God loves her pro-eminently; e.n!l (3) a mee.01 "pride, e.rr.,ge.nce." And Babylon. glorious future is e.esigned to her in the The fitting counterpart of Egypt, oqne.lly counsels of God. e.ote.gonistic to Israel, and eq ue.lly lifted op with pride e.nd presumption. To them Ver. 1.-His fonnde.tion is in the holy the.t know me j rather, among them that monote.ins, God's foundation - the city knrno me; i.e. AS belongi,, g to them, incl urler\ which ho baa founded-is "in the holy in their number (comp. I,a. xix. 21, "An,I mountains;" i.e. in the hill country of the Lord shall be known to the Eo-yptians, 0 Jutlma, a congeries of mountains, "holy,'' e.nd the Egyptians shall know tlv, LoTrl in since they surround the holy city and belong that clay;" and see also Pss. lxxii. 1 I, 17; to the "holy land " (Zech. ii. 12). lxxxii. 8; Isa. Ixvi. 23). Behold Philistie., Vor. 2.-The Lord loveth the gates of and Tyra, with Ethiopia.. Other hostile Zion (comp. Pa. lxxviii. 68). More tbe.n all nations (comp. Ps. lxxxiii. 7; 2 Chron. xii. the dwellings of le.ooh; i.e. "more than all 3; xiv. 9-13). Tbis man was born there. the other dwellings "-moro than Shiloh, There is no "mau " in the original, anrl it moro tllnn Kirjath-jearim, more than any is better to understand "na.t10n;" this, other of the ark's resting-ple.cee. that, and the other nation-all those Ver. 3.-Glorioue things are spoken of mentioned, and others-are grafted into thee, 0 city of God. The psalmist probably Zion, e.nd have a second birth tbere. refers in part to the predictions of older Ver. 5.-And of Zion it shall be said, prophets, but e.leo in po.rt to the revelations This e.od tbe.t me.o we.a bo:o in her. A mnde to himself, which he is on the point repetition, but emphatic, and perhaps of recording (vere. 4-7). intended to e.ssert of iudivirluals what in the preceding verse we.s said of nations. Vars. 4-6.-The Almighty is iotrodncecl And the highest hims~lf shall est..bllih her ; as making a revelation to the psalmist. He literally, and he, the highest, shall establi,h will co.use the Gentiles to flock into his her (comp. Matt. xvi. 18). The Church ia Church, even those who have been hitherto "established" on a Rock, for ever. Ver. 6.-Tbe Lord shall coOllt, when be the most bitter enemies of Israel (ver. 4), writeth op the people; rather, the peoples, and will place these strangers on e. par with (see ver. 4). That this me.n was born the:.:e. such as have belonged to his Church from He shall enregister every individual among their birth (vers. 4, 5, 6), admitting them to tlie converted nations e.s a true citizen of every blessing e.nd every privilege. The Zion, entitled to e.11 covenant privileges. Ver. 7.-As well the singers e.s the Church,thus e.ugmented, sbe.11 be to.ken under ple.yers on instruments; literully, and his own protection, e.nd "este.blished," or singers as toell as dancers [shall say]. (On placed on e. sure footing, for ever. Compare d~ncing as an element of religious •ervice, our Lord's promise to St. Peter," On this see Exod. xv. 20; 2 Sam. vi. 16; Pas. lxviii. rock will I build my Church, e.od the gates 25; cxlix. 3; cl. 4.) The psalmist intends to represent the coover'..ed nations e.s coming of hell she.ll not prevail a.go.inst it" (Me.Lt. in e. grand procession, with souga an,L xvi. 18). dances, to celebrate their admission to Zion, and there one and all ex:cle.iming, All my Ver. 4.-1 will me.ke mention of Be.hab; fresh springs-i.e. "all my sources of life, i.e. of Egypt. The context requires this e.ndjoy, e.nd happiness "-are in thee. The mee.oing, which is found e.lso in Pa. lxxxix. verse is possibly but "fragment," as Pro- I 0 e.nd in Isa. Ii. 9. Literally " Re.he.b " fessor Cheyne supposes.
HOMILETICS. Ver. 3.-The glory of the <Jhurch. " Glorious things," etc. It is a glorious thing to be a real Christian. Glorious because of the relation such a one holds to God and to Christ-a child of God by faith in Christ Jesus (Gal. iv. 7; Rom. viii.16, 17). Glorious also because of his relation to the Church of God-a citizen of the heavenly city, a member of the fellowship of saints, the brotherhood of the faithful, the spiritual body of which Christ is the living Head (Col. i. 18; 1 Cor. xii. 13). But it is a glory hid from worldly eyes-one of" the things of the Spirit of God" which are "spiritually discerned" (1 Cor. ii. 14). Hence St. Paul's prayer (Eph. i. 18). I. THE GLORY OF THE CHURCH'S HISTORY, If we would earnestly and wisely study the history which the Scriptures record, the inspiration of the Scriptures would speak for itself. .Because history is written on different principles here from anywhere else. 224 THE DOOK OF PSALMS. [PS, LXXXVII, 1-7•