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7 In his time shall the righteous flourish: yea, and abundance of peace, so long as the moon endureth.

.8.

8 His dominion (b) shall be also from the one sea to the other : and from the flood (c) unto the world's end.

9 They that dwell in the wilderness shall kneel before him : his enemies shall lick the dust (d).

10 The kings of Tharsis and of the isles shall give presents (e): the kings of Arabia and Saba shall bring gifts.

11 All kings shall fall down (f) before him all nations shall do him service.

66 us as the rain; as the latter and former "rain unto the earth;" and see note on Ps. cxxxiii. 3.-Deuter. xxxii. 1, 2.— Prov. xix. 12.-Hos. xiv. 5.

v.8.

v.9.

(b) "His dominion," &c. So when Zechariah, about 518 years before the birth of Christ, had been foretelling the meek and humble character of the Messiah, his disposition to make wars to cease throughout the earth, and to speak peace unto the heathen, he adds, "His "dominion shall be from sea even to sea, "and from the river even to the ends of "the earth." Zech. ix. 10. and Ps.lxxxix. 26. where the success of the Messiah's kingdom is probably contemplated, "I "will set his dominion also in the sea, "and his right hand in the floods." There are numberless other passages which intimate how widely the kingdom of Christ, i. e. Christianity, should extend.

7.10.

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12 For he shall deliver the poor (g) when he crieth: the needy also, and him that hath no helper.

13 He shall be favourable to the simple and needy and shall preserve the souls of the poor.

14 He shall deliver their souls from falsehood and wrong and dear (b) shall their blood be in his sight.

15 He shall live, and unto him shall be given of the gold of Arabia prayer shall be made ever unto him, and daily shall he be praised.

16 There shall be an heap of corn in the earth, high (i) upon

dom, Isaiah says, "The forces of the "Gentiles shall come unto thee, the "multitude of camels shall cover thee, "the dromedaries of Midian and Ephah; "all they from Sheba shall come: they "shall bring gold and incense; and they "shall shew forth the praises of the "Lord." Isaiah lx. 5, 6. Upon our Saviour's birth, wise men from the east sought him out, and "presented unto "him gifts; gold, frankincense, and "myrrh." Matt. ii. 1. 11.

(ƒ)" All kings shall fall down." So v. 11. it is said of our Saviour, Philipp. ii. 9, 10, 11. that "God hath highly exalted "him, and given him a name that is "above every name; that at the name "of Jesus every knee should bow, of "things in heaven, and things in earth, "and things under the earth; and that every tongue should confess, that Jesus "Christ is Lord, to the glory of God "the Father."

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13.

(g) "The poor" and "the needy." v. 12, According to the prophecy, Isaiah lxí. 1. it was to be part of the Messiah's office, "to preach good tidings unto the meek, "and to bind up the broken-hearted."

So v. 14.

(b) "Dear," i. e. precious. Ps. cxvi. 13. " right dear in the sight of the Lord is the death of his saints." See also 1 Sam. xxvi. 21. and 2 Kings

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the hills: his fruit shall shake like Libanus, and shall be green in the city, like grass upon the earth.

17 His Name shall endure for ever; his Name shall remain under the sun among the posterities: which shall be blessed through him (k); and all the heathen shall praise him.

18 Blessed (1) be the Lord God, even the God of Israel: which only doeth wondrous things;

19 And blessed be the Name of his Majesty for ever and all the earth shall be filled with his Majesty. Amen, Amen.

Lessons for the Fourteenth Day of the Month throughout the Year.

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5 They come in no misfortune like other folk: neither are they plagued like other men.

6 And this is the cause that they are so holden with pride : and overwhelmed with cruelty.

7 Their eyes swell with fatness (o) and they do even what they lust.

8 They corrupt other (p) and speak of wicked blasphemy (q): their talking is against the Most High.

9 For they stretch forth their mouth unto the heaven: and their tongue goeth through the world.

10 Therefore fall the people unto them and thereout suck they no small advantage.

11 "Tush," (r) say they, "how should God perceive it : "is there knowledge in the Most "High?"

12 Lo, these are the ungodly, these prosper in the world, and these have riches in possession : and I said," Then have I cleansed

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my heart (s) in vain, and

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"washed mine hands in inno

cency;

13 "All the day long have I "been punished and chastened every morning.

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14 Yea, and I had almost said even as they but lo, then I should have condemned the generation of thy children (†).

15 Then thought I to understand this but it was too hard for me;

16 Until I went into the sanctuary of God: then understood I the end of these men;

17 Namely, how thou dost set them in slippery places and castest them down, and destroyest them.

18 O, how suddenly do they consume perish, and come to a fearful end!

19 Yea, even like as a dream (u) when one awaketh : so shalt thou make their image to vanish out of the city.

20 Thus my heart was grieved: and it went even through my reins.

religion is here properly referred to the thoughts and actions: the restraint must be put upon the thoughts, or how can it be expected that the actions will be controlled?

(t)" Thy children," i.e. the righte- v. 14. ous: those who look up to thee as their Father.

(u) "As a dream," &c. The same idea v. 19. occurs in that fine passage, Job xx. 4 to 8. "Knowest thou not this of old, since man was placed upon earth, that the "triumphing of the wicked is short, and "the joy of the hypocrite but for a mo"ment? Though his excellency mount

(P) For "corrupt other," Dr. Hammond reads "deride, scoff at others." 8.8. (q) "Blasphemy," in speaking to God's disparagement, an 66 instance of which is put in verse 11. imputing to him that he cannot know what is done. on earth," How should God perceive "it?" &c. See Ps. lxxiv. II. 19.

1.11.

lxxix. 13:

(r) "Tush," &c. Eliphaz imputes Job's distresses, though unjustly, to similar arrogance, "Thou sayest, how doth "God know? Can he judge through

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up to the heavens, and his head reach "unto the clouds, yet he shall perish for ever they which have seen him shall where is he? He shall fly away as a dream, and shall not be found; yea, he shall be chased away as a vision of the night."

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"the dark cloud?"

say,

.23.

v.25.

v.26,

21 So foolish was I, and ignorant even as it were a beast before thee.

22 Nevertheless, I am alway by thee for thou hast holden me by my right hand.

23 Thou shalt guide me with thy counsel and after that receive (x) me with glory.

24 Whom have I in heaven but thee and there is none upon earth that I desire in comparison of thee.

25 My flesh and my heart faileth: but God is the strength of my heart, and my portion (y) for ever.

26 For lo, they that forsake thee shall perish thou hast destroyed all them that commit fornication (z) against thee.

27 But it is good for me to hold me fast by God, to put my trust in the Lord God and to speak of all thy works in the gates of the daughter of Sion.

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(z) "Commit fornication against thee," i. e. worship idols and false gods.

(a) An anxious prayer for deliverance, probably written during the capti. vity of the tribes of Judah and Benjamin, after the sacking of Jerusalem by Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, in the time of Zedekiah about 588 years before the birth of Christ, when the house of the Lord, and the king's house, and all the houses in Jerusalem were burnt, and the people carried to Babylon. See 2 Kings

wrath so hot against the sheep of thy pasture?

2 O think upon thy congregation whom thou hast purchased, and redeemed of old.

3 Think upon the tribe of thine inheritance and mount Sion, wherein thou hast dwelt.

4 Lift up thy feet, that thou mayest utterly destroy every enemy; which hath done evil in thy sanctuary.

5 Thine adversaries roar in the midst of thy congregations (b):) and set up their banners for. tokens (c).

6 He (d) that hewed timber. afore out of the thick trees; was known to bring it to an excellent work.

7 But now they break down all the carved work thereof; with axes and hammers.

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8 They have set fire upon thy holy places and have defiled the dwelling-place of thy Name (e), even unto the ground.

9 Yea, they said in their hearts, "Let us make havock of them altogether": thus have they

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xxv. and Jer. xxxix. and lii. It notices the relation they bore to God, the disho nour they and their places of worship had suffered, calls to mind their deliver ance from Egypt and the destruction of Pharoah and his host, observes upon God's general superintendance and power, and insinuates that it is God's own cause to protect them. The 79th Psalm is upon the same subject.

(b)" Of thy congregations," i. e. probably, where the people used to meet for religious purposes; in the temple. (c) "Tokens," i.e. of triumph.

(d) The meaning is, exquisite was the workmanship in building and fitting up the temple, but that is now destroyed.

(e) "The dwelling-place of thy name," ". i.e. the temple at Jerusalem. He was to be worshipped in the place which he

burnt up all the houses of God in the land.

10 We see not our tokens (ƒ): there is not one prophet more : no, not one is there among us that understandeth (g) any more.

11 O God, how long shall the adversary do this dishonour : how long shall the enemy blaspheme() thy Name? for ever?

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12 Why withdrawest thou thy hand why pluckest thou not thy right hand out of thy bosom, to consume the enemy?

13 For God is my King of

should choose to put his Name there, Deut. xii. 5. and the place afterwards fixed upon was Jerusalem.

(ƒ)" Tokens." God was in the habit of communicating with the Jews in ways long since discontinued. They

used to inquire of him, and he used to answer them by a voice or by tokens, or by other means. In 1 Sam. xxiii. 2, 4. "David inquired of the Lord whether "he should go and smite the Philistines, " and the Lord said unto him, Go," &c. In 1 Sam. xxviii. 6. " Saul inquired of "the Lord, and the Lord answered him "not, neither by dreams, nor by urim" (i.e. certain tokens to the high priest,) "nor by prophets." Before Jehoshaphat would go up with the king of Israel against the king of Syria, he said unto the king of Israel, "Inquire I pray thee "at the word of the Lord to-day." And when God's indignation was raised against the people for their iniquities, one of his denunciations against them was, "Shall "I be inquired of by you, O house of "Israel? As I live, saith the Lord God, "I will not be inquired of by you." Ezek. xx. 3. 31. See also Ezek. xiv. 3. See also 2 Sam. ii. 1. The suffering himself to be thus inquired of, would keep up in the minds of the people a high opinion of God's superintendance over them, would inspire in them devotion and respect, and would have a tendency to deter them from the idolatry of the neighbouring nations.

10.

(g) Understandeth," i. e. " is inspired," hath knowledge communicated to him from above.

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(7)" Leviathan," i.e. Pharoah. (m)" People in the wilderness," i. e. v. 15. the animals of prey.

v. 16.

(n) "Fountains," &c. This refers to what happened in the wilderness shortly after the Israelites had left Egypt: they murmured for want of water, and Moses by God's command smote a rock with his rod, and water came out of it, and supplied their wants. See Exod. xvii. 1 to 6.-Numb. xx. I to II. This is often noticed as a signal instance of God's power. In Ps. cv. 40. "He opened the "rock of stone, and the waters flowed out, so that rivers ran in the dry places." See also Ps. lxxviii. 16, 17. (o)" Driedst up," &c. This pro- v.16. bably refers to the miracle which occurred at the river Jordan, about 1451 years before the birth of Christ, when the running of the stream was suspended, and the priests with the ark stood firm on dry ground in the midst of the river, and all the Israelites passed through on dry ground. Josh. iii. 7 to 17. See Ps. cxiv.

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