_A.M. 2946. B.C. 1058._
This Psalm, which relates not to any temporal concern, either personal
or public, but wholly to matters of a spiritual nature, is reckoned
one of the seven penitential Psalms, which have sometimes been made
use of by penitents on their admission into the church. It consists... [ Continue Reading ]
_Out of the depths_ Being overwhelmed with deep distresses and
terrors, and ready to despair; _have I cried unto thee_ “Like
another Jonas, entombed in the whale's belly, and surrounded by all
the waves of the ocean.” Observe, reader, “Fervent prayer will
find its way through every obstruction to th... [ Continue Reading ]
_If thou, Lord, shouldest mark iniquities_ Observe them accurately,
and punish them severely, as they deserve; _O Lord, who shall stand?_
In thy presence, or at thy tribunal. No man could acquit himself, or
escape the sentence of condemnation, because all men are sinners. To
_stand_ is a judicial ph... [ Continue Reading ]
_I wait for the Lord_ That he would manifest his favour to me in the
pardon of my sins, and thereby give me relief and comfort. _My soul
doth wait_ I wait for him in sincerity, and not in profession only;
with fervency, and not in a spirit of lukewarmness and indifference.
_And in his word do I hope... [ Continue Reading ]
_My soul waiteth for the Lord_ This verse in the original is
remarkably concise, forcible, and elegant. It is literally, _My soul
for the Lord_, (namely, waiteth,) _more than watchers for the morning,
than watchers for the morning._ The psalmist is thought to intend
those that kept the night-watches... [ Continue Reading ]
_Let Israel hope in the Lord_ Every true Israelite, every one that
devotes himself to God, being encouraged by my example. _For with the
Lord there is mercy_ Not only inherent in his nature, but ready to be
exercised in pardoning and saving every penitent sinner. _And with him
is plenteous redemptio... [ Continue Reading ]