These  circumstances  are  by  no  means  satisfactorily  ex- '
plained  and  accomited  for,  on  the  supposition  that  the  collector
had  joined  the  second  Psalm  to  the  first,  from  certain  points  of
connection  happening  to  exist  between  them ;  and  nothing
remains  for  us  but  the  conclusion,  that  both  Psalms  were  com-
posed by  the  same  author,  and  were  meant  by  him  as  different
parts  of  one  whole.  This  conclusion  may  be  the  more  readily
embi'aced,  as  we  liave  elsewhere  undoubted  specimens  of  such
pairs  of  Psalms  (as  Psalm  ix.  and  x,  xiv.  and  xv,  xUi.  and  xHii.),
and  as  similar  things  are  not  awanting  in  Christian  poets,  for
example,  Richters  two  poems,  "  It  is  not  difficult  to  be  a  Chris-
tian," and  "  It  is  hard  to  be  a  Christian."

Now,  as  there  are  important  grounds  for  ascribing  the
second  Psalm  to  David,  we  shoidd  be  entitled  to  regard  liim  as
the  author  also  of  the  first ;  nor  can  any  solid  objection  be
urged  against  this  conclusion.  In  its  noble  simplicity,  its  quiet
but  still  extremely  spirited  charactei',  it  presents  a  close  resem-
blance to  otlier  I'salms,  of  which  David  was  unquestionably  the
penman,  and  in  particular  to  the  xv.  xxiii.  viii.  Psalms.
