6. Here we see the goodness of God stated in a general way. His ways are mercy and judgment. Prosperity and adversity are from Him: He lifteth up and casteth down. The workers of iniquity shall be silent, and the righteous shall rejoice before Him.

PRAYER.

Make us wise, O Lord, to observe and understand these things. Guide us in the wilderness of this world; lighten our darkness; break our chains; heal our diseases; preserve us in the voyage of life; keep us from sin and wickedness; hear our prayers; grant us prosperity; and cause us to rejoice in Thy lovingkindness, and to praise Thy holy Name, through Jesus Christ our Saviour. Amen.

DAY 22.]

PSALM CVIII.

EVENING PRAYER.

Thanksgiving, as Psalm xviii. See Psalm lvii. 8-12. and lx. 8—14.

(I. Praise and prayer.)

1 O God, my heart is fixed;

I will sing and give praise, even with my glory.

2 Awake, psaltery and harp:

I myself will awake early.

3 I will praise Thee, O Lord, among the people:

And I will sing praises unto Thee among the nations.

4 For Thy mercy is great above the heavens:

And Thy truth reacheth unto the clouds.

5 Be Thou exalted, O God, above the heavens:

And Thy glory above all the earth;
6 That Thy beloved may be delivered:
Save with Thy right hand, and answer me.
(II. Exaltation as a conqueror.)

7 God hath spoken in His holiness;
I will rejoice, I will divide Shechem,
And mete out the valley of Succoth.
8 Gilead is mine; Manasseh is mine;
Ephraim also is the strength of my head;
Judah is my lawgiver;

(III. Enemies subdued.)

9 Moab is my washpot;

Over Edom will I cast out my shoe;

Over Philistia will I triumph.

10 Who will bring me into the strong city? Who will lead me into Edom?

11 Wilt not Thou, O God, who hast cast us off? And wilt not Thou, O God, go forth with our hosts?

(IV. Prayer and assurance.)

12 Give us help from trouble:

For vain is the help of man.

13 Through God we shall do valiantly :

For He it is that shall tread down our enemies.

REFLECTIONS.

1. The mercy and faithfulness of God will always afford to His faithful people matter for contemplation and praise. To lofty praise they will add their fervent prayer, that His glory may be known, and His people delivered and saved from all their enemies.

2. God gave to David the united kingdom of Israel and Judah. O Thou Son of David, unite Jew and Gentile in one fold under Thy gracious and righteous government!

3. God made David a conqueror over all his enemies. Severe was the conflict; but God went forth with His hosts. O Thou Son of David, go forth with Thy ministers, and enable them to destroy the strongholds of error and iniquity!

4. To Thee, O Lord, do we look, and not to man: Thou art our strength, and by Thee only can we do valiantly in subduing ourselves and others.

PRAYER.

We praise Thee, O Lord, for Thy mercy and truth: we pray to Thee for every blessing. Success is Thy gift. Subdue, we beseech Thee, the enemies of Thy truth, and unite all nations, that "the kingdoms of this world may become the kingdom of our Lord and of His Christ." Amen.

PSALM CIX.

Prayer, as Psalm iv. Written by David, probably, with reference to Ahithophel: viewed prophetically it relates to Judas Iscariot.

(I. Complaint.)

1 Hold not Thy peace, O God of my praise;
2 For the mouth of the wicked and the mouth
of the deceitful are opened against me :

They have spoken against me with a lying tongue.

3 They compassed me about also with words of hatred ;

And fought against me without a cause. 4 For my love they are my adversaries: But I give myself unto prayer.

5 And they have rewarded me evil for good, And hatred for my love.

(II. Judgment denounced.)

6 Set Thou a wicked man over him:

And let Satan stand at his right hand.

7 When he shall be judged, let him be condemned: And let his prayer become sin.

8 Let his days be few;

And let another take his office.

9 Let his children be fatherless,

And his wife a widow.

10 Let his children be continually vagabonds, and beg;

Let them seek their bread also

out of their desolate places.

11 Let the extortioner catch all that he hath ;
And let the stranger spoil his labour.
12 Let there be none to extend mercy unto him:
Neither let there be any to favour

his fatherless children.
13 Let his posterity be cut off;
And in the generation following
let their name be blotted out.

14 Let the iniquity of his fathers

be remembered with the Lord;

And let not the sin of his mother be blotted out. 15 Let them be before the Lord continually,

Y

That He may cut off the memory of them
from the earth.

16 Because that he remembered not to show

mercy,

But persecuted the poor and needy man,
That he might even slay the broken in heart.
17 As he loved cursing, so let it come unto him :
As he delighted not in blessing,

so let it be far from him.

18 As he clothed himself with cursing like as with his garment,

So let it come into his bowels like water,

And like oil into his bones.

19 Let it be unto him as the garment

which covereth him,

And for a girdle wherewith he is girded continually. 20 Let this be the reward of mine adversaries from the Lord,

And of them that speak evil against my soul.
(III. Complaint and prayer.)

21 But do Thou for me, O God the Lord,
For Thy Name's sake:

Because Thy mercy is good, deliver Thou me.

22 For I am poor and needy,

And my heart is wounded within me.

23 I am gone like the shadow when it declineth :
I am tossed up
and down as the locust.

24 My knees are weak through fasting;

And my flesh faileth of fatness.

25 I became also a reproach unto them:

When they looked upon me they shaked their

heads.