20. One would think that men would not grow so vain as to deny themselves to be but men, but it appears to be a lesson which only a divine schoolmaster can teach to some proud spirits. Crowns leave their wearers but men, degrees of eminent learning make their owners not more than men, valour and conquest cannot elevate beyond the dead level of "but men," and all the wealth of Croesus, the wisdom of Solon, the power of Alexander, the eloquence of Demosthenes, if added together, would leave the possessor but a man. May we ever remember this, lest like those in the text, we should be put in fear.

Before leaving this Psalm, it will be very profitable if the student will peruse it again as the triumphal Hymn of the Redeemer, as he devoutly brings the glory of his victories and lays it down at his Father's feet. Let us joy in his joy, and our joy shall be full.

EXPLANATORY NOTES AND QUAINT SAYINGS.

Verse 1 (second clause).-When we have received any special good thing from the Lord, it is well, according as we have opportunities, to tell others of it. When the woman who had lost one of her ten pieces of silver, found the missing portion of her money, she gathered her neighbours and her friends together, saying, "Rejoice with me, for I have found the piece which I had lost." We may do the same; we may tell friends and relations that we have received such and such a blessing, and that we trace it directly to the hand of God. Why have we not already done this? Is there a lurking unbelief as to whether it really came from God; or are we ashamed to own it before those who are perhaps accustomed to laugh at such things? Who knows so much of the marvellous works of God as his own people; if they be silent, how can we expect the world to see what he has done? Let us not be ashamed to glorify God, by telling what we know and feel he has done; let us watch our opportunity to bring out distinctly the fact of his acting; let us feel delighted at having an opportunity from our own experience, of telling what must turn to his praise; and them that honour God, God will honour in turn; if we be willing to talk of his deeds, he will give us enough to talk about.-P. B. Power, in "The I Wills of the Psalms."

Verse 8.-The guilty conscience cannot abide this day. The silly sheep when she is taken will not bleat, but you may carry her and do what you will with her, and she will be subject; but the swine, if she be once taken, she will roar and cry, and thinks she is never taken but to be slain. So of all things, the guilty conscience cannot abide to hear of this day, for they know that when they hear of it, they hear of their own condemnation. I think if there were a general collection made through the whole world that there might be no judgment-day, then God would be so rich that the world would go a-begging and be a waste wilderness. Then the covetous judge would bring forth his bribes; then the crafty lawyer would fetch out his bags; the usurer would give his gain, and a double thereof. But all the money in the world will not serve for our sin, but the judge must answer his bribes, he that hath money must answer how he came by it, and just condemnation must come upon every soul of them; then shall the sinner be ever dying and never dead, like the Salamander, that is ever in the fire and never consumed.-H. Smith.

Verse 9.-It is reported of the Egyptians that, living in the fens, and being vexed with gnats, they used to sleep in high towers, whereby, those creatures not being able to soar so high, they are delivered from the biting of them: so would it be with us when bitten with cares and fear, did we but run to God for refuge, and rest confident of his help.-Trapp.

Verse 10.-They that know thy name will put their trust in thee. They can do no otherwise who savingly know God's sweet attributes, and noble acts for his people, We never trust a man till we know him, and bad men are better known than trusted. Not so the Lord; for where his name is ointment poured forth, the virgins love him, fear him, rejoice in him, and repose upon him.-Trapp.

Verse 17.-The wicked shall be turned into hell. Lisholah, headlong into hell, down into hell. The original is very emphatic.-Adam Clark.

HINTS TO THE VILLAGE PREACHER.

Verse 1.-I. The only object of our praise-"thee, O Lord." II. The abundant themes of praise-"all thy marvellous works." III. The proper nature of praise"with my whole heart."-B. Davis.

Thy marvellous works." Creation, Providence, Redemption, are all marvellous, as exhibiting the attributes of God in such a degree as to excite the wonder of all God's universe. A very suggestive topic.

Verse 2.-Sacred song: its connection with holy gladness.

Verse 4.-(1) The rights of the righteous are sure to be assailed, (2) but equally sure to be defended.

Verse 6.-I. The great enemy. II. The destructions he has caused. III. The means of his overthrow. IV. The rest which shall ensue.

Verse 7, (first clause).-The eternity of God,-the comfort of saints, the terror of

sinners.

Verse 8.-The justice of God's moral government, especially in relation to the last great day.

Verse 10.-I. All-important knowledge: "know thy name." II. Blessed result: "will put their trust in thee." III. Sufficient reason: "for thou, Lord, hast not forsaken them that seek thee."-Medhurst.

Verse 10. The names of God inspire trust. JEHOVAH-Jireh, Tsidkenu, Rophi, Shammah, Shalom, Nissi, ELOHIM, SHADDAI, ADONAI, &c.

Verse 11.-I. Zion, what is it? II. Her glorious inhabitant, what doth he? III. The twofold occupation of her sons-"sing praises," "declare among the people his doings." IV. Arguments from the first part of the subject to encourage us in the double duty.

Verse 12-I. God on awful business. II. Remembers his people; to spare, honour, bless, and avenge them. III. Fulfils their cries, in their own salvation, and overthrow of enemies. A consolatory sermon for times of war or pestilence.

Verse 13.-"Thou that liftest me up from the gates of death." Deep distresses. Great deliverances. Glorious exaltations.

Verse 14.-"I will rejoice in thy salvation." Especially because it is thine, O God, and therefore honours thee. In its freeness, fulness, suitability, certainty, everlastingness. Who can rejoice in this? Reasons why they should always do so. Verse 17.-A warning to forgetters of God.

Verse 18.-Delays in deliverance. I. Unbelief's estimate of them; "forgotten," "perish." II. God's promise; "not always." III. Faith's duty. Wait. Verse 20.-A needful lesson and how it is taught.

Christian Chymistry.

LXXXVIII.

ONE thing which contributed to make Cæsar's soldiers invincible was their seeing him always take his share in danger, and never desire any exemption from labour and fatigue. We have a far higher incentive in the war for truth and goodness when we consider Him who endured such contradiction of sinners against himself.

LXXXIX.

AGESILAUS being lame of one of his feet, was wont to prevent the mocks of others by merrily jesting at his own infirmity. Lord, we are Mephibosheths, lame in both our feet when we are to run in the ways of thy commandments; but our lameness is least subject to thy censure when it is most under our own.

XC.

WHEN the friends of liberty in Rome desired to stir up Brutus against Cæsar, they put letters night after night in the tribunal which he used as prætor, mostly containing such sentences as these, "Thou sleepest, Brutus;" or, "Thou art not Brutus." Have we no need of some such hints to stir us up to Christian duty? "Thou sleepest Christian;" or, "Thou art no Christian if thou bestir not thyself."

XCI.

ROBERT, Duke of Normandy, the father of William the Conqueror, made a pilgrimage to the Holy Land, and being unable to travel otherwise, was borne on a litter by Saracens. When near to Jerusalem he was met by a poor pilgrim, whom he desired to report at large that he had seen the duke carried to heaven upon the devil's back. Truly, there are many whose piety, if it were true, would be marvellous indeed, for they are carried away by the temptations of the devil, and yet are confident that they are on the road to eternal happiness. May such illgrounded hopes be removed far from us.

XCII.

THERE once lived in Ghent a beggar, who was accustomed to collect alms upon the pretence that he had a secret disease lying in his bones and weakening his whole body, and that he dared not for shame mention the name of it. This appeal was exceedingly successful, until a person in authority more curious than the rest, insisted upon following him, and examining him at home. At last the beggar confessed as follows:"That which pains me you see not; but I have a shameful disease in my bones, so that I cannot work; some call it sloth, and others term it idleness." Alas! that so many in our Churches should be so far gone with THIS SAME SICKNESS.

XCIII.

A MERCHANT was asked whether he would rather be Croesus, the rich king of Lydia, or Socrates, the wise philosopher; he replied, that in his life he would be Croesus, and in his death he would prefer to be Socrates. How many in our day live as the wicked, but desire, with Balaam, to die the death of the righteous.

XCIV.

THE famous Cato was forty times called into judgment, yet every time acquitted. Oh! how happy is it that if we have envious and malicious accusers, yet we have impartial and upright judges! Lord, how often doth Satan accuse me before the throne of thy justice; yet while thy Son is my Advocate with thee, I shall be acquitted; not because I am not guilty, but because he is righteous.

XCV.

ALEXANDER being presented with a richly-jewelled cabinet from the spoils of Darius, each of his friends suggested a use to which it might be put. Alexander, however, decided that the books of Homer should be kept in it, as judging them fittest to be reserved in so precious a receptacle. Lord, thou hast given me thy Scriptures, better books than those of Homer, and my heart is my most precious cabinet. Let other things be rejected as less valuable, but let those be not only laid up, but written in my heart; yea, let them, like Aaron's almond rod, blossom and bear fruit.

XCVI.

AGESILAUS in his travels was wont to lodge in the holiest places of the temples of the gods, that they themselves might be witnesses of his

private doings. Lord, there is no place but hath thee for a spectator; and we have called thee sóc from our apprehensions of thy all-seeing presence; let me, therefore, be ashamed to do that when thou only art conscious, which I should not wish to be laid open to the view of men and angels.

XCVII.

ALEXANDER THE GREAT having sent to the Athenians, that they should deliver up the Thebans who had fled to them, unless they would have him declare war upon them, Phocian, who was desired to counsel his fellow-citizens, said that he truly lamented the case of those Thebans, but it were better for one city to mourn than two. Lord, thou requirest of us the sacrifice of the sinful delights of the flesh, if we would have thee as our friend. Though our sinful hearts are loth to part from them, yet it is better that the body lament the loss of those dear pleasures, than that soul and body both lament eternally in hell.

XCVIII.

THERE is a tradition concerning Ovid, the famous poet, that when his father was about to beat him for wasting his time upon his poems, he cried out :

"Father, on me pity take;
I will no more verses make."

Thus transgressing in the very promise not to transgress. Just so, when we promise to God that we will sin no more, there is usually so much self-sufficiency in the promise, that we are really sinning while we are vowing that we will not sin. Sin is a close attendant upon our best and most religious duties and resolutions.

XCIX.

AT the battle of Crescy, where Edward the Black Prince, then a youth of eighteen years of age, led the van, the king, his father, drew up a strong party on a rising ground, and there beheld the conflict in readiness to send relief where it should be wanted. The young prince being sharply charged, and in some danger, sent to his father for succour; and as the king delayed to send it, another messenger was sent to crave immediate assistance. To him the king replied, "Go, tell my son that I am not so inexperienced a commander as not to know when succour is wanted, nor so careless a father as not to send it." He intended the honour of the day should be his son's, and therefore let him with courage stand to it, and be assured that help should be had when it might conduce most to his renown. God draws forth his servants to fight in the spiritual warfare, where they are engaged, not only against the strongholds of carnal reason, and the exalted imaginations of their own hearts, but also in the pitched field, against Satan and his wicked instruments. But they, poor hearts, when the charge is sharp, are ready to despond, and cry with Peter," Save, Lord, we perish;" but God is too knowing to overlook their exigencies, and too much a Father to neglect their succour. If help, however, be delayed, it is that the victory may be more glorious by the difficulty of overcoming.

C.

'Tis said of Croesus that though he was the most avaricious man then living, yet above all men he hated those who were so. Strange it is that though likeness be the cause of love, yet proud and covetous men admit no fellow. Surely this is a manifest proof of the disorder of sin which agrees not with itself, whereas grace in others is always loved by those who themselves possess grace.

CI.

A GETULIAN shepherd being assaulted by à lion and otherwise unprovided with any means of defence, cast his loose coat upon the lion's head, whereby the beast not only lost his fierceness, but as if his strength had lain in his eyes, was by the man easily taken and bound. When I have considered what the lions of England have suffered from the Roman bishops, I have been astonished how so great strength and courage could so easily have been overcome, but I observed that the veil of ignorance was thrown over their eyes which made them so tame and submissive to the Pope. Thus have we seen whole herds of strong cattle subject to the discipline of a little boy, because they, poor creatures, knew not their own strength, and it is easy to overcome him who, to prevent his own calamities, refuses to use his.

CII.

JULIUS CÆSAR coming towards Rome with his army, and hearing that the senate and people had fled from it, said, "They that will not fight for this city, what city will they fight for?" If we will not take pains for the kingdom of heaven, what kingdom will we take pains for?

44

(To be continued.)

How wilt thou do in the swelling of Jordan?”

"How wilt thou do in the swelling of "How wilt thou do in the swelling of

Jordan?"

Jordan?"

When the waters of death shall encom- Thou who hast lived to the Saviour