3. Be merciful unto me, O LORD, for I cry unto thee daily.

There is no man upon the earth, but needeth mercy;" he who is truly fenfible of his need, will cry daily" for it; and he who doth fo, may comfort himself with hope of obtaining it. The prayers of Jefus, poured forth for the falvation of his mystical body, in the days of his fleth, were frequent and mighty; his interceffion for us in heaven is continual. Does the man believe this, who prays not at all, or who prays without devotion?

4. Rejoice the foul of thy fervant; for unto thee, O LORD, do I lift up my foul.

Sorrow was the portion of Chrift in this world, and the church hath no reason to expect any other from it. He that would have real "joy" in his heart. muft befeech God to give it him, for no creature hath it to give. Nay, the love of the world must be renounced, before this divine gift can even be "re"ceived." The affections must be loosened from earth, and "lifted up" to heaven, on the wings of faith and love; for in the foul that is full of fenfual pleasures and indulgences, there is neither room nor tafte for fpiritual delights.

5. For thou, LORD, art good, and ready to forgive: and plenteous in mercy unto all them that call upon thee.

We are encouraged to " lift up our fouls to God" in prayer, because his "goodness" and the "plente"oufnefs of his mercy" in Chrift Jefus incline him to give his holy Spirit of peace and comfort to "all "that call upon him." His favour is no longer

con

confined to Judea; there is now no diftinction of age, condition, or country: but the finner, whoever or wherever he be, if he call upon the faving name of Jefus, is heard, pardoned, and accepted, upon the terms of the evangelical covenant.

6. Give ear, O LORD, unto my prayer: and attend to the voice of my fupplications. 7. In the day of my trouble I will call upon thee: for thou wilt answer me.

In confidence of an "anfwer," nourished and ftrengthened by all the foregoing confiderations, the fuppliant renews his prayer, while "the day of trou"ble" lafts; and that day will not end, but with this mortal pilgrimage; fince he who loves his country, will ever be uneasy while he is detained among strangers and enemies, perils and temptations. But the trouble is overpaid with profit, which rendereth us adepts in the practice of devotion, which convinceth us that we are abroad, and maketh us to with and figh for our true and only home.

8. Among the gods there is none like unto thee, O LORD; neither are there any works like unto thy works.

Another reason why application fhould be made to Jehovah, is his infinite fuperiority over all those, that, by infatuated men, were ever called "gods." From the ancient idolatry, which taught adoration to the fun, moon, and ftars, to the light and the air, we have been delivered by the Gofpel: nor do we any longer profefs to worship Jupiter, and the other heathen gods and goddeffes: but do not many still trust in idols, and have they not, in effect, other objects of worship, from whofe hands they expect their reward?

reward? Are not the hearts of the covetous, the ambitious, the voluptuous, fo many temples of Mammon, or Plutus; of Jupiter, or Mars; of Bacchus, Comus, and Venus? But what are these deities; what is their power; and what are their gifts? What is the whole world, and all that is therein, when compared with its Maker and Redeemer; what is it, when applied to, for the eafe and comfort of a wounded fpirit?" Among the gods there is "none like unto thee, O LORD; neither are there any works like unto thy works!"

9. All nations whom thou haft made, fhall come and worship before thee, O LORD, and shall glorify thy name.

The Pfalmift predicteth that this fuperiority of Jehovah fhould one day be acknowledged throughout all the earth, when "neither in Jerufalem only, nor "in the mount of the Samaritans," but in every place, "fhould men worship the Father;" John iv. 21. when he who "made all nations," by his Son, should by that Son redeem all nations, bringing them from the world to the Church, there to " worship be"fore" the true God, and "in fongs of praise to glo"rify his holy name." If in these our times, wel behold the nations again falling away from God, departing from the purity of their faith, and leaving their first love, let us comfort ourselves with looking forward to that scene of things defcribed by St. John, in which we hope to bear a part hereafter. "I be

held, and lo, a great multitude, which no man "could number, of all nations, and kindreds, and people, and tongues, ftood before the throne, and

"before

"before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, and "palms in their hands; and cried with a loud voice,

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faying, Salvation unto our God which fitteth upon "the throne, and unto the Lamb." Rev. vii. 9.

10. For thou art great, and doeft wondrous things: thou art God alone.

"Great" is Jehovah in his power, in his wifdom, in his mercy; "wonderful" in the creation of the world, wonderful in the prefervation and the government of it, wonderful in its redemption; wonderful in the incarnation, life, death, refurrection, and afcenfion of Jefus, in the defcent of the Spirit, the propagation of the Gofpel, the fufferings of faints, and the converfion of finners; moft wonderful will he be, when he fhall raise the dead, judge the world, condemn the wicked, and glorify the righteous. And then shall every tongue confefs, "Thou art God

" alone!"

11. Teach me thy way, O LORD; I will walk in thy truth: unite my heart to fear thy name.

It is the continual fubject of the Mediator's interceffion above, and of our prayers below, that we may be " taught the way of Jehovah," the way to life eternal, prepared for us, through faith and love which is in Chrift Jefus; that being fo taught, we may likewise be enabled "to walk in the truth," without error in doctrine, or deviation from duty; believing all things which God hath revealed, and doing whatsoever he hath commanded us; that the affections of the "heart" may be withdrawn from other objects, and being no longer divided between

4

God

God and the world, become "united" in the filial "fear of his name," as the grand principle of action. 12. I will praife thee, O LORD my God, with all my heart and I will glorify thy name for ever13. For great is thy mercy toward me: and thou haft delivered my foul from the loweft hell.

more.

Gratitude for mercies already received, will obtain a continuance and increase of those mercies. The church is never in fo afflicted a state, but she hath still reason to intermingle hallelujahs with her hofannas, and, in the midft of her moft fervent prayers, to "praise the LORD her God, with all "her heart, and to glorify his name for evermore ;" fince, whatever she may fuffer upon earth (and even thofe fufferings will turn to her advantage) "great," moft undoubtedly, "hath his mercy been toward "her, in delivering" her, by the refurrection of Jefus, from the bondage of fin, the dominion of death, and the bottomless pit of " hell.”

14. O God, the proud are rifen against me, and the affemblies of violent men have fought after my foul, and have not fet thee before their eyes.

From praises we return again to prayers. When Christ was upon earth, we know the treatment he met with from" proud and violent men, who had "not fet God before their eyes;" from felf-righteous Jews, and conceited Gentiles, who rose up, and took counsel together against him. What his church afterwards fuffered at the hands of the fame enemies, is likewife well known. How much more fhe is to undergo in the latter days, we know not as yet; but this we do know, that the fpirit of the world ftands,

now