them*. This pure word hath likewife in it a power of purifying us. It containeth precepts and examples of purity, helps and encouragements to purity, and the Spirit of purity goeth with it, and worketh by it. "Therefore thy fervant loveth it;" and no one, but a true fervant of God, can "therefore" love it, because it is pure; fince he who loves it must desire to be like it, to feel it's efficacy, to be reformed by it, and conformed to it.

141. I am small and defpifed: yet do not I forget thy precepts.

Faithfulness to God will often reduce men to ftraits, and bring upon them the contempt of the world; happy are they, who, under thefe difficulties and difcouragements," forget not his precepts," but ftill continue faithful, looking unto Jefus, who once "endured the crofs, defpifing the fhame, and is now "fet down at the right hand of God." Heb. xii. 2.

142. Thy righteoufnefs is an everlasting righteoufnefs, and thy law is the truth.

"

Men may decree wickedness by a law, or they may change their decrees, and, with them, what was right to-day, may be wrong to-morrow. But the law of God is righteoufnefs," and it is "truth," to-day and for ever. His juftice, goodnefs, and fidelity, are unchangeable; he will never forfake us, unless we forfake him, but will remember us in our lowest eftate, if, in that eftate, we " do not forget his precepts.'

Pure Gold is fo fixed, that Boerhaave informs us of an ounce of it fet in the eye of a glass furnace for two months, without lofing a fingle grain.

I

143. Trouble

143. Trouble and anguish have taken hold upon, or, have found me, yet thy commandments are my delights.

We need not take pains, as many do," to find "trouble and anguish," for they will, one day, "find "us." In that day, the revelations of God must be to us instead of all wordly "delights" and pleasures, which will then have forfaken us; and how forlorn and defolate will be our ftate, if we fhall have no other delights, no other pleasures, to fucceed them, and to accompany us into eternity! Let our ftudy be now in the Scriptures, if we expect our comfort from them in time to come.

144. The righteoufnefs of thy teftimonies is everlafting: give me understanding, and I fhall live.

In every sense, O Lord Jefu, thy righteousness is "everlasting" Grant us the "understanding" of it, in every fenfe, and we "fhall live," in thee now, and with thee for ever.

XXVI DAY. EVENING PRAYER.

KOPH. PART XIX.

145. I cried with my whole heart; hear me, O LORD: I will keep thy ftatutes. 146. I cried unto thee; fave me, and I fhall keep thy teftimonies.

Believers, in time of affliction, make their prayer to God with fervour and importunity, petitioning for deliverance, that they may the better ferve their Deliverer, and keep his laws.

147. I prevented the dawning of the morning, and

cried: I hoped in thy word. 148. Mine eyes prevent the night watches, that I might meditate in thy word.

It is a certain fign that our hearts are fet upon a work, when the thoughts of it caufe fleep to depart from us, and we awake readily, conflantly, and early, to the performance of it. David delighted in the holy exercifes of prayer and meditation; therefore he "prevented the dawning of the morning," and was beforehand with the light itself; therefore his eyes prevented the watches," that is, the last of thofe watches, into which the night was by the Jews divided; he needed not the watchinan's call, but was ftirring before it could be given. Climate and conftitution will, doubtless, make a difference, and claim confiderable allowance; but by Chriftians, who enjoy their health, in temperate weather, the fun fhould not be fuffered to fhine in vain, nor the golden hours of the morning to glide away unimproved; fince of David's Lord, as well as of David, it is faid, in the morning rifing up, a great while before day, he went out and departed into a folitary place, "and there prayed." Mark i. 35.

149 Hear my voice,according unto thy loving kindnefs: O LORD, quicken me according to thy judgment; that is, thy word. 150. They draw nigh that follow after mifchief: they are far from thy law. 151. Thou art near,OLORD; and all thy commandments are truth.

If our enemies "draw nigh" to deftroy us, God is ftill" nearer" to preferve us; and however his "word" may be rejected by the wicked, the faithful always find it to be "true" to their great and endlefs comfort.

152. Con

152. Concerning thy teftimonies, I have known of old, that thou haft founded them for ever.

This portion of our Pfalm endeth with the triumph of faith over all dangers and temptations. "Con

cerning thy teftimonies," the revelations of thy will, thy counfels for the falvation of thy fervants, "I have known of old," by faith, and by my own experience, as well as that of others, "that thou"haft founded them for ever," they are unalterable and everlasting as the attributes of their great author, and can never fail those who rely upon them, in time, or in eternity.

RESH. PART XX.

153. Confider mine affliction, and deliver me: for I do not forget thy law.

It is happy when our "afflictions" do not make us to "forget the law of God;" then have we confidence toward him in our prayers, that he will "confider" and regard our sufferings, as he did those of Ifrael in Egypt, and come down to "deliver" us out of all our troubles; for Ifrael is ftill in Egypt, while the church is in the world; but let us remember the promife, and rejoice in hope.

154. Plead my caufe, and deliver me quicken me according to thy word.

God is the Patron of his people, to "plead" their "caufe;" their Redeemer, to "deliver" them out of troubles; the Author and Fountain of their life, to quicken" and fupport them. We may, therefore, have recourfe to him at all times, as an Advocate, a Saviour, and a Comforter, for the defence of

our caufe, the deliverance of our perfons, and the

fupport of our hearts.

"his word," in which

And all this,

And all this," according to

he hath engaged thus to pa

tronize, to rescue, and to ftrengthen those who trust in him, and apply to him.

155. Salvation is far from the wicked: for they feek not thy ftatutes.

The "falvation" which is nigh the faithful, because they diligently and earneftly feek to know and to do the will of God revealed to them in his word, is "far from the wicked," because they "feek not his "ftatutes," nor concern themfelves to know what they are, much lefs to obferve and practise them.

156. Great are thy tender mercies, O LORD: quicken me according to thy judgments, that is, thy word. 157Many are my perfecutors, and mine enemies: yet do I not decline from thy teftimonies. 158. I beheld the tranfgreffors, and was grieved; because they kept not thy word.

Perfecution tempteth men to apoftafy, and is the great trial of our fidelity to God and to his word, He who, in fuch circumftances, forgetteth his own fufferings, to commiferate the fin and folly of his perfecutors, is a true follower, as David was a forerunner of Jefus Chrift.

159. Confider how I love thy precepts: quicken me, O LORD, according to thy loving kindness. 160. Thy word is true from the beginning: and every one of thy righteous judgments endureth for ever.

It is obfervable how the Pfalmift delighteth to dwell on thefe two fweet notes; the " loving kind"nefs" of God in promifing falvation, and his "truth" in the conftant performance of that promife to his

church,