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O my Strength, haste Thee to help me. 20 Deliver my soul from the sword;

My darling from the power of the dog.

21 Save me from the lion's mouth :

For Thou hast heard me from the horns of the unicorns.

(II. Triumphs of Christ: Praise.)

22 I will declare Thy Name unto my brethren: In the midst of the congregation will I praise Thee. 23 Ye that fear the Lord; praise Him;

All ye seed of Jacob, glorify Him;

And fear Him, all ye seed of Israel.

24 For He hath not despised nor abhorred the affliction of the afflicted;

Neither hath He hid His face from him;

But when He cried unto Him, He heard.

25 My praise shall be of Thee in the great congregation:

I will pay my vows before them that fear Him. 26 The meek shall eat and be satisfied:

They shall praise the Lord that seek Him:

Your heart shall live for ever.

27 All the ends of the world shall remember and turn unto the Lord:

And all the kindreds of the nations shall worship before Thee.

28 For the kingdom is the Lord's:

And He is the Governor among the nations.

29 All they that be fat upon the earth shall eat and worship:

All they that go down to the dust shall bow before
Him:

And none can keep alive his own soul. 30 A seed shall serve Him;

It shall be accounted to the Lord for a generation. 31 They shall come, and shall declare His righteousness Unto a people that shall be born, that He hath done this.

REFLECTIONS.

1. Here we meditate on the sufferings of our blessed Lord: and it is a scene which we should contemplate with silent wonder, rather than expatiate upon with fluent language. We follow Him to Gethsemane, to the Judgment-hall, to Calvary; and what do we see? Humiliation the most deep, anguish the most acute, suffering the most intense; in a word, "the travail of His soul," when He offered Himself a sacrifice to God for the expiation of our sins. In this part of the Psalm we have His complaint of dereliction on the part of God: verses 1-6. We have then a most affecting account of the conduct of His enemies. and of His crucifixion. But in all this we find Him magnifying God, trusting in Him, and calling upon Him: verses 3, 9, 10, 11, 19, 20, 21. Shall we not

again and again consider these things, and learn the love of the Father and of the Son; learn the evil of sin; learn the necessity of faith in Christ; and learn how to suffer?

2. Here we meditate on the Exaltation and Triumph of our blessed Lord. He rose from the grave, and ascended to glory; to the "joy set before Him.” And what is the result? The Gospel (ver. 22.) is preached, and its disciples (ver. 23-26.) are called

upon to praise and glorify God, and are encouraged by the most animating assurances, (ver. 26.)-But further, the Conversion of the Gentile world to the faith of Christ is explicitly foretold, (ver. 27-31.) Thus "it pleased the Lord to bruise Him," to crush Him with affliction: but after He had made "His soul an offering for sin" a propitiatory sacrifice what awaited Him? "He shall see His seed, He shall prolong His days, and the gracious purpose of Jehovah shall prosper in His hands."

PRAYER.

O Thou merciful and Almighty Saviour, may we always look to Thee as our crucified, risen, and ascended Lord; and may Thy love constrain us to follow Thee in all holy obedience. Fill our minds with the knowledge of Thyself; and fill our hearts with the love of Thee, that we may live for ever. Multiply the number of Thy faithful people in all lands; and may that time soon arrive in which "all the kindreds of the nations shall worship before Thee," to Thy honour and glory. Amen.

PSALM XXIII.

General acknowledgment of God's goodness and mercy, and particularly of His care and protection of good men.

David.

(I. Confidence in God's grace.)

The author,

1 The Lord is my Shepherd; I shall not want. 2 He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: He leadeth me beside the still waters.

3 He restoreth my soul: He leadeth me

In the paths of righteousness for His name's sake.

4 Yea, though I walk through the valley of the

shadow of death,

I will fear no evil: for Thou art with me:

Thy rod and Thy staff they comfort me.

5 Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies:

Thou anointest my head with oil;
My cup runneth over.

6 Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life:

And I will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever.

REFLECTIONS.

This Psalm is full of consolation and joy. It describes the sincere Christian in a happy frame of mind, dwelling with thankfulness on the goodness of his God and Saviour to him.

"The Lord is my

1. What is his declaration? Shepherd." The sincere Christian has returned unto the Shepherd and Bishop of our souls. He who calls Himself "the good Shepherd" is his Shepherd.

2. What is his confidence? "I shall not want." I shall want no good thing. I shall "go in and out, and shall find pasture." I shall never be destitute.

3. What are his blessings? He needs repose, and he lies down in green pastures. He needs refreshment, and he is led by still waters. He needs recovery, and he is restored. He needs protection and guidance, and he is conducted in the paths of righteousness. He needs food, and a table is provided for

him. He needs gladness, and he has "the oil of joy for mourning;" "his cup runneth over." He needs comfort and support in all affliction, and the word and promises of God supply them.

4. What is his assurance with respect to the future, and what is his determination? Goodness and mercy will be his portion through life; and he will be a worshipper of God all his days.

PRAYER.

O blessed Jesus, the good Shepherd, may we thus look to Thee and trust in Thee. May we live under Thy guidance and care, partake of the blessings of Thy kingdom, live as those who know Thy voice and follow Thee, and thus finally obtain a place in the house of the Lord above, through Thy mediation and intercession. Amen.

PSALM XXIV.

DAY 5.]

MORNING PRAYER.

Instructive, as Psalm i. David probably wrote this Psalm at, the removal of the ark to mount Zion. 2 Sam. vi. 17.

(I. God's lordship in the world.)

1 The earth is the Lord's, and the fulness thereof; The world, and they that dwell therein. 2 For He hath founded it upon the seas, And established it upon the floods.

(II. Citizens of His spiritual kingdom.)

3 Who shall ascend into the hill of the Lord?

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