confidence is the offspring of his profound consciousness of present communion, and we see here the very process by which a devout man, in the absence of a clear revelation of the future, reached up to a conclusion to which he was led by his experience of the inmost reality of friendship with God. The impotence of death on the relation of the devout soul to God is a postulate of faith, whether formulated as an article of faith or not. Probably the psalmist had no clear conception of a future life; but certainly he had a distinct assurance of it, because he felt that the very "sweetness" of present fellowship with God "yielded proof that it was born for immortality." PSALM XVIII. 1 Heartily do I love Thee, Jehovah, my strength! 2 Jehovah, my rock and my fortress and my deliverer, My God, my rock in whom I take refuge, My shield and the horn of my salvation and my high tower! 3 I call upon Him who is to be praised, Jehovah; And from mine enemies am I saved. 4 The breakers of death ringed me round, And streams of destruction terrified me. 5 The cords of Sheol encircled me; The snares of death fronted me. 6 In my distress I called on Jehovah, And to my God I loudly cried; He heard my voice from His palace-temple, And my loud crying before Him entered His ears. 7 Then the earth rocked and reeled, And the foundations of the mountains quivered And rocked again, for He was wroth. 8 Smoke went up in His nostrils, And fire from His mouth devoured; Brands came blazing from Him. 9 And He bowed the heavens and came down, And cloud gloom [was] below His feet. 10 And He rode upon the cherub and flew, And came swooping on the wings of the wind. 11 He made darkness His covert, His tent round about Him, Darkness of waters and cloud masses of the skies. 12 From the brightness before Him there passed through His cloud-masses Hail and brands of fire. 13 And Jehovah thundered in the heavens, And the Most High gave forth His voice. 14 And He sent forth His arrows and scattered them, And lightnings many, and flung them into panic. 15 And the beds of the waters were seen, And the foundations of the earth bared, At Thy rebuke, Jehovah, At the blast of the breath of Thy nostrils. 16 He stretched from on high: He took me; He drew me from many waters. 17 He rescued me from my strong enemy And from my haters, because they were too mighty for me. 18 They fell on me in the day of my calamity, But Jehovah became as a staff to me. 19 And He brought me out into a wide place; He delivered me, because He delighted in me.