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down his grace plentifully upon us, filling our souls with praise and gratitude to the God of our salvation. Before I enter upon the distinct consideration of the several parts of the Psalm, I judge it will be useful to lay before you a general plan of the whole, that you may afterwards more readily follow me, when I come to particulars. And this shall be my present subject. Upon the first reading of the Psalm every believer will observe the principal scope and design of it, which are contained under these four points.

First, We are called upon to be thankful for redemption in the three first verses.

Secondly, From the 4th verse to the 33d, the reasons for our thankfulness are assigned, which are taken from God's redeeming us from the lowest state of sin and misery. And

Thirdly, From his manner of protecting us after we are redeemed and brought into his church, from the 34th to the 42d verse. And

Fourthly, In the two last verses we have the applica tion, exhorting us to study and to understand those mercies of redemption, that we may be full of thanksgiving and praise for them.

This is the general plan. The Author is the holy Spirit. The subject is thanksgiving to Christ the Redeemer. The motives, here urged, to incite us to practise this duty, are taken from the many great and inestimable blessings of redemption. In order to give us clear and just ideas of this redemption, the holy Spirit has selected four images from nature, to represent the exquisite distress and misery of man in his natural state; they are the most striking images, which he who knows our hearts could set before us, and they are so highly finished, that they want no grace or ornament which infinite wisdom itself was able to give them. He compares us while we lay in our natural fallen state, first to men who have lost their way in a desolate wilderness and are ready to perish with hunger; secondly, to men, who are fallen into the pit of dark

ness and the shadow of death, where they lay bound in misery and iron; thirdly, to men, who have such a weak and vitiated appetite, that they lothe even the smell of wholesome meat; and fourthly to men, who are in the utmost distress at sea in a violent storm. These four images put together make a complete picture of our miserable fallen condition; and the persons who are in this condition, are supposed in the Psalm to be brought to a deep sense of its misery-they feel their guilt, and dread its punishment-conscience is awakened and alarmed-and the smart and anguish of it grow insupportable. This seems very afflicting, but it is the work of God. He makes them feel their misery, that the sense of it may force them to seek relief, where only it is to be found, for no sooner do they send up their petitions to the throne of grace, than the almighty Saviour instantly sends them deliverance, as it is remarked in each of these four instances, that when they cried unto the Lord in their trouble, then he delivered them out of their distress. He was disposed to grant them help, long before they were willing to receive it. And such was his redeeming love, so abundant were the riches of his mercy to those distressed objects, that he not only delivered them, but also bestowed upon them every manner of thing that is good. Although he had freely lifted them up from the lowest state of sin and misery, yet he never once upbraided them with their former wretchedness, never withheld his loving kindness, nor stopped the current of his favours; but pardoned them, and justified them, and still went on sanctifying them, until he placed the crown of eternal glory upon their heads. Oh! what a love was this! what infinite mercy was it to take these miserable sinners from the vilest sink of corruption, and to exalt them to be the most glorious saints in heaven! Does not this call aloud for your gratitude? Is not this the highest instance of God's redeeming mercy of that very mercy which is said to be over all his works for it is to us sinners, above them all in

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degree, and beyond them all in duration. And how then can we refrain from that just tribute of praise, which the holy Spirit calls upon us under each of these four instances to pay to our great deliverer. O that men would therefore praise the Lord for his goodness, and declare the wonders that he doth for the children After these four instances of man's exquisite distress and misery by nature, and of his full and perfect recovery by grace, the Psalmist goes on to describe the flourishing state of the Gentile church, when the Jewish should be cast off and rejected. And this part of the Psalm is like the preceding, elevated and sublime. From the 32d to the 39th verse, the Christian church is represented under the image of a well-watered country, where the face of nature is all verdant and blooming, where the earth produces its grain, the trees their fruit in great abundance, where you see plenty smiling around you, and peace securing the possession, and grace giving a relish to the enjoyment of this happy scene. God thus turneth the wilderness into a standing water-and the dry ground into water-springs, and there he maketh the hungry to dwell, that they may sow the field, and plant vineyards, which may yield them fruits of increase: he blesseth them also, &c. Such is the Gentile church, but the Jewish, now cast off and rejected, is compared to a desolate wilderness, where there is neither standing water, nor water-springs, where you see nothing growing, not the least verdure appears. There is not one single field sown with grain. Not one flourishing tree lifts up its fruitful head, neither the olive nor the vine take root in this barren soil, so that there is neither wine to make glad the heart of man, nor oil to make him of a cheerful countenance. The whole prospect is one dry desolate wilderness.

And this part of the Psalm is fulfilled. The Christian church has been in this flourishing condition, and the Jewish church is now like a sandy wildernessneither refreshed with the dew of heaven, nor made fertile by the streams of divine grace; and for want of

their genial influence, it is so parched and burnt up, that nothing grows either for use or ornament.

And the same gracious Governor and Saviour of the world, who rejected the Jews, and cast them into this barren wilderness, because they rejected him, and cast him off from being Lord over them, can and will also humble us in the same manner, if we be guilty of the same crime. The present wretched state of the Jews is a standing lesson to those persons, who will not receive Jesus for their God: and may his grace dispose them to make a right use of this lesson, lest it should soon be exemplified in their own destruction: for we of this church and kingdom have much to fear from our national infidelity. Several churches and kingdoms have been destroyed for this crime, and the holy Spirit in the 39th and 40th verses of this Psalm declares that this is the common method of our Lord's providence. Whenever a people after various calls and admonitions from heaven (and we have had many such lately) still remain incorrigible in their deistical opinions about Christ's divinity, and their treasonable practices against him, then his good Spirit no longer strives with them, but gives them over to a reprobate mind.-And again they are diminished and brought low, through oppression, affliction, and sorrow. The Christians are certainly diminished and brought low-they are diminished in number, and brought low in circumstances, insomuch that we have great reason to apprehend our candlestick may be soon removed, and the light of the pure gospel may shine no more among us. Were it not that our God is good, we might expect to be finally cut off: but the mercies of Jesus are infinite. He has borne with us long. Oh! that his long-suffering may not be wearied out, but may have the desired effect, and lead us to repentance. So iniquity shall not be our ruin. Blessed Jesus, spare us a little, and let our people have one more offer of thy grace and mercy, before the destroying angel be sent to visit us, and eut us off.

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After this striking account of the various states and revolutions of the church, there follows in the 41st verse, a most sweet promise to the few poor followers of the Redeemer-Yet setteth he the poor on high from affliction-the poor in spirit he removes out of the reach of affliction-the God, in whom they trust will protect and keep them safe amidst public calamities. No evil shall come nigh to hurt them. When a nation is visited for their infidelity, and is scourged with the sharp rod of war or pestilence, then the destroying angel shall have no power over them. Their almighty God and Saviour will encamp around them; and then says the prophet, "Though an host of men were set against me, yet would not my heart be afraid, and "though there rose up war against me, yet will I put "my trust in him." He trusted in God's promises, and he had good reason: for he has engaged to be an impregnable wall of brass around his faithful people, when they are threatened with persecution or distress: and must not these persons be quite out of the reach of evil, who are surrounded with a brazen wall, and the Almighty himself guards and defends it? And this was his promise to Jeremiah, and through him to every believer in the same circumstances, Jer. xv. 20, “And I, says God, will make thee unto this people a "fenced brazen wall, and they shall fight against thee, "but they shall not prevail against thee, for I am with "thee to save thee, and to deliver thee, saith the "Lord." He will save and deliver his people, and they shall be at peace, while the rest of the world is at at war: for he setteth the poor on high out of the reach of affliction, and then it follows, he maketh him households, like a flock of sheep. No shepherd can watch over his flock with a more tender care, or provide better for their welfare, than the great shepherd and bishop of souls provides for his flock: under his most affectionate and almighty protection, each of them is so completely happy, that he can truly declare

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"The Lord is my shepherd, therefore can I lack

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