Morning.]

PSALM CXLIV.

[Day 30.

PRAYER FOR VICTORY AND FOR THE BLESSINGS OF PEACE.

BLESS

LESSED be the Lord my strength, who
teacheth my
hands to war, and my

fingers to fight;

2 My hope and my fortress, my castle and deliverer, my defender in whom I trust, who subdueth my people that is under me.

3 Lord, what is man, that Thou hast respect unto him; or the son of man, that Thou so regardest him?

4 Man is like a thing of nought; his time passeth away like a shadow.

5 Bow thy heavens, O Lord, and come down; touch the mountains, and they shall smoke.

6 Cast forth thy lightning, and tear them; shoot out thine arrows, and consume them.

7 Send down thine hand from above; deliver me, and take me out of the great waters, from the hand of strange children;

Ps. CXLIV., ascribed to David, begins, like the eighteenth, in terms characteristic of a warrior king. Its chief subjects are, triumph over his enemies, praise to God for deliverance from their power, and for plenty and prosperity among his people.

2. Who subdueth my people, &c.] or, Who bringeth the people into subjection to me.

3. Lord, what is man, &c.] The same sentiment is expressed

in very similar terms in Ps. viii. 4.

6. Cast forth thy lightning, and tear them;] David prays that God will employ this most formidable arm of his power to scatter and overthrow his enemies.

7. Out of the great waters,] The depths of trouble and distress.

Strange children;] The heathen nations, who were strangers to God and his law.

8 Whose mouth talketh of vanity, and their right hand is a right hand of wicked

ness.

9 I will sing a new song unto Thee, O God, and sing praises unto Thee upon a tenstringed lute.

10 Thou hast given victory unto kings, and hast delivered David thy servant from the peril of the sword.

11 Save me, and deliver me from the hand of strange children, whose mouth talketh of vanity, and their right hand is a right hand of iniquity.

12 That our sons may grow up as the young plants, and that our daughters may be as the polished corners of the temple.

13 That our garners may be full and plenteous with all manner of store; that our sheep may bring forth thousands and ten thousands in our streets.

14 That our oxen may be strong to labour; that there be no decay, no leading into captivity, and no complaining in our streets.

15 Happy are the people that are in such a case; yea, blessed are the people who have the Lord for their God.

8. A right hand of wickedness.] or, of falsehood; meaning, perhaps, when they raise their right hand for an oath, they swear falsely. See Gen. xiv. 22; Isa. xliv. 20.

12. As the young plants,]

or, it may be, as plants shooting up vigorously in their youth.

The polished corners of the temple.] Tall and graceful, like the rich and ornamental columns of the temple.

I

ever.

PSALM CXLV.

GOD'S POWER AND LOVING-KINDNESS.

Proper Psalm for Whit-Sunday.

WILL magnify Thee, O God, my King, and I will praise thy Name for ever and

2 Every day will I give thanks unto Thee, and praise thy Name for ever and ever.

3 Great is the Lord, and marvellous, worthy to be praised; there is no end of his greatness.

4 One generation shall praise thy works unto another, and declare thy power.

5 As for me, I will be talking of thy worship, thy glory, thy praise, and wondrous works;

6 So that men shall speak of the might of thy marvellous acts; and I will also tell of thy greatness.

7 The memorial of thine abundant kindness shall be shewed, and men shall sing of thy righteousness.

8 The Lord is gracious and merciful; long-suffering, and of great goodness.

9 The Lord is loving unto every man, and his mercy is over all his works.

10 All thy works praise Thee, O Lord, and thy saints give thanks unto Thee.

CXLV. "David's Psalm of Praise."

7. The memorial, &c.] In other words, men shall keep

alive in songs of praise the memory of thy overflowing goodness.

11 They shew the glory of thy kingdom, and talk of thy power;

12 That thy power, thy glory, and mightiness of thy kingdom, might be known unto

men.

13 Thy kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and thy dominion endureth throughout all ages.

14 The Lord upholdeth all such as fall, and lifteth up all those that are down. 15 The eyes of all wait upon Thee, O Lord, and Thou givest them their meat in due season.

16 Thou openest thine hand, and fillest all things living with plenteousness.

17 The Lord is righteous in all his ways, and holy in all his works.

18 The Lord is nigh unto all them that call upon Him; yea, all such as call upon Him faithfully.

19 He will fulfil the desire of them that fear Him; He also will hear their cry, and will help them.

20 The Lord preserveth all them that love Him; but scattereth abroad all the ungodly. 21 My mouth shall speak the praise of the Lord; and let all flesh give thanks unto his holy Name for ever and ever.

13. Thy kingdom] This assertion of an everlasting kingdom carries us on to that universal reign of Christ which shall

have no end. See Daniel vii. 14.

14. Such as fall,] Them that are falling.

PSALM CXLVI.

TRUST TO BE REPOSED NOT IN MAN BUT IN GOD ONLY.

RAISE the Lord, O my soul; while I live will I praise the Lord; yea, as long as I have any being, I will sing praises unto my God.

2 O put not your trust in princes, nor in any child of man; for there is no help in them.

3 For when the breath of man goeth forth he shall turn again to his earth, and then all his thoughts perish.

4 Blessed is he that hath the God of Jacob for his help, and whose hope is in the Lord his God;

5 Who made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that therein is; who keepeth his promise for ever;

6 Who helpeth them to right that suffer wrong; who feedeth the hungry.

7 The Lord looseth men out of prison; the Lord giveth sight to the blind.

Ps. CXLVI, and the remaining four are called Hallelujah Psalms, as all begin with the word Hallelujah, or "Praise the Lord." It is supposed that they were written in the time of Nehemiah, for the public service of the second temple.

2. O put not your trust] It is vain to trust in any of the race of man, even the chiefest and most powerful, for all are equally mortal, and unable to

save even themselves from death. He alone (4) is to be considered happy, who hath the God of Jacob for his help. Jer. xvii. 5.

7. The Lord looseth] It will be observed how closely this account of the merciful goodness of Jehovah to his creatures agrees with the history of our Lord's miracles in the Gospel. See Matt. xi. 5; Luke iv. 18; John ix. 7; x. 16.