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 preferred to light; it best accords with their state; and as this was the state of the Egyptians, darkness covered the land, and gross darkness the people.

HERE are two distinct acts of supplication in this Psalm; and the humble and devout worshipper is called upon carefully to mark this distinction, in order that he may fully enjoy the blessings for which he supplicates. Indeed, blessing can only be received and enjoyed in its fulness, as it is communicated unto us twofold. Life given from the Lord is always twofold. Into the will of man, and thence into his affections, from the Lord's divine love; and into the understanding of man, and thence into his thoughts, from the Lord's divine wisdom: hence it is said in the book of Genesis, "God breathed into man's nostrils the soul of lives, and man became a living soul." This twofold mode of address and of reception is beautifully illustrated in this Psalm. We implore the Lord to give ear to our words. The ear is one of the most valuable members of the human body; it is the means of conveying the idea of sound, with all its beautiful vibrations, to the mind; as such, in a state of attention it is analogous to obedience, and wherever obedience is, there also is love. The supplication, therefore, is to the Lord, in his character of perfect Love. It is an acknowledgment of the creature to