The Pulpit Commentary — Psalms — Volume 3 — Section 87

elage of humiliation and woe. The day of days in the life of Christ was the day of his resurrection." And to the first disciples especially, and to the believing Church sGill: 1. Th.1$ day has the foy ef deliverance from a great dread. 'l'hey thought they had but their Lord, and that the redemption of Israel was now but an unfulfilled and impossib!e dream. Bnt that dread departed, driven forth by the joy of tho day of resurrect10n. 2. And the day brings also the foy of full conviction aa to the gospel we believe. Our Lord and his apostles base all belief of that gospel on the Resurrection; they held it, as do we, as an infallible proof. 3. The _joy of renewed and radiant hope. "Christ ever liveth:" what now is not possible? For all such reasons the wordts of the text may be fitly applied to the Easter joy. II. To TIIE LoRo's DAY-Tni;; SABBATH. Who can over-estimate to man's body. mind, heart, and soul what the blessed Sunday brings? Fools and blind are they who, for a □ y reason or by any means, would rob weary-hearted men of this priceless boon. III. To THE DAY OF OUR CONVERSION. It is not all that can, nor is it indispensable for any to remember the exact day when that great Rpiritual change passed upon them. But some have vivid recollection of it; they can tell the time, place, circum- stances, and all connected with the day on which they were born again and passed from death unto life. And it may be they are to be envied who can do this, which assuredly many cannot. But they will not hesitate to take such words as these in our text, and apply them to this by them never-to-be-forgotten day. IV. To TBE DAY OF REVIVAL AND RELIGIOUS PROSPERITY. How blessed such seasons are! God gives them to his Church from time to time. Spring-tide seasons, when there is a.n energy and quickening and force in the general life of the Church, such as has long been unknown. It was so for Israel when this psalm was first sung, and it bas been so many times since. And let no one wait for the whole Church to be thus revived; the blessed time may come-will come, if really longed for-to the individual soul. And that will be a time of joy.-S. C. Ver. 25.-0lmrch prosperity. I. WBAT IS IT? 1. Not mere numbei·s. Crowd- winning is not soul-winning. 2. Still less mere rank, wealth, and talent in the Church. He is a fool who despises these things; but he is a still greater one who cbims them to be identical with true prosperity, or a substitute for it. 3. But it consists i1l tM presence and power of the Holy Spirit of God. This will be seen in the conversion of sinners ; in the holiness and zeal of believers ; in their increase of unity and love. IL W HE~CE IS IT? It jg from God. We are to look to him. We are terribly apt to look elsewhere. III. How rs IT OBTAINED? By waiting upon God with earnest, importunate prayer, " O Lord, I beseech thee," etc. And one such earnest seeker can do much to gain this. It is the prayer ~f one man-" I beseech thee "-that we have here. IV. WBEN MAY IT BE HAD? Now I The earnest longing for it is an omen of its approach. The prayer of faith works marvels. V. WKY RHOULD WE BEEK 1T? For our own sake; for the Church's sake; for the world'~ sake; for Christ's sake.-S. C. Vers. 27, 28.-The song of the saved soul. Thus also may this psalm be regarded. It is falsehood when sung by the godless and unsaved; but ii we a.re Christ's by willing consent, then this song is ours. I. Goo snows us LIGHT. As at the Creation the Holy Spirit's first work was the giving of the light, so is it in the new creation of the ~oul. 1. Light as to it~ real condition-lost, helpless, guilty, condemned. 2. Revealing the Lord Jesus Chnst as the Saviour of the lost. 3. .And as our Keeper and Upholder when saved, by the power of his Holy Spirit. 4. Light as to his w1ll-forccs, and our capacity for and obliga.tiou. to serve him. Has God tbus showed us light? IL TBE souL PRESENTS ITSELF IN SA0RIFI0E. This is ever so. Christ is not our sacrifice unless we are bis. If his is for us, ours is unto him. '£he instinctive utter- ance of the soul is, " What shall I render unto the Lord?'' Ill. BUT THIS SA0RIFlCE WHI0H WE BRING NEEDS 'l'0 BE BOUND TO THE ALTAR. It used to be said by the Jews that no animals were so restive as those which were brought for sacrifice to the altar. Certainly our sacrifice need~ to bo bound with corda re. XOVIII, 1-29.] THE BOOK OF PSALMS. 95