strength, in life and in death, in this world and in that which is to come, we have but one upholder, even the Lord, Who hath gone before us in all that we have to pass through. He hath gone up and entered into the glory of God; and we, following Him here in mercy and in charity, shall follow Him hereafter where He, Who for a time has made us weak, shall make us strong for ever.

13. Blessed be the Lord God of Israel : world without end. Amen.

To Him Who hath given to His Church not only the instruction of the Law and the warnings of Prophets, but also the holy melody of Psalms-to Him Who is the God of the true Israel in whom the promises made to Abraham are accomplished—to Him Whose name I AM by which the fathers knew Him, is expanded in the Christian Church into the threefold name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost-to Him be ascribed for His manifold gifts to man, all blessing and praise in time and in eternity. Amen.

The language of this Psalm would lead us to refer its writing to that period of David's life when he was old and infirm, and Adonijah his son conspired with Joab and Abiathar to get possession of his kingdom, (1 Kings i. 1, 5, 6, 7). Their plot was however defeated, and according to David's determination, Solomon was proclaimed king and made his successor. We find, when the king's servants came to bless David and Solomon, that "the king bowed himself upon the bed." (47). Verse 9 has, however, a distinct prophetic reference to Judas the traitor among the apostles, and the very words of

the Hebrew, "the man of my peace, or of my salutation," in themselves recall him who made the salutation of a friend the signal of his perfidy, and pointed Him out to His enemies by the words, "Hail Rabbi," and by a kiss. Our blessed Lord Himself applies the words of David to the false apostle, (St. John xiii. 18). The last verse is not any portion of the Psalm, but is an ascription of glory to God, making the close of the first book or division of the Psalms. The second book begins with the succeeding Psalm.

THE SECOND DIVISION OF THE BOOK

OF PSALMS.

PSALMS XLII.-LXXII.

In this book are contained the Psalms from the forty-second to the seventy-second; and it is closed by the doxology:

Blessed be the Lord God, the God of Israel,
Which only doeth wondrous things;

And blessed be the name of His Majesty for ever:
And let the whole earth be filled with His Majesty.
Amen, and Amen.

The prayers of David the son of Jesse are ended.

The Psalms of this book, as well as those of the third book, were in all likelihood collected by King Hezekiah, during that great revival of religious feeling which marked his reign. He seems to have made a search after those parts of the writings of God's prophets and psalmists which had been forgotten or neglected, and to have caused them to be copied out with care and preserved for the good of his people. The latter portion of the Book of Proverbs was thus compiled by his directions, and added to the former part; for chapter xxv. commences, 'These are also proverbs of Solomon, which the men of Hezekiah king of Judah copied out.' It is very probable that Isaiah the prophet might be among these transcribers, and have the superintendence of their work. In the history of Hezekiah's restoration of the temple and its services which is

given in 2 Chronicles, ch. xxix., we find that particular attention was paid to the subject of psalms; and it can hardly be doubted that the sons of Korah were among the Levites to whom it was given in charge: 'Moreover Hezekiah the king and the princes commanded the Levites to sing praise unto the Lord with the words of David, and of Asaph the seer. And they sang praises with gladness, and they bowed their heads and worshipped.'

This second book consists of thirty Psalms, of which seven or eight are by the sons of Korah, written generally in the reign of Jehoshaphat, or during the desolation and neglect of the temple-worship under Ahaz: one is by Asaph, and the remainder are, with the exception of the last one, by David. These Psalms of David had not, it would seem, up to that time been regularly collected, or they had been forgotten during the carelessness and idolatries of the kings preceding Hezekiah, and therefore they were then first placed together in one volume, and adapted to the service of the sanctuary. Those Psalms whose titles ascribe them to David bear the marks of his spirit in their personal and fervent character; while those of the sons of Korah, except the forty-first, and those of Asaph, are more national than personal; and look to God rather as the Almighty God of the world and the ruler of the Jewish people, than as the personal Lord of the individual soul which prayed before Him. They appear written rather for public worship than for private devotion.

THE SECOND DIVISION.

PSALM xlii. Quemadmodum.

1. LIKE as the hart desireth the waterbrooks so longeth my soul after Thee, O God.

2. My soul is athirst for God, yea, even for the living God: when shall I come to appear before the presence of God?

Like the hart in the drought of summer pants with the heat, and hastens swiftly through the burning desert to the valleys, where there are brooks of water flowing, that it may quench its thirst with drinking, and may bathe and cool its weary limbs, so does the loving soul long and call and hasten unto Him Who is the Fount of love. In the wilderness of this mortal life, while the spirit is away from grace and from the Giver of grace, it thirsts and wearies for Him Who is its life and stay, for Him Whose are the living waters of Holy Baptism, and the refreshing cup of Holy Communion. Even as the hart scents the spring in the burned-up plains, so do they who love Him hear His call of love, 'Come unto Me,' and their whole soul turns with longing eagerness to come whither He calls it, to 'depart and to be with Christ, which is far better' than to travail here.