March 11

Job xxxviii.—1. Then the Lord answered Job out of the whirlwind, and said,

2. Who is this that darkeneth counsel by words without knowledge?

3. Gird up now thy loins like a man; for I will demand of thee, and answer thou me.

4. Where wast thou when I laid the foundations of the earth;

7. When the morning stars sang together, and all the sons of God shouted for joy?

31. Canst thou bind the sweet influences of Pleiades, or loose the bands of Orion?

32. Canst thou bring forth Mazzaroth in his season? or canst thou guide Arcturus with his sons?

33. Knowest thou the ordinances of heaven? canst thou set the dominion thereof in the earth?

Psalm viii.—1. O Lord our Lord, how excellent is thy name in all the earth! who hast set thy glory above the heavens.

2. Out of the mouth of babes and sucklings hast

thou ordained strength because of thine enemies, that thou mightest still the enemy and the avenger.

3. When I consider thy heavens, the work of thy fingers, the moon and the stars, which thou hast ordained;

4. What is man, that thou art mindful of him? and the son of man, that thou visitest him?

5. For thou hast made him a little lower than the angels, and hast crowned him with glory and honor.

6. Thou madest him to have dominion over the works of thy hands: thou hast put all things under his feet;

7. All sheep and oxen, yea, and the beasts of the field;

8. The fowl of the air, and the fish of the sea, and whatsoever passeth through the paths of the seas.

9. O Lord our Lord, how excellent is thy name in all the earth!

David, familiar from boyhood with rural life, had learned to see God in Nature, and thus to add to the beauty and glory of natural objects in themselves the thought of the divine wisdom and goodness reflected in them all. His shepherd-life in the open fields, and upon the slopes of the mountains, had acquainted him with the habits of birds and beasts, and had led him to observe the stars in his nightly watches. Those youthful experiences, matured by the meditations of riper years, find expression in this psalm. In the nineteenth psalm he celebrates the glory of the sun. But now, sitting at eventile upon the housest, under the mild and lustrous Syrian sky, he is absorbed with the beauty and order of the moon and stars. Those are God's possession,—"thy heavens;" the work of His "finger," manifesting beauty and skill; "ordained" with

divine wisdom and order, and established forever. The first thought awakened in him by the contemplation of this majesty and glory is of the littleness of man. What was David's kingdom in comparison with a single star? what his royal splendor beside the brightness of the moon? Yet with this came the thought of the condescending goodness of God, who made man in his image, the representative of his glory and dominion. The word "angels," Elohim, is commonly used for the name of God: "Thou madest man but little short of the Divine." This high dignity and prerogative man disgraced and forfeited by the fall; but it was restored in Jesus, the second Adam, "crowned with glory and honor." While we praise God in his works, let us, above all, bless and honor him in his Son, the head and glory of our redeemed humanity.

APPROPRIATE HYMNS.]

Prayer.

[Nos. 18, 31, 38.

All thy works praise thee, O God!—the glorious company of the apostles praise thee; the goodly fellowship of the prophets praise thee; the noble army of martyrs praise thee. The heavens declare thy glory; the firmament showeth thy handiwork. Day unto day uttereth speech; night unto night showeth knowledge of thee. There is no speech nor language where the voice of thy praise is not heard. We would join in this universal anthem to thy glory, and would bless thy name for ever and ever. Bless the Lord, O our souls! and all that is within us, bless his holy name: who forgiveth all our iniquities; who healeth all our diseases; who redeemeth our life from destruction; who crowneth us with loving-kindness and tender mercies. Bless the Lord, all his works, in all places of his dominion; bless the Lord, O our souls!

We draw nigh unto thee, heavenly Father, to thank thee for the life that thou hast given to us, and for the life which from day to day thou dost

preserve; for in thee we live and move, and have our being. We bless thee for food and raiment, for shelter and safety, for the health of body and of mind which we enjoy. Help us to use all powers and gifts in thy service. Forbid, O Father! that the abundance and regularity of thy blessings should diminish our feeling of dependence or of thankfulness.

We thank thee for our home and all its joys; for thy constant favor to us as a household. And, while we thank thee for the blessings of thy providence, we pray that thou wilt also fill our hearts with love and gratitude for the richer gifts of thy Son and thy Spirit. We bless thy name, O righteous Father! that thou didst not leave us in our sins; but, when we were without strength, thou didst lay our help upon One mighty to save, and didst bring life and immortality to light through the gospel.

Through him we praise thee; for him we bless thee; and we pray thee in him to pardon, bless, and save us. And to thy name be glory forever. Amen.