his birth, considering withal how unworthy | he hath been of the least of those mercies, as also how far preferable his state is to that of many others; and he will find reason "in all things to give thanks," to acknowledge, with David, the goodness and truth of Jehovah, and to say, "Thou hast dealt well with thy servant, O LORD, according to thy word."

66. Teach me good judgment and knowledge: for I have believed thy commandments. From thanksgiving, the Psalmist returneth again to prayer, as, while we continue in this world, we must all do. The gift, for which he now prayeth, is that of "a good judgment with knowledge;" as the former must enable us to make a proper use of the latter. The word, which is here translated "judgment," signifies bodily "taste," and that faculty in the mind which answers to it, the faculty of discerning, distinguishing, and judging rightly of things moral and spiritual, as the palate doth of meats, their different flavors and qualities. Without this taste, or discretion, we mistake falsehood for truth in our studies, and wrong for right in our practice; superstition and enthusiasm may pass with us for religion, or else licentiousness may intrude itself upon us, under the name and notion of liberty; in a word, our learning and knowledge prove useless, if not prejudicial A sound mind therefore should, above all things, be desired of God in our prayers; and those prayers will be heard, when we can sincerely profess a readiness to be directed by God's laws, through faith in their author, his promises and threatenings; on which ground David urgeth his request; "for I have believed thy commandments."

to us.

67. Before I was afflicted, I went astray: but now have I kept thy word.

We collect from this verse, that prosperity is too often the parent of sin; that adversity is, first, its punishment, then, its re aedy; and that every considerate man, who hath been afflicted, will thankfully acknowledge as much. "When afflictions fail to have their due effect, the case is desperate. They are the last remedy which indulgent Providence uses; and if they fail, we must languish and die in misery and contempt. Vain men! how seldom do we know what to wish or to pray for! When we pray against misfortunes, and when we fear them most, we want them most. The shortest and the best prayer which we can address to Him who knows our wants, and our ignorance in asking, is this-Thy will be done." Lord Bolingbroke's Reflections on Exile, p. 276.

68. Thou art good, and doest good: teach me thy statutes.

In other words, as Bishop Patrick hath well connected and paraphrased it, "Thou art in thine own nature kind and good; and nothing else can proceed from thee, who designest our good, even when thou afflictest us; take what methods thou pleasest with me, only teach me effectually to do as thou wouldst have me.”

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69. The proud have formed a lie against me: but I will keep thy precepts with my whole heart.

Every disciple of Christ, who, like hist Master, goeth contrary to the ways of the world, and condemneth them, must expect to be like that Master, slandered and calumniated by the world. To such slanders and calumnies, a good life is the best answer. When a friend once told Plato, what scandalous stories his enemies had propagated concerning him, "I will live so," replied that great philosopher, "that nobody shall believe them."

70. Their heart is as fat as grease; but I delight in thy law.

"The fatness of the heart" implieth, in this place, two things in those of whom it is affirmed; luxury, and its consequence, insensibility to those spiritual and divine truths, which are not only the study, but the "delight" of temperate and holy persons, who gladly fly from large companies, full tables, costly meats, and rich wines, to enjoy in private the more exalted pleasures of abstinence, meditation, and prayer.

71. It is good for me that I have been afflicted: that I might learn thy statutes.

God's statutes are best learned in the school of affliction, because by affliction the great impediments to our learning them are removed; pride is subdued, and concupiscence is extinguished. "He that hath suffered in the flesh," saith an apostle, "hath ceased from sin:" 1 Pet. iv. 1. and in an immunity from sin consisteth one of the greatest felicities of heaven, which thus descends into the afflicted soul, so as to render even the state of sickness itself, in some sort, desirable. Strange as this proposition may appear, the reader will find its truth demonstrated, by the inimitable Bishop Jeremy Taylor, in that truly golden tract, "The Rule and Exercises of Holy Dying," chap. iii. sect. 6. on "The Advantages of Sickness."

72. The law of thy mouth is better unto me than thousands of gold and silver.

Affliction taketh from us the inclination to offend, and it giveth us, in return, a knowledge of that law which "is better," and

which, when we are thoroughly acquainted will be made by every true child of God, with it, we shall esteem to be better, "than thousands of gold and silver;" better in its nature, for it is from heaven, they are from the earth; better in its use, for it bringeth salvation to our souls, whereas they can only procure sustenance for the body; better in point of duration, for the benefits of one are certain and eternal, the advantages of the others temporal and uncertain. Blessed are they who seek in the Scriptures the true riches; who traffic for the spiritual gains of celestial wisdom; for surely "the merchandise of it is better than the merchandise of silver, and and the gain thereof than fine gold." Prov. iii. 14.

TWENTY-FIFTH DAY.-EVENING

PRAYER.

JOD.-PART X.

73. Thy hands have made me, and fashioned me: give me understanding, that I may learn thy commandments.

when under the correction of his heavenly Father. From whatever quarter afflictions come upon us, they are "the judgments of God," without whose providence nothing befalleth us. His judgments are always "right, or just," duly proportioned to the disease and strength of the patient; in sending them, God is "faithful" and true to his word, wherein he hath never promised the crown without the cross, but hath, on the contrary, assured us, that one will be necessary, in order to our obtaining the other; and that they who are beloved by him shall not sin with impunity, nor go astray without a call to return. All this we ought to "know," or to be assured of beyond doubt, as we may be from the many declarations in Scripture, from ovr own experience, and from that of others. 76. Let, I pray thee, thy mercy and kindness be for my comfort, according to thy word unto thy servant.

In the former verse the criminal, finding that the hand of God was upon him, had THE formation of man was the last and owned the justice and the faithfulness of noblest work of God, and it is a standing his judge in the punishment inflicted. Judg miracle of divine wisdom and power. The ment having thus had her perfect work, the consideration, that God made us, is here urged offender, now humbled and penitent, maketh as an argument why he should not forsake application to the throne of grace, and and reject us, since every artist hath a value sueth for that mercy, which God, by his for his own work, proportioned to its excel-" word," hath promised to his servants, who lence. It is, at the same time, an acknow- are chastened, not for their destruction, but ledgment of the service we owe him, for their salvation. When God's "judgfounded on the relation which a creature ments" have brought us to an acknowledgbeareth to his Creator. And the petition ment of our sins, his "merciful kindness" implieth in it a confession of our present ina- will speedily be our "comfort." bility to know his will without his revelation, and to do it without his grace.

74. They that fear thee will be glad when they see me; because I have hoped in thy

word.

They who "fear God" are naturally "glad when they see" and converse with one like themselves; but more especially so, when it is one whose faith and patience have carried him through troubles, and rendered him victorious over temptations; one who hath "hoped in God's word," and hath not been disappointed. Every such instance affordeth fresh encouragement to all those who, in the course of their warfare, are to undergo like troubles, and to encounter like temptations. In all our trials, let us therefore remember, that our brethren, as well as ourselves, are deeply interested in the event, which may either strengthen or weaken the hands of

77. Let thy tender mercies come unto me, that I may live: for thy law is my delight.

The mercies of God are "tender mercies," they are the mercies of a father to his children, nay, tender as the compassion of a mother over the son of her womb. They

come unto" us when we are not able to go to them. By them alone we "live" the life of faith, of love, of joy and gladness. And to such as delight" in his law, God will grant these 'mercies, and this life; he will give them pardon, and by so doing, he will give them life from the dead.

78. Let the proud be ashamed, for they dealt perversely with me without a cause; but I will meditate in thy precepts.

This complaint of the Psalmist hath been made by the faithful in all ages, that the men of the world "dealt perversely with them without a cause," or oppressed them falsely, first spreading slanders and calumnies concerning them, and then persecuting them for. those supposed crimes. Such usage should have no other effect upon us, than it had upon David. He prayed that

"shame" and disappointment might teach | humility to the "proud," and applied himself still more and more to meditate in the "precepts" of his God.

79. Let those that fear thee turn unto me, and those that have known thy testimonies.

82. Mine eyes fail for thy word, saying, When wilt thou comfort me?

While the promised salvation is delayed, the afflicted soul thinketh every day a year, and looketh toward heaven for the accomplishment of God's word, saying to "her Friend and her Beloved, When wilt thou comfort me? Come, Lord Jesu, come quickly!"*

David beseecheth God, if any good men had been alienated from him, either through fear, prejudice, or offence, that they might return to him, join, and acknowledge him. 83. For I am become like a bottle in the To thee, O thon Son of David, and King of the smoke: yet do I not forget thy statutes. spiritual Israel, let those among thy people, "Bottles" among the Jews were made of who, through any temptation, have fallen skins. One of these, if exposed to heat and from their allegiance, return and be subject." smoke," would become shrivelled and use80. Let my heart be sound in thy statutes; less. Such a change will labor and sorrow that I be not ashamed. cause in the human frame; and the Psalmist here complaineth, that his beauty and his strength were gone; the natural moisture was dried up; in consequence of which, the skin shrivelled, and both color and vigor departed from him. Disease and old age will produce the same sad effects in us all; but the body's weakness is the soul's strength; as the outward man decayeth, the inward man is renewed: "I do not forget thy statutes.”

This is a prayer necessary for all men to use at all times, but more particularly in seasons of persecution and temptation. By "soundness of heart" is meant solidity and steadfastness in grace and virtue, as opposed to the mere form of godliness or fair show of the hypocrite, which conceal the rottenness and corruption lurking within; and also to the sudden and vanishing goodness of the temporary convert, which quickly disappears like the morning dew, and withers like the seed sown on a rock. When internal holiness accompanies and actuates that which is external, when the word is thoroughly rooted, and faith hath acquired the sovereignty over our desires, then our "hearts" are "sound in God's statutes," and there is hope that, in the day of trial, we shall not give our brethren cause to be ashamed of us, nor be ourselves "ashamed " before God.

CAPH.-PART XI.

84. How many are the days of thy servant? When wilt thou execute judgment on them that persecute me?

The well beloved John heard a question, of the same import with this, asked by the spirits of the martyrs, that had left their bodies, and were waiting, in the separate state, for the day of retribution. The answer, which was made to them, may likewise satisfy our impatience, when suffering affliction and persecution: "I saw under the altar the souls of them that were slain for the word of God, and for the testimony which they held. And they cried with a loud voice, saying, How long, O Lord, holy and true, dost thou not judge and avenge our blood on them that dwell on the earth? And white robes were given unto every one of them, and it was said unto them, that they should rest yet for a little season, until their fellow-servants also, and their brethren, that should be killed as they were, should be fulfilled." Rev. vi. 9, &c.

*"Defecerunt oculi mei:" Ambrosius: "Nonne

81. My soul fainteth for thy salvation: but I hope in thy word, or, I have expected thy word. Thus have the true servants of God, in every age, expressed their ardent desire of his salvation. Thus did the patriarchs, the prophets, the kings, and the faithful people, formerly wish to behold the advent of their Saviour in the flesh; until Simeon, taking him in his arms, spoke what they would all have spoken had they been present, "Lord, now lettest thou thy servant depart in peace, according to thy word; for mine eyes have seen thy salvation." But the Bridegroom was soon taken away, and the heavens have received him, until the restitution of all things; for which the church upon earth at this day waiteth and prayeth; that she may be delivered from all her troubles, and inse-plane spiritus, nec tamen potui temperare, quin hæc parably united to him in whom she delighteth. Every individual, when oppressed by sin and sorrow, may make his supplication in the same words, for that salvation which is by grace, through faith.

VOL. I.

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quando aliquem desideramus et speramus adfore, eo dirigimus oculos unde speramus esse venturum? Sic tenere uxor ætatis, de specula litorali indefessa expectatione conjugis præstolatur adventum: ut quamcunque navim viderit, illic putat conjugem navigare, metuatque ne videndi gratia dilecti, alius antevertat, nec ipsa possit prima dicere, video te, mi marite." Vide reliqua apud Ambrosium, ejusdem

exscriberem. Sic affectus est quisquis cum Paulo semel gustato bono Dei verbo, ut idem Paulus ait, dissolvi cupit, et esse cum Christo. Sic denique qui sibi postea relictus, deficit tædio sui, ac reddi sibi postulat prægustatam suavissimi amoris dulcedinem.

BOSSUET.

85. The proud have digged pits for me, which are not after thy law.

ports and maintains the successive "generations" of men, which live and move upon it, to whom the faithful promises of God are fulfilled, from age to age. Thus doth the unchangeable order of nature itself point out to us the truth of her great Author, and at the same time reprove the eccentric motions of rebellious man. The heavens and the earth

The manner of taking wild beasts was by "digging pits," and covering them over with turf, upon which when the beast trod, he fell into the pit, and was there confined and taken. But there was a "law," that if a pit were left open, and a tame beast, an ox, or an ass, fell into it, the owners of the pit should" continue this day according to thine ordinmake good the damage: Exod. xxi. 33. Much more shall men be called to a severe account, who purposely lay snares and stumblingblocks before the feet of their innocent brethren, to cause them to fall and perish.

86. All thy commandments are faithful; they persecute me wrongfully; help thou me. Man is perfidious and deceitful, God is "faithful" and true; he hath promised to "help" those who suffer "wrongfully," and he will, in the end, show himself to be the avenger of all such. Let them wait with patience, since the King of Righteousness himself suffered as a malefactor, before he entered into his glory.

87. They had almost consumed me upon earth; but I forsook not thy precepts.

However low the church, or any member thereof, may, by persecution and tribulation, be brought upon earth, yet nothing can separate them from the love of God, while they "forsake not his precepts," nor disbelieve his promises. The soul, we know, must forsake the body; but God will forsake neither. 88. Quicken me after thy loving kindness, so shall I keep the testimony of thy mouth.

Through the "loving kindness" of God our Saviour, the Spirit of life is given unto us, by whose "quickening" influences we are revived, when sunk in sins, or in sorrows, and are enabled with joy and gladness, to persevere in "keeping the testimony of his mouth."

LAMED.-PART XII.

89. For ever, O LORD, thy word is settled in heaven or, Thou art for ever, O LORD, thy word is settled in heaven. 90. Thy faithfulness is unto all generations: thou hast established the earth, and it abideth. 91. They continue this day according to thine ordinances for all are thy servants.

ance," O Lord, "for all things are thy servants;" all invariably serve thee, except man, who alone was endowed with reason, that he might obey and glorify thee in this life, and that which is to come!

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92. Unless thy law had been my delights, should then have perished in mine affliction. The Psalmist assureth us, from his own experience, how pleasant and how profitable, in time of trouble, is the meditation on the fidelity of God, as displayed in the stability of his works. The" delights," by this afforded, sustained his soul in "afflictions," which must otherwise have brought him to an end. And the same everlasting Word shall be the believer's support and consolation, even when the heavens shall melt around him with fervent heat, and the earth, and all that is therein, shall be burnt up. "Heaven and earth shall pass away," saith he who made them, "but my word shall not pass away."

93. I will never forget thy precepts: for with them thou hast quickened me.

Great are the necessities, and many the disorders of the soul; but in the Scripture there is provision and medicine for them all; and according to our various wants and maladies, God relieveth and "quickeneth" us, sometimes with one part of his word, sometimes with another. Now, when we have found ourselves thus benefited, at any time, by a particular passage of holy writ, we should "never forget," but remember and treasure it up in our minds, against a like occasion, when the same affliction or temptation may again befall us.

94. I am thine; save me, for I have sought thy precepts.

The double relation which we have the honor to bear to God by creation and by redemption, as the work of his hands, and the purchase of his blood, is a most endearing and The eternity of Jehovah, and the immuta- prevailing argument with him, to "save" us bility of his counsels, are considerations which from our enemies. But then let it be rememafford comfort and encouragement to his peo-bered, that no man can say to God with a ple, when their enemies are in arms against them. Even in this world the unwearied "heavens" continue to perform invariably their operations upon themselves and the bodies placed in them; while the globe of the earth," retaining its original form and coherence of parts, still, as at the beginning, sup

good conscience, "I am thine," unless he can also go on, and say, "I have sought thy precepts," I desire to serve and obey thee alone; since, after all," his servants we are to whom we obey ;" and if sin be our master, how can we say to a master, whose interest is directly opposite, "I am thine ?"

95. The wicked have waited for me to destroy me but I will consider thy testimonies. In the preceding verse, David besought God to "save" him. The reason of that prayer is here assigned, namely, because "the wicked lay in wait for him to destroy him," as they afterwards did to destroy one, whom the afflicted and persecuted Psalmist represented. Spiritual enemies are continually upon the watch to destroy us all; and we can no way escape their wiles, but by "considering," so as to understand and observe God's "testimonies."

96. I have seen an end of all perfection: but thy commandment is exceding broad.

"Of" all perfection" in this world, whether of beauty, wit, learning, pleasure, honor, or riches, experience will soon show us the "end." But where is the end or boundary of the word of God? Who can ascend to the height of its excellency; who can fathom the depth of its mysteries; who can find out the comprehension of its precepts, or conceive the extent of its promises; who can take the dimensions of that love of God to man which it describeth, or that love of man to God which it teacheth! The knowledge of one thing leadeth us forward to that of another, and still, as we travel on, the prospect opens before us into eternity, like the pleasant and fruitful mountains of Canaan, rising on the other side of Jordan, when viewed by Moses from the top of Pisgah. O happy region of celestial wisdom, permanent felicity, true riches, and unfading glory; while we contemplate thee, how doth the world lessen, and shrink to nothing in our eyes! Thy blessings faith now beholdeth, but it is charity which shall hereafter possess and enjoy them.

MEM.-PART XIII.

97. O how I love thy law! It is my meditation all the day.

Words cannot express the love which a pious mind entertaineth for the Scriptures. They are the epistle of God to mankind, offering reconciliation, peace, and union with himself in glory; containing reasons why we should love him and each other, with directions how to show forth that love, which, as the apostle saith, is "the fulfilling of the law" Rom. xiii. 10. On some portions of these Scriptures should our "meditation" be continually, and "each day" should add something to our knowledge, to our faith, to our virtue.

stand more than the ancients: because I keep thy precepts.

The "commandments" of God were "ever with " David; the "testimonies" of God were his "meditation," and the "precepts " of God it was his care to "observe:" therefore his wisdom exceeded the policy of his "enemies," the learning of his "teachers," and the experience of the "ancients." Thus, by the wisdom of the Scriptures, did the holy Jesus, in the days of his flesh, confound his adversaries, astonish the teachers of the law, and instruct the aged. is the high prerogative of the Scriptures, at all times, to render youth and simplicity superior to the inveterate malice and subtilty of the grand deceiver and his associates. 101. I have refrained my feet from every evil way, that I might keep thy word.

And it

The foundation of all religion must be laid in mortification and self-denial; for since the wil! of fallen men is contrary to the will of God, we must abstain from doing the one, in order to do the other. The affections may be styled the "feet" of the soul, and unless these be "refrained from evil ways," no progress can be made in that way which alone is good and right; we cannot "keep God's word."

102. I have not departed from thy judgments; for thou hast taught me.

Perseverance is the effect of instruction from above, by the Spirit, through the word: and our heavenly Teacher differeth from all others in this, that, with the lesson, he bestoweth on the scholar both a disposition to learn, and an ability to perform.

103. How sweet are thy words unto my taste! yea, sweeter than honey to my mouth. The soul hath its "taste," as well as the body, and that taste is then in good order, when the "words" of Scripture are "sweet" to the soul, as "honey" is to the mouth. If they are not always so, it is because our taste is vitiated by the world and the flesh; and we shall ever find our relish for the word of God to be greatest, when that for the world and the flesh is least, in time of affliction, sickness, and death; for these are contrary one to the other. In heaven the latter will be no more, and therefore the former will be all in all.

104. Through thy precepts I get understanding: therefore I hate every false way.

He who delighteth to study the Scriptures, will "understand," from them, the 98. Thou through thy commandments hast true nature of righteousness and of sin; he made me wiser than mine enemies: for they who doth understand the nature of each, are ever with me. 99. I have more under will love the former; and, in proportion, standing than all my teachers: for thy testi-"hate" the latter: and with that which we monies are my meditation. 100. I under- thoroughly hate, we will not bear to have