Ver. 135.-The shining face. The expression is clearly a figurative one, and the i<lea is suggested by life at court. The courtiers watch the expression on the counten- ance of their king. The i.ign of bis favour and acceptance is given in his bright, smiling, "shining" face. If they are out of favour, they know it by the darkened look upon his face. It is a peculiarity of Eastern life that a master says as little as possible to his servant, and expects that servant to watch his every movement, and to interpret every change in his face, and do everything for him without his speaking a word, .And Eastern servants gain a marvellous skill in thus comprehending their masters' wishes. I. Gon's BRINING FACE Is THE SIGN 011' DIVINE FAVOUR, The face of God is con- stantly referred to in the Old Testament. To turn the back on a person is to show one's self angry with him. To turn the face towards a person is to show one's self favourable to him. "Thou didst hide thy face, and I was troubled; " "Lord, lift thou up the light of thy countenance upon us;" "No mau hath seen God at any time." .All man ever has had, or can have, is a spiritually realized presence. And if our spiritual senses are duly cultured, we do not need the help of bodily appearances. Soul-apprehensions become real and satisfying. .And it comes to this with us-God gives us the inward feeling, the assurance of his Divine favour and acceptance, and wo want to express what we feel, and 1ilain prosaic language does not salisfy us, so we call it "the shining of his face upon us." But what must we be if God's face is to be ever shining on UB ? II. Goo's BRINING FACE IS THE INSPIRATION TO NOBLE ENDEAVOUR. There may be some who can never do right and good things unless they are kept up to duty by threatening and the whip. But the better-natured men respond to approval an<l encouragement. Their inspiration is their master's smile. Kindly praise, tho cheer- ful word a lovincr approval, will draw out a man's best. The good man will do auy- thin" fo; him who treats him kindly and trustingly. Let God's shining face be on us, a~d it is our joy to do his will.-R. T. Ver. 137.-Rests in God's righteousness. "The soul takes refuge in the sense of the eternity of righteousness, both against all transitory forgetfulness and denial of it, and ao-ainst all contempt and persecution of those who love it. The Law is 'right for e;ermore;' its righteousness must shine out in the end." "The initial letter with which every verse (of this section) commences is the Hebrew tz, and tho key-word is' purity.'" The expression," Highteous art thou, 0 Jehovah," we should express by saying, "Ideal, or standard, or absolute Ilighteousness art tbo11." I. 1l1GHTEOU8NE8B IS CONCEIVABLE. Man is able to create in his miud the idea of PII, OXI.X, 1-176.] THE BOOK OF PSALMS. 169
absolute right-the moral straight line. But this suggests a philosophical difficulty. Is that an innate idea, or is it dependent on acquired knowledge? Can man know right without knowing wrong? Can man conceive perfect right without a revealed standard? Man has the mental power of conceiving completion. No matter what ho deals with, he can think of it in a perfect state. And this power can be applied to moral things; he can conceive complete rightness. But the fact must be note<l, that man cannot think without using the materials provided by God's revelation in nature 1md in his own nature. Man knows nothing of himself, of the world, or of God, save through revelations made to him, which are the necessary materials of his thinkinl7. God helps him to conceive righteousness. " II. RIGHTEOUSNESS IB CONCEIVED AS PERSONAL. A philosopher may conceive such a perfection of morals as he ean call "righteousness," but hie conception is absolutely ineffective to him, It lies wholly outside the man himself. The i<lea must be associ- ated with a person, and the person must be kin to the person having the idea, or it can lie no power. Absolute perfection in morals, or righteousness, associated with a person kin with roan, is God. "Righteous art thou, 0 Jehovah." III. A Rl(lRTEOUS PERSON 0AN BECOME THE SOUL'S REST. Because righteousness then ceases to be an abstract thing. It becomes relative. The person may have a personal interest in making us what he is. "'1.'he Eternal, who makes for righteous- ness."-R. 'l'. Ver. 141.-Self-estimates. "I am small, and of no reputation." It is pointed out that these words are very suitable to the struggling Israel of the Return, which was so much despised by the surrounding kingdoms, and had to keep up such a prolonged struggle with the Eastern powers. But we may take it as a remarkable revelation of one of the weaknesses of human nature. Precisely what men never can do wisely am! worthily is "estimate themselves," appraise their own moral condition. Imperfection or exaggeration attaches to all self-estimates. I. 'l'HE SELF-ESTIMATES OF THE WORLDLY MAN. Except with the hypocrisy of a Pecksnilf, or a Uriah Heep, the worldly man never to.lks like our text. If be feels small, he never tells anybody what he feels. He makes the most of himself, o.nd is only too ready to see a strength and goodness which ILre not really there. But it is, perhaps, truer to say that a complete self-estimate a mlLn never makes, beco.use he J.oea not take into consideration his ruoro.l and Hpirituo.1 condition. And a mo.n is, first of all, IL moral being. And a.Isa because he ho.s no adequate st1Lndard by which to judge himself. He co.n but wake himself a law, judge himself by himself; 1Lnd he cannot possibly reach any wise or worthy conclusions in that w1Ly. " Could an emmet pry into itself, it might marvel at its own anatomy. But let it look on eagles to discern how menu a thiug it is" (Tupper). II. TnE s1r.r,F-ES1'IMATES OF THE GODLY MAN. There is o.lways grave danger of his erring on the side of u11d11e depreciation. '1.'be good man is usually half afraid of his goodness. His religious life begins with a deep sense of sin and helplessness. He regards himself as a monument of grace. He wants to keep up absolute depen<lence 011 God, and so he is gravely afraid of every form of self-confidence. He dare not "think of himself more highly than he ought to think," and so bis thinking i~ incom- plete, exaggerated on one side. And there is a further danger associated with particular sections of religious profes- sions. It is assumed that God is honoured and pleased by man's self-abasement, and even self-debasement; and men think it is pious to " write bitter things against them- selves." But God always wants truth and sincerity. And it is neither truth nor sincerity to say that we are "small, and of no reputation," when, in fact, we are not. -H.T.