His protection, His care, His pardoning grace and love, then my view is far more beautiful than that of the hills around Jerusalem. My defence, like Jerusalem's, is lovely as well as strong. The people admired their hills; but did they love them? But I do love my Lord, my Father, my Saviour.

He will never fail me. What He now is to me, that He always will be. The Lord stands around His people "from this time forth for evermore." Sooner will the hills remove from about Jerusalem than the Lord will remove from about His people. Jerusalem saw many troubles, but there stood the hills still. I too have seen troubles, I am in trouble now, and I may yet see even greater troubles; but the Lord will not remove from me. The hills could not always protect Jerusalem, but the Lord will always protect me.

Lord, give me the eye of faith, to see Thee always near! "I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills, from whence cometh my help. My help cometh from the Lord, which made heaven and earth." But here the hills represent the Lord Himself; not only does my

help come from Him, but He Himself is my Help. O Lord, my Helper and Defender, grant me grace to know Thee always near; may Thy nearness to me both protect and delight me; make it to be my happiness, that thou dost stand round about me. Thou art nearer to me than the hills were to Jerusalem. They were in view, but not quite close; but Thou art with me, a thought will place me in Thy presence, one moment of prayer will bring me before Thee. I will not be afraid. The enemy may besiege my soul, cares and troubles may assail me, and all around me there may be difficulties; but Thou art around me too, and nearer to me than all difficulties, temptations, and troubles. Help me by Thy Spirit to realize this; help me now, help me always.

CHAPTER XVIII.

THE CRY OF THE NEEDY.

"But I am poor and needy; yet the Lord thinketh upon me: Thou art my help and my deliverer; make no tarrying, O my God."-Psalm xl. 17.

YES, I am poor and needy indeed; and I feel myself so. If ever I thought otherwise, I think so no more; if ever I was self-confident, and felt myself strong in my own resources, I feel so no longer. "I am poor and needy: words would not better express what I am. The words seem made for me. I have no strength, no wisdom, no power to help myself or supply my own wants; and I am full of wants of many kinds. Besides, I am spiritually poor; I have no goodness or worthiness; I am most unworthy and sinful. I do not say, "I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing:" on the contrary, I

know-for God has taught me that I am "wretched, and miserable, and poor,

and naked."

is

and blind,

"Yet the Lord thinketh upon me!" That

my comfort. I believe it, and it cheers and comforts my heart. "The Lord thinketh upon me; "Jehovah thinketh upon me; the Almighty and Eternal God thinketh upon me. He thinketh upon me; bears me in mind, considers my case, pays regard to me; does so continually, not now and then only, is doing so now; Jehovah is thinking of me at this moment, while I am so poor and needy. He thinketh upon me; so little, so unworthy, so poor. He Who is the Lord of the Universe thinks of me!

He does not despise me because I am so poor, He does not turn away His eyes from me because I am so very needy; even for my great unworthiness He does not disregard me or leave me to myself. In my very need He thinks of me, at the very time when I want His pity most, but when I feel least deserving of it.

He thinketh upon me, because I feel myself

poor and needy. These are just those whom the Lord thinketh upon most-the poor and needy, who feel themselves to be so. If I thought I was anything, if I had any Laodicean pride in me, then I should not so much desire the Lord to think of me, and I should have little scriptural reason to believe that He did. "But I am poor and needy;" and, O my God, I tell Thee of my poverty and need; I lay myself before Thee, just as I am; weak and helpless, unworthy, sinful; with no reason to plead before Thee but my great need, and Thy great goodness, and my Saviour's name. Oh, look upon me, think upon me, for His sake. Here is more than a prayer: "The Lord thinketh upon me." Lord, I believe these words, in Thy unspeakable goodness Thou dost think upon me; yet let me turn the words into prayer, and beseech Thee still always to think of me: Lord, I am poor and needy; for my Saviour's sake, think upon me!

How happy it makes me, to be allowed to ask Thee to think of me! How happy, to find these words of encouragement, "The Lord thinketh upon me!" me!" How great is Thy con