It will be light, peace, power, and beauty; thus man shall be blessed in Him who is love. Then will the Spirit of God, by revealing Jesus, and shedding abroad God's love in Him, turn chaos into a new moral creation; and God, bending down from His throne, will pronounce all "very good."

Thus will it be on earth, out of which Satan shall be cast, when men shall learn war no more. The earth shall be "filled with the knowledge of the glory of God, as the waters cover the sea." Then will the oft-breathed prayer be fulfilled, "Hallowed be thy name: Thy kingdom come: Thy will be done on earth as it is done in heaven." As regards heaven, the higher sphere of glory, who is competent to describe the bliss which shall flow from the triumphant reign of love? Then will the poet's lofty imaginings be more than realised :

"Harp, lift thy voice on high! shout, angels, shout!

And loudest, ye redeemed! Glory to God,

And to the Lamb, all glory and all praise,
All glory, and all praise, at morn and even,
That come and go eternally, and find
Us happy still, and Thee for ever blest!
Glory to God, and to the Lamb. Amen.
For ever, and for evermore. Amen.

"And those who stood upon a sea of glass,
And those who stood upon the battlements
And lofty towers of New Jerusalem,
And those who circling stood, bowing afar,
Exalted on the everlasting hills,

Thousands of thousands, thousands infinite,
With voice of boundless love, answered Amen.
And through Eternity, near and remote,
The worlds, adoring, echoed back Amen.
And God the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost,
The One Eternal, smiles superior bliss!
And every eye, and every face in heaven,
Reflecting and reflected, beam'd with love."

:

Are we now training for this bliss, for these perfect "pleasures which are at God's right hand for evermore?" Yes, if love is now the life of the soul. If, as "dear children," for

given for Christ's sake, and one with Him, the risen One, we are now walking in love, as Christ loved us, we are even now educating for a world of perfect and perpetual love, and, unworthy as we are, being loved of the Lamb, and washed in His blood, we shall help to swell the songs of eternity, and love will be our everlasting theme. Till then, in order to augment our love, and so fit us to join the heavenly melody, let us daily study, and seek still more and more to realise and exemplify the apostle's wondrous words, Eph. ii. 4, 7, "But God, who

is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us, even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved ;) and hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus: that in the ages to come he might shew the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness towards us, through Christ Jesus."

Motes on Scripture.

THE PSALMS.
(Continued from p. 182.)

PSALM X.

1. Why, O Lord, standest thou in the distance,
Hidest thou at times in adversity?

2. Through the pride of the wicked inflamed is the poor;
Caught are they in the devices which they devise !

3. For the wicked boasteth concerning the desire of his soul:
And the dishonest gainer he blesses: he despiseth the Lord!
4. The wicked according to the height of his anger inquireth not!
"God is not!" are all his devices.

5. His ways pain at all times:

On high are thy judgments from before him :

All his adversaries, he puffeth at them!

6. He saith in his heart, "I shall not be moved."
Because for many generations not in evil!

7. His mouth is full of oaths, and deceits, and fraud:
Under his tongue are perverseness and iniquity!

8. He sitteth in the ambush of the villages:

In secret hiding places he stayeth the innocent!

His eyes for the afflicted watch secretly:

9. He lieth in wait in a hiding place as a lion in the thicket!
He lieth in wait to catch the poor:

He catcheth the poor by drawing him into his net!

10. He is bruised, he boweth down :

Yea, the afflicted fall by his mighty ones! 11. He saith in his heart, "God forgetteth:

He hideth his face, he seeth not for ever."
12. Arise, O Lord! O God, lift up thy hand!
Forget not the humble:

13. Wherefore doth the wicked despise God?
He saith in his heart, Thou requirest not:

14. Thou seest, for thou perverseness and anger beholdest atten-
By giving into thy hand

The afflicted leaveth it for thee:

Of the fatherless-thou art the helper:

15. Break the arm of the wicked and the evil :
Seek out his wickedness till thou find none !

16. The Lord is king for ever and ever:

The nations are perished out of his land!

[tively.

17. The desire of the humble thou hearest, O Lord! Thou preparest their heart:

Thou causest thine ear to attend:

18. To judge the fatherless and the bruised.

Mortal man of the earth addeth no more to oppress!

PSALM XI.

To the Overseer.-By David.

1. In the Lord I trust:

How say ye to my soul

"Flee to your mountain as a bird!

2. For, behold, the wicked tread the bow:

They prepare their arrow on the string:

To shoot in the thick darkness at the upright of heart!

3. For the foundations are destroyed

The righteous, what doeth he?"

4. "The Lord is in his holy temple :

The Lord's throne is in heaven:

His eyes see, his eyelids try the children of men !

5. The Lord trieth the righteous:

And the wicked and the lover of violence his soul hateth! [But]

6. He raineth upon the wicked snares;

Fire and brimstone, and a horrible wind is the portion of their 7. For righteous is the Lord, Righteousness he loveth : [cup. His countenance the upright seeth!"

PSALM XII.

To the Overseer on the Sheminith.-A Psalm of David.

1. Save, Lord, for the saintly fail :

For the faithful cease from the children of men:

2. Falsehood they speak each with his neighbour: Lips of flattery with heart and heart they speak!

3. The Lord cutteth off all lips of flattery

The tongue speaking great things

4. Because they say :

"By our tongue we do mightily:
Our lips are our own:

Who is Lord over us?"

5. Because of the spoiling of the poorBecause of the groaning of the needyNow I arise; saith the Lord:

I place in safety him who breathes for it!

6. The sayings of the Lord are sayings of purity :

Tried silver in a furnace of the earth, refined sevenfold.

7. Thou, O Lord, preservest them:

Thou keepest them from this generation for ever!

8. Round about the wicked walk continually,

According as vileness is exalted by the sons of men!

PSALM XIII.

To the Overseer.-A Psalm of David.

1. Until when, O Lord, wilt thou forget me? for ever? Until when wilt thou hide thy face from me?

2. Until when shall I put counsel in my soul? Sorrow is in my heart daily:

Until when shall the enemy be exalted over me?

3. Look attentively; answer me, O Lord my God!
Enlighten mine eyes, lest I sleep in [the] death:
4. Lest my enemy say; "I overcame him!"
My adversaries rejoice when I am moved.

5. And I in thy loving-kindness trust,

My heart rejoiceth in thy salvation!

6. I sing to the Lord-for he conferreth benefits on me!

PSALM XIV.

To the Overseer.—By David.

1. Saith the fool in his heart, "God is not."

They do corruptly, they do abominable actions.
There is not a doer of good.

2. The Lord from heaven looketh on the sons of men.
To see if there be a wise one-a seeker of God!

3. The whole are turned aside, together they are filthy.
There is not a doer of good, not even one!

4. Do they not know all the workers of iniquity?
The consumers of my people eat bread—
The Lord they [invite, or] call not:

5. There they fear a fear.

For God is in the generation of the righteous! 6. The counsel of the poor ye cause to stink, Because the Lord is his refuge!

7. "Who will give from Zion the salvation of Israel?" When the Lord turneth to the captivity of his people, Jacob rejoiceth, Israel is glad!

PSALM XV.

A Psalm of David.

1. Lord, who sojourneth in thy tent?

Who dwelleth in thy holy hill?

2. The perfect walker and the righteous workerAnd the speaker of truth in his heart!

3. He slandereth not by his tongue:

He doeth not to his friend evil :

And reproach he lifteth not up against his neighbour !

4. Despised in his eyes is a rejected one,

And the fearers of the Lord he honoureth!

He sweareth to suffer evil and changeth not:

5. His silver he giveth not in usury;

And a bribe against the innocent he taketh not:
The doer of these things is not moved for ever!

PSALM XVI.

A secret Treasure of David.

1. Preserve me, O God, for I trust in thee !

2. Thou sayest to the Lord: "Thou art my Lord."

My good is not for thine own sake, [O my soul !]

3. But for the holy ones who are in the land and the honourable, All my delight is in them!

4. Multiplied are their griefs who hasten backward;

I pour not out their drink-offerings of blood,

Nor take up their names on my lips!

5. The Lord is the portion of my share and of my cup:

Thou upholdest my lot!

6. The lines are fallen to me in pleasantnesses-
Yea, a beauteous inheritance is for me!
7. I bless the Lord, because he counselleth me:
Even in the nights my reins instruct me!

8. I place the Lord before me continually,

That from my right [path] I may not be moved.

9. Therefore glad is my heart [soul], and my honour rejoiceth, Even my flesh dwelleth confidently:

10. For thou leavest not my soul to Hades,

Thou givest not thy saintly one to see corruption [the pit]: 11. Thou causest me to know the path of life:

Fulness of joys is with [by] thy presence:

Pleasant things are by thy right hand for ever!
PSALM XVII.

A Prayer of David.

1. Hear, O Lord, righteousness! attend my cry!
Hear my prayer without lips of deceit :

2. From before thee my judgment goeth out,
Thine eyes see upright things.

3. Thou provest my heart-thou visitest by night

Thou triest me-thou findest nothing:

My thoughts pass not over my mouth!

4. As to the doings of man

By the word of thy lips I observe the paths of the destroyer, 5. Upholding my goings in thy paths—

My steps slide not!

6. I call thee, for thou answerest me, O God!

Incline thine ear to me, hear my speech!

7. Separate wonderfully thy loving-kindness by thy right hand :

O Saviour of the confiding from withstanders!

8. Keep me as the apple-the daughter of the eye,

In the shadow of thy wings, hide thou me !

9. From the face of the wicked who spoil me.
My enemies in soul go round against me.

10. Their fat they close up :

With their mouth they speak proudly :

11. In our steps now they compass me:

Their eyes they set to turn aside in the land!

12. His likeness is as a lion desirous of tearing,

And as a young lion dwelling in secret hiding-places !

13. Arise, O Lord, go before his face

Cause him to bend—

Deliver my soul from the wicked, thy sword!

14. From the men, thy hand, O Lord!

From the men of continuance, [or the world.]

Their portion is in life:

And with thy hidden things thou fillest their belly:

They are satisfied with children :

And they leave their abundance to their sucklings !

15. I-in righteousness, I see thy face:

I am satisfied in awaking with thy form!

PSALM XVIII.

To the Overseer, by the servant of the Lord, even by David, who spake to the Lord the words of this song in the day the Lord delivered him from the hand of all his enemies, and from the hand of Saul. And he said: