27. Depart from evil, and do good; and dwell for evermore. 28. For the LORD loveth judgment, and forsaketh not his saints; they are preserved for ever: but the seed of the wicked shall be cut off. 29. The righteous shall inherit the land, and dwell therein for ever.

The justice and mercy of God, the rewards which await the righteous, and the punishments that will, sooner or later, be inflicted on the wicked, are subjects on which whoever shall frequently meditate," will depart from evil, and do good. Whatsoever thou takest in hand," saith the wise son of Sirach, "remember the END, and thou shalt never do amiss." Ecclus. vii. 36.

30. The mouth of the righteous speaketh wisdom, and his tongue talketh of judgment. 31. The law of his God is in his heart; none of his steps shall slide.

The word which is here, as in other places innumerable, translated "the righteous," is in the singular number, and might therefore be translated "the Righteous One," or, "the Just One," for it is often designed to point him out to us, who is emphatically so styled; whose "mouth" always spake "wisdom," in whose "heart was the law of God," and whose "steps" NEVER declined to evil. Lord, put thy laws into our hearts, that out of the abundance of the heart the mouth may speak; and as the mouth speaks, the hands may act, and the feet may walk.

32. The wicked watcheth the righteous, and seeketh to slay him. 33. The LORD wil not leave him in his hand, nor condemn him when he is judged.

The Jews watched" that "Just One," daily and hourly; they "sought to slay him," and did so; but "Jehovah left him not in their hands," but vindicated his innocence, by raising him from the dead. And the day is coming, when he who hath stood tamely at the bar of men, and hath suffered for truth and righteousness, shall be advanced to a throne among the saints and martyrs, to assist at the trial of his once-insulting judges.

34. Wait on the LORD, and keep his way, and he shall exalt thee to inherit the land: when the wicked are cut off, thou shalt see it.

The apostle, writing to the Hebrew converts, under affliction and persecution, thus expresseth the sentiment contained in this verse. "Cast not away your confidence, which hath great recompense of reward. For ye have need of patience, that after ye have done the will of God, ye might receive the promise. For yet a little while, and he that shall come, will come, and will not tarry." Heb. x. 35.

35. I have seen the wicked in great power, and spreading himself like a green bay tree, or, a native tree, which has grown from the seed without transplantation, in the same spot. 36. Yet he passed away, and, lo, he was not; yea, I sought him, but he could not be found.

The great Babylonian monarch had his own exaltation, and subsequent degradation, portrayed to him, in a vision, under this very image, which conveyeth to the mind a most striking and affecting idea of the rise and fall of men and empires, which have now no existence but in history. "I saw, and behold a tree in the midst of the earth, and the height thereof was great. The tree grew, and was strong, and the height thereof reached unto heaven, and the sight thereof to the end of the earth. The leaves thereof were fair, and the fruit thereof much, and in it was meat for all: the beasts of the field had shadow under it, and the fowls of the heaven dwelt in the boughs thereof, and all flesh was fed of it. I saw in the visions of my head upon my bed, and behold a watcher and an holy one came down from heaven. He cried aloud, and said thus, Hew down the tree, and cut off his branches, shake off his leaves, and scatter his fruit; let the beasts get away from under it, and the fowls from his branches:" Dan. iv. 10, 11, &c. See the prophet's exposition, 20, 21, &c., and what is said above, on ver. 10, of this Psalm.

37. Mark the perfect man, and behold the upright: for the end of that man is peace. 38. But the transgressors shall be destroyed together: the end of the wicked shall be cut off.

After taking a view of those short-lived honors, which the world setteth upon the heads of its most favored votaries, let us turn our eyes to "the Perfect and Upright One;" let us behold the permanent greatness and the unfading glory of the TREE OF LIFE, which is in the midst of the paradise of God; whose leaves are for the healing of the nations, and whose fruit is the fruit of "peace."

39. But the salvation of the righteous is of the LORD: he is their strength in the time of trouble. 40. And the LORD shall help them, and deliver them: he shall deliver them from the wicked, and save them, because they put their trust in him.

Of thee, O Lord Jesu, is our salvation: be thou our strength in this mortal life, which is a time of trouble; help us against our spiritual enemies, and deliver us from them; deliver us from the wicked one, and from all evil; and save us from the guilt and punishment thereof, because we put our trust in thee, and

in thee alone.

EIGHTH DAY.-MORNING PRAYER.

PSALM XXXVIII.

ARGUMENT.

In this Psalm, which is the third of those styled Penitential, the sinner, ver. 1, prayeth to be chastened only, and not destroyed; 2-10, describeth the state of his soul under various images, chiefly borrowed from bodily diseases and pains; 11, 12, complaineth of his friends forsaking, and his enemies persecuting him; but, 13-15, continueth patient and resigned, committing his cause to God, whom, 16-22, he beseecheth to help him, on his confession and repentance. As our Lord took upon him the guilt, and suffered the punishment of sin; as there are some passages in the latter part of the Psalm, literally predictive of his passion, and so understood by the best ancient expositors; and as the sinner should be led by his own sorrows to reflect on those of his Redeemer; the meditations of the reader are, therefore, under each particular, directed by the ensuing comment into that channel.

1. O LORD, rebuke me not in thy wrath; neither chasten me in thy hot displeasure.

The petition here preferred, as in the sixth Psalm, is, that Jehovah would not condemn as a judge, but chasten as a father, for the amendment and preservation of the offender. The same prayer, which we sinners make for ourselves, Christ, who bore our sins, once made for us.

2. For thine arrows stick fast in me, and thy hand presseth me sore.

The " arrows," ," and the "hand" of God, are his judgments on sin; those internal pangs and terrors which pierce the soul, and those external afflictions and calamities which sink and weigh down the spirits. The holy Jesus, at the time of his passion, received these arrows, and sustained this weight, for the sins of the whole world.

3. There is no soundness in my flesh, because of thine anger; neither is there any rest, or, peace, or, health, in my bones, because of my sin.

The expressions in this verse are applicable to the disorders and diseases which sin hath introduced both into the soul and into the body, as the terms, "health," and "sickness," are in Scripture no less frequently employed to describe the state of the former, than that of the latter. If a single sinner thus complaineth of his grief and pain, what must have been the agony and passion of him who suffered for all, mercifully and lovingly submitted to be "made sin for us?"

4. For mine iniqities are gone over my head as an heavy burden they are too heavy for me.

Sins and sorrows are here, as in many other places, represented under the image of mighty waters rolling incessantly over the head of the person sunk into them, and by their accumulated weight depressing him, so that he can no more rise above them. Let us meditate on that deep and tempestuous ocean, into which we were the means of plunging the innocent Jesus.

5. My wounds stink and are corrupt, through my foolishness.

Sin is the wound of the soul, which must be washed with the tears of repentance, cleansed by the blood of Christ, and healed by the Spirit of the Holy One. It requires great care and attention, until the cure be completed. Otherwise, mortification and death ensue, as in the case of outward wounds, if neglected, or ill managed. See Isa. i. 6, Luke, x. 34. All the sores and pains of the body mystical are lamented by him who is the head of that body, and who felt the sad effects of these corruptions of our nature, in the day of his sufferings.

6. I am troubled, Heb. writhed, or, distorted, I am bowed down greatly I go mourning all the day long.

As the body by pain, so the soul by guilt, is "distorted" from its original uprightness; it is "bowed down" to the earth, through shame and fear, being no longer able to look up towards heaven, with its accustomed holy confidence; and, instead of rejoicing in a good conscience, and the hope of glory, sorrow is its portion, and grief its familiar acquaintance. And what wonder, that we should be humbled and afflicted for our own sins, when the Son of God was so humbled and afflicted for sins not his own?

7. For my loins are filled with a loathsome disease, or, inflammation: and there is no soundness in my flesh.

The "disease," or "inflammation,” complained of, in these metaphorical terms, seems to be the distemperature of our fallen nature, whereby it cometh to pass, that "the flesh lusteth against the spirit;" it is that "other law in our members, warring against the law in our minds, bringing us into captivity to the law of sin," and forcing every son of Adam to cry out "O wretched man that I am, who shall deliver me from this body of death?” Happy is it for us, that we are enabled to go on with the apostle, and to "thank God," that we are delivered, "through Jesus Christ our Lord," on whom were laid the "iniquities of us all."

8. I am feble and sore broken: I have

The vigor of a man is broken in pieces, and wasted away, by pain and the disquietude from thence arising, which cause piercing cries, and loud lamentations. When sin in the soul is felt like sickness in the body, it will produce effects in some degree similar. Let us reflect on the sufferings, the cries, and the tears of our Redeemer.

9. LORD, all my desire is before thee; and my groaning is not hid from thee.

The "desires" and "groans" of the penitent are known to God, and marked down in his book; and there is no small comfort in thinking and acknowledging that they are so; but much more comfort is there in the remembrance of those inconceivable "desires," and those unutterable "groanings," which the holy Jesus poured forth for us in the days of his flesh, and which prevail for the acceptance of our own.

10. My heart panteth, my strength faileth me: as for the light of mine eyes, it also is gone from me.

In bodily sickness, there are three symptoms of approaching dissolution; and the soul is in great extremity, when the three corresponding symptoms appear upon her; namely, when she hath neither resolution to will, power to perform, nor knowledge to discern the things that belong unto her health and peace.

11. My lovers and my friends stand aloof from my sore, or, plague, or, affliction; and my kinsmen, or, my neighbors, stand afar off.

A body afflicted with a noisome distemper, and a soul troubled on account of sin, find but few friends, who have charity enough to stay with, and minister to them. Let us not be surprised, or offended at this, when we see the righteous Jesus, at his passion, destitute and forsaken by all; as it is written, "Then all the disciples forsook him, and fled " Matt. xxvi. 56; and all his acquaintance, and the women that followed him from Galilee, stood afar off, beholding these things." Luke,

xxiii. 49.

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12. They also that seek after my life, lay snares for me and they that seek my hurt, speak mischievous things, and imagine deceits all the day long. 13. But I, as a deaf man, heard not; and I was as a dumb man, that openeth not his mouth. 14. Thus I was as a man that heareth not, and in whose mouth are no reproofs, or, altercations.

15. For in thee, O LORD, do I hope, or, thee do I wait for: thou wilt hear, or, answer, O LORD my God.

This verse assigns the reason why the ill usage which we receive at the hands of men, should be borne with patience and resignation; namely, because, as it is not without the permission, so neither will it be without the notice of the Almighty, who will one day take the matter into his own hands. Christ, saith S. Peter," who did no sin, neither was guile found in his mouth, yet when he was reviled, reviled not again; when he suffered, he threatened not; but committed himself to him that judgeth righteously." 1 Pet. ii. 21.

16. For I said, Hear me, lest otherwise they should rejoice over me: when my foot slippeth, they magnify themselves against me.

As the glory of God may be said, in some measure, to depend on the behavior and fate of his servants; on that account, besides the stings of conscience, temporal punishments, and the danger of eternal torments, good men should ever have before their eyes the dishonor which is brought on the name of God, and the stop which is put to the progress of his Gospel, by the fall of any eminently righteous and holy person into sin.

17. For I am ready to halt, and my sorrow is continually before me. 18. For I will declare mine iniquity: I will be sorry for my sin,

The surest way to have our weakness strengthened, and our sin forgiven, is to acknowledge and confess both; and this we need not be ashamed to do, when we consider, that he, who is the Lord strong and mighty, took our infirmities; and the King of righteousness bare our sins, in his own body, on the tree.

19. But mine enemies are lively, and they are strong, and they that hate me wrongfully are multiplied. 20. They also that render evil for good are mine adversaries: because I follow the thing that good is.

These words, joined with the preceding, are applicable to the distress of David, and the prosperity of his adversaries; to the sufferings of Christ, and the triumph of the Jews; to the afflictions of the church, and the gaiety of the world; to the weakness of faith, and the strength of nature. The result of all is this, that salvation cometh of God only, and is to be implored in the following words, which conclude the Psalm.

PSALM XXXIX.

ARGUMENT.

THE prophet, in a state of distress and persecution, determineth, 1-3, to be watchful and silent, as our blessed Lord also was, before his enemies. 4. He prayeth for a due sense of the shortness of human life; and after meditating, 5, 6, on that subject, fixeth all his faith and hope in God, whom he entreateth, but with submission to his will, 8-10, for the remission of sin, and alleviation of misery. 11, from a view of the human body wearing away by sickness, he breaketh out, 12, 13, into a most fervent and affectionate prayer, which ought to be continually in the mouth of the Christian, upon earth.-This Psalm is, with the utmost propriety, appointed by the church to be used at the burial of the dead, as a funeral is indeed the best comment upon it.

1. I said, I will take heed to my ways, that I sin not with my tongue: I will keep my mouth with a bridle, while the wicked is before me.

The Psalm begins abruptly with the result of a meditation on the narrow, slippery, and dangerous paths of life; and more especially on the extreme difficulty of restraining the tongue, amidst the continual temptations and provocations of the adversary. In these circumstances, "watchfulness" and "silence" are resolved on, as the only means of security. Let us behold the Lamb of God, as our great pattern and example herein.

2. I was dumb with silence, I held my peace even from good, and my sorrow was stirred. There is a time to keep silence, because there are men who will not hear; there are tempers, savage and sensual, as those of swine, before whom evangelical pearls, or the treasures of heavenly wisdom, are not to be cast. This consideration stirreth up fresh grief and trouble, in a pious and charitable heart. How much more must it have done so, in the soul of him who lived and died only for the salvation of sinners!

3. My heart was hot within me, while I was musing the fire burned: then spake I with my tongue.

The fire of divine Charity, thus prevented from diffusing itself, for the illumination and warmth of those around it, and, like other fire, rendered more intense by its confinement, presently ascended, in the flame of devotion, towards heaven; while it continued to be fed, and preserved in brightness and vigor, by meditation on the goodness of God, and the ingratitude of man; the transient miseries of time, and the durable glories of eternity.

4. LORD, make me to know mine end, and the measure of my days what it is: that I know how frail I am.

may

Wearied with the contradiction of sinners, wretchedness in the valley of weeping, the and sickening at the prospect of so much soul looks forward to her departure from hence, praying for such a sense of the shortthe sorrows of this world, and excite her to ness of human life, as may enable her to bear prepare for the joys of a better. “O faithless and perverse generation," saith even the shall I be with you, how long shall I suffer meek and patient Jesus himself, "how long you?" Matt. xvii. 17.

5. Behold, thou hast made my days as an hand breadth, and mine age is as nothing before thee: verily every man at his best, Heb. settled estate, is altogether vanity.

The age of man, or that of the world, is but a "span" in dimension, a moment in duration; nay, it is less than both; it is "nothing," if compared with the unmeasurable extent, and the unnumbered days of eternity : every hour, from that of our birth, brings us so much nearer to our death: nor can we continue, for a second of time, in one stay. "Behold," then, O Lord, the "vanity" of man; and be so merciful unto him, as to open his eyes, that he may behold it himself!

6. Surely, every man walketh in a vain show, or, in a shadowy image: surely they are disquieted in vain he heapeth up riches, and knoweth not who shall gather them.

This world is, to the other, as a “shadow” to the substance; nay, temporal life, health, riches, honors, and pleasures, can hardly be called shadows of those which are eternal, in point of resemblance; though, for their illusive and fleeting nature, they are shadows indeed. "The mortal state of man is compounded of light and darkness; seeming to be something, when really it is nothing; always altering, and ending on a sudden; nearest to disappearing, when at full length; sure to continue no longer than while the sun is above the horizon; but liable to vanish, at the interposition of a cloud; and when it is gone, leaving no track behind it." The fate of riches, heaped up by misers, with unutterable care and anxiety, may convince us, how "vainly" men are "disquieted!"

7. And now, LORD, what wait I for? My hope is in thee.

The soul, that hath a true sense of the vanity of the creature, will at once fix her thoughts and reflections on the Creator. A celebrated writer, describing a man of the world on his death-bed, hath expressed this sentiment with wonderful sublimity and elegance-"Whoever would know, how much