and sects to their notions and nostrums, these behoved to be described by such stamps and marks as they were not ashamed to give them. And he ought to be ashamed, who would be ashamed or afraid to expose, as far as in him lies, whatever is found in opposition to the truth of God.

Here observe, notwithstanding the paragraph may appear somewhat disjointed, that though the assurance of faith and the assurance of hope be indeed most justly distinguished, as differing in nature one from another, yet the distinction and foundation of it, which some men make between them, is evidently weak and ridiculous, being the most foreign thing in the world from the meaning of the Holy Ghost, who does not even insinuate, (as those men say he declares,) that the assurance of hope is less certain than the assur ance of faith, but only that the assurance of hope regards the good thing as certainly to come, which the assurance of faith regardeth as certainly true: so that the assurance of faith, or the good hope through grace, is not opposed to, or distinguished from, the certainty, but the futurity only, of the good thing to come, which is equally the object of the hope and faith, and of the hope, because first of the faith: so that the assurance of hope, were there any degrees in the case, is rather an advance upon the assurance of faith, than a less or more uncertain thing; seeing, by the grace of faith, whatever good thing one looks upon to be true, by the grace of hope, with equal assurance, he looks for (if absent) to come; so that,

whatever assurance there was in the faith, there is precisely as much in the hope built upon that faith. Both the assurance of faith and the as surance of hope are found in the Lord Jesus, in whom surely they included equal certainty; and, from the application of them both to him, take the meaning of them both, as existing by his Spirit in his followers, who have the same spirit of faith and hope with him, their head and pattern, concerning whom it is written, that he said,

I believed, and therefore have I spoken,' 2 Cor. iv. 13. Behold the assurance of faith in him-Was the assurance of his hope less certain? "Moreover also, my flesh shall rest in hope,' Acts ii. 26. Behold the assurance of hope, which is founded, as certainly as God is true, in the assurance of faith.

To conclude: if these loose hints, thrown to gether in the order in which they occurred, do not make their own apology, it will be in vain to attempt a vindication of them, or of the following paraphrase *: those who are convinced, and

The reader will observe, that when the words, the following paraphrase' occur, as here, or in any of the following illustrative Notes, that it refers to an original version of the Psalms, by Mr Barclay; in this edition, however, the common version has been substituted.

In the following Notes also, Mr Barclay frequently refers the reader to the marginal readings, for illustration, and also for reference to the parallel psalms and Scripture passages. When he does so, it is the marginal readings and references of the common Bible, which are alluded to.

love the cause will need none; those who are otherways will receive none.

The Scripture of itself is our only possible rule, both for faith and good manners, and not any human book, or pretended standard whatsoever; for so it is written, 2 Tim. iii. 16, 17. ‘All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is

6

profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correc ⚫tion, for instruction in righteousness; that the 'man of God may be perfect, thoroughly fur'nished unto all good works.'

THAT the Person who is described and praised in this Psalm, can be none other but the very SON of GOD, made of the woman, made under the law, become in all things like unto his brethren, except sin,' may be confidently collected from the absolute pureness and perfection of that character, which is here delineated, and attributed to him: for, as the Lamb of God behoved to be without spot and without blemish, so this person is represented, on the one hand, as free of transgression, and, on the other, as conformed to the law of the Lord; which is his perpetual delight and meditation.--Upon which account he is pronounced BLESSED; and, by a resemblance abundantly familiar to the inspired writers, likened to a tree planted by streams of water, bearing fruit round all the season, prospering every way, and flourishing, with undecayed leaf, in full, undiminished, everlasting glory. Now, all this exactly corresponds with the glorious things, every where spoken of that Holy One of God, EMMANUEL, under these sacred appellations, The Stem of the Root of