And to him who ordereth his conversation aright PSALM LXV. TRUST IN THE POWER AND GOODNESS OF GOD. THIS is a song of praise to God for his mercy and his power, and in particular for his goodness, as the giver of fruitful seasons and abundance. It has been thought to have been composed as a song of public thanksgiving for the blessing of rain after a time of drought; but it is so clear and true, and universally applicable, that no supposition of the kind is necessary for its explanation. The characteristic of this psalm, according to Dr. Lowth, is sweetness. "The sweetness of the Hebrew ode," he says, "consists in the gentle and tender passions which it excites, in the gay and florid imagery, and the chaste and unostentatious diction which it employs. How graceful and animated is that rich and flourishing picture of nature, when the prophet, with a fertility of expression correspondent to the subject, praises the beneficence of the Deity in watering the earth and making it fruitful!" The ninth verse represents the Deity himself as visiting the earth, and bestowing the needful supplies of moisture; while, in the eleventh verse, the expression "thy paths drop fatness " implies that the fruits of the earth spring up after his footsteps. 1 PSALM LXV. PRAISE waiteth for thee, O God, in Zion, And unto thee shall the vow be performed. 2 O Thou that hearest prayer, Unto thee shall all flesh come. 3 My iniquities are heavy upon me; But thou wilt forgive our transgressions. 4 Blessed is the people that thou choosest, And causest to approach unto thee, To dwell in thy courts. May we be satisfied with the blessings of thy house, Even of thy holy temple. 5 By wonderful deeds in righteousness wilt thou an 6 swer us, O God of our salvation, Who art the confidence of all the ends of the earth, And of them that are afar off upon the sea. Thou makest fast the mountains by thy power, Being girded with strength. 7 Thou stillest the noise of the seas, The roar of their waves, And the tumult of the people. 8 They that dwell in the uttermost parts of the earth are awed at thy tokens ; Thou makest the outgoings of the morning and evening to rejoice. Ver. 8. "The outgoings of the morning and evening." These words may mean either the utmost bounds of the east and the west, or the different natural objects that come into view by day, 9 Thou visitest the earth and waterest it ; Thou greatly enrichest it From the river of God, which is full of water. Thou providest them corn when thou hast so prepared the earth. 10 Thou waterest the ridges thereof abundantly; Thou settlest the furrows thereof; Thou makest it soft with showers; 11 Thou crownest the year with thy goodness, 12 They drop it upon the pastures of the wilderness, And the little hills rejoice on every side. 13 The pastures are clothed with flocks; The valleys are covered over with corn; and by night, as the sun by day, the moon and the stars by night; man and the domestic animals by day, wild beasts by night, &c.; or simply the morning and evening hours, which are fit times for meditation and thankfulness. Ver. 9. "The river of God," &c. The source whence God supplies the rain. Among the Arabs, at this day, the rain is called "God's river." PSALMS LXVII., XCIII., AND XCV. HYMNS OF PRAISE. PSALM LXVII. "WHEN or by whom this psalm was written cannot be ascertained. It seems to be simply a prophecy concerning the calling of the Gentiles, and the diffusion of the true religion through the world. It is a fine piece of devotion, and it would be nearly impossible to read or repeat it, attentively, with a cold and unaffected heart." A. C. 1 GOD be merciful unto us, and bless us, And cause his face to shine upon us! 2 That thy way may be known upon the earth, Thy saving health among all nations. 3 Let the people praise thee, O God! Let all the people praise thee. 4 O, let the nations be glad, and sing for joy! For thou shalt judge the people righteously, And govern the nations upon earth. 5 Let the people praise thee, O God! 6 Then shall the earth yield her increase, And all the ends of the earth shall fear him. PSALM XCIII. THE MAJESTY AND POWER OF GOD. THE first verse of this psalm is rendered in the Prayer-book version, "The Lord is king, and hath put on glorious apparel; the Lord hath put on his apparel, and girded himself with strength." The allusion is explained by Dr. Lowth as follows: "The magnificence of the priestly attire, especially that of the highpriest, was so adapted to the expression of glory and beauty' (Exod. xxviii. 2), that to the Hebrew mind. nothing could appear more venerable and sublime. To this, therefore, we find frequent allusions in the Hebrew poets, when they would describe extraordinary beauty or comeliness, or delineate the perfect form of supreme majesty. Jehovah is therefore introduced by the psalmist, as 'clothed with glory and with strength'; he is 'girded with power,' which are the very terms appropriated to describing the dress and ornaments of the priests." 1 THE Lord reigneth; he is clothed with majesty ; The Lord is clothed with strength, wherewith he hath girded himself; Therefore the earth standeth firm, and cannot be moved. 2 Thy throne is established of old; Thou art from everlasting. 3 The floods have lifted up, O Lord! The floods have lifted up their voice; |