\*Ver. 8. \\Let all the earth fear the Lord\\, &c.] That
is, all the men that dwell upon the face of the earth.
As it follows,
\*\\let all the inhabitants of the world stand
in awe of him\\; which fear and awe design a reverence
of the divine Majesty, whose divine perfections
are so manifest in the works of creation; and a
carefulness not to offend him, into whose hands it
must be a fearful thing to fall; and the whole worship
of him, which is often in Scripture expressed by the
fear of him: and this is to be understood either as
what is the duty of all men; for to %fear God, and keep
his commandments, is the whole duty of man%, \\#Ec 12:13\\;
and which is incumbent on all men, in consideration of
his being the Creator of them; and the obligation to it
is yet more increased through his providential care of
them and goodness to them; and still more should be
found in them, seeing he will be the Judge of them,
and has a despotic and uncontrollable power over
them; and what is it that he cannot do, who has done
all this before related? though none can fear him aright
but such who have the grace of fear put into their
hearts by the spirit of God: or else this may be prophetically
said, as what will be in the latter day,
when not only the Jews shall fear the Lord and his
goodness, \\#Ho 3:5\\, but when the fulness of the
Gentiles being brought into the church, it shall fear
and be enlarged; yea, all nations shall fear the Lord
and glorify his name, and come and worship before
him, \\#Isa 60:5-8 Re 15:4\\.

\*Ver. 9. \\For he spake, and it was [done]\\, &c.] Or %it
was% {a}, it came into being by a word speaking, almighty
power going along with it; see \\#Ge 1:3,6,7,9,11,14,15,20,24\\;
\*\\he commanded, and it stood
fast\\; every created thing continued in its being; not
only all things were produced into being by his all-commanding
word and power, %nutu Jovis%, as Maximus
Tyrius speaks {b}; but by the same all things are
upheld and consist, \\#Heb 1:3 Col 1:17\\. The poet {c}
uses the same word of God in the creation of things;
and is the phrase in \\#Ge 1:3\\ admired by Longinus {d}:
or this may refer to the implantation of the grace of
fear in the hearts of his people; for as he speaks life
into them in regeneration, commands light to shine
in their dark heart, and says to them, when in their
blood, Live; So by the mighty power of his word he
commands the fear of him in them, and it continues.

\*Ver. 10. \\The Lord bringeth the counsel of the Heathen to nought\\, &c.]
The psalmist having taken notice
of the works of creation, in order to excite the
saints to praise, proceeds to observe the providence of
God, and particularly that branch of it which lies in
disappointing the designs of wicked men; it is wickedness
which they consult and devise, and thin is against
the Lord's people, his cause and interest, and so against
himself; and though their schemes are formed and
contrived with a great deal of subtlety, yet they are
commonly blasted; whether laid by particular persons,
as by Ahithophel against David; or by nations, whole
bodies of men, as of the Egyptians and Assyrians
against Israel; and of Jews and Gentiles against
Christ and his cause;
\*\\he maketh the devices of the
people of none effect\\; the same thing is expressed here
as before, in different words, for the further confirmation
of it, and that it might be attended to. This is
the Lord's doing, he is omniscient, and knows all the
secret plots and designs of men; and he is omnipotent,
and counteracts them, and confounds them in all their
measures; and is faithful to his people, cause, and interest.

\*Ver. 11. \\The counsel of the Lord standeth for ever\\,
&c.] By which are meant, not the doctrines of the
Gospel, nor the ordinances of it; though these will
stand firm, and remain to the end of the world; but
the purposes and decrees of God, which are wisely
formed in himself, are eternal and infrustrable, and relate
to all things in providence and grace. The Lord
does all things according to the counsel of his will in
the government of the world, and in the salvation of
men: the choice of persons to everlasting life is according
to it; and so are their redemption, effectual
vocation, and glorification;
\*\\the thoughts of his heart
to all generations\\; which, with respect to his own
people, are thoughts of peace, grace, and mercy; these
are many, and within himself, were very early, even
from all eternity, and have their sure and certain effect,
\\#Isa 14:24\\; see \\#Pr 19:21 Isa 46:10\\.

\*Ver. 12. \\Blessed [is] the nation whose God [is] the Lord\\,
&c.] Who have an interest in such a wonder-working
God, both in creation and in providence, and especially
in grace: which, though it may have a principal
regard to the nation of Israel, whose God he was in a
very distinguishing manner, yet must not be limited
to them; for he is the God of the Gentiles also:
this nation is the chosen generation, the holy nation
and peculiar people, both among Jews and Gentiles;
and the Lord is the God of these; not only as
the God of nature and providence, but as the God of all
grace; who must be happy, since he is their portion
and exceeding great reward; nor shall they want any
good thing, nor need they fear any evil; they are on the
heart of God, and cannot be separated from his love;
they are engraven on the palms of his hands, and shall be
helped, strengthened, and upheld with the right hand
of his righteousness; all things work together for their
good; and this God of theirs will be their God and
guide unto death; they may expect every needful good
thing now, and all glory and happiness hereafter;
\*\\[and] the people [whom] he hath chosen for his own inheritance\\;
not Israel only, but the Gentiles also; not all mankind,
but a peculiar people, whom the Lord has chosen
out of the world to be his possession, and who are his
jewels and peculiar treasure; these are happy, being
the Lord's portion, and the lot of his inheritance; and
he chooses an inheritance for them, adopts and begets
them unto it, and makes them meet to be partakers
of it.

\*Ver. 13. \\The Lord looketh from heaven\\, &c.] Where
his throne and temple are, upon the earth and men,
and things in it, as follows;
\*\\he beholdeth all the sons
of men\\; the evil and the good; which is contrary to
the sense of many wicked men, who imagine he takes
no notice of what is done here below; but his eye is
upon all, upon all the workers of iniquity, how secret
soever they may be; and not only his eye of Providence
is upon good men, but his eye of love, grace, and
mercy; and he has a special and distinct knowledge of
them: agreeably to this are some expressions of
Heathen writers; says one {e},
\*"the eye of God sees all
"things;"\*
\*says another {f},
\*"there is a great God in heaven
"who sees all things, and governs."\*

\*Ver. 14. \\From the place of his habitation\\, &c.]
Which is heaven, that is, the habitation of his holiness,
and of his glory, \\#Isa 63:15\\;
\*\\he looketh upon
all the inhabitants of the earth\\; good and bad; and not
the nation of Israel only, but the Gentile world, whom
in former times he overlooked, but under the Gospel
dispensation visits in a way of mercy; by sending his
son to die for them, by spreading his Gospel among
them, by calling them by his grace, by planting churches
in the midst of them, and by continuing his word and
ordinances with them.

{a} \^yhyw\^ %& fuit%, Pagninus, Montanus, Musculus, Gejerus; so Ainsworth.
{b} Dissert. 25.
{c} %Jussit & extendi campos%, &c. Ovid. Metamorph. l. 1. Fab. 1. v. 43.
{d} De Sublimi.
{e} \~panta idwn diov ofyalmov\~, &c. Hesiod. Opera & Dies, l. 1. v. 263.
{f} \~esti megav en ouranw\~, &c. Sophoclis Electra, v. 174, 175.