Paul, maintaining that Christ, though himself " a Minister of the circumcision," was to have his Gospel preached to the Gen- tiles, and to establish his kingdom over the heathen world, ex- pressly quotes the words immediately preceding our text, as pro- phetic of that eve?it\ Here therefore we see it proved, that David spake as a type of Cluict ; and a clue is given us for a fuller understanding of the whole psalm.
Behold then in this psalm our adorable Redeemer : behold his coriflicts ! He was indeed " a man of sorrows and ac- quainted with grief;" " nor was ever sorrow like unto his sorrow :" " his visage was marred more than any man's, and his form more than the sons of men." How justly it might be said of hiin, that " the sorrows of hell compassed him," we learn from his history : " Now," says he, " is my soul sorrowful even unto death." In the garden he was in such an agony, that he sweat great drops of blood from every pore. And on the cross he uttered that heart-rending cry, "My God, my God! why hast thou forsaken me ?" In that hour all the powers of darkness were let loose upon him : and God himself also, even the Father, combined to " bruise him," till he fell a victim to the broken law, a sacrifice, " a curse™."
But speedily we behold his deliverances. Like David, ^' he cried to the Lord in his distress :" " he offered up prayers and supplications with strong crying and tears; and was heard, in that he feared"." In him the elevated language of the Psalmist obtained a more literal accomplishment : for at his resurrection " the earth quaked, the rocks rent;" and together with him, as monuments and witnesses of his triumph, " many of the dead came forth from their graves, and went into the city, and ap- peared unto many." O what a deliverance was here ! " The cords of death were loosed ; (it was not possible that he should any longer be held by them :") and he rose triumphant from the grave : yea, he ascended too to heaven, and was there seated on the right hand of the Majesty on high, all the angels and princi- palities and powers of heaven, earth, and hell, l)eing made subject unto him. In comparison of this display of the Divine glory, the images referred to in this psalm were faint, even as a taper before the sun.
Then commenced his victories. Then was literally fulfilled that prediction of the Psalmist, " A people whom I have not known shall serve me ; as soon as they hear of me, they shall obey me°." No less than three thousand of his murderers were converted in the very first sermon : and soon his kingdom was established throughout the whole Roman Empire. This prediction is yet daily receiving a more enlarged accomplishment : thousands in every quarter of the globe are submitting themselves to him ; and in due season, all the kingdoms of the world will acknowledge
him ' Rom. XV. 9. "031, iii. 13.
" ver. 6. with Heb. v. 7. ° ver. 43, 44.