brought to the duft of death; which indeed behoved to be the native confequence of his being in the power of fuch a number of fo enraged enemies. Notwithstanding all this, it is evident from y 20. 21. 24 that he would pray for deliverance from the fword, and power, and cruelty, of his enemies; and that his prayer for fuch deliverance fhould be heard; which is easily explicable, fuppofing his refurrection from the dead, but is otherwife inexplicable.If it be objected, That all this may be explained, by obferving, that death is, to good men, a very real deliverance from all enemies and troubles; in anfwer to this, it is fufficient to obferve, that though death is indeed a very happy deliverance to good men, yet this is not the natural meaning, perhaps never the meaning, of the fcripture-prayers for deliverance from enemies who feek a man's life. The meaning of fuch prayers is, not that a man defires death, though a real deliverance, but that he defires to escape death: and a man may be truly faid to escape death, or to be delivered from it, though he die, if he rife again. Whoever duly confiders the various expreffions in thefe verfes, may easily fee, that they cannot fignify prayer merely for the happiness of departed fpirits. But befides the praifes and prayers of this great fufferer for deliverance from death, the great things which the following context fpeaks of as performed by this fufferer, are mentioned as performed by him after his emerging out of thofe fufferings that iffued in his death, 22. 23. So that the different parts of this pfalm refemble the different parts of the 53d of Ifaiah; where he who is faid to be cut off out of the land of the living, is afterwards faid to fee his feed, and to prolong his days, the pleasure of the Lord profpering in his hand. Whereas in 23. & 24. all the people of God y are exhorted to improve the fufferings, and fubfequent deliverance of the great perfon the pfalm treats treats of, as encouragements to hope in God in the time of diftrefs, this is no juft objection against the Chriftian explication of this pfalin, but rather a confirmation of it; efpecially when we confider, that the very last words of the pfalm fpeak of the things recorded in it (and it is evident that the fufferings in view are the chief things recorded, in it) as things which the church of God, in future ages, would remember, and would be, in a particular manner, concerned to keep in perpetual remembrance. The things mentioned in y 9.26. 30. 31. have an evident conformity with the things mentioned in other prophecies formerly explained, concerning the fpecial fupport which God would give the Meffiah in his undertaking; God's forming a new people to himfelf, who are called the Meffiah's feed; the characters of the Meffiah's true followers, as a meek and humble people; and the be nefits they should receive from him, fuch as fpiritual feeding, which would abundantly fatisfy their fouls, and make their hearts live for ever. III. The most plaufible objection against applying to the Meffiah Pf. xl. 6. 7. 8. &c. is, That that paffage may fignify no more than God's preferring obedience to facrifice, or moral duties to ceremonial rites. But when people lay ftrefs on fuch objections as this, they seem to forget what is faid y 7. which intervenes between what is faid about the infufficiency of ceremonial facrifices, y 6. and about doing the will of God, y 8. If y 7. be duly confidered in itself, and in its connection with the context, it will appear, that the Pfalmift fpeaks of one to whom the following characters must agree. 1. That he is one, not only fet apart, in a fpecial manner, * Compare Pf. xxii. 9. 10. with If. xlii. 1. 30. 31. with 26. with Pp2 xliii. 21. for for fome eminent fervice to God, (Mine ears haft thou opened, y 6.), but that he is one whofe coming had been prophefied of beforehand, in the volume, or (as the word may be rendered) in the beginning of God's book. This itfelf is an argument, that his coming behoved to be of fingular importance to God's church, feeing the prediction of it is fuppofed to have been a part of the most ancient revelation God had favoured them with; which is a confiderable argument, that it is the Meffiah that is meant; because, as was proved before, it is peculiar to him to be spoken of by latter prophets, in so distinguishing a manner, as a perfon made known to the church by former predictions. See above chap. 3. If we confider what eminent future perfon is foretold in the beginning of God's book, or even in the whole volume of God's book, or written revelation exifting before the days of David, we fhall find, that the beginning of God's book prophefies only of the feed of the woman who was to bruise the head of the ferpent; and the feed of the patriarchs, who was to blefs all nations. And even in the whole volume of Mofes, no future perfon is prophefied of but the Meffiah; at leaft none of whom it could be faid, as here in y 8. that God's law was in his heart, excepting a small part of Balaam's prophecy that may be applied to David as the conqueror of Moab: but this cannot be the thing intended here; because it has no manner of connection with the infufficiency of the ceremonial facrifices: which leads us to the fecond remark. 2. The connection betwixt the 6th and 7th verfes fhews, that he whom the Pfalmift fpeaks of, was to come to the world, to do that will of God for which the ceremonial facrifices were infufficient; for it is the fcope of y 6. to fhew the neceffity of the coming of the perfon after mentioned, in order to accomplish fome good purpofe which fome might expect, but in vain, from thofe facrifices; and it is the the scope of 7. to fhew, that that valuable purpofe fhould be really accomplished by him who was to come; which feems to have been one of the ancient titles of the Meffiah. Seeing therefore it was proved before, from thofe principles of natural religion which are contained in the fame Mofaic revelation that appointed the ceremonial facrifices, that though they made a typical atonement, they could make no real atonement for any fin, as they were not appointed for making even a typical atonement for feveral groffer fins, that were notwithstanding really pardonable, and oft-times pardoned; all these things joined together, make it evident, that it is the most natural meaning of the paffage in view, that he whom the Pfalmift perfonates, was to come to make that real atonement for all fin, for which the Levitical facrifices were utterly ineffectual; efpecially when this paffage is compared with Pf. cx. about the Meffian's prieftly office, and other predictions concerning his facrifice, which is neceffarily implied in his priestly office; the predictions on that head neceffarily fuppofing the infufficiency of the Levitical fervice; feeing otherwise, as the Apostle argues with the Hebrews, a new priesthood and facrifice could not be needful, Heb. x. As what is faid fhews, that it is not David that is meant in this paffage, whofe coming into the world had no manner of connection with the infufficiency of the ceremonial law; fo it is proper here to repeat the remark made formerly, that where David perfonates fome other who was to come, it is always the Meffiah that is meant. As things that happen every day, are not the proper fubject-matter of prediction, it is unreasonable to explain this paffage, as fignifying, that it was written of David in the beginning, or in the volume, of God's book, that he would regard, not only the ceremonial, but the moral law of God; which is no more more than to fay, that he would be a good man, or do a thing that was common to all good men. Seeing therefore it is contrary to the most uncontested rules of interpretation, to force an abfurd meaning on words that are capable of a better, it is a perverting this paffage, to give it fuch a meaning as this, that "becaufe mere ceremonial facrifices are "infufficient, therefore it was prophefied in the "volume of God's book, that, lo, a certain perfon "fhould come to the world, who would not con"fine his religion to these things, but would make "confcience of moral duties." As in the 22d pfalm, after the defcription there given of the Meffiah's fufferings, he is reprefented, 22. & 25. as declaring God's name and praise in the great congregation; fo in this 40th pfalm, after faying, that he whom the pfalm treats of, would come to do that for which the ancient facrifices were infufficient, that fame perfon is represented as employed in the like work in the great congregation. Seeing, therefore, publishing the will of God in the great congregation, is explained in Pf. xxii. by enlightening the Gentiles, it is agreeable to the best rules of interpretation, to understand the like expreffions in this 40th pfalm in the fame meaning. And whereas the things here mentioned as the fubject-matter of the divine inftructions given to the great congregation, are God's righteousness and falvation, his truth, faithfulness, and lovingkindness, y 9. 10. thefe are the things which other predictions of the Meffiah particularly mention, as things that fhould be more fully declared by that new revelation by which he was to enlighten the world.- See If. lvi. 1. IV. The enlightening of the Gentiles is foretold, not only in the pfalms which speak of the perfon of the Meffiah, but in feveral others, which either do not speak of him at all, or at least not fo expressly as thofe that have been confidered above. And it |