fear God

and I will tell you what He hath

done for my soul.

15. I called unto Him with my mouth : and gave Him praises with my tongue.

And while each one can recollect His wonderful works towards the Church in all times, he can feel still more keenly and tell still more plainly that which God has done for his own soul. That Christ

Jesus died for sinners, is a most high and holy truth; but deeper still and dearer to the believer's soul is the truth, that Christ Jesus died for him. This makes his heart call aloud to God his Redeemer, and fills his tongue with words of living praise! All other deliverances from storm and danger are but images of that deliverance which rescued us from everlasting loss in the storm in which the world shall perish. 16. If I incline unto wickedness with mine heart the Lord will not hear me.

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17. But God hath heard me and considered the voice of my prayer.

And the calling for grace by diligent prayer, and the knowing that we receive it in answer to our prayer, are signs sure and to be trusted in that we are in a state of grace, that we have no hidden, cherished, unrepented sin defiling our soul and rendering our prayers empty and vain. We know that God heareth not sinners: but if any man be a worshipper of God, and doeth His will, him He heareth.'

18. Praised be God Who hath not cast out my prayer nor turned His mercy from me.

Let us not be faint in prayer, for God will never cast out that which comes from a true and earnest heart. He may put off His granting, but He will not put it away. He will never turn away His mercy from the soul that is in faith turned unto Him.

This Psalm was intended for the temple-service. Its title is "to the chief Musician: a joyful song or psalm;" to which the LXX adds, "of the Resurrection." The author is left uncertain: it may, perhaps, consist of an ancient song of praise, first written on the entrance of the Israelites into Canaan, and afterwards revised and adapted to the temple-worship by the Levites in the time of Hezekiah. (2 Chron. xxix., xxx.) It is appointed by the Church of England to be said for the thanksgiving after a storm, in the service to be used at sea.

PSALM lxvii. Deus misereatur.

ONE OF THE CANTICLES FOR EVENING PRAYER, AND FOR THE SOLEMNIZATION OF HOLY MATRIMONY.

1. GOD be merciful unto us, and bless us : and shew us the light of His countenance, and be merciful unto us;

2. That Thy way may be known upon earth Thy saving health among all nations.

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In His mercy our God blesses His people; and His blessing is the shewing forth of His mercy. His mercy is magnified, not in the looking upon His creatures in love, but in His making them to know that He looks on them with love. This won

der He wrought in sending Him into the world Whom aged Simeon took into his arms and gazed upon, and then asked that he might depart in peace, because his eyes had seen the salvation which God had prepared, to be a light to lighten the Gentiles, and to be the glory of His people Israel.' In the Son of God, 'Who is the brightness of the Father's glory, and the express image of His person,' was the way of the All-holy made known upon the earth, and salvation was freely and fully offered to all the nations of the world, who had been long waiting in blindness and sin for the accomplishment of the promise made to Abraham,-'In thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed.'

3. Let the people praise Thee, O God: yea, let all the people praise Thee.

The love of God should stir up the praise of man. He gives the peoples of the earth blessings without number; what can they return to Him but thanksgiving and praise continually! Not only in the season of their earthly joy, but day by day continually, as day by day His blessings come to them.

4. O let the nations rejoice and be glad : for Thou shalt judge the folk righteously, and govern the nations upon earth.

And this is the cause for the joy and praise of the world, and of the Church in the world,-that they are no longer left to judge for themselves, or to follow a false and vain guide, 'even as they were

led,' but the righteous and loving God has Himself become both their Judge and King. Is it not a joyful thing to know that we shall be judged, not by an unrighteous law, but by a most righteous one; that we are guided and ruled, not by a cruel or selfwilled tyrant, but by a most good and loving King? 'Forasmuch as He is righteous Himself, He ordereth all things righteously.' In Christ the Lord have the nations of the world found light instead of darkness, truth instead of ignorance, life instead of death, blessing instead of cursing; therefore in Him, and through Him, and for Him, should they rejoice and be glad unceasingly and unweariedly.

5. Let the people praise Thee, O God all the people praise Thee.

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6. Then shall the earth bring forth her increase and God, even our own God, shall give us His blessing.

May He, Who has given us mercy and blessing, give us ever grace to thank Him for His mighty love! May each redeemed soul by itself, and all the multitude of the redeemed in the communion of saints, with one mouth and one heart ever praise Him for His salvation; and may each generation, as it passes away from the shadows of earth into the fulness of the light of His countenance, leave to the generation which follows it an ever-increasing sense of joyfulness, and gratitude! Then shall 'the continual dew of His blessing' and the refreshing streams of His grace make the world fruitful in saints, and

make the elect to abound in the fruit of good works, brought forth from 'honest and good hearts' year after year; until the last great harvest be ready to be gathered in, until the earth bring forth her increase in the resurrection of the dead, and that which has been sown in corruption and in dishonour be reaped in incorruption and in glory, and be ready to receive the blessing of our Saviour, and our Judge, and our God, when He shall say, 'Come, ye blessed.'

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7. God shall bless us and all the ends of the world shall fear Him.

Then the blessings of earth shall be exchanged for the blessings of heaven. The uncreated and eternal Father, the only-begotten Son, and the Holy Ghost proceeding from the Father and the Son, shall be revealed in the perfection of glory before the pure in heart; and all the dwellers in the new heaven and the new earth shall fear the Lord and His goodness,' and bend in adoring reverence and love before the throne of God and of the Lamb.

"To the chief Musician on the harp, a joyful song," is the title of this Psalm. It was perhaps of considerable antiquity, and used at the gathering in of the harvest, as well as in the public service of the Temple. The harvest was generally a time of rejoicing, (see Isai. ix. 3.) It is used by the Church of England, not only in the office for the celebration of Holy Matrimony, but also in the daily Evening Prayer, as if to teach us that spiritual joy was not merely to be given utterance to at one particular joyful event in our life, but was to be expressed by every redeemed member of the Christian Church every day.