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 G.o.d!
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 gra.s.s, 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 pa.s.s.
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 pa.s.sed 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 G.o.d: 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 G.o.d, 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 G.o.d; 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}
[Ill.u.s.tration]
MOUNT HERMON
From a photograph belonging to the Forbes Library, Northampton, Ma.s.s., and used by special permission.
"Therefore do I remember thee from the land of Jordan, And the Hermons, from the hill Mizar."
[End ill.u.s.tration]
{61}
A SONG IN TIME OF TROUBLE
As the hart panteth after the water brooks, So panteth my soul after thee, O G.o.d.
My soul thirsteth for G.o.d, for the living G.o.d: When shall I come and appear before G.o.d?
My tears have been my meat day and night, While they continually say unto me, "Where is thy G.o.d?"
These things I remember, and pour out my soul within me, How I went with the throng, and led them to the house of G.o.d, With the voice of joy and praise, a mult.i.tude keeping holy-day.
Why art thou cast down, O my soul?
And why art thou disquieted within me?
Hope thou in G.o.d: for I shall yet praise him For the health of his countenance.