Who lives, that can the stroke of death defend; Yet, O my pensive soul, praise thou the Lord. THOU through all ages art our God; Or thence the mountains took their birth. Yet man, who to destruction falls, Lost in a swift impetuous stream, So cast into consuming fire, In thy fierce anger we expire. Our darkness yielding to thy light, We all our days in sorrow spend, And who beyond that measure strains, When once we're taught to count our days, Our hearts with wisdom we shall raise; M Return, O Lord, lo! we repent, Blest God, thy sun of mercy raise, Thy wonders to thy servants show, And with its light our ways direct. SIR JOHN DENHAM. PSALM XC. 1, 2. O LORD, our sure, our constant aid, Our souls' supreme abode; Who, ere the heav'ns and earth were made, Art one eternal God. 8. In death thou bidd'st our bodies lie; To life recall'st again, When Mercy's voice proclaims on high, 4. Thousands of years, Almighty Power! Day passes day, as flits the hour That marks the watch of night. 13. Teach then our souls, life's little space 1 And waft them, on the wings of Grace, MASON. PSALM XCI. THIS beautiful psalm may have been composed by David: and there are parts of it, which make the supposition very probable. See ver. 14 and 16. It has no title in Heb. but in Sept. Vulg. and Arab. it is called "A praise-song of David.”-GEDDEs. The subject of the ninety-first psalm is the secu rity, the success, and the rewards of piety. The exordium exhibits the pious man placing all his dependance upon Almighty God: "He that dwelleth in the secret place of the Most "Who saith to Jehovah, Thou art my hope and my "fortress! My God, in whom I trust : And immediately leaving the sentence unfinished, he apostrophizes to the same person, whom he had been describing: "He indeed shall deliver thee "From the snare of the fowler, from the destroying pestilence." The imagery that follows is beautiful and diversified, and at the same time uncommonly solemn and sublime: "With his feathers will he cover thee, "And under his wings shalt thou find protection: His truth shall be thy shield and thy defence. "Thou shalt not fear from the terror by night; "From the arrow that flieth by day; |