Strangers shall submit themselves unto me: as soon as they hear, they shall be obedient unto me. Strangers shall fade away, and they shall be afraid out of their close places. The LORD liveth; and blessed be my rock; and exalted be the God of the rock of my salvation. It is God that avengeth me, and that bringeth down the people under me, and that bringeth me forth from mine enemies: thou also hast lifted me up on high above them that rose up against me: thou hast delivered me from the violent man. Therefore I will give thanks unto thee, O LORD, among the heathen, and I will sing praises unto thy name. 51 He is the tower of 51 Wise princes study how to upsalvation for his king: and hold religion by their laws and still sheweth mercy to his anoint- more, by their example: remembered, unto David, and to his ing that without the favour of Hea

seed for evermore.

ven, all their wisest counsels come to nought.

King Charles the Martyr.

MORNING. 2 SAMUEL i.

Now it came to pass after the death of Saul, when David was returned from the slaughter of the Amalekites, and David had abode two days in Ziklag; it came even to pass on the third day, that, behold, a man came out of the camp from Saul with his clothes rent, and earth upon his head: and so it was, when he came to David, that he fell to the earth, and did obeisance. And David said unto him, From whence comest thou? And he said unto him, Out of the camp of Israel am I escaped. And David said unto him, How went the matter? I pray thee, tell me. And he answered, That the people are fled from the battle, and many of the people are also fallen and dead; and Saul and Jonathan his son are dead also. And David said unto the young man that told him, How knowest thou that Saul and Jonathan his son be dead? And the young man that told him said, As I happened by chance upon mount Gilboa, behold, Saul leaned upon his spear; and, lo, the chariots and horsemen followed hard after him. And when he looked behind him, he saw me, and called unto me. And I answered, Here am I. And he said unto me, Who art thou? And I answered him, I am an Amalekite. He said unto me again, Stand, I pray thee, upon me, and slay me for anguish is come upon me, because my life is yet whole in me. So I stood upon him, and

10 The sin of this Amalekite was

slew him, because I was sure that he could not live after

twofold. He took the life of man; and that man, a king *.

12

Then David took hold on his likewise all the men that were

12 What a noble trait is this in the character of David! He mourns his persecutor. Enmity has no place in that heart which is devoted to God.

that he was fallen and I took the crown that was upon his head, and the bracelet that was on his arm, and have brought them hither unto my lord. clothes, and rent them; and with him: 12 and they mourned, and wept, and fasted until even, for Saul, and for Jonathan his son, and for the people of the LORD, and for the house of Israel; because they were fallen by the sword. And David said unto the young man that told him, Whence art thou? And he answered, I am the son of a stranger, an Amalekite.

14 And David

said unto him, How wast thou not afraid to stretch forth thine hand to destroy the LORD's anointed? And David called one of the young

14 Well may they fear who stretch out their hand, and contrive evil against their sovereign. Loyalty has no surer guard than religion. If men "fear God," they will "honour the king." Loyalty and religion go hand in hand.

men, and said, Go near, and fall upon him. And he smote him that he died. And David said unto him, Thy blood be upon thy head; for thy mouth hath testified against thee, saying, I have slain the LORD's anointed. And David lamented with this lamentation over Saul and over Jonathan his son (also he bade them teach the children of Judah the use of the bow: behold, it is written in the book of Jasher.) 19 The beauty of Israel is slain upon thy high places: how are the mighty fallen! Tell it not in Gath, publish

19 No heart can read this tender and affecting lament, unmoved; for where are they that never mourned a friend +?

*Nor was his sin palliated by Saul's command to slay him. No man's life is in his own power to take away; consequently it is sin to aid man in compassing his own death. As life is the gift of God, so to take it away is the prerogative of God. And though sorrows and calamities sometimes accumulate in such weight, that the spirit of a man feareth lest he sustain not his infirmity, let not despair enter into his heart! God is ever present, and never never does he forsake the patient sufferer. Let us remember Job. He looked to the end; and, in the prospect of rest in heaven, bore patiently one calamity after another; reconciling all by the plain truth-" It is the Lord."

+ The parent laments the young and the beautiful-the flower withered in the bud. The good and the wise-they too die! and leave behind sorrowing friends to mourn them. Then is the Christian's triumph! he sorrows, "not as a man without hope." The dead are but gone to their rest before him.

21 How touching is this appeal to inanimate nature! To the heart, sunk in the gloom of sorrow, the bright sunshine seems a mockery; and as for scenes of sweet repose, they are viewed but in painful contrast with the storms and tempests agitating the heart, which adversity and trouble beat against.

it not in the streets of Askelon; lest the daughters of the Philistines rejoice, lest the daughters of the uncircumcised triumph. 21 Ye mountains of Gilboa, let there be no dew, neither let there be rain, upon you, nor fields of offerings: for there the shield of the mighty is vilely cast away, the shield of Saul, as though ke had not been anointed with oil. From the blood of the slain, from the fat of the mighty, the bow of Jonathan turned not back, and the sword of Saul returned not empty. Saul and Jonathan were lovely and pleasant in their lives, and in their death they were not divided: they were swifter than eagles, they were stronger than lions. Ye daughters of Israel, weep over Saul, who clothed you in scarlet, with other delights, who put on ornaments of gold upon your apparel. How are the mighty fallen in the midst of the battle! O Jonathan, thou wast slain in thine high places. I am distressed for thee, my brother Jonathan: very pleasant hast thou been unto me: thy love to me was wonderful, passing the love of women. How are the mighty fallen,

and the weapons of war perished!

EVENING. JEREM. xii. or DAN. ix. to ver. 22.
JEREMIAH Xii.

1 Since we believe, with the prophet, that the Lord is righteous and just, we see, in the unequal distribution of good and ill in this life, a sure evidence of full retribution in the

next.

They professed God with "their mouth," but their hearts; or reins, were far from him.

'RIGHTEOUS art thou, O LORD, when I plead with thee: yet let me talk with thee of thy judgments: Wherefore doth the way of the wicked prosper? wherefore are all they happy that deal very treacherously? 'Thou hast planted them, yea, they have taken root: they grow, yea, they bring forth fruit thou art near in their mouth, and far from their reins. But thou, O LORD, knowest me: thou hast seen me, and tried mine heart toward thee: pull them out like sheep for the slaughter, and prepare them for the day of slaughter. 'How long shall the land 4 Yet God shall see their last hours, mourn, and the herbs of every and their good or their ill shall be field wither, for the wickedopen before Him.

ness of them that dwell therein? the beasts are consumed,

and the birds; because they said, He shall not see our last

5

5 Since the world cannot enable us to bear the lesser ills-the ills of the life, how shall it sustain us under the greater ills-the ills for which ve must answer in the next life!

end. If thou hast run with the footmen, and they have wearied thee, then how canst thou contend with horses? and if in the land of peace, wherein thou trustedst, they wearied thee, then how wilt thou do in the swelling of Jordan? For even thy brethren, and the house of thy father, even they have dealt treacherously with thee; yea, they have called a multitude after thee believe them not, though they speak fair words unto thee 'I have forsaken mine house,

it.

70 God! have pity! O do no forsake me! Save me, for thou hast redeemed me!

8 God's people were so degraded by their evil passions, that they became as beasts and birds of prey.

10 The generals and leaders of the

I have left mine heritage; I have given the dearly beloved of my soul into the hand of her enemies. Mine heritage is unto me as a lion in the forest; it crieth out against me: therefore have I hated Mine heritage is unto me as a speckled bird, the birds round about are against her; come ye, assemble all the beasts of the field, come to devour. 10 Many pastors have destroy- Chaldean army desolated the land. ed my vineyard, they have trodden my portion under foot, they have made my pleasant portion a desolate wilderness. They have made it desolate, and being desolate it mourneth unto me; the whole land is made desolate, because no man layeth it to heart. The spoilers are come upon all high places through the wilderness: for the sword of the LORD shall devour from the one end of the land even to the other end of the land: no flesh shall have peace. They have sown wheat, but shall reap thorns: they have put themselves to pain, but shall not profit and they shall be ashamed of your revenues because of the fierce anger of the LORD. Thus saith the LORD against all mine evil neighbours, that touch the inheritance which I have caused my people Israel to inherit; Behold, I will pluck them out of their land, and pluck out the house of Judah from among them. 15 And it shall come to pass, after that I have plucked them out, I will return, and will bring them again, every man to his land. 16 And it shall come to pass, if they will diligently learn the ways

15 After the captivity, the Lord would have compassion upon them, and restore them.

have compassion on them, and man to his heritage, and every

16 Jew and Gentile shall be united as one church-one people-one family of God.

T

of my people, to swear by my name, The LORD liveth; as they taught my people to swear by Baal; then shall they be built in the midst of my people. But if they will not obey, I will utterly pluck up and destroy that nation, saith the LORD.

DANIEL ix. to ver. 22.

3 Few are called to engage in great events; but every man has duties to perform and he is the wise man, them well, seeketh his God in prayer. who, longing for wisdom to perform

In the first year of Darius the son of Ahasuerus, of the seed
of the Medes, which was made king over the realm of the
Chaldeans; in the first year
2 The prophecies of Jeremiah here
of his reign I Daniel under- referred to, were delivered about sixty
stood by books the number years before: and sixty-eight years
of the years, whereof the word of the captivity had already passed.
of the LORD came to Jeremiah the prophet, that he would
accomplish seventy years in
the desolations of Jerusalem.
And I set my face unto the
Lord God, to seek by prayer
and supplications, with fast-
4 If we would end our services in
ing, and sackcloth, and ashes: hope, we must begin them in re-
* and I prayed unto the LORD pentance, and continue them in faith.
my God, and made my confession, and said, O Lord, the great
and dreadful God, keeping the covenant and mercy to them
that love him, and to them that keep his commandments; we
have sinned, and have committed iniquity, and have done
wickedly, and have rebelled, even by departing from thy pre-
cepts and from thy judgments:
'neither have we hearkened
unto thy servants the pro-
phets, which spake in thy
name to our kings, our princes,
the people of the land. 70
Lord, righteousness belongeth
unto thee, but unto us con-
fusion of faces, as at this day;
to the men of Judah, and to
the inhabitants of Jerusalem,
and unto all Israel, that are near, and that are far off, through
all the countries whither thou hast driven them, because of
their trespass that they have trespassed against thee. O Lord,
to us belongeth confusion of face, to our kings, to our princes,
and to our fathers, because we have sinned against thee. To
the Lord our God belong mercies and forgivenesses, though
we have rebelled against him; 10 Lo! the authority of your minis-
10 neither have we obeyed the ter is the delegated authority of God.

6 Can it be no sin now to reject the counsel offered by the ministers of the same word, the servants of the same God?

and our fathers, and to all

7 How striking the contrast between the perfection of the Creator and the nothingness of the creature.

Kings and their subjects, if they would have national prosperity, must evidence national righteousness.