at peace with all men, by the spirit of charity; and the whole creation is so at peace with them, that all things work together for their good. No external troubles can rob them of this great peace,' no 'offences' or stumblingblocks, which are thrown in their way by persecution or temptation, by the malice of enemies or the apostasy of friends, by any thing which they see, hear of, or feel, can detain or divert them from their course. Heavenly love surmounts every obstacle, and runs with delight the way of God's commandments.

166. LORD, I have hoped for thy salvation, and done thy commandments.’

This is the true posture of a Christian, in which he need not fear to be found by his last and great enemy, death, ‘doing' his duty, and ‘hoping' for salvation from the person who is his Maker, as well as his Redeemer, and who, consequently, expecteth to be obeyed, no less than to be believed in.

167. My soul hath kept thy testimonies, and I love them exceedingly.' 168. I have kept thy precepts and thy testimonies: for all my ways are before thee.

The love of God's testimonies,' and the consideration, that all our ways are before him,' and subject to his immediate inspection, are two powerful motives to obedience. The plea of having kept the divine precepts,' &c. in the mouth of David, or any other believer, intendeth sincerity, not perfection, and is alleged as an evidence of grace, not as a claim of merit. Christ alone kept the old law, and he enableth us to observe the new.

TAU.-PART XXII.

169. 'Let my cry come near before thee, O LORD; give me understanding according to thy word.' 170. Let my supplication come before thee: deliver me according to thy word.'

The Psalmist still continueth instant in prayer for 'understanding,' to direct him in the midst of dangers and temptations, and for deliverance' out of them all, when God shall see fit to accomplish the promises made in his word.' These are blessings, for which a man

cannot be too frequent, or too earnest, in his petitions to the throne of heaven.

171. My lips shall utter praise, when thou hast taught me thy statutes.' 172. My tongue shall speak of thy word for all thy commandments are righteousness.'

He who obtaineth his requests, and is made a partaker of that grace and salvation for which he so fervently prayed, will edify men, by singing the 'praises,' and proclaiming the 'righteousness' of God his Saviour.

173. Let thine hand help me: for I have chosen thy precepts.' 174. 'I have longed for thy salvation, O LORD: and thy law is my delight.'

6

Salvation' by the hand,' or arm of Jehovah (which is often in Scripture a title of Messiah), hath been the object of the hopes, the desires, and 'longing' expectation of the faithful, from Adam to this hour; and will continue so to be, until He, who hath already visited us in great humility, shall come again in glorious majesty, to complete our redemption, and take us to himself.

175. Let my soul live, and it shall praise thee; and let thy judgments help me.'

The life' which God granteth and preserveth to us, whether it be the natural life of the body, or the spiritual life of the soul (for both are from him), should be employed in 'praising' him. This return for his mercies we are always ready to promise, when we are in danger, but often forgetful to perform, when delivered out of it. 176. I have gone astray like a lost sheep: seek thy servant; for I do not forget thy commandments.'

It is doubtful, whether David here speaks of his misery, or his sin; of his wandering,' as an exile in foreign lands, or of his 'going astray' from the commandments' of his God, though he had not altogether 'forgotten,' but was desirous of returning again to the observance of them, and therefore beseeches the great Shepherd to seek' and bring back his 'lost sheep.' In the application of the passage to ourselves, it matters not which interpretation

Erravi sicut ovis-Omnes nos quasi oves erravimus.' Isa. liii. 6. Sed nos bonus ille Pastor humeris reportavit.' Luc. xv. 5. BOSSUET. Mr. Merrick's Poetical Paraphrase of this verse is so beautiful and affecting, that I cannot refrain from subjoining it :—

we adopt, since we are both sinners and exiles; exiles, because sinners; we have erred and strayed from God's ways, like lost sheep,' and are, for that reason, excluded from our heavenly city and country, to wander for a time in the wilderness. Restore us, O Lord Jesu, be thy grace to righteousness, and by thy power to glory!

TWENTY-SEVENTH DAY.-MORNING PRAYER. PSALM CXX.

ARGUMENT.

[This, and the fourteen Psalms which follow it, are entitled, Psalms of Degrees, or of Ascensions. For what reason they were so called, is altogether uncertain. Cer tain, however, it is, that they are most instructive and pleasing compositions, wonderfully calculated to elevate the soul to God; and that the Christian, as he proceeds from one degree of virtue to another, in his way towards eternal felicity, cannot employ himself better than in meditation on them. In the first of these Psalms, the Author, most probably David, complaineth of the falsehood, the treachery, and the violence of men, amongst whom he grieveth that his pilgrimage is prolonged.]

1. In my distress, I cried unto the LORD, and he heard me.' 2. Deliver my soul, O LORD, from lying lips, and from a deceitful tongue.'

The Prophet relateth the success of his prayer made to Jehovah in time of trouble. He 'cried,' and was 'heard.' The particular species of trouble, under which he then labored, was that caused by the malice and treachery of

Thine eyes in me the sheep behold,
Whose feet have wander'd from the fold;

That, guideless, helpless, strives in vain
To find its safe retreat again;

Now listens, if perchance its ear

The Shepherd's well-known voice may hear;

Now, as the tempests round it blow,

In plaintive accents vents its woe.
Great Ruler of this earthly ball,

Do thou my erring steps recall :

O seek thou him who thee has sought,
Nor turns from thy decrees his thought.

his adversaries, who either with lying lips' bore false witness against him, or with a 'deceitful tongue' tried to ensnare him, and to draw something from him, on which they might ground an accusation. Thus the Jews dealt with Christ; and men of their cast and complexion have, in all ages, dealt thus with his true followers. From such 'lips,' and such 'tongues,' God only can deliver' the persons and the reputations of the most innocent.

3. What shall be given unto thee? or what shall be done unto thee, thou false tongue?' 4. Sharp arrows of the mighty, with coals of juniper.'

Some render the first of these two verses a little differently: What shall a false tongue give thee, or what shall it add to thee? The sense will be much the same, whether the Psalmist be supposed to address his question to the false tongue, or to him who is the owner of it. The purport of the question plainly is this: What profit or advantage do you expect to reap from this practice of lying and slandering? what will at last be its end and its reward? Then followeth the answer: Sharp arrows of the mighty one,' 11, who is the avenger of truth and innocence; with a fire that burns fiercely, and burns long, like that which was made of 'juniper,' or some wood used in those days, remarkable for increasing and retaining heat; punishments justly inflicted on a tongue, the words of which have been keen and killing as arrows, and which, by its lies and calumnies, hath contributed to set the world on fire. We read in the Gospel, of one who exclaimed, 'Send Lazarus, that he may dip the tip of his finger in water, and cool my TONGUE; for I am tormented in this FLAME.'

5. Woe is me that I sojourn in Mesech, that I dwell in the tents of Kedar!'

The Psalmist lamenteth his long continuance among those deceitful and malicious men, whom he compareth to the wild, barbarous, and idolatrous Arabs, the descendants of Kedar,' the son of Ishmael: Gen. xxv. 13. The former part of the verse is, with greater propriety perhaps, rendered, by many of the translators and expositors, thus: Woe is me that my sojourning is prolonged-'

'', 'I dwell, or, my dwelling is, among the tents

of Kedar.' When our Lord was on earth, the Jews were become the spiritual Ishmaelites, sons of the bond-woman, persecutors of the sons of the free-woman, and the children of promise. O faithless and perverse generation,' saith he, how long shall I be with you? how long shall I suffer you?' Matt. xvii. 17. 'And as then he that was born after the flesh, persecuted him that was born after the Spirit, even so it is now: Gal. iv. 29. The church daily sigheth and groaneth, because her sojourning is prolonged,' and she dwelleth among adversaries of various denominations, among those who take delight in vexing and troubling her. These are 'the tents of Kedar,' among which we dwell in the wilderness, longing to depart, and to be with Christ in the city of the living God.

6. My soul hath long dwelt with him that hateth peace.' 7. 'I am for peace;' or, I am a man of peace: but when I speak, they are for war.'

If this was the case of David, much more might the Son of David make the same complaint, that he'dwelt with them that hated peace;' that although he was 'a man of peace,' meek, lowly, and gracious in his deportment to all around him; although he came to make peace, and to reconcile all things in heaven and earth; although his conversation and his preaching were of peace, and love, and the kingdom of God; yet no sooner did he open his mouth to speak upon these divine subjects, but his enemies were up in arms, ready to apprehend, to accuse, to condemn, and to crucify him. Marvel not, O disciple of Jesus! if the world hate and oppose thee; but pray only, that when thou shalt be used as he was, thou mayest be enabled to bear that usage as he did.

PSALM CXXI.

ARGUMENT.

[In this Psalm, the Prophet, 1, 2. introduceth a person, most probably an Israelite on his way to Jerusalem, expressing his trust and confidence in Jehovah, the Maker of heaven and earth, of whose favor and protection, at all times, and in all dangers, the Prophet, 3-8. assureth him. These promises, like those in the 91st Psalm, were,