Verf. z . An Expofitionofthe85 . Pfalme. Verle r. Lord, thouhaft beenfavourable t o thy land : thou haft brought again the captivitie ofJacob. IN this and the two next verfes, are contained the Chur- 'The meaning ches acknowledgement ofGodsgreat favour and mercy: of the words. here piopounded,not only,to teífifie their thankfulneffe for the bleffings they enjoyed, but alto, tobe a ground of en- couragement unto their new requefts, in the 4, 5, 6, and 7. verfes. And fo conceived, we may therein obferve one thing in general), viz, That Gods Church doth think upon and ackcowledge The firft the bleffings they lye Rill in other things, under force hea- Observation. vy judgements. Compare the three firft verfes with the 4, and 5, which will well agree, either, to the times of Ezra and Nehemiah, when, notwithftanding their return from Ba6ilon, thepeople were in great difire fe at Ierufalem : as Wchem. i. 3. or, to the more heavy times,when Antiochus gpiphanes did tyrannize over them, as the bookofMacca- bees (hewes more at large, i Maccab. I. 25, 36. &c. Like unto this is Pfal. 44. 1. &c. We have heard with our cares, O Ç od,our fathers have told us,what works thou didff in their dayes, in the times ofold, d-c. Thou haftfaved usfrom our enemies, andput them to /hame that hatedus, verfe 7. But thou haft caft off, andput us to flame : and goeft not forth with our armies. verfe 9. The reafon is two fold. Firft,to (hew themfelves thank- The firft full for bleffings received : for, fo God is honoured, Tfal. Reafon. 5 C. 23. Whofoofereth praifeglorifjeth me, which is very profitable, as Luke 17.17,18,19. Secondly, to laya groundof affurance of deliverance in The recoil* prefent evills : For, hereby their hearts are fetled in affu- Reafo14 rance of Gods power, and further in the loveof his mercy, as appears by that ofDavid, i Sam. 17. 34. &c. The Lord, thatdeliveredmeout ofthepaw ofthe Lyon, and out of the paw' of the bear,he will deliver me out ofthehandofthis Phi- 1 tine. b b This
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