October 6

1. Unto thee lift I up mine eyes, O thou that dweltest in the heavens 2. Behold, as the eyes of servants look unto the hand of their masters, and as the eyes of a maiden unto the hand of her mistress; so our eyes trout upon the LORD our God, until that he have mercy upon us 3. Have mercy upon us, O LORD, have mercy upon us; for we are exceedingly filled with contempt 4. Our soul is exceedingly filled with the scorning of those that are at ease, and with the contempt of the proud.

1. If it had not been the LORD who was on our side, now may Israel say: 2. If it had not been the Lord who was on our side, when men rose up against us 3. Then they had swallowed us up quick, when their wrath was so called against us: 4. Then the waters had overwhelmed us, the stream had gone over our soul: 5. Then the proud waters had gone over our soul.

6. Blessed be the LORD, who hath not given us as a prey to their teeth. 7. Our soul is excused as a link out of the snare of the foalers: the snare is broken, and we are excused 8. Our help is in the name of the LORD, who made heaven and earth.

1. They that trust in the LORD shall be as mount Zion, which cannot be removed, but abide it for ever 2. As the mountains are round about Jerusalem, so the LORD is round about his people from henceforth even for ever. 3. For the rod of the wicked shall not rest upon the lot of the righteous; lest the righteous put forth their hands unto iniquity 4. Do good, O LORD, unto those that be good, and to them that are upright in their hearts. 5. As for such as turn aside unto their crooked ways, the LORD shall lead them forth with the workers of iniquity; but peace shall be upon Israel.

The key-note of this reading is verse 2 of Psalm cxxv. The hill of Zion is the type of the believer's constancy, and the surrounding mountains are made emblems of the all-surrounding presence of the Lord.

"The mountains around the holy city, though they do not make a circular wall, are, nevertheless, set like sentinels to guard her gates. God doth not enclose His people within ramparts and bulwarks, making their city to be a prison; but yet He so orders the arrangements of His providence that His saints are as safe as if they dwelt behind the strongest fortifications. What a double security the two verses set before us! First, we are established, and then entrenched; settled, and then sentinelled; made like a mount, and then protected as if by mountains. This is no matter of poetry, it is so in fact; and it is no matter of temporary privilege, but it shall be so for ever."—C. H. Spurgeon.

"How are the mountains round about Jerusalem? Are they there today, and gone to-morrow? Are they there in sunshine, but do they forsake Jerusalem when it storms? Are they there when all eyes see them, but gone when night makes them invisible?

"You exclaim, 'What foolish questions?' But if the 'as' and 'so' in this verse are true, and if the Lord really is round about His people as the mountains are round about Jerusalem, the things many Christians think and say are far more foolish. Did none of you ever think in time of trouble and darkness that the Lord had forsaken you?

"It is an unchangeable fact that the mountains are round about Jerusalem, whether any one sees them or not; and it is equally an unchangeable fact that God is always round about us 'from henceforth even for ever,' whether we see and feel Him or not. Let us believe it."—Selected.

Closet Promise.—Thou art my refuge and my portion.—Psalm cxlii. 5.

Thou Refuge of my soul, On Thee, when serrows rise, On Thee, when waves of trouble roll, My fainting hope relies

To Thee I tell my grief, For Thou alone can't heal; Thy Word can bring a sweet relief For every pain I feel.

But O when doubts prevail, I fear to call Thee mine; The springs of comfort seem to fall, And all my hopes decline.

Yet, Lord, where shall I flee? Thou art my only trust; And still my soul would cleave to Thee, Though prostrate in the dust. —Anne Steele.