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I He hath not dealt with us after our sins: nor rewarded us according to our wickednesses.

11 For look, how high (u) the heaven is, in comparison of the earth so great is his mercy also toward them that fear him.

12 Look, how wide also the east is from the west : so far hath he set our sins from us.

13 Yea, like as a father pitieth his own children: even so is the Lord merciful unto them that fear him.

14 For he knoweth whereof we are made: he remembereth that we are but dust.

15 The days of man are but as grass for he flourisheth as a flower of the field.

16 For as soon as the wind goeth over it, it is gone and the

place thereof shall know it no

more.

17 But the merciful goodness of the Lord endureth for ever and ever upon them that fear him and his righteousness upon children's children;

18 Even upon such as keep his covenant and think upon his commandments to do them.

19 The Lord hath prepared his seat in heaven and his king. dom ruleth over all.

20 O praise the Lord, ye angels of his; ye that excel in strength ye that fulfil his commandment, and hearken unto the voice of his words.

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21 O praise the Lord, all ye his hosts ye servants of his, that do his pleasure.

22 O speak good of the Lord, all ye works of his, in all places of his dominion; praise thou the Lord, O my soul.

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

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9.4.

v. 6.

EVENING PRAYER. Psalm civ. (x)

PRAISE the Lord, O my soul: O Lord my God, thou art become exceeding glorious, thou art clothed with majesty and ho

nour.

2 Thou deckest thyself with light, as it were with a garment : and spreadest out the heavens like

a curtain.

3 Who layeth the beams of his chambers in the waters : and maketh the clouds his chariot, and walketh upon the wings of the wind.

4 He maketh his angels spirits (y) and his ministers a flaming fire.

5 He laid the foundations of the earth that it never should move at any time.

6 Thou coveredst (z) it with the deep, like as with a garment: the waters stand in the hills.

(x) On the wisdom, &c. of God in the formation and regulation of the world, so as to provide for the wants and comforts of all his creatures. Dr. Nichols says of this Psalm, it is one of the most exalted pieces of poetry extant in antiquity. It is one of the Psalms for Whitsunday.

(y)" His angels spirits, &c." This may mean," he maketh the wind and air "his messengers, and a flaming fire his "minister," using them as instruments to perform his wishes as in Ps. 148. viii. "wind and storm fulfilling his word."

(x)" Thou coveredst," &c. This perhaps refers to what was the case at the time of the creation, before God issued that command, Gen. i. 9. " Let the "waters under the heaven be gathered "together unto one place, and let the "dry land appear;" and then we should read, as it is in the Bible translation, "The waters stood in the hills;" and the verbs in the two following verses should be in the past tense,

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were afraid," and "went.""

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fled,"

7 At thy rebuke they flee: at the voice of thy thunder they are afraid.

8 They go up as high as the hills, and down to the valleys beneath : even unto the place which thou hast appointed for them.

9 Thou hast set them their bounds (a), which they shall not pass: neither turn again to cover the earth.

10 He sendeth his springs (6) into the rivers: which run among the hills.

11 All beasts of the field drink thereof and the wild asses quench their thirst.

12 Beside them shall the fowls of the air have their habitation : and sing among the branches.

13 He watereth the hills from above (c): the earth is filled with the fruit of thy works.

14 He bringeth forth grass: for

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v. 16.

v. 18.

2.20.

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19 He appointed the moon for certain seasons and the sun knoweth his going down.

20 Thou makest darkness, that it may be night: wherein (ƒ) all

the beasts of the forest do move.

21 (g) The lions roaring after their prey do seek their meat from God.

22 The sun ariseth, and they get them away together and lay them down in their dens.

23 Man goeth forth to his work, and to his labour: until the evening.

24 O Lord, how manifold are

"maketh grass to grow upon the moun"tains, and herb for the use of man." (d)" Sap," so that moisture is conveyed to all the branches.

(e) "High hills" and "stony rocks," so that those parts from which man derives no benefit, have their use in protecting other creatures.

(f) "Wherein," &c. So that they are not disturbed by man, nor man by them.

(g) See Job xxxviii. 39. post Ps. cxlv. 15.

thy works in wisdom hast thou made them all; the earth is full of thy riches!

25 So is the great and wide sea also wherein are things creeping (b) innumerable, both small and great beasts.

26 There go the ships, and there is that Leviathan: whom thou hast made to take his pastime therein.

27 These wait all upon thee: that thou mayest give them meat in due season (i).

28 When thou givest it them, they gather it and when thou openest thy hand, they are filled with good.

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29 When thou hidest thy face, they are troubled when thou takest away their breath, they die, and are turned again to their dust.

30 When thou lettest thy breath go forth, they shall be made and thou shalt renew the face of the earth.

31 The glorious Majesty of the Lord shall endure for ever: the Lord shall rejoice in his works.

32 The earth shall tremble (k) at the look of him if he do but touch (1) the hills, they shall smoke.

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9.11.

his mouth;

33 I will sing unto the Lord, || wonders, and the judgements of as long as I live: I will praise my God, while I have my being.

34 And so shall my words please him my joy shall be in the Lord.

35 As for sinners, they shall be consumed out of the earth, and the ungodly shall come to an end praise thou the Lord, O my soul, praise the Lord,

MORNING PRAYER.

Psalm cv. (m)

O GIVE thanks unto the Lord, and call upon his Name: tell the people what things he hath done.

2 O let your songs be of him, and praise him and let your talking be of all his wondrous works.

3 Rejoice in his holy Name : let the heart of them rejoice that seek the Lord,

4 Seek the Lord, and his strength seek his face ever

more.

5 Remember the marvellous works that he hath done; his

(m) A spirited invocation to the praise of God, enumerating many of his acts of favour to the Jews, and of judgment upon their enemies, from Abraham's time to the time of their settlement in the land of Canaan. The first fifteen yerses are part of the hymn which David delivered to Asaph and his brethren, the day he removed the ark of God from the house of Obed Edom to Mount Sion. See 1 Chron. xvi. 7 to 22. This occurred about 1043 years before the birth of Christ. The latter part of that hymn forms the 96th Psalm.

(n) "Of Canaan." When Abraham was 99 years old, and before he had any son, God said unto him, "I will make "thee exceeding fruitful, and I will give "unto thee and to thy seed after thee all

6 O ye seed of Abraham his servant ye children of Jacob his chosen.

7 He is the Lord our God: his judgements are in all the world.

8 He hath been alway mindful of his covenant and promise: that he made to a thousand generations;

9 Even the covenant that he made with Abraham and the oath that he sware unto Isaac;

10 And appointed the same unto Jacob for a law: and to Israel for an everlasting testa

ment:

11 Saying, "Unto thee will I "give the land of Canaan (n): "the lot of your inheritance."

12 When they were yet but a few of them; and they strangers in the land;

13 What time as they went from one nation to another: from one kingdom to another people;

14 He suffered no man to do them wrong but reproved even kings for their sakes;

"the land of Canaan," Gen. xvii. 5. 8. And this prediction was most fully ac complished; for without reckoning the Ishmaelites and Edomites (the descendants of Ishmael and Esau) about 1490 years before the birth of Christ, the offspring of Jacob alone (Abraham's grand son) exclusive of the tribe of Levi, and reckoning of the other tribes none but the males, and of them such only as were able to go out to war, amounted to 603,550; the males of the tribe of Levi, from one month old and upwards, were 22,000; and in less than 50 years afterwards the Israelites under the command of Joshua subdued the whole land of Canaan. See Numb. i. 46.—ii. 32.—xxxii.

39.

v. 19.

15 "Touch not mine Anoint"ed and do my prophets no "harm."

16 Moreover he called for a dearth upon the land and destroyed all the provision of bread.

17 But he had sent a man before them even Joseph, who was sold to be a bond-servant;

18 Whose feet they hurt in the stocks: the iron entered into his soul;

19 Until the time came that his cause (0) was known the word of the Lord tried him.

20 The king sent, and delivered him the prince of the people let him go free.

21 He made him lord also of his house and ruler of all his substance;

22 That he might inform his princes after his will: and teach his senators wisdom,

23 Israel also came into Egypt: and Jacob was a stranger (p) in the land of Ham (q).

24 And he increased his people exceedingly and made them stronger than their enemies;

and

25 Whose heart turned so, that they hated his people dealt untruly with his servants. 26 Then sent he Moses his

(0) For "cause" the reading should perhaps be "power," viz. of interpreting dreams; and the meaning of the latter part of the verse may be, "his gift "of interpretation." The word God put into his mouth tried him, that is, distinguished him, shewed his value. v.23. (p) For "was a stranger," in the Bible translation is "sojourned," which seems preferable.

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(9)" The land of Ham," i. e. Egypt. "Silver," &c. According to the account, Exod. xi. 2. God directed that the people should borrow of the Egyptians jewels of silver, &c. and the people

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30 Their land brought forth frogs yea, even in their king's chambers.

31 He spake the word, and there came all manner of flies : and lice in all their quarters.

32 He gave them hailstones for rain and flames of fire in their land.

33 He smote their vines also and fig-trees and destroyed the trees that were in their coasts.

34 He spake the word, and the grasshoppers came, and caterpillars innumerable and did eat up all the grass in their land, and devoured the fruit of their ground.

35 He smote all the first-born in their land: even the chief of all their strength.

36 He brought them forth also with silver (r) and gold: there was not one feeble person among their tribes.

borrowed them accordingly, Exod. xii. 35, 36. But the translation should perhaps be, that they were directed to ask them as gifts, and that they did so. It seems inconsistent with our notions that they should borrow what they would never be in a condition to restore. In Gen. xx. 13, 14. where God foretold their bondage in Egypt for 400 years, he adds, "and afterward shall they come "out with great substance." So that it was his intention that they should be enriched with the property of the Egyptians, for whom indeed they had been working many years.

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