immrdintel.1• ren,lerrd, •eo Ezra iii. 10, 11; who trnnshl.tes, "He l1n.s brought down my "l'i. IG-22; Neh. xii. 27-43.) strength in the we.y," aud explains "the , er. l!l.-For he hath looked down from way" o.e "the journey of life." So also the height of hie sanctuary. God's true Rosenmiillcr Rud Hengstenberg. Re short- sanctuRn is the heAven of heavens wherein ened my days; i.e. "made me grow old be dwel°ls. Earthly sanctnnries are but premnturely" (comp. ver. 11). shadow• of this. From heaven did the Lord Ver. 2-i.-I said, 0 my God, take me not behold the earth (romp. Exod. ii. 28-25). a.way in the midst of my days. Compare As God in the davs of old had looked down the complaint of Hezekiah (Isa. xxxviii. 10). on the nflliction o·r his people in Egypt, so A pious Israelite regnrdcd himself ns en- did he now "look down" and "behold" titled to a fairly long life, whioh was their sufferings in Babvlon. promised him directly (Exod. :z:x. 12) and Yer. 20.-To hear the groaning of the by implication, since it was only the wicked prisoner (see Exod. ii. 24, "God heard that were "not to livo out half their do.ye" their groe.nin_g; " and comp. Exod. iii. 7; (Ps. lv. 23). Thy years are throughout all vi. 5). To loose those that a.re appointed to generations. Datho o.nd Professor Cheyne death; literally, the som of death (comp. tre.nsle.te, "0 thou, whose years a.re Ps. lui:i;. 11). Captive Israel regarded its eternal." But the Hebrew will soarcely life in Babylon as little better than death admit of this rendering. (see Ezek. xxxvii. 11). Ver. 25.-0f old hast thou le.id the founda- Yer. 21.-To declare the Na.me of the Lord tion of the earth (comp. Isa.. xlviii. 18). And in Zion; rather, e.s in the Revised Version, the heavens are the work of thy hands (see that men may declare. The great object of Gen. i. 1, 7; ii. 4; Pa. lxxxix. 11; Heh. Isre.el's restoration we.s the glory of God- i. 10). that Jew e.nd bee.then, joined together in Ver. 26.-They shall perish. The coming one. miglit uniledly l,less God, e.nd praise destruction of the world that now is, is very his glorions Name. The complete fulfilment frequently declared in Holy Scripture (see was, of course, only after the coming of Ise.. li 6; lxv.17; Matt. xxiv. 35; Mark Christ. And his praise in J'eruselem. Espe- xiii. 81; Luke :ui. 33; 2 Pet. iii. 7, 10, 12). cially in the "new Jerusalem" (see the Bot thou sha.lt endure. With the perishable comment on ver. 15). nature of the whole material creation, the -Ver. 22.-When the people (rather, the psalmist contrasts the absolute eternity of peoples) a.re gathered together, and the God (comp. ver. 12; also Ps. ix. 7; Heb. i kingdoms, to serve the Lord (comp. Pss. 11). Yea, all of them shall wu old like a xxii. 27; lxviii. 29-82; Isa. xlix. 6, 7, g=ent (comp. Isa. Ii. 6). As a vesture 18, etc.). shelt thou oha.nge them, and they shall be changed. Compare the propliAcies of "a ,ers. 28-28.-The third strophe begins new hf'e.ven and e. new earth" (Isa. l v. 17; with e.n acknowledgment of weakness-a sort lxvi 22; 2 Pet. iii. 18; Rev. ui. 1). Ver. 27.-Bot thouo.rt the same; literally, of "renewed comple.int" (Hengstcnberg). but thou art HE (comp. Isa. xliv. 4; xlvi. But from this there is e.n ascent to e. liigher 4) ; i.e. " thou art the one eternal e.nd un- confidence than any displayed previously- che.n.,ee.ble existence - the one reality." e. confidence the.t God, who is everlasting And thy years shall have no end. It is by (vers. 24--27), will perpetually protect his an accommodation to human modes of thought the.t God's "yea.re" a.re spoken of. people, and, whatever becomes of tlie exist- An eternal existence is e. unity-not rna.de ing generation, will establish their seed up of years e.nd days. before him for ever (ver. 28). Ver. 28.-The children of thy ■ e"ants shall oontinue. " The no.tion descended Ver. 23.-Re weakened my 1trength in from those who served thee of oM she.11 the we.y. The reading " my strength " continue," or, "abide" -i.e. not only con• ( ,r,::) i.8 great! y to be preferred to that of tinue to exist, bnt he.ve o. permanent e.bid- "his strength" (lro), which cannot be ing-ple.ce (comp. Pas. uxvii. 89; lxix. 86). made to yitld a tolerable meaning. It is And their seed shall be established before judicioUBly adopted by Professor Cheyne, thee (comp. Jer. nx. 20).
HOMILETICS. Vere. 1-11.-.A_ffeiction. "Many are the afflictions of the righteous "-even of the righteous, and sometimes these are almost, if not altogether, overwhelming. We expect to find suffering and sorrow among the guilty, but experience teaches us that it is- L THE occu10NAL PORTIObl oF THE GODI,Y. Seldom, indeed, is the good man I'~. err. 1-28.] THE BOOK OF PSALMS. 373