Call attention to some two or three of "the foundations," or primary and essential doctrines of the Church's creed. I. The basis of the whole superstructure of the religion we profess: the inspiration and sufficiency of the Scriptures. II. The doctrine concerning Christ. III. The ministry of the Spirit.c and to seek safety not in resistance, but in flight."Peroune. b C. Simeon, M.A. c T. Preston, M.A. 4-7. (4) holy temple, not that at Jerus., but the heavenly a He. ix. 24. temple. The Lord in heaven is the true King, and the founda- Temple is used tion of justice. eyelids, perhaps bec. bent down in serious with idea of consideration. try, test, assay. (5) soul hateth, a strong palace. expression. We must not suppose God to hate the man, He can only be said to hate his wicked ways. (6) snares, some rend. coals of fire, raining snares, or cords, is a somewhat extravagant poetical expression. horrible tempest, burning wind; the simoom; a blast of horror. (7) his countenance, lifted on them with grace and acceptance." God-sent trials (v. 5).—I. All events are under the control of Providence; consequently all the trials of our outward life are traceable at once to the great First Cause. II. The trials which come from God are sent to prove and strengthen our graces, and so at once to illustrate the power of Divine grace, to test the genuineness of our virtues, and add to their energy.e Mere morality (v. 5).-How foolish and ignorant we should deem an artificer who, having taken a piece of iron, should melt and mould, file and polish it, and then imagine that it has become gold. It shines, it is true, but is its brilliancy a proof that it is no longer iron? And does not God require pure and refined gold, that is to say, a perfect righteousness and a perfect holiness? Say, ye sages of this world, shall any metal but that of the sanctuary find currency in heaven? Or shall God mistake what is false for what is genuine, and shall He confound the hypocritical outward show of human morality with that everlasting life which partakes of His own nature, and which the Holy Spirit alone implants within the soul which He has new created? PSALM THE TWELFTH. b Ps. vii. 9, xvii. 3; Job xxiii. 10. "It is interesting to observe how early and how strongly this thought took possession of Dav.'s heart."-Spk. Com. c Ewald. d Nu. vi. 25; Ps. xxxi. 16, lxvii. 1. "Though this last part be diversely expounded, yet I doubt not but the natural meaning of it is, that God hath continual regard and never turns His eyes away from them." of the righteous, Calvin. e C. H. Spurgeon. f Dr. C. Malan. author,- over prevailing falsehood. a Is. lvii. 1; Mic. vii. 2. and true-hearted, lit. who are sted fast, unchanged by the evil influences around 1-4. (1) help, save, O Jehovah! godly, or pious. ceaseth, A Ps. of lament dieth out. faithful, stedfast in piety. fail, are dispersed. (2) vanity, or untruth. flattering.. speak, trans. "Deceitful language do they speak with a double heart." double heart, Heb. an heart and an heart. (3) cut off, by sudden calamity. proud things, Heb. great, boastful things. (4) our own, lit. are with us, under our command. Practical atheism (v. 4).-To illustrate this I will show-I. The atheism of the heart. Who is the Lord over us-1. To inspect our ways? 2. To order our paths? 3. To supply our wants? 4. To call us to account? II. Let me proceed to show the folly of this. 1. It will not alter the state of things; 2. It will not alter the issue of things. III. Let me conclude with answering the question which is thus presumptuously proposed. 5-8. (5) oppression, lit. for the laying waste of the afflicted. now, after what may seem to men a long silence. set.. him, render, "I will set (him) in the salvation for which he pants." (6) words, with special reference to the Lord's promises, e.g. v. 5. furnace of earth, or furnace placed in the earth, so that it may с them: men that be relied c C. Simeon, M.A. "The word used pant with desire, not to puff contemptuously." here means to Jennings & Lowe. b Wordsworth. "In all direcwicked; (it is) tions advance the like the rising of a tempest upon the sons of men i.e. society is afflicted by outbursts of oppression from every quarter, wh. resemble the shift Faith and works are the two oars with the right oar alone, and the boat describes a useless of a boat. Row circle on the water. Row with the left oar alone, and it be heated to any intensity. seven times, or thoroughly. (7) them, the poor and needy. generation, or depraved class. (8) walk, or prowl about: omit when.s The moral degeneracy of society (vv. 1-7).—This degeneracy appears in this Psalm in three aspects. I. As a fact for devout 1. There is the absence of the true; 2. The prelamentation. sence of the false; 3. The exultation of the vile. II. As a reason for Divine interposition. This-1. Prayed for; 2. Divinely promised; 3. Heartily expected. III. As suggested by contrast, the excellency of God's Word. His words-1. Are unmixed with ing gales of a falsehood; 2. Have been thoroughly tested.d-Quaker's house pretempest." -Jen-served.-A most remarkable case occurred at the siege of Copennings and Lowe. d Dr. Thomas. hagen under Lord Nelson. An officer in the fleet says:-"I was particularly impressed with an object which I saw three or four days after the terrific bombardment of that place. For several nights before the surrender, the darkness was ushered in with a tremendous roar of guns and mortars, accompanied by the whizzing of those destructive and burning engines of warfare, Congreve's rockets. The dreadful effects were soon visible in the brilliant lights through the city. The blazing houses of the rich, and the burning cottages of the poor, illuminated the heavens; and the wide spreading flames, reflecting on the water, merely goes in the opposite showed a forest of ships assembled round the city for its dedirection. But struction. This work of conflagration went on for several use both oars nights; but the Danes at length surrendered; and on walking with equal force, some days after among the ruins, consisting of the cottages of and it moves swiftly and eventhe poor, houses of the rich, manufactories, lofty steeples, and ly forward. humble meeting-houses, I descried, amid this barren field of desoNo words canlation, a solitary house unharmed; all around it a burnt mass, this alone untouched by the fire, a monument of mercy. 'Whose continually en-¡ house is that?' I asked. 'That,' said the interpreter, 'belongs to larging blessings a Quaker. He would neither fight, nor leave his house, but rein Christ which mained in prayer, with his family, during the whole bombardinto the souls of ment.' Surely, thought I, it is well with the righteous. God has many of the been a shield to thee in battle, a wall of fire round about thee, a children of God, through the very present help in time of need."e simple, unreasoning faith which prays confidently and with ever unceasing trust. e Dr. Cheever. describe the wonderful and have been poured author,David PSALM THE THIRTEENTH. 1-6. (1) how long, here are really two questions. How long wilt Thou forget me? For ever? a hide thy face, comp. Job. xiii. 24. (2) take counsel, meditate plan after plan. having sorrow, or while sorrow is in my heart. daily, or in A Ps. of weari- the day. (3) lighten, etc., the eyes that were dimmed with ness and despair. anxiety and sorrow. sleep the death, sleep an eternal sleep. Comp. during the by (4) lest, etc., such boasting would affect the Divine honour and persecutions Saul. faithfulness. (5) thy mercy, not in my merit. (6) sing, in anticipation of God's gracious ways with him." a "It is natural Trust in God (r. 5).-I. The nature of this important duty. and doubting 1. It is an enlightened confidence; 2. A universal confidence; heart thus to ex- 3. It is a holy confidence. II. The motives to its exercise. 1. press itself, in a The infinite wisdom of God; 2. His Almighty power; 3. His most contradic-boundless goodness. Learn (1) How miserable are they who tory manner."- have no trust in God; (2) How wise and happy the subjects of this trust.d to a perturbed confused and al Perowne. Psalm lxxix. 5, lxxxix. 46. tors think the The best light for the eyes (v. 3).—When the Princess Anne, daughter of Charles I., who died on the 8th of December, 1640, lay upon her death-bed, and nature was almost spent, she was desired by one of her attendants to pray. She said that she was not able to say her long prayer, meaning the Lord's Prayer, but she would say her short one, should Lighten mine eyes, O Lord, that I sleep not the sleep of death." The little creature had no sooner pronounced these words than she expired: she was not quite four years of age. PSALM THE FOURTEENTH. 1-3. (1) the fool," in Sc. always those who have cast off the fear of God. heart, not in intellect, but in the seat of thought and conviction. Rather a practical than a theoretical atheism. corrupt, Ge. vi. 11, 12. (2) the Lord, Jehovah. looked down, as before the flood. understand, their duty. (3) all.. filthy, lit. rancid: see Rom. iii. 10-12. The folly of atheism (v. 1).-I. The assertion made, "There is no God." 1. The thing asserted. This may mean-(a) An absolute removal of the Divine being; (b) A removal of God's providence. 2. The manner of the assertion, in his heart, which implies-(a) An inward wishing that there was no God; (b) Seeking out arguments to prove that there is no God; (c) Readiness to agree with anything that seems to make for his opinion; (d) When one places his sole dependence on anything beside God. II. The person by whom it is made, whose folly will appear from the following reasons. 1. He contradicts the general judgment of mankind; 2. He adopts a principle that is at the best highly improbable; 3. The causes and motives inducing him to take up this opinion. (a) Great impiety; (b) Ignorance of nature and of natural causes. 4. From these cases his folly appears (a) In the time of some great and imminent danger; (b) In the time of approaching death. Application :-Beware(1) Of sin which makes the conscience raw and sick; (2) Of discontent with the providence of God; (3) Of devotion to pleasure and sensuality, there being nothing in the world that so casts out God from the heart." not be 1 Sa. xiv. 27, 29. pressed. "While Satan rages and wars about him, he meanwhile sings quietly his little psalm."- Luther. d F. I. Durand. b Dr. South. The Psalms are the heart of the Bible, its great centre of throbbing life. Deprived of them, it would indeed be a form of wondrous beauty; but would it breathe as now ? A temple would remain, symmetrical and imposing; but would the many-voiced choir and supplicating priest be The folly of atheism (v. 1).-" But it is heroism no longer if the atheist knows that there is no God. The wonder then turns on the great process by which a man could grow to the immense intelligence that can know that there is no God. What ages and what lights are requisite for this attainment! This intelligence involves the very attributes of Divinity, while a God is denied. For unless this man is omnipresent; unless he is at this moment in every place in the universe, he cannot know but there may be, in some place, manifestations of a Deity, by which even he would be overpowered. If he does not know absolutely every agent in the universe, the one that he does not know may be God. If he is not himself the chief agent in the universe, and does not know what is so, that which is so may be God. If he is not in absolute sand is sufficient possession of all the propositions that constitute universal truth, to attest the the one which he wants may be, that there is a God. If he can- presence of man not with certainty assign the cause of all that exists, that cause may be God. If he does not know everything that has been done there ? "The footprint of the savage traced in the to the atheist who will not recognise God, whose hand is the entire uni- c J. Foster. a Nu. xiv. 9; Pr. xxx. 14; La.ii. 16. b"I judge the meaning of the prophet to be, that when all is tranquil and prosperous, on a sudden God hurls His bolts at them."-Calvin. c Ju. v. 12. d Whitecross. in the immeasurable ages that are past, some things may have been done by a God. Thus, unless he knows all things-that is, precludes another Deity by being one himself-he cannot know that the Being whose existence he rejects does not exist. But he must know that He does not exist, else he deserves equal contempt and compassion for the temerity with he firmly avows his rejection, and acts accordingly." 4-7. (4) eat up my people, a fig. common in Heb.a call not, they are men who do not pray. (5) there, when God speaks to them in the terribleness of His judgments: or they were in fear when they saw that God. was for the righteous. (6) shamed, endeavoured to baffle. It was however in vain, because, etc. (7) oh, etc., this appears like a liturgical addition of later times. The fig. however is used in early Scrip., as in Job. xlii. 10. Trust (v. 6).-An aged Christian, who had long been an invalid, and was dependent on Christian charity for her support, on sending for a new physician, who had just come into the place, and united with the same church of which she was a member, said to him, "Doctor, I wish to put myself under your care, but I cannot do it unless you will trust my Father." Well, madam," replied the physician, "I believe your Father is rich; I may safely trust Him."d 66 author,David A Ps. on the conditions of access prob. on occasion of removing the ark to Zion. 2 Sa. to God. Comp. vi. 12-19. "There is a fine distinction of the terms: the beas a settler, and liever is admitted then takes up his permanent abode in his Father's dwelling."-Spk. Com. b 2 Sa. vi. 17. c Job i. 1; Ps. ci. 2. d Kay. e Matt. v. 3; comp. Is. liii. 3. f Ex. xxii. Le. xxv. 36. g Dr. H. Blair. 25; PSALM THE FIFTEENTH. 1-5. (1) abide, sojourn. tabernacle, tent set up on Mt. Zion to receive the ark. (2) walketh, etc., as Ge. xvi. 1. The Heb. word uprightly, or perfect, is used to denote a consistent and thoroughly conscientious life. speaketh, etc., comp. Ps. xii. 2. (3) backbiteth, "allows no slander upon his tongue, representing the slanderous lie as a store of venom." taketh up, receiveth, but with the idea of further circulating the slander. (4) in whose .. contemned, should be rend. "Despised is he in his own eyes, and worthless," extreme humility. sweareth. . not, believes in the sanctity of an oath. (5) to usury, extravagant interest. This was forbidden by Mosaic law. On tranquillity of mind (v. 5).-We shall point out the line of conduct which, independently of any worldly position, shall tend to make us easy in mind. I. Imitate the character of the man I who is described in this Psalm. II. Join to that humble trust in the favour of God. III. Attend to the culture and improvement of your minds. IV. Be careful to provide proper employment for our time. V. Learn to govern your passions. VI. Never to expect too much from the world. VII. Mix retreat with the and recollection (Isa. xxxii. 17).9 active business of the world, and cultivate habits of serious thought Backbiting (v. 3).—If God love us, His mercy is as a cloak that hideth all our shame; He seeth no blemish or deformity in us. If we love our brethren our charity is as a veil before our eyes; we behold not their faults. Although they be great, we do not There is three-weigh them; although many, we reckon them not. For "charity fold death in covereth even the multitude of sins." The eye of the charitable the slanderer's man is always viewing his own wounds; as for the scars of other tongue-it kills him who slan-men, he seeth them not. His hand is always occupied, not in ders, him who picking out motes from other men's eyes, but in drawing out beams from his own. St. Augustine, to show the great dislike he is slandered, and had of such as uncharitably delighted to unfold other men's faults, wrote these verses over his table : "Whoso loveth to gnaw upon men in their absence, PSALM THE SIXTEENTH him who receives the slander. h Sandys. author,- A Ps. of joy in is unknown. 1-4. (1) preserve, keep. my trust, or "I have found and love. "Its date refuge in Thee." (2) goodness.. thee, my happiness extends not beyond Thee.a (3) but, omit this word, and add I say after the word delight. The Psalmist is about to make a testimony of his convictions. (4) hasten after, or give gifts to; or who woo another god. of blood, of those whose hands are full of blood-shedding, and wickedness. The blood-guiltiness of the offerers is referred to. Michtam, a writing, a poem. makes me truly happy is not above Thee, i.e. a "Whatever in addition to Thee, or without Thee. Thou alone, without exception, art my chief good."-Delitzsch. The portrait of a God-trusting soul.-I. His experience under the influence of the present. 1. A profound consciousness of his dependence; 2. A delight in the fellowship of the good; 3. An abhorrence of the practices of the wicked; 4. An exultation in the Lord as his portion; 5. A high satisfaction with providential arrangements. II. His experiences in reference to the future. 1. Thankful; 2. Thoughtful; 3. Calm; 4. Happy; 5. Hopeful." Christian sympathy (v. 2).—True love to the saints will extend to those that are most remote in respect of place, as well as to those that are near. A gracious man that has an estate, a treasury, an inheritance, is like a common fountain, that freely gives out to strangers as well as to near neighbours. A great fire will warm those that sit far from it, as well as those that sit near it; so sincere love will extend and stretch out itself to those saints that are most remote. Gracious souls do dearly love and highly value those saints whose faces they have never seen; and all because of the good reports that they have had of the grace of God that has been sparkling and shining in them. "My good-e T.Brooks(1662). ness extendeth not to thee, but to the saints that are in the b "The term means to give a môhar, the dowry paid by a husband." - Jennings and Lowe. monuments the c"On Egypt. priest is represented as piercing the head of a kneeling figure, whose blood spurts out as a libation."— Com. d Thomas. Posidonius, that Spk. in gustine, relates the good man, going to preach at a diswith him a guide. tant town, took This man mistook the road, and fell into a proved that in this way the preacher's earth." e- A physician's testimony. Dr. Tilbury Fox, who his Life of Aurecently died, was a physician to University College Hospital, and widely known for his medical writings. He was a Fellow of University College, and was appointed Lettsomian Lecturer to the Medical Society of London in 1869 and 1870. He was also one of the editors of our able medical magazine the Lancet, a late number of which contained the following interesting paragraph:-Dr. Tilbury Fox left a written request that it should be reported of him in any obituary notice that might appear in the Lancet, "I die a Christian in the now, I fear, much despised sense of that term, a 'simple believer in Jesus Christ as a personal, living and loving Saviour,' without any righteousness of my own, but perfect and secure in His; and that I know in whom I have believed, and am persuaded that He is able to keep that which I have committed to Him until that day. by path. It life had been saved, as his enemies had placed them selves in the proper road with a design to kill him. a "Tacit allusion is made to 5-7. (5) the Lord, Jehovah Himself. portion, of my share in the division of the territory. To me Jehovah supplies the place of worldly blessings." my cup, or part. maintainest, as well as givest. "Therefore no creature can rob me of it." (6) vites. De. x. 9, lines, measuring lines, marking out plots of land. goodly the lot of the Le xviii. 1. |