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VERSES 6, 7.

-LORD, lift thou up the light of thy
Thou hast put gladness in my

countenance upon us.

heart,*.

WHILE Such is the situation of men of the world, I indulge the hope, most merciful God, that thou hast enlightened my mind with a heavenly light to guide me to thee. I hear a still, small voice declaring to -me continually, that thou art the only happiness of man; a voice which recalls me to thee in spite of myself; which makes itself heard in the midst of the tumult of passion; which follows me even when I go in the way of the wicked; and which never permits me to be wholly ignorant that, being made in thy image, I am made but for thee. Whatever, therefore, soils and dishonors this sacred image, and separates me from thee, for a season, becomes at once a source of unhappiness and of sin.

That divine light, which thy hand alone has placed in their hearts, is a continual source of joy and consolation to those who have the happiness of serving thee. They perceive that by returning to thee they are restored to the original dignity of human nature; that they conform to the purest lights of reason and conscience; and that they are then in the situation in which reasonable creatures ought to be. For in vain do corrupt men endeavor to persuade themselves at they are made for the enjoyment of sinful pleasure; and that inclinations born with them cannot be

* The meditations upon these verses may not appear to the reader to be such as would naturally arise from the words; and the same remark will apply to the meditations upon some other verses. The reason of this is that the translation of the scriptures made use of by the Author was what is called the Vulgate Bible, in which, in many places, particularly in the book of Psalms, the turn of the expression is a little different from the common English version, though the general sense is the same. The Hebrew language is not so definite in the tenses of verbs as more modern languages, and this occasions a little diversity in different translations of the Old Tes

tament.

Translator

criminal. This is the language of their passions; it is the brutal desire of their hearts; but it is not the profound sentiment, the inward persuasion of their consciences. They find within themselves a continual contradiction to this erroneous tenet. They may pretend to make a boast of it; but they dare not really encourage themselves with it. Their tongues may utter, but their consciences disavow the impious thought.

VERSE 7.

more than in the time that their corn and their wine increased.

THEREFORE, O God, the happiness which sinners seem to enjoy shall never give me a disrelish for the observance of thy holy law. It is but a vain show which conceals the most cruel remorse, and the most grievous inquietude. In thine anger, thou multipliest, in their hands, the possessions of the earth; thou loadest them with those perishable favors which are not worthy of thy servants, and punishest them by granting their sinful desires. But the kingdom of thy saints is not of this world; a more durable recompense awaits them.

VERSE 8. I will both lay me down in peace and sleep for thou, LORD, only makest me dwell in safety.

PENETRATED with these holy truths, though I should be called to suffer many and sore afflictions, though the envy or the injustice of men should deprive me of every thing which I yet possess here below, provided that thou, O Lord, art still with me,that my heart still possesses thee, thou only source of all good, the peace of my soul shall not be disturbed. Preserve in me that firm hope which thy grace has produced, and I shall be tranquil in the midst of all the transitory scenes and vicissitudes of life. I shall with joy see death arrive,-death which is but a sweet

sleep to the righteous; and my flesh shall rest in the grave in peace, waiting for a day of light and glory,— for that new and immortal life which thou hast promised to those who love thee upon earth.

PSALM VI.

Meditations of a sinner lately brought to a sense of his sins; lamenting them before God; inploring divine mercy, for the pardon of sin, and a deliverance from his deplorable situation; and finally obtaining a comfortable hope.

VERSE 1. O LORD, rebuke me not in thine anger, neither chasten me in thy hot displeasure.

Mos OST great and glorious God! All the thunder of thy power would not suffice to punish me, a miserable sinner, covered with sin and pollution, according to my deserts. Thy severest chastisements would not be an adequate punishment for my sins, the recollection of which confounds and overwhelms me. Therefore, O most merciful God! do not consult what strict justice requires of thee towards me; and since thou canst not punish me according to the full measure of my sins, let fall from thy holy hands the sword which is ready to strike. Behold me with eyes of pity and mercy. Shut not thy paternal bowels against my prayers and my grief. The rigors of thy justice would be too little proportioned to my iniquities to be worthy of thy glory. It is only in pardoning me that all thy greatness and thy power can be displayed; and thy mercy towards me would manifest, more than thy chastisements, the adorable and incomprehensible nature of thine infinite majesty.

VERSES 2, 3. Have mercy upon me, O LORD, for I am weak; O LORD, heal me, for my bones are vexed.— My soul is also sore vexed; but thou, O LORD, how long?

I CAN mention no motive for thy mercy, O Lord, but what is drawn from thine infinite mercy itself. I cannot plead my impotence, for this is itself my sin. How then can it become my excuse? The blessings which thou hast conferred upon me, and the talents which thou hast given me, ought to have excited my gratitude, and to have led me to praise thee; but instead of this, these favors, derived originally from thee, have been turned against thee. I have abused thy gifts, and prostituted to the creature what ought to have led me to thee.

At the remembrance of this, O most holy God, I feel myself penetrated with terror; trouble and discouragement seize upon my soul. The horror of my past life throws me into agitations of terror which vex my bones, and leave me without strength and without courage. My spirit sinks and is confounded. Struck with a profound sense of my misery, I remain immoveable, and can take no step to seek a remedy. But thou, O Lord, who seest all my impotence, and all the dangers of my condition, how long wilt thou leave me to my fears? How long wilt thou leave me in this condition?

VERSE 4. Return, O LORD, deliver my soul: Oh, save me for thy mercies' sake.

RETURN to me, O God of goodness! Let not the infection of my wounds any longer avert from me thy holy eyes. Look rather on the desires of my heart, which urge me to return to thee. It is thy grace which has created those desires; they are as a ray which precedes and announces the approach of full light. Let me no longer wait for this light, lest the darkness of my passions should soon take place

of that ray. Deliver my soul from those sad agitations which cause me to fluctuate between life and death; fix my wavering heart; finish in me the work of salvation which I would hope thou hast begun; render thyself master of a heart which thou alone canst purify from its sinful stains, and fit for communion with thee.

Such wonders, O thou divine Saviour! thou delightest to work. Great misery gives an opportunity for the exercise of great mercy. By restoring to life a Lazarus entombed, putrified, exhaling infection and noisomeness, thou didst manifest the immensity of thy grace, as well as the greatness of thy power.

VERSE 5. For in death there is no remembrance of thee: in the grave who shall give thee thanks?

GREAT God, notwithstanding creatures çan add nothing to thine essential glory, yet thou wilt that man should glorify thee. Not that his fidelity in thy service, and his submission to thy will, can augment 'thy happiness; but they fit him for communion with thee. Now, how can I render to thee that homage and glory which are thy due, whilst I remain in that state of sin and death in which I now find myself? In hell there is nothing but despair and blasphemy; and how can I adore thy holy name, and sing thy glorious praises, while in a condition so like to that of those miserable beings whom thou hast precipitated into eternal flames?

VERSE 6. I am weary with my groaning; all the night make I my bed to swim; I water my couch with my

tears.

WHILE waiting, O God, for the happy moment of my deliverance, and hoping that thou wilt create in me a new heart, I will not cease to groan. I will water my bed with my teas, in the night season. I

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