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 Matthew Henry<BR><I>Commentary on the Whole Bible</I> (1710)
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 <CENTER>
 <BR><FONT SIZE=+3><B>P S A L M S</B></FONT>
 <BR>
 <BR><FONT SIZE=+2>PSALM XXXIII.</FONT>
 <HR SIZE=1 WIDTH=50>
 </CENTER>

 <FONT SIZE=-1>
 <P> &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;

 This is a psalm of praise; it is probable that David was the penman of
 it, but we are not told so, because God would have us look above the
 penmen of sacred writ, to that blessed Spirit that moved and guided
 them. The psalmist, in this psalm,

 I. Calls upon the righteous to praise God,

 <A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Ps+33:1-3">ver. 1-3</A>.

 II. Furnishes us with matter for praise. We must praise God,

 1. For his justice, goodness, and truth, appearing in his word, and in
 all his works,

 <A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Ps+33:4,5">ver. 4, 5</A>.

 2. For his power appearing in the work of creation, 
 
 <A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Ps+33:6-9">ver. 6-9</A>.

 3. For the sovereignty of his providence in the government of the world
 
 (<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Ps+33:10,11">ver. 10, 11</A>)
 
 and again, 
 
 <A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Ps+33:13-17">ver. 13-17</A>.

 4. For the peculiar favour which he bears to his own chosen people, 
 which encourages them to trust in him 
 
 (<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Ps+33:12">ver. 12</A>)

 and again,

 <A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Ps+33:18-22">ver. 18-22</A>.

 We need not be at a loss for proper thoughts in singing this psalm, 
 which so naturally expresses the pious affections of a devout soul 
 towards God.</P>
 </FONT>

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 <A NAME="Sec1"> </A>
 <TABLE WIDTH="100%" BORDER=0>
 <TR><TD><FONT SIZE=+1><I>An Exhortation to Praise God.</I></FONT></TD>
 <TD ALIGN=RIGHT><FONT SIZE=-1> <! -- Date --> </FONT></TD></TR>
 <TR><TD COLSPAN=2><HR SIZE=1></TD></TR>
 </TABLE>

 <P> &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;
 <FONT SIZE=+1>1  Rejoice in the L<FONT SIZE=-1><B>ORD</B></FONT>, O ye righteous: <I>for</I> praise is comely
 for the upright.
 &nbsp; 2  Praise the L<FONT SIZE=-1><B>ORD</B></FONT> with harp: sing unto him with the psaltery
 <I>and</I> an instrument of ten strings.
 &nbsp; 3  Sing unto him a new song; play skilfully with a loud noise.
 &nbsp; 4  For the word of the L<FONT SIZE=-1><B>ORD</B></FONT> <I>is</I> right; and all his works <I>are
 done</I> in truth.
 &nbsp; 5  He loveth righteousness and judgment: the earth is full of
 the goodness of the L<FONT SIZE=-1><B>ORD</B></FONT>.
 &nbsp; 6  By the word of the L<FONT SIZE=-1><B>ORD</B></FONT> were the heavens made; and all the
 host of them by the breath of his mouth.
 &nbsp; 7  He gathereth the waters of the sea together as a heap: he
 layeth up the depth in storehouses.
 &nbsp; 8  Let all the earth fear the L<FONT SIZE=-1><B>ORD</B></FONT>: let all the inhabitants of
 the world stand in awe of him.
 &nbsp; 9  For he spake, and it was <I>done;</I> he commanded, and it stood
 fast.
 &nbsp; 10  The L<FONT SIZE=-1><B>ORD</B></FONT> bringeth the counsel of the heathen to nought: he
 maketh the devices of the people of none effect.
 &nbsp; 11  The counsel of the L<FONT SIZE=-1><B>ORD</B></FONT> standeth for ever, the thoughts of
 his heart to all generations.
 </FONT></P>

 <P> &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;

 Four things the psalmist expresses in these verses:</P>

 <P> &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;

 I. The great desire he had that God might be praised. He did not think 
 he did it so well himself, but that he wished others also might be 
 employed in this work; the more the better, in this concert: it is the 
 more like heaven. 

 1. Holy joy is the heart and soul of praise, and that is here pressed
 upon all good people 
 
 (<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Ps+33:1"><I>v.</I> 1</A>):

 <I>Rejoice in the Lord, you righteous;</I> so the foregoing psalm
 concluded and so this begins; for all our religious exercises should 
 both begin and end with a holy complacency and triumph in God as the 
 best of being and best of friends.

 2. Thankful praise is the breath and language of holy joy; and that 
 also is here required of us 
 
 (<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Ps+33:2"><I>v.</I> 2</A>):

 "<I>Praise the Lord;</I> speak well of him, and give him the glory due
 to his name."

 3. Religious songs are the proper expressions of thankful praise;
 those are here required 
 
 (<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Ps+33:3"><I>v.</I> 3</A>):

 "<I>Sing unto him a new song,</I> the best you have, not that which by
 frequent use is worn, thread-bare, but that which, being new, is most 
 likely to move the affections, a new song for new mercies and upon 
 every new occasion, for those compassions which are new every morning." 
 Music was then used, by the appointment of David, with the 
 temple-songs, that they might be the better sung; and this also is here 
 called for

 (<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Ps+33:2"><I>v.</I> 2</A>):

 <I>Sing unto him with the psaltery.</I> Here is,

 (1.) A good rule for this duty: "Do it <I>skilfully,</I> and <I>with a 
 loud noise;</I> let it have the best both of head and heart; let it be 
 done intelligently and with a clear head, affectionately and with a 
 warm heart." 

 (2.) A good reason for this duty: <I>For praise is comely for the 
 upright.</I> It is well pleasing to God (the garments of praise add 
 much to the comeliness which God puts upon his people) and it is an 
 excellent ornament to our profession. <I>It becomes the upright,</I> 
 whom God has put so much honour upon, to give honour to him. The 
 upright praise God in a comely manner, for they praise him with their 
 hearts, that is praising him with their glory; whereas the praises of 
 hypocrites are awkward and uncomely, like <I>a parable in the mouth of 
 fools,</I>

 <A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Pr+26:7">Prov. xxvi. 7</A>.</P>

 <P> &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;

 II. The high thoughts he had of God, and of his infinite perfections, 
 
 <A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Ps+33:4,5"><I>v.</I> 4, 5</A>.

 God makes himself known to us,

 1. In his <I>word,</I> here put for all divine revelation, all that
 which God at sundry times and in divers manners spoke to the children 
 of men, and that is all <I>right,</I> there is nothing amiss in it; his 
 commands exactly agree with the rules of equity and the eternal reasons 
 of good and evil. His promises are all wise and good and inviolably 
 sure, and there is no iniquity in his threatenings, but even those are 
 designed for our good, by deterring us from evil. God's word is right, 
 and therefore all our deviations from it are wrong, and we are then in 
 the right when we agree with it. 

 2. In his <I>works,</I> and those are all <I>done in truth,</I> all 
 according to his counsels, which are called the <I>scriptures of 
 truth,</I> 
 
 <A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Da+10:21">Dan. x. 21</A>.

 The copy in all God's works agrees exactly with the great original, the
 plan laid in the Eternal Mind, and varies not in the least jot. God has 
 made it to appear in his works,

 (1.) That he is a God of inflexible justice: <I>He loveth righteousness 
 and judgment.</I> There is nothing but righteousness in the sentence he 
 passes and judgment in the execution of it. He never did nor can do 
 wrong to any of his creatures, but is always ready to give redress to 
 those that are wronged, and does it with delight. He takes pleasure in 
 those that are righteous. He is himself the righteous Lord, and 
 therefore loveth righteousness. 

 (2.) That he is a God of inexhaustible bounty: <I>The earth is full of 
 his goodness,</I> that is, of the proofs and instances of it. The 
 benign influences which the earth receives from above, and the fruits 
 it is thereby enabled to produce, the provision that is made both for 
 man and beast, and the common blessings with which all the nations of 
 the earth are blessed, plainly declare that <I>the earth is full of his 
 goodness</I>--the darkest, the coldest, the hottest, and the most dry 
 and desert part of it not excepted. What a pity is it that this earth, 
 which is so full of God's goodness, should be so empty of his praises, 
 and that of the multitudes that live upon his bounty there are so few 
 that live to his glory!</P>

 <P> &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;

 III. The conviction he was under of the almighty power of God, 
 evidenced in the creation of the world. We "believe in God," and 
 therefore we praise him as "the Father Almighty, maker of heaven and 
 earth," so we are here taught to praise him. Observe,</P>

 <P> &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;

 1. How God made the world, and brought all things into being. 

 (1.) How easily: All things were made <I>by the word of the Lord and by 
 the breath of his mouth.</I> Christ is the Word, the Spirit is the 
 breath, so that God the Father made the world, as he rules it and 
 redeems it, by his Son and Spirit. <I>He spoke, and he commanded</I> 
 
 (<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Ps+33:9"><I>v.</I> 9</A>),

 and that was enough; there needed no more. With men saying and doing
 are two things, but it is not so with God. By the Word and Spirit of 
 God as the world was made, so was man, that little world. God said, 
 <I>Let us make man,</I> and he <I>breathed into him the breath of 
 life.</I> By the Word and Spirit the church is built, that new world, 
 and grace wrought in the soul, that new man, that new creation. What 
 cannot that power do which with a word made a world!

 (2.) How effectually it was done: <I>And it stood fast.</I> What God 
 does he does to purpose; he does it and it stands fast. <I>Whatsoever 
 God doeth, it shall be for ever,</I> 
 
 <A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Ec+3:14">Eccl. iii. 14</A>.

 It is by virtue of that command to stand fast that things <I>continue
 to this day according to God's ordinance,</I>

 <A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Ps+119:91">Ps. cxix. 91</A>.</P>

 <P> &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;

 2. What he made. He made all things, but notice is here taken, 

 (1.) of <I>the heavens, and the host of them,</I> 
 
 <A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Ps+33:6"><I>v.</I> 6</A>.

 The visible heavens, and the sun, moon, and stars, their hosts--

 (2.) Of the waters, and the treasures of them, 
 
 <A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Ps+33:7"><I>v.</I> 7</A>.

 The earth was at first covered with the water, and, being heavier, must 
 of course subside and sink under it; but, to show from the very first 
 that the God of nature is not tied to the ordinary method of nature, 
 and the usual operations of his powers, with a word's speaking <I>he 
 gathered the waters together on a heap,</I> that the dry land might 
 appear, yet left them not to continue on a heap, but <I>laid up the 
 depth in store-houses,</I> not only in the flats where the seas make 
 their beds, and in which they are locked up by the sand on the shore as 
 in storehouses, but in secret subterraneous caverns, where they are 
 hidden from the eyes of all living, but were reserved as in a 
 store-house for that day when those fountains of the great deep were to 
 be broken up; and they are still laid up there in store, for which use 
 the great Master of the house knows best.</P>

 <P> &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;

 3. What use is to be made of this 
 
 (<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Ps+33:8"><I>v.</I> 8</A>):

 <I>Let all the earth fear the Lord,</I> and <I>stand in awe of him;</I>
 that is, let all the children of men worship him and give glory to him,

 <A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Ps+95:5,6">Ps. xc. 5, 6</A>.

 The everlasting gospel gives this as the reason why we must worship
 God, because he made the heaven, and the earth, and the sea, 
 
 <A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Re+14:6,7">Rev. xiv. 6, 7</A>.

 Let us all fear him, that is, dread his wrath and displeasure, and be
 afraid of having him our enemy and of standing it out against him. Let
 us not dare to offend him who having this power no doubt has all power
 in his hand. It is dangerous being at war with him who has the host of
 heaven for his armies and the depths of the sea for his magazines, and
 therefore it is wisdom to desire conditions of peace, see 
 
 <A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Jer+5:22">Jer. v. 22</A>.</P>

 <P> &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;

 IV. The satisfaction he had of God's sovereignty and dominion, 
 
 <A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Ps+33:10,11"><I>v.</I> 10, 11</A>.

 He over-rules all the counsels of men, and makes them, contrary to 
 their intention, serviceable to his counsels. Come and see with an eye 
 of faith God in the throne,

 1. Frustrating the devices of his enemies: <I>He bringeth the counsel
 of the heathen to nought,</I> so that what they imagine against him and 
 his kingdom proves <I>a vain thing</I>

 (<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Ps+2:1">Ps. ii. 1</A>);

 the counsel of Ahithophel is turned into foolishness; Haman's plot is
 baffled. Though the design be laid ever so deep, and the hopes raised 
 upon it ever so high, yet, if God says it <I>shall not stand, neither 
 shall it come to pass;</I> it is all to no purpose. 

 2. Fulfilling his own decrees: <I>The counsel of the Lord standeth for
 ever.</I> It is immutable in itself, <I>for he is in one mind, and who 
 can turn him?</I> The execution of it may be opposed, but cannot in the 
 least be obstructed by any created power. Through all the revolutions 
 of time God never changed his measures, but in every event, even that 
 which to us is most surprising, the eternal counsel of God is 
 fulfilled, nor can any thing prevent its being accomplished in its 
 time. With what pleasure to ourselves may we in singing this give 
 praise to God! How easy may this thought make us at all times, that God 
 governs the world, that he did it in infinite wisdom before we were 
 born, and will do it when we are silent in the dust!</P>

 <A NAME="Ps33_12"> </A>
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 <A NAME="Ps33_14"> </A>
 <A NAME="Ps33_15"> </A>
 <A NAME="Ps33_16"> </A>
 <A NAME="Ps33_17"> </A>
 <A NAME="Ps33_18"> </A>
 <A NAME="Ps33_19"> </A>
 <A NAME="Ps33_20"> </A>
 <A NAME="Ps33_21"> </A>
 <A NAME="Ps33_22"> </A>

 <A NAME="Sec2"> </A>
 <TABLE WIDTH="100%" BORDER=0>
 <TR><TD><FONT SIZE=+1><I>God's Sovereign Power.</I></FONT></TD>
 <TD ALIGN=RIGHT><FONT SIZE=-1> <! -- Date --> </FONT></TD></TR>
 <TR><TD COLSPAN=2><HR SIZE=1></TD></TR>
 </TABLE>

 <P> &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;
 <FONT SIZE=+1>12  Blessed <I>is</I> the nation whose God <I>is</I> the L<FONT SIZE=-1><B>ORD</B></FONT>; <I>and</I> the
 people <I>whom</I> he hath chosen for his own inheritance.
 &nbsp; 13  The L<FONT SIZE=-1><B>ORD</B></FONT> looketh from heaven; he beholdeth all the sons of
 men.
 &nbsp; 14  From the place of his habitation he looketh upon all the
 inhabitants of the earth.
 &nbsp; 15  He fashioneth their hearts alike; he considereth all their
 works.
 &nbsp; 16  There is no king saved by the multitude of a host: a mighty
 man is not delivered by much strength.
 &nbsp; 17  A horse <I>is</I> a vain thing for safety: neither shall he
 deliver <I>any</I> by his great strength.
 &nbsp; 18  Behold, the eye of the L<FONT SIZE=-1><B>ORD</B></FONT> <I>is</I> upon them that fear him,
 upon them that hope in his mercy;
 &nbsp; 19  To deliver their soul from death, and to keep them alive in
 famine.
 &nbsp; 20  Our soul waiteth for the L<FONT SIZE=-1><B>ORD</B></FONT>: he <I>is</I> our help and our
 shield.
 &nbsp; 21  For our heart shall rejoice in him, because we have trusted
 in his holy name.
 &nbsp; 22  Let thy mercy, O L<FONT SIZE=-1><B>ORD</B></FONT>, be upon us, according as we hope in
 thee.
 </FONT></P>

 <P> &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;

 We are here taught to give to God the glory,</P>

 <P> &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;

 I. Of his common providence towards all the children of men. Though he 
 has endued man with understanding and freedom of will, yet he reserves 
 to himself the government of him, and even of those very faculties by 
 which he is qualified to govern himself.

 1. The children of men are all under his eye, even their hearts are so;
 and all the motions and operations of their souls, which none know but
 they themselves, he knows better than they themselves, 
 
 <A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Ps+33:13,14"><I>v.</I> 13, 14</A>.
 
 Though the residence of God's glory is in the highest heavens, yet
 thence he not only has a prospect of all the earth, but a particular 
 inspection of all the inhabitants of the earth. He not only beholds 
 them, but he <I>looks upon them;</I> he looks narrowly upon them (so 
 the word here used is sometimes rendered), so narrowly that not the 
 least thought can escape his observation. Atheists think that, because 
 he dwells above in heaven, he cannot, or will not, take notice of what 
 is done here in this lower world; but thence, high as it is, he sees us 
 all, and all persons and thing are naked and open before him. 

 2. Their hearts, as well as their times, are all in his hand: <I>He 
 fashions their hearts.</I> He made them at first, formed the spirit of 
 each man within him, then when he brought him into being. Hence he is 
 called <I>the Father of spirits:</I> and this is a good argument to 
 prove that he perfectly knows them. The artist that made the clock, can 
 account for the motions of every wheel. David uses this argument with 
 application to himself,

 <A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Ps+139:1,14">Ps. cxxxix. 1, 14</A>.

 He still moulds the hearts of men, turns them as the rivers of water,
 which way soever he pleases, to serve his own purposes, darkens or
 enlightens men's understandings, stiffens or bows their wills,
 according as he is pleased to make use of them. He that fashions men's
 hearts fashions them alike. It is in hearts as in faces, though there
 is a great difference, and such a variety as that no two faces are
 exactly of the same features, nor any two hearts exactly of the same
 temper, yet there is such a similitude that, in some things, all faces
 and all hearts agree, <I>as in water face answers to face,</I> 
 
 <A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Pr+27:19">Prov. xxvii. 19</A>.

 He <I>fashions them together</I> (so some read it); as the wheels of a
 watch, though of different shapes, sizes, and motions, are yet all put 
 together, to serve one and the same purpose, so the hearts of men and 
 their dispositions, however varying from each other and seeming to 
 contradict one another, are yet all overruled to serve the divine 
 purpose, which is one. 

 3. They, and all they do, are obnoxious to his judgment; <I>for he
 considers all their works,</I> not only knows them, but weighs them, 
 that he may render to every man according to his works, in the day, in 
 the world, of retribution, in the judgment, and to eternity. 

 4. All the powers of the creature have a dependence upon him, and are
 of no account, of no avail at all, without him, 
 
 <A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Ps+33:16,17"><I>v.</I> 16, 17</A>.

 It is much for the honour of God that not only no force can prevail in 
 opposition to him, but that no force can act but in dependence on him 
 and by a power derived from him.

 (1.) The strength of a king is nothing without God. No king is sacred 
 by his royal prerogatives, or the authority with which he is invested; 
 for the powers that are, of that kind, are ordained of God, and are 
 what he makes them, and no more. David was a king, and a man of war 
 from his youth, and yet acknowledged God to be his only protector and 
 Saviour.

 (2.) The strength of an army is nothing without God. <I>The multitude 
 of a host</I> cannot secure those under whose command they act, unless 
 God make them a security to them. A great army cannot be sure of 
 victory; for, when God pleases, one shall chase a thousand.

 (3.) The strength of a giant is nothing without God. <I>A mighty 
 man,</I> such as Goliath was, <I>is not delivered by</I> his <I>much 
 strength,</I> when his day comes to fall. Neither the firmness and 
 activity of his body nor the stoutness and resolution of his mind will 
 stand him in any stead, any further than God is pleased to give him 
 success. <I>Let not the strong man</I> then <I>glory in his
 strength,</I> but let us all strengthen ourselves in the Lord our God, 
 go forth, and go on, in his strength.

 (4.) The strength of a horse is nothing without God 
 
 (<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Ps+33:17"><I>v.</I> 17</A>):

 <I>A horse is a vain thing for safety.</I> In war horses were then so
 highly accounted of, and so much depended on, that God forbade the 
 kings of Israel to <I>multiply horses</I>

 (<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=De+17:16">Deut. xvii. 16</A>),

 lest they should be tempted to trust to them and their confidence
 should thereby be taken off from God. David houghed the horses of the
 Syrians 
 
 (<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=2Sa+8:4">2 Sam. viii. 4</A>);

 here he houghs all the horses in the world, by pronouncing a horse a
 vain thing for safety in the day of battle. If the war-horse be unruly 
 and ill-managed, he may hurry his rider into danger instead of carrying 
 him out of danger. If he be killed under him, he may be his death, 
 instead of saving his life. It is therefore our interest to make sure 
 God's favour towards us, and then we may be sure of his power engaged 
 for us, and need not fear whatever is against us.</P>

 <P> &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;

 II. We are to give God the glory of his special grace. In the midst of 
 his acknowledgments of God's providence he pronounces those blessed 
 that have Jehovah for their God, who governs the world, and has 
 wherewithal to help them in every time of need, while those were 
 miserable who had this and the other Baal for their god, which was so 
 far from being able to hear and help them that is was itself senseless 
 and helpless 
 
 (<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Ps+33:12"><I>v.</I> 12</A>):

 <I>Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord,</I> even Israel, who
 had the knowledge of the true God and were taken into covenant with 
 him, and all others who own God for theirs and are owned by him; for 
 they also, whatever nation they are of, are of the spiritual seed of 
 Abraham.

 1. It is their wisdom that they take the Lord for their God, that they
 direct their homage and adoration there where it is due and where the 
 payment of it will not be in vain. 

 2. It is their happiness that they are the people whom God has chosen 
 for his own inheritance, whom he is pleased with, and honoured in, and 
 whom he protects and takes care of, whom he cultivates and improves as 
 a man does his inheritance,

 <A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=De+32:9">Deut. xxxii. 9</A>.

 Now let us observe here, to the honour of divine grace, 

 (1.) The regard which God has to his people, 
 
 <A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Ps+33:18,19"><I>v.</I> 18, 19</A>.

 God beholds all the sons of men with an eye of observation, but his eye 
 of favour and complacency is upon those that fear him. He looks upon 
 them with delight, as the father on his children, as the bridegroom on 
 his spouse,

 <A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Isa+62:5">Isa. lxii. 5</A>.
 
 While those that depend on arms and armies, on chariots and horses, 
 perish in the disappointment of their expectations, God's people, under 
 his protection, are safe, for he shall deliver their soul from death 
 when there seems to be but a step between them and it. If he do not 
 deliver the body from temporal death, yet he will deliver the soul from 
 spiritual and eternal death. Their souls, whatever happens, shall live
 and praise him, either in this world or in a better. From his bounty 
 they shall be supplied with all necessaries. he shall <I>keep them 
 alive in famine;</I> when others die for want, they shall live, which 
 shall make it a distinguishing mercy. When visible means fail, God will 
 find out some way or other to supply them. He does not say that he will 
 give them abundance (they have no reason either to desire it or to 
 expect it), but he will keep them alive; they shall not starve; and, 
 when destroying judgments are abroad, it ought to be reckoned a great 
 favour, for it is a very striking one, and lays us under peculiar 
 obligations, to have our lives given us for a prey. Those that have the 
 Lord for their God shall find him their help and their shield, 
 
 <A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Ps+33:20"><I>v.</I> 20</A>.
 
 In their difficulties he will assist them; they shall be helped over 
 them, helped through them. In their dangers he will secure them; they 
 shall be helped over them, helped through them. In their dangers he 
 will secure them, so that they shall not receive any real damage. 

 (2.) The regard which God's people have to him and which we ought to 
 have in consideration of this.

 [1.] We must wait for God. We must attend the motions of his 
 providence, and accommodate ourselves to them, and patiently 
 accommodate ourselves to them, and patiently expect the issue of them. 
 Our souls must wait for him, 
 
 <A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Ps+33:20"><I>v.</I> 20</A>.

 We must not only in word and tongue profess a believing regard to God, 
 but it must be inward and sincere, a secret and silent attendance on 
 him.

 [2.] We must rely on God, <I>hope in his mercy,</I> in the goodness of 
 his nature, though we have not an express promise to depend upon. Those 
 that fear God and his wrath must hope in God and his mercy; for there 
 is no flying from God, but by flying to him. These pious dispositions 
 will not only consist together, but befriend each other, a holy fear of 
 God and yet at the same time a hope in his mercy. This is <I>trusting
 in his holy name</I> 
 
 (<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Ps+33:21"><I>v.</I> 21</A>),

 in all that whereby he has made known himself to us, for our
 encouragement to serve him.

 [3.] We must rejoice in God, 
 
 <A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Ps+33:21"><I>v.</I> 21</A>.

 Those do not truly rest in God, or do not know the unspeakable 
 advantage they have by so doing, who do not rejoice in him at all 
 times; because those that hope in God hope for an eternal fulness of 
 joy in his presence.

 [4.] We must seek to him for that mercy which we hope in, 
 
 <A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Ps+33:22"><I>v.</I> 22</A>.

 Our expectations from God are not to supersede, but to quicken and 
 encourage, our applications to him; he will be sought unto for that 
 which he has promised, and therefore the psalm concludes with a short 
 but comprehensive prayer, "<I>Let thy mercy, O Lord! be upon us;</I> 
 let us always have the comfort and benefit of it, not according as we 
 merit from thee, but <I>according as we hope in thee,</I> that is, 
 according to the promise which thou hast in thy word given to us and 
 according to the faith which thou hast by thy Spirit and grace wrought 
 in us." If, in singing

 <A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Ps+33:12-22">these verses</A>, 

 we put forth a dependence upon God, and let out our desires towards
 him, we make melody with our hearts to the Lord.</P>

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