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Lessons for the Twenty-eighth Day of the Month throughout the Year.

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derision of the heathen idols, in nearly the same words, occurs Ps. cxv. 4.; and see the note there.

(b) An invocation to the praise of God, on account of the works of the creation, and his peculiar interpositions in favour of the Israelites in opposition to the heathen. It was called "The great Thanks"giving." When the children of Ammon, of Moab, and of Mount Seir, went up against Jehoshaphat, and God gave Jehoshaphat an assurance of deliverance, Jehoshaphat "appointed singers unto the "Lord, that should praise the beauty " of holiness, as they went out before "the army, and to say, "Praise the "Lord, for his mercy endureth for ever. God afterwards stirred up the children of Ammon and of Moab against the inhabitants of Mount Seir, utterly to destroy them, which they did; and when they had done so, they destroyed each

Heb. iv.

Even. 1 Kings iii. 1 John iv.

August 28.

Morn. Hos. v. vi. Acts xxvi. Even. Hos. vii.

(5)

1 John v. (10)

December 28.

Morn. Jer. xxxi. to v. 18 Acts xxv.

Even. Wisd. i. i John v. (15)

(4) ante 139. 168. 217. (9) ante 147. 141. 149. (14) ante 127. 136. 35.

(5) ante 163. (10) ante 134. (15) ante 134

2 O give thanks unto the God of all gods for his mercy endureth for ever.

3 O thank the Lord of all lords for his mercy endureth for ever.

4 Who only doeth great won

other, so that when Jehoshaphat came up against them, behold they were dead bodies fallen to the earth, and none escaped. See 2 Chron. xx. This Psalm (though probably written before) was perhaps what the singers sang before the army, and if so, the repeating it would constantly bring to the minds of the Jews the recollection of that great deli

verance.

(c) "His mercy endureth for ever." When David appointed the Levites to minister before the ark of the Lord, some of them were fixed upon "to give “thanks unto the Lord, because his mercy "endureth for ever." 1 Chron. xvi. 4. 41. And when Solomon dedicated the temple, and the glory of the Lord filled the house, the people "worshipped and "praised the Lord, saying, "for he is "good, for his mercy endureth for ever." 2 Chron. vii. 3.

ders for his mercy endureth for

ever.

5 Who by his excellent wisdom made the heavens: for his mercy endureth for ever.

6 Who laid out the earth above the waters for his mercy endureth for ever.

7 Who hath made great lights: for his mercy endureth for ever; 8 The sun to rule the day: for his mercy endureth for ever;

9 The moon and the stars to govern the night for his mercy endureth for ever.

10 Who smote Egypt (d) with their first-born: for his mercy endureth for ever;

II And brought out Israel from among them: for his mercy endureth for ever;

12 With a mighty hand and stretched-out arm: for his mercy endureth for ever;

13 Who divided the Red Sea (e) in two parts for his mercy endureth for ever;

14 And made Israel to go through the midst of it for his mercy endureth for ever.

15 But as for Pharaoh (f) and his host, he overthrew them in the Red Sea for his mercy endureth for ever.

16 Who led his people through the wilderness: for his mercy endureth for ever.

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17 Who smote great kings: for his mercy endureth for ever;

18 Yea, and slew mighty kings: for his mercy endureth for ever; 19 Sehon (g) king of the Amorites for his mercy endureth for

ever;

20 And Og the king of Basan: for his mercy endureth for ever;

21 And gave away their land for an heritage(b): for his mercy endureth for ever;

22 Even for an heritage unto Israel his servant : for his mercy endureth for ever.

23 Who remembered us when we were in trouble: for his mercy endureth for ever;

24 And hath delivered us from our enemies for his mercy endureth for ever.

25 Who giveth food to all flesh for his mercy endureth for

ever.

26 O give thanks unto the God of heaven: for his mercy endureth for ever.

27 O give thanks unto the Lord of lords: for his mercy endureth for ever.

Psalm cxxxvii. (i)

By the waters of Babylon we sat down and wept: when we remembered thee, O Sion.

2 As for our harps, we hanged

tachment to Jerusalem, and calling for vengeance upon their enemies. The Jews, that is, the tribes of Judah and Benjamin, were carried captive to Babylon about 606 years before our Saviour's birth, and remained there 70 years. The other tribes, the subjects of the kings of Israel, had been carried into captivity about 138 years before, and from that captivity they never returned.

v.5.

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4 How shall we sing the Lord's song in a strange land?

5 If I forget thee, O Jerusa lem let my right hand forget her cunning (k).

6 If I do not remember thee, let my tongue cleave to the roof of my mouth yea, if I prefer not Jerusalem in my mirth.

7 Remember the children of Edom, O Lord, in the day of Jerusalem: how they said, "Down " with it, down with it, even to "the ground."

8 Ŏ daughter of Babylon, wasted with misery: yea, happy shall he be that rewardeth (1) thee, as thou hast served us.

9 Blessed shall he be that taketh thy children and throweth them against the stones.

Psalm cxxxviii. (m). I WILL give thanks unto thee,

(k) "Her cunning," i. e. her skill in playing upon the harp, all her powers. v 8. (7) "That rewardeth thee," &c. and "throweth them," &c. In God's denunciation against Babylon, Is. li. he says (amongst other things) verse 24. "I will render unto Babylon

verse 9.

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O Lord, with my whole heart: even before the gods (n) will I sing praise unto thee.

2 I will worship toward thy holy temple, and praise thy Name, because of thy loving-kindness and truth for thou hast magnified thy Name and thy word above all things.

3 When I called upon thee, thou heardest me: and enduedst my soul with much strength.

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4 All the kings of the earth shall praise thee, O Lord for they have heard the words of thy mouth.

5 Yea, they shall sing in the ways of the Lord that great is the glory of the Lord.

6 For though the Lord be high (0), yet hath he respect unto the lowly as for the proud, he beholdeth them afar off.

7 Though I walk (p) in the midst of trouble, yet shalt thou refresh me thou shalt stretch forth thy hand upon the furiousness of mine enemies, and thy right hand shall save me.

8 The Lord shall make good his loving-kindness toward me:

tised against them, but as a blessing upon the men who should be the instruments to execute God's vengeance. See Ps. cxlix. 9.

(m) A grateful thanksgiving to God for some signal instance of his protection and mercy, and a profession of the ut most confidence in his support.

(n)“ Gods,” i. e. the great men of the earth. See Ps. lxxxii. 1.

(o)" High." The same idea is expressed with great spirit, Ps. cxiii. 5. "Who is like unto the Lord our God, "that hath his dwelling so high, and yet "humbleth himself to behold the things "that are in heaven and earth."

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(p) Though I walk," &c. So Ps. xxiii. 4. Yea, though I walk "through the valley of the shadow of

yea, thy mercy, O Lord, endureth for ever; despise not then the works of thine own hands.

MORNING PRAYER.

Psalm cxxxix. (q)

O LORD, thou hast searched me out, and known me thou knowest my down-sitting (r), and mine up-rising; thou understandest my thoughts long before.

2 Thou art about my path, and about my bed and spiest out all my ways.

3 For lo, there is not a word in my tongue: but thou, O Lord, knowest it altogether.

death, I will fear no evil; for thou art with me, thy rod and thy staff com"fort me."

(g) Upon God's constant presence with us, and his perfect knowledge of all our actions and of every other thing concerning us, with an expostulation against the wicked, and an appeal to God as to the writer's uprightness and sincerity. The Psalm is supposed to have been written by David, after it had been imeputed to him that he had evil designs against Saul, for which reason he illustrates the folly of attempting to dissemble with God, and shews the impossibility of succeeding in any such attempt. Mr. Addison says of it, (Spectator, No. 399.), The two kinds of hypocrisy, of deceiving ourselves and imposing upon "the world, are touched with wonderful beauty in this Psalm: the folly of the first is set forth by reflections on "God's omniscience and omnipresence, "which are celebrated in as noble strains "of

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poetry as I ever met with: the "other kind is intimated in the last two verses, where the Psalmist addresses himself to the great Searcher of hearts "in that emphatical petition, "Try me, "O God," &c. &c. So Bp. Newton, 2 Newt. Dissert. 374. "Nothing was ever celebrated in a finer strain of poetry than the divine omnipresence in this Psalm. Take the antient Lyrics, read any of their hymns, and

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4 Thou hast fashioned (s) me behind and before: and laid thine hand upon me.

5 Such knowledge is too wonderful and excellent for me: I cannot attain unto (t) it.

6 (u) Whither shall I go then from thy Spirit or whither shall I go then from thy presence?

7 If I climb up into heaven, thou art there if I go down to hell, thou art there also.

8 If I take the wings of the morning and remain in the uttermost parts of the sea;

9 Even there also shall thy hand lead me and thy right hand shall hold me.

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66 see whether there is any ode in Horace or Pindar to be compared with it "from the beginning to the end."

(r)" My down-sitting," &c. i. e. all v.1. my motions.

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(s) For "fashioned," Dr. Hammond v.4. reads "encompassed," and considers the meaning to be this: " thou hast so closed 66 me in on every side, and I am so completely under thy hand, that there is none of my actions, words, or thoughts "which is not thoroughly known to "thee." If" fashioned" be the right reading, this verse contains nothing but what is expressed afterwards in the 12th and following verses.

(1) For "attain unto," Dr. Hammond v.5. reads "succeed against."

(u) So God declares the impossibility v.6,7. of escaping from his vengeance in a similar manner, Amos ix. 2, 3." Though

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they dig into hell, thence shall my hand take them: though they climb up to heaven, thence will I bring them down: and though they hide "themselves in the top of Carmel, I "will search and take them out thence : " and though they be hid from my

sight in the bottom of the sea, thence "will I command the serpent, and he "shall bite them," &c. Amos prophesied about 787 years before our Saviour's birth, and therefore rather more than 200 years after David's time.

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9.12.

4.12.

v. 13.

10 If I say, "Peradventure "the darkness shall cover me :" then shall my night be turned to day.

1 Yea, the darkness is no darkness with thee, but the night is as clear as the day: the darkness and light to thee are both alike.

12 For my reins (x) are thine (y) thou hast covered me in my mother's womb.

13 I will give thanks unto thee, for I am fearfully and wonderfully (z) made : marvellous are thy works, and that my soul knoweth right well.

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14 My bones are not hid from thee though I be made secretly, and fashioned beneath in the earth.

15 Thine eyes (a) did see my substance, yet being imperfect: and in thy book were all my members written;

16 Which day by day were fashioned (b): when as yet there was none of them.

17 How dear are thy counsels unto me, O God: O how great is the sum of them!

18 If I tell them, they are more in number than the sand : when I wake up, I am present with thee.

19 Wilt thou not slay the

(x) "My reins," &c. From the observation that darkness and light are both alike to God, he passes naturally to the reflection, that even our inmost parts where no light can penetrate or touch approach are open to the eye and hand of God.

(y) "Thine," i. e. thy creation. For "covered," the reading should perhaps be "formed."

(z) "Wonderfully." From the perfect mechanism of the human frame, Dr. Paley has admirably illustrated the

wicked, O God: depart from me, ye blood-thirsty men.

20 For they speak unrighteously against thee and thine enemies take thy Name in vain.

21 Do not I hate them, O Lord, that hate thee and am not I grieved with those, that rise up against thee?

22 Yea, I hate them right sore: even as though they were mine enemies.

23 Try me, O God, and seek: the ground of my heart prove me, and examine my thoughts.

24 Look well if there be any way of wickedness in me and lead me in the way everlasting.

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