Ver. 1.-7'ze Divine BuiMer. (For the opening or reopening of a church.) "Except the Lord build the house," etc. I. OUR DEPENDENCE UPON GoD FOR ALL REAL PROSPERITY. 1. Consider the 'IIUI,terial of tM house we are building. "Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, e.nd that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you?" "Ye also e.s living stmes, are built np a spiritual house,'' etc. The spiritual temple dwarfs the most ma11:nificent material cathedrals. 2. ne Divine implements employed on tM building. Spiritual men working with Divine truths-the gospel-to build up a spiritual edifice. But some conditions to. be remembered. (1) That the qualifications for such work are God-given, "By the gro.ce of God I e.m what I am." (2) Even then we are still dependent upon the co-operative blessing of God's Spirit. "So then neither is he that planteth anything [alone], neither he that watereth, but God that giveth the increase." 'l'he soul like e.n orge.n. The keys give no musical response to the touch or the most skilful player till the wind is passed to the r,ipes. . II. How DEPENDENCE UPON GoD MA y BEST DE PROMOTED. 1. By the most strenuous spiritual effort on our part. This no paradox; for the more we aim to do for God, the more shall we feel the need of God to give us true success. 2. By constantly thinking of the _greatness of his work, and the littleness of our faculties in relation to it. . Men succeed in grand material enterprises and intellectual achievements-construct !111ghty bridues and steam-en!!ines-and write macrnificent books nnd poems; but to WID men to Christ a good life is the most arduous ;,ork in life, demanding the highest inspira- tions of the mind. 3. We must 'realize the spirit of dependence by the constant help oJ prayer. 'l.'o know the value of work we must put ourselves forth in constantly renewed endea'l"Our; but our highest work can be sustained only by the help of the devoutest prayer.-S.
EXPOSITION. to attach especially to pilgrims vieiting PSALIII CXXVIII. Jerusalem. The picture of domestic life is IT is not quite easy to see why this psalm pleasing, nnd one searcoly touched by any occurs e.mong the "Songs of Ascents." other psalmist. The sentiment of it is that true religion never loses ite reward; or, in other worde, Ver. 1.--Blessed is every one that feareth the lord (comp. Pas. oxii. 1; oxv. 13); that that whoever fen.re God shall be blessed. walketh in his ways, The psalmist Assumes Fi,·e points of bleesedness aro enumerated that true religious fear of God, and a good (ver,;. 2, 3, 5, 6); but uo one of them seems and holy life, will necessnrily go together. PB. oxxvm. 1-6.J THE BOOK OF PSALMS. 235
The point on which he wishes to insist is Ver. 4.-Behold, that thns shall the man that on every such case will rest God's be blessed that feareth the Lord. The blessing. promise must not be regarded as universal Ver. 2.-For thou shalt eat the labour and absolute, but ns general and admitting of thine hands. This is the first point of the exceptions. Still, even under the new "blessedness." God's faithful eervan t shall covenant, "Godliness has the promise of enjoy the fruits or his own industry, and not the life that now is, aud of that which is to have them devoured by strangers (comp. come" (1 Tim. iv. 8). Deut. xxviii. 33; Lev. xxvi. 16; Ps. cix. Ver. 5.-The Lord shall bless thee out of 11). Happy she.It thou be, and it shall be Zion. To the Israelite all blessings came wall with thee; rather, happy thou, and out of Zion, which he regarded as God's toell is it with thee (comp. Deut. xxxiii. earthly dwelling-place. And thou shalt eee 29), the good of J'erusalem all the days of thy life. Ver. 8.-Thy wife shall be as a fruitful The "good or Jerusalem" seems to mean vine by the sides (rather, in the innef' here the" good fortune," or" prosperity," of chamber,) of thine house. The second point Jerusalem. To see this would edd still of blessedness is a fruitful wife, content to further to the blessedness or God's faithful dwell in the female apartments of the house, servant. lo keep at home (Titus ii. 5) and guide the Ver. 6.-Yea,thou ehalt aee thyohildren'a household. Thy children like olive plants; children. Thie is mentioned as the crown- or," olive shoo~ "-the vigorous offsets from ing blessing granted to Job in his second an aged olivo tree, which spring up around period of happiness (Job xiii. 16). It is it, ready to take its place. Round about thy here promised to the faithful geuero.Ily. table. Clustering around thy board, at once And peaoe upon Israel. This is best ta.ken n source of cheerfulness and strength (see as a detached clause, like the concluding Pa. cxxvii. 5). 'l'his is the third point of clause of Ps. ex.xv., and rendered, "Pee.co bleseed~el!I. be upon Israel."