Vers. 6-15.-0011fidence in God. From the first to the fifth verse the prayer bases his confidence in God on four plen!L 1. He prays for the righteous cause. 2. In a righteous spirit. 3. On the ground c,f a righteous character. 4. On the ground. of righteous conduct. Now we come to other grounds upon which be urges God to save him. I. 'l'HE COMPASSION OF GoD FOR THOSE WHO URGENTLY CRY TO HIM, (Vers. 6, 7.) He calls, because God answers him; and now he calls for a special exercise of mercy, because God saves those who find their refuge or safety in him, He was pleading according to the law of God's nature, and had, therefore, a Divine warrant for his prayer: "If we ask anytbiag according to his will, he heareth us." H. Hrs IMMINENT DANGER. (Vers. 7, 9, 11, 12.) His enemies were the enemies of God (ver. 7). They would de3troy him (ver. 9). They haunted his footsteps every- where (ver. 11). He prays, therefore, to be protected as the pupil of the eye is pro- tected, as if he could not be kept secure enough ; and to be hiddim under the shadow of the Divine wings, where no danger could reach him (Deut. xxxii. 10, 11). III. 'l'HE WICKEDNESS OF HIS .ADVERSARIES, 1. 'l'heir want of sympathy and their hard pride. (Ver. 10.) "Enclosed in fat" is equivalent to "have become gross and unfeeling." 2. They were bent on the ruin of others as well as themselves, (Ver, 11.) 3. They were fierce and furioUB in their wicked efforts. (Ver. 12.) Like a greedy lion, like a young vigorous lion lurking in his lair. IV. THEY WERE MEN WHO BOUGHT THEIR roRTION IN THIS PASSING LIFE; WIIILE BE BOUGHT HIB IN GoD. (Vers. 13-15.) 1. They were satisfied with the treasures of this world. With children and worldly substance, and were not worthy, therefore, to triumph over the righteous cause and the righteous persons. Deliver me from such worldJincrs, 2. He was seeking after tlte highest good. (Ver. 15.) "In righteousnesa let me b;bold thy face; let me be satisfied, when I awake, with thine image." An echo of the eleventh verse of the previous psalm, which reveals his trust in a future life, "There is an allusion probably to such a manifestation of _God as that maue to Moses (Nnmb, xii. 8), where God declares that with Moses he will speak "mouth to mouth, even apparently, and not in dark speeches, and the similitude [rather, 'form,' the same word as here] of Jehovah shall he behold."-S,
EXPOSITION. those which are aeHigned to David by thei1 PSALM XVIII. titles. In the first place, it id the longest Tills [JSe.lru he.a me.ny characteristics which of such pso.lms, cxten<ling, ns it does, to fifty distinguish it, not only from all that have verses, or a hundrocl e.nd fourteen lines of preceded it in the collection, but from all Hebrew poetry. Next, it is coutinuoue, PB, XVIII, 1-50,] 'l'llE BOOK OF PSALMS. 115