the former rain, descending upon the "ridges," and into the "furrows," dissolveth the parts of the earth, and so, fitteth it for the purposes of vegetation, whenever the seed shall be cast into it: then cometh the latter rain, to assist, and to bless the springing, and increase thereof, into a joyful harvest. Thus doth the good Spirit of God both prepare the hearts of his people, for the reception of the word, and also enable them to bear fruit, bringing forth "some an hundred fold, some sixty, some thirty." Matt. xiii. 23. v. 11. The herbs, fruits, and flowers, produced by the earth, are here finely represented, as a beautifully variegated "crown," set upon her head, by the hands of her great Creator; at whose command, the heavens, by collecting and distilling the drops of rain, impregnate her, and make her the parent of terrestrial blessings. It is the same God, who will crown, with everlasting goodness, the acceptable year, the year of his redeemed; when the Spirit shall have accomplished his work; when God shall be glorified in his saints; and heaven, as well as earth, shall be full of the goodness of Jehovah. Ps. xcv. p. 89. An exhortation to praise God.

v. 6. As in the beginning of the Psalm we were called upon to "praise" Jehovah, so here we are invited to humble ourselves before him in "prayer." From him we had our being: him, therefore, we are to supplicate for every other blessing, both in this life, and that which is to come. And since he made our bodies as well as our souls, it

is meet and right that they should bear their part in his service, and that internal worship should be accompanied and signified by that which is external.

Ps. cxlvii. p. 89. Divine Providence.

The faithful praise God for his goodness to the animal world, both on account of that goodness in itself, and also because they behold therein an emblem and assurance of his mercy to themselves. The watchful care of Providence over all creatures speaks the same language to us, which Jehovah made use of to Joshua, and which the Apostle hath applied to Christians; "I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee." Josh. i. 5; Heb. xiii. 5. He who, by sending rain on the mountains, which could not otherwise be watered, provideth for the wild beasts inhabiting those mountains, will never leave the lambs of his flock destitute. And he who feedeth the young of the unclean raven, when they cry, and as it were in their way, call upon him for a supply of their wants, will he, in the day of dearth, and calamity, forsake the meek and harmless dove, that mourneth continually in prayer before him? The desponding servant of God need only, therefore, put to himself the question which we find asked by the Creator, in the book of Job, xxxviii. 41, "Who provideth for the raven his food? When his young ones cry unto God, they wander for lack of meat;" they wander and find it. Our Lord pressed this argument on his disciples, Luke xii. 24; "Consider the ravens :" Matt. vi. 26; "Behold the fowls of the air; for they sow not,

neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they?"

Behold, and look away your low despair;

See the light tenants of the barren air:
To them, nor stores, nor granaries belong,
Nought, but the woodland, and the pleasing song;
Yet, your kind heav'nly Father bends his eye
On the least wing that flits along the sky.
To him they sing, when spring renews the plain,
To him they cry, in winter's pinching reign;
Nor is their music, nor their plaint, in vain:
He hears the gay, and the distressful call,
And with unsparing bounty fills them all.
Will he not care for you, ye faithless, say?
Is he unwise? Or, are ye less than they?

THOMSON.

Ps. lxxxi. p. 90. An exhortation to a solemn praising of God.

See page 53.

Ps. civ. p. 90. The wonderful providence of God.

v. 14. Seasons) Namely, the months, which are distinguished by the course of the Moon : whereby also are set forth the seasons of natural things; and the times appointed for sacred and civil affairs. Diodati.

The sun knoweth) Viz. he never misseth (according to God's order) coming to the just point of the end of his compass, which varieth every day according to the degrees of the Zodiac, Job xxxviii. 12, 19.

v. 15. The lions, &c.) A figurative term, to signify that as the roaring of those beasts is a natural sign that they want food, so God the author of nature and general provider for all things answereth them, as Job xxxix. 13.

It is generally believed that the Moon rises about fifty minutes later every day than on the preceding; but this is true only with regard to places on the Equator. In places of considerable latitude there is a remarkable difference, especially in the harvest time, with which farmers were better acquainted than astronomers, till of late; and gratefully ascribed the early rising of the Full Moon at that time of the year to the goodness of God, not doubting that he had ordered it so on purpose to give them an immediate supply of Moon-light after Sun-set, for their greater conveniency in reaping the fruits of the Earth.

In this instance of the Harvest Moon, as in many others discoverable by Astronomy, the wisdom and beneficence of the Deity is conspicuous, who really ordered the course of the moon so, as to bestow more or less light on all parts of the Earth as their several circumstances and seasons render it more or less serviceable. Ferguson.

Soft roll your incense, herbs, and fruits, and flowers,
In mingled clouds to HIM; whose sun exalts,
Whose breath perfumes you, and whose pencil paints.
Ye forests, bend; ye harvests, wave to HIM;
Breathe your still song into the reaper's heart,
As home he goes beneath the joyous moon.

Ps. xxvii. p. 91. Prayer and Hope.

THOMSON.

v. 14. An exhortation to patience;-that

we should patiently "wait on the Lord," till the few and evil days of our pilgrimage pass away, and we arrive at the mansions prepared for us, in the house of our heavenly Father; till our warfare be accomplished and terminate in the peace of God; till the storms and tempests of wintry time shall give place to the unclouded calm, and the ever blooming pleasures of eternal spring. Horne.

O my soul, do thou patiently expect God's leisure ; be not discouraged with thy present evils, but arm thyself with constancy and fortitude, and never doubt of God's seasonable reliefs. Hammond.

Ps. cxxvii. p. 91.
Luke vii. v. 11.

The virtue of God's blessing.

The only son of his mother, and she was a widow." A state of all others the most friendless and forlorn, and for this reason frequently mentioned in Scripture, as that which God receives into his more peculiar protection. If any other comfort belongs to this condition, it arises from the children which God hath spared. These are so