is alone and absolute, "I will put ;" that is, I will firmly establish, I will set it upon a firm foundation, I will be founder and establisher of it. Then there is, "in safety;" that is, this foundation shall not be of riches or of the things of this world; but it shall be a foundation of salvation: so that they who are placed and set therein, shall be saved for ever, and no one shall pluck them out of my hand. Which truth is like unto that of Isaiah xxviii. “Behold I will lay in the foundations of Zion a chief corner-stone: he that believeth shall not make haste:" excepting, that the expression in the verse before us is more brief and obscure. And there is no doubt that David is here speaking of Christ who is the firm foundation of salvation; an invincible rock unto all that trust in him, and whose name also is derived from salvation; as it is said here, ASCHITH BEISA. 'I will put him in Jesu. And we are here to understand, that the impious are put in contrast with these saints; for the wicked are not "put" but are driven about like the wind : nor are they put in safety, but in perdition and ruin, like a house built upon the sand. For this last part of the verse is the Word of promise, which consoles the poor and terrifies the wicked, as I said.

The second member will have that sense which the other part of the word of Isaiah has, "He that believeth shall not be confounded." So here "he speaks to him;" that is, he despises them, and with confidence speaks the Word of faith and of the cross. As it is introduced by Psalm cxvi. and by the Apostle 2 Cor. iv. 13, " According as it is written, I believed, and therefore have I spoken; so we also believe, and therefore we speak." For those who have their foundation in saving faith and on the rock Christ, are animated to preach the Word of God with all confidence to every one that is willing to believe; fearing nothing, not even the greatest number, and the most powerful sects of hypocrites that may rise up against them: as we have it recorded by Luke, Acts iv. and as it was fulfilled in the Apostles. But they that are destitute of this faith have not the courage so much as to open their mouth.

Therefore, we ought to receive this very short yet very obscure part of the verse before us as a whisper of the Spirit, which was whispered into the ears of David: and that while he was sighing for the devastation of the people of God, and of faith, he received this short oracle in answer: You are asking what remedy God intends for this evil. It is this, "I will set him in safety: he speaks to him." That is, know thou that I have ordained against this devastation of the saints, a foundation which I will place, even Christ: on whom I will build, and in whom I will save my church, against whom they shall not in the least prevail, nor shall they destroy one that believeth in him. Nor am I content with this. For when they shall have been thus saved, they shall come forth into public, and shall speak my Word with all boldness; by which they shall not only defend themselves, but shall also destroy their destroyers, and shall convert many who have turned away.

And thus, all things may be easily made to harmonize. "I will act confidently in him :" that is, I will cause them to act with all boldness in my Word of faith. And thesefore, Luke in the Acts of the Apostles seems to have made particular use of this verse, and that studiously; saying, Acts ix. That Paul preached boldly at Damascus in the name of Jesus. And again, Acts xiv. "And they abode there for a long time, speaking boldly in the Lord." And again, Acts xviii. Luke says of Apollos, "And he began to speak boldly in the synagogue." And it is quite usual with Luke to speak of preaching the Word boldly; so that it is manifest, that he took the whole of those expressions from this verse, as from a continually used proverb.

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Leaning, therefore, on this authority, I am inclined to believe that the Hebrew word JAPIA (which, Psalm x. we have explained as signifying to bring forward,' 'to appear,' to rule over,' to despise;' and which Hieronymus has rendered in this place help,' to meditate with one's self,' and 'to speak,') signifies most properly 'to act with confidence or boldness,' which is the rendering our translator has given it: and Luke has no other

meaning in his 'acting with boldness,' than that the Word was preached will all boldness: and this, according to Psalm cxvi. is to believe, and therefore to speak.' And this is the same, (though somewhat more obscurely and briefly,) as 'to despise,' 'to rule over,' 'to appear,' 'to meditate,' 'to speak,' and 'to have help.' For, by what other power do we despise, rule over, appear, speak, and have help, than by the Word of faith preached with all confidence. For, the wicked rules over his enemies and speaks his word against them with all confidence ; so the godly man rules over his enemies, and speaks the Word of God against them with all confidence.

By which things, we are again taught that the power of the church is none other than the Word of God, which is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth, Rom. i. And the rod of the strength of God, Psalm ex. Thus Hosea, i. 7, "But I will save them by the Lord their God, and will not save them by bow, nor by sword, nor by battle, by horses, nor by horsemen." Wherefore, in a word, the sense of this verse is, that the godly have a two-fold help; that is, faith and the Word: faith, by which they are saved themselves; and the Word, whereby they destroy the ungodly, and multiply the "saints" and the "truths" among the men whom the ungodly desolate. Faith is touched upon, where David says, "I will set him in safety," or in saving' and the Word, where he says, "I will act condently in him:" or 'he speaks to him,' (as the Hebrew has it.)

And to whom does he 'speak?' and who is it that speaks?' No person is here mentioned: and therefore the sentence is absolute and general. As if he had said, I will set him in safety, or, I will strengthen him in faith. And behold, this is wrought in him who speaks. For as soon as any one believes, he immediately speaks. In Acts ii. we have it recorded, that as soon as they were filled with the Spirit they began to speak. Nor does the Psalmist mention the person who is spoken to; this omission is on account of the same generality of expression.

"He speaks to him," or "against him: that is,

against the wicked, or the ungodly destroyers. And thus when faith comes there is one who speaks and one who hears and then follows also the gift of faith, both speaking and hearing: by which two things both mercy and truth are multiplied.

And observe this also,-that this 'setting in safety,' is the work of God alone. But 'speaking to the wicked,' is our co-operation. And therefore, God ascribes the former to himself and the latter to man: which latter nevertheless our translation ascribes unto God, when it says in the first person, "I will act confidently in him." Behold, therefore, how obscure, how brief, and how full this Word is which is contained in the latter part of this verse. It would however be better to insert a conjunction, in this manner, 'I will set him in safety, and he speaks to him;' to avoid the harshness of the Hebraism.

But let no one pass over the order here observed. That 'being put in safety' goes before 'speaking to him,' or acting boldly:' because we must first believe, and burn, before we can teach and shine, if we would teach with profit and with boldness. For the Word of salvation cannot be taught without faith. In the time of persecution, "I believed, (saith the Psalmist,) and therefore have I spoken.

Ver. 6. The speaking of God is pure: silver proved by the fire, proved of the earth, purified seven times.

He

These things are to be understood as spoken in an antithesis or contrast; wherein he draws a comparison between the words of men and the words of God. sets forth the words of men as being vain, flattering, and varying; by which they are not purified, but more and more polluted in spirit, and by which men are deprived of mercy and truth. But the words of God are represented as chaste, pure, or clean, and rough yet upright, faithful and solid, by which men are cleansed, and by which also mercy and truth are multiplied, and vanity, craft, and discord are destroyed.

This verse explains the allegory of silver, which David here uses to set forth the words of God, which he calls

silver tried, proved, and purified seven times: whereas, in the eyes of the godly they are the dregs, the off-scouring, and the filth of the world, by which they think they are polluted and dishonoured. On the other hand, David declares that the words of the wicked are vain, flattering, and variable, whereby they destroy mercy and truth: whereas, they think them to be quite the contrary. And David has given both these descriptions in the spirit.

By the words (eloquia) of the Lord, David does not mean those things only which are written in the scriptures, but much more especially those things which are spoken forth by the voice. Even as he had said of the words of the wicked, "They speak vain things; every one hath a flattering lip to his neighbour; they speak with a divided heart." So, it is not the scripture of God, but the words spoken (eloquia) of God more particularly, which he calls pure. For the scripture does not so much hurt or profit, as the word spoken (eloquium;) for the voice is the soul of the word. Nor is it necessary to understand by the eloquia Domini, those things only which are written on the scriptures, and then spoken by the voice; but we understand by them all those things which God speaks by man, even without the scriptures, whether he be a fool, or one who is learned: as he often spoke by the apostles, and still does speak by his. Wherefore, these eloquia Domini, or words of the Lord, are when God speaks in us, and not when any thing of the scriptures is brought forward; for this, even devils and the wicked may do; in whom, nevertheless, God never speaks: nor are such the eloquia or words of God, but a certain froth of the words of God, like the scum of silver.

Wherefore, the remedy of our salvation against the destroyers of the needy and the desolators of the saints in the earth, is the Word of God awakened up against the word of men: which Word, as it is most pure, (as silver purged from its dross proved, and purified seven times,) purifies, makes solid, and proves the heart of man, making the heart like unto itself, that it may not