But while I watched and wept there appeared among the
i84 THE MAN THAT IS BLESSED
pilgrims One of majestic mien, who came nigh and looked full into the face of this scorner. Unutterable sorrow beamed from His deep eyes, and His look of patient love might have riven a heart of stone. A crown of thorns was upon His brow, and the wounds of the hands which He outstretched were fresh and bleeding.
Suddenly the voice of the scorner ceased ; his face grew livid ; his lips fell wide apart, and his knees smote together like the knees of Belshazzar when he saw the handwriting on the wall. Then he rose from his seat, and with faltering steps came and fell down before the Lord, and thus he said: "O Lord Christ, I have crucified Thee afresh ; I have put Thee to an open shame ; I have reviled my Creator; I have sinned against the Holy Ghost ; there is no forgiveness for me in this world or in the world to come. Yet, 0 Lord, ere Thou utterest my doom, grant me this prayer : Suffer me but once to kiss Thy feet, and to tell these foolish ones how I have sinned — how Thou hast loved ! "
Then the Lord Christ smiled as He answered, "Him that cometh unto Me I will in no wise cast out. Son, thy sins which are many are all forgiven; never more must thou wander from My side."
While these things happened a crowd had gathered, and at this point the crowd grew angry. The scoffers were enraged that their companion should forsake them. High words ensued. Stones and dirt began to fly. " Have at him " was the word. The onset was fierce and pitiless, and I could but note how frantic were the efforts of the re-instated pilgrim to shield with his own body his gracious Lord. His clothes were torn ; his face was smeared with blood ; and at last one rude fellow struck him on the head with a bludgeon, so cruel a blow that I said within myself, " Now he is slain." But even as he fell the arm of the Saviour caught him around. Then the drooping head was lifted, the marred face flashed with unearthly glory, and as he leaned upon the breast of Jesus, a radiant mist encompassed them ; and as they vanished, I awoke, and behold it was a dream.^ ^ G. Hawker, in The Preacher's Magazine, 1892, p. 343.
The Four Acts of Religion.
185
Literature.
Benson (E. W.), Boy-Life, 60.
Boston (T.), Complete Works, iv. 262.
Fairbairn (R. B.), Sermons in St. Stephen's College, 97.
Garbett (E.), The Soul's Life, 1.
Gregg (D.), Our Best Moods, 31.
Hiley (R. W.), A Year's Sermons, iii. 1.
Jowett (J. H.), Thirsting for the Springs, 129.
Lightfoot (J.), Whole Works, vi. 96.
Martineau (J.), in The Outer and the Inner World, 1.
Matheson (G.), Moments on the Mount, 213.
Moore (D.), The Golden Lectures, 2ud Ser., No. 3171.
Parkhurst (C. H.), A Little Lower than the Angels, 159.
Simeon (C), Works, v. 15.
Spurgeon (C. H.), Metropolitan Tabernacle Pulpit, xxxiii. (1888), No.
2033. Voysey (C), Sermons, xxvii. (1904), No. 2. Christian World Pulpit, xix. 377 (Statham) ; xxii. 257 (MacDonald) ;
Ixvi. 129 (Rees), Church of England Magazine, xli. 272 (Pulcher). Churchman's Pulpit : Ember Days, xv. 433 (Woolmer). Clergyman's Magazine, 3rd Ser., xi. 333 (Youard). Contemporary Pulpit, 1st Ser., x, 183 (Spurgeon). Expositor's Library: The Psalms, 1. 132 (Keble), 137 (Stracey), 140
(MacEwen), 148 (Rees). Plain Sermons by Contributors to the " Tracts for the Times," i. 19. Twentieth Century Pastor^ xxxi. (1912) 315.
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The Four Acts of Religion.
Stand in awe, and sin not:
Commune with your own heart upon your bed, and be still.
Offer the sacrifices of righteousness,
And put your trust in the Lord.— Ps. iv. 4, 5.
1, The Fourth Psalm is an evening petition, emanating from the same period in David's life as the morning petition which pre- cedes it. Both may reasonably be referred to the occasion of Absalom's rebellion. The present Psalm is slightly different from its predecessor in tone, inasmuch as it assumes in part the form of a gentle loving expostulation with the enemies, and seeks for their conversion rather than their overthrow. A quieter tone prevails. There is less of complaint, more of joyous confidence. The difference is just that between a man rising to encounter a day of trial by faith in Jehovah and a man seeking rest in the conviction that all things work together for the good of the righteous, and that even for the most hardened sinner there is hope of repentance.
^ This is the evening psalm of Christendom. A great body
of devout and homiletic literature has gathered round this Psalm,
particularly among our people, on the fourth and sixth verses.
The Vulgate version of the former is, Irascimini et nolite peccare :
quae dicitis in cordihus vestris, et in cuhilibus vestris compungimini.
This was explained commonly as, " Be wroth (with yourselves) and
sin not (further) ; say in your hearts whatever you say ; repent
in your beds." The seventh verse is, Signatum est super nos lumen
vultus tui Domine — " There is stamped on us the light of Thy
countenance, 0 Lord." This verse was a text for Charlemagne in