they. But the psalm mainly contemplates God's gree.t doliverances, and is a summons to all men to praise the Lord for his goodness. This is the burden of the text, and i~ pie.inly teaches that for men thus to praise the Lord is- I. INFINITELY DEBlllADLE. The psalmist longs that they should do this; he seems E"agerly waitin:s for that outburst of praise which he feels onght to be forthcoming. And it ie thus to be desired: 1. Because it is so right. If this could not be said of it, nothing else that might be urged could justify such longing after it. But this can be said. For God's goodness deserves men's praise. Think how great, how varied, how constant, how all undeserved, bow costly, is the goodness of God to men, and how it follows them continually all the days of their life here, and then goes with them into the eternal life. If a fellow-man have shown to us, when in distress, 2;reat kindness, we are not slow to acknowledge it; or if we were, the verdict of our fellow-men would at once condemn us. 2. It so brightens our life. 'l'bat which darkens life is the dwelling on its unhappy events, or on those which we think unhappy. But if we would brighten life, we have to reverse this process. Collect the happy facts of life, and let memory recollect and ponder them. It will be fouud that however great the sum of our sorrows may be, the sum of our joys is greater. 3. It gives us courage in the conflict with the social evils of the day. There are many such. They are demandins{ men's attention more a.ad more. The bitter cry of multitudes of our fellow-men can be no longer stifled or ignored. And good men are setting themselves to see what can be done to.remedy these wrongs. But every oue knows that it is much easier to point out a wrong than to find a remedy. For there are so many who profit by the wrong, that they will never, if they can help, let go their bold of it. All ma.n's selfishness rises up to guard it, and its defences are strong indeed. But what can so encourage us to assail these strongholds of wrong as the conviction, wrought by the habit of praising the Lord for his goodness, that be whom we know to be good cannot but be against such wrong, and with those who seek to remedy it? There will be beard in their soul!\ the ancient stirring cry, "Deus vult I" and like as that emboldened men in the days of the Crusades, so for this far more important and difficult crusade it will serve the same blessed office of emboldening the hearts of those who undertake it. But such -custom is- II. LAMENTABLY ABSENT. The text is both a confession and a bitter complaint of this fact. But why is this 1 Wherefore is it that men act towards God in a way which would cover them with shame were they to act so in regard to their fellow-men? The very words of the text suggest not a little of the answer. 1. Many do not believe in the Lord. They will not absolutely deny bis existence, but they are not at all certain of it. And such uncertaiuty paralyzes praise. They, of course, believe in some "force," some efficient power, which produces what they see. They cannot help believing in that. But what it is they do not pretend to say. They are materialists, evolutionists, agnostics, but no more. 2. Others quest-ion the "goodness" for which men should praise the Lord. They are bewildered at many aspects of the natural world and of the social world, that seem to throw grave doubt on that goodness. And _when they look within and see what they themselves are, how evil and wrong; and when they listen to what not n few theologians tell them of God, and the doom he destincs for the mass of men, a very sea of doubt and misgiving surges over them, not to say swallows them up. 3. .And others deny any "wonderful works." They do not believe in the supernatural, o.nd all miracle is but myth. They believe only iu the reign of law, and that things happen not in any" wouderful" way, but according to fixed, orderly, aud ascertained law. They have a no.tural explanation for everythiug, and need no Diviue intervention to account for aught that has occurred. They believe in "wonderful works" done by "the children of men," by their genius, skill, daring, but not in any clone for them. Such are some of the silencers of men's praise and gratitude. But, whatever the cause, the e,ffect is most sad. Man's own self becomes, to him who believes not in God, the great.est and most important being he knows, anc1 what but hideous selfishness can follow? And he who doubts-as, o.la.s I so many do-
"Thnt be and we and all men move Under a cunopy of love As broad 11s the blue sky above," 8 'l'HE BOOK OF PSALMS. [rs. OVII. 1-43,