'There is,' says Bishop Horne, 'a beautiful contrast here between "the gates of death," and "the gates of the daughter of Zion," by which he means the earthly city and temple on Mount Zion. The one leads down to the pit: the other up to the mount of God. The one opens into everlasting darkness: the other into light eternal. It is indeed no small mercy to be snatched from the former, and transported to the latter. May we have experienced such a deliverance; then shall we too "rejoice in God's salvation!"'

When the Psalmist speaks of "the heathen," in the fifteenth verse, he means his godless enemies. He felt assured that they would soon be checked in their career of opposition, that they would be caught in their own net, and "snared in the work of their own hands." And he knew also that they would one day be punished everlastingly, being "turned into hell" with all those "that forget God."

Oh that we may never be classed among such! To forget God is to forget Him who has loved us, and given Himself for us; and the moment we begin to forget Him our course is a downward one. It has been said that 'Remembrance of God is the well-spring of virtue: forgetfulness of Him the fountain of vice.'

We may be sure too that those who remember God will be remembered by Him; for as David says here, "The needy shall not always be for

gotten the expectation of the poor shall not perish for ever." They may seem to be out of God's sight: but no, His eye is upon them, and the day when He shall own them is near. Like some precious flower, whose root is hidden in the ground, in due time the dews of heaven will water it, the sun will shine upon it, and it will spread out in its full strength and beauty.

The last two verses contain a prayer that God would "arise," and scatter His enemies, and not allow man to prevail against Him; that He would "put them in fear," and make them tremble before Him; so that all the world may feel that they are but puny, feeble creatures, and that the Lord God Omnipotent reigneth.

It has been remarked that Thankfulness is the element in which David seemed to live; and that one great beauty of this and other Psalms is the constant blending of Praise with Prayer. Shall we not do well to copy this in our devotions? For there is often this defect in them, that we are too ready to ask God for His blessing, and then to forget to thank Him for those which we have already received. Truly it is easier to feel, and to express, our wants, than it is to pour forth our praises when those wants are supplied. We are more urgent to have our cup filled, than we are to express our gratitude to God when He makes our cup to

run over.

PSALM X. I-II.

Why standest thou afar off, O Lord? why hidest thou thyself in times of trouble? The wicked in his pride doth persecute the poor let them be taken in the devices that they have imagined. For the wicked boasteth of his heart's desire, and blesseth the covetous, whom the Lord abhorreth. The wicked, through the pride of his countenance, will not seek after God: God is not in all his thoughts. His ways are always grievous; thy judgments are far above out of his sight: as for all his enemies, he puffeth at them. He hath said in his heart, I shall not be moved; for I shall never be in adversity. His mouth is full of cursing and deceit and fraud: under his tongue is mischief and vanity. He sitteth in the lurking-places of the villages: in the secret places doth he murder the innocent: his eyes are privily set against the poor. He lieth in wait secretly as a lion in his den: he lieth in wait to catch the poor: he doth catch the poor, when he draweth him into his net. He croucheth, and humbleth himself, that the poor may fall by his strong ones. hath said in his heart, God hath forgotten; he hideth his face; he will never see it.

He

A COMPLAINT is here made that God seems,

as it were, to be indifferent to the trials of His afflicted people; and an appeal is made to Him to come forward and check the violence of the ungodly; "Why standest thou afar off, O Lord? why hidest thou thyself in times of trouble?" God is urged no

longer to preserve an attitude of indifference under these circumstances.

Then, in the verses which follow, the course of the ungodly man is described.

Ist. His oppression of the poor and afflicted; "The wicked in his pride doth persecute the poor." And the Psalmist adds, "Let them be taken in the devices that they have imagined," or planned. Let their plots end in their own confusion.

2ndly. His boastful spirit; “The wicked boasteth of his heart's desire, and blesseth the covetous, whom the Lord abhorreth." A man must indeed be far gone in a course of sin, when he can boast of giving way to his own evil desires, instead of covering his face with a blush of shame; and further, when he is ready to give his countenance to those whom God abhors on account of their covetousness and sin.

3rdly. His bold rejection of God; "Through the pride of his countenance he will not seek after God: God is not in all his thoughts." He feels that he wants no heavenly teacher to remove his ignorance, no God to take care of him, no Saviour to redeem him. His heart is full of the world and self; and there is no room there for God.

4thly. His contempt for God's laws and God's judgments; "His ways are always grievous." They are in direct opposition to God, to His ways, and to His will. God's "judgments are far out of his sight."

The truths and laws of God are set aside; they do not regulate his actions. And then, instead of looking to the Lord for help against his enemies, he proudly despises them, as if they were altogether beneath his notice; "As for all his enemies, he puffeth at them."

5thly. His self-confidence: "He hath said in his heart, I shall not be moved: for I shall never be in adversity." What a difference there is between the righteous confidence of God's people, and the false confidence of the ungodly! The one springs from faith the other from presumption. The one says, 'I shall never be moved; for I have a strength of my own to bear me up against every trial:' the other feels that he too is safe, but it is because "underneath are the everlasting arms."

6thly. The profane language that his lips utter; "His mouth is full of cursing and deceit and fraud: under his tongue is mischief and vanity." His very breath is loathsome, and, like the adder, he has a bag of poison under his lips.

7thly. His secret plots against the poor and helpless. This is beautifully described; "He sitteth in the lurking-places of the villages: in the secret places doth he murder the innocent: his eyes are privily set against the poor. He lieth in wait secretly as a lion in his den: he lieth in wait to catch the poor, when he draweth him into his net. He croucheth, and humbleth himself, that the poor may fall by his