REFLECTIONS. 1. WE may hence infer, that it is reasonable we should re member, and praise God for his wonderful appearances in our favour; and celebrate his goodness to our ancestors and to us in them, in removing the burdens of popery and arbitrary power from their shoulders, and in restoring and preserving their civil and religious liberties. Though we have no divine statute for observing annual days in commemoration of such appearances, it may be proper and useful at certain timés, to call them to mind, and renew our thankfulness for them and we have a divine statute for praising him every day, especially every Lord's day, for our deliverance by Christ. This we should do with the warmest affection; making a joyful noise to our God. 2. We, as God's preserved and favoured people, should diligently hearken to his voice. He testifies to us his will, and requires that we attend to him; he says nothing but what is weighty and interesting; he requires that we devote ourselves to him; that we serve no other god, neither any idol, nor money, nor our belly, each of which by the apostle is termed idolatry; and upon these conditions he will own us as his people. 3. We are here encouraged to enlarge our desires after spiritual and eternal blessings. God's language to us is, Open thy mouth wide, and I will fill it. We are not straitened in God, let us therefore keep up our faith and raise our expectations, since there is enough in him to satisfy all our desires; he is able and willing to do for us exceeding abundantly, above all we can ask or think. As he does not think any thing too good to give his obedient people, they should seek his favour with faith and hope, nothing doubting. 4. We are led to adore the divine goodness for speaking in so condescending a manner, even as wishing the happiness of his people. O that my people had hearkened unto me! It would have pleased him to have seen them obedient, and to have poured out his blessings upon them. He is still unwilling that any should perish, still taketh pleasure in the prosperity of his servants. Let us therefore not reject the counsel of God against ourselves, but walk diligently in his ways. 5. Let us dread the misery of being given up to our heart's lusts. This is the sorest judgment on this side hell. Those who go on in the indulgence of their lusts, who disobey the commands and resist the spirit of God, may be so given up, suffered to walk in the way they choose, till it ends in perdition. Christianity is a warfare; it requires mortification and self denial. Let us earnestly beg the continued abode of the Spirit of God with us, in order that we may be resolute and unwearied in crucifying the flesh, with its affections and lusts. 6. Let us make it the governing maxim of our lives, that to obey and please God, is the only way to present and everlasting happiness. He tells Israel what he would have done for them, if they had been obedient; if we are so, God will bless us with all that plenty and prosperity which he knows to be good for us; he will, beside this, feed us with the bread of life, and make us victorious over every enemy: and thus shall we be prepared for his everlasting favour: PSALM LXXXII. A Psalm of Asaph Many commentators apply this psalm to the days of Hezekiah, when, notwithstanding the reformation he made in the worship of Judah, and in other instances, yet there were great corruptions among the magistrates, as is evident from the beginning of Isaiah's prophecy. But it is to be feared that these abominations prevailed in other kings' reigns; so that it is difficult to ascertain the particular time` when this, and many other psalms were composed. G IOD standeth in the congregation of the mighty; he judgeth among the gods; he observes all that is said and determined upon in the courts of justice and counsels of state, and 2 will call the greatest of men to a strict account. How long will ye judge unjustly, and accept the persons of the wicked? screen them from justice, or give causes in their favour, because they are rich and give bribes, or powerful, and their resentment is feared? 3 Selah. Defend the poor and fatherless; do justice to the af4 flicted and needy. Deliver the poor and needy rid [them] out of the hand of the wicked; do justice to all, and take especial care of the poor, and those who have no friends or helpers. But, 5 alas! They know not, neither will they understand; they walk on in darkness; they are wilfully ignorant, inconsiderate, and obstinate; they take no care how they determine, provided it serves their own interest: all the foundations of the earth, the land, are out of course; truth and justice, which are the great supports of civil society, are disregarded; there is nothing but confusion and disorder, and no man's property is secure. Hear then the sentence 6 of God himself, the supreme judge; I have said, Ye [are] gods; and all of you [are] children of the most High; I have invested you with power and dignity,and given you commission to rule others. 7 Sce John x. 34. But ye shall die like men, and fall like one of the princes; like other unjust judges and oppressive tyrants, who 8 have come to an untimely and miserable end. Arise, O God, judge the earth; take the work into thine own hand, and see justice done to thy people: for thou shalt inherit all nations, or, do theu inherit them thou art Lord of all the world, and canst easily restore justice, order, and security to us. 1. REFLECTIONS. T is of great importance to preserve upon our minds a sense is every where present, supreme president of every prince's council, and of every court of justice; he observes their debates and determinations, and remembers all they say and do. It is of great moment that the mighty, the earthly gods, should consider this, that they may act as the ministers of God for good, and be terrors to evil doers. It is of consequence that we all consider it, to quicken and encourage our prayers for our rulers, and to comfort us when we see the throne of judgment, and that iniquity is there. There are higher powers than they; and there is a day coming, when all causes shall be reheard, all buman judgments reversed or confirmed and the judge of the whole earth shall do right. : 2. We may learn the vanity of all mortal dignity and glory. Nobles, princes, emperors, though styled gods, and children of the most High, die like common men, and lie down alike in the dust. It would be well if they would consider their frailty and mortality, as it would preserve them from exercising tyranny and oppression, and excite them to be public blessings. And this should teach us to cease from man, and not to put our trust in princes; and to pray for them, that they may consider their latter end, and the solemn account to which they are hastening; that they may do justly, love mercy, and walk humbly with God. 3. We are here taught to pray for the wider spread of the gospel, and the universal government of God by Jesus Christ: that God would judge the earth and rule the nations, agreeably to that plan of government he has established by his dear Son; that the maxims of his gospel may prevail, to banish tyranny, injustice, violence, and persecution out of the world; and that all the kingdoms of the earth may become the kingdoms of the Lord and of his anointed. PSALM LXXXIII. A Song [or] Psalm of, or for, Asaph. This psalm is generally thought to have been composed on occasion of the attack made upon Israel by the Moabites and Ammonites in the time of Jehoshaphat. 1 EEP not thou silence, O God: hold not thy peace, and 2 their attempts. For, lb, thine enemies make a tumult : and they that hate thee have lifted up the head, as if they were already 3 successful. They have taken crafty counsel against thy people, and consulted against thy hidden ones, thy favourite people, whom 4 thou hast hitherto protected. They have said, Come, and let us VOL. IV. A a a cut them off from [being] a nation; that the name of Israel may be no more in remembrance; hoping utterly to extirpate 5 them. For they have consulted together with one consent; and with all their different interests, they are confederate against thee, 6 thy people, religion, and government: The tabernacles of Edom, 7 and the Ishmaelites; of Moab, and the Hagarenes; Gebal, and Ammon, and Amalek; the Philistines with the inhabitants of 8 Tyre; Assur also is joined with them: they have holpen the children of Lot; that is, the Moabites, and Ammonites, who were 9 the principals in this war. Selah. Do unto them as [unto] the Midianites; as [to] Sisera, as [to] Jabin, the Midianites and Canaanites, who were destroyed by Gideon and Baruch, at the 10 brook of Kison: [Which] perished at Endor: they became [as] 11 dung for the earth. Make their nobles like Oreb, and like Zeeb, whom the Edomites slew: yea, all their princes as Zebah, 12 and as Zalmunna, whom Gideon slew: Who said, Let us take to ourselves the houses of God in possession; let us destroy the 13 pleasant parts of the land, and especially the house of God. O my God, make them like a wheel, a rolling thing, as the same word is rendered in Isaiah xvii. 13. as the stubble* before the wind; uncertain in their counsels, unsettled in their possession of this land, 14 and unstable in all their ways. As the fire burneth a wood, and as the flame setteth the mountains on fire, that is, the trees and 15 woods on the mountains ;† So persecute them with thy tempest, and make them afraid with thy storm; pursue them with irresistible vengeance, and scatter them as the whirlwind does the chaff 16 and the stubble. Fill their faces with shame; that they may seek thy name, O LORD; confess thy superior power, and entreat thy 17 favour as for those who will not do it, Let them be confounded and troubled for ever: yea, let them be put to shame, and perish, that is, so confounded and weakened, that they may give us no fur18 ther trouble. That [men,] they, yea, and all around, may know that thou, whose name alone [is] JEHOVAH, [art] the most high over all the earth; not only the tutelar deity of Israel, but the supreme God, the Lord and governor ef all the earth. 1. W REFLECTIONS. E here see what is the refuge of good men under the greatest troubles and alarms, namely, the power and goodness of God, to which they apply by prayer; this is their hope amidst formidable conspiracies and imminent dangers. God sometimes seems to retire, and keep silence, in order to quicken their prayers, and convince them that their only hope is in him. Let this excite us to pray; since God hath never said to the seed of Jacob, Seek ye my face in vain. • The word properly signifies, the down of the thistle, which is wafted about with every breath of air. Here is a reference to what often happens in hot countries, where the lightning sets the trees and woods on fire. It is an emblem frequently made use of by Homer, and other poets, to express the conquest of a powerful army. 2. See what use we are to make of the histories contained in scripture. When we are reading the bible, and observe God's interpositions for his church and people, we should draw encouragement from thence, to pray and hope; when we think how many mighty princes he has confounded and destroyed, how many formidable confederacies he has disunited, and by their strong alliances, made their defeat and shame the more remarkable. Let us learn to cast our care upon him; to banish despair and anxious fears; for he is still the same. 3. We here see what we should chiefly have in view in our prayers against our enemies; not their destruction, but their reformation; not so much that they may be filled with shame, as that they may seek God's name. That their disappointments may bring them to consideration and repentance. It should likewise be our desire that others may learn these useful lessons from thence, that JEHOVAH, the supreme, selfexistent, eternal God, is above all kings and gods; that they may serve the Lord with fear, and give him the glory due to his name. PSALM LXXXIV. To the chief musician upon Gittith, A Psalm for the sons of Korah. This in one of the most excellent psalms in this whole collection, and perhaps has done more than any other to excite devout affections in the hearts of God's worshippers, and to assist them in their religious exercises. It is a psalm that is proper to be read or sung and meditated upon every Lord's day morning. It was composed by David when he was driven from Jerusalem by Absalom's rebellion.' 1 How [OW amiable [are] thy tabernacles, thy house, and the several courts of it! I cannot express my affection for them, O LORD of hosts of the hosts of angels who attend thy divine 2 presence. My soul longeth, yea, even fainteth for the courts of the LORD my heart and my flesh crieth out for the living God; I am ready to faint and sink because my hope is so long 3 deferred. Yea, the sparrow hath found an house, and the swal, low a nest for herself, where she may lay her young, [even] thine altars, O LORD of hosts, my King, and my God; that is, the place of my chief delight, from which I am still kept at a dis 4 tance. Blessed [are] they that dwell in thy house, the priests and Levites who statedly attend there: they will be still praising thee; are continually engaged in the delightful work of praise. 5 Selah. Blessed [is] the man whose strength [is] in thee; who relies so entirely on thy protection, as to leave his habitation to go three times a year to thy tabernacle: in whose heart [are] the 6 ways [of them,] or, whose heart is in the way thither. [Who] passing through the valley of Baca make it a well; the rain also |