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while I live, will I praise the Lord yea, as long as I have any being, I will sing praises unto my God.

2 O (e) put not your trust in princes, nor in any child of man : for there is no help in them.

3 For when the breath of man goeth forth (f), he shall turn again to his earth and then all his thoughts perish.

4 Blessed is he that hath the God of Jacob for his help and whose hope is in the Lord his God; 5 Who made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that therein is : who keepeth his promise for ever;

6 Who helpeth them to right that suffer wrong: who feedeth the hungry.

7 The Lord looseth men out of prison: the Lord giveth sight to the blind.

8 The Lord helpeth them that are fallen the Lord careth for the righteous.

9 The Lord careth for the strangers; he defendeth the f therless and widow: as for the way of the ungodly, he turneth it upside down.

10 The Lord thy God, O Sion, shall be King for evermore : and throughout all generations.

Lessons for the Thirtieth Day of the Month throughout the Year.

4.2.

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God, and not in man, noticing God's
power, beneficence, &c.

(e) So Ps. cxviii. 8, 9,
"It is better
"to trust in the Lord, than to put any
"confidence in man: it is better to trust
" in the Lord, than to put any confi-
"dence in princes." And the folly of
fearing man and disregarding God, is
finely expressed, Isaiah li. 12, 13. "Who
"art thou, that thou shouldest be afraid
"of a man that shall die, and the son of

John xviii.
Even. Jer. xxvi.
Heb. ii.

November 30.

Morn. Prov. xx.
Acts. i. (10)

Even. Prov. xxi.

Heb. vi.

(4) ante 75.

Morn. Hos. x.

Even. Hos. xi.
Jude. (6)

December 30.

Morn. Isa. lxiii.(11)

Acts xxvii.

Even. Isa. lxiv.

3 John.

(5) ante 212.

(6) ante 216. (11) ante 97.

(9) ante 32. (10) ante 150. 79

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EVENING PRAYER.

Psalm cxlvii. (g)

O PRAISE the Lord; for it is a good thing to sing praises unto our God: yea, a joyful and pleasant thing it is to be thankful. 2 The Lord doth (b) build up Jerusalem and gather together the outcasts of Israel.

3 He healeth (i) those that are broken in heart and giveth medicine to heal their sickness. * 4 He telleth (k) the number of the stars and calleth them all by their names.

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Great is our Lord, and great

(g) An invocation to the praise of God, for his peculiar favour to the Jews in bringing them back from the Babylonish captivity and re-establishing them in Jerusalem; calling to mind also the general wisdom, extent, and kindness of his providence, and his distinguishing attention to the people of Israel, by giving them particular statutes and ordinances in preference to all other nations. After the return from the Babylonish captivity, (about 536 years before the birth of Christ), the Jews met with great opposition in rebuilding Jerusalem; and it was not until about 90 years that it was completed. See an account of it in Ezra and Nehemiah. Upon the dedication of the wall, they sought the Levites out of "all their places, to bring them to Jeru "salem, to keep the dedication with "gladness, both with thanksgivings, and "with singing, with cymbals, psalteries, " and with harps." Neh. xii. 27. And this might be one of the thanksgivings then used. See the note on the 85th Psalm, and the 102d Psalm.

(b) "The Lord doth," &c. i. e. it is the Lord that doth it; it is his work. (i) "Healeth," &c. alluding probably to the change in the condition of those who had returned from the captivity.

(k) "Telleth," &c. This is perhaps figurative, and may mean, that though they were as numerous, and as much dis

is his power: yea, and his wis

dom is infinite.

6 The Lord setteth up the meek and bringeth the ungodly down to the ground.

7 O sing unto the Lord with thanksgiving sing praises upon the harp unto our God,

8 Who covereth (1) the heaven with clouds, and prepareth rain for the earth and maketh the grass to grow upon the mountains, and herb for the use of men.

9 Who giveth fodder unto the cattle (m) and feedeth the young ravens (n) that call upon him.

10 He hath no pleasure in the strength of an horse: (0)

persed as the stars of the heaven appear to be, he could bring every one back, without leaving one behind. He who could tell the number of the stars, and have such a knowledge of them as to distinguish each, would have no difficulty in knowing the number of the Jews, and calling unto them.

(1) "Who covereth," &c. The Psalm v.8. here passes for a time to the consideration of God's general providence. See Psalm lxv. 9, 10, 11.—Psalm. civ. 6 to 15.

(m) For "fodder unto the cattle," the v. 9. Bible translation is, "to the beast his "food" and perhaps the wild beasts are here intended, which are not provided for by man, and would therefore starve, if not provided for by God. Hamm. in loco.

(n) "Young ravens." It is with pe- v.9. culiar propriety that these are mentioned, for the old ones are supposed to desert them as soon as they are hatched. Hamm. in loco. In the spirited and magnificent description of God's providence and power, Job xxxviii. the young ravens are described as crying unto God for sustenance, verse 41. "Who provides for the raven his food? When his young ones cry unto God, they wander for lack "of meat." It is not improbable that the passage in Job might suggest this in the Pslam.

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() "Strength of a horse," and "legs," v. 10.

neither delighteth he in legs.

v.13.

v.15.

v. 15.

v. 16.

v.17.

any man's

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12 Praise the Lord, O Jerusalem praise thy God, O Sion.

13 For he hath made fast (p) the bars of thy gates and hath blessed thy children within thee.

14 He maketh peace in thy borders and filleth thee with the : flour of wheat.

15 (9) He sendeth forth his commandment upon earth and his word runneth very swiftly (r).

16 He giveth snow like wool (s): and scattereth the hoarfrost like ashes.

17 He casteth forth his ice like morsels (t): who is able to abide his frost?

18 He sendeth out his word, and melteth them he bloweth

or swiftness, i. e. bodily powers; in contradistinction to what is mentioned in verse 11. "the fearing him, and trusting in "his mercy;" the tribute of the mind; the homage of the understanding.

(p) "Made fast," &c. to protect thee from foreign enemies.

(q) The meaning of this verse perhaps is, "he has nothing to do but to command, "and the thing commanded is instantly "done: his word alone will put an end to "all your misery, and fill you with perfect "joy." And then the next three verses illustrate this position; " for though he "sends the keenest frost, which is answer"able to the afflictions you have had, he 66 puts an end to it in an instant; and "when he commands, the waters flow."

(r)"Runneth very swiftly," i. e. (perhaps) is instantly fulfilled. See Ps. cxlviii. 5.

(s) "Like wool," perhaps from the size of the flakes.

(t) For "morsels," the reading should perhaps be, "mouthfuls," to denote the size of the pieces rained down from heaven. The object of this and the preeeding verse probably is to give ideas of

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so nigh unto them, as the Lord our "God is in all things that we call upon "him for? And what nation is there so 66 great, that hath statutes and judgments so righteous as all this law, which I set "before you this day?"

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(x) A spirited invocation to heaven and earth, and all things therein, animate and inanimate, to join in praising God.

(y) It is a very elegant and expressive figure of speech, to call upon all, even ↑ inanimate creatures, to praise the Lord,& because the contemplation of them affords perpetual grounds for praising him. See Ps. xix. 1.- Ps. lxv. 14. and the note there.-Is. xliv. 23.-xlix. 13.

(x)" He spake the word," &c. This is not unlike the passage in Gen. i. 3.

2.6.

v.8

he commanded, and they were created.

6 He hath made them fast for ever and ever he hath given them a law (a) which shall not be broken.

7 Praise the Lord upon earth: ye dragons and all deeps.

8 Fire and hail, snow and vapours: wind and storm fulfilling his word (b);

9 Mountains and all hills: fruitful trees and all cedars;

10 Beasts and all cattle: worms and feathered fowls;

11 Kings of the earth and all people princes and all judges of the world;

12 Young men and maidens, old men and children, praise the Name of the Lord : for his Name only is excellent, and his praise above heaven and earth.

13 He shall exalt the horn of his people; all his saints shall praise him even the children of

"And God said, Let there be light, and "there was light," and that passage is often noticed as a passage of unrivalled sublimity, because it implies that the light was produced the instant the command for it issued, and thereby proved the perfect power of God. A similar passage occurs, Ps. xxxiii. 9. " He spake, "and it was done; he commanded, and "it stood fast,"

(a)" Law," &c. So Ps. civ. 9. in speaking of the waters, it is said, "thou hast set them their bounds which they cannot pass." See the note there.

(b) "Fulfilling his word," i, e, instruments in his hands to execute his purposes, In Ps. xvii. 13. the ungodly is called" a sword" of God. See note on Ps. xvii. 14.

(c) A war hymn, probably upon some success against the heathen, calling upon the people in a spirited way to praise God for what he had done for them, and urging them on to further exertion. It is not improbable that it was written in Jehoshaphat's time, when the children

Israel, even the people that serveth him.

Psalm cxlix. (c)

OSING unto the Lord a new song: let the congregation of saints praise him.

2 Let Israel rejoice in him that made him and let the children of Sion be joyful in their King. 3 Let them praise his Name in the dance (d): let them sing praises unto him with tabret and harp.

4 For the Lord hath pleasure in his people and helpeth the meek-hearted.

5 Let the saints be joyful with glory: letthem rejoice in their beds.

6 Let the praises of God be in their mouth and a two-edged sword in their hands;

7 To be avenged of the heathen and to rebuke the people;

:

8 To bind their kings in chains: and their nobles with links of iron.

9 That(e) they may be avenged

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(d) "The dance." In the first tri- v.3. umphal thanksgiving which occurs in history, that of Moses for the overthrow of the Egyptians in the Red Sea, about 1490 years before the birth of Christ, the women joined with timbrels, and with dances, Exod. xv. 20. ; and when David slew Goliath, the women came out singing and dancing to meet Saul. 1 Sam. xviii. 6. and they sang to one another in dances, "Saul hath slain his thousands, ❝and David his ten thousands." I Sam. xxi. 11.-xxix. 5. dancing therefore was part of the solemnity. See Psalm

cl. 4:

(e) For "that" &c.read" to execute" v. 9.

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Lessons for the Thirty-first Day of the Month throughout the Year.

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THIS WORK, imperfect as it is, is now brought nearly to its conclusion, and should it correct the notions, or improve the principles of a single individual, the labour upon it will have been well bestowed. Should it have the further effect of inducing men of literature and critical talent to turn more of their attention to the Holy Scriptures, many obscurities will probably be removed, many new beauties discovered. In their present state, their spirit, energy, and classical elegance, stand deservedly very high; but who can say, that upon further labour their literary character might not be much advanced. In what Heathen Writer is there a description equal to that of the war horse, Job xxxix. 19, &c. " Hast thou given the horse strength? Hast thou "clothed his neck with thunder? Canst thou make him afraid as a grasshopper? "The glory of his nostrils is terrible. He paweth in the valley, and rejoiceth in "his strength; he goeth on to meet the armed men. He mocketh at fear, and is "not affrighted; neither turneth he back from the sword. The quiver rattleth "against him, the glittering spear and the shield. He swalloweth the ground with "fierceness and rage: neither believeth he that it is the sound of the trumpet. He "saith among the trumpets, Ha! Ha! and he smelleth the battle afar off, the "thunder of the captains, and the shouting." The time may come, when the earth "shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord, as the waters cover the sea," and when "God's will shall be done on earth (as perfectly and completely as) it is in "heaven;" and what so likely to produce this event as the study of the Scriptures? that study which will promote "Glory to God in the highest, on earth peace, and goodwill amongst men."

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