50. The same is my comfort in my trouble: for Thy word hath quickened me.

The servant of God may appeal unto his Lord to think upon him and to remember, while he knows that God never forgetteth or faileth them who trust Him. He may plead God's promises before Him, for by doing so he stirs up his own faith and draws patience and comfort from the very act of pleading. In the Gospel and its promises will be his life; for each word uttered by the eternal Word cannot but be full of eternal Life. He will follow the pattern of his Saviour, Who comforted Himself with God's word in the wilderness, in the temple, on the cross.

51. The proud have had me exceedingly in derision yet have I not shrinked from Thy law.

LXX. The proud dealt exceeding wickedly.

52. For I remembered Thine everlasting judgements, O Lord and received comfort.

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The wicked despise and persecute the righteous, and are reckless in their own wickedness; yet will not the faithful soul shrink back from the task of obedience which has been given unto it to do. The wicked will do wickedly for a season; but above them, and above all, are the eternal judgments of the Divine righteousness; and in the remembrance of these there is comfort to the soul that is tempted, persecuted, and despised.

53. I am horribly afraid for the ungodly that forsake Thy law.

Yes, there is unspeakable comfort as far as his own right doing is concerned, but unspeakable terror on account of the wicked, who mock at obedience and forsake the eternal law, who have stripped themselves of all hope, and so of all fear of God. For them will the servant of God fear and be dismayed; for them will he strive in earnest, trembling prayer; for with him the measure of God's grace and mercy to himself will be the measure of his charity and care for others.

54. Thy statutes have been my songs in the house of my pilgrimage.

55. I have thought upon Thy Name, O Lord, in the night-season and have kept Thy law.

56. This I had because I kept Thy commandments.

He who departed from paradise and the Jerusalem above, and going down to Jericho fell among robbers, but being saved by the mercy of the good Samaritan, hath been brought to the house of his pilgrimage, will make the statutes of Him Who saved him his song while he abideth there. The holy law so dreadful to the wicked is a comfort to the obedient, and becomes in his mouth a consoling song, which he cons over to himself through the long night-season of mortality, while he waits until the Lord come and bring to

light the hidden things of darkness, and make manifest the counsels of the hearts,' and then shall every man have his praise or reproof from God.

The verses of this, the seventh portion, commence with Zain, or Z.

Portio mea, Domine.

57. THOU art my portion, O Lord: I have promised to keep Thy law.

58. I made my humble petition in Thy presence with my whole heart: O be merciful unto me, according to Thy word.

The Lord is the portion of His saints. His promise to them that serve Him is, 'I am thy exceeding great reward.' Surely His people may well promise, for their parts, to keep His law. Thinking on this exceeding great reward, shall we not come into His presence and cry to Him for mercy, according to His Gospel, with all the longing of our heart and spirit? 59. I called mine own ways to rememand turned my feet unto Thy testi

brance monies.

LXX. I reckoned up Thy ways.

60. I made haste, and prolonged not the time to keep Thy commandments.

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Thinking over and reckoning up our ways, with this reward in sight, and comparing them with His, shall we not ask Him fervently to set our accounts right before Him, to pardon our misspendings and

our misreckonings? And shall we not turn our feet with all haste, and make no delay to observe His will, for that the time is short?

61. The congregations of the ungodly have robbed me but I have not forgotten Thy law.

62. At midnight I will rise to give thanks unto Thee because of Thy righteous judg

ments.

63. I am a companion of all them that fear Thee and keep Thy commandments.

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64. The earth, O Lord, is full of Thy mercy : O teach me Thy statutes.

The wicked may deprive us of earthly goods, but they cannot touch our real treasure-the mercy and freely-given grace of our God. And for this must we give thanks unto Him, not only in the light of prosperity, but in the dark midnight of adversity and sorrow; rising early, and thanking Him continually for His righteous dealings with us, in these latter days of evil, when Satan hath possessed the world with a spirit of dumbness and prayerlessness. Thus in the communion of saints shall we be made companions and sharers with all the holy and the obedient of God's redeemed; and not only with them, but with Him Who redeemed them and became their companion, the Immortal with the mortal; Who watered the earth with His blood, that it might be full of His mercy and rich in the fruit of good

works, and gave grace to His people, that they might cry to Him, 'O teach me Thy statutes.'

The initial of these verses is Cheth, or Kh.

Bonitatem fecisti.

65. O LORD, Thou hast dealt graciously with Thy servant according unto Thy word.

66. O learn me true understanding and knowledge for I have believed Thy commandments.

67. Before I was troubled, I went wrong: but now have I kept Thy word.

68. Thou art good and gracious: O teach me Thy statutes.

us.

All His dealings are grace and goodness to His servants. As He has said, so will He do. By His dealings He teaches, warns us, chastens us, corrects us, and manifests His fatherly tenderness towards Before we are chastened we too often go wrong in pride, in ignorance, in wilfulness. He sends us trouble, He makes us grieve; and yet from that very grief He causes to joy. Godly sorrow worketh repentance, and repentance beginneth obedience, so good and gracious is He! Shall we not therefore yet again pray to learn His statutes?

69. The proud have imagined a lie against me: but I will keep Thy commandments with my whole heart.