Men obje& againſt this opinion, yet in Scripture 1s mentioned as God's faithful and perpetual witneſs, being called 2 then of Gaa's everlaſting covenant between God and every living creature for perpetual generations, Gen. 9. 12, 16. And although it do not always appear to us, neither do the Sun or Moon do to, yer its appearances are doubtleſs very frequent in one or other part of the World, and will be repeated from rime to time to the end of the World. Add +to this, that the word here rendred Heaven, may as well be rendred the Clorrd, . or Clouds, as it 1s uſed Deuteron. 33. 26. Job 35. 5. and 36. 28. Pſalm. 18. 12. and 77. 17. and 58. 23. Proy. 3. 20, H/aiah 45.8, And fo the place being thus tranſlated, and as _ cw witneſs in the Cloud or Clouds, doth plainly point us to the ainbow. 38 But @ thou haſt caſt off and abhored, thou haſt been wroth with thine anointed 6b. # Having bitherto declared the certainty of God's promiſes, he now proceeds to ſhew the unſuitableneſs of the preſent diſpenſa- tions of God's Providence thereunto ; and humbly expoſtulates with God aboutit, 6 Thar Perſon and Family which thou haſt inveited with the Kingdom. 39 Thou haſt made void c the covenant of thy ſer- vant d: thou haſt prophaned his crown e, by cating it to the ground, c Which ſeems contrary to thy word given, verſe 34: 4 (i.e) Made with him. e By expoſing that facred Perſon and Family and Kingdom to contempt, and giving his Scepter and Power in- ro the hands of the Uncircumciſed. 40 * Thou haft broken down all his hedges f ; thou haſt brought his ſtrong-holds to ruine. 7 Allthe means of his proteRion and ſafery. 41 All that paſs by the way ſpoil him: he is a re- proach g to his neighbours. g An obje& oftheir ſcorn and reproach. Is this the anointed of th: Lord? Is this the everlaſting Family and Kingdom ? 42 "Thou haſt fer up the right hand of his adverſaries hb: thou haſt made all his enemies to rejoyce. 1 þ Thon haſt given them Courage, and Power and Succeſs. | 43 Thou haſt alſo turned the edge of his ſword 3, and halt not made him to ſtand & in the batcel. ; So that he can neither offend his Enemies, nor defend himſelf! k Bur to flee and fall before his Enemies: For more is underſtood than what is expreſſed. 44 "Thou haft made his + glory to ceaſe, and caſt his ,,_.. throne down to the ground. | [ 45 The days of his youth haſt thou ſhortned 1: thou haſt covered him with ſhame. - Selah. { The youthful and flouriſhing eſtate of David's Kingdom way very ſhort, and reached not beyond his next ſucceſſor, and it hath
been Janguiſhing by degrees till this time when it ſeems to be dead and buricd.
46 * How long, LORD, wilt thou hide thy ſelf, forever? ſhall thy wrath burn like fire?
*Pſ.89.15
*PC. 19. f1 Job219.
haſt thou made all men in vain s ! and 5, 6) » (i.e.) Our time, the time of our King and Kingdom, in Ia. 45-15, whoſe name the Pſalmiſt puts up this petition, and about whom he was much more ſolicitous than abour himſelf, as is evident both from the following verſes and from the whole body of the Pſalm. The ſenſe ſeems to be this, Our King and all his People, and I among the reſt, are ſhort lived and periſhing creatures, that of themiclves and according to the courſe of nature muſt ſhortly die. And therefore there is no need that thou ſhouldſt add further afflictions to ſweep them away before their time. » Wherefore haſt thou made us andour King (and conſequently all other men whoſe condition is in nothing better than ours, and in reſpe& of thy Grace and Mercy is much worſe than ours) in vain or toſo I;ctle purpoſe? Didit thou raiſe us and him, eſtabliſh us tor thy people, ſettle the crown upon Dawid and his ſeed for ever by a ſolemrs and unchangeable Covenant, ere& a magnificent and glorious Teme ple, and vouchſafe ſo many and great promiſes and privitedges, and all this but for a few years,that our Crown andGlory ſhould be taken from us within a Jittle time after it was put upon our heads ; that our Kingdom ſhould be broken almoſt as ſoon as it was firmly eſtabliſhed, that thy Worſhip ſhould be ſo ſoon corrupted, and thy Temple quickly robbed, and not long after frequently abuſed, and polluted and waſted, and now at Jait utterly demoliſhed ? Jt is not ſtrange that ſuch conſiderations as theſe did fill the Pſalmiſt's mind with amuſement and ſad and perplexing thoughts. Nor doth the Pſalmiſt accuſe or upbraid God herewith, but only uſeth it as an argument to move God to repair and reſtore their decayed ſtate, that they might live to praiſe and ſerve and glorifie him, and nor be ſuch uſelets and inſignificant Creatures as now they were in this forlorn eſtate of things, and as they ſhould be if they ſhould go into the place and ſtate of the dead before the reſtitution of their broken State and Kingdom. #P(. 40.9 48 * What man #s he that liveth, and ſhall nor ſee te 9.g death o ? ſhall he deliver his ſoul from the hand of + the grave! Selah. 0 All Men ar their be? Eſtate are mortal and. miſerable, Kings and People muſt unavoidably die by the Condition of their natures; and therefore, Lord, do not increaſe our affliction which of it ſelf 1 is more than enough ; Neither proceed in theſe violent courſes u- pon us, who, without ſuch ſeverity, muſt periſh of and from our {elves 49 LORD, where are thy former loving kindneſſes, which thou * {wareft unto David in thy truth, p ? p Haſt thou forgotten or xepented of all that Mercy and Kind- neſs which thou haſt promiſed and ſworn, and ſometimes performe ed unro David and his Family and Kingdom ? 5o Remember, LORD,thg reproach of thy ſeryants ; | | how Fl «
j
q
q
*Ifas 55. 3
Plal. LXXxrx.
47 Remember how ſhort my time 2 is : wherefore Cant31,1
=D 3 Hgj==
eb, btnels
lo 55, Je
"ph. XC.
F -3 4
\Num.1T- hew I q* do bear in my boſom » the reproach of all the th mi2ity people s.
q 1. e. We thy ſervants, as he now ſaid ; our King and his pec- ple ; of whom he ſpeaks as of one perſon, asis very uſual in holy Scripture. Or, the Pſalmiſt ſheweth how particularly and paſſio- natly he reſented thoie reproaches which were caſt upon their King and Kingdom, as if they were caſt upon himſelf. » This phraſe may denote either firſt the multirude of theſe reproaches, things being ſaid to be given orreceived into a mans boſom, which are given or received in great plenty, as 1ſa. 65. 6. Luke 6. 38. Or