The arrangement seems intentional; the soothing after the exciting, the stillness of the still waters after the fury of the tempest, and before proceeding to the engrossing and enrapturing scene of the Mighty One's dominion. It is like the pause of Milton's angel,——

"As one who in his journey bates at noon,

Though bent on speed, so here the Archangel paused
Between the world destroyed and world restored."

And, besides, it is most suitable that between the conflict finished successfully in man's behalf and the glorious issues of that conflict, as seen from the throne of dominion, there should interpose a view of that state of soul toward the Father in which the Head and his members pass through their wilderness.

The Church has so exclusively (we might say) applied this Psalm to herself, as almost to forget that her Shepherd ("that Great Shepherd !") once needed it and was glad to use it. Once the Lamb (now in the midst of the throne ready to lead us to fountains of living water) was led along by his Father. He said to his disciples, " And yet I an not alone, for the Father is with me. (John xvi. 32.) Was not this the burden of his song::-"The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not lack." (Ver. 1.) When he said, on another occasion, (John x. 14, 15,) "I know my sheep, and am known of mine, as the Father knoweth me." Was he not saying, "I lead you as my Father leads me? But try every clause, and every syllable will be found applicable to David and David's Son, to the Church and to the Church's Head. If ver. 1 sings, I shall not want, it is just a continuance of the testimony of Moses, Deut. ii. 7, "The Lord thy God-knoweth thy walking through this great wilderness: these forty years the Lord thy God has been with thee; thou hast lacked nothing." Christ and his Church together review their wilderness-days and praise the Lord. The song of the Lamb is not less complete than that of Moses.

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The occasional retreat to the Sea of Galilee and desert places, and the Mount of Olives, furnished Christ with many such seasons as ver. 2 celebrates. He maketh me lie down on pastures of tender grass."

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His saints know so well that it is his wont to do this in their case, that the Song of Songs asks not, "Dost thou make thy flock to rest at noon?" but only, "Where?" And as the Lord of the Ark of the covenant (Numb. x. 33) sought out for Israel a place to rest, so did he for his true Israel,-that Prince with God,-giving him many a refreshing hour amid his sorrow; as it is written, "He is at my right hand, that I should not be moved: therefore did my heart rejoice." (Acts ii. 25.)

"Per campi viridis mitia pabula,

Tuæ veris teneri pingit amoenitas,
Nunc pascor placide, nunc saturum latis
Fessus molliter explico.

"Parce rivus aquæ leniter adstrepens
Membris restituit robora languidis ;
Et blando recreat fomite spiritus

Solis sub face torridâ."

In temptation seasons, or after sore conflicts with man's unbelief, the Lord "restored his soul" (Ver. 3); that is, revived it with cordials, even as he does his people after such seasons, and after times of battle with their own unbelief. And when in the hour of trouble and darkness he cried, "What shall I say?" the Father "led him in paths of righteousness, for his name's sake," glorifying his name, as we read, John xii. 27.

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It was not once only, though it was specially as the garden and the cross drew near, that his soul was in the valley of the shadow of death." (Ver. 4.) But this he passed in safety, even when he did come to that thick gloom of Calvary. And He who led Him through will never leave one of his disciples to faint there; the rod and staff that slew the bear and the lion, made David confident against Goliath; so do we obtain confidence from knowing how our Shepherd has already found a safe way through wolves and perils.

In ver. 5 the table, the oil, and the cup, might, in Christ's case, be illustrated in the day of his baptism, in the shining forth of his glory, in such a miracle as that of Lazarus' resurrection; and in the light of the Transfiguration; as well as in the "meat to eat which the world knew not of," and the " rejoicing in spirit" as he thought upon the Father's will;-in all which blessings the sheep still share from time to time, getting occasional exaltations, and moments of "joy unspeakable and full of glory.'

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Even those names, the essence of whose anguish is expressed by · Eli, Eli, lama Sabacthani," did not make the Master doubt that goodness and mercy would follow him," till he reached his Home, his Father's house, with its many mansions. And shall any member doubt of his persevering to the end; of his being loved to the end with the love that first loved him, till he becomes a guest for ever in his Father's house?

The "house of the Lord" is the true Bethel; God's dwelling where the ladder is set between earth and heaven. The tabernacle was such in type. Christ spoke of it, when, leaving his few sheep in the wilderness, and amid wolves, "Let not your heart be troubled,

in my Father's house are many mansions." (John xiv. 1, 2.) It is New Jerusalem, and He is gone to the right hand of the Father, to gather in his elect, and then at length to raise up their bodies in glory, that they may enter into the full enjoyment of that house in the "kingdom prepared for the blessed of his Father." Fear not, then, little flock, it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom-and if so you must be kept for it; goodness and mercy must follow you all the days of your life, bringing up the rear of the camp, and leaving not a straggler to perish. It will be then that every sheep of his pasture will fully know and celebrate the words of this Psalm, The Righteous One's experience of the leadings of the Shepherd.

PSALM XXIV.

EVERY eye in the universe is looking on, and every ear listening in heaven, earth, and under the earth. There is a strain in this Psalm that

brings up to our thoughts, Revelation v. 2, 3; for a voice proclaims to the universe the Lord's dominion, and challenges a denial. This is done in ver. 1, 2, and no one in heaven, or earth, or hell, is found, who does not acquiesce in the declaration of Jehovah's sovereignty. Amid the universal attention of all beings, a voice asks the question, "Who shall ascend into the hill of the Lord?

And who shall stand in his holy place? (Ver. 3.) The import of the question is this. There is in that world, a revelation made to sinners, in yonder tabernacle, or Zion, of the way of a sinner's access to his God. O, son of man, do you know it? O, children of Adam, do you use it? Consider, O consider! For none shall have the after-blessings of glory who do not receive the present blessings of grace.

The voice then takes the character of the accepted sinner in ver. 4, -"He that hath clean hands; that is, he that washes in the water of the laver after being at the altar. This, O men of Israel, has been shown you. Is not that every day exhibited in your tabernacle? No priest enters the holy place until he has washed at the laver after being at the altar; or, to express it without a type,—

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He that has a pure heart,

Who has not lifted up his soul to vanity,

Nor sworn deceitfully." (Ver. 4.)

He must be pure, free from charge of sin against God and man. This is the man that receives the blessing; this is the man that receives the award of "righteousness," treated as righteous by the "God of salvation." And a believing Israelite knew the way to obtain this purity. His "holy place" presented to him in type the whole provision that the "God of salvation" had revealed as needed by a sinner. And so the voice pronounces

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This is the generation of them that seek him :
That seek thy face, O Jacob." (Ver. 6.)

The generation of those who seek Jehovah are persons of this description; the diligent seekers of thy face are Jacob, i.e., persons who have a claim to the name of the peculiar people. This, at least, is the meaning, if we adopt the rendering of Hengstenberg. But, retaining the common version, why should we not understand the words in the following way?-These whose hands are clean are the true seekers of Jehovah: and, in so doing, they are taking the true way to get Jacob's birthright and Jacob's blessing," They seek thy face, O Jacob: they do not seek Esau, with the fatness of earth, but thee, Jacob, who hast got the blessing from the Lord.”* Unless we understand it in reference to the possession of the birthright and the blessing, that is, to the promise of Messiah and the pre-eminence involved therein, we see no reason of introducing the name "Jacob.” But if we are right in our suggestion, then we not only get at once an appropriate reason for the introduction of that name, but also we find ourselves in this manner led on by an easy transition to the next pro

*In Prov. vii. 15, and xxix. 26, we have," seeking the face of" in the sense of seeking what they had to give,

clamation, the proclamation of the King; for this King is Jacob's birthright and blessing.

There is a pause, intimated by "Selah" (ver. 6), not unlike that in Prov. i., between verses 23 and 24; and the voice, having before declared who may hope to enter the Lord's presence, suddenly announces that the King is at hand!

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Lift up your heads, O ye gates;

And be ye lift up, ye everlasting doors;

And the KING OF GLORY shall come in." (Ver. 7.)

That name, "King of GLORY,"

King of GLORY,"* from whence is it derived? Is it not from the cloud of glory in the Holy of Holiest? Is He not thus designated as being the Antitype of that symbol of the Divine presence? And the doors are called "Everlasting," because he who enters in at them is to keep this palace and sanctuary which he makes for himself in everlasting freshness. "The beams of his house are to be cedar, and the rafters fir," (Song i. 17,) because the upholder of all is come. Earth is now to be his sanctuary and palace-Earth full of his glory -Earth with New Jerusalem come down from heaven.

It is the Lord himself, perhaps, who asks at the wondering universe (just as the elder asked at wondering John, Rev. vii. 13) concerning his well-beloved, now brought into this world in honour, and glory, and majesty, not as at his first coming, in humiliation.

"Who is this King of Glory?" (Ver. 8.)

It is like Jeremiah xxx. 21, 7, "Who is this that has engaged his heart to approach to me? saith the Lord." And the reply also is the Father's, telling him as having gained victories and overcome in battles, and so won the kingdom. But when the proclamation is repeated, and attention called again to Him by the question, "Who is this King?" the Father's reply is,

"The Lord of Hosts, He is the King of Glory,"

as if to identify our King with Jehovah before all creation.

"Selah" ends the Psalm; a pause ere the people depart from the spot where they heard his lofty song. It is a glorious hymn for the Church in all ages. Paul writing to Corinth (I Cor. x. 26) claims a believer's right to the things of earth, on the ground that this Psalm claims for God a right to it: "the earth is the Lord's and the fulness thereof." Evidently Paul associated himself and his fellow-saints with "the King of Glory," in whose train we expect to enter through the everlasting gates. The Psalm describes our mode of joining the royal procession, and so passing on to glory with the King. There is no Psalm which, with such sublime and simple grandeur, describes,

The path of the righteous to the throne of glory.

* Dr. Allix remarks, "If some Christians have applied it to Christ's ascension it was for want of considering that it gives to Christ the title of Jehovah, King of Glory (1 Cor. ii. 8), and of being powerful in battle. These titles I suppose his enemies destroyed. (Rev. xix. 6.)

PSALM XXV.

The inquiry may have crossed the reader's mind, Why was this Psalm placed next such an one as the 24th? We almost think we can answer that question, and if our answer is right it gives us a key to the structure of the Psalm. We suppose that the resemblance of ver. 12 to the style of the closing verses of Psalm xxiv. may account for the juxta · position. The resemblance is much closer than appears at first sight. As in Psalm xxiv. 8 (like Jer. xxx. 21) we had Messiah introduced_ to our notice by the question, 2, so in ver. 12 we find suddenly the question put,

"Who is this man who feareth the Lord?"

Up to that verse the Psalmist speaks in the name of a member of the Church, such as himself, amid snares (ver. 15) and troubles (ver. 17) at a time when Israel too was tried (ver. 22); times when David was as a partridge on the mountains. This member of the Church prays for deliverance, guidance, pardon, appealing to the Lord's compassions. At ver. 11 he utters the appeal, “Pardon mine iniquity for thy name's sake," throwing his burden before him, too heavy for him to bear ;-" For it is great." At this point the scene changes. An answer is coming to the petitioner. His eyes fix on the Perfect One.

"WHO IS THIS MAN that feareth the Lord?

Whom he teacheth the way that he shall choose,

His soul dwelleth at ease,

And his seed shall inherit the earth.”

What a blessed vision ! What a sweet sketch of Messiah and his blessings. Himself in his glorious rest, and his seed filling the earth! Instantly, in ver. 14, it is added that a share in this belongs to all who fear the Lord :

"The secret of the Lord is with them that fear Him,

And he will show them his covenant."

All the blessings of the covenant are yours, and the Lord's friendship ("secrets") is yours, O fearer of Jehovah. Having seen and heard all this the Psalmist exclaims,

"MINE EYES ARE EVER TOWARDS THE LORD,"

who provides such blessings, present and future, and thus makes my soul dwell at ease, while I behold Him. And so he prays again in full hope and confidence. When he reaches ver. 20, "Let me not be ashamed, for I put my trust in thee," we are reminded of Coriolanus betaking himself to the hall of Attius Tullius, and sitting as a helpless stranger there, claiming his king's hospitality, though aware of his having deserved to die at his hands. The Psalmist so throws himself

on the compassions of an offended God.