We may consider these words as justly applicable to 1. David. 2, David’s Lord.—3, The children of the temple. 4, The apostles in their minority.—5, The experience of believers.—6, The salvation of children. This good man was chosen and ordained for the glory of God, and for the benefit of his people; eternally chosen in Christ to salvation; he was impressed with the power of converting grace in very early life, and long before he was introduced to public notice, long before his elevation to the throne of Israel. No doubt, while a youth, the holy Spirit took possession of his heart, and led his mind to hope in the promised Messiah, for life and salvation, and being selected from the busy world, and the cares, vanities, and snares of the court, he had many sweet moments in the sacred enjoyment of his God. _Times_, his mind often afterwards reflected upon with heaven-felt pleasure. It appears God had endowed him with astonishing skill in music, and a sublime talent for poetry, so that he probably filled his leisure hours with close attention to the exercise of those gifts; and as Mr. Toplady strikingly remarks, on David’s composing this beautiful pastoral psalm: We must form to ourselves an idea of David, the stripling, and think we see him watching his flocks on a summer’s night, under the expanded canopy of the skies. The air is still, the heavens are serene, the moon arrived at her full, is pursuing her majestic silent course, the stars, like peeresses, on a coronation solemnity, assume their brightest robes, to attend the beauteous sovereign of the night, while both moon and stars concur to shed a soft undazzling lustre on all the subjacent landscape. David, at this happy period, a blameless youth, unpoisoned with ambition, and unfacinated by the witchcraft of court corruption, and his hands undipped in blood, is seated on a rising hillock, or on the protuberant root of some stately tree. All is hushed, not a bough rustles, not a leaf trembles to the breeze; the silent flocks are either carelessly grazing by his side, or slumbering securely at his feet. The birds have suspended their songs, until waked by the superior sweetness of his voice, and the music of his hand; for, charmed with the loveliness of the scene, and wrapt by the holy Spirit into a seraphic flame of exalted devotion, he has lain aside his crook—he has taken up his harp, and transmitting to the throne of God, these grateful, these inexpressibly beautiful lines contained in this psalm, this divine testimony of Jesus, although perhaps wrote more than a thousand years before his incarnation. David’s mind was illuminated with spiritual knowledge, his faith centering in the Messiah, his hope resting on his covenant engagements, his affections cleaving to him, his mind at this time, happy in his love; and astonished at the infinite condescension of the God of all grace, in looking upon him in early life; saving him from the follies of youth,