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Lord, art to defend and preserve me; and that all thy promises annexed to thy commandments (still I think of that, ver. 142.) shall faithfully be fulfilled. Ver. 152. Concerning thy testimonies, I have known of old, that thou hast founded them for ever.] This hath ever been my support, long before I fell into these troubles, that whatsoever thou hast testified to be thy will and pleasure, is firm and stedfast, and shall never fail those that depend upon it, ver. 144.

RESH. PART XX.

Ver. 153. Consider mine affliction, and deliver me; for I do not forget thy law.] Shew then that thou dost not neglect me, but art as mindful of me, as I am of thy law in this afflicted condition; out of which I beseech thee to deliver me, for none of the evils that have befallen me have made me forget my duty to thee.

Ver. 154. Plead thou my cause, and deliver me: quicken me according to thy word.] I appeal to thee, whether I have not a righteous cause, beseeching thee to do me justice upon mine enemies, (1 Sam. xxiv. 15.), and rescue me from their persecutions; for I am in great danger of perishing, but depend upon thy promise for my safety.

Ver. 155. Salvation is far from the wicked: for they seek not thy statutes.] Far be it from thee to afford any help to the wicked, for they have no regard to thy statutes; but seek only how they may satisfy their own lewd and cruel desires.

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Ver. 156. Great are thy tender mercies, O LORD; quicken me according to thy judgements.] To which I oppose the bowels of thy compassion, O Lord, whose tender mercies are many and great, and will preserve my life, I hope, according to thy wonted care over me, and kindness to me, ver. 149.

Ver. 157. Many are my persecutors, and mine enenies; yet I do not decline from thy testimonies.] I am not discouraged, either by the number or the strength (which are both very great) of those that persecute me with a deadly enmity; which doth not move me in the least to depart from thy testimonies, (Lev. xix. 18.), by seeking their destruction as they do mine, (1 Sam. xxiv. xxvi.)

Ver. 158. I beheld the transgressors, and was griev ed; because they kept not thy word.] It only provokes my sorrow, to see that there is no faith, nor truth, nor gratitude in them, (1 Sam. xxiv. 17. &c. xxvi. 2.), and troubles me beyond measure, that they have no regard to what thou commandest or forbiddest.

Ver. 159. Consider how I love thy precepts; quicken me, O LORD, according to thy loving-kindness.] Such is the love I have to thy precepts, which, I beseech thee, let the world see thon dost observe; and both preserve my life, O Lord, and, according to the exceeding greatness of thy goodness, deliver me out of this sad condition.

Ver. 160. Thy word is true from the beginning; and every one of thy righteous judgements endureth for ever.] As I doubt not thou wilt; for none of thy promises have ever failed; but the very first of them, which

thou madest to our forefather Abraham, (Gen. xii. 2.), hath been faithfully fulfilled; and so shall every thing else, which thou hast resolved and declared to be thy will, be punctually performed to the end of the world.

SHIN. PART XXI.

Ver. 161. Princes have persecuted me without a cause; but my heart standeth in awe of thy word.] The rulers and prime counsellors of the kingdom persecute me, for pretended crimes; of which as I am not guilty, so I do not fear so much what they can do against me, as lest I should do any thing in my own vindication, against thy word, (1 Sam. xxiv. 6. xxvi. 9.)

Ver. 162. I rejoice at thy word, as one that findeth great spoil.] I would not purchase my liberty, my peace, or the honour they enjoy, by any lawful actions; for I take far more delight in doing thy will, and in what thou hast promised to do for me, than in the completest victory over all my enemies.

Ver. 163. I hate and abbor lying; but thy law de I love.] I hate all fraud and deceit, even to the degree of abhorrence and abomination; but most heartily love those honest courses, to which thy law directs me.

Ver. 164. Seven times a day do I praise thee, because of thy righteous judgements.] It is the subject of my perpetual thanks and praise, that I have the happiness to be acquainted with the justice and goodness of those laws whereby thou governest us.

Ver. 165. Great peace have they which love thy law; and nothing shall offend them.] The observance of which gives such inward satisfaction, and brings so many and great blessings to those who truly love them, that they take all things which befal them in good part, and nothing will tempt them to turn aside, and leave those virtuous paths wherein they lead

them.

Ver. 166. LORD, I have hoped for thy salvation, and done thy commandments.] I have met with the most grievous discouragements; but, Lord, in the midst of the greatest straits I have expected deliverance only from thee, and never done any thing for my preservation contrary to thy commandments.

Ver. 167. My soul bath kept thy testimonies; and I love them exceedingly. All my care hath been, still most heartily to observe thy testimonies; which I prefer infinitely before all earthly enjoyments.

Ver. 168. I have kept thy precepts and thy testimonies; for all my ways are before thee.] There is not one of thy laws, of any sort, but I have carefully observed, even then when I might have privily broken them, and been a gainer by it, (1 Sam. xxiv. 4. &c.); for I knew that nothing can be done secretly, but thou art perfectly acquainted with it.

TAU. PART XIV.

Ver. 169. Let my cry come near before thee, O LORD; give me understanding according to thy word.] As thou art also with my most earnest petitions, to

which, I beseech thee, O Lord, vouchsafe a gracious answer; and in the first place teach me, according as thou hast promised, to walk, not only innocently, but prudently, in the midst of all the snares that are laid for me.

Ver. 170. Let my supplication come before thee; deliver me according to thy word.] Do not deny admittance to this humble suit, but in due time grant this farther request; that I may, according to the same promise, be perfectly delivered from this long persecution.

Ver. 171. My lips shall utter praise, when thou hast taught me thy statutes.] Then will I praise thee without ceasing; first, for instructing me how to please thee in all things:

Ver. 172. My tongue shall speak of thy word; for all thy commandments are rigteousness.] And next, for fulfilling thy promise to me; which I will loudly proclaim with my thankful acknowledgements, that whatsoever thou hast said is truly and faithfully performed.

Ver. 173. Let thine hand help me; for I have chosen thy precepts.] Let thy divine power, therefore, succour me in this weak and distressed condition wherein I am; for I rely on that alone, having resolved to be guided wholly by thy precepts.

Ver. 174. I have longed for thy salvation, O LORD; and thy law is my delight.] And I have long expected, with most ardent desires, thy help, O Lord, for my deliverance; delighting myself, in the mean time, in thy laws, while thou art pleased to delay it. Ver. 175. Let my soul live, and it shall praise thee; and let thy judgements help me.] O let me not perish in these straits wherein I am involved, but spare my life, according to thy wonted kindness, and I will spend it in thy praises; send me relief, by executing the judgements thou hast decreed against my

enemies.

Ver. 176. I have gone astray like a lost sheep, seek thy servant; for I do not forget thy commandments.] Who have so chased me from place to place, during this tedious banishment, that, like a wandering sheep which hath lost its way, I know not whither to be take myself for safety; but be thou pleased, like a careful shepherd, to look after me, and to put thy servant into the right way of escaping all the dangers to which I am exposed, and of recovering my liberty, rest, and peace again; for, how hard soever my condition hath been, (I can still seriously profess it), I have not been careless in the observance of thy com mandments.

PSALM CXX.

A Song of Degrees.

THE ARGUMENT. There can no certain account be given, why this, and fourteen other psalms which follow, are called songs of degrees or ascents. Their conjecture seems to me most probable, who think the title denotes, either the elevation of the voice in the singing these songs, or the excellency VOL. III.

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of the composure, or of the music to which they were set, or the high esteem they had of them upon some account or other, particularly because they were so fit for their use, (though most of them composed in former times), at and after their return from the captivity of Babylon. Then, some think, this title was given to them, because they sung them as they went up to their own country again.

But this present psalm seems to have been made by David, when the calumnies of Doeg and others forced him to flee his country, and to go as far as the Kedarens, or Arabians, (ver. 6.), whose company was very irksome to him. We do not read indeed in his history, that he was there; but we may well think he sought for safety in more places than are particularly mentioned, and might as well be there as among the Moabites, and in the wilderness of Paron, (1 Sam. xxv. 1.), which was not far from them. As for Mesech, I take that to signify not a place, but the length of time which he staid there, before he durst stir from thence, or which he was forced to spend in exile; as all the ancient interpreters except one understand it. See Bochart, in his Phaleg. L. III. Cap. 12.

Ver. 1. IN my distress I cried unto the LORD, and be beard me.] I have had frequent experience of the goodness of the Lord, who, when I have earnestly implored his help in my straits and difficulties, hath constantly relieved me.

Ver. 2. Deliver my soul, O LORD, from lying lips, and from a deceitful tongue.] May it please thee, O Lord, still to continue thy mercy toward me; and now that men strike at my life by calumnies and cunningly-devised lies, (1 Sam. xxii. 9. xxiv. 9.), to preserve me from the danger into which they have thrown me.

Ver. 3. What shall be given unto thee? or what shall be done unto thee, thou false tongue ?] O thou false accuser! what dost thou hope by these specious tales which thou hast forged? What will they add to that heap of wealth which, thou treasurest up? (Psal. lii. 7.)

Ver. 4. Sharp arrows of the Almighty, with coals of juniper.] They shall be so far from turning to thy advantage, that they shall prove thy undoing; for the mighty Lord (whom none can resist) shall take a sharp and a swift vengeance on thee, which shall never cease, till it hath utterly consumed thee.

Ver. 5. Woe is me, that I sojourn in Mesech, that I dwell in the tents of Kedar.] For it is but fit thou shouldst smart for the mischief thou hast done, under which I groan most sadly; not only in a tedious banishment from my own country, but in that I am forced to seek for shelter among the barbarous Arabs;

Ver. 6. My soul hath long dwelt with him that hateth peace.] Where my mind cannot but perpetually reflect upon the implacable spirit of my enemies, whose bitter hatred will not suffer them to come to any terms of agreement.

Ver. 7. I am for peace; but when I speak, they are for war.] As I never gave them the least offence, so there is nothing that I more vehemently desire, than peace and reconciliation; but when I make a motion of it, they are the more exasperated, and, as if I distrusted my cause, or craftily sought advantage by a treaty, betake themselves more fiercely and resolutely to their arms.

PSALM CXXI.

A Song of Degrees.

THE ARGUMENT.-If David was the author of this Psalm, (and to whom can we with so much likelihood ascribe it?), it is an expression of the high trust and confidence which he reposed in God, when he was in great straits, and saw no hope of human help; being either environed by Saul's forces, or pursued by his son Absalom. It is hard to say to which it belongs; but if by bills in the first verse we understand Sion and Moriah, where David's palace and the ark of God were placed, then it must be referred to the latter; for Sion was not theirs, during Saul's persecution. There are those indeed, who, following Kimchi, take the first verse to be a military form of speech, and suppose David to have looked round about him, as a captain in danger doth, to see if he could spy any assistance coming to him down the neigh bouring hills where with he was encompassed. But the other sense seems to me more simple, which therefore I have followed; though, if we should adhere to that conjecture, still it will best agree to the distress into which Absalom had reduced him ; for then he might well look to see if any of his subjects, continuing their fidelity to him, would appear to defend him. Why called a song of de

grees, see cxx.

Ver. I. I WILL lift up mine eyes to the bills, from whence cometh my help.] Though I am driven not only from my own palace, but from God's dwelling-place, (2 Sam. xv. 14. 25.), yet my eyes shall be ever directed thitherward; from whence I expect a powerful aid against those numerous enemies that are combined to destroy me.

Ver. 2. My help cometh from the LORD, which made heaven and earth.] I have no dependance on any other help, but wait for deliverance wholly from the presence of the Lord; to whom all creatures are subject, and who hath angels at his command, to send to the succour of his servants, for he made the heaven' as well as the earth.

Ver. 3. He will not suffer thy foot to be moved; be that keepeth thee will not slumber.] And methinks I hear his ministers calling to me out of his holy place, and saying, Fear not, since thou hast placed thy confidence in the Lord alone, he will not let thee be subverted; thou hast a stronger guard than the most valiant army would be to thee, for they may be tired

and fall asleep, but he that hath thee in his custody will exercise a most unwearied care over thee.

Ver. 4. Behold, he that keepeth Israel shall neither slumber nor sleep.] Be confident of it, he that is the protector of all good men, will never in the least neglect thee, much less abandon the care of thee, but, by a most watchful providence, keep thee in safety.

Ver. 5. The LORD is thy keeper; the LORD is thy shade upon thy right hand.] The omnipotent Lord of the world is thy guardian; the very same Lord that covered your forefathers with a glorious cloud, (Exod. xiii. 21.), is always present with thee, to defend and assist thee against all the enemies that assault

thee.

Ver. 6. The sun shall not smite thee by day, nor the moon by night.] Be not troubled that thou art forced to take up thy quarters in the open field; for the sun shall do thee no hurt by its vehement heat in the day, nor the moon by its cold moisture in the night, (z Sam. xvii. 1. 6. 22.)

Ver. 7. The LORD shall preserve thee from all evil; be shall preserve thy soul.] The Lord shall preserve thee from all manner of harm; he will preserve thy life, and not suffer thee to fall into the hands of those that contrive to take it away, (2 Sam. xvii, 1. 2. 14)

Ver. 8. The LORD shall preserve thy going out, and thy coming in, from this time forth, and even for evermore.] The Lord shall secure thee whithersoever thou marchest, and prosper thee all along in all thy undertakings, either abroad or within doors; not only now, but in all future times, to the end of thy days.

PSALM CXXII.

A Song of Degrees of David.

THE ARGUMENT.-The title satisfies us that David was the author of this psalm; who, having settled the ark (which before had no certain place) at Jerusa lem, and being, at this time, upon some occasion in the country, heard the good people there speak one to another, as some of them did to him, of going to worship God at some of the three solemn feasts. Which devotion of theirs, as it rejoiced his heart, so it moved him, I conjecture, to compose this psalm for their use at such times.

If the Talmudists may be believed, they were wont to sing the first verse of this psalm as they went out of the country towards Jerusalem, carrying their first-fruits to the house of the Lord, as the law (Deut. xxvi. 2.) directed them. And when they entered within the gates of the city, they sang the second verse. There they were met by some of the citizens, who, if this be true, sang the rest of the psalm, it is likely, together with them, as they went toward the temple. Of this custom Mr Selden treats, lib. III. de Synedr. cap. 13. Of a Song of Degrees, see cxx,

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Ver. 1.WAS glad when they said unto me, Let us go into the house of the LORD.] I was exceedingly pleased with the chear ful devotion of those who came unto me, before the approaching feast, and said, Let us go and pay our thankful acknowledgements to the Lord in the place where he dwells, and makes himself present among us.

Ver. 2. Our feet shall stand within thy gates, O Ferusalem.] Which motion ought to be the more readily embraced, because now he hath fixed his habitation; and we need not travel farther than Jerusalem, to inquire after the ark of his presence.

Ver. 3. Jerusalem is builded as a city that is compact together.] To Jerusalem, I say, that fair and beautiful city, whose buildings do not now lie scattered and divided, but are all compacted, and united together (as we ought to be) in a goodly order, (1 Sam. v. 9. 1 Chron. xi. 8.)

Ver. 4. Whither the tribes go up, the tribes of the LORD, unto the testimony of Israel, to give thanks unto the name of the LORD.] Thither all the twelve tribes of Israel, who own the great Lord for their God, go up from all the parts of the country, by his special commandment, (Exod. xxiii. 17.), to acknowledge before the ark of his testimony, (Exod. xxv. 21. 22.), all the benefits they have received from his almighty goodness; and this above the rest, that he thereby testifies his singular care and providence

over them.

Ver. 5. For there are set thrones of judgement, the thrones of the house of David.] Thither also they repair for justice, for the supreme judicatory of the kingdom sits here, (2 Chron. xix. 8.), and there is the seat of the royal family, (where David and his sons have their residence, and govern the people, 2 Sam. viii. 15. 18.)

Ver. 6. Pray for the peace of Jerusalem; they shall prosper that love thee.] O let this be part of your devout prayers, when you come there, that God would preserve Jerusalem in peace! Happy shall they be, who, out of love to the religion and justice which is administered in thee, (O beloved city!), contribute their endeavours, as well as their prayers, for thy, safety and prosperity.

Ver. 7. Peace be within thy walls, and prosperity within thy palaces.] Let no enemy (this shall be my constant prayer) approach so much as to thy outworks to disturb thee; and let plenty of all good things abound within thy palaces.

Ver. 8. For my brethren and companions' sakes, I will now say, Peace be within thee.] The kindness I have for my kindred, and my neighbours and friends, whether in the city or the country, will not let me cease my most earnest prayers to God, that he will confer his blessings on thee.

Ver. 9. Because of the house of the LORD our God, I will seek thy good.] But above all, the love I have to the Lord our God, whose house is here, (whither all his devout servants resort to worship him and celebrate his name), shall excite not only my prayers, but my study to promote thy welfare.

PSALM CXXIII.

A Song of Degrees.

THE ARGUMENT.-This psalm, it is certain, was com posed in a time of great distress, when they were extremely afflicted by some haughty and insolent enemies, ver. 3. 4. Who those enemies were, there are several conjectures, and I will add mine; that this short form of prayer was made by some pious person, when the king of Assyria (whose pride the prophet Isaiah describes, viii. 7. and many other places) sent Rab-shakeh, and other of his captains, to besiege Jerusalem; where they poured out most contemptuous, nay, blasphemous words, against God and his people, 2 Kings, xviii. xix. It is probable, if this conjecture be admitted, that it was made by Isaiah, whom Hezekiah desired to lift up his prayer for the remnant that was left, 2 Kings, xix. 4. Isa. xxxvii. 4. Accordingly we read, (2 Chron. xxxii. 20.), both he and Hezekiah ried unto the Lord, and, we may suppose, lift up his eyes to heaven, and said these words.

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Ver. 2. Behold, as the eyes of servants look unto the hand of their masters, and as the eyes of a maiden unto the band of her mistress; so our eyes wait upon the LORD our God, until that he have mercy upon us.] Behold how not only I, but the rest of thy faithful people, wait upon thee; submitting ourselves to this severe punishment, as poor slaves do to the stroke of their offended master or mistress, and resolving to bear it patiently, till thou, our Lord, who dost inflict it, wilt be pleased to shew thyself our most gracious God, and in much pity towards us remove it.

Ver. 3 Have mercy upon us, O LORD, have mercy upon us; for we are exceedingly filled with contempt.] O be gracious unto us, good Lord, be gracious unto us, and in much mercy take away this heavy scourge from us; for we are become so beyond all measure contemptible, (2 Kings, xviii. 23. 24. xix. 34.), that we can scarce any longer endure it.

Ver. 4. Our soul is exceedingly filled with the scorning of those that are at ease, and with the contempt of the proud.] We have a long time groaned under the intolerable load of derision and contempt of those whose constant prosperity puffs them up with pride; nay, makes them insolently oppress all those who are unable to resist them.

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this is a Psalm of David's, I should have thought it had been composed by the author of the former, to acknowledge the wonderful power and goodness of God in delivering them from Sennacherib's army, which came in like a flood, (Isa. lix. 19.), and had overflown all the country as far as Jerusalem, (Isa. viii. 7. 8.), which might well make them be called proud waters, (as the psalmist here speaks, ver. 5.), because they fancied nothing could stand before them. Such, it seems, were either the Philistines, upon whom, when they spread themselves in the valley of Rephaim, the Lord broke forth as a breach of waters, (2 Sam. v. 19.), or the Ammonites and their associates, (2 Sam. x. 6.-15. 16.) of a Song of Degrees, see cxx.

Ver. 1. F it had not been the LORD who was on our side, now may Israel say;] If we had not had such a mighty helper as the Lord, who took our part, may Israel now most thankfully acknowledge;

Ver. 2. If it had not been the LORD who was on our side, when men rose up against us;] If it had not been the Lord (whom none can resist) who took our part, when such numerous enemies united their forces, as one man, to make war upon us ;

Ver. 3. Then they had swallowed us up quick, when their wrath was kindled against us.] They would then have made but one morsel of our small army; and, in the furious rage wherein they were, have imme. diately devoured us, as monstrous beasts do their prey, which they greedily swallow down alive.

Ver. 4. Then the waters bad overwhelmed us, the stream bad gone over our soul.] Then they would have over-run all the country, like a violent torrent,

and we should have been buried in the flood.

Ver. 5. Then the proud quaters had gone over our soul. Having once made a wide breach, by the overthrow of our army, they would have poured in more numerous forces upon us; till, like an inunda tion of water, which swells more and more, they had wholly overwhelmed us.

Ver. 6. Blessed be the LORD, who hath not given us as a prey to their teeth.] Thanks be to the Lord, to whose infinite mercies we ought to ascribe it, that he hath not permitted them to domineer over us, and execute their cruel intentions against us.

Ver. 7. Our soul is escaped as a bird out of the snare of the fowlers: the snare is broken, and we are escaped. They thought they had laid their design so strongly, that we could not escape, no more than a little bird, which a fowler hath taken in his snare; but, blessed be the Lord, who hath assisted our weakness, their plot is defeated, they are broken in pieces, and we thereby most wonderfully delivered.

Ver. 8. Our help is in the name of the LORD, who made heaven and earth.] This was not a work of our wit, no more than of our power, nor were we beholden to the help of any of our neighbours; but we owe it wholly to his almighty goodness, who com

mands, because he made, all creatures; in whom we ought to place our confidence for ever.

PSALM CXXV.

A Song of Degrees.

THE ARGUMENT.-We may well look upon this psalm as a pious exhortation to the people to trust in God, when Sennacherib's army threatened to destroy Jerusalem. And perhaps these were some of the comfortable words, which we read, (2 Chron. xxxii. 6. 7. 8.), Hezekiah then spake to them; when God chastised them by that rod of his anger, (as he calls Sennacherib, Isa. x. 3.), which the psalmist here foretold, (ver. 3.), should not long afflict them. Of a Song of Degrees, see

CXX.

Ver. 1. THEY that trust in the LORD, shall be as Mount Sion, which cannot be removed, but abideth for ever.] There are none so safe as they that repose a pious confidence in the Lord; by which they shall both maintain themselves in a settled peace and tranquillity, and remain for ever as unmoveable, conspicuous, and illustrious as Mount Sion.

Ver. 2. As the mountains are round about Jerusalem, so the LORD is round about his people from henceforth, even for ever:] For as Jerusalem is surrounded with high hills, which makes it not easily accessible by any enemies, so the Divine Providence encompasses his people, who depend upon him, to guard and defend them from all dangers; not only now, but in all succeeding ages, to the end of the world.

Ver. 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.] The power of wicked tyrants, indeed, may heavily afflict the righteous for a time; but they shall not always harass their country, noɛ continue their oppression so long, as quite to tire out the patience of the righteous, and tempt them to forsake their pious confidence in him, and lay hold on any means, though never so unjust, of obtaining deliverance.

Ver. 4. Do good, O LORD, unto those that be good, and to them that are upright in their hearts.] To prewent so great an evil, be pleased now, good Lord, to deal well with those who are truly good, and reward their fidelity, who, notwithstanding all these calamities, sincerely persist in thy ways, and preserve their integrity.

Ver. 5. As for such as turn aside unto their crooked ways, the LORD shall lead them forth with the workers of iniquity: but peace shail be upon Israel.] those who, instead of growing better by these op pressions, decline more and more from the ways of piety, unto the most perverse and crooked courses, the Lord shall deliver them over to be punished. with their oppressors, when Israel, after all these sore afflictions, shall be settled again in peace and happiness

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