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2. ‹ The earth is the LORD's, and the fulness thereof-For he hath founded it.'-II. His estate of humiliation in the flesh, as it is written, John i. 14. And the WORD was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father), full of grace and truth;'-and Gal. iv. 4. When the fulness of time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law, to redeem them ' that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons;'-and Phil. ii. 8. Being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and ⚫ became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. Wherefore God also hath highly exalted ' him.'-So saith also the Psalm, ver. 3-7. · Who 'shall ascend into the hill of the Lord ?-He that ⚫ hath clean hands, and a pure heart,-He shall re'ceive the blessing from the Lord'As to the 6th verse, see the general preface)-III. His estate of exaltion, commencing, and manifesting itself, in the glory of his resurrection, ascension, &c. as it is written, 1 Pet. i. 21. God raised him up from the dead, and gave him glory ;'-and Heb. ii. 9. 'We see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels for the suffering of death, crowned with glory and honour',-and Rom. i. 4. Declared the Son of God with power, according to the Spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead;'-and Acts i. 9. While they beheld,

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' he was taken up, and a cloud received him out of ⚫ their sight;'-and ver. 11. (the angels said), Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into 'heaven? This same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come, in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven ;'-and chap. iii. 21. Whom the heavens must receive till the 'times of restitution of all things.'-And saith not the Psalm also the same, addressing the heavens, by a figure divinely bold, if it be a figure at all; for what is said is done? Lift up your heads, 0 ye gates; and be ye lift up, ye everlasting doors; and the King of glory shall come in,' &c.-Now,

the unprejudiced reader, say, if you do not find spirit and life springing up within you from this view of Jesus, our Forerunner, passing into the heavens by his own blood once for all, and one for all, having obtained eternal redemption? and say also, if you do not think this the spirit and the truth of this present Psalm, and consequently of all its parallels, several whereof you will have remarked proposed for your own consideration in the illustrations of Psalms i. ii. iii. and xv. But, of all the evidences to the same purpose, which seize the heart, and command conviction, innumerable as they really are, none seem more surprisingly striking (though not quoted in the margin) than those which arise from the two following Psalms, viz. Psal. xlvii. 5. God is gone up with a shout;' and Psal. lxviii. 18. Thou hast ascended on high;' explained and applied as fulfilled in Christ, Eph. iv. 8. Where

fore he saith, when he ascended up on high, he led captivity captive, and gave gifts unto men'for the perfecting the saints; for the work of the ministry; for the edifying of the body of Christ.'

Behold the GoD, behold the MAN,
EMMANUEL, both conjoin'd in one,
The God of glory.-Zion, see,
Thy mighty One who saveth thee.
Rejoice, O earth, through all thy coasts;
Behold thy King, the Lord of Hosts,
Ascending heav'n most gloriously,

That men might dwell with God on high!

1 THE

HE earth belongs unto the Lord,
And all that it contains;

The world that is inhabited,
And all that there remains.

2 For the foundations thereof
He on the seas did lay,
And he hath it established
Upon the floods to stay.

3 Who is the man that shall ascend

Into the hill of God?

Or who within his holy place

Shall have a firm abode ?

4 Whose hands are clean, whose heart is pure, And unto vanity

Who hath not lifted up his soul,

Nor sworn deceitfully.

5 He from th' Eternal shall receive
The blessing him upon,

And righteousness, ev❜n from the God
Of his salvation.

6 This is the generation

That after him enquire,

O Jacob, who do seek thy face

With their whole heart's desire.

7 Ye gates, lift up your heads on high; Ye doors that last for ay,

Be lifted up, that so the King

Of glory enter may.

8 But who of glory is the King?

The mighty Lord is this;

Ev'n that same Lord, that great in might
And strong in battle is.

9 Ye gates, lift up your heads; ye doors,
Doors that do last for aye,

Be lifted up, that so the King

Of glory enter may.

10 But who is he that is the King Of glory? who is this?

The Lord of hosts, and none but he,

The King of glory is.

PSALM XXV.

*

To ascertain the meaning of this Psalm, as attempted in the paraphrase, and applied as spoken in the person of Christ, (for the whole thereof is spoken in one person), the candid inquirer will carefully consider not only the Psalm itself, but also the parallels, and, of these, particularly Psalms lxxxvi. and exliii.

1

The Man who never lifted up
His soul to any vanity;
Who never drank of folly's cup;
Who never stoop'd to raise a lie;
Whose sin, yet ne'ertheless, was great,
Though sin indeed he never knew ;
THE SON OF MAN, for mercy set,
In mediation here we view!

O thee I lift my soul:

2 To

O Lord, I trust in thee:

My God, let me not be asham'd,
Nor foes triumph o'er me.

3 Let none that wait on thee

Be put to shame at all;

But those that without cause transgress,
Let shame upon them fall.

4 Shew me thy ways, O Lord;

Thy paths, O teach thou me:

5 And do thou lead me in thy truth,
Therein my teacher be:

For thou art God that dost
To me salvation send,
And I upon thee all the day
Expecting do attend.

6 Thy tender mercies, Lord,
I pray thee to remember,

See Note, page 94.

And loving-kindnesses; for they
Have been of old for ever.
7 My sins and faults of youth
Do thou, O Lord, forget:
After thy mercy think on me,
And for thy goodness great.

8 God good and upright is : The way he'll sinners shew. 9 The meek in judgment he will guide, And make his path to know.

10 The whole paths of the Lord
Are truth and mercy sure,

To those that do his cov'nant keep,
And testimonies pure.

11 Now, for thine own name's sake,
O Lord, I thee entreat
To pardon mine iniquity;
For it is very great.

12 What man is he that fears

The Lord, and doth him serve? Him shall he teach the way that he Shall choose, and still observe.

13 His soul shall dwell at ease; And his posterity

Shall flourish still, and of the earth

Inheritors shall be.

14 With those that fear him is
The secret of the Lord;
The knowledge of his covenant
He will to them afford.

15 Mine eyes upon the Lord
Continually are set;

For he it is that shall bring forth
My feet out of the net.

16 Turn unto me thy face,

And to me mercy show;