Chapter LII: Preface (2)

God, even God, the Lord, hath spoken,
And called the earth from the rising of the sun unto the
going down thereof.
Out of Zion, the perfection of beauty,
God hath shined forth.
Our God shall come, and shall not keep silence:
A fire shall devour before him,
And it shall be very tempestuous round about him.
He shall call to the heavens above,
And to the earth, that he may judge his people:
Gather my saints together unto me;
Those that have made a covenant with me by sacrifice.
And the heavens shall declare his righteousness;
For God is judge himself.
Hear, O my people, and I will speak;
O Israel, and I will testify unto thee:
I am God, even thy God.
I will not reprove thee for thy sacrifices;
And thy burnt offerings are continually before me.
I will take no bullock out of thy house,
Nor he-goats out of thy folds.
For every beast of the forest is mine,
And the cattle upon a thousand hills. {74}
I know all the fowls of the mountains:
And the wild beasts of the field are mine.
If I were hungry, I would not tell thee:
For the world is mine, and the fulness thereof.
Will I eat the flesh of bulls,
Or drink the blood of goats?
Offer unto God the sacrifice of thanksgiving;
And pay thy vows unto the Most High:
And call upon me in the day of trouble;
I will deliver thee, and thou shalt glorify me.
--_Psalm 50:1-15_.

{75}

A PRAYER OF REPENTANCE

Have mercy upon me, O God, according to thy lovingkindness:
According to the multitude of thy tender mercies blot out
my transgressions.
Wash me thoroughly from mine iniquity,
And cleanse me from my sin.
For I acknowledge my transgressions:
And my sin is ever before me.
Against thee, thee only, have I sinned,
And done that which is evil in thy sight:
That thou mayest be justified when thou speakest,
And be clear when thou judgest.
Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean:
Wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.
Hide thy face from my sins,
And blot out all mine iniquities.
Create in me a clean heart, O God;
And renew a right spirit within me.
Cast me not away from thy presence;
And take not thy holy spirit from me.
Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation:
And uphold me with a free spirit.
Then will I teach transgressors thy ways;
And sinners shall be converted unto thee. {76}
O Lord, open thou my lips;
And my mouth shall shew forth thy praise.
For thou delightest not in sacrifice; else would I give it:
Thou hast no pleasure in burnt offering.
The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit:
A broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise.

--_Psalm 51:1-17_.

{77}

BE THOU EXALTED, O GOD, ABOVE THE HEAVENS

Be merciful unto me, O God, be merciful unto me;
For my soul taketh refuge in thee:
Yea, in the shadow of thy wings will I take refuge,
Until these calamities be overpast.
I will cry unto God Most High;
Unto God that performeth all things for me.
He shall send from heaven, and save me,
When he that would swallow me up reproacheth;
God shall send forth his mercy and his truth.
My soul is among lions;
I lie among them that are set on fire,
Even the sons of men, whose teeth are spears and arrows,
And their tongue a sharp sword.
Be thou exalted, O God, above the heavens;
Let thy glory be above all the earth.

They have prepared a net for my steps;
My soul is bowed down:
They have digged a pit before me;
They are fallen into the midst thereof themselves.
My heart is fixed, O God, my heart is fixed:
I will sing, yea, I will sing praises.
Awake up, my glory; awake, psaltery and harp:
I myself will awake right early. {78}
I will give thanks unto thee, O Lord, among the peoples:
I will sing praises unto thee among the nations.
For thy mercy is great unto the heavens,
And thy truth unto the skies.
Be thou exalted, O God, above the heavens;
Let thy glory be above all the earth.
--_Psalm 57_.

{79}

THE ROCK THAT IS HIGHER THAN I

Hear my cry, O God;
Attend unto my prayer.
From the end of the earth will I call unto thee, when my
heart is overwhelmed:
Lead me to the rock that is higher than I.
For thou hast been a refuge for me,
A strong tower from the enemy.
I will dwell in thy tabernacle for ever:
I will take refuge in the covert of thy wings.
My soul waiteth only upon God:
From him cometh my salvation.
He only is my rock and my salvation:
He is my high tower; I shall not be greatly moved.

My soul, wait thou only upon God;
For my expectation is from him.
He only is my rock and my salvation:
He is my high tower; I shall not be moved.
With God is my salvation and my glory:
The rock of my strength, and my refuge, is in God.

--_Psalms 61:1-4; 62:1, 2, 5-7_.

{80}

A SONG OF THANKSGIVING

Praise waiteth for thee, O God, in Zion:
And unto thee shall the vow be performed.
O thou that hearest prayer,
Unto thee shall all flesh come.
Iniquities prevail against me:
As for our transgressions, thou shalt purge them away.
Blessed is the man whom thou choosest,
and causest to approach unto thee,
That he may dwell in thy courts:
We shall be satisfied with the goodness of thy house,
The holy place of thy temple.
By terrible things thou wilt answer us in righteousness,
O God of our salvation;
Thou that art the confidence of all the ends of the earth,
And of them that are afar off upon the sea:
Which by his strength setteth fast the mountains;
Being girded about with might:
Which stilleth the roaring of the seas, the roaring of their waves,
And the tumult of the peoples.
They also that dwell in the uttermost parts are afraid at thy tokens:
Thou makest the outgoings of the morning and evening to rejoice. {81}
Thou visitest the earth, and waterest it,
Thou greatly enrichest it;
The river of God is full of water:
Thou providest them corn, when thou hast so prepared the earth.
Thou waterest her furrows abundantly;
Thou settlest the ridges thereof:
Thou makest it soft with showers;
Thou blessest the springing thereof.
Thou crownest the year with thy goodness;
And thy paths drop fatness.
They drop upon the pastures of the wilderness:
And the hills are girded with joy.
The pastures are clothed with flocks;
The valleys also are covered over with corn;
They shout for joy, they also sing.
--_Psalm 65_.

{82}

MAKE A JOYFUL NOISE UNTO THE LORD

Make a joyful noise unto God, all the earth:
Sing forth the glory of his name:
Make his praise glorious.
All the earth shall worship thee,
And shall sing unto thee;
They shall sing to thy name.
O bless our God, ye peoples,
And make the voice of his praise to be heard:
Which holdeth our soul in life,
And suffereth not our feet to be moved.
For thou, O God, hast proved us:
Thou hast tried us, as silver is tried.
Come, and hear, all ye that fear God,
And I will declare what he hath done for my soul.
I cried unto him with my mouth,
And he was extolled with my tongue.
If I regard iniquity in my heart,
The Lord will not hear:
But verily God hath heard;
He hath attended to the voice of my prayer.
Blessed be God,
Which hath not turned away my prayer, nor his mercy from me.

--_Psalm 66:1, 2, 4, 8-10, 16-20_.

{83}{84}

"The river of God is full of water."
[End illustration]

{85}

LET THE PEOPLES PRAISE THEE

God be merciful unto us, and bless us,
And cause his face to shine upon us;
That thy way may be known upon earth,
Thy saving health among all nations.
Let the peoples praise thee, O God;
Let all the peoples praise thee.
O let the nations be glad and sing for joy:
For thou shalt judge the peoples righteously,
And govern the nations upon earth.
Let the peoples praise thee, O God;
Let all the peoples praise thee.
The earth hath yielded her increase:
God, even our own God, shall bless us.
God shall bless us;
And all the ends of the earth shall fear him.
--_Psalm 67_.

{86}

A BATTLE HYMN FOR THE HOSTS OF THE LORD

Let God arise, let his enemies be scattered;
Let them also that hate him flee before him.
As smoke is driven away, so drive them away:
As wax melteth before the fire,
So let the wicked perish at the presence of God.
But let the righteous be glad; let them exult before God:
Yea, let them rejoice with gladness.
Sing unto God, sing praises to his name:
Cast up a highway for him that rideth through the deserts;
His name is the Lord; and exult ye before him.
A father of the fatherless, and a judge of the widows,
Is God in his holy habitation.
God setteth the solitary in families:
He bringeth out the prisoners into prosperity;
But the rebellious dwell in a parched land.

O God, when thou wentest forth before thy people,
When thou didst march through the wilderness;
The earth trembled,
The heavens also dropped rain at the presence of God:
Yon Sinai trembled at the presence of God, the God of Israel.
Thou, O God, didst send a plentiful rain,
Thou didst confirm thine inheritance, when it was weary.
Thy congregation dwelt therein:
Thou, O God, didst prepare of thy goodness for the poor.
The Lord giveth the word:
The women that publish the tidings are a great host.
Kings of armies flee, they flee;
And she that tarrieth at home divideth the spoil.
--_Psalm 68:1-12_.

{87}

O LORD, MAKE NO TARRYING!

Make haste, O God, to deliver me;
Make haste to help me, O Lord.
Let them be ashamed and confounded
That seek after my soul:
Let them be turned backward and brought to dishonour
That delight in my hurt.
Let them be turned back by reason of their shame
That say, "Aha! Aha!"
Let all those that seek thee rejoice and be glad in thee;
And let such as love thy salvation say continually,
"Let God be magnified."
But I am poor and needy;
Make haste unto me, O God:
Thou art my help and my deliverer;
O Lord, make no tarrying!
--_Psalm 70_.

{88}

THE RIGHTEOUS KING

He shall judge thy people with righteousness,
And thy poor with judgment.
The mountains shall bring peace to the people,
And the hills, in righteousness.
He shall judge the poor of the people,
He shall save the children of the needy,
And shall break in pieces the oppressor.
They shall fear thee while the sun endureth,
And so long as the moon, throughout all generations.
He shall come down like rain upon the mown grass:
As showers that water the earth.
In his days shall the righteous flourish;
And abundance of peace, till the moon be no more.
He shall have dominion also from sea to sea,
And from the River unto the ends of the earth.
They that dwell in the wilderness shall bow before him;
And his enemies shall lick the dust.
The kings of Tarshish and of the isles shall bring presents:
The kings of Sheba and Seba shall offer gifts.
Yea, all kings shall fall down before him:
All nations shall serve him.
For he shall deliver the needy when he crieth;
And the poor, that hath no helper.
He shall have pity on the poor and needy, {89}
And the souls of the needy he shall save.
He shall redeem their soul from oppression and violence;
And precious shall their blood be in his sight:
And they shall live; and to him shall be given of the gold of Sheba:
And men shall pray for him continually;
They shall bless him all the day long.
There shall be abundance 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.
His name shall endure for ever;
His name shall be continued as long as the sun:
And men shall be blessed in him;
All nations shall call him blessed.
Give the king thy judgments, O God,
And thy righteousness unto the king's son.
Blessed be the Lord God, the God of Israel,
Who only doeth wondrous things:
And blessed be his glorious name for ever;
And let the whole earth be filled with his glory.
Amen, and Amen.
--_Psalm 72:2-19_.

{90}

THY WAY WAS IN THE SEA

I will make mention of the deeds of the Lord;
For I will remember thy wonders of old.
I will meditate also upon all thy work,
And muse on thy doings.

Thy way, O God, is in the sanctuary:
Who is a great god like unto God?
Thou art the God that doest wonders:
Thou hast made known thy strength among the peoples.
Thou hast with thine arm redeemed thy people,
The sons of Jacob and Joseph.
The waters saw thee, O God;
The waters saw thee, they were afraid:
The depths also trembled.
The clouds poured out water;
The skies sent out a sound:
Thine arrows also went abroad.
The voice of thy thunder was in the whirlwind;
The lightnings lightened the world:
The earth trembled and shook.
Thy way was in the sea,
And thy paths in the great waters,
And thy footsteps were not known.
Thou leddest thy people like a flock,
By the hand of Moses and Aaron.
--_Psalm 77:11-20_.

{91}

GIVE EAR, O SHEPHERD OF ISRAEL

Give ear, O Shepherd of Israel,
Thou that leadest Joseph like a flock;
Thou that sittest upon the cherubim, shine forth.
Before Ephraim and Benjamin and Manasseh, stir up thy might,
And come to save us.
Turn us again, O God;
And cause thy face to shine, and we shall be saved.

O Lord God of hosts,
How long wilt thou be angry against the prayer of thy people?
Thou hast fed them with the bread of tears,
And given them tears to drink in large measure.
Thou makest us a strife unto our neighbours:
And our enemies laugh among themselves.
Turn us again, O God of hosts;
And cause thy face to shine, and we shall be saved.

Thou broughtest a vine out of Egypt:
Thou didst drive out the nations, and plantedst it.
Thou preparedst room before it,
And it took deep root, and filled the land.
The mountains were covered with the shadow of it, {92}
And the boughs thereof were like cedars of God.
She sent out her branches unto the sea,
And her shoots unto the River.
Why hast thou broken down her fences,
So that all they which pass by the way do pluck her?
The boar out of the wood doth ravage it,
And the wild beasts of the field feed on it.
Turn again, we beseech thee, O God of hosts:
Look down from heaven, and behold, and visit this vine,
And the stock which thy right hand hath planted,
And the branch that thou madest strong for thyself.
It is burned with fire, it is cut down:
They perish at the rebuke of thy countenance.
Let thy hand be upon the man of thy right hand,
Upon the son of man whom thou madest strong for thyself.
So shall we not go back from thee:
Quicken thou us, and we will call upon thy name.
Turn us again, O Lord God of hosts;
Cause thy face to shine, and we shall be saved.
--_Psalm 80_.

{93}{94}

BEDOUINS WITH CAMELS IN THE PLAIN NEAR MOUNT SINAI.
Copyright by Underwood & Underwood and used by special permission.

"We arrived at a certain place where the mountains betwixt which we
were traveling opened out into a huge, wide, and very fair valley,
and beyond this valley appeared the Mount of God, Sinai. This is a
very extensive valley, lying under the side of the Mount of God.
This is the huge and wide valley in which the children of Israel
sojourned in those days, when Saint Moses ascended into the Mount of
God and was there forty days and forty nights. This is the valley in
which the calf was made; the place is shown to this day, for a great
stone stands fixed to the very spot. As you go round about the
mountain it appears to be one, though when you get within it there
are many; but the whole is called the Mount of God, especially the
one on whose summit is the place where the glory of God descended,
as it is written; and it is in the middle of them all; and while all
these mountains that are in the group are more glorious than I had
ever expected to see, yet this one in the middle is so much higher
than all the others, that when we approached it, straightway all
these mountains which had appeared to us so glorious seemed but as
little hills."--From the very interesting Diary of Saint Sylvia of
Aquitaine, who about the year 385 made a pilgrimage to the East.
This diary, which is one of the earliest "travel books" ever
written, has only recently been discovered.

{95}

THE HOUSE OF THE LORD

How amiable are thy tabernacles, O Lord of hosts!
My soul longeth, yea, even fainteth for the courts of the Lord;
My heart and my flesh cry out unto the living God.
Yea, the sparrow hath found her an house,
And the swallow a nest for herself, where she may lay her young,
Even thine altars, O Lord of hosts,
My King, and my God.
Blessed are they that dwell in thy house:
They will be still praising thee.
Blessed is the man whose strength is in thee;
In whose heart are the high ways to Zion.
Passing through the valley of Weeping they make it a place of springs;
Yea, the early rain covereth it with blessings.
They go from strength to strength,
Everyone of them appeareth before God in Zion.

O Lord God of hosts, hear my prayer:
Give ear, O God of Jacob.
Behold, O God our shield,
And look upon the face of thine anointed.
For a day in thy courts is better than a thousand. {96}
I had rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God,
Than to dwell in the tents of wickedness.
For the Lord God is a sun and a shield:
The Lord will give grace and glory:
No good thing will he withhold from them that walk uprightly.
O Lord of hosts,
Blessed is the man that trusteth in thee.
--_Psalm 84_.

{97}

A PLEA FOR MERCY

Lord, thou hast been favourable unto thy land:
Thou hast brought back the captivity of Jacob.
Thou hast forgiven the iniquity of thy people,
Thou hast covered all their sin.
Thou hast taken away all thy wrath:
Thou hast turned thyself from the fierceness of thine anger.
Turn us, O God of our salvation,
And cause thine indignation toward us to cease.
Wilt thou be angry with us for ever?
Wilt thou draw out thine anger to all generations?
Wilt thou not quicken us again:
That thy people may rejoice in thee?
Shew us thy mercy, O Lord,
And grant us thy salvation.

I will hear what God the Lord will speak:
For he will speak peace unto his people, and to his saints:
But let them not turn again to folly.
Surely his salvation is nigh them that fear him;
That glory may dwell in our land.
Mercy and truth are met together;
Righteousness and peace have kissed each other.
Truth springeth out of the earth;
And righteousness hath looked down from heaven.
Yea, the Lord shall give that which is good;
And our land shall yield her increase.
Righteousness shall go before him;
And shall make his footsteps a way to walk in.
--_Psalm 85_.

{98}

THE CRY OF THE NEEDY

Bow down thine ear, O Lord, and answer me;
For I am poor and needy.
Preserve my soul; for I am godly:
O thou my God, save thy servant that trusteth in thee.
Be merciful unto me, O Lord;
For unto thee do I cry all the day long.
Rejoice the soul of thy servant;
For unto thee, O Lord, do I lift up my soul.
For thou, Lord, art good, and ready to forgive,
And plenteous in mercy unto all them that call upon thee.
Give ear, O Lord, unto my prayer;
And hearken unto the voice of my supplications.
In the day of my trouble I will call upon thee;
For thou wilt answer me.
There is none like unto thee among the gods, O Lord;
Neither are there any works like unto thy works.
All nations whom thou hast made shall come and worship before thee, O Lord;
And they shall glorify thy name.
For thou art great, and doest wondrous things:
Thou art God alone.
Teach me thy way, O Lord; I will walk in thy truth:
Unite my heart to fear thy name.
I will praise thee, O Lord my God, with my whole heart; {99}
And I will glorify thy name for evermore.
For great is thy mercy toward me;
And thou hast delivered my soul from the lowest pit.
O God, the proud are risen up against me,
And the congregation of violent men have sought after my soul,
And have not set thee before them.
But thou, O Lord, art a God full of compassion and gracious,
Slow to anger, and plenteous in mercy and truth.
O turn unto me, and have mercy upon me;
Give thy strength unto thy servant,
And save the son of thine handmaid.
Shew me a token for good;
That they which hate me may see it, and be ashamed,
Because thou, Lord, hast helped me, and comforted me.
--_Psalm 86_.

{100}

THE PRAISE OF ZION

His foundation is in the holy mountains.
The Lord loveth the gates of Zion
More than all the dwellings of Jacob.
Glorious things are spoken of thee,
O city of God.
I will make mention of Rahab and Babylon as among them that know me:
Behold, Philistia, and Tyre, with Ethiopia:
This one was born there.
Yea, of Zion it shall be said,
This one and that one was born in her;
And the Most High himself will establish her.
The Lord will count, when he writeth up the peoples,
This one was born there.
They that sing as well as they that dance shall say,
All my fountains are in thee.
--_Psalm 87_.

{101}{102}

MOUNT TABOR

From a photograph in the possession of Rev. Louis F. Giroux of the
American International College, Springfield, Mass., and used by his
kind permission.

"Esdraelon's plain still boasts its myrtle bowers,
Golden with corn, or carpeted with flowers:
How like a sainted mind that seeks the skies,
Crowned with a glory, Tabor's tops arise.
Jasmine's white bells and henna's yellow bloom,
Breathe out their sweets till rocks e'en drink perfume;
In viewless clouds those odors mount the air,
And Tabor stands like some rich altar there."
--_Nicolas Michell_

{103}

THE HEAVENS AND THE EARTH ARE THINE

I will sing of the mercies of the Lord for ever:
With my mouth will I make known thy faithfulness to all generations.
For I have said, Mercy shall be built up for ever;
Thy faithfulness shalt thou establish in the very heavens.

And the heavens shall praise thy wonders, O Lord;
Thy faithfulness also in the assembly of the holy ones.
For who in the skies can be compared unto the Lord?
Who among the sons of the mighty is like unto the Lord?
Thou rulest the pride of the sea:
When the waves thereof arise, thou stillest them.
The heavens are thine, the earth also is thine:
The world and the fulness thereof, thou hast founded them.
The north and the south, thou hast created them:
Tabor and Hermon rejoice in thy name.
Thou hast a mighty arm:
Strong is thy hand, and high is thy right hand.
Righteousness and judgment are the foundation of thy throne:
Mercy and truth go before thy face.
Blessed is the people that know the joyful sound:
They walk, O Lord, in the light of thy countenance.
In thy name do they rejoice all the day:
And in thy righteousness are they exalted.
For thou art the glory of their strength:
And in thy favour our horn shall be exalted.
For our shield belongeth unto the Lord;
And our king to the Holy One of Israel.

--_Psalm 89:1, 2, 5, 6, 9, 11-18_.

{104}

AS A WATCH IN THE NIGHT

Lord, thou hast been our dwelling place
In all generations.
Before the mountains were brought forth,
Or ever thou hadst formed the earth and the world,
Even from everlasting to everlasting, thou art God.
Thou turnest man to destruction;
And sayest, Return, ye children of men.
For a thousand years in thy sight
Are but as yesterday when it is past,
And as a watch in the night.
Thou carriest them away as with a flood; they are as a sleep:
In the morning they are like grass which groweth up.
In the morning it flourisheth, and groweth up;
In the evening it is cut down, and withereth.
For we are consumed in thine anger,
And in thy wrath are we troubled.
Thou hast set our iniquities before thee,
Our secret sins in the light of thy countenance.
For all our days are passed away in thy wrath:
We bring our years to an end as a tale that is told.
The days of our years are threescore years and ten,
Or even by reason of strength fourscore years;
Yet is their pride but labour and sorrow; {105}
For it is soon gone, and we fly away.
Who knoweth the power of thine anger,
And thy wrath according to the fear that is due unto thee?
So teach us to number our days,
That we may get us an heart of wisdom.
Return, O Lord; how long?
And let it repent thee concerning thy servants.
O satisfy us in the morning with thy mercy;
That we may rejoice and be glad all our days.
Make us glad according to the days wherein thou hast afflicted us,
And the years wherein we have seen evil.
Let thy work appear unto thy servants,
And thy glory upon their children.
And let the beauty of the Lord our God be upon us:
And establish thou the work of our hands upon us;
Yea, the work of our hands establish thou it.
--_Psalm 90_.

{106}

THE LORD IS OUR REFUGE

He that dwelleth in the secret place of the Most High
Shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.
I will say of the Lord, He is my refuge and my fortress;
My God, in whom I trust.
For he shall deliver thee from the snare of the fowler,
And from the noisome pestilence.
He shall cover thee with his pinions,
And under his wings shalt thou take refuge:
His truth is a shield and a buckler.
Thou shalt not be afraid for the terror by night,
Nor for the arrow that flieth by day;
For the pestilence that walketh in darkness,
Nor for the destruction that wasteth at noonday.
A thousand shall fall at thy side,
And ten thousand at thy right hand;
But it shall not come nigh thee.
Only with thine eyes shalt thou behold,
And see the reward of the wicked.
For thou, O Lord, art my refuge!
Thou hast made the Most High thy habitation;
There shall no evil befall thee,
Neither shall any plague come nigh thy tent.
For he shall give his angels charge over thee,
To keep thee in all thy ways. {107}
They shall bear thee up in their hands,
Lest thou dash thy foot against a stone.
Thou shalt tread upon the lion and adder:
The young lion and the serpent shalt thou trample under feet.
Because he hath set his love upon me, therefore will I deliver him:
I will set him on high, because he hath known my name.
He shall call upon me, and I will answer him;
I will be with him in trouble:
I will deliver him, and honour him.
With long life will I satisfy him,
And shew him my salvation.
--_Psalm 91_.

{108}

THE SONG OF THE FLOODS

The Lord reigneth; he is clothed with majesty;
The Lord is clothed with strength wherewith he hath girded himself:
The world also is established, that it cannot be moved.
Thy throne is established of old:
Thou art from everlasting.
The floods have lifted up, O Lord,
The floods have lifted up their voice;
The floods lift up their waves.
Above the voices of many waters,
The mighty breakers of the sea,
The Lord on high is mighty.
Thy testimonies are very sure:
Holiness becometh thine house,
O Lord, for evermore.
--_Psalm 93_.

{109}{110}

ON THE COAST OF PALESTINE AT SUNSET.
From a photograph taken by Mrs. Fontaine Meriwether,
and used by her kind permission.

"The sea is his and he made it,
And his hands formed the dry land."
[End illustration]

{111}

THE SEA AND THE LAND ARE HIS

O come, let us sing unto the Lord:
Let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation.
Let us come before his presence with thanksgiving,
Let us make a joyful noise unto him with psalms.
For the Lord is a great God,
And a great King above all gods.
In his hand are the deep places of the earth;
The heights of the mountains are his also.
The sea is his, and he made it;
And his hands formed the dry land.
O come, let us worship and bow down;
Let us kneel before the Lord our Maker:
For he is our God,
And we are the people of his pasture, and the sheep of his hand.

--_Psalm 95:1-7_.

{112}

O SING UNTO THE LORD A NEW SONG

O sing unto the Lord a new song:
Sing unto the Lord, all the earth.
Sing unto the Lord, bless his name;
Shew forth his salvation from day to day.
Declare his glory among the nations,
His marvellous works among all the peoples.
For great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised:
He is to be feared above all gods.
For all the gods of the peoples are idols:
But the Lord made the heavens.
Honour and majesty are before him:
Strength and beauty are in his sanctuary.
Give unto the Lord, ye kindreds of the peoples,
Give unto the Lord glory and strength.
Give unto the Lord the glory due unto his name:
Bring an offering, and come into his courts.
O worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness:
Tremble before him, all the earth.
Say among the nations, The Lord reigneth:
The world also is established that it cannot be moved:
He shall judge the peoples with equity.
Let the heavens be glad, and let the earth rejoice;
Let the sea roar, and the fulness thereof;
Let the field exult, and all that is therein;
Then shall all the trees of the wood sing for joy
Before the Lord, for he cometh;
For he cometh to judge the earth:
He shall judge the world with righteousness,
And the peoples with his truth.
--_Psalm 96_.

{113}

THE LORD REIGNETH

The Lord reigneth; let the earth rejoice;
Let the multitude of isles be glad.
Clouds and darkness are round about him:
Righteousness and judgment are the foundation of his throne.
A fire goeth before him,
And burneth up his adversaries round about.
His lightnings lightened the world:
The earth saw, and trembled.
The hills melted like wax at the presence of the Lord,
At the presence of the Lord of the whole earth.
The heavens declare his righteousness,
And all the peoples have seen his glory.
Ashamed be all they that serve graven images,
That boast themselves of idols:
Worship him, all ye gods.
Zion heard and was glad,
And the daughters of Judah rejoiced;
Because of thy judgments, O Lord.
For thou, Lord, art most high above all the earth:
Thou art exalted far above all gods.
O ye that love the Lord, hate evil:
He preserveth the souls of his saints;
He delivereth them out of the hand of the wicked.
Light is sown for the righteous,
And gladness for the upright in heart.
Be glad in the Lord, ye righteous;
And give thanks to his holy name.
--_Psalm 97_.

{114}

LET THE SEA ROAR

O sing unto the Lord a new song;
For he hath done marvellous things:
His right hand, and his holy arm, hath wrought salvation for him.
The Lord hath made known his salvation:
His righteousness hath he openly shewed in the sight of the nations.
He hath remembered his mercy and his faithfulness toward
the house of Israel:
All the ends of the earth have seen the salvation of our God.
Make a joyful noise unto the Lord, all the earth:
Break forth and sing for joy, yea, sing praises.
Sing praises unto the Lord with the harp;
With the harp and the voice of melody.
With trumpets and sound of cornet
Make a joyful noise before the King, the Lord.
Let the sea roar, and the fulness thereof;
The world, and they that dwell therein;
Let the floods clap their hands;
Let the hills sing for joy together
Before the Lord, for he cometh to judge the earth:
He shall judge the world with righteousness,
And the peoples with equity.
--_Psalm 98_.

{115}

HOLY IS THE LORD

The Lord reigneth; let the peoples tremble:
He sitteth above the cherubim; let the earth be moved.
The Lord is great in Zion;
And he is high above all the peoples.
Let them praise thy great and terrible name:
Holy is he.

The king's strength also loveth justice;
Thou dost establish equity;
Thou executest justice and righteousness in Jacob.
Exalt ye the Lord our God,
And worship at his footstool:
Holy is he.

Moses and Aaron among his priests,
And Samuel among them that call upon his name;
They called upon the Lord, and he answereth them.
He spake unto them in the pillar of cloud:
They kept his testimonies,
And the statute that he gave them.
Thou answeredst them, O Lord our God:
Thou wast a God that forgavest them,
Though thou tookest vengeance of their doings.
Exalt ye the Lord our God,
And worship at his holy hill;
For the Lord our God is holy.
--_Psalm 99_.

{116}

THANKSGIVING AND PRAISE

Make a joyful noise unto the Lord, all ye lands.
Serve the Lord with gladness:
Come before his presence with singing.
Know ye that the Lord he is God:
It is he that hath made us, and we are his;
We are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.
Enter into his gates with thanksgiving,
And into his courts with praise:
Give thanks unto him, and bless his name.
For the Lord is good; his mercy endureth for ever;
And his faithfulness unto all generations.
--_Psalm 100_.

{117}

GOD IS UNCHANGEABLE

I said, O my God, take me not away in the midst of my days:
Thy years are throughout all generations.
Of old hast thou laid the foundation of the earth;
And the heavens are the work of thy hands.
They shall perish, but thou shalt endure:
Yea, all of them shall wax old like a garment;
As a vesture shalt thou change them, and they shall be changed:
But thou art the same,
And thy years shall have no end.
--_Psalm 102:24-27_.

{118}

OUR FATHER

Bless the Lord, O my soul;
And all that is within me, bless his holy name.
Bless the Lord, O my soul,
And forget not all his benefits:
Who forgiveth all thine iniquities:
Who healeth all thy diseases;
Who redeemeth thy life from destruction;
Who crowneth thee with lovingkindness and tender mercies:
Who satisfieth thy mouth with good things;
So that thy youth is renewed like the eagle.
The Lord executeth righteous acts,
And judgments for all that are oppressed.
He made known his ways unto Moses,
His doings unto the children of Israel.
The Lord is full of compassion and gracious,
Slow to anger, and plenteous in mercy.
He will not always chide;
Neither will he keep his anger for ever.
He hath not dealt with us after our sins,
Nor rewarded us after our iniquities.
For as the heaven is high above the earth,
So great is his mercy toward them that fear him.
As far as the east is from the west, {119}
So far hath he removed our transgressions from us.
Like as a father pitieth his children,
So the Lord pitieth them that fear him.
For he knoweth our frame;
He remembereth that we are dust.
As for man, his days are as grass;
As a flower of the field, so he flourisheth.
For the wind passeth over it, and it is gone;
And the place thereof shall know it no more.
But the mercy of the Lord is from everlasting
to everlasting upon them that fear him,
And his righteousness unto children's children;
To such as keep his covenant,
And to those that remember his precepts to do them.
The Lord hath established his throne in the heavens;
And his kingdom ruleth over all.
Bless the Lord, ye angels of his:
Ye mighty in strength, that fulfil his word,
Hearkening unto the voice of his word.
Bless the Lord, all ye his hosts;
Ye ministers of his, that do his pleasure.
Bless the Lord, all ye his works,
In all places of his dominion:
Bless the Lord, O my soul.
--_Psalm 108_.

{120}

GOD THE CREATOR

Bless the Lord, O my soul.
O Lord my God, thou art very great;
Thou art clothed with honour and majesty.
Who coverest thyself with light as with a garment;
Who stretchest out the heavens like a curtain:
Who layeth the beams of his chambers in the waters;
Who maketh the clouds his chariot;
Who walketh upon the wings of the wind:
Who maketh winds his messengers;
His ministers a flaming fire:
Who laid the foundations of the earth,
That it should not be moved for ever.
Thou coveredst it with the deep as with a vesture;
The waters stood above the mountains.
At thy rebuke they fled;
At the voice of thy thunder they hasted away;
They went up by the mountains, they went down by the valleys,
Unto the place which thou hadst founded for them.
Thou hast set a bound that they may not pass over;
That they turn not again to cover the earth.
He sendeth forth springs into the valleys;
They run among the mountains:
They give drink to every beast of the field; {121}
The wild asses quench their thirst.
By them the birds of the heaven have their habitation,
They sing among the branches.
He watereth the mountains from his chambers:
The earth is satisfied with the fruit of thy works.
He causeth the grass to grow for the cattle,
And herb for the service of man;
That he may bring forth food out of the earth:
And wine that maketh glad the heart of man,
And oil to make his face to shine,
And bread that strengtheneth man's heart.
The trees of the Lord are satisfied;
The cedars of Lebanon, which he hath planted;
Where the birds make their nests:
As for the stork, the fir trees are her house.
The high mountains are for the wild goats;
The rocks are a refuge for the conies.
He appointed the moon for seasons:
The sun knoweth his going down.
Thou makest darkness, and it is night;
Wherein all the beasts of the forest do creep forth.
The young lions roar after their prey,
And seek their meat from God.
The sun ariseth, they get them away,
And lay them down in their dens.
Man goeth forth unto his work
And to his labour until the evening.
O Lord, how manifold are thy works!
In wisdom hast thou made them all: {122}
The earth is full of thy riches.
Yonder is the sea, great and wide,
Wherein are things creeping innumerable,
Both small and great beasts.
There go the ships;
There is leviathan, whom thou hast formed to take his pastime therein.
These wait all upon thee,
That thou mayest give them their meat in due season.
That thou givest unto them they gather;
Thou openest thine hand, they are satisfied with good.
Thou hidest thy face, they are troubled;
Thou takest away their breath, they die,
And return to their dust.
Thou sendest forth thy spirit, they are created;
And thou renewest the face of the ground.
Let the glory of the Lord endure for ever;
Let the Lord rejoice in his works:
Who looketh on the earth, and it trembleth;
He toucheth the mountains, and they smoke.
I will sing unto the Lord as long as I live:
I will sing praise to my God while I have any being.
Let my meditation be sweet unto him:
I will rejoice in the Lord.
Let sinners be consumed out of the earth,
And let the wicked be no more.
Bless the Lord, O my soul.
Praise ye the Lord.
--_Psalm 104_.

{123}

HE HATH NOT DEALT SO WITH ANY NATION

Oh give thanks unto the Lord, call upon his name;
Make known among the peoples his doings.
Sing unto him, sing praises unto him;
Talk ye of all his marvellous works.
Glory ye in his holy name:
Let the heart of them rejoice that seek the Lord.
Seek ye the Lord and his strength;
Seek his face evermore.
Remember his marvellous works that he hath done,
His wonders, and the judgments of his mouth,
O ye children of Abraham his servant,
Ye children of Jacob, his chosen ones.
He is the Lord our God:
His judgments are in all the earth.
He hath remembered his covenant for ever,
The word which he commanded to a thousand generations,
The covenant which he made with Abraham,
And his oath unto Isaac,
And confirmed the same unto Jacob for a statute,
To Israel for an everlasting covenant,
Saying, "Unto thee will I give the land of Canaan,
The lot of your inheritance,"
When they were but a few men in number,
Yea, very few, and sojourners in it. {124}
And they went about from nation to nation,
From one kingdom to another people.
He suffered no man to do them wrong;
Yea, he reproved kings for their sakes,
Saying, "Touch not mine anointed ones,
And do my prophets no harm."
And he called for a famine upon the land;
He brake the whole staff of bread.
He sent a man before them;
Joseph was sold for a servant:
His feet they hurt with fetters;
He was laid in chains of iron,
Until the time that his word came to pass,
The word of the Lord tried him.
The king sent and loosed him;
Even the ruler of peoples, and let him go free.
He made him lord of his house,
And ruler of all his substance;
To bind his princes at his pleasure,
And teach his elders wisdom.
Israel also came into Egypt;
And Jacob sojourned in the land of Ham.
And he increased his people greatly,
And made them stronger than their adversaries.
He turned their heart to hate his people,
To deal subtilly with his servants.
He sent Moses his servant,
And Aaron whom he had chosen.
They set among them his signs, {125}
And wonders in the land of Ham.
He sent darkness, and made it dark;
And they rebelled not against his words.
He turned their waters into blood,
And slew their fish.
Their land swarmed with frogs,
In the chambers of their kings.
He spake, and there came swarms of flies,
And lice in all their borders.
He gave them hail for rain,
And flaming fire in their land.
He smote their vines also and their fig trees;
And brake the trees of their borders.
He spake, and the locust came,
And the cankerworm, and that without number,
And did eat up every herb in their land,
And did eat up the fruit of their ground.
He smote also all the firstborn in their land,
The chief of all their strength.
And he brought them forth with silver and gold:
And there was not one feeble person among his tribes,
Egypt was glad when they departed;
For the fear of them had fallen upon them.
He spread a cloud for a covering;
And fire to give light in the night.
They asked, and he brought quails,
And satisfied them with the bread of heaven.
He opened the rock, and waters gushed out;
They ran in the dry places like a river.
For he remembered his holy word. {126}
And Abraham his servant.
And he brought forth his people with joy,
And his chosen with singing.
And he gave them the lands of the nations;
And they took the labour of the peoples in possession:
That they might keep his statutes,
And observe his laws.
Praise ye the Lord.

Praise ye the Lord.
O give thanks unto the Lord; for he is good:
For his mercy endureth for ever.
Who can utter the mighty acts of the Lord,
Or shew forth all his praise?
Blessed are they that keep judgment,
And he that doeth righteousness at all times.
Remember me, O Lord, with the favour that thou bearest unto thy people;
O visit me with thy salvation:
That I may see the prosperity of thy chosen,
That I may rejoice in the gladness of thy nation,
That I may glory with thine inheritance.

We have sinned with our fathers,
We have committed iniquity, we have done wickedly.
Our fathers understood not thy wonders in Egypt;
They remembered not the multitude of thy mercies;
But were rebellious at the sea, even at the Red Sea.
Nevertheless he saved them for his name's sake,
That he might make his mighty power to be known.
He rebuked the Red Sea also, and it was dried up: {127}
So he led them through the depths, as through a wilderness.
And he saved them from the hand of him that hated them,
And redeemed them from the hand of the enemy.
And the waters covered their adversaries:
There was not one of them left.
Then believed they his words;
They sang his praise.
They soon forgot his works;
They waited not for his counsel:
But lusted exceedingly in the wilderness,
And tempted God in the desert.
And he gave them their request;
But sent leanness into their soul.
They envied Moses also in the camp,
And Aaron the saint of the Lord.
The earth opened and swallowed up Dathan,
And covered the company of Abiram.
And a fire was kindled in their company;
The flame burned up the wicked.
They made a calf in Horeb,
And worshipped a molten image.
Thus they changed their glory
For the likeness of an ox that eateth grass.
They forgot God their saviour,
Which had done great things in Egypt;
Wondrous works in the land of Ham,
And terrible things by the Red Sea.
Therefore he said that he would destroy them,
Had not Moses his chosen stood before him in the breach,
To turn away his wrath, lest he should destroy them. {128}
Yea, they despised the pleasant land,
They believed not his word;
But murmured in their tents,
And hearkened not unto the voice of the Lord.
Therefore he lifted up his hand unto them,
That he would overthrow them in the wilderness:
And that he would overthrow them among the nations,
And scatter them in the lands.
They joined themselves also unto Baal-peor,
And ate the sacrifices of the dead.
Thus they provoked him to anger with their doings;
And the plague broke in upon them.
Then stood up Phinehas, and executed judgment:
And so the plague was stayed.
And that was counted unto him for righteousness,
Unto all generations for evermore.
They angered him also at the waters of Meribah,
So that it went ill with Moses for their sakes:
Because they were rebellious against his spirit,
And he spake unadvisedly with his lips.
They did not destroy the peoples,
As the Lord commanded them;
But mingled themselves with the nations,
And learned their works:
And they served their idols;
Which became a snare unto them:
Yea, they sacrificed their sons and their daughters unto demons,
And shed innocent blood, even the blood of
their sons and of their daughters, {129}
Whom they sacrificed unto the idols of Canaan;
And the land was polluted with blood.
Thus were they defiled with their works,
And did very evil in their doings.
Therefore was the wrath of the Lord kindled against this people,
And he abhorred his inheritance.
And he gave them into the hand of the nations;
And they that hated them ruled over them.
Their enemies also oppressed them,
And they were brought into subjection under their hand.
Many times did he deliver them;
But they were rebellious in their counsel,
And were brought low in their iniquity.
Nevertheless he regarded their distress,
When he heard their cry:
And he remembered for them his covenant,
And repented according to the multitude of his lovingkindnesses.
He made them also to be pitied
Of all those that carried them captive.

Save us, O Lord our God,
And gather us from among the nations,
To give thanks unto thy holy name,
And to triumph in thy praise.

Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel,
From everlasting even to everlasting.
And let all the people say, Amen.
Praise ye the Lord.
--_Psalms 105, 106_.

{130}

HIS MERCY ENDURETH FOREVER

O give thanks unto the Lord; for he is good:
For his mercy endureth for ever.
Let the redeemed of the Lord say so,
Whom he hath redeemed from the hand of the adversary;
And gathered them out of the lands,
From the east and from the west,
From the north and from the south.

They wandered in the wilderness in a desert way;
They found no city of habitation.
Hungry and thirsty,
Their soul fainted in them.
Then they cried unto the Lord in their trouble,
And he delivered them out of their distresses.
He led them also by a straight way,
That they might go to a city of habitation.
Oh that men would praise the Lord for his goodness,
And for his wonderful works to the children of men!
For he satisfieth the longing soul,
And the hungry soul he filleth with good.

Such as sat in darkness and in the shadow of death,
Being bound in affliction and iron;
Because they rebelled against the words of God,
And contemned the counsel of the Most High:
Therefore he brought down their heart with labour; {131}
They fell down, and there was none to help.
Then they cried unto the Lord in their trouble,
And he saved them out of their distresses.
He brought them out of darkness and the shadow of death,
And brake their bands in sunder.
Oh that men would praise the Lord for his goodness,
And for his wonderful works to the children of men!
For he hath broken the gates of brass,
And cut the bars of iron in sunder.

Fools because of their transgression,
And because of their iniquities, are afflicted.
Their soul abhorreth all manner of meat;
And they draw near unto the gates of death.
Then they cry unto the Lord in their trouble,
And he saveth them out of their distresses.
He sendeth his word, and healeth them,
And delivereth them from their destructions.
Oh that men would praise the Lord for his goodness,
And for his wonderful works to the children of men!
And let them offer the sacrifices of thanksgiving,
And declare his works with singing.
They that go down to the sea in ships,
That do business in great waters;
These see the works of the Lord,
And his wonders in the deep.
For he commandeth, and raiseth the stormy wind,
Which lifteth up the waves thereof.
They mount up to the heaven, they go down again to the depths: {132}
Their soul melteth away because of trouble.
They reel to and fro, and stagger like a drunken man,
And are at their wits' end.
Then they cry unto the Lord in their trouble,
And he bringeth them out of their distresses.
He maketh the storm a calm,
So that the waves thereof are still.
Then are they glad because they be quiet;
So he bringeth them unto the haven where they would be.
Oh that men would praise the Lord for his goodness,
And for his wonderful works to the children of men!
Let them exalt him also in the assembly of the people,
And praise him in the seat of the elders.