20 When man is in honour he will not understand; He is like the beasts which sink into nothing. PSALM L. THE PROPAGATION OF THE GOSPEL, AND THE ABOLITION OF THE MOSAIC RITUAL. PART I.-PSALMIST. 1 The Omnipotent God, Jehovah hath spoken, And hath summoned the earth, from the rising of the sun to its going down.* 2 The perfection of beauty from Zion Hath God displayed. 3 Our God shall come and shall not be silent, A fire devoureth before him, And around him the whirlwind rageth. * This summoning of the earth from east to west can be nothing but the general promulgation of the gospel. 4 He shall summon the heavens from above, And the earth, to the judgement of his people. 5 " Assemble unto me, my saints, "Those who have struck the covenant with me over the sacrifice." 6 And the heavens shall declare his righteousness, For God himself is judge. PART II.-GOD EXPOSTULATES. 7 Hear, O my people, for I will speak, 8 On account of thy sacrifices I will not reprove thee, Or thy burnt-offerings;-they are continually before me.* 9 I will not take a bullock out of thine house, Or he-goat out of thy folds. *" I have no complaint against thee on that account." Dr Durell. 10 For to me belong all the beasts of the forest, The cattle upon the hills of oxen. * 11 I know every fowl of the mountains, And every reptile of the field is by my side. [A] 12 If I were hungered, I would not tell thee; For to me belongs the world and all-its-store. 13 Shall I eat the flesh of bulls, And drink the blood of goats? 14 The sacrifice for God is thanksgiving, 15 And call upon me in the day of distress; Then I will deliver thee, and thou shalt glorify me. 16 But to the impious God saith, What concerns it thee, to recite my statutes, * i. e. Where oxen range. 17 Whereas thou hatest instruction, And castest my words behind thee, 18 If thou didst spy a thief, instantly thou-becamesthis accomplice,[B] And thou hast-taken-thy-share with-the-adulter ers. 19 Thy mouth hath-been-fruitful in mischief, [C] And thy tongue frameth deceit. 20 Thou sittest [D], and speakest against thy brother, Against the son of thy mother thou pourest-out abuse. 21 These things thou hast done, and I was still; Thou hast thought that I AM is such an one as thyself. [E] I will-call-thee-to account, and I will be thy adversary to thy face. [F] 22 Now consider this, ye that forget God, Lest I [G] tear in pieces, and there be no deli verer. 23 He who sacrificeth praise, shall-be-deemed-to-ho nour me, And him that sets-in-order [H] his course, I will visit with the salvation of God. PSALMS LI. LII. LIII. LIV, [See Notes.] PSALM LV. THAT Absalom's rebellion gave occasion to the LVth psalm may seem not improbable, when we recollect the particulars of that story, as it is related in the XVth chapter of the 2d book of Samuel. The consternation and distress expressed in verses 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, describe the king's state of mind when he fled from Jerusalem, and marched weeping up the mount of Olives. "The iniquity cast upon the Psalmist answers to the complaints, artfully raised against |