fill us with peace passing all understanding, which the world can neither give nor take away.

'To shew forth Thy lovingkindness in the morning, and Thy faithfulness every night.' The Psalmist links together the morning and the evening; for God is Alpha and Omega. It is fit we should begin and end the day with His praise, who begins and ends it for us with mercy. 'As thou wouldest have God prosper thy labour in the day, and sweeten thy rest in the night, clasp them both together with thy morning and evening devotions 1.' This morning and evening song of praise is to be with a solemn sound.' We may not all have psaltery or harp wherewith to praise Him, but we have body, soul, and spirit, wherewith to utter this 'solemn sound.' There is no melody in God's ear so sweet as that of the heart and life, when every power is consecrated to Him, and he who may have no harp whereon to sound His praise 'makes melody in his heart' to the Lord.

For thou, Lord, hast made me glad through Thy work: I will triumph in the works of Thy hands.' There is no more profitable meditation for the believer than the works of the Lord; His works of creation as well as those of redemption are so marvellous as to call up continual songs of praise, and to fill our hearts with joy and gladness; 'for the works of the Lord are great; sought out of all them that have pleasure therein.' 'Thou hast made me glad;' thou hast washed away my sins, and bought back my soul to God; verily I will triumph in the work of Thine hands.' The believer will not only glory in these works of God in his heart, but he will hold aloft the banner of His salvation that others too may praise Him, saying, 'In His Name have I conquered, in Him I have victory over the world and myself;' Jehovah-nissi, The Lord my banner.' Verily, My heart shall make her boast in the Lord, the humble

1 William Gurnall.

shall hear thereof and be glad.' And oh, dear friends, amid the faintness and feebleness of our best praises, which are after all so unworthy of our Lord, is it not blessed to look onward to the day when the tongue shall be for ever unloosed to praise Him; when with the 'great multitude which no man can number' we shall sing praises to His name without one jarring or discordant note. Take courage then, believer, for there shall be but a little longer struggle; but a little longer sowing in tears, and you shall reap the harvest of joy and peace for ever. O for the dawn of that blessed day, when the whole earth shall be filled with His glory; when we shall become dwellers with our Lord throughout eternity, in the glorious city whose walls are salvation, and whose gates are PRAISE !

Praise the Lord, His glories show,
Saints within His courts below,
Angels round His throne above,

All that see and share His love.

Earth to heaven, and heaven to earth,
Tell His wonders, sing His worth;
Age to age, and shore to shore,
Praise Him, praise Him evermore.

Praise the Lord, His mercies trace,
Praise His providence and grace,
All that He for man hath done,
All He sends us through His Son.
Strings and voices, hands and hearts,
In the concert bear your parts;
All that breathe, your Lord adore,
Praise Him, praise Him evermore.

LYTE.

PSALM XCIV. 12-14.

THE TEACHING OF CHASTISEMENT.

'Blessed is the man whom Thou chastenest, O Lord, and teachest him out of Thy law;

'That Thou mayest give him rest from the days of adversity, until the pit be digged for the wicked.

'For the Lord will not cast off His people, neither will He forsake His inheritance.'

WE find the expression 'Blessed' recurring many times, my dear friends, in the Book of Psalms. Blessed is the man whom thou choosest and causest to approach unto Thee, that he may dwell in Thy courts.' 'Blessed are they that dwell in Thy house, they will be still praising Thee.' Blessed is the man whose strength is in Thee, in whose heart are the ways of them.' 'Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered.'

Here the Psalmist exclaims, Blessed is the man whom Thou chastenest, O Lord, and teachest him out of Thy law.' This seems strange to us at first sight, beloved friends, but it is none the less true. To say that, 'Blessed is the man who is chastened does indeed seem to be contrary to flesh and blood, and very different from what naturally we should expect. There are three things in this passage which we must note: 1st. The method or mode by which God brings men to Himself. 2nd. His great purpose in thus dealing with them; and 3rd. His promised blessing.

1st. Then as regards the mode in which God brings His people to Himself. Blessed is the man whom Thou chastenest, O Lord, and teachest him out of Thy law.' The word chasten' in the original, signifies to 'bind,' or to restrain.' 6 Blessed is the man whom Thou bindest.' It is as if Jehovah said to the sinner, Lo, I have drawn thee' to Myself' with cords of a man,' and 'with bands of love.' I have loosed the bonds that held thee down to

earth and time and sense; I have severed the gilded fetters of sin and Satan, and I have bound thee to Myself in an unchangeable covenant of mercy and love. 'Blessed is the man whom Thou bindest.' Yes, beloved, blessed indeed when God thus draws us, and binds us to Himself; when by His gentleness He makes us great.' Sometimes He draws us so gently and softly to Himself, that we cannot tell when the change began to come over us we only know that we are nearer to Him than before; that our eyes are opened now to see the things of God, as we never saw them before; and that we have a deeper consciousness of all that He has done and suffered for us. Beloved friends, He has been thus binding us to Himself; and is it not blessed?' Would we be released from those bonds? Is not our hearts' desire that of the bride in the song: Draw me, we will run after Thee.' Ah! it is blessed' to be thus 'bound;' it is good to bear His yoke, for it is easy; and His burden, for it is light, instead of that grievous burden which we were trying to bear, and which was crushing us with its weight.

6

'Let Thy grace, Lord, like a fetter,

Bind my wandering heart to Thee.'

Again, Blessed is the man whom Thou restrainest.' He draws' us by His grace; He 'restrains' us by His providence. Again and again, has He not led us, beloved, by a way that we knew not, and hedged up our path lest we should go astray. The discipline was not always pleasant or easy; but we know now that it was 'blessed;" and we can thank Him for the restraining hand which would not leave us to ourselves, and by which we were kept through faith unto salvation.

Once more, 'Blessed is the man whom Thou chastenest.' Here we have the last and most general view of the expression chastening,' namely, that of affliction. Blessed,' in this sense too, is the man whom Thou

chastenest, O Lord.' Blessed is he on whom Thou hast laid Thine hand; whose hopes Thou hast blighted; whose plans Thou hast crossed; sending him many and great sorrows.

It needs much grace to realise this, beloved: that whatever be the trial, whether it be bereavement, anguish of heart, or bitter suffering, it is all blessed.' On this blessedness our Lord especially dwells, Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted. Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness' sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are ye when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for My sake.' Verily, 'Blessed is the man whom Thou chastenest.' It is a mark of great love, my dear friends, when He thus chastens us. He has great blessings in store for those on whom He has heavily laid the rod of affliction. Whom the Lord loveth He chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom He receiveth.' How sweet and precious then, do all God's chastisements become to us, when looked at in this light! For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory.' The chastisement is only for a little while: the glory is for ever, in the presence of our God.

And teachest him out of Thy law.' Where there has been the blessing of chastisement, there is sure to be also this 'teaching.' He chooses His people in the furnace of affliction; but, blessed be God, He does not leave them there. He teaches them out of His law;' teaches them many deep and hidden things, which they could never have learned, unless they had been first brought through deep waters of affliction and suffering.

2nd. Observe, dear friends, the great purpose or end for which all this is done. God binds, restrains, and afflicts His people for their profit, that He may give