to Him Who leaves not His chosen comfortless, but sends to them that Spirit Whose name is Comforter. Yea, though the outward man perisheth, and the comeliness of the flesh is marred by sorrow and by pain, like a leathern bottle placed in the heat of a burning fire and discoloured by its smoke, yet the inward man is renewed day by day in meditation on God's ways and will.

84. How many are the days of Thy servant when wilt Thou be avenged of them

that persecute me?

85. The proud have digged pits for me : which are not after Thy law.

86. All Thy commandments are true: they persecute me falsely; O be Thou my help.

87. They had almost made an end of me upon earth but I forsook not Thy commandments.

88. O quicken me after Thy loving-kindness and so shall I keep the testimonies of Thy mouth.

Though the time of trial may be long, though the believer may have, in his conflict with the wicked, to cry with the souls beneath the altar, 'How long, O Lord, holy and true, dost Thou not judge and avenge our blood on them that dwell on the earth?' Though they in whose hearts pride hath cast out God may lay snares for his soul, may persecute him for a false pretence, may seem ready almost to make an end of

him, and of all God's people upon earth, yet in holding fast by God's commandments there is a sure defence even against them who can kill the body. The just will live the life of faith, and therefore the just shall live by faith.

The letter of the alphabet for these lines is Caph, or K.

In æternum, Domine.

89. O LORD, Thy word endureth for ever in heaven.

90. Thy truth also remaineth from one generation to another: Thou hast laid the foundation of the earth, and it abideth.

91. They continue this day according to Thine ordinance for all things serve Thee.

LXX. By Thy ordinance the day continues.

Each word that proceedeth from the mouth of God endureth unto eternity. The angels that stand near Him hear it, and obey it without failing in the smallest point. The firmament of heaven, and its orbs and planets, each after their generation follow on in the appointed course which their Maker has willed that they fulfil. The whole universe of heaven above and earth beneath came into being by His word, and exists according to His laws; and not only so, but when heaven and earth shall pass away, His words shall not pass away. His truth ever abideth the same-holy, perfect, good, to all generations of men,-to the generations that were

Z

under the Law, and to the generations under the Gospel, to the generations of those kept by grace from sin, and to the generations of the saints crowned with glory. His truth remaineth, for in Him Who is the Truth hath He laid the foundation of the earth, and in Him alone it abideth; for other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Christ Jesus.' In Him, and through Him only, do all things appear orderly and good before the eye of God, so that He should not destroy them; in Him, and through Him only, can the creatures of earth serve their God, and do their part in fulfilling His eternal law.

92. If my delight had not been in Thy law : I should have perished in my trouble.

93. I will never forget Thy commandments : for with them Thou hast quickened me.

94. I am Thine, O save me for I have sought Thy commandments.

95. The ungodly laid wait for me to destroy me but I will consider Thy testimonies.

In

In loving Him Whose word is truth, do we gain grace, and strength, and comfort, to save us from perishing in the sins and troubles of mortality. His commandments, and in that Holy Spirit which bringeth them to our remembrance, is life indeed; for unless He quickeneth us, we perish. No man quickeneth his own soul,-though we can all destroy our own souls. Therefore should we long to be, not

our own, but His. In the quickening of His Spirit, our cry must be, 'I am Thine, O save me,' for I have sought not my own lusts, by which I was my own, but Thy commandments, that I might be now and for ever Thine! In vain will the ungodly and the spirits of evil seek to injure him whose mind and soul are thus given up to the testimonies and promises of Almighty Love.

96. I see that all things come to an end : but Thy commandment is exceeding broad.

LXX. I have seen an end of all perfection.

Watching and waiting thus in the patience of the Holy Ghost, the saint of God sees how all earthly knowledge, skill, beauty, power, design and working, come to an end. Human art is long, but it comes to an end; yea, even some of the things of the spirit-endurance and prayer, faith and hope, will come to an end. All our strivings and all our aims, of whatever sort they be, come to their end and cease. They are of time and for a time: all that is of man, and from man, is and must be finite; the way and work of God alone is infinite. His commandment is exceeding broad, reaching from that which is without beginning to that which hath no end, extending from eternity to eternity. His commandment is love,-love endless and boundless; for what can be vaster than that on which hang all the Law and the Prophets? Pray we, then, that all our ends may have no end but Him; strive we that

all our strivings may be lost in His all-embracing love!

The letter which begins the verses of this portion is Lamed, or L.

Quomodo dilexi!

97. LORD, what love have I unto Thy law : all the day long is my study in it.

98. Thou through Thy commandments hast made me wiser than mine enemies are ever with me.

:

for they

99. I have more understanding than my teachers for Thy testimonies are my study. 100. I am wiser than the aged because I keep Thy commandments.

The breadth of God's commandment is love,Thou shalt love the Lord thy God.' If, then, we love that which His law biddeth us to love, we cannot but love the law likewise which biddeth us. Truly we may spend both the passing day of this mortal life and the unending day of eternity in the study of this one law. And what better study is there than that wherein Christ is the Teacher, and His Church the school; where they who learn are teachers, and that which is learned is holiness and love; and the end of the learning is life eternal, even the knowledge of God and His Son Whom He hath sent? Such a scholar is wiser than his enemies that is, than the wicked who have cast off the love of Christ; he is wiser than his teachers-than