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fortless gloom before them, and that to the upright there ariseth light in darkness.

Here the youthful Christian finds an echo of encouragement to the energy and resolution of his hopes, and the aged and experienced one, a delightful exhibition of sure and confiding trust in the long-tried mercy of Jehovah. When my father and my mother forsake me, then the Lord will take me up. The young lions do lack and suffer hunger; but they that fear the Lord shall not want any good thing. - Thou hast been my support from my youth; now also, when I am old and grayheaded, forsake me not. I have been young, and now am old, yet have I never seen the righteous forsaken, nor his seed begging bread.-Happy would it be could we all realize in our own bosoms, the love, the gratitude, the penitential sorrow, the sacred confidence, and the fervent aspirations after holiness and heaven, which here so faithfully and vividly delineate the inward life of the Christian.

PART OF THE 18th PSALM, COMPOSED BY DAVID ON THE
OCCASION OF HIS DELIVERANCE "FROM THE HAND
OF HIS ENEMIES AND FROM THE HAND OF SAUL."

I WILL love thee, O Jehovah, my strength!

Jehovah is my rock and my fortress,

And my deliverer is my God:

My rock, in Him will I trust;

My shield, and the horn of my salvation: my high tower.

In mine affliction I called upon Jehovah;

Then was I delivered from mine enemies.

The cords of death surrounded me,

And the floods of wickedness made me afraid.
The cords of Hades* compassed me about,
The snares of death preceded me.

In my distress I called upon Jehovah,
And unto my God did I cry.

He heard from his temple my voice,
And my cry before him came into his ears.
Then the earth shook and trembled:

The foundations also of the mountains trembled;
And were shaken, because he was wroth.
Smoke went up from his nostrils,
And fire from his mouth devoured:
Burning coals were kindled by it.

He bowed the heavens also and came down;

* Hades, translated in the English Bible, Hell, signified a vast subterranean kingdom, -immense, dark, and silent; supposed to be the residence of departed spirits, immediately after death. It is not improbable that the sacred writers of the Old Testament understood by it the intermediate state of existence between death and the judgment. See their sublime poetical description of it in Isaiah, chapter xiv. the translation of which by Lowth may be found in the American First Class Book.

And darkness was under his feet.

He rode upon the cherub and did fly:

He flew upon the wings of the wind.

He made darkness his secret place,

His pavilion round about him:

Darkness of waters, and thick clouds of the skies.

From the brightness before him his thick clouds passed: Hailstones and coals of fire!

Jehovah also thundered in the heavens,

And the Most High uttered his voice:
Hailstones and coals of fire!

He shot out his arrows and scattered them:

The multitude of his lightnings, and discomfited them.
Then were seen channels of waters;

The foundations of the earth were discovered:

At thy rebuke, O Jehovah !

At the blast of the breath of thy wrath.

He sent from above, he took me;

He drew me out of many waters.

He delivered me from my strong enemy :

And from those who hated me, for they were e stronger thanl.

They fell upon me in the day of my calamity,

But Jehovah was my stay.

He led me out also upon a broad place:

He delivered me, for he delighted in me.

THE BOOK OF NATURE AND OF REVELATION.

PSALM ΧΙΧ.

TRANSLATED BY THE REV. GEORGE R. NOYES.

THE heavens declare the glory of God;

The firmament sheweth forth the work of his hands.

Day uttereth instruction to day,
And night sheweth knowledge to night.
They have no speech nor language,
And their voice is not heard;

Yet their sound goeth forth to all the earth,
And their words to the ends of the world.

In them hath He set a tabernacle for the sun,

Which cometh forth, like a bridegroom, from his chamber,
And rejoiceth, like a strong man, to run his course;
He goeth forth from the extremity of heaven,

And maketh his circuit to the end of it;

And nothing is hid from his heat.

The law of the Lord is perfect, reviving the soul, The precepts of the Lord are sure, giving wisdom to the

simple.

The statutes of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart,

The commandments of the Lord are pure, enlightening the

eyes.

The fear of the Lord is clean, enduring forever;

The judgments of the Lord are true, and righteous altogether. More precious are they than gold, yea, than much fine gold. By them also is thy servant admonished,

And in keeping of them there is great reward.

Who knoweth his own offences?

O cleanse thou me from secret faults!

Keep back also thy servant from presumptuous sins;

Let them not have dominion over me;

Then shall I be upright,

I shall not be polluted with gross transgression.

May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart

Be acceptable in thy sight,

O Lord, my strength and my redeemer.

THE LORD OUR SHEPHERD

PSALM ΧΧΙΙΙ.

TRANSLATED BY THE SAME.

THE Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.-
He maketh me to lie down in green pastures;
He leadeth me beside the still waters.

He reviveth my spirit;

He leadeth me in the right paths,
For his name's sake.

When I walk through the darkest valley,
I fear no evil, for thou art with me;
Thy crook and thy staff, they comfort me.
Thou preparest a table before me
In the presence of mine enemies;
Thou anointest my head with oil;

My cup runneth over.

Surely, goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of

my life,

And I shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever.

THE KING OF GLORY.

PSALM XXIV.

TRANSLATED BY THE SAME

THE earth is the Lord's, and all that is therein;

The world, and they who inhabit it.

For he hath founded it upon the seas,

And established it upon the floods.

Who shall ascend the hill of Jehovah,

And who shall stand in his holy place?
He that hath clean hands and a
pure heart;
Who hath not inclined his soul to falsehood,
Nor sworn deceitfully.

He shall receive a blessing from Jehovah,
And favour from God, his helper.
This is the race of those who seek Him;
Who seek thy face, O God of Jacob!
Lift up your heads, O ye gates!
Lift yourselves up, ye everlasting doors,
That the glorious King may enter in!
Who is this glorious King?
Jehovah, strong and mighty;
Jehovah, mighty in battle.

Lift up your heads, O ye gates!
Lift yourselves up, ye everlasting doors,
That the glorious King may enter in.
Who is this glorious King?

Jehovah, God of hosts, He is the glorious King.

GOD OUR REFUGE.

PSALM XLVI.

God is our refuge and strength;

A powerful help in trouble.

Therefore we will not fear, though the earth change,

Though the mountains tremble in the heart of the sea:
Its waters roar and are troubled;

The mountains shake with its raging.

There is a river, whose brooks gladden the city of God;

The holy dwelling-place of the Most High.
God is within her: she shall not be moved:

God shall help her, earlier than the dawning.
The heathen raged, the kingdoms were stirred :
He uttered his voice, the earth melted.
Jehovah of hosts is with us;

The God of Jacob is our Refuge.

Come, behold the doings of Jehovah !
What astonishments he hath wrought in the earth.
He quieteth wars to the end of the earth;

The bow he breaketh in pieces, and cutteth asunder the spear;
The chariots he burneth in fire.

Be still, and know that I am God: I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.

Jehovah of hosts is with us ; The God of Jacob is our Refuge

CONFIDENCE IN THE MERCY OF GOD.

PSALM LXV.

To thee belong submission and praise, O God, in Zion!

And to thee shall the vow be performed.

O Hearer of prayer! to thee all flesh must come.
The plagues of iniquity are strong against me,

But our sins, thou shalt purge them away.

Blessed are the people whom thou choosest and bringestnear;

they shall rest in thy courts.

We shall be satisfied with the glory of thy house, of thy holy temple.

By wonderful things in mercy wilt thou answer us, O God of our salvation; The confidence of all the ends of the earth, and of the remotest parts of the sea.

Establishing the mountains by his strength: girded with

power.

Who stilleth the roar of the seas,

The roar of the waves and the tumult of the people.
The remotest dwellers venerate thy wonderful exhibitions.
Thou makest the outgoings of the morning and evening to re-

joice.

Thou visitest the earth and waterest it abundantly;

Thou enrichest it: the channels of God are full of water: Thou preparest corn, because, for this hast thou provided it. Thou dost moisten its furrows; thou smoothest its ridges; Thou makest it soft with showers, thou blessest the springing

plants.

Thou crownest the year of thy goodness,
And thy paths drop fruitfulness.
The meadows of the wilderness do drop;
The hills also are girded with exultation.
The pastures are clothed with flocks,
And the valleys are covered with corn.
They shout for joy; yea, they sing.

PRAISE TO JEHOVAH.

PSALM XCV.

O COME, Let us sing unto Jehovah!

Let us shout to the Rock of our salvation!

Let us come before his presence with thanksgiving,

Let us shout to him with songs!

For a great God is Jehovah,

And a great king over all gods.

In his hand are the deep places of the earth,

And his are the heights of the mountains.

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