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April 22, 1892. THE WELSH WEEKLf. *3 than any pain which the fancy of a Dante could devise !— iev- William Jones. Ver. 4. Against thee, thee only, have I sinned. -The word ' only ' is striking, considering how David "ad cruelly injured his fellow-men, and the terrible results cf his guilt."—Cook. That thou mightest be justified, i.e. I make this dullest possible confession of my sins as especially against \hte, so that thou mayest be vindicated in the severest inflictions upon me.—Cowles. When thou speakest, i.e. When thou dost speak as a judge, deciding, or, more definitely still, comdemning.—Alexander. Be clear when tnou judgest. Be regarded as doing, as being pure and holy and right in the judgment which thou shalt make. Ver. 5. Behold I was shapen in iniquity, &c. David does not mean to throw the blame of his sins upon another, j^d thus to extenuate his guilt, but to say that he belongs *o a sinning race. He was tainted all through his nature, "in was a pervading, constitutional disease, whose con¬ fluences might be largely escaped by personal care; but as_ he was born of sinning parents, the tendency to sin was jyithin him, and therefore he was morally frail, and was "able, unaided by God, to fall again before temptation. Ver. 6. Behold. The word is used to indicate the a'tainment of a newer and higher knowledge (Job iv. 18, Xv- 15, xxv. 5), as if it had come with something of surprise on the mind, or were seen with a new brightness.—Perowne. Thou desirest truth in the inward parts. Reality, sin¬ cerity, true holiness, heart-fidelity, these are the demands of God.—Spurgeon. Inward parts. The reins, the seat, Recording to the Hebrews, of the deepest feelings of the heart. The innermost consciousness.—Cook. The most secret life of conscience and of mind.—Delitzsch. And in Jjhe hidden part thou shalt make me to know wisdom. A he Holy Spirit can write the law on our heart, and that is the sum of practical wisdom. He can put the fear of •he Lord within, and that' is the beginning of wisdom.— sPUrgeon. Purge (cleanse) me with hyssop. A plant, not cer¬ tainly identified, but " used as a convenient means of sprinkling."—Alexander. Used by the priests in pro¬ nouncing ceremonially clean. Wash me. Of the two Hebrew words for washing, the one is .here used which describes the cleansing of clothes ^hich have been pervaded and stained through by the defilement, not the one which speaks merely of cleansing the surface. Whiter than snow. A natural hyperbole denoting perfect purity.—Alexander. 8. Make me to hear joy and gladness. Make him hear the voice of forgiveness, which would give him double joy—w j0y an(j gia(iness.» No- stinted bliss awaits the for¬ given one. There are few joys greater than that of recon¬ ciliation with God, and the assurance of forgiveness. It is 'he pure air and clear sunshine after a storm, such as no ordinary day brings. That the bones which thou hast woken may rejoice. The bones, as constituting the strength and framework of the body ; the crushing of the hones being a very stroDg figute, denoting the most com¬ plete prostration, mental and bodily.—Perowne. His bounds were no mere flesh wounds. Ver. 9. Hide thy face, i.e., thy face of wrath ; do not look upon them in anger, or so as to bring me into judg¬ ment.—Perowne. Blot out all mine iniquities. And treat them as if they did not exist. Ver. 10. Create. " A word always used strictly of the creative power of God. The whole spiritual being of the man had, as it were, fallen into a chaos."—Peroicne. What was needed was such a change as when God created the World. He wanted his whole spiritual nature made over anew from God. The regeneration of the soul is a work of creative power.—Murphy. Create in me a clean heart. A holy heart in which thy image is restored.—Murphy. A Pure heart, free from the taint and consciousness of sin.—■ Uook. Heart. The centre and source of the outward hfe, the. character, the motives, the love from Which the actions flow as water from a fountain. What David wanted was the change Christ called a hew birth (John iii. 3, 5).—P. Renew. The word renew a right spirit, implies a previous possession of it, inter¬ rupted by his yielding to temp'ation.—Alexander. A right spirit. A steadfast sp'rit, one that is firm in faith, hot easily swayed hither and thither through its own Weakness or the blasts of temptation, and therefore aLo hrm and constant in obedience.—Perowne. One not dis¬ quieted by fears or doubts, a mind stayed on the Lord, and therefore kept in perfect peace (see Isa. xxvi. 3). H- Cast me not away from thy presence. Throw me not away as worthless; banish me not, like Cain, troiri thy face and favour.—Spurgeon. Take not thy holy spirlt from me. The spirit is here evidently more than a mere influence, it is an undefinable something which Represents or makes effectual the presence of God.— Ver. 12. Restore. For he had once known it, and desires to fe?l it again. The joy of thy salvation, ■f-he joy which comes from knowing we are saved by God. .• It is salvation from (1) sin; (2) from the effects of sin m the soul, the sinful nature ; (3) from the punishment of Y®-. H. It is salvation to (1) God's favour; (2) God's |ami]y ; (3) to purity of heart; (4) to joys of a pure and Roving and useful life ; (5) to heaven and eternal life.— * eloubet. .Uphold me with a free spirit. Rather, uphold me With (not "thy" bat) a willing spirit; that is, make my sPnit willing. A witling spirit is one which voluntarily ahd cheerfully takes up the service of God.-Todd. It is a spirit of willingness, of spontaneous motion toicard good¬ ness.—Cheyne. Ver. 13. Then. And not till then. Not the sinner, but the repentant sinner who has found his way into the light, can help others. Will I teach transgressors thy ways. he Hebrew implies a longing, I would fain teach trans¬ gressors thy ways. Such a desire is one of the surest S!gns of spiritual repentance.—Cook. None instruct others so well as those who have been experimentally taught of Jjod themselves. Huntingdon's degree of S.S., or Sinner waved, is more needful for a soul-winning evangelist than either M.A. or D.D.—Spurgeon. And sinners shall be converted (or "return") unto thee. Doubtless this Psalm and the whole story of David have produced for many age3 the most salutary results in the conversion of transgressors, and so evil has been overruled for good.— Spurgeon. I. B. R. A. (International Bible Reading Association.) Daily portions for week ending May 1, 1692. April 25. M. Psalm li. 1-13. "The Prayer of the Peni"N nt." ,, 26. Tu. Psalm li. 14-19. " The prayer continued." „ 27. W. Ezra ix. 5-15. " Ezra's confession." „ 28. Th. Neh. i. "Prayer of Nehemiah." ,, 29. P. Luke xviii. 9-14. "The Publican's Prayer." „ 30. S. Luke xv. 11-24. " The Prodigal's Return." 1. Sun. Psalm xxxii. 1-7. " Joy of Pardon." MEN AND DEEDS. Wanted : Men— Not systems fit and wise Not faiths with rigid eyes, Not wealth in mountain piles, Not power with gracious smiles, Not even the potent pen. Wanted: Men. Wanted: Deeds— Not words of winning note, Not thoughts from life remote, Not fond religious airs, Not sweetly languid prayers, Not love of sects and creeds, Wanted: Deeds. Men and Deeds—■ Men that can dare and do, Not longings for the new, Not pratings for the old, Good life and action bold— These the occasion needs, Men and Deeds. —Duncan Macgr< When at Bologna, Byron used to visit the Campo Sancto, the sexton of which was a favourite of his, and the "beautiful and innocent face" of whose daughter of fifteen he used to contrast with the skulls that peopled several cells there, and particularly with that of one skull dated 17G6, "which was once covered (the tradition goes) by the most lovely features of Bologna—noble and rich." The story is an old one, but good, for all that. Said the camel, "It is cold out here; may I put my head within your door ? " The merchant could not find it in his heart to refuse. Before long the camel's neck, as well as his head, was within the little room ; then his shoulders ; then his whole body. So the merchant was crowded out entirely, for the room was not big enough for both of them. " It is written in Scripture," says the Talmud, " Ye shall walk after the Lord your God, and cleave unto Him." How is this possible ? Is it not said that ths Lord is like a consuming fire ? But the meaning is, that it is our duty to imitate our Creator as much as possible. He is merciful —so ought we to be ; He is holy—so ought we to be ; He clothes the naked—so ought we to do ; He feeds the hungry—so ought we to feed the hungry. Some twenty centuries ago there dawned on the world a Being who brought into it something that the world had never seen before. A life was lived in that far-off Judea, a life was ended and re-assumed there under conditions singular and unparalleled. That life has been ever since the strongest spell upon human hearts, and the mightiest influenca in human society. But to whom has it been left to interpret and translate it ? Not to angels, for there are none in the world, but to men.—Bishop II. C. Potter, of New York. Dtjbing a religious awakening in a factory village a fore¬ man was awakened, but could not find peace. His superior sent him a letter, requesting him to call at six o'clock. Promptly he came. " I see you believe me," said the master. The foreman assented. " Well, see ; here is another letter sending for you by one equally in earnest," continued the master, holding up a slip of paper with some texts of Scripture written on it. He took the paper, and began to read it slowly, "Come—unto—Me—all—ye-that labour," &c. His lips quivered, his eyes filled with tears ; then he stood for a few moments, not knowing what to do. At length he inquired, " Am I just to believe that in the same way I believed your letter ? " " Just in the same way," rejoined the master. He saw it, the way became clear, and he from that time followed Christ. The annual " Cymanfa" of the Welsh Calvinistic Methodists of London was held on Good Friday, the 15 h inst., and continued during the following three days. The general society was held at New Jewin Chapel at 10 a.m., Friday, Rev. J. E. Davie3, M.A.., presiding. The report, which was read at this meeting, showed an increase of 104 on the roll of membership in the eight churchrs. It also showed 16 Sunday Schools. The subject for dis¬ cussion was "Faithfulness to Religious Meetings," and the following ministers took part:—Revs. Principal T. C. Edwards, D.D., Bala ; J. Cynddylar Jones, D.D., Cardiff ; W. Richards, Briton Ferry; Simon A. Frazer, Menai Bridge ; Evan Phillips, Newcastle Emlyn; J. Wyndham Lewis, Carmarthen ; and Francis Jones, Abergele. Services were also held at Charing Cross Road, Wilton Square, Falmouth Road, Shirland Road, Holloway, Stepney, and Hammersmith. *On Saturday evening a well-attended temperance meeting was held at New Jewin. Addresses were given by Revs. T. C. Edwards, D.D., J. Morgan Jones, and W. Richards. PROFESSOR DRUMMOND ON MIS¬ SIONARIES. In his first Sunday evening for the season with the Edinburgh students, Professor Drummond, after an address from Mr. Wilder, of the American Volunteer Movement in Missions, gave what he called his personal testimony as regards Foreign Missions. In concluding, he " addressed himself to those who thought that they were too great ' swells' to become foreign missionaries, and to those who thought that they were not orthodox enough. As regards the former, he quoted what a native of Japan had said to him, ' Send us out one tea-thousand dollar man rather than ten one-thousand dollar men.' They wanted the prize men, the brilliant men of their universities, to become foreign missionaries. The missionary was no longer a man who stood under an umbrella, with a Bible under his arm, and preached the Gospel all day long. Half his day must be given to the study of philology. He must be able to translate the Scriptures ; he must contribute to the science of ethnology ; he must be a man of culture. As regards those who thought they were not orthodox enough, Professor Drummond declared that the missionary needed but little theology—no more than a servant girl would teach to her Sunday school class, down in the Cowgate; or a father would tell to hi3 children gathered round hin at the fireside on a Sunday evening. At the same time, Professor Drummond added significantly, that the time was coming when the missionaries in some fields, for example in China and Japan, would have to be theologians." THE EDITOR'S LETTER BAG. M. G.—Very good, but not suitable for our purpose. S. P. J.—Thanks for the verses, but they are a little too commonplace. S. L. D.—Thanks for your excellent suggestion. Your criticism of the paragraph is just. It is announced that Mr. Morgan Lloyd, Q.C., who wa<3 recently invited to contest Anglesea in the Unionist interest against Mr. Thos. Lewis, has finally consented to do so. Mr. Morgan Lloyd formerly represented the Anglesea boroughs. An analysis of the professions and occupations of the 1056 candidates for Parliament at the next general election shows that out of 536 Liberal and Irish Nationalist candi¬ dates, as many as 143 are barristers or solicitors, while out of 520 Conservatives and Liberal Unionists 91 are lawyers. On one occasion (during Columbus' first voyage) an Indian gave half a handful of gold-dust in exchange for one of their toys, and no sooner was he in possession of it than he bounded to the woods, looking often behind him, fearing the Spaniards might repent of having parted so cheaply with such an inestimable jewel.—Washington Irving. A considerable theft of postal orders has come to the knowledge of the authorities, and the postmaster's signa¬ ture, together with the date-stamp of the issuing office, have been so cleverly forged that the orders are in circula¬ tion and in the hands of innocent holders for value. Owing to the operation of a well-known principle of law, these holders will have to bear the lo s, unless the Post¬ master-General generously interferes for their relief. A table which, gives the percentage of the whole popu¬ lation in schools in various countries has just been pub¬ lished by the United States Bureau of Education. From this it appears that America heads the list with 22 per cent., Canada next with 19; and then, in proper order, Germany, 18 ; Switzerland, 17 ; Finland, 17; Great Britain and Ireland, 16; Sweden, 15 ; France, 14, &c. The three lowest are Mexico, 4; Russia, 3 ; and Turkey, 2. Fractions are omitted. On Tuesday Mr. W. L. Morgan, one of the University coroners, held an inquest at Oxford on the body of Mr. Bryse Lewis Thomas, a non-collegiate student, who was found at the foot of his bed strangle!. Mr. M. Thomas, master of the workhouse at Llanerchymedda, Anglesea, said his son was 20 years of age. He had been dis¬ appointed in regard to his School Exhibition, having received a letter that it could not be renewed for the teim of four years, but only for apart of that time. His letters, however, had been cheerful, saying that he would pull through, and that he had a tremendous lot of work to do. The coroner said the deceased appeared to have been in some trouble about this exhibition, and although the censor said he did not think he was pressed, they had it that he had been living very economically. The jury returned a verdict that the deceased died from strangulation by his own hand when temporarily of unsound mind. Not so very long ago (says the Christian Commonwealth) in a certain district in North Wales, a prominent Non¬ conformist farmer was daily expecting the bailiffs to turn up and seize some of his property, owing to his refusal to pay the tithe3. At that period the Rev. Principal T. C. Edwards, D.D., Bala, happened lo be on a walking tour in the district in the company of two fiiends, who wore rather cumbered with an extra supply of flesh. Feeling a rest necessary, they decided to turn into the nearest farm house, which proved to be the very place where the bailiffs were so anxiously awaited. Dr. Edwards and friends found all the place under lock and key, except one door leading to the house. The weary travellers entered without much ceremony, but found no one in the room ; however, one of the company heard a voice aloft whispering, " Master, master, they have come, and are in the kitchen, there's two of them there, and the parson is with them also." With this the farmer stalwartly faced the visitors, but on recognising Dr. Edwards he laughed heartily, and when the story had been related to the tourists, they joined heartily in the merriment.