and ministered to Him in the desert, and strengthened Him in the garden, and rolled away the stone. And as they drew near to the gates of the unseen city, whose names are Faith and Hope, and approached its everlasting doors of mercy and of love, they bade them, in shouts of ringing joy, to lift themselves up and open wide, that the King of Glory might come in. Weil might the immortal keepers of those gates not made with hands wonder at the sight, when one born of a woman, and clothed still with the raiment of the flesh, claimed an entrance into the very abode of God! And well might they, who had seen both the conflict and the victory, who had seen the sun darkened and the rocks rent, reply, that He was a warrior, strong as God Himself; that He was One Who had been wounded, but Whose scars were healed; He was One Who had been dead, but was alive again; One Whose soul had been once exceeding sorrowful even unto death, but Who had conquered sorrow and sin, and the grave, and was entering into the joy which He had won.

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9. Lift up your heads, O ye gates, and be ye lift up, ye everlasting doors King of Glory shall come in.

10. Who is the King of Glory : even the Lord of hosts, He is the King of Glory.

Yet bright and glad as was this triumph of the ascension of the Lord to heaven, there is yet reserved in the decrees of God a more glorious

triumph far. Then the Son of Man ascended alone; but the hour is coming when in louder and more rapturous strains, the gates of heaven shall be bidden to enlarge themselves, and the portals of eternity to unfold, and Angels, and Principalities, and Powers shall stand in amaze to see the Lord of Life, no longer alone, but followed by the hosts of the redeemed, which none can number, enter there. Neither He nor they shall struggle more. The King of Saints' has conquered, and they in Him; and therefore, they shall share in His kingdom, in His glory, in His eternity. Amen.

According to the Jewish tradition, this Psalm was written by David for Solomon, that it might be sung in alternate chorus by the Priests and Levites, when the ark was carried into the temple. It was certainly written for some occasion when the ark was brought to Jerusalem, possibly, when it was brought from the house of Obed-edom, the account of which we find in 1 Chron. xiii. and xv. The LXX. prefix the title, "On the first day of the week," which may mean that it was used on that day; but which is understood by Theodotion and other Fathers to have a reference to our Lord's Resurrection. It is plain that, though the occasion on which this F'salin was composed was the carrying the ark into Sion, yet its meaning cannot be limited to that; but that it must be taken to celebrate a greater triumph, even the lifting up the ark of the second covenant, the human nature of the Son of God, to His throne in heaven. Verses 3-6 of this Psalm much resemble Psalm xv., which is also appointed for Ascensionday.

PSALM XXV. Ad Te, Domine, levavi.

1. UNTO Thee, O Lord, will I lift up my soul; my God, I have put my trust in Thee: O let me not be confounded, neither let mine enemies triumph over me.

2. For all they that hope in Thee shall not be ashamed but such as transgress without a cause shall be put to confusion.

Prayer is an ascent of the soul to its Maker. Each time that by prayer or meditation we draw near to God, we raise up our whole being. If then by prayer we come near to God, by faith we rest upon Him. To him who prays and believes all things are possible; he can never be put to confusion, who seeks humbly for the guidance of God's grace; and nothing can overcome his faith who has made His righteousness his stay. There can be no shame to them that would be His, and their hope shall never be disappointed; but all who trust in their own craftiness, and act with wilful dishonesty and perfidiousness, shall be disappointed of what they grasped at, and shall be covered with everlasting shame.

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3. Shew me Thy ways, O Lord and teach me Thy paths.

4. Lead me forth in Thy truth, and learn me : for Thou art the God of my salvation; in Thee hath been my hope all the day long.

This is the petition of the believing soul, that it may see the way of God's commandments, and may keep within it, turning neither to the right hand nor to the left; that it may be ever kept in that narrow path which leadeth upward unto eternal life. It is not in man to find this way

of life; and therefore God Himself hath become our Saviour; He hath come to us and met us, that He may Himself lead us and be our guide, that we may not only learn His truth revealed from heaven, but may also follow His unerring footsteps here on earth. In Him and in His guidance can be our only hope, through this weary day of our mortal life, in which we have but the feeble light of this world to walk by. In Him there is hope all the day long; in Him 'there is hope in the end.'

5. Call to remembrance, O Lord, Thy tender mercies and Thy loving-kindnesses which have been ever of old.

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6. O remember not the sins and offences of my youth but according to Thy mercy think Thou upon me, O Lord, for Thy goodness.

But it is not enough to do well for the time to come, we must also implore pardon for the past. How many are the sins of our younger days, of our unsanctified wills and unchastened hearts! How many are there of them which we can ourselves remember; and alas! how many more which are now unknown to ourselves, and forgotten by all but God. The mercies and love of God are indeed infinite and everlasting; but it needs infinite mercy and everlasting love to pardon our uncounted sins. This must always be the petition of the repenting soul, when it casts itself upon God's pity and good-O Lord, remember not my sins, but remember me.

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7. Gracious and righteous is the Lord : therefore will He teach sinners in the way. 8. Them that are meek shall He guide in judgment and such as are gentle, them

shall He learn His way.

9. All the paths of the Lord are mercy and truth unto such as keep His covenant, and His testimonies.

He is gracious, and willing to receive all who come to Him, because He is righteous; for His righteousness is not like the righteousness of man. Though we have sinned in time past, yet will He pardon us when we ask for pardon; and teach us the way of truth, and shew us the path of life. Not the proud, but the meek, not the self-willed, but the humble and lowly, are they whom He will accept. Lord, I am not worthy,' is the confession which best fits us to receive the spirit of His wisdom and of holy fear. They who thus wait for Him by patient continuance in well-doing,' shall at length most surely know that His providences, however dark and trying they may for a time appear, are instinct with mercy, and full of grace and truth.

10. For Thy Name's sake, O Lord be merciful unto my sin, for it is great.

God is indeed both gracious and righteous. What must be the depth of our misery and height of His mercy, when our plea before Him is the magnitude of