Psalms (Sections 46-54)

Section 46

"For the Needy shall not alway be forgotten: the Expectation of the Poor shall not perish for ever."—Psalms 9:18 The practical value of a text very much depends upon the man to whom it comes. The song of the troubadour was charming to Richard Cœur-de-Lion because he knew the responsive verses. The trail is full of meaning to the Indian, for his quick eye knows how to follow it; it would not mean a tithe as much to a white man. The sight of the lighthouse is cheering to the mariner, for from it he gathers his whereabouts. So will those who are spiritually poor and needy eagerly lay hold on this promise, prize it, and live upon it with content.

It is literally true that the needy are remembered of God; and though they may be overlooked by man's laws, the Lord will rectify that error at the last. In better times also he will so order governments that they shall look with peculiar interest upon the poor. Using the text spiritually we see—

I. Two bitter Experiences ended.

1. "The needy shall not alway be forgotten." You have been forgotten— By former friends and admirers. In arrangements made and plans projected. In judgments formed and in praises distributed. In help estimated and reliance expressed. In fact, you have not been a factor in the calculation; you have been forgotten as a dead man out of mind. This has wounded you deeply, for there was a time when you were consulted among the first. This will not be so always.

2. "The expectation of the poor shall not perish for ever." You have been disappointed— In your natural expectation from justice, gratitude, relationship, age, sympathy, charity, etc. In your confidence in man. In your judgment of yourself. In your expectations of providence. This disappointment shall only be temporary. Your expectation shall not perish for ever; you shall yet receive more than you expected.

II. Two sad Fears removed. Fears which are naturally suggested by what you have already experienced.

1. Not for ever shall you be forgotten—

You shall not meet with final forgetfulness. In the day of severe trouble. In the night of grief and alarm for sin. In the hour of death.

2. Nor shall your expectation perish— Your weakness shall not frustrate the power of God. Your sin shall not dry up the grace of God. Your constitutional infirmities shall not cause your overthrow. Your future trials shall not be too much for you.

III. Two sweet Promises given.

1. "Not alway be forgotten"; you shall not be overlooked— In the arrangements of providence. At the mercy-seat, when you are pleading. From the pulpit, and in the Word, when your soul is hungering. At the Breaking of Bread, when you long for communion with your Lord. In your sufferings and service, when to be thought of by the Lord will be your main consolation. By the angels, or by any other spiritual agencies. By the Father, Son, or Holy Ghost.

2. "Expectation shall not perish for ever." You shall not be disappointed—

Peace shall visit your heart.

Sin shall be vanquished without and within.

Mercy shall deliver in trial and out of trial.

Assurance shall be gained, and all its strong confidence.

Eminent joys shall be obtained, and an abundant entrance into glory.

Let the poor man hope in God.

Let him feast on the future if he find the present to be scant.

Above all, let him rest in the promise of a faithful God.

Illuminators The pain of being forgotten is forcibly expressed in the words ascribed by Cowper to Alexander Selkirk in his solitude— My friends, do they now and then send A wish or a thought after me?

O tell me I yet have a friend, Though a friend I am never to see. An aged Christian, lying on his death-bed in a state of such extreme weakness that he was often entirely unconscious of all around him, was asked the cause of his perfect peace. He replied, "When I am able to think, I think of Jesus; and when I am unable to think of him, I know he is thinking of me."

Thirty years ago, before the Lord caused me to wander from my father's house and from my native place, I put my mark upon this passage in Isaiah: "Thou shalt know that I am the Lord," etc. (chap 49:23). Of the many books I now possess the Bible that bears this mark is the only one that belonged to me at that time. It now lies before me, and I find that, although the hair which then was dark as night has meanwhile become as sable silvered, the ink which marked this text has grown into intensity of blackness as the time advanced, corresponding with, and in fact recording, the growing intensity of the conviction that "they shall not be ashamed" who wait for thee. I believed it then, but I know it now, and I can write "Probatum est" with my whole heart over against the symbol which that mark is to me of my ancient faith. . . . Under many perilous circumstances, in many most trying scenes, amid faint-ings within and fears without, and under tortures that rend the heart, and troubles that crush it down, I have waited for thee, and lo! I stand this day as one not ashamed.—Dr. John Kitto. In choosing a minister, and in all other church acts, let us be sure to remember the poor of the flock; they should, in fact, have double consideration, for the Lord would not have them to be overlooked. Do not let them suppose that they are forgotten.

Let us beware of disappointing a needy person. He sets great store by a promise when he greatly needs the help, and if it does not come in due time it causes him sharp distress. Let us never disappoint one of the Lord's poor, for the Lord will never do so himself.

What recompenses there will be in the eternal state, and what changes of position! Reputations will have a resurrection as well as bodies. Dishonor and neglect shall be rewarded with glory and honor. Disappointment through unjust withholding shall be doubly repaid by surprises of unlooked-for happiness. The wheel will turn, and that part of it which touched the dust shall mount aloft. Those words, "not alway," are a wonderful abatement to present ingratitude; and those, "not for ever," are an equal solatium under this life's trials.

Section 47

"The Law of the Lord is perfect, converting the Soul; the Testi mony of the Lord is sure, making wise the Simple."—Psalms 19:7

Trees are known by their fruit, and books by their effect upon the mind. It is not the elegance of its diction, but the excellence of its influence by which a book is to be estimated. By "the law of the Lord" David means the whole revelation of God, as far as it had been given in his day; but his remark is equally true of all that God has since been pleased to speak by his Spirit. This holy law may be judged of by its effect upon our own selves. It touches man's very soul, with the best conceivable result; and hence the Psalmist speaks of it in the most eulogistic manner as both perfect and sure. Its effects prove it to be complete and certain.

I. The Work of the Word of God in Conversion. Not apart from the Spirit, but as it is used by the Spirit for divers ends, all needful to salvation.

1. To convince men of sin; they see what perfection is, that God demands it, and that they are far from it.

2. To drive men from false methods of seeing salvation, to bring them to self-despair, and to shut them up to God's method of saving them.

3. To reveal the way of salvation, by grace, through Christ, by faith.

4. To enable the soul to embrace Christ as its all-in-all. By setting forth promises and invitations, which are opened up to the understanding and sealed to the heart, etc.

5. To bring the heart nearer and nearer to God. Emotions of love, desires of holiness, devotion, self-searching, love to men, humility, etc.,—these are all excited, sustained, and perfected in the heart by the Word of God.

6. To restore the soul when it has wandered. Renewing tenderness, hope, love, joy, etc., by its gentle reminders.

7. To perfect the nature. The highest flights of holy enjoyment are not above or beyond the Word. Nothing is purer or more elevated than Holy Scripture. The Word also slays all sin, promotes every virtue, prepares for every duty, etc.

II. The Excellence of this Work done by the Word. The operations of grace by the Word are altogether good and not evil; and they are timed and balanced with infinite discretion. The Word of the Lord works marvelously, perfectly, and surely.

1. It removes despair without quenching repentance.

2. Gives pardon, but does not create presumption.

3. Gives rest, but excites the soul to progress.

4. Breathes security, but engenders watchfulness.

5. Bestows strength and holiness, but begets no boasting.

6. Gives harmony to duties, emotions, hopes, and enjoyments.

7. Brings the man to live for God, before God, and with God; and yet makes him none the less fitted for the daily duties of life.

III. The consequent Excellence of the Word.

1. We need not add to it if we would secure conversion in any special case, or on the largest scale.

2. We need not keep back any doctrine for fear of damping the flame of a true revival.

3. We need not extraordinary gifts with which to preach it; the Word will do its own work.

4. We have but to follow the Word to be converted. It would be useless to run after new doctrine in the hope of being more powerfully affected. The old is better, and nothing better than the old gospel can be imagined. It fits a man's needs as a key fits a lock.

5. We have but to keep to it to become truly wise: wise as the aged, wise as necessity requires, wise as the age, wise as eternity demands, wise with the wisdom of Christ.

Cling to the Scripture.

Study the whole revelation of God.

Use it as your chief instrument in all holy service.

"Modern Instances" A remarkable proof that the Bible is its own witness is given by a writer from Oporto, who records the following reply of a man he met crouching in a ditch, to an inquiry as to what book he was reading: "Well, if you won't betray me, I acknowledge that it is a New Testament. I bought it of a man who was selling such books, and determined to know something of its contents. I dare not tell anybody that I have it, not even my wife. So I have no one to teach me. Yet it is not difficult to understand, for as I read it makes itself plain to me."

"The process of enlightenment in many Romanist minds," says an observer, "is shadowed forth by the experience of one whom I saw but last week. He sat down to read the Bible an hour each evening with his wife. In a few evenings he stopped in the midst of his reading, and said, 'Wife, if this book is true, we are wrong.' He read on, and in a few days longer, said, 'Wife, if this book is true, we are lost.' Riveted to the book, and deeply anxious, he still read, and in a week more joyfully exclaimed, 'Wife, if this book is true, we may be saved.' A few weeks more reading and taught by the Spirit of God through the exhortations and instructions of a city missionary, they both placed their faith in Christ, and are now rejoicing in hope."—Christian Treasury.

I have many books that I cannot sit down to read; they are indeed good and sound, but, like halfpence, there goes a great quantity to a small amount; there are silver books, and a very few golden books; but I have one book worth them all called the Bible.—John Newton.

It is the book of God. What if I should Say, God of books?

Let him that looks Angry at that expression, as too bold, His thoughts in silence smother Till he finds such another.

—C. Harvey The longer I live the higher is my estimate of an expository ministry, embracing the whole Word of God. I have on purpose tried certain truths to see if they will produce conversion, and I have not failed in any case. Outlying doctrines meet with certain outlying minds which could not be reached by the usual range of teaching. What would seem to be the eccentricities of truth are all needed for impressing eccentric conditions of thought and heart. I prayerfully preached the Resurrection and many were raised to spiritual life; I preached divine sovereignty when a revival was in full swing and it deepened and continued the work. The omission of certain truths from certain ministries may account for their barrenness. O that ministers would believe that the Word needs no improving, but is already perfect, "converting the soul"; and that it requires no suiting to the times for it still makes wise the simple.

If there is any knowledge fully in our possession, it is certainly that which comes to us by experience. That a certain material will float in the water may be proved by a knowledge of its specific gravity; but we will feel more fully assured of the fact if we have seen it tried, and we will regard our answer to an objector, "I have seen it floating in water frequently," as simply sufficient to silence all objections. Ay, we will regard such a statement as fully more conclusive than "It must float, for its specific gravity is lighter than water." On this same principle—and it is the principle of common sense—how fully we can prove that the Bible is the Word of God! Yes, every Christian carries the proof with him in his own experience. A poor Italian woman, a fruit-seller, had received the Word of God in her heart, and became persuaded of the truth of it. Seated at her modest stall at the head of the bridge, she made use of every moment in which she was unoccupied in her small traffic, in order to study the sacred volume. "What are you reading there, my good woman?" said a gentleman one day as he came up to the stall to purchase some fruit. "It is the Word of God," replied the fruit-vendor. "The Word of God! Who told you that?" "He told me so himself." "Have you ever spoken with him, then?" The poor woman felt a little embarrassed, more especially as the gentleman insisted on her giving him some proof of what she believed. Unused to discussion, and feeling greatly at a loss for arguments, she at length exclaimed, looking upward, "Can you prove to me, sir, that there is a sun up in the sky?" "Prove it!" he replied; "why, the best proof is that it warms me, and that I can see its light." "So it is with me," she replied joyously; "the proof of this Book's being the Word of God is that it warms and lights my soul."—Bertram's Homiletic Encyclopedia.

McCheyne somewhere says, "Depend upon it, it is God's word, not man's comment on God's word, which converts souls." I have frequently observed that this is the case. A discourse has been the means of conviction or of decision; but usually upon close inquiry I have found that the real instrument was a Scripture quoted by the preacher. A large fruit may contain and nourish a tiny seed; when the fruit falls into the ground and the shoot springs up, the real life was in the central pip, and not in the juicy fruit which encompassed it. So the divine truth is the living and incorruptible seed; the sermon is as needful as the apple to its pip; but still the vitality, the energy, the saving power, was in the pip of the word, and only in a minor sense in the surrounding apple of human exposition and exhortation.

Section 48 "But the Salvation of the Righteous is of the Lord." —Psalms 37:39

Salvation is a very large term, and describes the whole life of true believers—their whole experience, from their first consciousness of the ruin of the fall to their entrance into glory. They feel their need of being perpetually saved from self-sin, Satan, and the world. They trust in God for preservation, and their end is peace (verse 37). The prosperous sinner is on another tack, and comes to another conclusion; he disowns all need of salvation, and considers his success to be of his own winning. Alas! there comes to him a turning of the tables before long; according to the preceding verse—"The transgressors shall be destroyed together; the end of the wicked shall be cut off." God is not with the unrighteous; they have neither safety, nor strength, nor salvation in this time of trouble. Our text contains a broad statement, of which we may say—

I. This is the Essence of sound Doctrine. The salvation of the righteous is of the Lord, even of the Triune Jehovah, Father, Son, and Holy Ghost in—

1. The planning.

2. The providing.

3. The beginning.

4. The carrying on.

5. The completion.

II. This is a necessary Fact. The saints recognize it; for—

1. Their inward conflicts make them know that God alone must work salvation. They are too fickle and feeble to save themselves.

2. Their outward temptations drive them to the same conclusion. They are well kept whom God keeps, but none else.

3. The world's hate drives them away from all hope in that quarter. God is greater than a world in arms.

4. Their daily trials and afflictions would crush them if Omnipotence did not sustain them. Only God's grace can be all-sufficient.

5. The perishing of hypocrites is a sad proof of how little man can do. Temporary believers perish like blossoms which never knit to fruit, and therefore fall from the tree.

III. This is a sweet Consolation. This truth, that unto God the Lord belongeth the salvation of his saints, acts graciously—

1. Leading them to solid trust.

2. Exciting them to believing prayer.

3. Urging them to look out of self.

4. Inspiring them with great thoughts of God, and, 5. Leading them to offer adoring praise unto their Redeemer.

IV. This is a Reason for Humility.

1. It strips the righteous of all pride in the fact of their being saved.

2. Of all exultation in self, because they continue in their integrity.

3. Of all undue censure of the fallen; for they themselves would have failed had not the Lord upheld them.

4. Of all self-confidence as to the future, since their weakness is inherent and abiding.

5. Of all self-glorying, even in heaven, since in all things they are debtors to sovereign grace.

V. This is a fruitful Ground of Hope.

1. In reference to our own difficulties: God can give us deliverance.

2. In reference to our tried brethren: the Lord can sustain, sanctify, and deliver them.

3. In reference to seeking souls: we may leave their cases in the Saviour's hands. He is able to save to the uttermost.

4. In reference to sinners: they cannot be too degraded, obstinate, ignorant, or false; God can work salvation even in the worst.

Golden Bells

"Salvation is of the Lord." This is the sum of Jonah's discourse; one word for all; the very moral of his history. The mariners might have written upon their ship, instead of Castor and Pollux, or the like device, Salvation is the Lord's; the Ninevites in the next chapter might have written upon their gates, Salvation is the Lord's; and all mankind, whose cause is pitted and pleaded by God against the hardness of Jonah's heart, might have written in the palms of their hands, Salvation is the Lord's. It is the argument of both the Testaments, the staff and support of heaven and earth. They would both sink, and all their joints be severed, if the salvation of the Lord were not. The birds in the air sing no other note, the beasts in the field give no other voice than Salus Jehovæ, Salvation is the Lord's. . . . And "What shall I more say?" as the Apostle asked (Hebrews 11) when he had spoken much, and there was much more behind, but time failed him. Rather, what should I not say? For the world is my theatre at this time, and I neither think nor can feign to myself anything that hath not dependence upon this acclamation, Salvation is the Lord's. —King on Jonah.

Thus the saints hold heaven. Not by conquest, but by heritage. Won by another arm than their own, it presents the strongest imaginable contrast to the spectacle in England's palace that day when the king demanded to know of his assembled nobles by what title they held their lands? What title! At the rash question a hundred swords leapt from their scabbards. Advancing on the alarmed monarch, "By these," they said, "we won, and by these will keep them." How different the scene which heaven presents! All eyes are turned on Jesus with looks of love; gratitude glows in every bosom, and swells every song; now with golden harps they sound his praise; and now, descending from their thrones to do him homage, they cast their crowns in one glittering heap at the feet which were nailed on Calvary. From this scene, learn in whose name to seek salvation, and through whose merits to hope for it; and with a faith in harmony with the worship of the skies, be this your language—"Not unto us, O Lord, not unto us, but unto thy name give glory."—Dr. Guthrie.

"This brook will soon run dry," said one. "Nay," quoth his fellow, "it flows from a living spring, which was never known to fail in summer or in winter." A man was reputed to be very rich by those who saw his expensive houses, and horses, and charges; but there were others who judged that his name would soon be in the Gazette, for he had no capital. "There is nothing at the back of it," said one, and the saying meant much. Now, the believer has the eternal deep for his spring of supply, and the all-sufficiency of God as the substance of his wealth. What cause has he to fear?

If salvation were partly of God and partly of man it would be as sorry an affair as that image of Nebuchadnezzar's dream, which was part of iron and part of clay. It would end in a break-down. If our dependence were upon Jesus in a measure, and our own works in some degree, our foundation would be partly on the rock and partly on the sand, and the whole structure would fall. O to know the full meaning of the words, "Salvation is of the Lord"!

Experience alone can beat this truth into men's minds. A man will lie broken at the foot of the precipice, every bone dislocated by the fall, and yet hope to save himself. Piles of sin will fall upon him and bury him, and yet his self-trust will live. Mountains of actual transgression will overwhelm him, and yet he will stir himself to self-confident effort, working like the Cyclops with Etna heaped upon them. Crushed to atoms, every particle of our nature reeks with conceit. Ground to powder, our very dust is pungent with pride. Only the Holy Ghost can make a man receive that humbling sentence, "Salvation is of the Lord."

Section 49

"Yea, the Sparrow hath found an House, and the Swallow a Nest for herself, where she may lay her Young, even thine Altars, O Lord of Hosts, my King, and my God."—Psalms 84:3

David, as an exile, envied the birds which dwelt around the house of the Lord. So the Christian, when debarred the assembly of the saints, or under spiritual desertion, will pine to be once more at home with God.

These birds found in the sanctuary what we would find in God.

I. Houses for themselves. That they should find houses in and around the Lord's house is remarkable, and David dwelt on it with pleasure.

1. Consider what they were. Sparrows. Worthless creatures. Five for two farthings.

Needy creatures, requiring both nests, food, and everything else.

Uninvited guests. The temple did not need them, it might have been all the better without them.

Numerous creatures; but none were driven away.

2. Consider what they did. "Found a house,"—a comfortable, suitable, permanent abode.

They looked for it, or they could not have been described as having found it.

It was there already, or they could not have found it.

They appropriated it. Their right lay in discovery; they found a house and occupied it without question. O for an appropriating faith!

3. Consider what they enjoyed.

And so, secondarily, they find the same things in the assembly of the saints, in the place where God's honor dwelleth.

We come to the house of the Lord with joy.

We remain in it with delight.

We sit and sing in it with pleasure.

We commune with our fellow-songsters with much content.

It is not every bird that does this. The eagle is too ambitious. The vulture too foul. The cormorant too greedy. The hawk too war-like. The ostrich too wild. The barn-door fowl too dependent upon man. The owl too fond of darkness.

These sparrows were little and loving.

II. Nests for their young.

Some persons are not so much in need of a house for themselves; for, like swallows, they live on the wing, and are active and energetic; but they need a nest for their young, for whom they are greatly anxious. They long to see the young people settled, happy, and safe in God.

Children should be housed in the house of God. The sanctuary of God should be the nursery of the young.

1. They will be safe there, and free there. The swallow, the "bird of liberty," is satisfied to find a nest for herself near the altars of God. She is not afraid of bondage there either for herself or her young.

2. They will be joyful there. We should try to make our little ones happy in God, and in his holy worship. Dull Sabbaths and dreary services should not be mentioned among us.

3. They are near the blessing, when we bring them near the house of the Lord.

4. They are in choice society; their companions will be the companions of Jesus.

5. They are likely to return to the nest, as the swallows do; even as the young salmon return to the rivulet where they were hatched. Young folks remember their first impressions.

6. Children truly brought to Christ have every blessing in that fact.

They are rich: they dwell in God's palace.

They are educated: they abide in the Lord's temple.

They are safe for time and eternity. The second blessings of a nest for our young often follows on the first, or getting a house for ourselves. But it needs prayer, example, and precept. Children do not take to religion as ducks to water; they must be led and trained with earnest care. Are you sighing after Christ for yourself and your children? Are you content without Christ? Then you are not likely to care about your children. Do you already possess a home in Jesus? Rest not till all yours are housed in the same place.

Fragments

Sir Thomas More used to attend the parish church at Chelsea, and there, putting on a surplice, he would sing with the choristers at matins and high mass. It happened, one day, that the Duke of Norfolk, coming to Chelsea to dine with him, found him at church thus engaged. As they walked home together arm-in-arm, after service, the duke exclaimed, "My Lord Chancellor a parish clerk! A parish clerk! you dishonor the king and his office!" "Nay," he replied, smiling, "your grace cannot suppose that the king, our master, will be offended with me for serving his Master, or thereby account his office dishonored."

I'm only a little sparrow, A bird of low degree: My life is of little value, But the dear Lord cares for me.

Tennyson plaintively refers to the song of the linnets—

I do but sing because I must, And pipe but as the linnets sing: And one is glad—her note is gay— For now her little ones have ranged; And one is sad—her note is changed: —

Because her brood is stolen away. The feeling of the linnets may serve as an analogue. Christian parents have a gay note when their little ones have ranged at their sweet will in the paths of duty; but their note must be one of sadness when the brood is stolen away from truth and righteousness.—W. Norris.

"God fails not," as one has beautifully said, "to find a house for the most worthless, and the nest of the most restless of birds." What confidence this should give us! How we should rest! What repose the soul finds that casts itself on the watchful, tender care of him who provides so fully for the need of all his creatures! We know what the expression of "nest" conveys, just as well as that of "a house." Is it not a place of security, a shelter from storm, a covert to hide one's self in, from every evil, a protection from all that can harm, "a place to rest in, to nestle in, to joy in"?—Things New and Old. A custom, existing among several nations of antiquity, is deemed capable of illustrating the present passage. For birds whose nests chanced to be built on the temples, or within the limit of them, were not allowed to be driven away, much less to be killed, but found there a secure and undisturbed abode. —W. K. Clay. As a rule, the children of godly parents are godly. In cases where this is not the case there is a reason. I have carefully observed, and detected the absence of family prayer, gross inconsistency, harshness, indulgence, or neglect of admonition. If trained in God's ways, they do not depart from them.

Section 50 "For he shall give his Angels charge over thee, to keep thee in all thy Ways."—Psalms 91:11 The Lord gave his people shelter in the time of pestilence, for he had promised, "There shall no evil befall thee; neither shall any plague come nigh thy dwelling." The former verses celebrate the Passover of those who dwell in God.

After the Passover came a journey to Canaan; and the promise of the covenant angel and his keeping them in all their ways, fitly follow upon the rescue from the plague.

We, too, are pilgrims on our way to Canaan. He who set us free by the Passover deliverance also provides for our journey to the land which floweth with milk and honey. All the way to the promised land is covered by this divine safe-conduct.

I. There are Ways which are not in the Promise.

"All thy ways," are mentioned; but some tracks are not to be followed by children of God, and are not their ways.

1. Ways of presumption. In these men court danger, and, as it were, defy God. "Cast thyself down," said Satan to our Lord, and then urged this promise (Matthew 4:6).

2. Ways of sin, dishonesty, lying, vice, worldly conformity, etc. We have no permit to bow in the house of Rimmon (Ephesians 5:12).

3. Ways of worldliness, selfishness, greed, ambition. The ways by which men seek personal aggrandizement are usually dark and crooked, and are not of God (Proverbs 28:22; 1 Timothy 6:9).

4. Ways of pride, self-conceit, boastful promising, pretended perfection, etc. "Pride goeth before destruction."

5. Ways of will-worship, wilfulness, obstinacy, fancy, daydreaming, absurd impulse, etc. (Jeremiah 2:18).

6. Ways of erroneous doctrine, novel practice, fashionable ceremonial, flattering delusion, etc. (2 Timothy 3:5).

II. There are Ways in which Safety is guaranteed.

1. The way of humble faith in the Lord Jesus.

2. The way of obedience to divine precepts.

3. The way of childlike trust in providential guidance.

4. The way of strict principle and stern integrity.

5. The way of consecrated service, and seeking God's glory.

6. The way of holy separation, and walking with God.

III. These Ways lead us into varied Conditions.

1. They are changeful and varied: "all thy ways."

2. They are sometimes stony with difficulty: "foot against a stone."

3. They may be terrible with temptation.

4. They may be mysteriously trying. Devils may throng the path, only to be met by holy angels.

5. They are essentially safe, while the smooth and easy roads are perilous.

IV. But while walking in them all Believers are secure.

1. The Lord himself concerns himself about them: "He shall give his angels charge over thee." He will personally command those holy beings to have an eye to his children. David charged his troops to spare Absalom, but his bidding was disregarded. It is not so with God.

2. Mysterious agencies protect them: angels bear them up in their hands, as nurses carry little children. Wonderful tenderness and power: angels acting as servants to men!

3. All things are on their side, both visible and invisible. Command is laid on all to protect the saints. "Thou hast given commandment to save me" (Psalms 71:3).

4. Each one is personally watched over. "Charge over thee to keep thee" (Isaiah 42:6; Genesis 28:15).

5. That watchfulness is perpetual—"All thy ways" (Psalms 121:3-4).

6. This guard also confess honor. How noble a thing to have the courtiers of heaven for a corps de garde!

7. All this comes to them by Jesus, whose the angels are, and whom they serve (Isaiah 43:4).

See how the lowest employment is consistent with the highest enjoyment. Keeping guard over the Lord's stumbling children is no discredit to angels.

How cheerfully we should watch over others! How vigorously should we hold them up whenever it is in our power. To cast off a stumbling brother is not angelic, but the reverse.

How safe we ought to feel, how fully trustful we ought to be. Alexander slept soundly, "For," said he, "Parmenio wakes."

How holy we should be with such holy ones for watchers! Great privileges involve heavy responsibilities.

Garnishing

Whilst King William, at a battle in Flanders, was giving orders in the thickest of the fight, he saw, to his surprise, among his staff one Michael Godfrey, a merchant of London, and Deputy Governor of the Bank of England, who had thus exposed himself in order to gratify his curiosity. The king, riding up to him, said, "Sir, you ought not to run these hazards; you are not a soldier, you can be of no use here." "Sire," answered Godfrey, "I run no more hazard than your majesty." "Not so," said William; "I am here where it is my duty to be, and I may, without presumption, commit my life to God's keeping; but you—" The sentence needed no completion, for at that very moment a cannon-ball laid Godfrey lifeless at the king's feet. He had been wise had he restricted himself to the ways of his calling and duty.

Old Humphrey has a good paper against wandering from the path of duty, suggested by a notice at the entrance of a park—"Take notice. In walking through these grounds, you are requested to keep the foot-path." Bunyan has supplied the same theme for solemn warning, in the pilgrim straying into Bye-path Meadow.—Bowes.

Angels our servants are, And keep in all our ways; And in their watchful hands they bear The sacred sons of grace:

Unto that heavenly bliss They all our steps attend; And God himself our Father is, And Jesus is our Friend.

—Wesley A dying saint asked that his name should be put upon his tombstone, with the dates of his birth and death, and the one word, "Kept." Our protection is in other hands than our own. In the way of duty we are as safe as in heaven. Not alone in great dangers, but in little ones we are secure if we are in the right way—for we are kept from stumbling-stones as well as from fiery darts. Our guards are such as no enemy can resist, for they are strong; such as no evil can escape, for they are swift; such as no weariness can tire, for they are never weary. We have a body-guard of Immortals, each one of them invincible, unflagging, loyal, loving, and full of fire. Each angel may truly say, A charge to keep I have.

Keep it he will till the Lord Himself shall receive our spirit. No angel will give in his account with sorrow, saying, "I could not keep him; the stones were too many, his feet too feeble, the way too long." No, we shall be kept to the end; for in addition to angels, we have the safeguard of their Lord; He keepeth the feet of his saints (1 Samuel 2:9).

Section 51

"The Dead praise not the Lord, neither any that go down into Silence. But we will
bless the Lord from this Time forth and for evermore. Praise the Lord" Psalms 115:17-18 The living God should be adored by a living people. A blessing God should be blessed by a blessing people. Whatever others do, we ought to bless Jehovah. When we bless him we should not rest till others do the same; we should cry to them, "Praise the Lord." Our example and our persuasion should rouse them to praise.

I. A Mournful Memory.

"The dead praise not the Lord, neither any that go down into silence." This reminds us—

1. Of silenced voices in the choirs of Zion. Good men and true, who neither sing nor speak among us any longer.

2. Of our own speedy silence; so far as this world is concerned, we shall soon be among the dead and silent ones.

3. Of the ungodly around us, who are already spiritually dead, and can no more praise the Lord than if they were dumb.

4. Of lost souls in hell. Never will these bless the Lord.

II. A happy Resolution.

"But we will bless the Lord." In heart, song, testimony, action, we are resolved to give the Lord our loving praise; because—

1. We live. Shall we not bless him who keeps us in being?

2. We live spiritually, and this demands perpetual thanksgiving.

3. We are blessed of the Lord. Shall we not bless him?

4. He will bless us. More and more will he reveal his love to us; let us praise him more and more. Be this our steadfast vow, that we will bless the Lord, come what may.

III. An appropriate Commencement.

"We will bless the Lord from this time forth."

1. When the heathen ask, "Where is now their God?" (Psalms 115:2). Let us reply courageously to all atheistic questions, and meet infidelity with joyous adoration.

2. When under a sense of mercy, we are led to sing—"The Lord hath been mindful of us" (Psalms 115:12), let us then bless him.

3. When spiritually renewed and comforted. When the four times repeated words, "He will bless," have come true in our experience, and the Lord has increased us with every personal and family blessing (Psalms 115:12-14), then let all that is within us bless the holy name of the Lord.

4. When led to confess Christ. Then should we begin the never-ending life-psalm. Service and song should go together.

5. When years end and begin—New Years' Days, birthdays, etc.—let us bless God for—

Sin of the year forgiven.

Need of the year supplied.

Mercy of the year enjoyed.

Fears of the year removed.

Hopes of the year fulfilled.

Let us from this very moment magnify the name of the Lord. Let our hearts turn each beat into music as we inwardly bless him. We have robbed him of his glory long enough.

IV. An everlasting Continuance.

"From this time forth and for evermore."

1. Weariness shall not suspend it. We will renew our strength as we bless the Lord.

2. Final falling shall not end it. The Lord will keep our soul in his way, and make us praise him all our days.

3. Nor shall death so much as interrupt our songs, but raise them to a purer and fuller strain.

4. Nor shall any supposable calamity deprive the Lord of our gratitude. "The Lord gave, and the Lord hath taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord" (Job 1:21).

One by one the singers in the consecrated choir steal away from us, and we miss their music; let us feel as if baptized for the dead. Will no one here engage in the choir, and rehearse on earth the sonnets of heaven?

Joy-Notes

Praise is the highest function that any creature can discharge. The Rabbis have a beautiful bit of teaching buried among their rubbish about angels. They say that there are two kinds of angels, the angels of service and the angels of praise, of which two orders the latter is the higher, and that no angel in it praises God twice; but having lifted up his voice in the psalm of heaven, then ceases to be. He has perfected his being, he has reached the height of his greatness, he has done what he was made for; let him fade away. The garb of legend is mean enough, but the thought it embodies is that ever true and solemn one, without which life is nought: "Man's chief end is to glorify God."—Dr. Maclaren.

There is no heaven, either in this world, or in the world to come, for people who do not praise God. If you do not enter into the spirit and worship of heaven, how should the spirit and joy of heaven enter into you? Selfishness makes long prayers, but love makes short prayers, that it may continue longer in praise.—Pulsford.

King of glory, King of peace, I will love thee: And that love may never cease, I will move thee.

******** Seven whole days, not one in seven, I will praise thee. In my heart, though not in heaven, I can raise thee.

******** Small it is, in this poor sort To enroll thee.

Even eternity is too short To extol thee.

—George Herbert On Thursday evening, March 29th, 1883, for above an hour all who had occasion to use the telephone in Chicago found it vibrating to musical tones. Private and public telephones, and even the police and fire-alarm instruments, were alike affected. The source of the music was a mystery until the following day, when it was learned that a telegraph wire, which passes near most of the telephone wires, was connected with the harmonic system, that tunes were being played over it, and that the telephone wires took up the sound by induction. If one wire carrying sweet sounds from place to place could so affect another wire by simply being near to it, how ought Christians, in communication with their Father in heaven, to affect all with whom they come in contact in the world! The divine music of love and gentleness in their lives should be a blessing to society.—The Pulpit Treasury, New York. When we bless God for mercies we prolong them, and when we bless him for miseries we usually end them. When we reach to praise we have compassed the design of a dispensation, and have reaped the harvest of it. Praise is a soul in flower, and a secret, hearty blessing of the Lord is the soul fruit-bearing. Praise is the honey of life, which a devout heart sucks from every bloom of providence and grace. As well be dead as be without praise; it is the crown of life.

Section 52 "This is my Comfort in my Affliction: for thy Word hath quickened me."—Psalms 119:50 In some respects the same event happens to us all: to good men, to great men, to well-instructed men, as well to the wicked, the obscure, and the ignorant. Each of these can speak of "my affliction." "The heart knoweth his own bitterness" (Proverbs 14:10).

It is a grand matter when "my affliction" is in each case balanced by "my comfort." It was so in David's case, and he is a fair representative of all believers. How is it with each one of our hearers?

I. Believers have their peculiar Comfort.

Each tried child of God can say, "This is my comfort."

1. This, as different from others. Worldly men get their drops of comfort from such sources as they prefer; but the godly man looks to his experience of the Word, and says, "This is my comfort" (Psalms 4:6).

2. This, as understanding what it is. He knew his consolation as well as he knew his tribulation. He was not like Hager, who could not see the well which was so near her (Genesis 21:19).

3. This, as having it near at hand. He does not say that, as if he pointed it out in the distance; but this, as grasping it.

4. This, as pleading in prayer that which he had enjoyed; urging upon the Lord the mercy already received.

II. That Comfort comes from a peculiar Source.

"Thy Word hath quickened me."

1. In part it is outward. The Word of God, full of promises, is our comfort (Romans 15:4). The Word of God, full of records of his goodness, is the confirmation of our confidence (Psalms 77:5-10). The Word of God, full of power, is our strength (Ecclesiastes 8:4).

2. In part it is inward: "Thy Word hath quickened me." In past experience he had felt the power of the Word in raising him,—

Into life from death (Psalms 116:8).

Into energy from lethargy (Song of Solomon 6:12).

Into higher life from lower (Psalms 119:67). In all things it had been a source of quickening to him. In present experience he was then feeling its power in making— His mind less worldly. His heart more prayerful. His spirit more tender. His faith more simple.

If the Word has done and is doing all this, we may expect it to do more, and to magnify its power in our complete rescue.

III. That Comfort is valuable under peculiar Trials.

1. Hope deferred. Study the context. "Remember the Word unto thy servant, upon which thou hast caused me to hope" (verse 49) Quickening enables us to hope on.

2. Trial endured (verse 50). Comfort is most needed in trouble, and there is no comfort like quickening.

3. Scorn suffered. "The proud have had me greatly in derision" (verse 51). We care nothing for mockers when we are lively in spiritual things.

4. Sin of others. "Horror hath taken hold upon me because of the wicked" (verse 53). More grace will enable us to bear up under abounding sin.

5. Changes. Read carefully verse 54. The Bible has a song for all seasons, and a psalm for all places.

6. Darkness: "in the night" (verse 55). There is no night-light like the Word, enlightening and enlivening the heart.

IV. That the Form of our Comfort is a Test of Character.

1. Some look to wealth: when their corn and their wine are increased, they say, "This is my comfort." They mind the main chance; they are worldly (Luke 12:19).

2. Some seek to dreams and visions, omens and fancies, impressions and presentiments: they are superstitious.

3. Some run to sin, drink, gaming, worldly company, dissipation, opium: they are wicked.

4. Some resort to their fellow-men for advice and assistance: they are unwise, and will be disappointed (Jeremiah 17:5).

What is your comfort? Has this blessed volume quickened you?

If so, look to it under all trials, for it will never fail you. The Rev. E. Paxton Hood says: "When I visited one day, as he was dying, my beloved friend Benjamin Parsons, I said, 'How are you today, sir?' He said, 'My head is resting very sweetly on three pillows—infinite power, infinite love, and infinite wisdom.' Preaching in the Canterbury Hall in Brighton, I mentioned this some time since; and not many months after, I was requested to call upon a poor but holy young woman, apparently dying. She said, 'I felt I must see you before I died. I heard you tell the story of Benjamin Parsons and his three pillows; and when I went through a surgical operation, and it was very cruel, I was leaning my head on pillows, and as they were taking them away, I said, "Mayn't I keep them?" The surgeon said, "No, my dear, we must take them away." "But," said I, "you can't take away Benjamin Parsons' three pillows: I can lay my head on infinite power, infinite love, and infinite wisdom." ' " The best relief that mourners have, It makes our sorrows blest; Our fairest hope beyond the grave, And our eternal rest.

—"My Word"

"Speak to me now in Scripture language alone," said a dying Christian. "I can trust the words of God; but when they are the words of man, it costs me an effort to think whether I may trust to them."

I would, when dying comforts fly, As much as when they present were, Upon my living joy rely:

Help, Lord, for here I daily err.

—Ralph Erskine

I was questioning my spiritual life, I who have so long been a preacher to others. I entered a little rustic assembly. An unlettered man preached the gospel, he preached it heartily; my tears began to flow; my soul leaped at the very sound of the Word of the Lord. What a comfort it was to me! How frequently have I thought of it since! The Word did revive me; my heart was not dead to its influence; I was one of those happy people who know the joyful sound. Assurance was bright in my soul,—the Word had quickened me.

What energy a text will breathe into a man! There is more in one divine sentence than in huge folios of human composition. There are tinctures of which one drop is more powerful than large doses of the common dilutions. The Bible is the essence of truth; it is the mind of God, the wisdom of the Eternal. By every word of God men are made to live, and are kept in life.

Section 53

"I will praise thee with my whole Heart: before the Gods will I sing Praise unto thee.
I will worship towards thy Holy Temple, and praise thy Name for thy Loving-kindness and
for thy Truth: for thou hast magnified thy Word above all thy Name. In the Day when I cried
thou answeredst me, and strengthenedst me with Strength in my Soul."—Psalms 138:1-3

David was vexed with rival gods, as we are with rival Gospels. Nothing is more trying to the soul of a true man than to be surrounded with vile counterfeits, and to hear these cried up, and the truth treated with contempt.

How will David act under the trial? For so should we act. Our text informs us. He will—

I. Sing with whole-hearted Praise.

"I will praise thee with my whole heart: before the gods will I sing praise unto thee."

1. His song would openly show his contempt of the false gods: he would sing whether they were there or no. They were such nothings that he would not change his note for them.

2. It would evince his strong faith in the true God. To the teeth of the adversary he glorified Jehovah. His enthusiastic wholehearted song was better than denunciation or argument.

3. It would declare his joyful zeal for God: he sang to show the strong emotion of his soul. Others might be pleased in Baal, he greatly rejoiced in Jehovah.

4. It would shield him from evil from those about him; for holy song keeps off the enemy. Praise is a potent disinfectant. If called to behold evil, let us purify the air with the incense of praise.

II. Worship by the despised Rule.

"I will worship toward thy holy temple."

1. Quietly ignoring all will-worship, he would follow the rule of the Lord, and the custom of the saints.

2. Looking to the person of Christ, which was typified by the Temple. There is no singing like that which is directed towards the Lord Jesus, as now living to present it to the Father.

3. Trusting in the one finished Sacrifice, looking to the one Great Expiation, we shall praise aright.

4. Realizing God himself; for it is to God he speaks— "towards thy holy temple." Music which is meant for the ear of God is music indeed.

III. Praise the questioned Attributes.

"I will praise thy name for thy loving-kindness, and for thy truth."

1. Loving-kindness in its universality.

Loving-kindness in its speciality.

Grace in everything. Grace to me. Grace so much despised of Pharisees and Sadducees, but so precious to true penitents.

Concerning the grace of God, let us cling close to the doctrine and spirit of the gospel all the more because the spirit of the age is opposed to them.

2. Truth. Historic accuracy of Scripture.

Absolute certainty of the gospel.

Assured truthfulness of the promises.

Complete accuracy of prophecy.

It is ours in these evil days to hold to the infallible inspiration of the Word, and to affirm it in unmistakable terms. No wonder that men rush off to find an infallible church in Popery, or rely upon their own infallible reason, when once they doubt the plenary inspiration of the Bible.

IV. Reverence the honored Word.

"Thou hast magnified thy Word above all thy name." God has magnified his sure Word of testimony beyond all such revelations as we receive through creation and providence, though these declare God's name. The gospel word is—

1. More clear. Words are better understood than nature's hieroglyphs.

2. More sure. The Spirit himself sealing it.

3. More sovereign. Effectually blessing believers.

4. More complete. The whole of God is seen in Christ.

5. More lasting. Creation must pass away, the Word endures for ever.

6. More glorifying to God. Specially in the great Atonement.

V. Prove it by personal Experience.

"In the day when I cried thou answeredst me," etc. He had used his knowledge of God derived from the Word.

1. By offering prayer. "I cried." What do men know of the truth and grace of God and the virtue of his Word if they have never prayed?

2. By narrating the answer. "Thou answeredst me," etc. We are God's witnesses, and should with readiness, care, frequency, and courage testify what we have seen and known.

3. By exhibiting the strength of soul which has gained by prayer. This is good witness-bearing. Show by patience, courage, joy, and holiness what the Lord has done for your soul. Our Lord is above all others. Our joy in him surpasses all other joy.

Therefore will we delight in him and extol him beyond measure.

Jottings

Singing unto Jehovah before the gods was good for David's own soul. It is perilous to attempt a secret fidelity to God, it is so apt to degenerate into cowardice. A converted soldier tried at first to pray in bed, or in some secret corner, but he found it would not do; he must kneel down in the barrack-room before the others, and run the gauntlet of the men's remarks; for until he had done so he had not taken his stand and he felt no peace of mind. It is needful for our spiritual health that we come out distinctly upon the Lord's side. The effect of whole-heartedness is very manifest. Even prejudiced persons put up with a great deal in a service when they see that those engaged in it are enthusiastic. "It was very singular," said one who attended a revival service, "and I should have laughed outright, only I saw the tears running down an old sailor's cheeks as he sung the hymn with all his might."

Observe carefully the little points in a divine command: worship "towards the holy temple." Nothing is little when God's will is concerned. I knew a youth who had wished to be baptized, but his friends kept him back. When he fell ill, he fretted because he had not confessed his Lord according to the Scripture. "But Isaac," said his mother, "you know baptism will not save you." "No, mother," he replied, "of course it will not, for I am saved. But when I see Jesus in heaven I should not like him to say, 'Isaac, it was a very little thing I asked of you; did you not love me enough to do it?' " It is the non-essentiality of the precept which makes it such an important test of obedience.

We do not intend to place Scripture on a lower level than science; on the contrary, we claim for it the chief place. By science the name and character of the Lord may be dimly read; but his Word is magnified above all other manifestations, for therein the revelation is more full and clear. Observations made by sunlight are not to be revised by moonlight glances; the reverse is the correct process. You tell me what you gather from my Father's works; but I have his mind in his own words, written with his own pen, and I prefer my information to yours.

Section 54 "I flee unto thee to hide me."—Psalms 143:9

What a mercy it is for us all that David was not an untried man! We have all been enriched by his painful experience. He was— A man so various that he seemed to be Not one, but all mankind's epitome. May it not be a blessing to others that we also are tried? If so, ought we not to be right glad to contribute our quota to the benefit of the redeemed family?

David may be our example; let us flee unto God as he did. We shall profit by our foes if we imitate this prudent warrior in his habitual way of escaping from his enemies. The great point is, however, not only to see what David did, but to do the like promptly and constantly. What, then, is essential in order to our copying the man of God?

I. A Perception of Danger. No man will flee if he is not afraid; there must be a knowledge and apprehension of danger, or there will be no flight.

1. Men perish in many instances because they have no sense of danger. The noxious air is not observed, the sunken reef is not seen, the train rushes to collision unwarned. Ignorance of danger makes the danger inevitable.

Men will dare to die without fear of hell.

Men will sin and have no dread of any ill consequences.

Men will play with an evil habit and will not believe in its power to enslave them.

Men will toy with a temptation and refuse to see how certain it is to lead them into actual wrong-doing.

2. Every man is really in danger. The sinner is asleep on the top of a mast. Young and old are both in jeopardy. Even the saints are in peril of temptation from many sources.

3. Some dangers are slowly perceived. Those connected with sweet sin, those which grow out of a boastful mind, those which are countenanced by the example of others, etc. The more dangerous the serpent, the less likely to be seen.

4. The spiritual man is led to perceive dangers by inward monitions, by a spiritual sensitiveness which is the result of devotion, by experience, by perceptible declensions, or by observing the effect of certain things upon others.

II. A Sense of Weakness. No man will flee for hiding if he feel able to fight the matter through in his own strength.

1. We are all weak and unable to cope with sin.

2. Some think themselves mighty men of valor, but these are among the very weakest of the weak.

3. Past failure should teach us not to trust our own strength.

4. In a deep sense of weakness we are made strong: in fancied strength lies the worst form of weakness.

III. A prudent Foresight.

"I flee unto thee to hide me."

1. He would not venture into the danger or wait till it overtook him; but he took time by the forelock and fled. Often this is the highest form of courage.

2. Escape through fear is admirable prudence. It is not a mean motive; for Noah, "moved by fear, prepared an ark."

3. While we can flee we should, for time may come when we shall be unable. David says, "I flee": he means—"I am fleeing, I always do flee unto thee, my God." A man should not live like a beast, who sees no further than the meadow in which he feeds. He should foresee evil and hide himself; for this is common prudence (Proverbs 22:3).

IV. A solid Confidence.

"To thee to hide me." He was sure—

1. That there was safety in God.

2. That he might flee to God.

3. That he might flee there and then.

V. An active Faith.

He did not lie passive, but aroused himself. This may be clearly seen—

1. In his fleeing to God. Directness, speed, eagerness.

2. In his after-prayers. "Teach me to do thy will; lead me; quicken me." See verses following the text.

Expect your share of enemies, and prepare for them.

Secure your best friend. Be reconciled to him in Christ Jesus.

Make constant use of him. Flee to him at all times.

Feathers for Wings From some sins there is no safety but in flight. Our French schoolbook represented Mentor as saying to his pupil in the court of Calypso, "Fly, Telemaque; there remains no other mode of conquest but by flight!" "Flee youthful lusts"; they are not to be wrestled with, but fled from. Flight being thus needful, whither shall we flee but to our God? Who will so surely welcome, so securely defend, so permanently entertain? As the bird to its nest, and the coney to its rock, let us flee unto our God that we may be secure from every foe.

God's people often find by experience that the places of their protection are places of destruction. Well, when all other places fail, Christ will not fail. See how it was with David (Psalms 142:4-5). But when his hiding-place at Ziklag was gone, yet his Saviour was not gone; "He encouraged himself in the Lord his God" (1 Samuel 30:6). It is a mighty encouragement to believers that Christ is a hiding-place. 1. He is a safe and strong hiding-place (Isaiah 33:16); Christ is a rock, and he that is in Christ is in the munitions of rocks. 2. He is a large hiding-place; there is room enough for his elect; his skirt is large. 3. He is a hiding-place to the soul as well as to the body. 4. He hath undertaken to hide us; God hath committed all his elect to Christ, that he should hide them.—Ralph Robinson.

Under the influence of great fear the most timid creatures have sometimes fled to men for security. We have heard of a dove flying into a lady's bosom to escape from a hawk, and even of a hare running to a man for shelter. The confidence of the feeble secures the guardianship of the strong. He would be brutal indeed who would refuse protection to such simple reliance. Surely, if in our need we fly into the bosom of our God, we may be sure that love and majesty will unitedly smile upon us. There can be no question of that man's security who challenges by his faith the protection of the God of love. "He has trusted me and I will not fail him," has been the resolve of many an honorable man; how much more will it be the determination of the Lord! A little party assembled in a shepherd's house in Nithsdale to hear Mr. Peden expound the Word of God. While thus engaged, the bleating of a sheep was heard. The noise disturbed the little congregation, and the shepherd was obliged to go out and drive the sheep away. While so engaged, he lifted up his eyes and saw, at a distance, horse-soldiers coming towards his cottage. He hastened back to give the alarm. All instantly dispersed and hid themselves. Mr. Peden betook himself to the Cleft of the Rock, the Cave of Garrickfells, and soon the clatter of horses' hoofs and the ring of armor told him that his foes were at hand. But safe in the Cleft he sat unmoved, and through an opening saw them gallop past, without any suspicion that he whose life they sought was so near.—From "Sunday Readings," by James Large.