Imagens das páginas
PDF
ePub

is through the salvation of Christ alone that our sons can grow up from their youth in the power of baptismal grace, 'like trees planted by the water-side, that will bring forth their fruit in due season.' It is through that salvation that our daughters can be adorned, as becometh women professing godliness, with good works,' and so be like the columns in His temple, whose glory is not so much in the beauty of their form or the lustre of their polish, as in the holiness which they have from being portions of the building in which the All-holy dwells. The salvation of our Lord fills His Church with good works, as His goodness fills the garners of the husbandman with corn; He multiplies the pious members of His -Church, His sheep who know His voice, His lambs, whom He carries in His bosom, until He shall increase them to that infinite multitude which no man can number.' He fills His priests and ministers, who labour in the word like oxen in the threshingfloor, with grace to believe and strength to preach His Gospel. He drives away all foes: He gives to all security and freedom in 'quiet resting-places ;' He fills all with comfort, and heals all sorrow.

15. Happy are the people that are in such a case: yea, blessed are the people who have the Lord for their God.

Happy are they on whom these blessings fall; happy are the members of the visible Church of Christ on earth. Yea, blessed are they who feel and know that the Lord their God is still keeping unto

them His most true promise of being with them always, even to the end of the world.

This Psalm has in the Hebrew the title of "by David," which the LXX. render "by David concerning Goliath." Verse 10 seems to give some support to this title of the LXX. But there is no doubt but that this is a Psalm of David. Verses 1, 2 are almost the same as the opening verse of Psalm xviii., and verse 3 is nearly identical with verse 4 of Psalm viii. Verses 7, 8, and 11 were probably sung in chanting by a single voice answering to a full chorus.

FOR WHITSUNDAY.

PSALM CXlV. Exaltabo Te, Deus.

1. I WILL magnify Thee, O God, my King: and I will praise Thy Name for ever and ever.

2. Every day will I give thanks unto Thee: and praise Thy Name for ever and ever.

the one

To him who saith unto God, Thou art my King, God Himself shall say, Thou art My servant. The same eternal Spirit Which enableth us to say maketh us the other. Therefore do we magnify our King, for that He hath poured His Spirit upon all flesh, giving us all good and all truth,—giving us each day our daily bread, for which we return Him daily thanks giving us everlasting life, for which we return Him everlasting praise.

3. Great is the Lord, and marvellous, worthy to be praised there is no end of His greatness.

4. One generation shall praise Thy works unto another and declare Thy power.

Mighty, wonderful, and infinite is the goodness and the holiness of God; none can place their limits; none can understand their fulness. Yet the less they can be comprehended, the more are they to be marvelled at. It is not for one generation only, that He hath stretched out the heavens, and laid in their order the earth, the sea, the air, the fountains and rivers, the trees and herbs, and all their uses and their beauty, that He hath arranged the courses of nature ceaseless and constant, the changes of seasons, the night, the day, the sun, the stars, the moon, and all things which are, and have been created. These have been signs from generation to generation, of the love of our Father and our God, bearing a long and enduring witness to His Almighty righteousness and truth.

5. As for me, I will be talking of Thy worship Thy glory, Thy praise, and wondrous works;

6. So that men shall speak of the might of Thy marvellous acts and I will also tell of Thy greatness.

7. The memorial of Thine abundant kindness shall be shewed and men shall sing of Thy righteousness.

The glory and the wonderfulness of His works of creation, the grandeur and majesty of His judgments in chastising the guilty; the strangeness and the abundance of His mercy in pardoning the repenting; the mighty mysteries of the Incarnation of

His Son, the surpassing Sacrifice of the Cross, the infinite love of the Atonement, all these are marvels for the believing soul to commune of with itself, to talk of with others, to sing praises for in the Church unweariedly.

8. The Lord is gracious, and merciful: longsuffering, and of great goodness.

9. The Lord is loving unto every man : and His mercy is over all His works.

Grace and mercy are indeed the attributes of Him Who gave His Son to die for us, and Who sent the Holy Ghost to comfort and to hallow us. He Himself proclaimed Himself to be the Lord, the Lord God, merciful and gracious, long-suffering, and abundant in goodness and truth.' He bore with us long, He suffered us and our provokings with infinite patience; yet His goodness conquered and prevailed at last. God is love, and loveth every man; He is 'our Saviour, Who will have all men to be saved, and to come to the knowledge of the truth.' All that He hath made He watcheth over in mercy.

10. All Thy works praise Thee, O Lord : and Thy saints give thanks unto Thee.

11. They shew the glory of Thy kingdom: and talk of Thy power;

12. That Thy power, Thy glory, and mightiness of Thy kingdom might be known unto

men.

13. Thy kingdom is an everlasting king

dom and Thy dominion endureth through

:

out all ages.

LXX. Ver. 14. The Lord is faithful in all His words:

And holy in all His works.

And because His mercy is over all His works, therefore do all His works praise Him; they set forth His glory, each in their order and after their manner, both they that have speech and they that have not. But especially do His faithful people exalt His praise and worship by giving up themselves to be the temples of the Holy Ghost. In Him, and through Him Who alone can sanctify, do the elect of God 'set forth in their own tongues the wonderful works of God' in a continual Pentecost. His people shew forth His glory and preach His power by living according to His will; so do they make known the mightiness of His kingdom unto men by being themselves His subjects and His servants. His kingdom is not like that of an earthly king, which lasts for a time; but it is everlasting; and therefore must His people acknowledge His sovereignty in their heart no less than with their mouths. Their unceasing confession, which, at the bidding of their Lord, when they pray, they ever make is-For Thine is the kingdom, the power, and the glory, for ever and ever. Amen.' Yea, His kingdom shall endure through all ages, Whose words are ever truth, and Whose works are ever holiness.

14. The Lord upholdeth all such as fall: and lifteth up all those that are down.

« AnteriorContinuar »