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and think upon his commandments to do 1 Thess. 4. 1. them.

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19 The Lord hath prepared his seat [throne] in heaven, and his kingdom ruleth over all. 20 O praise the Lord, ye angels of his, ye that excel in strength, ye that fulfil his commandment, and hearken unto the voice of his words.

21 O praise the Lord, all ye his hosts, ye servants of his that do his pleasure.

Dan. 4. 34, 35.

Dan. 7. 10.

Matt. 6. 10.

Heb. 1. 14.

22 O speak good of the Lord, all ye works Ps. 96. 11, 12. of his, in all places of his dominion. Praise thou John 4. 21, 23 the Lord, O my soul.

Evening Prayer.

PSALM CIV.

THE true subject of praise, one eminently worthy of God, and admirably adapted to make our hearts glow with feelings of piety, is furnished by the contemplation of his power in the creation of the world, of his wisdom in arranging and adorning it, of his providence in sustaining it, and of his mercy, as well in the regulation of its minutest parts, as in ordering and directing all the affairs of men. This Psalm, in which such various reasons for celebrating the Deity occur, is imagined, with great probability, to have proceeded from David, and, as some persons suppose, whilst he continued in "the forest of Hareth" (1 Sam. xxii. 5), surrounded by the pastoral scenes, which are here so beautifully described. At all events, the ideas now expressed were evidently very familiar to him, and the manner, in which they are introduced, plainly proves them to be the result of his solitary wanderings and most retired meditations. The change of persons in the Psalm is very remarkable, the second and third being used promiscuously throughout the whole of it.

19 The Lord, &c. This verse appears designed to enforce the assertions contained in those which precede it, as if David warns his countrymen, that, because Jehovah is supreme and omnipotent, no one need doubt of his ability to accomplish such vast mercies.

20 Ye that excel, &c. Ye mighty beings, that are endowed with a greater degree of power than the rest of God's creation.

21 All ye his hosts. Ye heavenly bodies, which, at his command, perform your accustomed courses, and further his designs towards man. See on Psalm xxiv. 10. Perhaps the angels are again intended.

22 0 speak good, &c. David now calls on every thing, animate and inanimate, throughout the whole extent of the world, to praise the Lord; but on himself, in particular, on account of the personal blessings, which he had experienced.

Isai. 59. 17.
Dan. 9. 4.

1 Tim. 6. 16.

Gen. 1. 7.
Amos. 9. 6.

2 Kings 2. 11: 6. 17. Job 38. 4, &c. Eccles. 1. 4.

2 Pet. 3. 5.

PRAISE the Lord, O my soul: O Lord my God, thou art become exceeding glorious, thou art clothed with majesty and honor.

2 Thou deckest thyself with light, as it were with a garment; and spreadest out the heavens like a curtain.

3 Who layeth the beams of his chambers in the waters, and maketh the clouds his chariot, and walketh upon the wings of the wind.

4 He maketh his angels spirits, and his ministers a flaming fire.

5 He laid the foundations of the earth, that it never should move [be removed] at any time. 6 Thou coveredst it with the deep, like as with a garment: the waters stand in the hills.

1 Thou art become, &c. We have here an allusion to the royal and splendid robes, which Jehovah is poetically supposed to have just put on. See on Psalm LXviii. 17.

2 Like a curtain. It would seem to be usual in the East, on all occasions, when a large company is expected, for the court where they meet, to be sheltered from heat or unfavorable weather, by means of a veil or curtain, which, being stretched on ropes from one wall to the other, may be folded or unfolded at pleasure. The Psalmist in these words, which have also been translated "like the awning of a tent," is conceived to have had in his mind some covering of this nature. Job xxxvi. 29. Isai. XL. 22.

3 Who layeth, &c. Images derived from a building are very common in the Psalms. LXXviii. 70: Lxxxix. 2, 4. The beams or rafters of God's palace are laid, as it were, in the watery clouds. Psalm LXviii. 34. The passage is generally interpreted of those "dark waters compacted into thick clouds of the skies," which the Almighty, is elsewhere declared to make the secret place or chamber of his dwelling, and a kind of footstool to his heavenly throne. Psalm xviii. 9, &c.—His chariot. See on Psalm xviii. 10.

4 He maketh, &c. God employs the elements of air and fire, or, in other words, the winds and the lightnings, as his messengers and ministers, to execute his commands upon the earth. Psalm cxLviii. 8. But, on the authority of St. Paul (Heb. i. 7), this verse has a still further reference, namely, to the spiritual nature, to the might and swiftness, of the angelic beings themselves.

6 Thou coveredst it, &c. The expressions, which now occur, are sometimes applied to the period of the deluge; but, most probably, without sufficient reason, because the intention of the author, all through his composition, was evidently to point out the greatness of the divine goodness and power in the work of creation. Besides, it should be remembered, that, "in the beginning," the mountains may be affirmed, according to the Mosaic narrative, to have lain hidden beneath the waters (Gen. i. 2), in exactly the same manner, as they

7 At thy rebuke they flee: at the voice of Gen. 1. 9: thy thunder they are afraid:

8. 1.

8 They go up as high as the hills, and down Ps. 33. 7. to the valleys beneath, even unto the place, which thou hast appointed for them.

9 Thou hast set them their bounds, which Job. 26. 10. they shall [may] not pass; neither turn again Jer. 5. 22. to cover the earth.

10 He sendeth the springs into the rivers, Isai. 41. 18. which run among the hills.

11 All beasts of the field drink thereof, and the wild asses quench their thirst.

Job 39. 5, &c.

12 Beside them shall the fowls of the air Matt. 6. 26. have their habitation, and sing among the

branches.

14. 22.

13 He watereth the hills from above [from Jer. 10. 13 : his chambers]: the earth is filled with the fruit of thy works.

did some ages afterwards, when "the fountains of the great deep were broken up." Gen. vii. 11, 19.

7 At thy rebuke, &c. The Psalmist appears, then, to declare, that God issued his commands in thunder, which is called his voice, Psalm xxix. 3, 4. John xii. 28, 29. As soon as the waters hear his voice, they become afraid, and haste away from off the face of the earth, easily surmounting even the hills, which oppose their progress, and passing quickly through the valleys which lie in their way, until, at length, they reach the great deep, that one place, into which he appointed them to be all gathered together.

9 Thou hast set, &c. The law of creation was, however, at the deluge, overruled by God, to accomplish his own pleasure.

10 He sendeth, &c. The rain of heaven, descending from "the river of God" (Psalm Lxv. 10), nourishes the springs; whilst they, running down from the mountains, constantly replenish the streams, which flow" among the hills." Ver. 13.

11 The wild asses. These were, apparently, designed to represent all wild animals, in opposition to the tame ones, called here the "beasts of the field." See on Psalm viii. 7. Thus the goodness of God is praised for having watered even the remote and sandy deserts, where they have their abode. Psalm LXV. 13. See on Psalm CXL viii. 9.

12 Beside them, &c. In hot climates trees are naturally found to be most numerous, as well as most luxuriant, near the margins of rivers. Psalm i. 3.

13 The hills. See on Psalm cxLvii. 8. But it is possible, that the hills are mentioned only as being the most conspicuous parts of the earth, and that they are here put for the whole of it; which likewise seems to be the case, Psalm LXxii. 3.- -The fruit, &c. The necessary consequences of the works of creation, and of that secret energy, which God then imparted to the land. The phrase may, on the contrary,

Gen. 1. 29, 30.
Job 28.5.

Judg. 9. 13.

Prov. 31. 6, 7.

Num. 24. 6.

Dan. 4. 21.

Matt. 13. 32.

Prov. 30. 26.

14 He bringeth forth grass for the cattle, and green herb for the service of men,

15 That he may bring food out of the earth; and wine that maketh glad the heart of man; and oil to make him a cheerful countenance [to make his face to shine]; and bread to strengthen man's heart.

16 The trees of the Lord also are full of sap, even the cedars of Libanus, which he hath planted;

17 Wherein the birds make their nests, and the fir-trees are a dwelling for the stork.

18 The high hills are a refuge for the wild goats, and so are the stony rocks for the conies.

simply mean, "the fruits which thou producest," and refer to the productions specified in the two following verses. These productions, therefore, the Psalmist must then be considered to say, are appointed for "the earth," that is, for all earth-born animals, both man and beast, who are abundantly supplied with them.

14 For the service of men. Not for man's nourishment, but that, giving this "grass" and "green-herb" to his cattle, he may be able to employ them in agriculture, and thus fulfil the divine appointment, by himself endeavoring to "bring food" or bread-corn "out of the earth" to satisfy his own daily wants. God is the first, and man the second, cause of all temporal abundance. The change of number between "men" and "he" is exactly similar to that, which occurs, Psalm vii. 1, 2: CXL. 8.

15 And wine, &c. And the Lord (bringeth forth) wine, &c. By the powerful influence, therefore, of the divine agency, the earth is made to furnish man, as well as the animal creation, with the various necessaries and enjoyments of life, comprising, as in his case they do, grapes for wine, olives for oil, and corn for bread. See on Psalm iv. 8. -Oil, &c. See on Psalm xcii. 9. Oil was, throughout the East, a very precious and important article.

16 The trees, &c. See on Psalm xxix. 5. These cedars of Lebanon may, by a not unusual form of expression, be styled the Lord's trees, and be declared to have been planted by Him, on account of their height, size, and extent; but, rather, perhaps, because they were watered solely "by the dew of heaven," and grew and flourished without any human care or cultivation.

17 The stork. In countries, where the preservation of these birds is an object of great solicitude, they become very familiar from never being molested; and, as they are protected by the prejudices of the people, they commonly build their nests in the midst of towns, and even on the tops of houses. Amongst the Israelites, however, this was not likely to be the case, since they were commanded to regard the stork as an unclean bird. Lev. xi. 19. The fir-trees are, of course, to be taken for every species of tree, except the cedar.

18 The high hills, &c. It is meant, that those parts also of the

19 He appointed the moon for certain sea- | Gen. 1. 14. sons; and the sun knoweth his going down.

20 Thou makest darkness, that it may be Isai. 45. 7. night, wherein all the beasts of the forest do move [creep forth].

21 The lions, roaring after their prey, do seek their meat from God.

22 The sun ariseth, and they get them away together, and lay them down in their dens. 23 Man goeth forth to his work, and to his labor, until the evening.

24 O Lord, how manifold are thy works! in wisdom hast thou made them all: the earth is full of thy riches.

Job. 38. 39.

Joel 1. 20.

Job 24. 13, &c.

John 3. 20.

Gen. 3. 19.

Prov. 3. 19.

1 Tim. 6. 17.

25 So is the great and wide sea also, wherein Deut. 33. 19. are things creeping innumerable, both small and great beasts:

26 There go

the ships; and there is that levia- | Ps. 107. 23, &c.

earth, which might otherwise have been deemed as unprofitable as they are barren, have nevertheless their uses, and serve to shelter certain living creatures, whose habits are adapted to them.The conies. The animal pointed out by the Psalmist is not an inhabitant of our climate. In all likelihood it was a large kind of mouse, harmless, chewing the cud, and about the size of a rabbit. But the accuracy of this description is of little moment, it being sufficient for us to know, that the word, here rendered "conies," signified creatures remarkable for securing themselves from danger by burrowing among the rocks.

19 For certain seasons. The Israelites, like most other nations of antiquity, reckoned their time by lunar months and years. The moon equally regulated their public festivals and stated observances. Ecclus. XLiii. 6, 7.

21 The lions, &c. They roar, when hungry, as if to entreat, that God would, by his providence, minister to their support.

22 The sun ariseth, &c. The language of the Psalmist intimates the sovereignty of man over the rest of the creation, by causing us to observe, that, when he goes forth to his daily labors, the beasts of the earth retire to their dens, impressed with instinctive reverence and

awe.

24 The earth, &c. The earth abounds with temporal comforts and blessings, which have been showered down upon it for man's advantage from God's treasure-house in heaven. Jam. i. 17.

25 So is the great, &c. In like manner the spacious sea is full of thy wonderful works, and contains innumerable kinds of moving things, both small and great.- -Beasts. This word, which here signifies any living creature except man, ought clearly to have been included in the list, which occurs on Psalm xxxviii. 17. It is applied to a serpent, Gen. iii. 1.

26 Leviathan. See on Psalm 1xxiv. 15.

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