hast laid the foundation of the earth, and the heavens are the works of Thine hands.' What stronger proof, beloved, could there be of the divinity of our Lord Jesus Christ? And should not such a quotation of words which belong to and are spoken so plainly of Jehovah, and the application of them to Christ, stir us up to look for other passages throughout the Old Testament which belong equally to Him though we have never thought of their doing so? 'To Him give all the prophets witness.' The testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.' Turn, for example, to Isaiah xliii. In the 1st verse we have the words, But now thus saith the Lord that created thee, O Jacob, and He that formed thee, O Israel.' Who is the Creator of Jacob and Israel here? The same who says further, 'I have redeemed thee,' that is, God the Redeemer, our Lord Jesus Christ. The same who further discloses Himself in the 11th verse, 'I, even I, am the Lord; and beside Me there is no Saviour.' Yes, beloved, and the description is carried beyond this. Do we ask, who is the Creator of Jacob?' The same who says of Himself, 'I, even I, am He that blotteth out thy transgressions for Mine own sake, and will not remember thy sins.' To come back to the Psalm before us; do we ask, of whom speaketh the Psalmist, when he says, Of old hast Thou laid the foundation of the earth; and the heavens are the work of Thy hands?' The Holy Ghost answers our enquiry by referring us to the Epistle to the Hebrews, and shewing us that the description belongs to Him, our Saviour, of whom it is written also in another place, 'All things were made by Him; and without Him was not anything made that was made.'

Does it not, beloved, intensify our interest in all the works of creation to be told that Jesus created everything? When we look at the glorious sun shining in his strength we remember that Jesus made him and gave him his light, and keeps him in his place, and makes him.

to shine upon us day by day. And then, as the silvery moon with all her starry train shines out in the clear vault of heaven, we can even go beyond the words of the poet, who says, 'My Father made them all,' and add that it was by Jesus, our Elder Brother, who took our nature upon Him, that God made them. Does not everything in creation receive a new degree of holy and blessed interest by its association with His sweet and precious name? One word, dear friends, upon the 28th verse: The children of Thy servants shall continue, and their seed shall be established before Thee.' How well do these words come in after what is gone before. All things are changing here. There is nothing abiding, nothing stedfast, all is passing away. Here, however, is a rock whereon to rest for time and for eternity. Everything else is changing and coming to an end; homes broken up, friends scattered, the companions of our life passing away. They shall perish,' but Thou art the same and Thy years shall not fail.' Beloved, are we mourning because of newly made blanks in our circle? Fear not; take comfort from the thought that He changes not; look unto Him. Above and beyond the storms and billows of this passing scene, listen to those gracious and loving words, The mountains shall depart, and the hills be removed; but My kindness shall not depart from thee, neither shall the covenant of My peace be removed, saith the Lord that hath mercy on thee.'

6

PSALM CVI. 1-5.

THE OIL OF GLADNESS.

'Praise ye the Lord. O give thanks unto the Lord; for He is good: for His mercy endureth for ever.

'Who can utter the mighty acts of the Lord? who can show forth all His praise?

'Blessed are they that keep judgment, and he that doeth righteousness at all times.

'Remember me, O Lord, with the favour that thou bearest unto Thy people: O visit me with Thy salvation;

"That I may see the good of Thy chosen, that I may rejoice in the gladness of Thy nation, that I may glory with Thine inheritance.'

THESE five verses form but the introduction to this remarkable Psalm. They are a call to praise the Lord for His goodness and mercy, while the rest of the Psalm is a solemn confession of the sins of Israel through all the periods of his history; in Egypt (vv. 6-12); in the wilderness (vv. 13-33); in Canaan (vv. 34-43); and a prayer (vv. 44-48), founded on encouraging tokens of the Lord's compassion, that He will save His people from the punishment incurred by their unfaithfulness. In the introduction to the Psalm, which is the only part of it we shall consider particularly, there is, beside the call to praise of the first two verses, a blessing pronounced upon certain persons, the description of whom it will be profitable for us to look into; and then, in the fourth and fifth verses, we have a very beautiful prayer which may be claimed and used by any of the Lord's people. First, the call to praise: Praise ye the Lord. O give thanks unto the Lord, for He is good; for His mercy endureth for ever.''Praise ye the Lord;' simply our word Hallelujah' (praise ye Jah!). It is the words with which the two preceding Psalms close, and it forms both the beginning and the ending of the present one. Let us, beloved, attend to this oft-repeated call to praise. There is nothing better fitted to unlock the heart of the child of God and to melt the icy fetters of his soul than a hearty outburst of praise to the Lord. Is there not sufficient for which to praise Him? Looking at ourselves we see much to deplore; much coldness and deadness and want of spirituality; but when we think of His goodness and mercy, and when we contemplate the extent of His mighty and gracious works, we have something which should call out our loudest hallelujah.

In the second verse David asks, 'Who can utter the mighty acts of the Lord? who can shew forth all His praise?' Who, indeed, can utter it? When God gives His best and greatest gift to man, as He has done in giving His Son, who can utter it? It is an unspeakable gift.' Yes! and when the sinner is turned from darkness to light He rejoices with joy unspeakable and full of glory; and if it were possible for him to mount at once to heaven for a time and then to return to earth, he would have to say that what he had heard there was unspeakable, and 'not lawful for a man to utter.' Who can fathom the depths of redeeming love? In its breadth and length and depth and height it 'passeth knowledge.' No one can utter it: no one can 'shew forth all His praise.'

Verse 3. Blessed are they that keep judgment, and he that doeth righteousness at all times.' The blessed' here carries us back to the first word of the Book of Psalms. Who are the blessed here? They that keep judgment;' those who keep judgment always in remembrance and observe justice as the rule of their conduct. The idea is carried on in the next sentence, that doeth righteousness.' If, as some have supposed, Daniel was the author of this Psalm, we may compare with this verse his words in Dan. ix. 4, 'O Lord, the great and dreadful God, keeping the covenant and mercy to them that love Him, and to them that keep His commandments.' This, beloved, in New Testament language, is faith working by love: faith showing itself, giving evidence of its existence by good works. These, my beloved friends, are some of the things on which the Psalmist meditated before he prayed the prayer of the

next two verses.

Let us now glance at the prayer itself. There is, first, the prayer, 'Remember me, O Lord, with the favour that Thou bearest unto Thy people: O visit me with Thy

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salvation;' and then we have the reason for such a prayer, ‘That I may see the good of Thy chosen, that I may rejoice in the gladness of Thy nation, that I may glory with Thine inheritance.'

'Remember me,' and visit me.' How beautiful the combination! Sin causes God to turn away His face from us and fixes a great gulf between us and Him. In such a state there is nothing but darkness and death, only as we look towards the place where God dwells can we discern any signs of light and life. We look towards heaven and cry, 'Remember me! cast me not away for ever! Remember me-even me!' and 'Remember me with the favour that Thou bearest unto Thy people!' With such favour as Thou hast shown to such of Thy servants, as Abraham and Moses and Samuel, and many others; remember me as Thou didst remember them. And, more than this, 'O visit me with Thy salvation!' It is much in our sinful state to be remembered of God, favourably remembered; but, oh, it is much more to be visited, and that with God's highest and best gift, viz. His salvation. The thief on the Cross prayed, 'Lord, remember me!' But the answer of Jesus far exceeded his prayer. Not only will I remember thee, but 'To-day shalt thou be with Me in Paradise.' He prayed to be remembered with favour; the answer was that he should be visited with salvation.

Lastly, observe the reason which the Psalmist gives for praying this prayer, 'That I may see the good of Thy chosen.' Open Thou mine eyes that I may see all the great and glorious things which Thou hast prepared for them that love Thee. The phrase 'see the good' or 'witness the welfare,' means 'to see in the good,' i.e. to look on, to be a spectator, when Thy chosen ones are in possession or enjoyment of good.' When God remembers us and visits us with His salvation, we become alive to the good things of God's chosen ones, inasmuch