the grace of a mercy-shewing God, but that he migh know that mercy, and enjoy the peace of it.

David here has each for each. He had before com plained of four evils, and now he prays for four good things.

"Consider me," refers to that complaint, "How far wilt thou forget me?" As if he had said, Thou not only didst not see me, but wast not even mindful of me. But now, not only remember me, but draw near unto me, and look upon and consider me; that the good may now be so much the greater as the evil was the greater before. And, "consider" or "have respect" is a figurative expression of the scriptures, which signifies the feelings of a mercy-shewing God. Even as by the word " arise," as we have shewn in the preceding Psalm, is signified a putting forth of the power of God. But 'considering,' signifies a nearer feeling than remembering:' even as the feeling is more severe 'not to remember,' than 'not to con sider. And David here sets forth a beautiful contrast between the evil to be borne and the good to be received.

"Hear me, O Lord my God," refers to that " me," "How far wilt thou turn away thy face from me?" As if he had said, Thou wast turned away from me, and wast inexorable, like a strict and severe judge, as if thou hadst designed to do nothing else but condemn me. Thou not only didst not hear me, but turnedst away thy face that thou mayest not hear me. But now, being become the Lord my God, not only do thou turn and hear me, but answer me, and do nothing but save me, that thus, instead of an angry judge, I may have a most mer ciful Godo

"Lighten mine eyes, that I sleep not in death," refers to that complaint, "How long shall I take counsel in my soul and be sorrowed in my heart all day?" For when the face of God is turned from us, there immediately follow perturbation, confusion, darkness of mind, and ignorance of counsel; under which, we grope about as in the dark, and seek on every side a way and means of escape. But when he lifts up the light of his coun tenance upon us, and turns his face towards us to hear

us, our eyes are immediately illuminated, and all things are full of the most salutary counsels. For he that walketh in the day-time stumbleth not, because he seeth the light of this world: so we, when we come near unto him, are illuminated, and our faces are not confounded.

And that which follows refers to the complaint, "How far shall mine enemy triumph over me?" namely, these words, "Lest mine enemy say, I have prevailed against him." Here however he says, "Lest I sleep the sleep of death," or "that I sleep not in death:" wherein, he expresses the danger. For "I sleep" is the same expression here as "I rest" in Psalm iv. and it is in that place rendered by Hieronymus "I sleep." "I shall rest together in peace and sleep;" that is, 'I shall lay dead in peace with my fathers.' Thus, as David is speaking in the Spirit, and as the scripture has this common usage, he makes use of the verb 'to sleep,' not as signifying corporal sleep but death.

And, as I said, in this verse he touches upon the power and force of this temptation, which is an all-presently felt temptation of death and hell pressing upon the man with intolerable bitterness, as Hezekiah saith, Isaiah xxxviii. and it seems as if the gates of hell were just about to swallow him up, and thrust him down into the eternal pit: as David saith in another place, “Let not the pit shut her mouth upon me." Wherefore he here also prays, 'that he might not sleep in death :' that is, that he might not die, and might not lie dead in eternal death. This same thing he expresses more at large, Psalm vi. thus, "For in death there is no remembrance of thee: in the grave who shall give thee thanks?" Contrary to which is that expression, Psalm iv. " I shall rest in peace together, and sleep." For while the light of the Lord's countenance is lifted up upon him, the man is joyful, and dies in peace. But when God turns his face away and leaves the man to fluctuate in his own counsels in his soul, he is filled with sorrow, fearing lest he should die in death: that is, lest he should be hurled and driven headlong as by a whirlwind into the allterrible and eternal confusion......

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Wherefore, this verse is the light of the whole Psalm; plainly shewing that this temptation is in the most high matters of faith, hope, and love: where distrust, despair, hatred, blasphemy, and the like terrible things of hell and of the damned, contend in the most bitter conflict with this faith, hope, and love. For lust, anger, pride, and covetousness will have nothing to do with purity, mildness, humility, and bounty: nay, the rage of all corporal persecution, fire, famine, sword, and ignominy, must be combined together against these supposed evils. Hence, we are here to understand, that David feared death most especially on this account, because, there was not only no praise of God in it, but hatred and blasphemy; and these it was that he so much abhorred and shuddered at.

Ver. 5.--Lest mine enemy should say, I have prevailed against him. Those that trouble me will rejoice if I be moved.

As this is one verse in the Hebrew, the sense will be clearer if we put a conjunction in the middle, for the sake of elucidating the repetition: in this manner, 'Lest mine enemy say, I have prevailed against him, and mine enemies should rejoice because I am moved.' For the expression, I have prevailed over him, or have prevailed against him, is thus rendered, Psalm cxxix. 2, "But they have not prevailed against me." And we also call this prevailing against any one. For the enemies boasting that they have prevailed, and the persecutors exulting that the saint is conquered, is the same thing; which would be the case if he should sleep in death. And it is the same thing that is said against these characters, Psalm vi. 8, " Depart from me, all ye workers of iniquity: (that is AVEN, or pain,) for the Lord hath heard the voice of my weeping." And again, ' Lest mine enemies should rejoice over me: for when my foot slippeth, they magnify themselves against me.' For here he expresses the same thing, and almost in the same words; as is quite manifest.

This is the exulting and boasting of devils; such ex

ultations and boastings as they poured forth out of the mouths of the Jews on Christ crucified : "If thou be the Son of God come down now from the cross," "Save thyself," "Let him deliver him now, if he will have him." Here it is that the enemy exults: as David had complained in the 4th verse. And therefore, he prays that this may not be the case, or that it might not be the case for ever. For, if this is most hard to be borne when wrought by men in their trifling victories over us with respect to temporal things; how much more and unspeakably terrible must be the confusion that is caused by devils in their victories over us in eternal things? For this is the extreme of all evils, as it is said, Wo unto the conquered, when to their evils and afflictions there are added ignominy, insult, and boasting: for this galls more terribly than the very fight, nay worse than the slaughter and the fall.' If this be the case, therefore, we may know what the state of the case is with the conquered when in confusion about eternal things.

But it may be asked, how can devils exult, who, as we believe, bear about their damnation with them every where? This I leave to be explained by others: there are numbers of examples, that they have exulted at the fall of the saints: but even if there were no such examples, yet the authority of this scripture would be sufficient to establish the truth of the thing in the minds of the believing.

Ver. 5. But I have hoped in thy mercy; my heart hath rejoiced in thy salvation.

Ver. 6.-I will sing unto the Lord, who hath rewarded me good things; and I will sing praises unto the name of the Lord Most High.

All this is one verse in the Hebrew; and the last clause, “I will sing praises unto the name of the Lord Most High," is added from Psalm vii. 17. For the Hebrew concludes the verse thus, "Who has rewarded me good:" or to render it word for word, 'For he hath returned upon me.' Hence, the first part of the verse has three members or clauses, "I have hoped in thy mercy," "My heart hath rejoiced in thy salvation," and "I will sing unto the Lord:" concerning which feelings we have spoken abundantly, Psalm v.

David seems to put these things as a contrast to, and in opposition to, the boasting of his enemies. As if he had said, They exult and boast that they have prevailed, and that I have yielded as being vanquished.But I do not boast of my strength, but of thy mercy : and I exult, not in my victory, but in thy salvation, (or, thy saving,) whereby thou hast saved me, an unworthy creature, who deserved any thing but such a favour; and this thou hast done through thy mercy. And there is a powerful emphasis in the expressions "thy mercy" and "thy salvation."

Hereby, is inculcated, that which is repeatedly enforced on account of hypocrites, and those that know not God: namely, that there is no one who is not found a damnable sinner before God; that there is no one who can stand before the face and sting of these devils, how holy and full of good works soever he may be, all which works they immediately make to be nought by their powerful accusations; and that no one will ever obtain salvation, but he, who, despairing of all his own merits and worthiness, apprehends the only and all-free mercy of God by faith and hope, and firmy holds it fast, trusting that he shall be saved by that, and can be saved by that only. So that all singing must be, not to ourselves, but unto God alone, who saves us, undeserving any such thing, by his mercy only; in which salvation the heart may rejoice. For if any thing else availed unto salvation besides the mercy of God, David would without doubt have shewn it here. Nay, he confessed that all the counsels of his soul, in which he considered of his merits also, brought him nothing but grief and pain. Therefore, mercy alone is what we must have: it will suffer nothing to be joined with it in which the man may hope at the same time. For this would be for the feet to vary and to halt between two ways, and, for us to worship, like the Samaritans, God and an idol at the same time. Whereas, no one can worship God but by