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NAME in the midst of her, which had been evidenced by the "wonderful works" wrought for her falvation. Upon whatever occafion these words were originally indited, the Chriftian church now celebrates in them that great deliverance, which, by so many miracles of mercy and power, hath been accomplished for her, through Meffiah, who is in Scripture frequently ftyled, "the NAME of Jehovah." See

Ifai. xxx. 27.

2. When I shall receive the congregation, I will judge uprightly.

The first verfe was fpoken by many perfons;

unto thee, O God, do we give thanks;" here the speaker is one, and that one is plainly a ruler, who promises, that when he thall have "received the con"gregation," or, as fome render it, "when he shall

have gotten an appointed, or fit time, or season," that is, when he fhall be established in power and authority, at a fit time and place, he will "judge "uprightly," and introduce a thorough reformation into a kingdom, which, as we shall find by the following verfe, ftood greatly in need of it. From these circumstances it fhould feem moft probable, that David is speaking of his advancement to the throne of Ifrael, and the intended rectitude of his adminiftration, when he fhould be fettled thereon. What David did in Ifrael, was done in the church univerfal, by him who fate upon the throne of David, when he received," for his inheritance, the great "congregation" of the Gentiles, and the earth was full of the "righteoufnefs" of Jehovah.

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3. The earth, or, the land, and all the inhabitants thereof are, or, were diffolved: I bear up the pillars of it.

Civil distractions, and the continual irruptions of foreign enemies, had thrown the Ifraelitish affairs into confufion, and "diffolved" the frame of government; until, by the re-establishment of royal authority, countenance and fupport were again given to all the fubordinate magiftrates; who are, in their respective stations, the "pillars" of a community. Such was the univerfal corruption and diffolution of manners both among Jews and Gentiles, when Mef-fias, entering upon his regal office, reformed the world, raised the glorious fabric of the church, and made his apoftles and their fucceffors the " pillars" of his fpiritual kingdom. Let men fupport religion; and God will fupport them.

4. I faid unto the fools, deal not foolishly; and to the wicked, lift not up the horn: 5. Lift not up your horn on high; Speak not with a fiff neck.

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"Where the word of a king is, there is power. The prophet addreffes himself to the oppofers of his government, and the difturbers of Ifrael: he urges the " folly" of exalting themselves against their prince; and exhorts them, for their own fakes, to humility and obedience. Is not this the very mef fage which the minifters of Chrift have received from their king, and are commanded to deliver to the world?

6. For promotion cometh neither from the east, nor from the weft, nor from the fouth: 7. But God

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is the judge; he putteth down one, and fetteth up

another.

The oppofition, mentioned in the preceding verfe, was called "folly." In thefe verfes it is proved to be fuch; as being an oppofition, in effect, to the counfels of heaven; for, not by worldly power or craft, but by the defignation and providence of God himself, the fupreme judge of princes, and difpofer of kingdoms, was the houfe of Saul" put down,' and the house of David "fet up." And are not, then, the enemies of the Son of God in arms against the Father; who, according to the promises going before concerning him, hath highly exalted him'; hath committed all power and judgment to him; and hath put all things under his feet? Yea, and the hour is coming, when he fhall put down all rule, and all authority, and power, and the Lord Jefus alone fhall be exalted in that day. What will then be the portion of his impenitent adverfaries, the next verfe will inform us.

8. For in the hand of the Lord there is a cup, and the wine is red: it is full of mixture, and he poureth out of the fame; but the dregs thereof all the wicked of the earth fhall wring them out, and drink them.

As the choiceft of heavenly bleffings are frequently in Scripture reprefented by the falutary effects of wine, a cup of which the Mafter of the family is fuppofed to hold in his hand, ready to diftribute due portions of it to thofe around him; fo from the noxious and intoxicating qualities of that liquor, when drank strong, and in too large a quantity, is

borrowed a moft tremendous image of the wrath and indignation of Almighty God. Calamity and forrow, fear and trembling, infatuation and defpair, the evils of the prefent life, and of that which is to come, are the bitter ingredients which compofe this moft hor rible cup of mixture. It is entirely in the hand and difpofal of God, who through every age, has been pouring out, and adminiftering of it's contents, more or lefs, in proportion to the fins of men. But much. of the ftrength and power of the liquor ftill remains behind, until the day of final vengeance. It will be then exhausted, even to the dregs, by unrepenting rebels; when" burning coals, fire, and brimstone," and eternal tempeft," fhall be "the portion of their "cup." Pf. xi. 6.

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9. But I will declare for ever; I will fing praifes to the God of Jacob.

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Thefe difpenfations of mercy and judgment the prophet refolves to "declare" to the world for ever, by thus finging" the works and the "praises" of God, in pfalms, and hymns, and fpiritual fongs. And while we now fing them, we declare our refolution to be the fame with his.

10. All the horns of the wicked alfo will I cut off; but the horns of the righteous fhall be exalted.

He determines likewife, as every good governor should do, to exert the authority with which he was entrusted; to break the power of triumphant wickednefs; and to exalt that righteousness which exalteth a nation; hereby rendering himfelf a fit image of Him, who hath fince done away tranfgreffion, and brought in everlasting righteoufnefs, who will one

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day turn the wicked into hell, and exalt his faithful fervants, to reign with him in heaven. Already he reigns in them upon earth: caufing "all carnal af"fections to die in them, and all things belonging "to the Spirit to live and grow in them."

PSALM LXXVI.

ARGUMENT.

It is obvious, at firft fight, to any one who reads this Pfalm, that it was compofed, as a thanksgiving hymn, on account of fome great deliverance, wrought for his people, by the immediate hand of God. The miraculous destruction of the Affyrian army, by the angel, in the days of king Hezekiah, is generally pitched upon, as the fubject of it, and affirmed to be so by the ancient Greek infcription prefixed to it in the LXX verfion. The prophet, 1, 2. declares the glory which God hath gotten him in Ifrael; 3-6. defcribes the circumstances of the deliverance, with 7. a reflection thereupon; 8-10. he mentions the effects it had produced among the nations, and 11, 12. those which it ought to produce in Ifraelitish hearts. The ideas are to be tranfferred to the falvation of the church univerfal, by the destruction of fin and Satan, and the overthrow of the perfecuting powers.

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