May 24

Psalm lxxil. -1. Give the king thy judgments, O God! and thy righteousness unto the king's son. 2. He shall judge thy people with righteousness, and thy poor with judgment. 3. The mountains shall bring peace to the people, and the little hills, by righteousness. 4. He shall judge the poor of the people, he shall save the children of the needy, and shall break in pieces the oppressor. 5. They shall fear thee as long as the sun and moon endure, throughout all generations. 6. He shall come down like rain upon the mown grass; as showers that water the earth. 7. In his days shall the righteous flourish; and abundance of peace so long as the moon endureth. 8. He shall have dominion also from sea to sea, and from the river unto the ends of the earth. 9. They that dwell in the wilderness shall bow before him; and his enemies shall lick the dust. 10. The kings of Tarshish and of the isles shall bring presents the kings of Sheba and Seba shall offer gifts.

11. Yea, all kings shall fall down before him; all nations shall serve him. 12. For he shall deliver the needy when he crieth; the poor also, and him that hath no helper. 13. He shall spare the poor and needy, and shall save the souls of the needy. 14. He shall redeem their soul from deceit and violence; and precious shall their blood be in his sight. 15. And he shall live, and to him shall be given of the gold of Sheba: prayer also shall be made for him continually; and daily shall he be praised. 16. There shall be a handful of corn in the earth upon the top of the mountains; the fruit thereof shall shake like Lebanon: and they of the city shall flourish like grass of the earth. 17. His name shall endure forever; his name shall be continued as long as the sun: and men shall be blessed in him; all nations shall call him blessed. 18. Blessed be the Lord God, the God of Israel, who only doeth wondrous things. 19. And blessed be his glorious name forever; and let the whole earth be filled with his glory. Amen, and amen.

What king is this whose reign is described in such glowing measures, and for whose prosperity and glory all good things in earth and heaven are invoked? The common heading to the psalm in our English Bibles makes it a prayer of David for Solomon; but the heading in the Hebrew is, "A Prayer of Solomon." Since Solomon was the author of the psalm, of course it could not have referred to David; and we can hardly believe him to have used such lofty language concerning himself. Besides, much of the psalm is of the tenor of prophecy; and, like Psalms ii., xvi., xxii., xlv., and others, this must be applied to Christ. And how beautifully, and at the same time how faithfully, does it picture the characteristics of the Redeemer's kingdom, — peace, righteousness, justice, compassion,

the relief of suffering, the redress of wrongs, the overthrow of evil! Where the principles of Christ prevail in society and government, there is peace, plenty, prosperity; oppression is broken; violence and deceit are banished; the poor are cared for, the needy succored; industry and commerce flourish; the hills are clothed with corn, the cities thrive as with the verdure of spring. Blessed be God that this kingdom of Christ is yet to prevail in all the earth! "The most uncivilized, the most distant, and the most opulent nations shall pay their homage to him; the barbarous inhabitants of the desert, the remote isles of the West, and the kings of rich Arabia (Sheba) and Ethiopia (Seba), shall lie prostrate in homage at his feet."

APPROPRIATE HYMNS.]

Prayer.

[Nos. 6, 49, 75.

Thine, O Lord! is the greatness, and the power, and the glory, and the victory, and the majesty; for all that is in the heaven and in the earth is thine: thine is the kingdom, O Lord! and thou art exalted as Head over all. We bless thee that thou hast given unto thy Son the kingdom in this world, and hast promised that the gates of hell shall not prevail against his Church; and we beseech thee, upon this thy holy day, so to bless thy truth and all the appointed means of grace that a great multitude of souls shall be born into the kingdom of Christ through the power of the Holy Ghost. Make thy Word a comfort and a joy unto all believers, and the power of God unto salvation to the world that lieth in wickedness.

O Lord Jesus! rule thou in our hearts; by thy redeeming grace take away our sins; by thy sanctifying presence fill our souls with thy peace. May we do all things to thy glory, and show forth thy praise in our lives! We humbly thank thee, O Lord! for the blessings of the past week; for thy daily benefits to us, and to all dear to us. Bless this household, this day and always, with thy grace. May every one of us before thee, and all who are united with us in family ties, be found within the kingdom of thy dear Son! May we know the joy of a full consecration unto Him who hath redeemed us to God with his precious blood! and, having served him in his kingdom here, may we come to be partakers of his glory in the kingdom of his Father, for Christ's sake! Amen.