11 Truth springs from earth, and righteousness Looks down from heaven high.

12 Yea, what is good the Lord shall give; Our land shall yield increase:

13 Justice, to set us in his steps, Shall go before his face.

PSALM LXXXVI.

THE speaker in this Psalm (for there is but one,) finds himself authorised to plead his own holiness, as the foundation of his claim to the divine favour ; wherefore, he says, ver. 2, Preserve my soul; for 'I AM HOLY: O thou my God, save thy Servant ⚫ that trusteth in thee.'-See parallels, Psal. xxxv. xl. cxvi. &c.-Who can this be but the Lord of David?

The Father's Servant here become,
Who was in God's own form,

THE SON, shall bring his chosen home,
And all his will perform:

He boldly pleads his holiness,

When he to God draws near;

Nor will the Lord reject the face

Of his ANOINTed Dear.

LORD, do thou bow down thine ear,

And hear me graciously;

Because I sore afflicted am,

And am in poverty.

2 Because I'm holy, let my soul
By thee preserved be:

O thou my God, thy servant save,
That puts his trust in thee.

3 Sith unto thee I daily cry,
Be merciful to me.

4 Rejoice thy servant's soul; for, Lord, I lift my soul to thee.

5 For thou art gracious, O Lord,
And ready to forgive;

And rich in mercy, all that call
Upon thee to relieve.

6 Hear, Lord, my pray'r; unto the voice Of my request attend:

7 In troublous times I'll call on thee; For thou wilt answer send.

8 Lord, there is none among the gods
That may with thee compare;

And like the works which thou hast done,
Not any work is there.

9 All nations whom thou mad'st shall come
And worship rev'rently
Before thy face; and they, O Lord,
Thy name shall glorify.

10 Because thou art exceeding great,
And works by thee art done

Which are to be admir'd; and thou
Art God thyself alone,

11 Teach me thy way, and in thy truth,
O Lord, then walk will I;

Unite my heart, that I thy name
May fear continually.

12 O Lord my God, with all my heart
To thee will I give praise;

And I the glory will ascribe
Unto thy name always :

13 Because thy mercy toward me
In greatness doth excel;
And thou deliver'd hast my
Out from the lowest hell.

soul

14 O God, the proud against me rise, And vi'lent men have met,

That for my soul have sought; and thee
Before them have not set.

15 But thou art full of pity, Lord,
A God most gracious,
Long-suffering, and in thy truth
And mercy plenteous.

16 O turn to me thy countenance,
And mercy on me have;

Thy servant strengthen, and the son
Ŏf thine own handmaid save.

17 Shew me a sign for good, that they
Which do me hate may see,
And be asham'd; because thou, Lord,
Didst help and comfort me.

PSALM LXXXVII.

COMMEMORATIVE and descriptive of the glory of the Messiah's kingdom, (spoken in the person of the Messiah; parallel in the beginning to Psalm xlviii. and in the latter part to the conclusion of Psal. xxii. as appears by the margin *), fully ascertains its own most evident meaning in general, as here narrated. As to that particular passage in ver. 2. The Lord loveth the gates of Zion more than all the dwell⚫ings of Jacob,' which hath, upon occasions, been most grievously abused, it is explained by its parallel, Psal. lxxviii. 67. Moreover, he refused the tabernacle of Joseph, and chose not the tribe of Ephraim; but chose the tribe of Judah, the mount Zion which he loved.'

6

Come, lift aloud the voice of joy!
Let praise and love be our employ!
Let heav'n unto the earth rebound,
And echo round the joyful sound!

* Prose Psalms of the Bible.

1

The Lord of Glory's Lord of all:

The sons unborn shall hear his call,
And hearing, they shall all obey,

And round him dance, and sing, and play!

[PON the hills of holiness

UPON

He his foundation sets,

2 God, more than Jacob's dwellings all,

Delights in Sion's gates.

3 Things glorious are said of thee,
Thou city of the Lord.

4 Rahab and Babel I, to those
That know me, will record:
Behold ev❜n Tyrus, and with it
The land of Palestine,
And likewise Ethiopia;

This man was born therein.

5 And it of Sion shall be said,

This man and that man there

Was born; and he that is most High
Himself shall stablish her.

6 When God the people writes, he'll count
That this man born was there.
7 There be that sing and play; and all
My well-springs in thee are.

PSALM LXXXVIII.

How grievously have the authors of the Westminster Confession of Faith and Catechisms (which, by the way, all the ministers and probationers of the Kirk of Scotland have sworn to and subscribed, as the confession of their faith, as well as the Seceders and Relief-people, with the writer of this illustration among the rest, before he knew better, while he continued to call the Kirk his mother) mistaken the Author and Finisher of the one divine apostolic faith

of all God's elect, when they have ventured to advance this Psalm throughout, as they word it, together with Psal. xxii. lxxvii. and others equally foreign to their purpose, as proofs, that one who ⚫ doubteth of his being in Christ, may have true in<terest in Christ, though he be not yet assured thereof! They commonly say, that the Son of God himself died under a cloud; and that, in so dying, he was a pattern to his followers in all ages.-They have said, that, if the Son of God expressed two acts of faith in crying, My God, my God,' he also expressed one act of doubting and unbelief in adding, Why hast thou forsaken me?'-And many more such things with them there be. My soul, come not thou into their counsel! mine honour, with theirs be not united !-Now, to forbear a little, and to allow them all they desire with regard to this famous Psalm; suppose that, indeed, Heman the Ezrahite, giving instruction, was, as they allow, by the Holy Ghost inspired to describe his own personal experiences, (and not those of the Messiah); and moreover, that those said experiences of Heman were meant as patterns to all other saints in time coming, and good proofs, that persons might have true interest in Christ, though not yet assured thereof, &c. -suppose, I say, all this, and whatever more you please in the same strain-can you also suppose, that the Holy Ghost should inspire a man to cry out at a venture without assurance, without certainty, as in the first words of this Psalm, O Lord God of MY salvation,' &c.—or that these words were a proof, that he might possibly have an interest in God's salvation, and yet at the same time have no assurance thereof?-O enemy! enemy! how hast thou deceived the nations! See the parallels.-Consider the New Testament, and give God, O believer, the praise of all his glory, as it shines in the face of Jesus.-I say no more.

This song of mourning Jesus sang

In day of his extreme distress,