Chapter LI: Preface (1)

In this volume are gathered up selections of the most inspiring literature which the Bible contains. The Psalms are given nearly entire, but with fresh titles and a new typographical arrangement. The book of Job is presented in a way to interest the modern reader. The material found in the "Prophets," usually entirely unintelligible to young readers, is given in a form which should prove interesting and inspiring. In addition to the sublime poetry of the Old Testament inspiring passages from the New Testament not elsewhere used are given here. These are not in poetic form, but the sublimity of thought and lofty style of utterance entitle them to a place beside the splendid poetry of the Old Testament. The contents of this volume ought to become perfectly familiar to older children by frequent reading and study.

We hope that it may be found extremely useful also for devotional reading; for family and public devotions and for private reading. Here, in one volume, are those portions of the Holy Scriptures which, in a peculiar sense, grew out of a deep spiritual feeling. To these portions particularly, the best minds of the ages have turned for spiritual uplift, for inspiration and consolation. The editors can hope for no higher reward than that this book should contribute to the growth of personal spiritual life.

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CONTENTS.

THE POETRY OF THE BIBLE. 11

SELECTIONS FROM THE PSALMS. 15

SELECTIONS FROM JOB. 177

SELECTIONS FROM THE SONG OF SONGS. 233

SELECTIONS FROM ECCLESIASTES. 241

SELECTIONS FROM THE PROVERBS. 247

SELECTIONS FROM THE PROPHETS. 259

1 Isaiah. 264
2 Jeremiah. 297
3 Ezekiel. 344
4 Amos. 354
5 Hosea. 363
6 Micah. 367
7 Obadiah. 370
8 Joel. 374
9 Zephaniah. 380
10 Nahum. 385
11 Habakkuk. 392
12 Haggai. 397
13 Zechariah. 401
14 Malachi. 408

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SELECTIONS FROM THE NEW TESTAMENT. 411
1 The Christian Life and Service. 413
2 The Greatest Thing in the World 425
3 Following in the Footsteps of
Jesus (from the book of James) 426

4 The Gospel of Love and Sonship. 435
5 The Christian Athlete. 438
6 The Christian Temple. 440
7 The Christian Warrior. 447
8 The Hope of Immortality. 449
9 Selections from the Apocalypse. 456

HYMNS OF THE AGES 479

NOTES 495

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THE POETRY OF THE BIBLE

The first poetry was made to be sung. It almost made itself. It had two qualities--the expression of strong feeling of some kind, and some sort of rhythm that could be put into song. Ever since the days when all men were savages, and told simple stories and sang rude songs as they gathered about the campfires, those two things have marked the difference between poetry and prose. Poetry must have feeling and rhythm. In most languages the rhythm is one of sound. The words flow along so easily that they run themselves into a sort of tune. That is what is called measure. Measure cannot be easily translated from one language to another. Even if it could, it would not always be so beautiful as it is in the language in which it is first written. So it comes about that we do not often try to get the rhythm of the words in the poetry of the Bible. Indeed, scholars have puzzled themselves greatly over just what sort of rhythm the words of Hebrew poetry have. The Hebrews who wrote the poetry did not think it worth while to say anything about that, and later men forgot that there was any rhythm at all; so now it has to be all discovered over again. But Hebrew poetry has also another kind of rhythm beside that of words--a kind which English poetry does not have. It is the rhythm of thought. In Hebrew poetry a thought is expressed in the first line, {12} then either repeated with some slight change, its opposite expressed, or something added to it, in the second. The following are illustrations:--

The thought repeated:--

The Lord is my light and my salvation;
whom shall I fear?
The Lord is the strength of my life;
of whom shall I be afraid?

The opposite expressed:--

A wise son maketh a glad father,
But a foolish son is the heaviness of his mother.

Additions made to the thought:--

All the paths of the Lord are lovingkindness and truth
Unto such as keep his covenant and his testimonies.

This rhythm of thought is called parallelism; and parallelism is the one thing that makes Hebrew poetry differ from prose.

In most Eastern languages the line between poetry and prose is not so sharply drawn as in our Western languages. When a man made a speech, it often fell quite naturally into poetry. So a good deal of the talk of Jesus, even, seems to have been in the form of Hebrew poetry; as when he said:--

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Be not anxious for your life,
what ye shall eat or what ye shall drink,
Nor yet for your body,
what ye shall put on.
Is not the life more than the food
And the body than the raiment?

In the same way the New Testament writers also, being mostly Hebrews in thought, although they wrote in Greek, often fell into poetry, when some strong feeling moved them.

The study of the form of the poetry of the Bible is very fascinating, the form is so rich in variety and often so remarkably well fitted to express the thought of the poetry.

Yet after all the richest part of the Biblical poetry is the strong feeling that it shows. For example, in that little song of the shepherd, the twenty-third Psalm, the form is very beautiful with its rhythm of thought, but much more beautiful is the strong feeling of perfect trust in the loving care of the Good Shepherd.

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SELECTIONS FROM THE PSALMS

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THE BOOK OF PSALMS

The Book of Psalms is the Hebrew hymn book. The Psalms were gathered to sing at the services in the temple at Jerusalem. Here there was no sermon, as there is in our churches, and as there often was in the synagogues which were scattered all over the land, but there was a large choir which sung these Psalms of praise, while the people stood below and listened. Some of the Psalms were written for this choir. Others, written for other purposes, were put into this hymn book, sometimes with more or less change from their first form, as is the case with many hymns in our own hymn books. Praise to God is the most common thought of these poems, but many other thoughts are found in them--sorrow for sin and trust in God's goodness and hope for the future and thanksgiving for God's care in the past. Hardly a thought about God's relation to man but finds its expression in these songs. They were the work of many men through many years. They express the joy and the sorrow of many minds in many different situations. That is why they still fit so many different lives in all parts of the world. They are very simple and very beautiful, and they have always been, and doubtless always will be, dear to the hearts of all those who try to find God. Mr. Gilmour, the missionary to the Mongols, once wrote: "When I find I cannot make headway in {18} devotion, I open in the Psalms, and push out in my canoe, and let myself be carried along in the stream of devotion which flows through the whole book. The current always sets toward God, and in most places is strong and deep." So many men have found that the broad river of the Psalms bore them toward God.

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SELECTIONS FROM THE PSALMS

THE RIGHTEOUS MAN

Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the wicked,
Nor standeth in the way of sinners,
Nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful.
But his delight is in the law of the Lord;
And in his law doth he meditate day and night.
And he shall be like a tree planted by the streams of water,
That bringeth forth its fruit in its season,
Whose leaf also doth not wither;
And whatsoever he doeth shall prosper.

The wicked are not so;
But are like the chaff which the wind driveth away.
Therefore the wicked shall not stand in the judgment,
Nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous.
For the Lord knoweth the way of the righteous:
But the way of the wicked shall perish.
--_Psalm 1_.

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A MORNING PRAYER

Lord, how are mine adversaries increased!
Many are they that rise up against me.
Many there be which say of my soul,
There is no help for him in God.
But thou, O Lord, art a shield about me;
My glory, and the lifter up of mine head.

I cry unto the Lord with my voice,
And he answereth me out of his holy hill.
I laid me down and slept;
I awaked; for the Lord sustaineth me.
--_Psalm 3:1-5_.

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AN EVENING PRAYER

Answer me when I call, O God of my righteousness;
Thou hast set me at large when I was in distress:
Have mercy upon me, and hear my prayer.
O ye sons of men, how long shall my glory be turned into dishonour?
How long will ye love vanity, and seek after falsehood?

But know that the Lord hath set apart him that is godly for himself:
The Lord will hear when I call unto him.
Stand in awe, and sin not:
Commune with your own heart upon your bed, and be still.
Offer the sacrifices of righteousness,
And put your trust in the Lord.

Many there be that say, Who will shew us any good?
Lord, lift thou up the light of thy countenance upon us.
Thou hast put gladness in my heart,
More than they have when their corn and their wine are increased.
In peace will I both lay me down and sleep:
For thou, Lord, alone makest me dwell in safety.
--_Psalm 4_.

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A LITTLE LOWER THAN GOD

O Lord, our Lord,
How excellent is thy name in all the earth!
Who hast set thy glory upon the heavens.
Out of the mouth of babes and sucklings hast thou established strength,
Because of thine adversaries,
That thou mightest still the enemy and the avenger.

When I consider thy heavens, the work of thy fingers,
The moon and the stars, which thou hast ordained;
What is man, that thou art mindful of him?
And the son of man, that thou visitest him?
For thou hast made him but little lower than God,
And crownest him with glory and honour.
Thou madest him to have dominion over the works of thy hands;
Thou hast put all things under his feet:
All sheep and oxen,
Yea, and the beasts of the field;
The fowl of the air, and the fish of the sea,
Whatsoever passeth through the paths of the seas.
O Lord, our Lord,
How excellent is thy name in all the earth!
--_Psalm 8_.

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THE UPRIGHT MAN.

Lord, who shall sojourn in thy tabernacle?
Who shall dwell in thy holy hill?
He that walketh uprightly, and worketh righteousness,
And speaketh truth in his heart.
He that slandereth not with his tongue,
Nor doeth evil to his friend,
Nor taketh up a reproach against his neighbour.
In whose eyes a reprobate is despised;
But he honoureth them that fear the Lord.
He that sweareth to his own hurt, and changeth not.
He that putteth not out his money to usury,
Nor taketh reward against the innocent.
He that doeth these things shall never be moved.
--_Psalm 15_.

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TRUST IN THE LORD

Preserve me, O God: for in thee do I put my trust.
I have said unto the Lord, Thou art my Lord:
I have no good beyond thee.
The Lord is the portion of mine inheritance and of my cup:
Thou maintainest my lot.
The lines are fallen unto me in pleasant places;
Yea, I have a goodly heritage.
I will bless the Lord, who hath given me counsel:
Yea, my heart instructeth me in the night seasons.
I have set the Lord always before me:
Because he is at my right hand, I shall not be moved.
Therefore my heart is glad, and my glory rejoiceth;
My flesh also shall dwell in safety.
For thou wilt not leave my soul to Sheol;
Neither wilt thou suffer thine holy one to see corruption.
Thou wilt shew me the path of life:
In thy presence is fulness of joy;
In thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore.
--_Psalm 16_.

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A PLEA FOR HELP.

Hear the right, O Lord, attend unto my cry;
Give ear unto my prayer, that goeth not out of feigned lips.
Let my sentence come forth from thy presence;
Let thine eyes look upon equity.
Thou hast proved mine heart; thou hast visited me in the night;
Thou hast tried me, and findest nothing;
I am purposed that my mouth shall not transgress,
As for the works of men, by the word of thy lips
I have kept me from the ways of the violent.
My steps have held fast to thy paths,
My feet have not slipped.
I have called upon thee, for thou wilt answer me, O God:
Incline thine ear unto me, and hear my speech.
Shew thy marvellous lovingkindness, O thou that savest
them which put their trust in thee
From those that rise up against them, by thy right hand.
Keep me as the apple of the eye,
Hide me under the shadow of thy wings.
As for me, I shall behold thy face in righteousness:
I shall be satisfied, when I awake, with thy likeness.
--_Psalm 17_.

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A SONG OF DELIVERANCE.

In my distress I called upon the Lord,
And cried unto my God:
He heard my voice out of his temple,
And my cry before him came into his ears.
Then the earth shook and trembled,
The foundations also of the mountains moved
And were shaken, because he was wroth.
There went up a smoke out of his nostrils,
And fire out of his mouth devoured:
Coals were kindled by it.
He bowed the heavens also, and came down;
And thick darkness was under his feet.
And he rode upon a cherub, and did fly:
Yea, he flew swiftly upon the wings of the wind.
He made darkness his hiding place, his pavilion round about him;
Darkness of waters, thick clouds of the skies.
At the brightness before him his thick clouds passed,
Hailstones and coals of fire.
The Lord also thundered in the heavens,
And the Most High uttered his voice;
Hailstones and coals of fire.
And he sent out his arrows, and scattered them;
Yea, lightnings manifold, and discomfited them. {27}
Then the channels of waters appeared,
And the foundations of the world were laid bare,
At thy rebuke, O Lord,
At the blast of the breath of thy nostrils.
He sent from on high, he took me;
He drew me out of many waters.
He delivered me from my strong enemy,
And from them that hated me, for they were too mighty for me.
I love thee, O Lord, my strength.
The Lord is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer;
My God, my strong rock, in him will I trust;
My shield, and the horn of my salvation, my high tower.
I will call upon the Lord, who is worthy to be praised:
So shall I be saved from mine enemies.
The cords of death compassed me,
And the floods of ungodliness made me afraid.
The cords of Sheol were round about me:
The snares of death came upon me.
They came upon me in the day of my calamity:
But the Lord was my stay.
He brought me forth also into a large place;
He delivered me, because he delighted in me.
The Lord rewarded me according to my righteousness;
According to the cleanness of my hands hath he recompensed me.
For I have kept the ways of the Lord,
And have not wickedly departed from my God.
For all his judgments were before me, {28}
And I put not away his statutes from me.
I was also perfect with him,
And I kept myself from mine iniquity.
Therefore hath the Lord recompensed me according to my righteousness,
According to the cleanness of my hands in his eyesight.
With the merciful thou wilt shew thyself merciful;
With the perfect man thou wilt shew thyself perfect;
With the pure thou wilt shew thyself pure;
And with the perverse thou wilt shew thyself froward.
For thou wilt save the afflicted people;
But the haughty eyes thou wilt bring down.
For thou wilt light my lamp:
The Lord my God will lighten my darkness.
For by thee I run upon a troop;
And by my God do I leap over a wall.
As for God, his way is perfect:
The word of the Lord is tried;
He is a shield unto all them that trust in him.
For who is God, save the Lord?
And who is a rock, beside our God?
The God that girdeth me with strength,
And maketh my way perfect.
He maketh my feet like hinds' feet:
And setteth me upon my high places.

The Lord liveth; and blessed be my rock;
And exalted be the God of my salvation:
Even the God that executeth vengeance for me, {29}
And subdueth peoples under me.
He rescueth me from mine enemies:
Yea, thou liftest me up above them that rise up against me;
Thou deliverest me from the violent man.
Therefore I will give thanks unto thee, O Lord, among the nations,
And will sing praises unto thy name.
Great deliverance giveth he to his king,
And showeth lovingkindness to his anointed,
To David and to his seed, for evermore.
--_Psalm 18:1-33,46-50_.

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SONG OF THE EARTH AND SKY.

The heavens declare the glory of God;
And the firmament sheweth his handiwork.
Day unto day uttereth speech,
And night unto night sheweth knowledge.
There is no speech nor language;
Their voice cannot be heard.
Their line is gone out through all the earth,
And their words to the end of the world.
In them hath he set a tabernacle for the sun,
Which is as a bridegroom coming out of his chamber,
And rejoiceth as a strong man to run his course.
His going forth is from the end of the heaven,
And his circuit unto the ends of it:
And there is nothing hid from the heat thereof.
The law of the Lord is perfect, restoring the soul:
The testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple.
The precepts of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart:
The commandment of the Lord is pure, enlightening the eyes.
The fear of the Lord is clean, enduring for ever:
The judgments of the Lord are true, and righteous altogether.
More to be desired are they than gold, yea, than much fine gold: {31}
Sweeter also than honey and the honeycomb.
Moreover by them is thy servant warned:
In keeping of them there is great reward.
Who can understand his errors?
Clear thou me from hidden faults.
Keep back thy servant also from presumptuous sins;
Let them not have dominion over me: then shall I be perfect,
And I shall be clear from great transgression.
Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart
be acceptable in thy sight,
O Lord, my strength, and my redeemer.
--_Psalm 19_.

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OUR TRUST IS IN GOD

The Lord answer thee in the day of trouble:
The name of the God of Jacob set thee up on high;
Send thee help from the sanctuary,
And strengthen thee out of Zion;
Remember all thy offerings,
And accept thy burnt sacrifice;
Grant thee thy heart's desire,
And fulfil all thy counsel.
We will triumph in thy salvation,
And in the name of our God we will set up our banners:
The Lord fulfil all thy petitions.
Now know I that the Lord saveth his anointed;
He will answer him from his holy heaven
With the saving strength of his right hand.
Some trust in chariots, and some in horses:
But we will make mention of the name of the Lord our God.
They are bowed down and fallen:
But we are risen, and stand upright.
--_Psalm 20:1-8_.

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"He maketh me to lie down in green pastures,
He leadeth me beside the still waters"
[End illustration]

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THE GOOD SHEPHERD

The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.
He maketh me to lie down in green pastures:
He leadeth me beside the still waters.
He restoreth my soul:
He guideth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake.
Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,
I will fear no evil; for thou art with me:
Thy rod and thy staff, they comfort me.
Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies;
Thou hast anointed my head with oil; my cup runneth over.
Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life:
And I will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever.
--_Psalm 23_.

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THE EARTH IS THE LORD'S

The earth is the Lord's, and the fulness thereof;
The world, and they that dwell therein.
For he hath founded it upon the seas.
And established it upon the floods.
Who shall ascend into the hill of the Lord?
And who shall stand in his holy place?
He that hath clean hands, and a pure heart;
Who hath not lifted up his soul unto vanity.
And hath not sworn deceitfully.
He shall receive a blessing from the Lord,
And righteousness from the God of his salvation.
This is the generation of them that seek after him,
That seek thy face, O God of Jacob.

Lift up your heads, O ye gates;
And be ye lifted up, ye everlasting doors:
And the King of glory shall come in.
Who is the King of glory?
The Lord strong and mighty,
The Lord mighty in battle.
Lift up your heads, O ye gates;
Yea, lift them up, ye everlasting doors:
And the King of glory shall come in.
Who is this King of glory?
The Lord of hosts,
He is the King of glory.
--_Psalm 24_.

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SHOW ME THY WAYS, TEACH ME THY PATHS

Unto thee, O Lord, do I lift up my soul.
O my God, in thee have I trusted,
Let me not be ashamed;
Let not mine enemies triumph over me.
Yea, none that wait on thee shall be ashamed:
They shall be ashamed that deal treacherously without cause.
Shew me thy ways, O Lord;
Teach me thy paths.
Guide me in thy truth, and teach me;
For thou art the God of my salvation;
On thee do I wait all the day.
Remember, O Lord, thy tender mercies and thy lovingkindnesses;
For they have been ever of old.
Remember not the sins of my youth, nor my transgressions:
According to thy lovingkindness remember thou me,
For thy goodness' sake, O Lord.
Good and upright is the Lord:
Therefore will he instruct sinners in the way.
The meek will he guide in judgment:
And the meek will he teach his way.
All the paths of the Lord are lovingkindness and truth {38}
Unto such as keep his covenant and his testimonies.
For thy name's sake, O Lord,
Pardon mine iniquity, for it is great.
What man is he that feareth the Lord?
Him shall he instruct in the way that he shall choose.
His soul shall dwell at ease;
And his seed shall inherit the land.
The secret of the Lord is with them that fear him;
And he will shew them his covenant.
Mine eyes are ever toward the Lord;
For he shall pluck my feet out of the net.
Turn thee unto me, and have mercy upon me;
For I am desolate and afflicted.
The troubles of my heart are enlarged:
O bring thou me out of my distresses.
Consider mine affliction and my travail;
And forgive all my sins.
Consider mine enemies, for they are many;
And they hate me with cruel hatred.
O keep my soul, and deliver me:
Let me not be ashamed, for I put my trust in thee.
Let integrity and uprightness preserve me,
For I wait on thee.
Redeem Israel, O God,
Out of all his troubles.
--_Psalm 25_.

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I HAVE WALKED IN THY TRUTH

Judge me, O Lord, for I have walked in mine integrity:
I have trusted also in the Lord without wavering.
Examine me, O Lord, and prove me;
Try my heart and my mind.
For thy lovingkindness is before mine eyes;
And I have walked in thy truth.
I have not sat with men of falsehood;
Neither will I go in with dissemblers.
I hate the assembly of evil-doers,
And will not sit with the wicked.
I will wash my hands in innocency:
So will I compass thine altar, O Lord;
That I may make the voice of thanksgiving to be heard,
And tell of all thy wondrous works.
Lord, I love the habitation of thy house,
And the place where thy glory dwelleth.
Gather not my soul with sinners,
Nor my life with men of blood;
In whose hands is wickedness,
And their right hand is full of bribes.
But as for me, I will walk in mine integrity:
Redeem me, and be merciful unto me.
My foot standeth in an even place:
In the congregations will I bless the Lord.
--_Psalm 26_.

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THE LORD IS MY SALVATION

The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear?
The Lord is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?
Though an host should encamp against me,
My heart shall not fear:
Though war should rise against me,
Even then will I be confident.
One thing have I asked of the Lord, that will I seek after;
That I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life,
To behold the beauty of the Lord, and to inquire in his temple.
For in the day of trouble he shall keep me secretly in his pavilion:
In the covert of his tabernacle shall he hide me;
He shall lift me up upon a rock.
And now shall mine head be lifted up above mine enemies round about me;
And I will offer in his tabernacle sacrifices of joy;
I will sing, yea, I will sing praises unto the Lord.

Hear, O Lord, when I cry with my voice:
Have mercy also upon me, and answer me.
When thou saidst, Seek ye my face; my heart said unto thee, {41}
Thy face, Lord, will I seek.
Hide not thy face from me;
Put not thy servant away in anger:
Thou hast been my help;
Cast me not off, neither forsake me, O God of my salvation.
For my father and my mother have forsaken me,
But the Lord will take me up.
Teach me thy way, O Lord;
And lead me in a plain path,
Because of mine enemies.
Deliver me not over unto the will of mine adversaries:
For false witnesses are risen up against me, and such as
breathe out cruelty.
I had fainted, unless I had believed to see the goodness of the Lord:
In the land of the living.
Wait on the Lord:
Be strong, and let thine heart take courage;
Yea, wait thou on the Lord.
--_Psalm 27_.

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THE GLORY OF THE LORD.

Give unto the Lord, O ye sons of the mighty,
Give unto the Lord glory and strength.
Give unto the Lord the glory due unto his name;
Worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness.

The voice of the Lord is upon the waters:
The God of glory thundereth,
Even the Lord upon many waters.
The voice of the Lord is powerful;
The voice of the Lord is full of majesty.
The voice of the Lord breaketh the cedars;
Yea, the Lord breaketh in pieces the cedars of Lebanon.
He maketh them also to skip like a calf;
Lebanon and Sirion like a young wild-ox.
The voice of the Lord cleaveth the flames of fire.
The voice of the Lord shaketh the wilderness;
The Lord shaketh the wilderness of Kadesh.
The voice of the Lord maketh the hinds to calve,
And strippeth the forests bare:
And in his temple everything saith, Glory!

The Lord sat as king at the Flood;
Yea, the Lord sitteth as king for ever.
The Lord will give strength unto his people;
The Lord will bless his people with peace.
--_Psalm 29_.

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A VILLAGE IN THE LEBANON.

From an old engraving.

"The voice of the Lord is full of majesty,
The voice of the Lord breaketh the cedars,
Yea, the Lord breaketh the cedars of Lebanon"
[End illustration]

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WEEPING MAY ENDURE FOR A NIGHT, BUT JOY COMETH IN THE MORNING.

I will extol thee, O Lord; for thou hast raised me up,
And hast not made my foes to rejoice over me.
O Lord my God,
I cried unto thee, and thou hast healed me.
O Lord, thou hast brought up my soul from Sheol;
Thou hast kept me alive, that I should not go down to the pit.
Sing praise unto the Lord, O ye saints of his,
And give thanks to his holy name.
For his anger is but for a moment;
His favor is for a lifetime:
Weeping may tarry for the night,
But joy cometh in the morning.

As for me, I said in my prosperity,
I shall never be moved.
Thou, Lord, of thy favor hadst made my mountain to stand strong:
Thou didst hide thy face; I was troubled.
I cried to thee, O Lord;
And unto the Lord I made supplication:
What profit is there in my blood, when I go down to the pit? {46}
Shall the dust praise thee? shall it declare thy truth?
Hear, O Lord, and have mercy upon me:
Lord, be thou my helper.
Thou hast turned for me my mourning into dancing;
Thou hast loosed my sackcloth, and girded me with gladness;
To the end that my glory may sing praise to thee, and not be silent.
O Lord my God, I will give thanks unto thee for ever.
--_Psalm 30_.

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MY TIMES ARE IN THY HANDS

In thee, O Lord, do I put my trust; let me never be ashamed:
Deliver me in thy righteousness.
Bow down thine ear unto me; deliver me speedily:
Be thou to me a strong rock, an house of defence to save me.
For thou art my rock and my fortress;
Therefore for thy name's sake lead me and guide me.
Pluck me out of the net that they have laid privily for me;
For thou art my strong hold.
Into thine hand I commend my spirit:
Thou hast redeemed me, O Lord, thou God of truth.
I hate them that regard lying vanities:
But I trust in the Lord.
I will be glad and rejoice in thy mercy:
For thou hast seen my affliction;
Thou hast known my soul in adversities:
And thou hast not shut me up into the hand of the enemy;
Thou hast set my feet in a large place.

Have mercy upon me, O Lord, for I am in distress:
Mine eye wasteth away with grief, yea, my soul and my body.
For my life is spent with sorrow, and my years with sighing: {48}
My strength faileth because of mine iniquity,
and my bones are wasted away.
Because of all mine adversaries I am become a reproach,
Yea, unto my neighbours exceedingly, and a fear to mine acquaintance:
They that did see me without fled from me.
I am forgotten as a dead man out of mind:
I am like a broken vessel.
For I have heard the defaming of many,
Terror on every side:
While they took counsel together against me,
They devised to take away my life.
But I trusted in thee, O Lord:
I said, Thou art my God.
My times are in thy hand:
Deliver me from the hand of mine enemies,
and from them that persecute me.
Make thy face to shine upon thy servant:
Save me in thy lovingkindness.
Let me not be ashamed, O Lord; for I have called upon thee:
Let the wicked be ashamed, let them be silent in Sheol.
Let the lying lips be dumb;
Which speak against the righteous insolently,
With pride and contempt.

Oh how great is thy goodness,
Which thou hast laid up for them that fear thee,
Which thou hast wrought for them that take refuge in thee,
Before the sons of men! {49}
In the covert of thy presence wilt thou hide them
from the plottings of man:
Thou wilt keep them secretly in a pavilion from the strife of tongues.
Blessed be the Lord;
For he hath showed me his marvellous lovingkindness in a strong city.
As for me, I said in my haste,
I am cut off from before thine eyes:
Nevertheless thou heardest the voice of my supplications
When I cried unto thee.
O love the Lord, all ye his saints:
The Lord preserveth the faithful,
And plentifully rewardeth him that dealeth proudly.
Be strong, and let your heart take courage,
All ye that hope in the Lord.
--_Psalm 31_.

{50}

REJOICE

Rejoice in the Lord, O ye righteous:
Praise is comely for the upright.
Give thanks unto the Lord with harp:
Sing praises unto him with the psaltery of ten strings.
Sing unto him a new song;
Play skilfully with a loud noise.
For the word of the Lord is right;
And all his work is done in faithfulness.
He loveth righteousness and judgment:
The earth is full of the lovingkindness of the Lord.
By the word of the Lord were the heavens made;
And all the host of them by the breath of his mouth.
He gathereth the waters of the sea together as an heap:
He layeth up the deeps in storehouses.

Let all the earth fear the Lord:
Let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of him.
For he spake, and it was done;
He commanded, and it stood fast.
The Lord bringeth the counsel of the nations to nought:
He maketh the thoughts of the peoples to be of none effect.
The counsel of the Lord standeth fast for ever,
The thoughts of his heart to all generations.
Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord; {51}
The people whom he hath chosen for his own inheritance.
The Lord looketh from heaven;
He beholdeth all the sons of men;
From the place of his habitation he looketh forth
Upon all the inhabitants of the earth;
He that fashioneth the hearts of them all,
That considereth all their works.
There is no king saved by the multitude of an host:
A mighty man is not delivered by great strength.
An horse is a vain thing for safety:
Neither shall he deliver any by his great power.
Behold, the eye of the Lord is upon them that fear him,
Upon them that hope in his mercy;
To deliver their soul from death,
And to keep them alive in famine.
Our soul hath waited for the Lord:
He is our help and our shield.
For our heart shall rejoice in him,
Because we have trusted in his holy name.
Let thy mercy, O Lord, be upon us,
According as we have hoped in thee.
--_Psalm 33_.

{52}

I WILL BLESS THE LORD

I will bless the Lord at all times:
His praise shall continually be in my mouth.
My soul shall make her boast in the Lord:
The meek shall hear thereof, and be glad.
O magnify the Lord with me,
And let us exalt his name together.
I sought the Lord, and he answered me,
And delivered me from all my fears.
They looked unto him, and were lightened:
And their faces shall never be confounded.
This poor man cried, and the Lord heard him,
And saved him out of all his troubles.
The angel of the Lord encampeth round about them that fear him,
And delivereth them.
O taste and see that the Lord is good:
Blessed is the man that trusteth in him.
O fear the Lord, ye his saints:
For there is no want to them that fear him.
The young lions do lack, and suffer hunger:
But they that seek the Lord shall not want any good thing.

Come, ye children, hearken unto me:
I will teach you the fear of the Lord. {53}
What man is he that desireth life,
And loveth many days, that he may see good?
Keep thy tongue from evil,
And thy lips from speaking guile.
Depart from evil, and do good;
Seek peace, and pursue it.
The eyes of the Lord are toward the righteous,
And his ears are open unto their cry.
The face of the Lord is against them that do evil,
To cut off the remembrance of them from the earth.
The righteous cried, and the Lord heard,
And delivered them out of all their troubles.
The Lord is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart.
And saveth such as be of a contrite spirit.
Many are the afflictions of the righteous:
But the Lord delivereth him out of them all.
He keepeth all his bones:
Not one of them is broken.
Evil shall slay the wicked:
And they that hate the righteous shall be condemned.
The Lord redeemeth the soul of his servants:
And none of them that trust in him shall be condemned.
--_Psalm 34_.

{54}

UNDER THE SHADOW OF THY WINGS

Thy lovingkindness, O Lord, is in the heavens;
Thy faithfulness reacheth unto the skies.
Thy righteousness is like the great mountains,
Thy judgments are a great deep:
O Lord, thou preservest man and beast.
How precious is thy lovingkindness, O God!
And the children of men take refuge under the shadow of thy wings.
They shall be abundantly satisfied with the fatness of thy house;
And thou shalt make them drink of the river of thy pleasures.
For with thee is the fountain of life:
In thy light shall we see light.
O continue thy lovingkindness unto them that know thee;
And thy righteousness to the upright in heart.
--_Psalm 36:5-10_.

{55}

WAIT PATIENTLY

Fret not thyself because of evil-doers,
Neither be thou envious against them that work unrighteousness.
For they shall soon be cut down like the grass,
And wither as the green herb.
Trust in the Lord, and do good;
Dwell in the land, and follow after faithfulness.
Delight thyself also in the Lord;
And he shall give thee the desires of thine heart.
Commit thy way unto the Lord;
Trust also in him, and he shall bring it to pass.
And he shall make thy righteousness to go forth as the light,
And thy judgment as the noonday.
A man's goings are established of the Lord;
And he delighteth in his way.
Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down:
For the Lord upholdeth him with his hand.
I have been young, and now am old;
Yet have I not seen the righteous forsaken,
Nor his seed begging their bread.
All the day long he dealeth graciously, and lendeth;
And his seed is blessed.
Depart from evil, and do good;
And dwell for evermore. {56}
I have seen the wicked in great power,
And spreading himself like a green tree in its native soil.
But one passed by, and, lo, he was not:
Yea, I sought him, but he could not be found.
Mark the perfect man, and behold the upright:
For the latter end of that man is peace.
As for transgressors, they shall be destroyed together:
The latter end of the wicked shall be cut off.
But the salvation of the righteous is of the Lord:
He is their strong hold in the time of trouble.
And the Lord helpeth them, and rescueth them:
He rescueth them from the wicked, and saveth them,
Because they have taken refuge in him.
--_Psalm 37:1-6,23-27,35-40_.

{57}

A NEW SONG

I waited patiently for the Lord;
And he inclined unto me, and heard my cry.
He brought me up also out of an horrible pit, out of the miry clay;
And he set my feet upon a rock, and established my goings.
And he hath put a new song in my mouth, even praise unto our God:
Many shall see it, and fear,
And shall trust in the Lord.
Blessed is the man that maketh the Lord his trust,
And respecteth not the proud, nor such as turn aside to lies.

Many, O Lord my God, are the wonderful works which thou hast done,
And thy thoughts which are to us-ward:
They cannot be set in order unto thee;
If I would declare and speak of them,
They are more than can be numbered.
Sacrifice and offering thou hast no delight in;
Mine ears hast thou opened:
Burnt offering and sin offering hast thou not required.
Then said I, "Lo, I am come;
In the roll of the book it is written of me:
I delight to do thy will, O my God;
Yea, thy law is within my heart." {58}
I have published righteousness in the great congregation;
Lo, I will not refrain my lips,
O Lord, thou knowest.
I have not hid thy righteousness within my heart;
I have declared thy faithfulness and thy salvation:
I have not concealed thy lovingkindness and thy truth from
the great congregation.
Withhold not thou thy tender mercies from me, O Lord:
Let thy lovingkindness and thy truth continually preserve me.

--_Psalm 40:1-11_.

{59}{60}

MOUNT HERMON

From a photograph belonging to the Forbes Library, Northampton, Mass.,
and used by special permission.

"Therefore do I remember thee from the land of Jordan,
And the Hermons, from the hill Mizar."
[End illustration]

{61}

A SONG IN TIME OF TROUBLE

As the hart panteth after the water brooks,
So panteth my soul after thee, O God.
My soul thirsteth for God, for the living God:
When shall I come and appear before God?
My tears have been my meat day and night,
While they continually say unto me, "Where is thy God?"
These things I remember, and pour out my soul within me,
How I went with the throng, and led them to the house of God,
With the voice of joy and praise, a multitude keeping holy-day.
Why art thou cast down, O my soul?
And why art thou disquieted within me?
Hope thou in God: for I shall yet praise him
For the health of his countenance.
O my God, my soul is cast down within me:
Therefore do I remember thee from the land of Jordan,
And the Hermons, from the hill Mizar.
Deep calleth unto deep at the noise of thy waterspouts:
All thy waves and thy billows are gone over me.
Yet the Lord will command his lovingkindness in the daytime,
And in the night his song shall be with me,
Even a prayer unto the God of my life. {62}
I will say unto God my rock, "Why hast thou forgotten me?"
Why go I mourning because of the oppression of the enemy?
As with a sword in my bones, mine adversaries reproach me;
While they continually say unto me, "Where is thy God?"
Why art thou cast down, O my soul?
And why art thou disquieted within me?
Hope thou in God: for I shall yet praise him,
Who is the health of my countenance, and my God.

Judge me, O God, and plead my cause against an ungodly nation:
O deliver me from the deceitful and unjust man.
For thou art the God of my strength; why hast thou cast me off?
Why go I mourning because of the oppression of the enemy?
O send out thy light and thy truth; let them lead me:
Let them bring me unto thy holy hill,
And to thy tabernacles.
Then will I go unto the altar of God,
Unto God my exceeding joy:
And upon the harp will I praise thee, O God, my God.
Why art thou cast down, O my soul?
And why art thou disquieted within me?
Hope thou in God: for I shall yet praise him,
Who is the health of my countenance, and my God.
--_Psalms 42, 43_.

{63}

IN THE DAY OF ADVERSITY

We have heard with our ears, O God,
Our fathers have told us,
What work thou didst in their days,
In the days of old.
Thou didst drive out the nations with thy hand;
But them thou didst plant:
Thou didst afflict the peoples;
But them thou didst spread abroad.
For they got not the land in possession by their own sword,
Neither did their own arm save them;
But thy right hand, and thine arm, and the light of thy countenance,
Because thou wast favorable unto them.
Thou art my King, O God:
Command deliverance for Jacob.
Through thee will we push down our adversaries:
Through thy name will we tread them under that rise up against us.
For I will not trust in my bow,
Neither shall my sword save me.
But thou hast saved us from our adversaries,
And hast put them to shame that hate us.
In God have we made our boast all the day long,
And we will give thanks unto thy name for ever. {64}
But now thou hast cast us off, and brought us to dishonour;
And goest not forth with our hosts.
Thou makest us to turn back from the adversary:
And they which hate us spoil for themselves.
Thou hast given us like sheep appointed for meat;
And hast scattered us among the nations.
Thou sellest thy people for nought,
And hast not increased thy wealth by their price.
Thou makest us a reproach to our neighbours,
A scorn and a derision to them that are round about us.
Thou makest us a byword among the nations,
A shaking of the head among the peoples.
All the day long is my dishonour before me,
And the shame of my face hath covered me,
For the voice of him that reproacheth and blasphemeth;
By reason of the enemy and the avenger.

All this is come upon us; yet have we not forgotten thee,
Neither have we dealt falsely in thy covenant.
Our heart is not turned back,
Neither have our steps declined from thy way;
That thou hast sore broken us in the place of jackals,
And covered us with the shadow of death.
If we have forgotten the name of our God,
Or spread forth our hands to a strange god;
Shall not God search this out?
For he knoweth the secrets of the heart.
Yea, for thy sake are we killed all the day long;
We are counted as sheep for the slaughter. {65}
Awake, why sleepest thou, O Lord?
Arise, cast us not off for ever.
Wherefore hidest thou thy face,
And forgettest our affliction and our oppression?
For our soul is bowed down to the dust:
Our belly cleaveth unto the earth.
Rise up for our help,
And redeem us for thy lovingkindness' sake.
--_Psalm 44_.

{66}

A MARRIAGE SONG FOR THE WEDDING OF A KING

My heart overfloweth with a goodly matter:
I speak the things which I have made touching the king:
My tongue is the pen of a ready writer.

Thou art fairer than the children of men;
Grace is poured into thy lips:
Therefore God hath blessed thee for ever.
Gird thy sword upon thy thigh,
O mighty one,
Thy glory and thy majesty.
And in thy majesty ride on prosperously,
Because of truth and meekness and righteousness:
And thy right hand shall teach thee terrible things.
Thine arrows are sharp;
The peoples fall under thee;
They are in the heart of the king's enemies.
Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever:
A sceptre of equity is the sceptre of thy kingdom.
Thou hast loved righteousness, and hated wickedness:
Therefore God, thy God, hath anointed thee
With the oil of gladness above thy fellows.
All thy garments smell of myrrh, and aloes, and cassia;
Out of ivory palaces stringed instruments have made thee glad. {67}
Kings' daughters are among thy honourable women:
Upon thy right hand did stand the queen in gold of Ophir.
Hearken, O daughter, and consider, and incline thine ear;
Forget also thine own people, and thy father's house:
So will the king desire thy beauty;
For he is thy lord; and reverence thou him.
And the daughter of Tyre shall be there with a gift;
The rich among the people shall entreat thy favor.
The king's daughter within the palace is all glorious:
Her clothing is inwrought with gold.
She shall be led unto the king in broidered work:
The virgins her companions that follow her
Shall be brought unto thee.
With gladness and rejoicing shall they be led:
They shall enter into the king's palace.
Instead of thy fathers shall be thy children,
Whom thou shalt make princes in all the earth.
I will make thy name to be remembered in all generations:
Therefore shall the peoples give thee thanks for ever and ever.

--_Psalm 45_.

{68}

GOD IS OUR REFUGE

God is our refuge and strength,
A very present help in trouble.
Therefore will we not fear, though the earth do change,
And though the mountains be moved in the heart of the seas;
Though the waters thereof roar and be troubled,
Though the mountains shake with the swelling thereof.
There is a river, the streams whereof make glad the city of God,
The holy place of the tabernacles of the Most High.
God is in the midst of her; she shall not be moved:
God shall help her, and that right early.
The nations raged, the kingdoms were moved:
He uttered his voice, the earth melted.
The Lord of hosts is with us;
The God of Jacob is our refuge.

Come, behold the works of the Lord,
What desolations he hath made in the earth.
He maketh wars to cease unto the end of the earth;
He breaketh the bow, and cutteth the spear in sunder;
He burneth the chariots in the fire.
Be still, and know that I am God:
I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.
The Lord of hosts is with us;
The God of Jacob is our refuge.
--_Psalm 46_.

{69}

A SONG OF VICTORY

O clap your hands, all ye peoples;
Shout unto God with the voice of triumph.
For the Lord Most High is terrible;
He is a great King over all the earth.
He shall subdue the peoples under us,
And the nations under our feet.
He shall choose our inheritance for us,
The excellency of Jacob whom he loved.
God is gone up with a shout,
The Lord with the sound of a trumpet.

Sing praises to God, sing praises.
Sing praises unto our King, sing praises.
For God is the King of all the earth:
Sing ye praises with understanding.
God reigneth over the nations:
God sitteth upon his holy throne.
The princes of the peoples are gathered together
To be the people of the God of Abraham:
For the shields of the earth belong unto God;
He is greatly exalted.
--_Psalm 47_.

{70}

A SONG OF MOUNT ZION

Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised,
In the city of our God, in his holy mountain.
Beautiful in elevation, the joy of the whole earth,
Is mount Zion, on the sides of the north,
The city of the great King.

We have thought on thy lovingkindness, O God,
In the midst of thy temple.
As is thy name, O God,
So is thy praise unto the ends of the earth:
Thy right hand is full of righteousness.
Let mount Zion be glad,
Let the daughters of Judah rejoice,
Because of thy judgments.
Walk about Zion, and go round about her:
Tell the towers thereof.
Mark ye well her bulwarks,
Consider her palaces;
That ye may tell it to the generation following.
For this God is our God for ever and ever:
He will be our guide even unto death.
--_Psalm 48:1, 2, 9-14_.

{71}{72}

SHEPHERD WITH HIS FLOCK.
Copyright by Underwood & Underwood and used by special permission.

This beautiful picture is typical of the Oriental country. The view is
the Scamander made famous by Homer, and the country is in the vicinity
of old Troy, mentioned in the New Testament and again brought to
notice by the conflicts of the great European war (1916).
[End illustration]

{73}

THE CATTLE UPON A THOUSAND HILLS ARE HIS