alone. So that by the pronoun "our own is to be signified, that these ungodly take away from all the power of teaching, judging, and speaking, and arrogate and keep it to themselves alone: though they are, in reality, themselves the most ignorant and wicked of all men upon the face of the earth.

And this description I would apply to the men of our age and time; excepting that they are destitute of the appearance and the fox's tail: for the ignorance and impiety of them are all manifest enough to every one: but there is not one hair of the tail appearing, (that is, knowledge and sanctity,) except the name and reputation of them among the commonalty: and yet they rest more confidently in this name and reputation, than those of old did, who shined most brightly in the outward show of sanctity and knowledge. Hence, the state of the church in our day, is not a little worse than even the description contained in this verse: for now the lips are not denied to belong to the godly by the power of outward show, but by mere violence and tyranny.

Thus, when Christ was teaching, Matt. xxi. they said to him, "Tell us: by what authority doest thou these things?" As if they had said, The lips are not thine, but ours. The power of teaching belongs to us. And Acts v. 28, "Did we not straitly command you, that ye should not teach in this name?" And thus did the priests of Anathoth to Jeremiah, Achas to Isaiah, Amasiah to Amos; and the same did they to all the prophets, prohibiting them to speak; as if all the lips and the power of so doing belonged exclusively to them. Against whom all the true prophets inveighed; and though they allowed that power was on their side, yet they declared that they were all in error and all taught what was wrong. But to this they opposed arguments of precedency and of power also, saying, Jeremiah xviii. 18, "The law shall not perish from the priest, nor counsel from the wise, nor the word from the prophet." And this is precisely the same way in which they argue in the present day,— from the multitude of the learned, from the greatness of the hearers, from the length of

time, from the unfailing faith of St. Peter, from the universal custom of the church, &c.; that is, of those who hear their doctrines, for those they call the church. Being puffed up with all these things, they say, The lips are ours, and they prevail: and with these most plausible and most specious reasonings, they catch the feelings of the people: just as those of old caught them with these three things. The law of the priests; the counsel of the wise; and the word of the prophet.

"Who is our Lord?"-The wicked do not say this, as denying that they have any Lord God; for they most especially boast in him against the godly, and under his name cover over all their own things and blaspheme those of the godly. But they say this, because they will not have the godly preferred before them and heard for they will arrogate all the power of teaching to themselves. And this interrogative expression of theirs, contains a most manifest and most proud spirit of contention: for by it they persuade both themselves and all their own party that they act rightly: and they accuse all others of rashness: in this way.Behold, we are the pastors of the people appointed from above, and we are they who must give an account for them: we alone have the power of teaching and of judging those things which are advanced by all others: we therefore ought to be heard by all, and to listen to no one. Because, (say they,) where the majority and eldership is, there must be the power of commanding, and these all others are of necessity bound to obey. But this new prophet, (say they,) lifting his mouth into heaven, wants to teach us: he detracts from all power, and pays no reverence to his elders (as we say at this day :) and he is not content with refusing to hear us, with being disobedient, and with detracting from our authority, but he wants to lift himself up above us, to make us his scholars, and to have absolute dominion over us.-Shall we therefore, (say they,) bear this? Shall we suffer this fellow to rule us? Shall he give us laws and directions? And as the Jews said to the blind son, John ix. “Dost thou teach us? and Psalm iv. "Who will shew us any

good?" And again, Gen. xxxvii. 8, the brethren of Joseph said to him, "Shalt thou indeed reign over us? or shalt thou indeed have dominion over us?" This, I say, is the all-swelling, all-furious pride of this Moab,he accuses of pride and temerity the humble endeavours of the godly in their preaching of the Word of God: they say, it is done only to diminish or to repress the power of the great. And therefore, nothing of the truth must be spoken to these great ones at all; or if it be spoken, we must be charged with the crime of not speaking it for the truth's sake, but for the sake of insulting the majesty and diminishing the power of the great. Such a matter of necessity is it, that a messenger of the truth must be charged with offending either God, or the great among men.

Therefore, their saying "Who is our Lord?" is the same as if they had said, Cease thou to wish to teach us, and to refuse to hear our words, or to condemn what we advance, for by persevering therein, you will manifest that you want to become not only our master and teacher, but our Lord also. Thus Amaziah, Amos vii. 10, sent to the king of Israel, saying, "Amos hath conspired against thee in the midst of the house of Israel: the land is not able to bear all his words. For thus Amos saith, Jeroboam shall die by the sword, and Israel shall surely be led away captive out of their own land." Behold here the prophet is charged with rebellion, and of usurping the dominion, only on account of having preached the truth. What then would be the consequence if all our divines (as they ought to do) should openly profess the truth.

Though it is also true that the ungodly refuse in truth the dominion of God, they pretend to the directly contrary. And this is manifest, in the first place, from this, because every proud man, and all the prudent wisdom of the flesh, cannot be brought in subjection to God. And next, as they reject the messengers of the Word of God, and attempt to confound them, they thereby reject God who sent them. As Christ saith, Matt. x.40, "He that receiveth you receiveth me, and he

that receiveth me receiveth him that sent me." And again, 1 Sam. viii. 7, “For they have not rejected thee, but they have rejected me, that I should not reign over them." And in the same manner, Jeremiah saith, v. 12, "For they have belied the Lord, and said, It is not he; neither shall evil come upon us; neither shall we see sword nor famine."

Hence, they most pertinaceously boast that they have God for their Lord; and yet, at the same time, with the most maddened pride reject him both in his servants and in his Word. And therefore, this specious show of humility in them, which makes the godly appear to be filled with pride, moves the commonalty to a hatred of true godliness. Wherefore the prophet commands us to look into the godly as they are in spirit: for these, where they are proud and despisers of the Word of the cross, they say, "Who is our Lord?" how much soever they may outwardly sound forth the praises of God, by their sayings, 'Glory to God alone.' Glory to God alone.' In the name of

the Lord,' &c.

Ver. 5.-For the misery of the needy, for the sighing of the poor, now will I arise, saith the Lord; I will set him in safety; I will act confidently in him.

Of this one verse we have made two. It would have been better to have rendered, instead of misery, destruction, that it might apply to the former verse, where the Psalmist had said that the saints had failed, and that truths were diminished, or were finished; that is, were destroyed; even unto these low remnants, for the " sighing" of whom the Lord says, that he will "arise." Hence therefore, it is certain that all the saints had not failed, and that it was a strained and hyperbolical expression in the first verse. The prophet, therefore, consoles himself by faith in the promise of God; being assured that he will visit the proud contempt of the Word of God, and the desolation of the saints, and of the truth, and that he will save his people; as the following will shew.

We have often observed already, that the saints of God are called in the scriptures ENYM and EBIONIM;

that is, poor and needy: on which account they are held in great comtempt by the proud; are suspected of aiming at power and mastership over them; and are hated as rebels, irreverend, and disobedient, (as they are called.)

What it is for the Lord to arise, we have shewn already, Psalm iii.; that is, a displaying of his power, 'Arise, O Lord, save me, O my God.". And so here we have "I will arise and set him in safety." Nor is it without weight that David adds, "saith the Lord:" for thereby the divine promise is commended to us to raise up our faith and hope in an affliction of this kind. For there is nothing more precious in the whole scripture than the promise of God; for if there were no promise, there would be no place, nor ground, either for prayer, for works, for faith, nay nor for our life, nor for any thing else. For it is the promise of God that sustains and comforts us in all straits of the flesh and of the spirit.

Hieronymus renders it thus, I will set in safety their help. But I know not what he means by " their help," for the Hebrew does not seem to have any such thing and Hieronymus himself translates the same word Psalm x. "despises." For my part, I know not what to say here, but I will give the best rendering that my mind affords. According to my mind, "I will act confidently," is, in the Hebrew, exactly the same expression as that which we find Psalm x. and which is there rendered "shall rule over;" that is, "He shall rule over all his enemies," as we have observed upon that passage. And therefore it cannot be rendered in this place in the first person, "I will act confidently."

Let us therefore give to this middle verse its two members; for the first member is this, " I will set him in safety;" and the second part is, "He speaks to him.” The sense of the former member, therefore, is this: For this purpose I will arise that I may put or raise up or establish salvation; that is, make it firm and stable, and so strong that not even the gates of hell shall prevail against it. I will prepare salvation, and will so save that no one shall be able to condemn, desolate, or destroy my saints any farther. For the expression in the Hebrew