Yers. 3, 4.-The experience <!I a deeply distressed soul. The psalm is the utterance of the glad gratitude of some devout Israelite on his deliverance from mortal sickness. But it is c~p~ble of many a.pJ.?lications. In the temple _serv!ce it was used as a psalm of thanksg1vmg for God's deliverance of Israel from their einle. Many have seen in it t~e setting forth of the sufferings of our Lord, and have applied the psalm generally to him.. Others, again, take it, as do we, as describing, in vivid, impressive way, the experience of a soul that has known deep distress, but has been delivered therefrom by God's exceeding grace. Therefore note-- I. TnE DISTRESS. It is told of: 1. .As the sorrows of death and the pains of hell, or the grave. Some render it" the snares,'' others, "the cords," of death. But the meaning is much the same, however the word be rendered. It must be remembered that the psalm was written in the dim light of the Old Testament as to the believer's condition after death. And, compared with our own, that light was very dim. To the faithful serv2nt of God now, who "dies in the Lord," there are no sorrows of death. Christ bath abolished death; and still less are there any pains of hell. But the writer of this psalm did believe in them, as did all the saints of his day. And they meant for him, not burning flames or purgatorial fires, but exclusion from the presence of God (see Pss. cxv. 17, and parallels; x.xxi. 22, etc.). These were the sorrows they dreaded, In death they would no more see-so they feared-God's power and glory as they had seen them in the sanctuary (Ps. !xiii. 2). The grave was to them the pit, the land of darkness and the shadow of death. These were the eorrows of death ant! the pains of hell, and they caused the deepest spiritual distress. 2. .And there are the like of these still. When the soul feels itself shut out from God; when it has no hope; when nothing but the Divine condemnation seems possible to it; when it kn.ows and feels itself to be utterly and hopelessly wrong; when it gazes wistfully upon the blessed promises of God, but is in abiding despair as to ever realizing them-is certain it never shall; and that for it there is nothing but the fearful looking for of God's indignation and of his fiery wrath. Souls not a few have passed, and are passing, through experience like that. 3. It is C<L'U,Sed in vario'll,8 ways. Sometimes through rleep con- viction of sin when first the soul is awakened. And it is well for the after-life of the soul that there should be deep conviction wrought by the Holy Spirit, for then there is likely to be a permanent work done, and not a mere ephemeral and superficial one, such as is all too common. And oftentimes this experience is the result of back- sliding from God (see Peter after bis denial; Judas after his _be_trayal of the Lord). •• Keep me, 0 Lord, as the apple of thine eye," let every Christian pray, At other times it is through a perverse habit of mistrust and doubt. The melancholy mass of miserable Christians are nearly all begotten of this wretched and God-dishonouring habit. And sometimes it is the result of disease in mind or body, or both. Then it is a pure aflliction, and has to be accepted as such. But this is not often the case. II. THE DELIVERANCE, 1. See how thoro'll,gh it was. (Ver. 8.) "My soul from death.." Sin is death, and until we are not free from that, whatever else we may be, we are not saved. "Mine eyes from tears." There bas come peace and joy in God instead of ancruish of soul "My feet from fallincr," I not only begin the better life, but go and keep on in it. God.'s sHlvation mea~s this for us. 2. How it was won. Through prayer (ver. 4). How direct, definite, and to the point, this prayer was I So :.s all real prayer. 3 . .And how evident. (See vers. 9, 1_3.) When _we are saved, people will knuw it. Walking is a very vi8ible act. So 1s the walkmg before the Lord. There is no invisible religion. JU. THE DrvINE TEACHING FOB us ALL IN ALL THIS, 1. If till now you have never been convicted of sin, be thankful for your SO'll,l-distress, re'?11embering its gracio'll,s intent. 2. If you are in Christ, pray that you may !I-ever come into the soul-~gony that the backslider /cnows. 3. If from acy cause such distress be on you, despair not, but turn to God in prayer, earnest and definite, and persevere in faith till the deliverance comes. 4. J/ you have been delivered, go and declare to others what God has done for your soul. 6. And let your life show you.r lovo to God.-S. C. tS, "~VJ, 1-19.J THE BOOK OF PSALMS. 76
Ver. 7.-Rest. These well-known W<mls show- I. THAT BEST IS ONE OF THE RIGHTFUL POSSEBBIONS OF THE SOUL. It W&!! designed for the soul. God would not have created a soul to be the perpetual victim of fret worry, and distress, as WI' see many souls now are. It must have belonged to the son!'. Hence it is called "thy rest." In the primal paradise, in which our first parents were placed, they enjoyed this rest. Theirs was the repose of the intellect, of the affections, of the will ; all were at rest in God. II. BUT THE SOUL HAS GOT AWAY FROM TIDS BEST. What need 1o labour any proof of this? 1. You can read the fact in rrum's very looks-the careworn countenance the anxious mien, the sad, disappointed air. 2. In their words, whether spoken o; written; ·weariness is written on them all. 8. In the frantic but futae efforts they make to find a substitute for what they have lost. III. THAT IT 0AN, IF IT WILL, RETURN UNTO ITS BF.ST. Yes, in forsaking sin, surrender to Christ, and trust in him, rest is still attainable.-S. C.
Ver. 7.-God, the Rest of the soul. Text is addressed to those who have already known God as their Rest. Before we can return, we must have turned to God. But arguments for the one are the same as for the other. Hence let believers take the text as it stands; let others read it as if it were "turn" instead of return. It teaches--- L THERE IS A BEST FOR THE soUL-GoD. He is so by virtue of his atonement, his Spirit, his Word. And this for the individual soul. IL BuT WE FOOLISHLY LEAVE THAT BEST. By neglect of communion. By unbelief. By disobedience. III. NEVERTHELESS, WE ABE BIDDEN RETURN. We do so as we first of all turned to him-in penitence and prayer and trust. IV. WE HAVE A MIGHTY ARGUMENT FOB THIS. "He bath dealt bountifully with thee." Thus he meets us. V. WE MUST EACH DO Tms FOB OURSEI,VES. "Return unto thy rest, 0 my soul I" VI. HE IB CERTAIN TO BEOEIVE us.-S. O.