Evening Prayer. A Pfalm of David, wherein, as the generality of Divines affirm, in his own Perfon he gives a large account of the Sufferings of Chrift, of his Exaltation, and the enlarging his Kingdom: But others fuppofe that he had no regard to his own Perfon in penning this Pfalm; but that is meerly a Prophecy of the Mellias: And it is certain there are fome Paffages in it, which can scarce be applied to David; however, not in a proper and ftrict fenfe, as particularly the 17th, 18th,& 27th Verses. Dr. Hammond fuppofes, upon good grounds, that our Saviour rehearsed not only the first Verfe, but the whole Ffalm, or at least good part of it upon the Cross, and thereby applied it to his own Perfon and Circumstances, Mat, xxvii. 46. 3 Faithful:7 Deus, Deus meus. Pfal. XXII. O thou Worship of MY God, my God, look upon me, why haft upon thou forfaken me: and art fo far from my health, and from the words of my complaint? 2 O my God, I cry in the day-time, but thou heareft not: and in the night-feafon alfo I take no reft. * 3 And thou continueft [holy]: O thou worship of Ifrael. Ifrael; that is, O thou who art the Objed of our Worship, or whom Ifrael worthippeth, or Praifeth, Deut. x. 21. Jer. xvii. 14. So Christ is called the Glory of Ifrael, Luke ii. 32. See Worship in the Vocabulary. 3. Our fathers hoped in thee; they trufted in thee, and thou didst deliver them. 5 They called upon thee, and were holpen they put their truft in thee, and were not confounded. 6 But A 6. But as for me, I am a worm, and no man: a very fcorn of men, and the out-caft of the people. 7 All they that fee me, laugh Matt. xxvii. 39. me to fcorn: they fhoot out their lips, and fhake their heads, faying, 8 He trufted in God, that he Matt, xxvii. 43. would deliver him: let him deliver him,if he will have him. 9 But thou art he that took me out of my mothers womb: thou waft my hope when I hanged yet upon my mothers breafts. Io I have been left unto thee ever fince I was born: thou art my God even from my mothers womb. 11 O go not from me, for trouble is hard at hand: and there is none to help me. 12 Many *oxen are come about me: fat bulls of Bafan clofe me in on every fide. 13 They gape upon me with their mouths: as it were a ramping and a roring lion. 14 I am poured out like water, and all my bones are out of joint my heart alfo in the midst of my body is even like melting wax. 15 My ftrength is dried up like a potfherd, and my tongue cleaveth to my gums and thou fhalt bring me into [the dust of death.] D 4 12, 13 By Bulls and Oxen in the prophetick Style, is often meant cruel and bloody Princes, Ezra xxxix. 18. Amos iv. I. and by Lions and Unicorns, ver.21. we may juftly underftand the fame. 15 [The Grave,] 16 By * 21 Unicorn.] 'Tis not certain what Animal is meant by the Hebr. Réém, whether the Rhinoceros (which about me: and the council of 16 For many *dogs are come the wicked layeth fiege againft me. 17 They pierced my hands, and my feet, I may tell all my bones: they ftand staring, and looking upon me. 18 They part my garments among them: and caft lots upon my vefture. 19 But be not thou far from me, O Lord: thou art my fucCour, hafte thee to help me. 20 Deliver my foul from the fword: my [darling] from the power of the dog. 21 Save me from the lions mouth: thou haft heard me alfo from among the horns of the unicorns. has indeed but one Horn, and that on its Snout) as the Ancients thought, or the Urus, or Afinus Indicus, as fome have conjectured; or the Arabian Goat, as the Learned Bochart afferted. 22 [All my Difciples, Heb. ii. 11, 12. if understood of Christ. 22 I will declare thy Name unto my [brethren]: in the midst of the congregation will I praise thee. 23 O praise the Lord, ye that fear him: magnifie him, all ye of the feed of Jacob, and fear him all ye feed of Ifrael. 24 For he hath not defpifed, nor abhorred the low eftate of the poor: he hath not hid his face from him, but when he called unto him, he heard him. 25 My praife is of thee in the the great congregation: my Vows will I perform in the fight of them that fear him. 26 [The poor fhall eat, and be fatisfied: they that feek after the Lord, fhall praise him; your heart fhall live for ever.] So Jacob's Spirit revived, or lived again, fort, Gen. xlv. 27. 26 Tour Heart shall live for ever; that is, becomforted, fotolive] your Heart fhall for ever fignifies, 1 Thef. iii. 8. that is, was full of Com [I will call the Poor to eat their fill of thofe Sacrifices, which I have vowed, and will offer to God; and all that are well-affected to him fhall join with me in his Praife, and fhall enjoy a conftant, never-failing comfort in ferving him.] These words are more truly applicable to Chrift Jefus, who feeds the Poor with his Word, with his Flefh and Blood, which is a perpetual ftream of Comfort to his faithful People. and 27 All the ends of the world fhall remember themselves, and be turned unto the Lord all the kindreds of the nations fhall worship before him. 28 For the kingdom is the Lords: and he is the Governour among the people. 29 [All those who 29 [All fuch as be fat upon had Cattle of their own, earth have eaten, and wor or wherewithal to buy them, and to travel to fhipped.] Jerufalem, have all along, at proper times offer'd Sacrifice, and cat their fhare of them, and worshipped God according to the Rites of Mofes's Law.] 30 [All they that go down. into the duft, fhall kneel before him and no man hath *quickened his own foul.] 30 To quicken fignifies to give or restore life. [But I will take care, fo far as in me lies, that whatever mortal Men are my Subjects, shall not want wherewithal to worship God, nor time and opportunity to attend his Service. And when I fpeak of mortal Men, I mean all without Exception; for who can keep alive himfelf, or raife himself when he is once dead. This is more truly applicable to Chrift Jefus, who hath, in all refpects, fet the Poor on equal Terms with the Rich, as to their Religious Concerns; or if either have the advantage, 'tis the Poor, for unto them the Gospel was in an efpecial manner preached. * 31 My 31 [* My Seed shall alfo do much for the Service of God: many Kings defcended from 31[*My feed fhall ferve him: they fhall be counted unto the Lord for a generation.] me Thall fhew a great Zeal for his Honour: And at laft the Great King, the Mex, fhall be born of a Virgin lineally defcended from me; fo that my Family fhall be accounted Sacred to the true God.] 32 [They shall rife up in their feveral Ages, and at laft he who is to 32[They fhall come, and the heavens fhall declare his righteoufnefs: unto à people that a fhall be born, whom the Lord * hath made. be the Saviour of the World: And what I now fay fhall hereafter be confirmed by the greatest Miracles, and by an Angel, and a Star from Heaven. God's Truth and Faithfulness to me and my Family, I fay, fhall be confirm'd to a People whom he fall raise up (the Chriftian Church,) whofe Minds God fhall form for the receiving and practising Divine Truth, Eph. ii. 10.] Hath made: He fpeaks in the Prophetick Style; as again, ver. 17. they pierced. A Pfalm of David in time of Profperity. Dominus regit me. Pfal. XXIII. |