defends humble and afflicted things: these are his proper works, and they are marvellous

Each of these things therefore pertain to the marvellous works of God, both his maintaining the right of the poor, and destroying the proud; and his condemning the one and justifying the other. And also his bringing about that which Isaiah mentions xiv. 2, " And they shall take them captives whose captives they were, and they shall rule over their oppressors." For it is the most glorious kind of victory, to make men friends from being enemies, and servants from being persecutors; as the church did with them who were kings and rulers of the world.

runs.

Now we have, "Thou sittest upon the throne the judge of righteousness," for it is thus that the Hebrew And David gives the reason why he says that his cause was maintained. Because (says he) my cause was hateful in the eyes of the whole world, and the judgment of all men is unjust, for " All men are liars," and the enemies of that truth which I speak and follow. So that those who boast the most of all men about wisdom, righteousness, and religion, that is, those who are the mountains of the world, are the first and most bitter to persecute me: who, being ignorant of thy righteousness, seek to establish their own, and do not submit themselves unto thy righteousness. And by all this they endeavour to move all men to an affection for them and a hatred of me, and dare to promise to themselves that thou also wilt be a judge of unrighteousness, (or an unrighteous judge) and will condemn my cause and justify theirs. But thou art a judge of righteousness; and the tribunal is thine, the judgment thine, the throne thine, and the kingdom thine. And therefore I always have been sure, am sure now, and ever shall be sure, that thou dost maintain my cause, and turn back my my enemies, and prostrate and destroy them. And in this same way also Psalm xciii. 1, "The Lord reigneth, he is clothed with majesty." And again ver 2, "Thy throne is established of old; thou art from everlasting." And then

immediately afterwards, "The floods have lifted up, O Lord, the floods have lifted up their waves.-The Lord on high is mightier." For it is one consolation for the oppressed to know that Christ sits as King and Judge of all. Thus Peter, 1 Epist. iv. 5, saith of them that blaspheme the holiness of the faithful, "Who shall give account to him that is ready to judge the quick and the dead." The present Psalm, however, does not speak this with reference to the final judgment, though it alarms us with that judgment, as we shall soon see; as Peter also does in this passage now cited from his epistle.

From these things it may now be collected whom he calls his enemies. For when he boasts that his cause is maintained of God, it is evident that he suffered under, and was oppressed by, many unjust, great, and crafty ones, before whom he was so weak, deserted, and despised, that his cause was defended by no man, but by God only. For he would not have boasted in God as his avenger, if he had not found himself deserted and alone before men. And therefore this verse, without any of our seeking, describes of itself, and opens up to us, the condition of each sort of men; representing those that are of God to be afflicted and left of all, and those that be of the world to be powerful and surrounded by many. And with such exhortations as these, we are consoled throughout the whole scripture, if we suffer for the truth's sake; and yet even thus, we do not dare to profess Christ openly and publicly.

"Thou sattest upon the throne."--This seems to be a periphrasis or circumlocution, for, Thou art made King and Judge: which is thus expressed Psalm ii.' But I am appointed King by him.' And also Psalm cx. 1. "Sit thou on my right hand." And which is expressed in other words Psalm xcvii. 1, "The Lord reigneth." And this began when Christ was taken up into heaven: as was predicted Isaiah ix. 7, " Upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to order it and to establish it with judgment and with justice, from henceforth and for ever." And Jeremiah saith, xxiii. 5, 6, “Behold,

the days come, saith the Lord, that I will raise unto David a righteous Branch; and a King shall reign and prosper, and shall execute judgment and justice in the earth. In his days Judah shall be saved and Israel shall dwell safely: and this is the name whereby he shall be called, THE LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS.

From these words it is manifest, that the glory of righteousness and wisdom can be ascribed to no mortal under heaven in any age. For all those kings whom the books of men have called wise and righteous, and praised as such, were all fools and unrighteous. For although their human and political wisdom and righteousness became renowned, yet, before God, and in those things which pertain to God, they were all found to be vain, liars, and unrighteous: which is more clear than the light, both in the states of Rome and in that of the Jews. Did not the Romans enact the most excellent and salutary laws? Did they not curb and restrain proud nations by justice? Why then did they so bitterly persecute Christ and his Christians? Why, but because their righteousness was only an external appearance in the sight of men, and was nothing in the sight of God? Hence the Apostle boldly saith, 1 Cor ii. 7, " But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, even the hidden wisdom which God ordained before the world unto our glory. Which none of the princes of this world knew; for had they known it, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory." And saith the Apostle, 1 Cor. i. 20, "Where is the wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the disputer of this world?”

It is Christ alone, therefore, that sits upon this throne and rules in this kingdom, and is the King and Judge of righteousness in those things which pertain unto God: and therefore, he alone reigns, and of his kingdom there shall be no end. For as David sets his judgment of righteousness against men's judgment and righteousness, to show the iniquity of the latter; so does he set his kingdom against the kingdom of man, to show the servitude and captivity of the latter. For he alone truly and properly reigns over all things, can do all things, and .

does all things justly: therefore, let all that are oppressed of the world rejoice.

And what is all this noise of kingdoms and rulers of the world, in which judgments and righteousness are celebrated? What is all the to-do about temporal things, money, honour, pleasure, and the like, but a sort of mere fable and comedy? For, by all these things, sin is not taken away nor righteousness obtained; there are nothing but the mere appearances of taking away sin and giving righteousness: and yet, there are some men fools enough to look upon all these silly baubles as serious matters. But the kingdom of Christ is always commended and set forth to us as being that of judgment and righteousness. Because it judges and mortifies the old man with his deeds, and justifies the new man; and therefore, this kingdom is ascribed unto Christ alone by Jeremiah, xxiii. because he alone does judgment and righteousness in the earth: whereby he openly declares, that all others upon the earth neither do judgment nor righteousness, but, as I said, only pretend to do it. Wherefore, the judgment and righteousness mentioned in the holy scriptures are to be considered as being far more sublime than in any profane writings or laws. For judgment is the death of sin, and righteousness eternal life in Christ: which are wrought by a divine, not by a human power.

The words of this verse, therefore, give a certain powerful blow to the judges and kings of the world. As if David had said, in a way of contrast, why are all those judges and kings puffed up, who judge for their own interest and cause against me? Thou alone art Judge and King of all: and when they are compared to thee, they are no more than as kings represented in a picture: for thou judgest rightly, and judgest even those sins which they consider to be righteousness. And what the circumstances are that make up his cause and judgment, what the business of it is, what forces are engaged, what the process of the law is, who are the advocates, and who the witnesses, he now proceeds to set forth.

Ver. 5.-Thou hast rebuked the heathen, thou hast destroyed the wicked, thou hast put out their name for ever and ever.

I was thinking (some one might say,) that we should hear the clash of arms, and the galloping tumult of horses and riders. But behold, it is the noise and the rebuke of the Word that makes all this terrible to-do. He rebukes only, and all these effects follow. Who will not here wonder? This is his perfecting strength from the mouth of babes and sucklings. This is the spirit of truth, convincing the world of sin, of righteousness, and of judgment. He effects all by the Word only. And, as David here speaks of Christ's rebuking the nations, if this scripture was fulfilled by any one, it was especially and principally fulfilled by the apostle Paul, the teacher of the gentiles: and therefore, we may adduce him for an example in the fulfilment of this verse: for there is no doubt that what is here said was fulfilled by him. Only observe how he rebukes the Romans, chap. iii. 23, "For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God." And again, ver. 9, " For we have before proved both Jews and Greeks, that they are all under sin." And again ii. 1, "Therefore thou art inexcusable, O man, whosoever thou art, that judgest; for wherein thou judgest another, thou condemnest thyself; for thou that judgest doest the same things." And again, chap. v. he declares that sin and death have passed upon all men: "for that all have sinned," says he, chap. v. 12.

And indeed, whom of mortal man does not the whole of that Epistle bring in guilty? It is indeed, in my opinion, a commentary on, and an epitome of, the whole scripture; nay, the light and revelation of the whole. With what confidence does he rebuke all men! There is no other book in the whole scripture that rebukes with so much fulness and with such a glare of light. So that the Epistle to the Romans may rightly be said to be a commentary or gloss to this verse, "Thou hast rebuked the nations," that is, by the apostle Paul: many nations indeed by word, but the Romans by an epistle.