They are bound in affliction and iron;
Their heart is sore depressed within them,
Because they lie in fetters,

And there is no man to help them.

But they cry unto the Lord in their trouble,

And he saves them out of all their distresses.

He brings them out of darkness, and the shadow of death,
He looses their fetters;

He breaks the iron gates, and tears their bolts asunder."

Throughout all the preceding delineations the Psalmist takes for granted that the errors or sins of men may have been the occasions which called down the divine chastisements. But there is one situation in which the

sense of guilt itself, the fear of death, and of the divine displeasure, are the direct subjects of trouble to the afflicted soul. This, accordingly, is the picture which is next presented.

"Fools, because of their transgressions, and their iniquities,
Are brought into great distresses:

Their soul refuseth all manner of food;
They are brought to the gates of death.

But they cry unto the Lord in their trouble,
And he delivers them from their distresses.

He sends his word,-and they are healed.

Let them sacrifice the sacrifices of thanksgiving,
And declare his deeds with joyfulness."

One of the most wonderful descriptions of this unrivalled production is that of the deliverance often vouchsafed by divine goodness to the tempest-tossed mariners,-every sentence of which description is full of beauty and of effect :

66 They that go down to the sea in ships,

That do business in great waters;

These see the works of the Lord, and his wonders in the deep.

He commandeth, and raiseth up the stormy wind,

Which lifteth up the waves.

They mount up to heaven, they go down to the depths;

Their souls are disquieted within them.

They reel to and fro,-and stagger like a drunken man,
And are at their wit's end.

But they cry unto the Lord in their trouble,

And he delivereth them out of their distresses.

He makes the storm a calm,-and the waves are stilled.

Then are they glad, because of the calm,

And he bringeth them to their desired haven.

Let them praise him in the congregation,

And exalt him before the elders."

The next picture is that of sufferers from severe drought and famine,with the happy release which is often granted to such sufferings, by the kind providence and compassionate care of God:

"The pools are dried up,-and the springs of water disappear;

A fruitful land is changed into barrenness,

For the wickedness of them that dwell therein.

But again, he maketh the dry ground rich in waters,

And the thirsty soil to send forth plenteous streams,-
And there he maketh the hungry to dwell.
They sow fields, and plant vineyards,

And receive an abundant increase.

He blesses them, so that they multiply greatly,
And their herds of cattle are many."

The verses which follow have not been very lucidly or correctly rendered in any of the translations, but the general idea is beautiful, and forms an excellent prelude to the whole moral and summary of the poem. The idea is, that when a people have been once so blessed and multiplied as in the preceding description,-but when they have become intoxicated with their prosperity, and give themselves up to luxury and vice, the same moral providence which had formerly blessed them, brings them again into perplexity and want. Then wealth, or power, or titles of honour become of no avail,-for that is the meaning of the phrase, "he pours contempt upon princes," or their nobles and leading men,—and the whole affairs of the people become perplexed, humbled, and scattered, -they are led, as into a wilderness, where there is no way. While, as a contrast to this, God blesses and multiplies the poor, who strenuously and fervently adhere to duty, and gives them the wealth and the honour which he had taken from the unworthy objects of his bounty. That is the meaning of the following verses :

Again they are minished and brought low,

They are subjected to oppression, affliction, and sorrow.
Their great men are covered with contempt,-

The people are scattered as into a pathless wilderness,—
Their affairs are perplexed and in ruin ;-

But the poor are set on high from their affliction,-
And their families are multiplied, like a flock."

The whole composition, therefore, is intended to display not merely the kind providence, but the moral government of God,-that government, under the indefeasible laws of which vice is the certain harbinger of affliction, and virtue, the sure path to final prosperity and honour. Let no man, therefore, think that prosperity and adversity are given on earth by accident,-for, says the Psalmist, in concluding his august composition,

"These things the righteous see,—and rejoice,

And the mouth of all iniquity must be stopped.
Whoso is wise, and will observe these things,

Even they shall understand the loving-kindness of the Lord."

The two pictures, which we have thus given, are each of them in a broad style, they occupy a large canvas ;-the two at which we are now more cursorily to glance, are individual portraits, and do not require so minute an examination.

The first of the two is that given in the HUNDRED AND TWELFTH PSALM;—it is a representation of the prosperity, the felicity, the honour, the enduring remembrance, which, in the established order of providence, are the portion of him, whose prudent management of all his affairs,

but whose liberality also, and kind-heartedness and charity, have raised him above the style of conduct adopted, as the best security for success, by the generality of men who esteem themselves cautious and prudent.

The picture, then, is not,that of a worldly minded and prudent man in the common and most restricted sense of the expression. Perhaps it is not that which the generality of Hebrews of the present times would be disposed to consider as the true model or ideal of perfectly prudent conduct. Yet it is prudence of the very highest style,—and we are disposed to think that even among the present descendants of Jacob, of the higher and more prosperous ranks, there are many who would both approve of the model, and who make it the rule of their conduct. The character so painted by the Psalmist is thus shortly given :

Yet,

"Blessed is the man that feareth the Lord,
That delighteth greatly in his commandments;
He shall guide his affairs with discretion."

"He is gracious, full of compassion, and upright,-
He sheweth favour, and lendeth,-

He hath dispersed, he hath given to the poor."

And the blessedness appropriated to such conduct is thus described :

"Wealth and riches shall be in his house;

His seed shall be mighty upon earth;

The generation of the upright shall be blessed.

Unto the upright there ariseth light in the darkness ;—
Surely he shall not be moved for ever.

He shall not be afraid of evil tidings.

He shall see his desire upon his enemies.

His righteousness endureth for ever;

The memory of him will not be forgotten."

This is the man, who, while he thought and felt for others as well as for himself, and willingly, yet prudently, distributed his wealth, or his means of doing good, of whatever kind they might be,-" taking pity on the poor, and lending,"-yet,-" guiding his affairs with discretion"unto the end, was fated to receive the most abundant returns for his well-managed liberality, from the favouring providence of God,-while persons who sought only their own selfish gratification were doomed to find themselves disappointed in the result of the very means, which they had adopted as most certainly leading to success

"The wicked shall see it, and be grieved;

He shall gnash with his teeth and be disheartened,-
That which he most desired has come to nought."

66

The next picture represents the grateful and confiding feelings of a man, who had been brought by some bodily affliction to the gates of death," but in whom the feelings of returning health are accompanied with heartfelt thankfulness to the giver of life,—with resolutions of holy obedience during the remaining portion of his renewed existence,-and with a determination to express his gratitude and his resolutions of duty, by a public manifestation of them in the appointed services of religion.

This is the subject of the HUNDRED AND SIXTEENTH PSALM, which is one of those understood to have been sung at the annual celebration of the Passover. It commences with this soft and beautiful breathing of devout gratitude and thanksgiving:

"I love the Lord, because he hath heard my voice,
Because he hath answered my supplication,-
Because he hath inclined his ear unto me,-

Therefore will I call upon him as long as I live."

Then follows his representation of his previous state of affliction and of painful apprehension:

"The sorrows of death encompassed me;

The pains of hell gat hold upon me :

I found trouble and sorrow.

Then called I upon the name of the Lord.

The Lord preserveth the lowly;

I was brought low, and he helped me.

Return unto thy rest, O my soul, for the Lord hath dealt bountifully with thee.

Thou hast delivered my soul from death,

Mine eyes from tears, and my feet from falling."

The only passage of this composition in which there can be felt to be any shade of obscurity is that which is thus given in our translation,-" I believed, therefore have I spoken,—I was greatly afflicted, I said in my heart, All men are liars."-It may be better explained and rendered thus :

"I had confidence in God,-therefore did I address myself to him. But my trouble was great,—and, as to men, I said,

There is no trust to be reposed in them."

The voice of thanksgiving and praise is again renewed :"What shall I render unto the Lord

For all his benefits?

I will walk before the Lord in the land of the living.

I will take the cup of salvation, and call upon the name of the Lord. I will pay my vows unto the Lord, in the presence of all his people; In the courts of the Lord's house;

In the midst of thee, O Jerusalem.
Blessed be the Lord."

The ASCENSION PSALMS,-to which we next turn our attention, are the fifteen short hymns that follow the Hundred and Nineteenth. They are short, and in their style, neither lyrical, properly so called, nor didactic, -but rather descriptive, or eulogistic either of the domestic felicity of pious Israelites, or of the beauty and solemn festivals of Jerusalem,-or more generally, of the constant superintendence and kind care of God over all his obedient servants. The title of ASCENSION PSALMS is taken from the Greek of the Septuagint, where they are called "Oda avaBaluwv, that is, songs of the "up-goings,"-or such short hymns as were suitable to be chanted, probably, to simple but sacred melodies by the heads of the Jewish families, when yearly going up" from Il quarters of the country to their yearly solemnities. Many of these songs

appear to have been composed after the captivity,-but one or two of them bear a strong resemblance to the compositions of "the Monarch Minstrel."-We shall now make a few cursory remarks on the entire series,-not as they occur in the present arrangement, but rather as they seem related in their topics to each other.

The Hundred and Twentieth Psalm,—is an earnest remonstrance against the misery of having to do with enemies who publish falsehoods, -and who by such means sometimes occasion great uneasiness both to families and individuals. In our translation, the Psalm commences thus:

"In my distress I cried unto the Lord,-and he heard me.

Deliver my soul, O Lord, from lying lips, and from a deceitful tongue. What shall be given unto thee? or what shall be done unto thee,

Thou false tongue ?

Sharp arrows of the mighty, with coals of juniper."

This translation is exceedingly obscure and imperfect. The truth is, this Psalm, like many others, is dramatic in its structure,—and must be explained and understood thus-the Psalmist begins by saying that he had cried unto the Lord,—and the Lord had heard him ;—he then more particularly mentions the subject of his prayer :

"Deliver me, O Lord, from lying lips,

And from a deceitful tongue.'

Then a question is supposed to be made as to the effects which a lying tongue can produce

"What can a lying tongue do to thee?

How can it accomplish thy hurt?"

To which question the answer is made by a very significant simile: "It is like sharp arrows in the hand of a strong man ;

Or like fire among the juniper bushes."

Or, as the Septuagint has rendered it,

"It is like arrows in the hand of a strong man,

Sharpened (or pointed) by the burnt stakes of the wilderness."

We may further notice, respecting the phraseology of this Psalm, that the tents of Kedar-that is, of the Arabians-were dark coloured, while those of the Israelites were white. The entire passage might be thus rendered

"How can a lying-tongue thee hurt?
What can false words avail?
They are like arrows fiercely shot,
Or flames that woods assail.
Woe's me that I in Mesech dwell

So long 'midst war and strife-
That Kedar's tents so long I've known,
Where bitter words are rife.

My soul is sick, that I so long

"Mid wrath and strife have been:

My soul loves peace-but when I speak,
For battle they are keen."