Old Paths Where the Good Way Is Timeless Truth from the Bible Christian Teaching Thought and Meditations from Prior Times Read by Missionary to Africa James Robinette Daily Prayer and Praise by Henry Law from the Psalms Psalm 156 Praise is the psalmist's sweet employ. God's claims to praise are stated. May they attune our hearts to sing the heavenly theme. Praise ye the Lord. Praise the Lord, O my soul. While I live, I will praise the Lord. I will sing praises unto my God while I have my being. Gratitude demands that praise should be our untiring exercise. Its performance brings delight. Happy are the hours thus consecrated. Thus earth assimilates to heaven, where hallelujahs are the constant sound. Put your trust not in princes, nor in the sons of man, in whom there is no help. His breath goes forth, he returns to his earth. In that very day his thoughts perish. It is a natural tendency to be influenced by external show. Hence it is a common fault to court the favor of the rich and great. We are prone to lean on their support and to look to them for help. But every man in his best estate is empty worthlessness. The Lord speaks, and thrones crumble. The Lord speaks, and the palace is exchanged for the grave. Tiffany dies, Omri reigns. The grandest prince is but dust, and unto dust he must return. Happy is he that hath the God of Jacob for his help, whose hope is in the Lord his God, which made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that therein is, which keeps truth forever, which executes judgment for the oppressed, which giveth food to the hungry. While men are emptiness, sufficiency abounds in God. Happy are they who find safe shelter in his covering wings. Think of his boundless power, the heavens, the earth, and all therein are the creation of his will. Precious is his treasury of promises. Not one shall ever fail. Their payment may be desired at the mercy seat, and surely they will be redeemed. Many foes oppress his servants, but their efforts are impotent. The cause of the righteous is vindicated. None prevail against them. All their need, too, is supplied. They lie down in green pastures. Besides still waters, they repose. The Lord looseth the prisoners. The Lord openeth the eyes of the blind. The Lord raiseth them that are bowed down. The Lord loveth the righteous, the Lord preserveth the strangers, he relieveth the fatherless and widow, but the way of the wicked he turneth upside down. The Lord shall reign forever, even thy God, O Zion, unto all generations. Praise ye the Lord. Precious lessons are learned from contemplating God's gracious dealings. His people are born in the prison house of Satan. God removes the shackles. They go forth free. They are blind by nature. He opens their eyes to see all the wonders of redeeming love. Heavy burdens often oppress them. He enables them to lay aside every weight so as to run with patience the heavenward road. He delights to cheer them with manifestations of his love. They are strangers and pilgrims in an enemy's land. He is their constant guardian. In family destitution, He brings relief, but just wrath burns fiercely against His adversaries. Forever and forever God shall reign, inhabiting the praises of His people. Bless the Lord, O our souls. Amen. Psalm 157 Exhortations call to praise our God. Let our grateful hearts rejoicingly obey. Praise ye the Lord, for it is good to sing praises unto our God, for it is pleasant and praise is comely. It cannot be too earnestly enforced that praise is our duty, our joy, and our becoming exercise. Let happy experience testify this truth. The Lord doth build up Jerusalem. He gathereth together the outcasts of Israel. He healeth the broken in heart and bindeth up their wounds. He brought the captive Jews from Babylon. Thus he showed by expressive type that he will not suffer the enemy to hold the church in enduring bondage. Sorrow and mourning may be their long lot, but at his bidding, joy will bud forth and every wound be healed. He telleth the number of the stars, he calleth them all by their names. We are thus taught that nothing can surpass his knowledge. The starry firmament sparkles with innumerable orbs. All are known to him. So we, our persons, our matters, are all patent to his omniscient eye. Great is our Lord and of great power. His understanding is infinite. The Lord lifteth up the meek. He casteth the wicked down to the ground. In his wisdom, he reads every character. He knows the meek and exalts them. He knows the wicked and debases them. Sing unto the Lord with thanksgiving. Sing praise upon the harp unto our God, who covereth the heaven with clouds, who prepareth rain for the earth, who maketh grass to grow upon the mountains. He giveth to the beasts his feed, and to the young ravens which cry. We cannot too frequently exhort to praise. The merciful dealings in nature are a fruitful topic. Behold, the heavens robed in their raiment of clouds, the rain descending to fertilize the earth, the summits of the hills clad in verdure, and bless the hand which thus dispenses plenteousness. Behold the beasts of the forests and the ravens and their lofty nests. His hand provides their food. Let then his hand be praised. He delighteth not in the strength of the horse. He taketh no pleasure in the legs of a man. The Lord taketh pleasure in them that fear him, in those that hope in his mercy. The Lord has no delight in animal or bodily strength of frame. He looks to the inner man and smiles on faith and fear. May such graces ever appear in us. Praise the Lord, O Jerusalem. Praise thy God, O Zion, for he hath strengthened the bars of thy gates. He hath blessed thy children within thee. The church cannot be too fervent in praise. The strength of protecting bulwarks, the happiness of the inhabitants within, all call for grateful adoration. He maketh peace in thy borders and filleth thee with the finest of the wheat. He sendeth forth His commandment upon earth, His word runneth very swiftly. He giveth snow like wool, He scattereth the hoarfrost like ashes. He casteth forth His ice like morsels, Who can stand before His cold? He sendeth out his word, and melteth them, he causeth his wind to blow, and the waters flow. He showeth his word unto Jacob, his statutes, and his judgments unto Israel. He hath not dealt so with any nation, and as far as his judgments they have not known them. Praise ye the Lord. All blessings come from the bounteous hand of God and merit praise. His will pervades the length and breadth of the earth, ordering all things and enforcing obedience. But the blessing of blessings is His revealed word. This is now circulated in almost all the languages of the world. We are abundantly favored with the inestimable boon. Let us gratefully use it and adore the gracious giver. Praise ye the Lord.