Psalm 64

God is to be praised in his church, to which all nations shall be called.

1 A hymn, O God, becometh thee in Sion: and a vow shall be paid to thee in Jerusalem.

2 O hear my prayer: all flesh shall come to thee.

3 The words of the wicked have prevailed over us: and thou wilt pardon our transgresslons.

4 Blessed is he whom thou hast chosen, and taken to thee: he shall dwell in thy courts. We shall be filled with the good things of thy house; holy is thy temple,

5 Wonderful in justice. Hear us, O God our saviour, who art the hope of all the ends of the earth, and in the sea afar off.

6 Thou who preparest the mountains by thy strength, being girded with power:

‘7 Who troublest the depth of the sea, the noise of its waves. The gentiles shall be troubled,

8 And they that dwell in the uttermost borders shall be afraid at thy signs: thou shalt make the outgoings of the morning and of the evening to be joyful:

9 Thou hast visited the earth, and hast plentifully watered it; thou hast many ways enriched it. The river of God is filled with water, thou hast prepared their food: for so is 1t8 preparation.

10 Fill up plentifully the streams thereof, multiply its fruits ; it shall spring up and rejoice in its showers.

11 Thou shalt bless the crown of the year of thy goodness: and thy fields shall be filled with plenty.

12 The beautiful places of the wilderness shall grow fat: and the hills shall be girded about with joy.

13 The rams of the flock are clothed, and the vales shall abound with corn: they shall shout, yea, they shall sing a hymn.

EXPLANATION OF THE PSALM.

1 “A hymn, O God, becometh thee in Sion: and a vow shall be paid to thee in Jerusalem.”

Speaking in the person of the prophet of God, the prophet sets out from a principle most true in itself, from which he infers that their desire of returning to their own country is most just and rational. The principle is, that it is right for them to praise God, and pay their vows in Jerusalem. Praise is due to a good thing, and the highest praise to the supreme good ; and this praise ought to be given where this supreme good is well known. Now, God was not known in Babylon, but he was known in Jerusalem ; and it was, therefore, there the people ought to praise him. In like manner, vows, especially those which promised sacrifices, should be paid where there was a temple and an altar on which to offer them, which were to be found in Jerusalem only ; and there therefore, should their vows be paid. Hence, he justly infers that God’s people have a right to long for, and to ask for, a return to their countcy. If such be trae as regards a return to the terrestrial Jerusalem, much more true is it in reference to that

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celestial Jerusalem, where there is a much clearer idea of the extent of God’s goodness; where the tabernacle is not made by the hands, nor the altar of gold ;-but one on which all the citizens of Jerusalem offer themselves, lighting up with the fire of the most ardent love, as a holocaust to God. ‘‘ A hymn, O God, becometh thee in Sion.” It is most meet that your people should sing your praises “7m Sion,” where your greatness is well known, and not in a foreign land, where gods of sticks and stones, of gold and silver, are praised. ‘¢ And a vow shall be paid to thee in Jerusalem.” It is meet that the same people should pay their vows of thanksgiving in Jerusalem, where your favours, and the vows of sacrifices are understood, where there is a temple and an altar dedicated to your name; and not in Babylon, where your favours are not acknowledged, and where there are neither altars nor temples, but those of idols; ‘‘ For-all the gods of the gentiles are devils,” Psalm xev.

2 “* O hear my prayer: all flesh shall come to thee.”

From the fact of praise in Jerusalem being due to God, the people pray that God may grant them to return from captivity to praise him in Jerusalem; and not only that, but that all mankind may be converted to God, and come by faith to the terrestrial Jerusalem, the Church, and afterwards (in reality) to the celestial Jerusalem ; for, as God “ wishes all men to be saved, and to come to a knowledge of the truth,” so his people desire and pray that all men may come to know and praise him. “ Hear my prayer ;” asking that, through your help, I may, as quickly as possible, sing a hymn to you in Sion, and pay you a vow in Jerusalem. ‘ All flesh shall come to thee.” If you hear me I will not be alone, but all men will come and praise you, and pay you their vows. That is my wish and my desire, and, as far as in me lies, I will labour to carry it out, by my words and by my example. ‘“* Al] flesh” means all men, as is clear from many passages in Scripture, Gen. vi., “ All flesh hath corrupted its way ;” Joel ii., “ T will pour out from my spirit on all flesh ;? Isaias xl., “ All flesh shall see the salvation of God;” Mat. xxiv. “Jf those days had not been shortened, all jiesh would not be saved.”

3 “ The words of the wicked have prevailed over us : and thou wilt pardon our transgressions.”

Another reason for God’s people asking to be released from their captivity, and to be restored to their country, and that is, because it was the sins of their parents, and not their own, that brought such a calamity on them. At the end of the captivity, nearly all the Jews then in Babylon had been born there; and thus, it was only to the sins of their parents that the punishment could be attributed ; just as we are indebted to our first parents for the captivity we are in to the devil. “* The words of the wicked have prevailed over us;” that means, the wickedness of our progenitors has lighted on our heads, and weighed

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us down under the yoke of a most severe captivity ; but you, most merciful Father, ‘‘ wilt pardon our transgressions ;” both those we have inherited from our parents, and to which, in imitation of their example, ourselves have made considerable additions. We have interpreted the; ‘* words of the wicked,” as ifread “ the works of the wicked ;” the former being not unfrequently used in the Scripture to signify the latter. Thus, in Luke ii., “ Let us see this word that is come to pass, which the Lord hath shewed to us;” and in Psalm xxi., ‘* The words of my sins ;” Psalm civ., “ And he gave them words of signs;” and 2 Kings i.,, What ts the word that is come to pass, tell me.”

4 “* Blessed is he whom thou hast chosen, and taken to thee: he shall dwell in thy courts. We shall be filled with the good things of thy house ; holy is thy temple,”

A third reason for God’s people desiring and praying to be brought back to their country, taken from the happiness to be enjoyed there. ‘“ Happy ts he whom thou hast chosen” from eternity, and in time raised to the dignity of becoming “‘fellow-citizens with the saints and the domestics of God,” for “‘he shall dwell in thy courts; that is, in thy house, a part being put for the whole. “We shall be filled with the good things of'thy house, holy is thy temple.” Buoyed up now with hope, God’s people already number themselves among the blessed who dwell in his house, and say, that in that house they will have blessings in abundance, to such an extent, that nothing will be left to look for, which, applicable as it may be, either to the terrestrial Jerusalem, or to the Church militant, still, absolutely speaking, is applicable alone to our bome in heaven. ‘‘ We shall be filled with the good things of thy house ;” we shall be so filled, that nothing can be said to be wanting, we shall bave nothing to look for outside. What can be wanting in the house of him who made every thing, who is the master of everything, who will be ‘ al/ unto all,’ in whom is an inexhaustible treasure of good? Of him is said, in Psalm cii., “ Who satisfieth thy desire with good things;” and in Psalm xvi., “ We shall be satisfied when thy glory shall appear.” . “Holy is thy temple.” In that holy city of Jerusalem, what will be most wonderful and worthy of love will be, that we will dwell in God as if in a house, and he will dwell in his temple ; and thus, we will be his house, and he our house, according to the expression in John xv., ‘ Remain im me and eh m you;” and again, 1 John iv., “ And he that abideth an charity abideth in God, and God in him.” And if such reciprocity of habitation commence in this world, on the way, it will certainly be carried to a much greater extent in the other world, our true country.

5 “ Wonderful in justice. Hear us, O God our saviour, who art the hope of all the ends of the earth, and in the sea afar off.”

It is a really wonderful thing to see men born in sin, and so prone to sin, that Psalm xiii. says of

them, “ They are corrupt, and become abominable in their ways, there ts none that doeth good, no not one ;” and Prov. xxiv., “ Yor a just man shall fall seven times ;” and in Psalm exlii., ‘* For in thy sight no man living shall be justified; who, however, afterwards arrives at such a degree of sanctity and justice as not only to have no sin to account for, but even will never have any to account for; and thus becoming a holy temple on which the very Angels in heaven look with admiration.. ‘+ Hear us, O God our Saviour, the hope of all the ends of the earth, and in the sea afar of.” He returns to prayer, assigning a fresh reason for his being heard, because God is a Saviour, and all nations hope in him. ‘ Hear us, O God,’ when we ask to be freed from captivity, and brought back to our country, and we ask with confidence, for you are ‘our Saviour,’ who often saved us from our enemies and our persecutors ; you are also “‘ the hope of all the ends of the earth;” all nations hope in thee, even in the islands, ‘‘ in the sea afar off.” The prophet had the conversion of all nations in view when he spoke thus, and speaks in the present tense, as if the thing were actually accomplished.

6 ‘* Thou who preparest the mountains by thy strength, being girded with power :

7 ‘“* Who troublest the depth of the sea, the noise of its waves. The gentiles shall be troubled,”

Anotber reason, drawn from the great power of God, who can easily, if he will, deliver his people from captivity, and bring them back to their country, from which they had been expelled. He proves God’s omnipotence, from too contraries. From his having so firmly founded the earth, that no storm can stir its mountains ; and, on the contrary, made the waters so liquid and moveable that every breeze, however slight, will stir them. ‘‘ Thow who preparest the mountains by thy strength,” raising the highest mountains by your power; “‘being girded with power,” having power on all sides, all round you, to raise those mountains. ‘‘ Who troublest the depth of the sea, the noise of its waves,” stirring up the depths of the sea, and making its billows to roar. ‘* The gentiles shall be troubled.” As well as God’s power is seen in the stability of the mountains and the fluctuation of the sea, so his wisdom is displayed in now terrifying, now gladdening the human race. “ The gentiles shall be troubled,” the whole human race, as he explains more fully in the next verse.

8 * And they that dwell in the uttermost borders shall be afraid at thy signs : thou shalt make the outgoings of the morning and of the evening to be joyful :”

All manner of people, even to the remotest quarter of the globe, will be confused and will be afraid ‘ aé thy signs,” at your coruscations, thunder and lightning, as we read in | Kingsii., ‘‘ The adversaries of the Lord shall fear him; and upon them shall be thunder in the heavens ;” for nothing is more terrific, more alarming, no one thing makes the stoutest heart quail more than God’sthunder. Yer, that same Gud,

by the rising and setting of the sun, gives wonderfal gladness to man. When the sun rises, with what glee do they not turn out to their work ? and when it sets, how sweet for them to rest and draw their breath! Again, what can be more beautiful than a glorious sunrise ; nothing but the same sky, studded in the evening with countless stars, like so many precious jewels. ‘‘ Thow shalt make the out-goings of the morning and of the evening to be joyful.”

9 ‘+ Thou hast visited the earth, and hast plentifully watered it ; thow hast many ways enriched it. The river of God is filled with water, thou hast prepared their Sood: for so is ils preparation.”

Having praised the power and the wisdom of God, he now comes to praise his goodness, especially shewn in the admixture of earth and water; from which all the fruits of the earth spring, and without which life cannot be supported. The earth without water, and the water without earth, are quite unproductive. “ Thou hast visited the earth,” which of itself “ was empty and void,” but by your visit became rich and full. God’s visit was effective, and was not simply a vision of it, but a provision for it; and he tells how, when he adds, ‘and hast plentifully watered it;” abundantly irrigated it, and, by such irrigation, “ Thou hast many ways enriched it;” made it exceedingly rich, and stored with abundance of good things, “ The river of God ts filled with water ;” a fuller explanation of the manner in which the earth was enriched. The rivulets were filled with water, which nourished and fertilized the fields, and made them yield their fruits to support man and beast.

10 “ Fill up plentifully the streams thereof, multiply its fruits ; it shall spring up and rejoice tn its showers.”

The same goodness of God extolled in different language ; as much as to say, Go on, O Lord, saturate the fields, and thereby multiply the fruits of the earth, so as to be glad itself, and to gladden others.

11 “* Thou shalt bless the crown of the year of thy goodness: and thy fields shall be filled with plenty.”

By thy blessing thou shalt so benefit the whole circle of the year, that it will be like a crown daily “ornamented with fresh flowers ; and thus, always renewed, avd, through such blessing, “ thy fields,” thus enriched, ‘* will be filled with plenty;” with an abundance of all good things.

12 “ The beautiful places of the wilderness shall grow Jat: and the hills shall be girded about with joy.”

Not only will the plains and the arable lands yield abundant crops, but even the desert, fit for pasture only, and beautiful by reason of the multitude of herbs and natural flowers, will be enriched, and “grow fat,” by the dews of heaven; and so will the “hills,” hitherto barren and uncultivated, they too will be clothed with such verdant herbage that on all sides all things will seem to be glad and to rejoice.

13 “ The rams of the flock are clothed, and the vales

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shall abound with corn: they shall shout, yea, they shall sing a hymn.”

To sum up; there will be the greatest abundance and multiplication of cattle, as well as of the fruits of the earth. The lambs are now become sheep, the desert places now abound in sheep, aud the valleys in corn; and. all places, whether hills or valleys, whether cultivated or uncultivated, whether cattle or corn, all, in their own way, cry out in praise of God, and in their own language, sing their hymn of praise to their Creator and benefactor. Now, all created things, in their own way, cry out and sing God’s praise, in order that man, for whose use and benefit they were created, may, mentally and orally, praise the same God, and return him thanks without ceasing. All these things were chanted by the holy prophet, in praise of the power, wisdom, and goodness of God, in order that he may be able to argue from thence that he ought to hope for, and to ask for, the delivery of his people from captivity, and their restoration to their country.

PSALM LXV. An invitation to praise God.

1 Shout with joy to God, all the earth,

2 Sing ye a psalm to his name: give glory to his praise.

3 Say unto God: How terrible are thy works, O Lord! in the multitude of thy strength thy enemies shall lie to thee.

4 Let all the earth adore thee, and sing to thee: let it sing a psalm to thy name.

5 Come and see the works of God: who is terrible in his counsels over the sons of men.

6 Who turneth the sea into dry land, in the river they shall pass on foot: there shall we rejoice in him.

7 Who by his power ruleth for ever: his eyes behold the nations; let not them that provoke him be exalted in themselves.

8 O bless our God, ye gentiles; and make the voice of his praise to be heard.

9 Who hath set my soul to live: and hath not suffered my feet to be moved.

10 For thou, O God, hast proved us: thou hast tried us by fire, as silver is tried.

11 Thou hast brought us into a net, thou hast laid afflictions on our back: ©

12 Thou hast set men over our heads. We. have passed through fire and water, and thou hast brought us into a refreshment.

13 I will go into thy house with burntofferings: I will pay thee my vows,

14 Which my lips have uttered, and my mouth hath spoken, when I was in trouble,

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15 I will offer up to thee holocausts full of marrow, with burnt-offerings of rams: I will offer to thee bullocks with goats.

16 Come and hear, all ye that fear God: and I will tell you what great things he hath done for my soul. :

17 I cried to him with my mouth: and I extolled him with my tongue.

18 I have looked at iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear me.

19 Therefore hathGod heard me, and hath attended to the voice of my supplication.

20 Blessed be God, who hath not turned away my prayer, nor his mercy from me.

EXPLANATION OF THE PSALM.

1 “ Shout with joy to God, all the earth,

2“ Sing ye a psalm to his name ; give glory to his praise.”

He invites the whole earth, that is, all the elect therein, to be glad, and to sing to God; all having common reason to rejoice in the resurrection of the just. He wishes three things to be exhibited in doing 0: jubilation or gladness ; the sound of the psaltery; and the human voice. Jubilation or gladness, which consists more in the interior affections than in words, is properly given to God. ‘ Shout with joy to God;” for God, being a spirit, naturally regards such spiritual desire. The sound of the psaltery is due to his name; that is, to his fame, his glory. Finally, the human voice is to be employed in his praise. ‘* Give glory to his praise;” take no glory to yourselves, give all to his praise.

3 ‘* Say unto God, how terrible are thy works, O Lord ! in the multitude of thy strength thy enemies shall lie to thee.”

The subject of God’s praise is to be the works of his supreme power and wisdom. “Say unto God,” when you wish to praise him, ‘‘ How terrible are thy works, O Lord!” that is, thy works, by reason of their magnitude, strike terror into all. “ Zn the multitude of thy strength thy enemies shall le to thee ;” such is thy power and strength, that you make liars of all your enemies, who boasted of your inability to do things of no great consequence. Numerous examples of this occur in the Scriptures. In Psalm Ixxvii. we read, ‘ And they spoke il of God, they said: Can God furnish a table in the wilderness?” Yet God, in his supreme power, seut such a quantity of quails into the desert as abundantly sutliced to feed them all; thus proving them liars, and for which he inflicted dreadful punishment on them. In like manner, when Eliseus the prophet, on the occasion of a most grievous famine, said, “ Hear ye the word of the Lord: to-morrow, about this time, a bushel of fine flour shall be sold for a stater, in the gate of Samaria;” and one of the lords replied, ‘ Jf the Lord should make flood-gates in heaven, can that

possibly be which thou sayest 2” Yet God in his power proved him a liar, too; for it turned up that on the following day a bushel of fine flour was actually sold for a stater, and that Jord, who so contradicted the prophet, was trampled on at the gate by the people, and met a miserable end. Such also were the lies of the Jews, when they insulted the Saviour, as he hung on his cross, saying, ‘‘ Jf thou art the Son of God, come down from the cross.” Yet he, in his supreme power, wrought a much greater miracle; for he rose from the grave, which was a much greater work than to descend from the cross.

4 “ Let all the earth adore thee, and sing to thee: let it sing a psalm to thy name.

5 ‘* Come, and see the works of God: who is terrible in his counsels over the sons of men.”

The prophet again stirs up all mankind to adore and praise God in the sincerity of their hearts ; and, to do so with greater affection, he exhorts them to reflect. on God’s works, and how terrible he is in his dealings with mankind.

6 ‘* Who turneth the sea into dry land, in the river they shall pass on foot: there shall we rejoice in him,”

He gives two examples of God’s wonderful acts, such as never could have been accomplished by human design. “ Whoturneth the sea into dry land.” The first miracle, recorded in Exodus, ** And the children of Israel went through the midst of the sea dried up ;” “In the river they shall pass on foot.” The second miracle, recorded in Josue iii., where God so dried up the Jordan, that the children of Israel required neither bridge nor boat to pass over, but went across dry on foot. ‘* There shall we rejoice in him ;” where those things have been done; there we have rejoiced in him, not taking any credit to ourselves as if they were our acts, but rejoicing and glorying in God, and have praised him, as may be seen in Exod. xv. and Josue iii, The prophet uses the future for the past, unless, perhaps, he meant to insinuate that these miracles would be succeeded by much greater ones, of which they were only the types and figures. A much greater miracle is that men should pass over the bitter sea of this life, and cross the river of mortality, that never ceases to run, and which swallow up and drown so many ; and still come safe and alive to the land of eternal promise, aud there rejoice in God himself, beholding him face to face; and yet this greater miracle is so accomplished by God, that many pass through this sea as if it were dry land, and cross this river with dry feet; that is to say, having no difficulty in despising all things temporal, be they good or be they bad; that is to say, being neither attached to the good things, nor fearing the evil things of this world, that they may arrive in security at the heavenly Jerusalem, where we will rejoice in him, not in hope, but in complete possession, for eternity.

7 ‘“ Who by his power ruleth for ever: his eyes be-

hold the nations ; let not them that provoke him be exalted in themselves.”

This seems to be a digression addressed to the wicked, who despise submission to God, and refuse to praise him, for he reminds them. of the omnipotence and the omniscience of God, ‘who by his power ruleth for ever.’ He rules with universal sway, and that of himself, and not by reason of having received power from any other; and also, ‘ his eyes behold the nations,” sees them all, and from aloft notes what they are doing; and, therefore, ‘ det not them that provoke him be exalted in themselves,” let them not be proud, or glory in their own strength, because they will not escape the hands of an allpowerful, all-seeing God.

8 “0 bless our God, ye gentiles ; and make the voice of his praise to be heard.”

After such digression, he now repeats the exhortation he made in the first and fourth verses, and now (the third time) he invites all nations to bless our God, who is the only true God, and to chant his praise with a voice so loud that it may be heard by all.

9 ‘* Who hath set my soul to live: and hath not suffered my feet to be moved.”

He now tells us the reason why he is so extremely anxious that God should be praised by all, and that is, because he saved him from the greatest dangers. “ Who hath set my soul to live.” I wish God should be praised, because he saved my soul, and suffered me not to stumble or to fall. Such is the language of the elect on their arrival, through many and various temptations, at the port of safety. ‘‘ Ay soul,” means the entire mav, which is a most common expression in the Scriptures. “ Who hath set,” signifies, pre-ordained or predestinated to life eternal, or set me in the number of those who are to live for ever. “ And hath not suffered my feet to be moved ;” has given me the gift of perseverance, which especially belongs to the predestined, for God protects and directs, so that they may not fall to the right or to the left, those whom he predestines.

10 “ For thou, O God, hast proved us: thou hast tried us by fire, as silver is tried.”

The prophet explains the tribulations of the just by various metaphors, the first taken from the furnace in which silver is refined, to shew that God suffers the just to undergo persecution, not for the purpose of harming them, but to prove them, that they may be shewn to be proved, and pure, faithful, and sincere. For fire consumes straw, makes gold and silver more pure. Straw smokes in the fire, silver shines. Hence, the Angel said to Tobias, “« Because thou wert acceptable to God, it was necessary that temptation should prove thee;” and in Wisdom iii., “ God tempted them and found them worthy of him, like gold in a furnace he proved them;” and in Kecli, xxvii., “ The furnace trieth the potter's vessels, and the trial of affliction just men;” and 1 St. Peter 1., “ That the trial of your faith, much more precious than gold which is tried by the fire, may be

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found unto praise, and glory, and honour, at the appearing of Jesus Christ.”

11 “ Thou hast brought us into anet, thou hast laid afflictions on our back :”

He now enters into particular afflictions, making use of various metaphors. ‘‘ Zhou hast brought us into a net,” you have handed us over to our enemies, who bound us with chains, manacles, and fetters, and threw us into prison; for as birds and wild beasts, when caught in a snare, are deprived of their liberty, so it may be said, that men, when deprived of their liberty, and shut up in prison, are bound with chains and fetters, ‘* Thou hast laid afflictions on our back ;” suffered us to be loaded and lashed, like so many wild beasts of burden, alluding to the various labours and hardships imposed by the wicked on the just, when they were forced to go down into mines, to hew marble, to carry heavy loads, and be stripped and lashed while so harassed and tormented.

12 “‘ Thou hast set men over our heads. We have passed through fire and water, and thou hast brought us out into a refreshment.”

You made men trample on our heads, as if we were captives of war; which also is metaphorical, to give us an idea of the tyranny and cruelty exercised by princes over their wretched subjects. Just and considerate princes are placed on the heads, or rather over their subjects ; but they press so lightly on them, that the weight of obedience is scarcely felt; while cruel tyrants and inhuman princes, such as were the early persecutors of the Christians, such as Pharao of Egypt, and Nabuchodonosor of Assyria, so oppress their subjects by exactions, by edicts, pains and punishments, that they can scarcely breathe. The prophet shews most skilfully in this verse, how no part of the persons of the just is free from suffering; the hands and feet suffer from the snares; the back from the heavy loads; and the head from being trampled on. ‘* We have passed through fire and water ;” the last of those beautiful figures made use of by the prophet, to give us anidea of the sufferings of the saints. Fire and water are too opposites ; fire burns, water gets congealed ; the former is most active; the latter, most soft and easy. Fire dries up water, and water extinguishes fire ; and therefore, when a man gets bummed, water is applied to cool and to heal him ; and yet, where there is question of afflicting the servants of God, both fire and water seem to conspire; the one to consume him, the other to suffocate him. By fire, then, we are to understand the more active punishments, such as stripes, wounds, burning, &c.; and by water, the slow, but constant punishments, such as exile, imprisonment, nakedness, hunger. But, as fire will consume wood, and will not consume gold, so also water will cause wood to rot and decay, and will not harm gold ; and, as gold is purged of its dross by fire, so it is cleansed of all exterior dirt by fire. The just and the holy, then, who may be compared to gold, pass through fire and water without suffering any

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harm; because, in their tribulation, they keep their patience ; and in their prosperity, their moderation ; but the children of this world, like rotten timber, are consumed in the fire, or crumbled in the water ; because, being unable to bear their troubles with patience, they murmur, they rail, they blaspheme; while, in their prosperity, they revel in all manner of luxury, pride, and effeminacy. The elect, therefore, say, “ We have passed through fire and water, and thou hast brought us out into a refreshment; because in our heavenly country there will be no lack of fire and water; that fire, however, in warming, will refresh us, instead of destroying us in its fury; and that water, while it extinguishes our thirst, will not take away our life. We will thus be refreshed by both in their own way ; that is to say, in heaven we shall have the fire of charity, which will heat without harming, perfecting instead of destroying ; transforming us into God, instead of turning us into ashes. There will be an abundance of water; the real and eternal truths, the immense joys, and the ineffable pleasures; but such as will not enervate or weaken the soul, or stir up the concupiscence of the flesh against the spirit; and finally, will delight it by refreshing it, without suffocating it by excess.

13 “J will go into thy house with burnt-offerings: I will pay thee my vows,”

This verse seems to be a conclusion from the preceding ; as if he said, As you have brought us through fire and water, into a place of refreshment, ‘* J wall go into thy house,” for you led me to it, protected me in the way; and I will go “ with burnt-offerings;” I will offer you the sacrifice of thanksgiving, for holocausts were offered only in thanksgiving. And, in fact, in no place is a more perfect holocaust offered than in heaven, where all the saints, lighted up with the fire of the purest love, and with the full affections of the soul, offer themselves unreservedly to God; for the whole study, the whole business of the just in heaven will be to praise God. ‘“‘ J will pay thee my vows.” Such a holocaust is due to you, for J promised it when I was in trouble. I will, therefore, enter into your house with burnt-offerings, that I may discharge the vows that have been made ; not by any one else, but which I distinctly promised with my own lips.

14 “Which my lips have uttered, and my mouth hath spoken, when I was in trouble.

15 “TI will offer up to thee holocausts full of marrow, with burnt-offerings of rams : I will offer to thee bullocks with goats.”

He tells what were the vows he promised in his trouble, and says he promised the richest sacrifices of cattle that could be made according to the law. These were three, rams, cows, and goats. Rams included lambs, cows included heifers, and goats, kids. “ And my mouth had spoken when I was in trouble ;” that is to say, I said ‘I will pay thee my vows,” which my lips haye uttered when I was in

trouble, and needed the divine assistance, and, with tears, implored his help. ‘ Holocausts full of marrow, with burnt-offerings of rams.” I will sacrifice fat lambs full of marrow, with a fragrant odour from the rams that will be slain along with them, and burnt as a holocaust. ‘J will offer to thee bullocks with goats ;” to the holocaust of lambs and rams I will add another of bullocks and goats.

16 ‘* Come and hear, all ye that fear God : and I will tell you what great things he hath done for my soul.”

Speaking in the person of God’s elect, the prophet now exhorts us all to understand God’s favours, conferred by him on the saints, and their return for them, that in imitation of them we, too, may receive similar favours, and thus, in the end, arrive at the same rest and glory. ‘‘ Come and hear, all ye that fear God, and I will tell you what great things he hath done for my soul.” Come, all you who fear God, and hear me, and I will tell you what he has done for me. Observe the invitation given to those only “who fear God,” because, “the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom;” he loosens the feet, opens the ears; and, therefore, he who has no fear of God will be called to no purpose, either to come or to hear, «4

17 “TI cried to him with my mouth : and I extolled him with my tongue.”

Here is the first gift of God conferred on the soul, as announced by the assembly of the elect, supposed to speak here. This much God “has done for my soul;” given me faith and the spirit of prayer. For, “how shall they invoke him in whom they have not believed 2?” ‘Through faith, then, I learned the wretched captivity in which I was held, and I learned who was my Saviour and my Redeemer; and thus, ‘IZ cried to him with my mouth.” He now mentions a second favour, * And # extolled him with my tongue ;” I not only prayed to my God, but I praised him, returned him thanks for the favours conferred, that thereby I may get fresh ones, sadly wanting to me. And all these acts of prayer, praise, and thanksgiving were the work of God’s own grace.

18 “If I have looked at iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear me.”

The third favour received from the Lord consisted in light to know the obstacles to his prayers being heard. “If I have looked at iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear me.” To look at iniquity in the heart means to love it in secret, or to indulge in secret concupiscence, as we findin the Gospel, “ Whosoever shall look upon a woman to lust after her.” For very many, both by their words and their acts, seem to have a thorough horror of sin, reprove and chastise sinners, and yet, in their hearts, where nobody can be a witness, they cherish sinful desires, and would gratify them if they could with impunity, Such hypocrites are not heard by God; he hears those only who hate iniquity in their heart, and, if they should chance to sin, confess it, and seek the

physician who can heal them; and, whereas all the elect consist of such persons, the prophet therefore adds, in their name:

19 “ Therefore hath God heard me, and hath at- ,

tended to the voice-of my supplication.”

Because he is a searcher of hearts, God saw me sincerely sorry for my sins, and, so far from “ looking at iniquity in my heart,” that I turned away from it in perfect horror. “And hath attended to the voice of my supplication;” because he saw me attending to the voice of his commandments, and not to the voice of the evil one, prompting me to wickedness,

20 * Blessed be God, who hath not turned away my prayer, nor his mercy from me.” ~ May that God be praised and blessed for ever who heaped such unbounded favours on me, the principal one being that he “ hath not turned away my prayer,” nor taken away ‘his mercy from me.” ‘Thus, through his mercy, I have persevered in the way of his commandments, have already obtained the reward of such perseverance, namely, deliverance from captivity, and a return to the heavenly Jerusalem.

PSALM LXVI. ” A prayer for the propagation of the church.

1 May God have mercy on us, and bless us; may he cause the light ot his countenance to shine upon us, and may he have mercy on us:

2 That we may know thy way upon earth: thy salvation in all nations.

3 Let people confess to thee, O God: let all people give praise to thee.

4 Let the nations be glad and rejoice: for thou judgest the people with justice, and directest the nations upon earth. .

5 Let the people, O God, confess 'to thee: let all the people give praise to thee:

6 The earth hath yielded her fruit. May God, our God, bless us, =

7 May God bless us: and all the ends of the earth fear him.

EXPLANATION OF THE PSALM.

1“ May God have mercy on us, and bless us; may he cause the light of his countenance to shine upon us, and may he have mercy on us :”

With desire and earnestness David exclaims, “May God have mercy on us,” according to the great mercy that prompts him to send a Saviour to us ; and may he in such mercy “ dless us,” which blessing we pray may not be confined to the things of this world, but “may he cause the light of his countenance to shine upon us,” which may be variously

interpreted. First, God is said to make “ the light of his countenance shine upon us,” when, having removed the clouds of his anger and indignation, he regards us with a look of benignity, as children, as friends, as restored to grace. Again, he is said to * cause the light of his countenance to shine upon us,” when, by the infusion of wisdom and love, he eulightens and warms us, as the sun is wont to do when no cloud intervenes. Finally, he is said to cause the light of his countenance to shine upon us when it pleases him to let us see him to a certain extent; which he did through the mystery of the Incarnation, when “ He was seen upon earth, and conversed with men,” Baruch iii. And such seems to be the prayer of the prophet here, that God should shew his countenance, if not in the form of God, at least in the form of man. He puts up the same petition in Psalm Ixxix., where he says, ‘‘ Thou that siltest upon the Cherubim shine forth before Ephraim, Benjamin, and Manasses.” And this being the mercy he originally asked, he, therefore, repeats, “and may he have mercy on-us;” that means, may he, by such light, have mercy on us.

2 ** That we may know thy way upon earth: thy salvation in all nations.” s

The reason why he so ardently longs for the light of God’s countenance is, that through that divine light we may, in this land of darkness, know the -way to God, to our country, from which we have been so long exiled in darkness and the shade of death ; which way most undoubtedly is Christ himself, who says, ‘‘ J am the way;’ and not only the way, but the light through which it is to be known, of which Isaias, chap. ix., says, “‘ The people that walked in darkness have scen a great light: to them that dwelt in the region of the shadow of death light - is risen.” — Thy salvation in all nations” explains the first part of the verse, that the Saviour may Le known among all nations.

3 ‘* Let people confess to thee, O God: let all people give praise to thee.”

The prophet’s desires being in accordance with true charity, he wished that Christ should come upon earth ; first, for the glory of God, then, for the benefit of mankind; and in this verse, therefore, he prays that all manner of people should praise, thank, and glorify him for so great and so universal a favour; that all worship and veneration of false gods should cease, and the one true God alone be acknow- _ ledged by all,

4“ Let the nations be glad and rejoice: for thou judgest the people with justice, and directest the nations upon earth,”

Next to the glory of God, let the benefit of mankind be acknowledged; and, therefore, “‘Jet the nations be glad and rejoice ;” \et all manner of people rejoice ; “for thou,” through Christ, “ judgest the people with justice ;” you have destroyed the power of the tyrannical prince of darkness, and established the just authority of the Church in its stead. “ And

COMMENTARY ON THE PSALMS.

directest the nations upon earth;” governing and guiding them, by your most wholesome laws, to the harbour of life everlasting.

5 “ Let the people, O God, confess to thee : let all the people give praise to thee:

6 “ The earth hath yielded her fruit. God, bless us,”

He again exhorts the people to praise God, assigning as an additional reason, that ‘the earth hath yielded her fruit ;” that means, that the earth had at length yielded that fruit, to yield which she was created, namely, Christ in the flesh. For this is the fruit of which Isaias speaks when he says, ‘‘ Zn that day the bud of the Lord shall be in magnificence and glory, and the fruit of the earth shall be high;”? and in Psalm Ixxxiv., ‘ Our earth hath yielded its frwit;? fruit of such value, that, when compared to it, the earth seems never before to have yielded anything but thorns and briars.

7 ‘* May God bless us: and all the ends of the earth Fear him.”

Henceforth will come the agreeable change, that God will open his hands, and replenish us with all manner of blessings, spiritual ones especially ; .and, on the other hand, all men, in the utmost quarters of the globe, will fear the true God with a holy fear, and will pay him the tribute of obedience and praise for ever. The name of God, three times repeated here, while it shews the strong affections of the prophet, would also seem to foreshadow the mystery of the Most Holy Trinity, which was so clearly preached by Christ and his Apostles.

May God, our