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borrowed a moft tremendous image of the wrath and indignation of Almighty God. Calamity and forrow, fear and trembling, infatuation and despair, the evils of the prefent life, and of that which is to come, are the bitter ingredients which compose this most hor... rible cup of mixture. It is entirely in the hand and disposal of God, who through every age, has been pouring out, and administering of it's contents, more or lefs, in proportion to the fins of men. But much

of the strength and power of the liquor ftill remains behind, until the day of final vengeance. It will be then exhausted, even to the dregs, by unrepenting rebels; when" burning coals, fire, and brimstone," and eternal" tempeft," shall be "the portion of their "cup." Pf. xi. 6.

9. But I will declare for ever; I will fing praises to the God of Jacob.

These difpenfations of mercy and judgment the prophet refolves to "declare" to the world for ever, by thus " finging" the works and the "praises" of God, in pfalms, and hymns, and fpiritual fongs. And while we now fing them, we declare our refolution to be the fame with his.

10. All the horns of the wicked alfo will I cut off; but the horns of the righteous fhall be exalted.

He determines likewife, as every good governor should do, to exert the authority with which he was entrusted; to break the power of triumphant wickednefs; and to exalt that righteousness which exalteth a nation; hereby rendering himself a fit image of Him, who hath fince done away tranfgreffion, and brought in everlafting righteousness, who will one

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day turn the wicked into hell, and exalt his faithful fervants, to reign with him in heaven. Already hẹ reigns in them upon earth: caufing "all carnal af"fections to die in them, and all things belonging "to the Spirit to live and grow in them,"

PSALM LXXVI.

ARGUMENT.

It is obvious, at first fight, to any one who reads this Pfalm, that it was compofed, as a thanksgiving hymn, on account of fome great deliverance, wrought for his people, by the immediate hand of God. The miraculous destruction of the Affyrian army, by the angel, in the days of king Hezekiah, is generally pitched upon, as the subject of it, and affirmed to be fo by the ancient Greek infcription prefixed to it in the LXX verfion, The prophet, 1, 2. declares the glory which God hath gotten him in Ifrael; 3-6. defcribes the circumftances of the deliverance, with 7. a reflection thereupon; 8-10. he mentions the effects it had produced among the nations, and 11, 12. thofe which it ought to produce in Ifraelitifh hearts. The ideas are to be tranfferred to the falvation of the church univerfal, by the deftruction of fin and Satan, and the overthrow of the perfecuting powers,

1. In Judah is God known, his Name is great in Ifrael. 2. In Salem alfo is his tabernacle, and his dwelling in Sion.

On occafion of fome great deliverance, the prophet speaks in tranfport concerning that prefence and protection of God, which the highly favoured Judah once enjoyed. She enjoyed them while fhe continued faithful, and really was, what the profeffed to be. But on account of her infidelity, and rejection of her Meffiah, an alteration of circumftances has taken. place. They are no longer Jews, who are fuch outwardly, nor is that circumcifion, which is cutward in the flesh; but they are Jews, who believe in the Son of God; and they are of the circumcifion, who are cleansed by him from all filthiness of flesh and fpirit. The Gentile Chriftian church hath fucceeded to the privileges of the Ifraelitifh. In her now "God " is known" by the Gofpel; and "his Name is "great" in her, by reason of all the mighty wonders which he hath wrought for her; fhe is the true "Sa"lem," or city of peace; he is the true "Sion," the fpiritual, holy, and beloved hill; and in her is the "tabernacle" and " dwelling place" of God her Saviour, by the spirit.

3. There brake he the arrows of the bow, the Shield, the fword, and the battle.

When God appeared in the defence of his ancient people, the weapons of their enemies were at once. blunted and broken, and all the formidable apparatus of war became, in a moment, utterly useless. Such was the event, when the holy Jefus entered the

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lifts against our fpiritual adverfaries, "for" us; and fuch ever will be the event, when he engages them "in" us.

4. Thou art more glorious and excellent than the mountains of prey.

This may be a beautiful apoftrophe to mount Sion, (mentioned, ver. 2.) as appearing infinitely more glorious and excellent, through the favour and protection of her God, than the arm of flesh and the inftruments of war could render the kingdoms of the earth, which fet themselves against her; and which, for their tyranny, and cruelty, and the ravages committed by them, are likened to thofe mountains, where beafts of prey, with fimilar difpofitions, rove, and roar, and devour. The powers of the world

make war with the Lamb, whofe ftation is upon "mount Sion;" but "the Lamb fhall overcome them, for he is Lord of lords, and King of kings; "and they that are with him are called, and chofen, " and faithful." Rev. xiv. 1. xvii. 14.

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5. The ftout hearted are spoiled, they have fept their fleep: and none of the men of might have found their hands. 6. At thy rebuke, O God of Jacob, both the chariot, or, rider, and horfe, are caft into a dead fleep.

It must be acknowledged, that these two verses feem in a very particular manner to point at the miraculous deftruction of Senacherib's army, when theftout hearted," who doubted not of taking and fpoiling the holy city, were themselves fuddenly "fpoiled" of ftrength and life; they "flept their fleep, and found not their hands;" they awaked

not

not again to the use of their powers and faculties; a rebuking blast was fent from the God of Jacob, under which the flower of Affyria withered in the fpace of a night, and in the morning was no more;

the horse and his rider were caft into a dead "fleep," they flept the fleep of death. How, in a moment, were the mighty fallen, and the weapons of war perished! How aftonishing the downfal of the tyrant! How complete the triumph of the daughter of Sion! Such will be the deftruction of the world; fuch the falvation of the people of God.

7. Thou, even thou art to be feared, and who may ftand in thy fight, when once thou art angry?

Why are the miraculous exertions of omnipotence recorded in the book of life, but to fuggeft to us this reflection, that God, and God only, is the proper object of our fear: fince neither the wisdom of the wife, nor the power of the mighty, no, not the world itself, can ftand a fingle moment before him, "when once he is angry?" Yet we continue to dread any frowns but those of heaven; and one poor, vain, finful man fhall, through a courfe of fixty, or seventy years, inceffantly and undauntedly tempt and provoke Him, who deftroyed 185,000 in a night. What is this, but madness?

8. Thou didst caufe judgment to be heard from heaven; the earth feared, and was ftill; 9. When God arofe to judgment, to fave all the meek of the earth, or, the afflicted of the land.

A deftruction fo far exceeding human power, was evidently the sentence of God's judgment, audibly pronounced from the eternal throne; and it was

heard

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