And if any who recited those Psalms, had not the same idea, it was not the fault of the law, or of the Psalms, of Moses, or of David, or of him who inspired both, but it was their own; as it is that of the Jews at this hour, though their prophesies have now been fulfilled, and their types realized. "He that takes his estimate of the Jewish religion from the grossness of the Jewish multitude," as the last cited author observes, "cannot fail of making a very wrong judgment. It is to be sought for in the sacred writings of the prophets, who have given us sufficient assurance, that they understood the law not according to the letter. Our religion, in like manner, is true and divine in the gospels, and in the preaching of the apostles; but it appears utterly disfigured in those who maim or corrupt it." Besides the figures supplied by the children of Israel, and by the law, there is another set of images often employed in the Psalms, to describe the blessings of redemption. These are borrowed from the natural world, the manner of its original production, and operations continually carried on in it. The visible works of God are formed to lead us, under the direction of his word, to a knowledge of those which are invisible; they give us ideas, by analogy, of a new creation rising gradually, like the old one, out of darkness and deformity, until at length it arrives at the perfection of glory and beauty; so that while we praise the Lord for all the wonders of his power, wisdom, and love, displayed in a system which is to wax old and perish, we may therein contemplate, as in a glass, those new heavens, and that new earth, of whose duration there shall be no end.* The sun, that fountain of life, and heart of the world, that bright leader of the armies of heaven enthroned in glorious majesty; the moon shining with a lustre borrowed from his beams; the stars glittering by night in the clear firmament; the air giving breath to all things that live and move; the interchanges of light and darkness; the course of the year, and the sweet vicissitude of seasons; the rain and the dew descending from above, and the fruitfulness of the earth caused by them; the bow bent by the hands of the Most High, which compasseth the heaven about with a glorious circle; the awful voice of thunder, and the piercing power of lightning; the instincts of animals,† and the qualities of vegeplum, novam arcam intuebantur. Bossuet Dissertat. in Psal. Cap. i.-Lex, juxta Spiritum accepta, ipsum erat Evangelium, sub veteribus figuris delitescens, et ceremoniarum velis obtectum, ab ipso quidem Mose (imprimis in Deuteronomio) aliquatenus et pro temporum ratione explicatum, a Prophetis verò succedentibus (ut visum est Divina Sapientiæ) dilucidius ostensum, demum a Christo et Apostolis plenissimê et luce ipso Sole clariori patefactum. Bulli Opera per Grabe, p. 614.-If the Jews, as our Saviour tells them, "thought they had eternal life in their Scriptures," they must needs have understood them in a spiritual sense and I know not what other spiritual sense, that should lead them to the expectation of eternal life, they could put on their scriptures, but that prophetic or typical sense, which respected the Messiah. Jesus expressly asserts, at the same time, that their " scriptures testified of him." How generally they do so, he explained at large, in that remarkable conversation with two of his disciples after his resurrection; when "beginning at Moses and ALL the prophets, he expounded unto them in ALL the scriptures the things concerning himself." Hurd's Introd. to the study of the Prophecies, Serm. ii. * Read nature: nature is a friend to truth; And bids dead matter aid us in our creed.-YOUNG. "I believe a good natural philosopher might show, with great reason and probability, that there is scarce a beast, bird, reptile, or insect, that does not, in each particular climate, instruct and admonish mankind of some necessary truth, for their happiness either in body or mind." Dr. Cheyne's Philosophical Conjectures on the preference of Vegetable Food, p. 73. That which a celebrated writer has often observed concer tables and minerals; the great and wide sea, with its unnumbered inhabitants; all these are ready to instruct us in the mysteries of faith, and the duties of morality. They speak their Maker as they can, But want and ask the tongue of man.-PARNELL. The advantages of Messiah's reign are represented in some of the Psalms under images of this kind. We behold a renovation of all things, and the world, as it were, new created, breaks forth into singing. The earth is crowned with sudden verdure and fertility; the field is joyful, and all that is in it; the woods rejoice before the Lord; the floods clap their hands in concert, and ocean fills up the mighty chorus, to celebrate the advent of the great King. Similiar to these, are the representations of spiritual mercies by temporal deliverances from sickness, prison, danger of perishing in storms at sea, and from the sundry kinds of calamity and death to which the body of man is subject; as also by scenes of domestic felicity, and by the flourishing state of well-ordered communities, especially that of Israel in Canaan, which while the benediction of Jehovah rested upon it, was a picture of heaven itself. The foregoing, and every other species of the sacred imagery, if there be any other not hitherto included, it hath been the author's main endeavour to illustrate. And a view of what is done in this way, will, it is humbly hoped, afford some reason to think there may not be that necessary connexion, which a late noble writer has been pleased to suppose, between DEVOTION and DULNESS. The Psalms which remain, are such as treat in plain terms, without figures or examples, of wisdom and folly, righteousness and sin; the hap piness produced by one, and the misery caused by the other; of particular virtues and vices; of the vanity of human life; of the attributes of God; of that patience with which the faithful should learn to bear the sight of wickedness triumphant, in this world, looking forward to the day of final retribution; and subjects of the like nature. As Psalms of this kind call for little in the expository way, the general doctrines or precepts implied in them, or suggested by them, are drawn forth in short reflections, attempted after the manner of those made by father Quesnel, on each verse of the New Testament. The opportunity of doing this, where nothing else seemed to be required, and indeed of doing, upon every occasion, what did seem to be required in any way, was the reason for throwing the work into its present form, rather than that of a paraphrase, or any other. Some repetitions, in a performance of this sort, are unavoidable. ning a poet, may perhaps be equally applicable to a divine-"To him nothing can be useless. Whatever is beautiful, and whatever is dreadful, should be familiar to his imagination: he should be conversant with all that is awfully vast or elegantly little. The plants of the garden, the animals of the wood, the minerals of the earth, and meteors of the sky, should all concur to store his mind with inexhaustible variety; for every idea is useful for the enforcement or decoration of moral or religious truth; and he who knows most, will have most power of diversifying his scenes, and of gratifying his reader with remote allusions, and unexpected instruction. By him, therefore, no kind of knowledge should be overlooked. He should range mountains and deserts for images and resemblances, and picture upon his mind every tree of the forest, and flower of the valley; the crags of the rock, and the mazes of the stream." RASSELAS, Chap. x. The reader may see this exemplified in some "Disquisitions on Select Subjects of Scripture," by my worthy friend, the Rev. Mr. Jones, whose labours make it evident, that true Philosophy will ever be the handmaid of true divinity. But a commentary on the book of Psalms is not to be read all at once;* and it was thought better to give the exposition of each Psalm complete in itself, than to refer the reader elsewhere; which, therefore, is only done, when passages of a considerable length occur in two Psalms, without any material difference. Such is the method the author has taken, such the authorities upon which he has proceeded, and such the rules by which he has directed himself. If consistency and uniformity in the comment have been the result, they will afford, it is hoped, no contemptible argument on its behalf; since it is scarce possible to expound uniformly, on an erroneous plan, so great a variety of figurative language as is to be found in the book of Psalms.† Let us stop, for a moment, to contemplate the true character of these sacred hymns. Greatness confers no exemption from the cares and sorrows of life. Its share of them frequently bears a melancholy proportion to its exaltation. This the Israelitish monarch experienced. He sought in piety that peace which he could not find in empire, and elleviated the disquietudes of state with the exercises of devotion. His invaluable Psalms convey those comforts to others which they afforded to himself. Composed upon particular occasions, yet designed for general use; delivered out as services for Israelites under the law, yet no less adapted to the circumstances of Christians under the gospel; they present religion to us in the most engaging dress; communicating truths which philosophy could never investigate, in a style which poetry can never equal; while history is made the vehicle of prophecy, and creation lends all its charms to paint the glories of redemption. Calculated alike to profit and to please, they inform the understanding, elevate the affections, and entertain the imagination. Indited under the influence of Him, to whom all hearts are known, and all events foreknown, they suit mankind in all situations, grateful as the manna which descended from above, and conformed itself to every palate. The fairest productions of human wit, after a few perusals, like gathered flowers, wither in our hands, and lose their fragrancy: but these unfading plants of paradise become, as we are accustomed to them, still more and more beautiful; their bloom appears to be daily heightened; fresh odours are emitted, and new sweets *The most profitable way of reading it, perhaps, would be, by small portions, often reviewing the text and the comment, and comparing them carefully together; at times when the mind is most free, vacant, and calm; in the morning, more especially to prepare and fortify it for the business of the day; and in the evening, to recompose, and set it in order, for the approaching season of rest. + The student in Theology, who is desirous for farther information upon a subject so curious, so entertaining, and so interesting, as that of the figurative language of Scripture, the principles on which it is founded, and the best rule to be observed in the sober and rational interpretation of it, may find satisfaction by consulting the following authors Lowth's Preface to his Commentary on the Prophets. Pascal's Thoughts, Sect. xxiv. Hurd's Introd. to the study of the Prophecies, Serm. ii. iii. iv. Vitringa Observat. Sacr. Lib. vi. Cap. xx. et Lib. vii. -Præfat. ad Comment. in Jesaiam. Glassii Philologia Sacr. Lib. ii. Witsii Miscellan. Sacra. Tom. I. Lib. iii. Cap. iii. Lib. ii. Dissert. i. ii. Econom. Fæd Lib. iv. Cap. vi.—x. Waterland's General Preface to Scripture Vindicated. extracted from them. He who hath once tasted their excellencies, will desire to taste them again; and he who tastes them oftenest, will relish them best. And now could the author flatter himself, that any one would take half the pleasure in reading the following exposition, which he hath taken in writing it, he would not fear the loss of his labour. The employment detached him from the bustle and hurry of life, the din of politics, and the noise of folly; vanity and vexation flew away for a season, care and disquietude came not near his dwelling. He arose, fresh as the morning, to his task; the silence of the night invited him to pursue it; and he can truly say, that food and rest were not preferred before it. Every Psalm improved infinitely upon his acquaintance with it, and no one gave him uneasiness but the last; for then he grieved that his work was done. Happier hours than those which have been spent on these meditations upon the Songs of Sion, he never expects to see in this world. Very pleasantly did they pass, and moved smoothly and swiftly along: for, when thus engaged, he counted no time. They are gone, but have left a relish and a fragrance upon the mind, and the remembrance of them is sweet. But, alas, these are the fond effusions of parental tenderness. Others will view the production with very different eyes, and the harsh voice of inexorable criticism will too soon awaken him from his pleasing dream. He is not insensible, that many learned and good men, whom he does not therefore value and respect the less, have conceived strong prejudices against the scheme of interpretation here pursued; and he knows how little the generality of modern Christians have been accustomed to speculations of this kind; which it may likewise, perhaps, be said, will give occasion to the scoffs of our adversaries, the Jews and the Deists. Yet, if in the preceding pages it hath been made to appear, that the application of the Psalms to evangelical subjects, times, and circumstances, stands upon firm ground; that it may be prosecuted upon a regular and consistent plan; and that it is not only expedient, but even necessary, to render the use of them in our devotions rational and profitable; will it be presumption in him to hope, that upon a calm and dispassionate review of the matter, prejudices may subside and be done away? If men, in these days, have not been accustomed to such contemplations, is it not high time they should become so? Can they begin too soon to study and make themselves masters of a science, which promises to its votaries so much entertainment as well as improvement; which recommends the scriptures to persons of true taste and genius, as books intended equally for our delight and instruction; which demonstrates the ways of celestial wisdom to be ways of pleasantness, and all her paths to be peace indeed! From the most sober, deliberate, and attentive survey of the sentiment which prevailed upon this point, in the first ages of the church, when the apostolical method of citing and expounding the Psalms was fresh upon the minds of their followers, the author cannot but be confident, that his Commentary, if it had then made its appearance, would have been universally received and approved, as to the general design of it, by the whole Christian world. And however the Jews, in their present state of alienation and unbelief, may reject and set at nought such applications of their scriptures to our Messiah, and his chosen people, as they certainly will do; he is not less confident, that, whenever the happy and glorious day of their conversion shall come, and the veil shall be taken from their hearts, they will behold the Psalter in that light in which he has endeavoured to place it.* As to the Deists, they, while they continue such, can have neither lot nor part in this matter; for giving no credit to the scripture account of things, either in the Old Testament or the New, to discourse with them concerning a connection and analogy subsisting between the one and the other, is to reason about a fifth sense with a man who has only four. For the conviction both of the Jews and Deists, other arguments are to be urged; arguments from undeniable miracles openly wrought, and plain prophecies literally fulfilled. Such proofs are "for them that believe not.' And such have been repeatedly urged, in their full force, by many able champions, who have stood forth (success evermore attend their labours!) in defence of the Evidences of Christianity. Expositions and meditations, like those in the subsequent pages, serve not, nor are intended to serve, "for them who believe not, but for them who believe;" who will exercise their faculties in discerning and contemplating the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, and who are going on unto perfection; to increase their faith, and inflame their charity: to delight them in prosperity, to comfort them in adversity, and to edify them at all times. Such effects, the author doubts not, will be experienced by believers, who will read his book with an honest and good heart, with seriousness and attention; for though he humbly trusts it will not be deemed altogether unworthy a place in the libraries of the learned, he builds chiefly on that approbation which he is solicitous it should receive in the closets of the devout; as considering,. that it is LOVE, heavenly LOVE, which "never faileth; but whether there be prophecies, they shall fail; whether there be tongues, they shall cease; whether there be knowledge, it shall vanish away. For we know in part, and we prophecy in part; but when that which is perfect is come, then that which is in part shall be done away." They who find not the wished-for satisfaction in one portion, will find it in another; they who disapprove of an interpretation at the first reading, may perhaps approve of it at the second; and they who still continue to disapprove of some particulars, will not therefore disdain to accept the benefit of the rest. He has written to gratify no sect or party, but for the common service of all who call on the name of JESUS, wheresoever dispersed, and however distressed upon the earth. When he views the innumerable unhappy differences among Christians, all of whom are equally oppressed with the cares and calamities of life, he often calls to mind those beautiful and affecting words, which Milton represents Adam as addressing to Eve, after they had wearied themselves with mutual complaints and accusations of each other: "If this appears to be the case in so many of the Psalms (namely, that they are predictive of Messiah), how strongly does it justify the Lord's appeal to them, as treating of Him? And what a noble argument may hence arise for the conviction and conversion of that extraordinary people, to whom they were originally communicated, when once the veil that is on their hearts shall be taken away, as by the same spirit of prophecy we are assured it shall!" The Bishop of Carlisle's Theory of Religion, p. 176, 6th edit.-With what transports of zeal and devotion, of faith and love, will they recite these holy hymns, in the day when the whole body of the Jews, returning to the Lord their God, shall acknowledge their unparelled crime in the murder of their King, and their penitential sorrow for the same, perhaps as his Lordship intimates, in the words of the fifty-first Psalm; "deliver me from blood-guiltiness, O God, thou God of my salvation; and my tongue shall sing aloud of thy righteousness. O Lord, open thou my lips, and my mouth shall show forth thy praise. For thou desirest not sacrifice, else would I give it; thou delightest not in burnt-offering. The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God thou wilt not despise. O do good in thy good pleasure to Zion: build thou the walls of Jerusalem!" |