April 5

1 Praise ye the LORD. Blessed is the man that feareth the LORD, that delighteth greatly in his commandments

2 His seed shall be mighty upon earth; the generation of the upright shall be blessed

3 Wealth and riches shall be in his house; and his righteousness endureth for ever

4 Unto the upright there artiseh light in the darkness; he is gracious and full of compassion, and righteous.

5 A good man sheweth favour, and lendeth: he will guide his affairs with discretion.

6 Surely he shall not be moved for ever; the righteous shall be in everlasting remembrance

7 He shall not be afraid of evil tidings; his heart is fixed, trusting in the LORD

8 His heart is established, he shall not be afraid, until he see his desire upon his enemies

9 He hath dispensed, he hath given to the poor; his righteousness endureth for ever; his boon shall be exalted with honour.

10 The wicked shall see it, and be grieved; he shall gnash with his teeth, and melt away the desire of the wicked shall perish.

The subject of this Psalm is the blessedness of the righteous man. Here are rehearsed the blessings which God is wont to bestow on the godly; and it is intended to give to God all the honor of His grace which is manifested in the sons of God.

"Unto the upright there ariseth light in the darkness." "He will have his days of darkness, he may be sick and sorry, poor and pining, as well as others; his former riches may take to themselves wings and fly away, while even his righteousness may be cruelly suspected; thus the clouds may lower around him, but his gloom shall not last forever, the Lord will bring him light in due season, for as surely as a good man's sun goes down it shall rise again. If the darkness be caused by depression of spirit, the Holy Ghost will comfort him; if by pecuniary loss or personal bereavement, the presence of Christ shall be his solace; and if by the cruelty and malignity of men, the sympathy of his Lord shall be his support. It is as ordinary for the righteous to be comforted as for the day to dawn. Wait for the light and it will surely come; for even if our heavenly Father should in our last hours put us to bed in the dark, we shall find it morning when we awake."—C. H. Spurgeon.

Closet Promise.—Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on Thee, because he trusteth in Thee.—Isa. xxvi. 3

Oh for a pencil dipt in light, In light, dear Lord, from Thee, To paint, in colors clear and bright, In tints of purity, The perfect peace, the perfect rest, Of those who lean on Jesus' breast!

The clouds may gather, billows swell; In grief we seem to sit; But Jesus whispers, "It is well," In loving tones and swer— And clouds disperse, and waves are o'er, And dove-like Peace descends once more!

Oh! like the "Minster's" painted glass, Outside all dull and dim, Men see no beauty as they pass; But lo! once stand within, And unrescent lustre streams, And light from Heaven in glory gleams!

Dear Jesus! all the love and light, Our earth-bound spirits see, Is radiance holy, pure and bright, Reflected still from Thee! Thy radiance is around us thrown, Thy comeliness is all our own! Elisabeth Nicholson.