Ungodly. Those who refuse instruction, follow sin and delight in it, and reject the Saviour.

Trust in the Lord.-Trust-faith, belief. "In him will I trust." 2 Sam. xxii., 3; Prov. xxix., 5; Job xiii., 15; Is. xii., 2; Rom. iii., 28; v., 1; Gal. ii., 16; Acts xvi., 31.

For the ungodly-there are many sorrows.

For those who trust in the Lord-mercy shall compass them.
He who trusts in the Lord is the pious man.

Surrounded by mercy they cannot depart from God.
Surrounded by mercy no harm can come near them.

Thus divine walls of sure protection encompass those who trust in the Lord, and keep them safe on every side.

12. Be glad, O ye righteous, and rejoice in the Lord: and be joyful, all ye that are true of heart.

Righteous. These are believers, but does not imply that they are sinless. They are the penitent, the contrite, who confess their sins to God, and abhor and forsake them.

To rejoice is our duty; to murmur is rebellion. Are we forgiven? Is not that great cause for holy joy? Who are the righteous? They are naked sinners clothed with the robe of Christ's righteousness. This is not only a cause for rejoicing, but for never-ending joy.

1. Rejoice.

2. Ye righteous rejoice.

3. Rejoice in the Lord.

1. Be glad. 2. Rejoice. 3. Be joyful.

Three times does the Psalmist exhort to joy, but it is all to be in the Lord. St. Paul repeats the exhortation. Phil. iv., 4.

The very hills leap for gladness. (Ps. lxv., 12.) The heavens and the earth rejoice;" the "Lord shall rejoice in his works," and shall man maintain sullen ingratitude, for whom the Lord of Glory died?

Un-Righteousness-transgression, guilt; passing over a boundary.
Sin-missing a mark, not doing what is commanded.

Forgiven-taken away, borne away, carried away; expiated.

Covered as the water covered the Egyptians; as writing covered with wax. Impute-not chargeable because forgiven, or atoned, or paid for.

No guile-i.e., guileless, as Nathaniel (John i., 47.); truthful, open, sincere ; Mine eye--the eye expresses tender care; "mine eye pities." (Gen. xliv., 21.) Fr. guille, craft, duplicity.

"I will set mine eye upon him." Jer. xxiv., 6.

Bit and bridle-to restrain sinners rushing to destruction, as Pharaoh, Manasseh, Nebuchadnezzar, Herod—A.-S. bridl, curb, restraint.

PSALM XXXVIII.

This is the Third Psalm used for Morning Prayer on Ash Wednesday, and is the Third of the Penitential Psalms.

Title.-A Psalm of David. To bring to remembrance. It is neither the Psalmist nor the Church whom the poet wishes to put in remembrance, but God by whom he appears to have been forgotten.

Author.-David is said in the Title to be the Author of this Psalm, and there is no reason to doubt its genuineness. It bears a close resemblance to Psalms vi. and xxii., and the words-" to bring to remembrance"-are found in the Title of the lxx. Psalm.

Date. It would be impossible to assign this Psalm to any particular period in the life of David since it contains no definite allusion; and it would be unprofitable to guess the time from its contents. It may refer either to his own sorrows and sufferings, or be for God's children who are sick and slandered.

Subject.-The Psalmist wrote this Psalm with the avowed object of calling to remembrance—

1. His past life: i.e., past trials and past deliverance.

2. Sins of the past: as in the matter of Uriah and the numbering. 3. The afflictions of the past: dangers, bereavement, anger of God. 4. Enemies of the past: Saul, his son and subjects.

5. Mercies of the past: protected and kept in danger and trial.

Why appropriate to Ash Wednesday.

This is the Third Penitential Psalm, and contains David's confession and repentance. It was composed when he was under great mental anguish and bodily suffering. It is probable he was enduring a season of pain and sickness, bringing forcibly before him the sins and afflictions of his past life. Hence, in piteous supplications he pours forth his complaint before God, concealing nothing, minifying nothing. As an example of a penitent sinner at the throne of grace, this Psalm is peculiarly appropriate to Ash Wednesday, on which day the Church, in her services, especially calls upon her children to earnest self-examination, repentance, and humility.

Prophecies and References.

In v. 11, David's sufferings are a type of Christ in His agony.

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1. On the Cross He was wounded, He was broken, deserted by His friends and kinsmen who beheld Him afar off. Matt. xxvi., 56.

2. "They laid snares for me," v. 12; Matt. xxii., 15.

3. "Who doth not open his mouth," v. 13; Is. liii., Acts, viü., 32; Matt. xxvii., 14.

7;

4. "I put my trust," v. 15; Matt. xxvii., 43.

5.

Division.

"Hate me wrongfully," v. 19; John xv., 25; Luke xxi., 17; Matt. x., 22.

I. v. 1. Prays to be chastened, not destroyed.

v. 1-5. His own sins have provoked God's displeasure.

v. 2-8. Continues his long complaint.

II. v. 6-10. State of his soul under images of bodily disease. v. 11. Complains of his friends' unkindness.

III.—v. 12—20. The injuries of his enemies.

v. 21, 22. Prays for God's presence and help.

I.-1. Put me not to rebuke, O Lord, in thine anger: neither chasten me in thy heavy displeasure.

This petition is the same as in Psalm vi., 1.

It is David's cry of pity. Distressed in body and mind, he pleads with God not to condemn him as a judge, but to reprove him as a father. He had sinned, and therefore looked upon God as highly offended. This was the bitterest drop in the cup of his affliction, and should be ours.

2. For thine arrows stick fast in me: and thy hand presseth me.

sore.

"I will send all my arrows against them.' Deut. xxxii., 23.

"The arrows of the Almighty are in me, their poison drinketh up my spirit." Job vi., 4.

God's arrows of wrath are his judgments, his punishing hand. 1. "Thine arrows stick."

2. "Thy hand presseth.'

Thine arrows.-This was David's trouble, they were God's'arroWB. Thy hand." It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God." Heb. x., 31.

God's hand does not shoot His arrows at the sinner but at the sin. 3. There is no health in my flesh, because of thy displeasure : neither is there any rest in my bones, by reason of my sin. 1. "No soundness in my flesh."

2. "No rest in my bones."

The reason is "thy displeasure," and "my sins."

Without health and rest the strength of the body is soon gone. But when God, in anger, takes away health, and sin destroys rest, both mind and body endure sufferings keen and intense.

His body was afflicted, his heart was disquieted, and he acknowledges that sin is the sole cause. "God is angry with me," he says, because of my sin; I have brought it all upon myself, and my own iniquities do correct me."

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4. For my wickednesses are gone over my head: and are like a sore burden, too heavy for me to bear.

Sin is a burden: its power is a weight. Heb. xii., 1.
The saints complain of it. Rom. vii., 24.

God complains of it. Amos ii., 13.

Creation groans under it. Rom. viii., 21, 22.

My wickednesses: their number, their magnitude, and their violence. David's persistent sinning enclosed him like a flood; and as billows overflowing a drowning man. There is no refuge for the sinner in the sea of his sin, but in laying hold of that hand which raised the sinking S. Peter amid the waves of Galilee.

Heavier than I-i.e., they are too heavy for my powers of endurance.

5. My wounds stink and are corrupt: through my foolishness.

We need balm for our wounds, wisdom for our foolishness. But these are figurative expressions denoting the loathsomeness of sin. "And it shall be in the skin of the flesh like the plague of leprosy." Lev. xiii., 2-6.

Everyone is tainted with this "Plague of his own heart." 1 Kings viii., 38.

We brought it into the world with us.

Whatever the sinner

touches is infected. "The very ploughing of the wicked is sin." Prov. xxi., 4.

"Unto them that are defiled nothing is pure." Tit. i., 15.

Sins are wounds (Gen. ix., 23); a plague; a deadly poison (Rom. iii., 12); a debt (Matt. vi., 12); a burden (Heb. xii., 1); the sting of death. 1 Cor. xv., 56.

"Lord, if thou wilt, thou canst make me clean." S. Mark i., 40. Jesus answered, "I will, be thou clean."

v. 41.

"Thou art made whole, sin no more.' John v., 14.

II.-6. I am brought into so great trouble and misery: that I go mourning all the day long.

I am brought, &c.-i.e., I am beside myself, or crooked, bowed down. Thus sick in soul and body, he is bowed down and bent.

1. "I am troubled," marg. "wried "-i.e., distorted, writhed: as to "writhe with pain."

2. My wounds stink and are corrupt."

3. "I am troubled."

4.

I am bowed down greatly."

5. "I go mourning all the day long."

The soul of David was full of troubles, and his life drew nigh unto the grave. A sense of his sin brought him thus low.

The usual symptoms of mourning were weeping, fasting, rending clothes, sackcloth, ashes, or earth on the head.

For my loins are filled with a sore disease: and there is no whole part in my body.

Sore disease.-Loathsome disease. A hot, dry burning in the loins spread through his whole body.

Thus the evil was loathsome.

It was in his loins.

He was filled with it.

Thus was he humbled by a knowledge and remembrance of his sin; he who singly encountered a lion, a bear, and a giant; and never feared enemies however powerful, or numerous.

8. I am feeble and sore smitten: I have roared for the very disquietness of my heart.

"I am benumbed and sore crushed "—i.e., I am cold and rigid as one dead. Parched with heat, and numb with cold; a heat of fear, and a chill of horror, thus was the Psalmist tossed in mind and body. 1. "I am feeble."

2. "I am sore broken."

3. "I have roared."

I have roared-i.e., I howl for the groanings of my heart. whole creation groaneth;"

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"The

we ourselves groan,' as David did, because of sin. And all who would see their sin as David saw his, would be constrained to cry out for very disquietness of heart.

9. Lord, thou knowest all my desire: and my groaning is not hid from thee.

Our secret inward desires have a voice which God can hear. We cannot have a thought or wish but he knows it altogether. "Lord, all my desire is before thee," said David, as he laid his soul open before him. Since David knew well that God was omniscient, and could not be deceived, he would not venture to exaggerate his sufferrings although they may appear to us extreme, and even highly coloured. He who could measure exactly the truth of his complaint, knew the exact time to apply the remedy.

1. "My desire is known"

2. "My groaning is not hid”

to Thee.

from Thee.

God will understand the secret sighing of a broken heart, and is ever ready to send an answer of peace. Ps. cxlv. 19.

10. My heart panteth, my strength hath failed me: and the sight of mine eyes is gone from me.

1. "My heart panteth."

2. "My strength is failed."

3. "My sight is gone-i.e., those who were light to me.

He is distressed by the increased beating of his heart. This is caused by the enemies and faithless friends who assailed him. Thus,