that light reflected, which by day we behold flowing from its great fountain, in the heart of heaven. Thy church and thy saints, O Lord," are the moon and the stars," which, by the communication of doctrine, and the splendour of example, guide our feet, while we travel on in the night that hath overtaken us, waiting for the dawn of everlasting day. Then we shall behold thy glory, and see thee as thou art.

"10. To him that smote Egypt in their first-born: for his mercy endureth for ever: 11. And brought out Israel from among them: for his mercy endureth for ever: 12. With a strong hand, and with a stretched out arm: for his mercy endureth for ever. 13. To him which divided the Red Sea into parts for his mercy endureth for ever: 14. And made Israel to pass through the midst of it: for his mercy endureth for ever: 15. But overthrew Pharaoh and his host in the Red Sea: for his mercy endureth for ever. 16. To him which led his people through the wilderness: for his mercy endureth for ever. 17. To him which smote great kings; for his mercy endureth for ever: 18. And slew famous kings: for his mercy endureth for ever: 19. Sihon king of the Amorites: for his mercy endureth for ever: 20. And Og the king of Bashan: for his mercy endureth for ever: 21. And gave their land for an heritage: for his mercy endureth for ever: 22. Even an heritage unto Israel his servant: for his mercy endureth for ever. 23. Who remembered us in our low estate: for his mercy endureth for ever: 24. And hath redeemed us from our enemies: for his mercy endureth for ever."

From the works of creation the Psalmist proceeds to those of providence and grace. He celebrates that mercy which rescued Israel from oppression, brought them out of the house of bondage, divided the sea to make a way for them, supported and conducted them through a waste howling wilderness, crushed the might and power of those who opposed them, and at length settled them in the inheritance promised to their fathers. Eternal mercy hath, in Christ Jesus, realized all these figures, and accomplished the great redemption, thus foreshadowed of old. The Israel of God hath been res cued from the oppression of Satan, and brought out of the house of spiritual bondage. In the waters of baptism the old man of sin is buried, and we arise triumphant, to sing the praises of God our Saviour, who from thence

forth supports and conducts us in our passage through the world, strengthening us in the day of battle against every enemy that opposeth us, until we enter the heavenly Canaan, promised to the fathers of our faith, and dwell for ever in the possession of peace. When we consider how God has thus remembered us in our low estate," and thus "redeemed us from our enemies," can we be weary of repeating, " For his mercy endureth for ever?"

"25. Who giveth food to all flesh: for his mercy endureth for ever. 26. O give thanks unto the God of heaven: for his mercy endureth for ever." The same bounty, which, in the natural world, provideth proper nutriment for every creature, hath also provided, for the spirits of all flesh, the bread of eternal life. In either sense, Jehovah "openeth his hand, and filleth all things living with plenteousness." Be, therefore, his praise as universal and lasting as his mercy.

PSALM CXXXVII.

ARGUMENT.

The Israelites, captives in Babylon, 1-2. describe their woful estate, and, 3, 4. the insults of their cruel masters. 5, 6. They declare their inviolable affection for Jerusalem; 7. pray that God would remember the behaviour of Edom; and 8, 9. predict the destruction of Babylon. The Psalm admits of a beautiful and useful application to the state of Christians in this world, and their expected deliverance out of it.

"1. By the rivers of Babylon, there we sat down; yea, we wept when we remembered Zion."

What an inexpressible pathos is there in these few words? How do they at once transport us to Babylon, and place before our eyes the mournful situation of the Israelitish captives! Driven from their native country, stripped of every comfort and convenience, in a strange land, among idolaters, wearied and broken-hearted, they sit in silence by those hostile waters. Then the pleasant banks of Jordan present themselves to their imaginations; the towers of Salem rise to view; and the sad remembrance of much-loved Zion causes tears to run down their cheeks: "By the waters of Babylon we sat down, yea, we wept, when we remembered Zion!" Besides the use which may be made of this Psalm by any church, when, literally, in a state of captivity, there is a sense in which it may be used by us all. For Zion is, in Scripture, the standing type of heaven, as Babylon is the grand figure of the world, the seat of confusion, the oppressor and persecutor of the people of God. In these, or the like terms, we may, therefore, suppose a sinner to bemoan himself upon the earth-O Lord, I am an Israelite, exiled by my sins from thy holy city, and left to mourn in this Babylon, the land of my captivity. Here I dwell in sorrow, by these transient waters, musing on the restless and unstable nature of earthly pleasures, which pass swiftly by me, and are soon gone for ever. Yet for these, alas! I have exchanged the permanent joys of Zion, and parted with the felicity of thy chosen. Wherefore my heart is pained within me, and the remembrance of my folly will not let me rest night or day. O Zion, thou holy and beautiful city, the temple of the Lamb, the habitation of the blessed, the seat of delight, the land of the living, when shall I behold thee? When shall I enter thy gates with thanksgiving, and thy courts with praise? The hope of a return to thee is my only comfort in this vale of tears, where I am and will be a mourner, till my captivity be brought back, and my sorrow be turned into joy.

"2. We hanged our harps upon the willows in the midst thereof."

The additional circumstance, which the divine painter hath here thrown into his piece, is to the last degree just and striking. It was not enough to

represent the Hebrew captives weeping on the banks of the Euphrates, at the remembrance of Zion, but, upon looking up, we beheld their harps unstrung, and pendent on the willows that grew there. The sincere penitent, like them, hath bidden adieu to mirth; his soul refuseth to be comforted with the comforts of Babylon; nor can he sing any more, till pardon and restoration shall have enabled him to sing, in the temple, a song of praise and thanksgiving.

"3. For they that carried us away captive required of us a song: and they that wasted us, required of us mirth, saying, Sing us one of the songs of Zion. 4. How shall we sing the LORD's song in a strange land ?"*

The Babylonians are introduced as insulting over the Israelites, and scoffing at their faith and worship, not without a tacit reflection on their God, who could not protect his favoured people against their enemies. "Now sing us one of your songs of Zion; now let us hear you sound the praises of that God, of whom you boasted, that he dwelt among you in the temple which we have laid waste, and burnt with fire." Thus the faithful have been, and thus they will be, insulted by infidels in the day of their calamity. And "how" indeed, "can they sing the Lord's song in a strange land?" How can they tune their voices to festive and eucharistic strains, when God, by punishing them for their sins, calleth to mourning and weeping? But then, Israel in Babylon foresaw a day of redemption; and so doth the church in the world; a day when she shall triumph, and her enemies shall lick the dust. No circumstances, therefore, should make us forget her, and the promises concerning her.

"5. If I forget thee, O Jerusalem, let my right hand forget her cunning. 6. If I do not remember thee, let my tongue cleave to the roof of my mouth: if I prefer not Jerusalem above my chief joy."

The whole nation may be supposed in these words to declare, as one man, that neither the afflictions nor the allurements of Babylon should efface from their minds the remembrance of Jerusalem, or prevent their looking forward to her future glorious restoration. If any temptation should induce them to employ their tongues and their hands in the service of Babel, rather than in that of Zion, they wish to lose the use of the former, and the skill of the latter. The thoughts and affections of true penitents, both in prosperity and adversity, are fixed upon their heavenly country and city; they had rather be deprived of their powers and faculties, than of the will to use them aright; and the hope of glory hereafter to be revealed in the church, is the flower and crown of their joy.

7. Remember, O LORD, the children of Edom in the day of Jerusalem; who said, Rase it, rase it, even to the foundation thereof."

The people of God beseech him to take their cause in hand, and to avenge them on their adversaries, particularly on the Edomites, who, though their brethren according to the flesh, being descended from Esau, the brother of Jacob, yet in the day of Jerusalem's affliction, when the Chaldeans came against it, were aiding and encouraging those pagans to destroy it utterly. Edom is charged with this unnatural behaviour, and threatened for it, by God himself, in the prophecy of Obadiah, verse 10, &c. "For thy violence against thy brother Jacob, shame shall cover thee, and thou shalt be cut off for ever. In the day that thou stoodest on the other side, in the day that the strangers carried away captive his forces, and foreigners entered into his gates, and cast lots upon Jerusalem, even thou wast as one of them. But thou shouldest not have looked on the day of thy brother, in the day that he became a stranger; neither shouldest thou have rejoiced over the children of Judah in the day of their destruction-For the day of the LORD

*Many singers were carried captives, Ezra ii. 41. These would of course take their instruments with them, and be insulted, as here. Their songs were sacred, and unfit to be sung before idolaters. But the words, "How shall we sing," &c. are not an answer given to them, but the free utterance afterwards of the feelings of the Jews among themselves. Anonymous Notes in Mer rick's Anotations.

is near upon all the heathen: as thou hast done, it shall be done unto thee, thy reward shall return upon thine own head-but upon mount Zion shall be deliverance, and there shall be holiness, and the house of Jacob shall possess their possessions." It may be observed that the Jews afterwards acted the same part towards the Christian church, which the Edomites had acted towards them, encouraging and stirring up the Gentiles to persecute and destroy it from off the face of the earth. And God "remembered" them for the Christians' sakes, as they prayed him to "remember" Edom for their sakes. Learn we hence, what a crime it is for Christians to assist the common enemy, or call in the common enemy to assist them, against their brethren.

"8. O daughter of Babylon, who art to be destroyed; happy shall he be that rewarded thee as thou hast served us. 9. Happy shall he be that taketh and dasheth thy little ones against the stones."

The subject of these two verses is the same with that of many chapters in Isaiah and Jeremiah, namely, the vengeance of heaven executed upon Babylon by Cyrus, raised up to be king of the Medes and Persians, united under him for that purpose. The meaning of the words, "happy shall he be," is, he shall go on and prosper, for the Lord of hosts shall go with him, and fight his battles against the enemy and oppressor of his people, empowering him to recompense upon the Chaldeans the works of their hands, and to reward them as they served Israel. The slaughter of the very infants, mentioned in the last verse, is expressly predicted by Isaiah, chap. xiii. 16. "Their children also shall be dashed to pieces before their eyes; their houses shall be spoiled, and their wives ravished." The destruction was to be universal, sparing neither sex nor age. Terrible, but just, are thy judgments, O LORD! The fall of the mystical Babylon is described, Rev. xviii. in terms and phrases borrowed from this and other prophecies, relating primarily to the ancient city called by that name. Whoever will carefully read over the chapter referred to, with the three subsequent ones, concerning the triumph of Messiah, and the glory of the new Jerusalem, will be able to form proper ideas of the world and the church, and will know where to choose his portion.

PSALM CXXXVIII.

ARGUMENT.

This Psalm containeth, 1-3. a resolution to praise God for a deliverance vouchsafed; 4, 5. a prophecy that the kings of the earth should glorify Jehovah for his mercy, shown, 6. in exalting the humble, and abasing the proud; 7, 8. an act of faith and confidence in God.

"1. I will praise thee with my whole heart: before the gods will I sing praise unto thee. 2. I will worship toward thy holy temple, and praise thy name for thy loving-kindness and for thy truth; for thou hast magnified thy word above all thy name: or, thou hast magnified thy name, even thy word above all."

In these verses we evidently hear the voice of one whom God had delivered from a state of great affliction and danger, and who therefore determines to make the due acknowledgments in public; to give thanks before the gods, that is, before "kings" and "rulers," in the great congregation; to"worship in the temple," and there to set forth the loving-kindness and truth of Jehovah, in having accomplished the promised salvation, and thereby magnified his holy "name" and his faithful "word" over everything that opposeth itself against it. The Christian church cannot find stronger and more emphatical terms, in which to express her sense of the greatest of all mercies, the redemption of the world by the resurrection of Jesus from the dead, and his exaltation "above every name that is named in heaven and earth."