and by his influence those schools of the prophets were first founded, in which music and the singing of Psalms, and no doubt the composing of Psalms also, were taught to those whose duty it would be to serve God, either in the tabernacle or in the prophetic offices. His mother, Hannah, the wife of Elkanah, whose song of thanksgiving is recorded in 1 Sam. ii. 1-10, was of the children of Korah. Several also of those who are called Seers in the books of Kings and Chronicles appear on enquiry into their genealogies to have been of the tribe of Levi. It was doubtless among the sons of Korah in the house of Samuel, in Naioth and in Ramah, (1 Sam. xix. 18, 20,) that David perfected himself in that practice of composing hymns to God, which gained for him the name of "the sweet singer of Israel." This institution, by which religion was associated with melody and poetry, seems to have done much towards preserving the law from being quite forgotten after the division of the kingdoms of Israel and Judah; and in the time of Jehoshaphat, the Levites, and among them the sons of Korah, seem especially to have aided in the work of reformation, (2 Chron. xix. 8). The whole of the Psalms composed by the family of Korah were written before the captivity; for they did not return from Babylon, (Ezra ii. 40, 41).

PSALM xliii. Judica me, Deus.

1. GIVE sentence with me, O God, and defend my cause against the ungodly people : 0 deliver me from the deceitful and wicked man.

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2. For Thou art the God of my strength, why hast Thou put me from Thee and why go I so heavily, while the enemy oppresseth me?

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In this world the wicked are ever mingled with the good and they who love God have to abide His time, until they are set free from the scorn and deceit of them who love Him not. They are under trial; and the time seems long and their hearts grow

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heavy until their trial-time is over. their trial is, that at times God seems to leave them; and then the powers that oppress them and injure their salvation appear to increase tenfold. Thus do they learn that all that they have and are is from God; and that, while in Him they can do all things, without Him they can do nothing and are nothing.

3. O send out Thy light and Thy truth, that they may lead me and bring me unto Thy holy hill, and to Thy dwelling.

These are but two names for one and the same thing, for what is light but truth, and what is truth but light; and what are they both but Christ the Lord? He came from the Father to bring us to the Father. He will lead us if we will follow Him; and whither will He lead us but unto life? He will bring us safely unto those many mansions of eternity of which the Church on earth is the earnest and the type.

4. And that I may go unto the altar of God, even unto the God of my joy and gladness: and upon the harp will I give thanks unto Thee, O God, my God.

LXX. And I will enter in unto the altar of God;

Unto God Who maketh glad my youth.

He will bring us, if we will follow His calling, to the altar of God; there will He accept our oblation of the frankincense of fervent prayer, and the sacrifice which we can offer, even that of a contrite heart, and in return He will give us the costly gift of Him

self; and in the giving of Himself will fill us with peace and hallowed gladness. We have then the pledge of what we shall have in fulness in His own time, for they who kneel before His altar shall hereafter sit beneath His throne. Surely then the affections of our heart will vibrate to words of grateful joy, when we thus feel and know the Saviour's love; we shall repeat again and again the Name of Him Who loved us, and the oftener we repeat it the sweeter melody will it make within our souls.

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5. Why art thou so heavy, O my soul and why art thou so disquieted within me?

6. O put thy trust in God: for I will yet give Him thanks, Which is the help of my countenance, and my God.

What heaviness or disquietude can come upon our soul thus made secure of our Redeemer's love and filled with His Eucharistic joy? In the brightness of that hope, the overcasting clouds of doubt and dread must vanish. We may thank Him with a trusting heart, for He Who has given thus much will most surely give us all. He will give Himself to us, for that He has already given Himself to us. He will give Himself in His immortality to us then immortal, even because He gave Himself in His mortality to us when mortal.

This Psalm has no title in the Hebrew, and therefore has been sometimes supposed to have once formed a portion of the preceding one. It was undoubtedly written by the same writer as the fortysecond; and three of the verses are repeated almost word for word from it. It may be assigned to the reign of Hezekiah (2 Chron. xxix., xxx.) It should be mentioned, however, that the LXX. assign it to David.

Morning Prayer.

PSALM xliv. Deus, auribus.

1. WE have heard with our ears, O God, our fathers have told us what Thou hast done in their time of old;

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2. How Thou hast driven out the heathen with Thy hand, and planted them in : how Thou hast destroyed the nations, and cast them out.

'O God, we have heard with our ears, and our fathers have declared unto us, the noble works that Thou didst in their days, and in the old time before them.' The love and power of God are things of experience; if any in the Church now have not sufficient faith to bear witness to them and to rest securely upon them, the Church in times past had. We have heard of, though we cannot through our weakness see, the work of Christ in the world. Our fathers in the faith can tell us, as the Israelite fathers of old taught their children, of the deliverance from Egypt and the entering into Canaan, how the heathen have been driven out from their strongholds by the faith of God, and the Church has been built in their room; how idolatries, and slaveries, and trustings in lies have been destroyed in the light of truth, and cast out before the armies of the Captain of our salvation.

3. For they gat not the land in possession

through their own sword: neither was it their own arm that helped them;

4. But Thy right hand, and Thine arm, and the light of Thy countenance: because Thou hadst a favour unto them.

The promise stands as sure to the Christian Church, and to Christ her Lord, as to the Israelites under Joshua their captain :-'Every place that the sole of your foot shall tread upon, that have I given unto you.' And yet it is not her strength, nor her wisdom, nor her power that takes the world as a possession for the Lord, but the mighty though not carnal weapons with which her God has armed her. The sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God,' is her sword. It is the right hand of God, and He Who is on His right hand, the sending forth of His grace, and His electing love, that bring the nations into that kingdom which is not of this world.

5. Thou art my King, O God : send help unto Jacob.

6. Through Thee will we overthrow our enemies and in Thy Name will we tread them under, that rise up against us.

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They who own God for their King, and Christ for their Saviour, as 'His faithful soldiers and servants,' the true Israel, ever do, may ever ask for His assisting grace to overthrow that which is evil, to mortify and kill all vices' in themselves, and cast down unbelief and doubtings in others; and through Jesus