Ps. xi. 1 — 7. In the Lord put I my trust : how say ye to my soul, " Flee as a bird to your mountain: for, lo, the tcicked bend their botv, they make ready their arrow upon the string, that they may privily shoot at the upright in heart : if the foundations be destroyed, what can the righteous do .^" The Lord is in his holy temple ; the Lord's throne is in heaven : his eyes behold, his eyelids try, the children of men. The Lord trietli the righteous : but the tvicked, and him that loveth violence, his soul hateth. Upon the wicked he shall rain snares, fire and brimstone, and an horrible tempest : this shall be the portion of their cup. For the righteous Lord loveth righteousness : his countenance doth behold the upright^.
THE Psalms are a rich repository of experimental knowledge. David, at the different periods of his life, was placed in almost every different situation in which a believer, whether rich or poor, can be placed : and in these heavenly compositions he delineates all the workings of his heart. He introduces, too, the sentiments and conduct of the various persons who were accessary either to his troubles or his joys ; and thus sets before our eyes a compendium of all that is passing in the hearts of men throughout the world. When he penned this psalm, he was under persecution from Saul, who sought his hfe, and hunted him " as a partridge upon the mountains." His timid friends were alarmed for his safety, and recommended him to flee to some mountain where
a The three first verses of the psalm should be read as one con- tinued speech, just as they are here printed : then the force and spirit of the passage is made clear.