David declareth the depravity of the natural man.
To the chief musician, A psalm of David.

1 The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God. They are corrupt, they have done abominable works, there is none that doeth good.

2 The LORD looked down from heaven upon the children of men, to see if there were any that did understand, and seek God. 3 They are all gone aside, they are all together become filthy: there is none that doeth good, no,

not one.

4 Have all the workers of ini

quity no knowledge? who eat up my people as they eat bread, and call not upon the LORD.

5 There were they in great fear for God is in the generation of the righteous.

6 Ye have shamed the counsel of the poor, because the LORD is his refuge.

7 Oh that the salvation of Israel were come out of Zion! When the LORD bringeth back the captivity of his people, Jacob shall rejoice, and Israel shall be glad.

LECTURE 844.

The children of men and the children of God distinguished. Observe, it is "in his heart" that "the fool" here spoken of "hath said," "There is no God." It is not the avowed infidel or atheist that is here chiefly intended. It is not the man who attempts to maintain openly that God is not, this is not the cha racter here especially denounced. The words refer to a case much more common, namely, to that practical infidelity, which consists in living as if there were no God, in living without God in the world, and in so living, because whilst the lips acknowledge his existence, the heart has no real faith in Him at all. And so David goes on to describe the kind of infidels he refers to: "They are corrupt, they have done abominable works, there is none that doeth good." And yet there have been always some ready to say with their lips, that there is a God. But not so, in their hearts. For "The Lord looked down from heaven upon the children of men, to see if there were any that did understand, and seek God. They are all gone aside, they are altogether become filthy: there is none that doeth good, no, not one. These, it seems, were the words which God spake, on looking down from heaven" upon the children of men," to see if there were any that did know Him, and seek after Him.

Of what times then were these words spoken, and of which generation of mankind in particular? Do they fit only the times of David, or do they apply to a period subsequent to his, that of the Babylonish captivity? Or must we look back to the world before the flood, when "all flesh had corrupted his way upon the earth;" Gen. 6. 12; and find in that remote period the fulfilment of this awful description? Or must we turn to the age in which the Gospel was first preached, and to which St. Paul in his Epistle to the Romans applies these words and others like to them; and

suppose that they were never realized, except in the abominations which prevailed at that season in the Gentile world? See Rom. 3. 10-18. No, rather we may conclude justly that this is a true picture of the sight which meets the holy eyes of God, whensoever He looks down, and when does He not do so? from the heavenly glory in which He dwells, on this disordered world of ours. At whatever time He looks, and in whatever direction He searches among "the children of men," still his sentence is the same, "there is none that doeth good;" and still the nourishing principle of this depravity is unbelief in the heart; the secret whisper there heard and harboured, that "there is no God."

But in the same psalm which testifies to this godless infidelity of the natural man, mention is made of God's own people, whom the workers of iniquity in their ignorance of God, "eat up," or persecute and destroy. Mention is made of " the generation of the righteous," amongst whom "God is," who say in their hearts that there is a God. and who prove in their lives, to the dismay of evil doers, that they believe that which they profess. Mention is made of the poor, whose refuge is the Lord, and whose counsel and wisdom in cleaving unto Him, is a matter of shame and scorn with the godless. Mention is made of these faithful and devout men, in the very same breath with the declaration, that "there is none that doeth good, no, not one." And the account of such seeming inconsistency is this, that they amongst whom God sees no one seeking Him, are "the children of men," and those, who constitute the generation of the righteous, are children of God.

In the

The psalm then applies to all ages of the world; for in all ages there have been these two classes of mankind. family of our first parents, there was a Cain and there was an Abel. At the time of the flood, when "all flesh had corrupted his way upon the earth," there was a Noah, and his family, not counted as carnal but as spiritual, saved in the ark from perishing by water. When the posterity of Noah had nearly all become idolatrous, there was an Abraham, an Isaac, and a Jacob, there was a people of Israel, baptized in the sea and in the cloud; see 1 Cor. 10. 2; and privileged to be called the people of God. And now, since the salvation of Israel has come out of Zion, there is a baptized people, called Christians, born again as God's dear children, amongst whom, as He looks down on them from heaven, we know that He sees some who understand and seek Him, some who by the help of his Holy Spirit do good, and do it abundantly. But, Lord, alas, how few! How few there be that know Thee as Thou art, and seek Thee as they ought to do! How many of thy people are still in captivity, bondsmen of sin! Oh that the salvation which has come to them, may not have come in vain! Oh that it may come to many more than it yet has reached unto, and that all they to whom it comes may have cause to rejoice therein to all eternity!

David stateth who shall dwell in God's holy hill.
A psalm of David.

1 LORD, who shall abide in thy tabernacle? who shall dwell in thy holy hill?

2 He that walketh uprightly, and worketh righteousness, and speaketh the truth in his heart. 3 He that backbiteth not with his tongue, nor doeth evil to his neighbour, nor taketh up a reproach against his neighbour.

4 In whose eyes a vile person is contemned; but he honoureth them that fear the LORD. He that sweareth to his own hurt, and changeth not.

He

5 He that putteth not out his money to usury, nor taketh reward against the innocent. that doeth these things shall never be moved.

LECTURE 845.

The character of them that shall be saved.

The "tabernacle" was a kind of moveable temple, a tent made after a pattern revealed to Moses in the mount, and consecrated to the uses of divine worship. The "holy hill" means the hill of Zion, the site of the temple, chosen for that purpose in David's time, and we may consider it as conveying to us in this passage the notion of the temple itself. The tabernacle then, being moveable, may be taken to represent the church on earth, the company of faithful men during the period of their pilgrimage. The temple being fixed or stationary may, in like manner, be regarded as an emblem of the church triumphant in heaven. And thus the inquiry, with which this psalm commences, will mean, Lord, who is fit to continue a member of thy church on earth? who shall be for ever a member of thy church in the world which is to come? Important questions; most important, most deeply interesting to us all; questions which we ought often to ask of God, with a view to knowing how far we are now fit to enjoy our present privileges, how far we are being made meet to partake of our expected immortality. But we have in this psalm not only the questions but the answer. We have an account given us, by inspiration, of several particulars in the character of those who were fit, under the dispensation of the Law, for membership of the church of God. And we may with reason consider it as setting before us dispositions and practices which God is no less sure to approve of under the dispensation of the Gospel.

"He that walketh uprightly:" this means strict consistency, holding right principles, maintaining them stedfastly, and living up to them conscientiously. "And worketh righteousness." This is added for fear we should substitute profession for practice; and it may remind us of that which St. John teaches us in his first Epistle, "He that doeth righteousness is righteous." 1 John 3. 7. "And speaketh the truth in his heart." This is the only security we can have for speaking the truth with our lips. This is speak

ing the truth where God hears us, and it implies the being sincere with Him as well as with each other. "He that backbiteth not with his tongue." A grace of rare attainment, and the practice here denounced one to which we are continually tempted. So sure a way is this of pleasing many hearers, if we speak censoriously! So apt is this to please ourselves, if, by finding fault with others, we in the comparison exalt ourselves. "Nor doeth evil to his neighbour." Which we may do in many ways, besides speaking evil of him behind his back. And from all ways and means of hurting one another we must watchfully abstain. "Nor taketh up a reproach against his neighbour." No, not though others lay it down before us ever so conveniently, and we are ever so much tempted to take it up, and carry it about with us, or from one to another; no, we must not take it up. And this will silently reprove others who are disposed to backbiting, and will make it no longer so pleasurable a sin, if they who offer the reports of slander find fewer who are willing to receive them. "In whose eyes a vile person is contemned; but he honoureth them that fear the Lord." To honour men, or to think light of them, not according to their rank, wealth, or ability, but chiefly according to their piety or the lack of it, this argues that we honour God, this shews that we really are expecting to see his faithful servants lifted up from lowest poverty to a crown of glory, in the day when many of those who have been most highly esteemed among men will prove to be most vile in the estimation of God. "He that sweareth to his own hurt, and changeth not;" does not violate his engagement, whether he have sworn to it or not, upon finding that it will turn to his loss, but holds that to keep his word is greater gain than any thing which he could ever get by breaking it. "He that putteth not out his money to usury, nor taketh reward against the innocent:" two other cases in which the thirst for gain tempts many to do wrong; and in which He who would abide with God must stedfastly do that which is right.

"He that doeth these things shall never be moved." He shall abide in the Lord's tabernacle; he shall dwell in God's holy hill; not stranger like to visit there, but to be there at home continually." He that doeth these things," these and others of the like kind. "He that doeth these things," doeth them by the grace of God; doeth them in the faith of Christ; doeth them out of a desire to glorify the holy name of his Redeemer; doeth them without trusting in the doing of them; doeth them to the utmost of his power; doeth them, and when he has done all, owns that he depends for every thing on his Saviour. "He that doeth these things shall never be moved." He shall not be put away from among the faithful upon earth. He shall never cease to reign among the saints in heaven. Heaven has with him almost begun on earth. And when he shall hereafter, like his Lord, ascend up on high, it will but be from grace to grace, from glory to glory.

David foresheweth the resurrection of Christ.

Michtam of David.

1 Preserve me, O God: for in a goodly heritage. thee do I put my trust.

2 O my soul, thou hast said unto the LORD, thou art my Lord: my goodness extendeth not to thee;

3 But to the saints that are in the earth, and to the excellent, in whom is all my delight.

4 Their sorrows shall be multiplied that hasten after another god: their drink_offerings of blood will I not offer, nor take up their names into my lips.

5 The LORD is the portion of mine inheritance and of my cup: thou maintainest my lot.

7 I will bless the LORD, who hath given me counsel: my reins also instruct me in the night seasons.

8 I have set the LORD always before me: because he is at my right hand, I shall not be moved.

9 Therefore my heart is glad, and my glory rejoiceth: my flesh also shall rest in hope.

10 For thou wilt not leave my soul in hell; neither wilt thou suffer thine Holy One to see corruption.

11 Thou wilt shew me the path of life in thy presence is fulness of joy; at thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore. LECTURE 846.

6 The lines are fallen unto me in pleasant places; yea, I have

Our interest in the prophecies of Christ's resurrection. St. Paul, speaking to the men of Israel at Antioch, quotes this psalm, in proof that the resurrection of Jesus Christ had been foretold by David. See Acts 13. 35. St. Peter had done the same thing, more at length, when preaching to the Jews at Jerusalem, on the day of Pentecost. After repeating the latter portion of the psalm he thus applies it: "Men and brethren, let me freely speak unto you of the patriarch David, that he is both dead and buried, and his sepulchre is with us unto this day. Therefore being a prophet, and knowing that God had sworn with an oath to him, that of the fruit of his loins, according to the flesh, he would raise up Christ to sit on his throne; he seeing this before spake of the resurrection of Christ, that his soul was not left in hell, neither his flesh did see corruption." Acts 2. 29-31. Thus we have twofold authority for understanding the latter portion of this psalm as a prophecy of Christ's resurrection from the dead. And more particularly, in St. Peter's words, we find ground for understanding many passages of the Psalms with a like application to our Saviour. For it seems that David spake prophetically in his own person, as Christ's representative or type, because of God's having assured him, with the solemnity of an oath, that Christ should descend from him, and sit upon his throne. And this impression was likely to be on his mind on many other occasions besides this; and might be the means by which the Holy Spirit brought it to pass, that so many things in the Psalms of David apply, first to the circumstances of his own case, and next to events in our Saviour's life, or to doctrines of his Gospel.