December 12

1 Praise ye the LORD: for it is good to sing praises unto our God; for it is pleasant; and praise is comely. 2 The LORD doth build up Jerusalem, be gathereth together the outcasts of Israel. 3 He healeth the broken in heart, and bindeth up their worms. 4 He relieth the number of the stars; he calleth them all by their names. 5 Great is our LORD, and of great power, his understanding is infinite. 6 The LORD lifteth up the meek; he casteth the wicked down to the ground. 7 Sing unto the LORD with thanksgiving, sing praise upon the harp unto our God. 8 Who covereth the heaven with clouds, who prepereth rain for the earth, who minketh grass to grow upon the mountains.

9 He giveth to the beast his food, and to the young ravens which cry

10 He delighteth out in the strength of the horse; he taketh not pleasure in the legs of a man.

11 The LORD taketh pleasure in them that fear him, in those that hope is his mercy.

12 Praise the LORD, O Jerusalem; praise thy God, O Zion.

13 For he hath strengthened the bars of thy gates; he hath blessed thy children within thee.

14 He maketh peace in thy borders, and filleth thee with the finest of the wheat

15 He sendeth forth his commandment upon earth: his word runneth very swiftly.

16 He giveth snow like wool: he scattereth the hoar from like ashes.

17 He casteth forth his ice like morsels: who can stand before his cold?

18 He sendeth out his word, and melteth them: he casteth his wind to blow, and the waters flow.

19 He sheweth his word unto Jacob, his statutes and his judgments unto Israel.

20 He hath not dealt so with any nation: and as for his judgments, they have not known them. Praise ye the LORD.

In this Psalm the God of Israel is set forth in His peculiarity of glory as caring for the sorrowing, the insignificant, and forgotten.

"The song appears to divide itself into three portions. From 1 to 6, Jehovah is extolled for building up Zion, and blessing His mourners; from 7 to 11, the like praise is given because of His provision for the lowly, and His pleasure in them; and then, from 12 to 20, He is magnified for His work on behalf of His people, and the power of His word in nature and in grace. Let it be studied with joyful gratitude."—C. H. Spurgeon.

"It is good to sing praises unto our God." Singing is necessarily included and recognized in the praise of Psalms. That the joyful should sing is as natural as that the afflicted should pray—rather more natural. Song as the expression of cheerfulness is something universal in human nature; there were always, both in Israel and among all other nations, songs of joy. Hence it is constantly mentioned in the prophets, by whom joyous singing is used as a frequent figure, even as they threaten that God will take away the song of the bridegroom and the bride, and so forth. The singing of men is in itself good and noble. The same God who furnished the birds of heaven with the notes wherein they unconsciously praise the Creator, gave to man the power to sing. We all know how highly Luther, for example, estimated the gift and the art of song. Let him to whom it is granted rejoice therein; let him who lacks it seek, if possible, to excite it; for it is a good gift of the Creator."—Rudolf Stier.

Closet Promise.—Are not two sparrows sold for a farthing? and one of them shall not fall on the ground without your Father. But the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear ye not therefore, ye are of more value than many sparrows.—Matt. x. 29-31.

There is nothing so small but that we may honor God by asking His guidance of it, or insult Him by taking it into our own hands; and what is true of the Deity is equally true of His revelation. We use it most reverently when most habitually: our insolence is in ever acting without reference to it; our true honoring of it is in its universal application.—Ruskin.

THE CHILDREN'S CORNER.

Breakfast Motto.—The righteous eateth to the satisfying of his soul.—Prov. xiii. 25.

Weekly Proverb.—Fear God, and your Enemies will fear you.—Poor Richard.

DAILY BIBLE READING RUSKIN'S FAVORITE CHAPTERS.

Sunday.—The Song of Moses.—Ex. xv.

Monday.—The Ten Commandments.—Ex. xx.

Tuesday.—David Laments Saul and Jonathan.—2 Sam. i.

Wednesday.—David's Confidence.—Psalm xxiii.

Thursday.—Forgiven Sin.—Psalm xxxi:

Friday.—The Frailty of Human Life.—Psalm xc.

Saturday.—The Safety of the Godly.—Psalm xci.

LOVELINESS.

Once I knew a little girl, Very plain;

You might try her hair to curl, All in vain;

On her cheek no tint of rose

Faled and blushed, or sought repose; She was plain.

But the thoughts that through her brain Came and went,

As a recompense for pain, Angels sent;

So full many a beauteous thing, In her young soul blossoming, Gave content.

Every thought was full of grace, Pure and true;

And in time the homely face Lovelier grew,

With a heavenly radiance bright,

From the soul's reflected light Shining through.

So I tell you, little child, Plain or poor,

If your thoughts are undefiled, You are sure

Of the loveliness of worth— And this beauty not on earth Will endure.

—Selected.

He careth for you.—1 Pet. v. 7.

Dear children, do you ever stop to think how good God is to us? Every blessing we enjoy comes from His all-bountiful hand. One winter, a poor little orphan-boy of six or eight years begged a lady to allow him to clean away the snow from her steps. "Do you get much to do, my little boy?" said the lady. "Sometimes I do," said the boy; "but often I get very little." "And are you never afraid that you will not get enough to live on?" The child looked perplexed, and said, "Don't you suppose God can take care of a little boy just as well as He can of a man?" Certainly, noble little fellow, God is as careful of the smallest child, as He is of the oldest or the greatest man. Only trust Him, and obey Him, and the helpless and friendless will have no trouble to get on in life. There is a beautiful incident in history that shows how God cares for His people. In the days of the Reformation, Brentius, of Wurtemberg, being pursued by persecuting soldiers, escaped into a hay-loft, and hid himself under the hay. The soldiers could not find him. Every day, for fourteen days, a hen laid an egg in the hay, which was his only food. Then the supply ceased, which he took as an intimation of Providence that it would now be safe to come out. He found that the soldiers had just left the town; and he was able to seek a place of safety.

FORTY-NINTH WEEK.

PEARL TEXT.—Seest thou a man diligent in his business? he shall stand before kings.—Prov. xxii. 29.

Ah! blest at last whose lives he true! And sad those lost in earthly rest!

Those "builded better than they knew," And these find but decay and dust. —Earl Marble.

In this theatre of man's life, it is reserved only for God and angels to be lookers-on—Lord Bacon.

God calls men when they are busy; Satan when he finds them idle. If Satan find any man idle he will be sure to find him a job.—Selected.

To continual watchfulness and prayer ought to be added continual employment. For grace flies a vacuum as well as nature, and the devil fills whatever God does not fill—Wesley.

HELPS FOR THE DEVOTIONAL HOUR.