the fitter to face the ~welling of Jordan (Jer. xii. 5). Above all; let us remember that only in God can we find a sure Refuge from all trouble (ver. 7). "Though griefs unnumbered throng thee l'Ound, Still in thy God confide: Whose finger marks the sp,as their bound, And curbs the hendlong tide." W.F. Vers. 1-12.-The curse of wickedness and the blessedness of fellowship with God. The psalmist complains of the more.I corruption of his generation, and points the character of the time rather than any particular occurrence-unless "the foot of pride" in the eleventh verse may possibly refer to some invader that he dreaded. We have here a vivid description of the cursed state of ingrained, deliberate wickedness, and of the supreme blessedness effellowship with God. . I. THE CURSE OF INGRAINED, DELIBERATE WICKEDNESS. (Vers. 1-4.) Represented under two main aspects. 1. The utter degeneracy of his thoughts. (Vers. 1, 2.) Translate, " The oracle, or voice, of transgression is in the heart of the wicked; " i.e. evil is the sovereign voice that speaks to or commands him. It is the only imperative voice that he hears-not the voice of conscience or duty. As a consequence, he does not see or hea.r God, and, therefore, does not fear to transgress. More than this, he becomes complacent (" flatters himself") in devising evil things as a sign of superior cleverness, and glories in hating rather than in loving. He is a fearful example of the total inversion of the moral order in all his thoughts. As a consequence, we have: 2. The utter degeneracy of his conduct. (V-ers. 3, 4.) His words are the image of his thoughts-mischief and deceit. He has left off, turned from, every wise and good way of living, as a thing gone out of his esteem, forming no part of his purpose in life. He meditates only mischief on his bed, where other men remember the evil of the day, :md repent; but he sinks to sleep or awakes from it in forming evil designs, setting himself into the direction of no good way, nor abhorring any evil. II. THE SUPREME BLESSEDNESS OF FELLOWSHIP WITH Goo. (Vers. 5-10.) 1. God's goodness makes him infinitely woi·thy of our trust. (Vers. 5-7.) His mercy, faithfulness, righteousness, judgments, preserving providence, are all infinite and perfect, and those who trust in him live in the holiest, safest shelter-under the shadow of his wings overBpreading the "mercy-seat." 2. God will abundantly satuify all their greatest needs. (Ver. 8.) They shall partake of the Divine satisfaction and joy-eat of the fatness ef his house, and drink of the river of his pleasure11. Because he is the Fountain of all life and the Substance of all light, and they who dwell with him shall draw his life into themselves, and see all things in the light of his presence. 3. They became confident of the downfall of those wlio are unrighteously opposed to tliem. (Vers. 11, 12.) "There! "-pointing as if to the scene of the ruin of his foes and the foes of God. Those who enjoy fellowship with God and Christ are 11ssured that they too will at length conquer their spiritual foes, and enter fully into the kingdom that awaits them.-S.
EXPOSITION'. two occasions when the stanza begins with PSALM xxxvn a wrong letter, ~ faking the place of J.', nnd Tms is another of the alphabetical pso.lms , of n. Thea~ anomalies it hos been pro- (see 1tbove, Pea. ix., xxv., and xxxiv.), nnd, posed to get rid of by altering the text: but, though more free from irregularities than to judge by the previous alphabetical the previous ones, is not altogether without psolms, absolute exactness was not at first them. While, generally, each letter heods aimed at in this form of composition. a stanza consisting of two verses, there sre The psalm is wholly didactic. It begins three occwiious on wliich the stnnza assigned with exhortation, which is carried on to a letter is formed of only one verse (see through five stanzas to the end of vor. 9. Tel15. 7, 20, and 31). Further, there are Exhortation then gives plnco to oalm and P8, XXXVII, 1-40.] THE BOOK OF PSALMS. 285