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had such a sense of the Father's glory, and of man's sin, as no person else ever had. And, accordingly, when his zeal had exerted itself in purging the temple, St. John tells us, his disciples remembered that it was written, The zeal of thine house hath eaten me up.' The place where it is so written, is Psalm lxix. 9, and the passage is exactly parallel to this before us.

140. Thy word is very pure; therefore thy servant loveth it.'

Thy word is very pure,' in the original, 'tried, refined, purified, like gold in the furnace;' absolutely perfect, without the dross of vanity and fallibility, which runs through human writings. The more we try the promises, the surer we shall find them. ' This pure word hath likewise in it a power of purifying us. It containeth precepts and examples of purity, helps and encouragements to purity, and the Spirit of purity goeth with it, and worketh by it. Therefore thy servant loveth it;' and no one, but a true servant of God, can therefore' love it, because it is pure; since he who loves it must desire to be like it, to feel its efficacy, to be reformed by it, and conformed to it.

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141. I am small and despised: yet do not I forget thy precepts.'

Faithfulness to God will often reduce men to straits, and bring on them the contempt of the world; happy are they who, under these difficulties and discouragements, forget not his precepts,' but still continue faithful, looking unto Jesus, who once 'endured the cross, despising the shame, and is now set down at the right hand of God.' Heb. xii. 2.

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142. Thy righteousness is an everlasting righteousness, and thy law is the truth.'

Men may decree wickedness by a law, or they may change their decrees, and, with them, what was right today, may be wrong to-morrow. But the law of God is righteousness,' and it is 'truth,' to-day, and for ever. His justice, goodness, and fidelity, are unchangeable; he

Pure gold is so fixed, that Boerhaave informs us of an ounce of it set in the eye of a glass furnace for two months, without losing a single grain.

will never forsake us, unless we forsake him, but will remember us in our lowest estate, if, in that estate, we ‘do not forget his precepts.'

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143. Trouble and anguish have taken hold upon,' or have found, 'me: yet thy commandments are my delights.' We need not take pains, as many do, to find trouble and anguish,' for they will one day find us.' In that day, the revelations of God must be to us instead of all worldly delights' and pleasures, which will then have forsaken us; and how forlorn and desolate will be our state, if we shall have no other delights, no other pleasures, to succeed them, and to accompany us into eternity! Let our study be now in the Scriptures, if we expect our comfort from them in time to come.

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144. The righteousness of thy testimonies is everlasting: give me understanding, and I shall live.'

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In every sense, O Lord Jesu, thy righteousness is 'everlasting. Grant us the understanding' of it, in every sense, and we shall live,' in thee now, and with thee for ever.

TWENTY-SIXTH DAY,-EVENING PRAYER.

KOPH.-PART XIX.

145. I cried with my whole heart; hear me, O Lord: I will keep thy statutes. 146. I cried unto thee; save me, and I shall keep thy testimonies.'

Believers, in time of affliction, make their prayer to God with fervor and importunity, petitioning for deliverance, that they may the better serve their Deliverer, and keep his laws.

147. I prevented the dawning of the morning, and cried: I hoped in thy word.' 148. Mine eyes prevent the night watches, that I might meditate in thy word.'

It is a certain sign that our hearts are set on a work, when the thoughts of it cause sleep to depart from us, and we awake readily, constantly, and early, to the performance of it. David delighted in the holy exercises of prayer and meditation; therefore he 'prevented the dawning of the morning,' and was beforehand with the light itself; therefore his 'eyes prevented the watches,' that is,

the cast of those watches, into which the night was by the Jews divided; he needed not the watchman's call, but was stirring before it could be given. Climate and constitution will, doubtless, make a difference, and claim considerable allowance; but by Christians, who enjoy their health, in temperate weather, the sun should not be suffered to shine in vain, nor the golden hours of the morning to glide away unimproved; since of David's Lord, as well as of David, it is said, 'in the morning rising up, a great while before day, he went out and departed into a solitary place, and there prayed.' Mark i. 35.

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149. Hear my voice, according unto thy loving kindness: O LORD, quicken me according to thy judgment, that is, thy word.' 150. They draw nigh that follow after mischief: they are far from thy law.' 151.Thou art near, O LORD; and all thy commandments are truth.'

If our enemies' draw nigh' to destroy us, God is stil 'nearer' to preserve us; and, however his word' may be rejected by the wicked, the faithful always find it to be true,' to their great and endless comfort.

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152. Concerning thy testimonies, I have known of old, that thou hast founded them for ever.'

This portion of our Psalm endeth with the triumph of faith over all dangers and temptations. Concerning thy testimonies,' the revelations of thy will, thy counsels for the salvation of thy servants, I have known of old,' by faith, and by my own experience, as well as that of others, that thou hast founded them for ever;' they are unalterable and everlasting as the attributes of their great Author, and can never fail those who rely on them, in time, or in eternity.

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RESH.-PART XX.

153. Consider mine affliction, and deliver me: for I do not forget thy law.

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It is happy when our afflictions' do not make us to forget the law of God;' then have we confidence toward him in our prayers, that he will 'consider' and regard our sufferings, as he did those of Israel in Egypt, and

come down to deliver' us out of all our troubles; for Israel is still in Egypt, while the church is in the world; but let us remember the promise, and rejoice in hope. 154. Plead my cause, and deliver me: quicken me according to thy word.'

God is the Patron of his people, to 'plead' their 'cause ;' their Redeemer, to deliver' them out of troubles; the Author and Fountain of their life, to quicken' and support them. We may, therefore, have recourse to him at all times, as an Advocate, a Saviour, and a Comforter, for the defence of our cause, the deliverance of our persons, and the support of our hearts. And all this, 'according to his word,' in which he hath engaged thus to patronize, to rescue, and to strengthen, those who trust in him, and apply to him.

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155. Salvation is far from the wicked; for they seek not thy statutes.'

The salvation' which is nigh to thy faithful, because they diligently and earnestly seek to know and to do the will of God revealed to them in his word, is 'far from the wicked,' because they seek not his statutes,' nor concern themselves to know what they are, much less to observe and practise them.'

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156. Great are thy tender mercies, O LORD: quicken me according to thy judgments,' that is, thy word. 157. Many are my persecutors, and mine enemies; yet do I not decline from thy testimonies.' 158. 'I beheld the transgressors, and was grieved; because they kept not thy word.'

Persecution tempteth men to apostasy, and is the great trial of our fidelity to God and to his word. He who, in such circumstances, forgetteth his own sufferings, to commiserate the sin and folly of his persecutors, is a true follower, as David was a forerunner of Jesus Christ.

159. Consider how I love thy precepts: quicken me, O LORD, according to thy loving kindness.' 160. Thy word is true from the beginning: and every one of thy righteous judgments endureth for ever.

It is observable how the Psalmist delighteth to dwell on these two sweet notes; the 'loving kindness' of God in promising salvation, and his 'truth' in the constant

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performance of that promise to his church, while she loves' and adheres to his 'precepts.' Thus it hath been from the beginning,' and thus it will be, until the whole counsel of heaven shall at length be fulfilled, by the resurrection and salvation of the just.

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SCHIN.-PART XXI.

161. Princes have persecuted me without a cause: but my heart standeth in awe of thy word.' 162. 'I rejoice at thy word, as one that findeth great spoil.'

David was 'persecuted,' by Saul and his associates, 'without a cause.' The life of Saul was spared by him, because he stood in awe of God's word,' and preferred the comfortable reflection of having obeyed its injunctions, to all the spoil,' and to those many advantages, that would have accrued to him, by the overthrow and death of his implacable adversary, who acknowleged, on the occasion, Thou art more righteous than I' 1 Sam. xxiv. 17. The sufferings of the body are soon over; the joys of conscience have no end.

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163. 'I hate and abhor lying: but thy law do I love.' The word of truth is the proper object of our love,' and every thing which is contrary to it deserveth our 'hatred and abhorrence;' nor is life itself worth preserving, at the expense either of our faith or our virtue.

164. Seven times a day do I praise thee, because of thy righteous judgments.'

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They who, like David, during the time of persecution and affliction, put their trust in God, and wait his decision of their cause, will always find reason, as David did, to praise him seven times a day,' or continually, for his just decrees and 'righteous judgments' concerning them. 165. 'Great peace have they which love thy law: and nothing shall offend them.'

Amidst the storms and tempests of the world, there is a perfect calm in the breasts of those who not only do the will of God, but 'love' to do it. They are at peace with God, by the blood of reconciliation; at peace with themselves, by the answer of a good conscience, and the subjection of those desires which war against the soul;

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