Ver. 4.-Righteousness may involvejudgment. The cutting asunder of cords figura- tively presents the liberating of Israel from the Babylonian captivity, and also the yet earlier experience of the nation, when Jehovah cut the cords of Egypt, and set his people free. This is the consideration which relieves the psalmist's strain in thinking how many Israel's trials had been, and how greatly her enemies had enjoyed inflicting them. "Jehovah is righteous." There is always security and rest in that conviction. "He will not suffer us to be tempted above tbat we are able to bear." Men or cir- cumstances may put cords about us. Whenever he sees it right to do so, our God can "cut the cords asunder." Men may "hate Zion," and gladly do her a mischief; but this we may always rely on-God can" confound them and turn them back," as he did the Syrians in the days of Elisha. "If God be for us, who can be against us?" Righteonsness is a many-sided and many-related thing. L RIGHTEOUSNESS BEARS BF.LATION TO THE WORLD AS A WHOLE. It must be such as every one sooner or later can recognize. It must have in view the well-being of the whole; and this involves that it must not let evil go unpunished; it must bring judg- ment on the wicked. For the world's sake the righteous God must be active against all unrighteousness. II. RIGHTEOUSNESS DE.ABS RELATION TO THE INDIVIDUAL. And in a life very various moral moods and conditions are represented. God must answer to all the moods if he is righteous; and this involves trial for reproof, and judgment for correction. God 6miting his people is not only God acting in love, it is God acting in righteousness. "I know that in faithfulness thou bast affiicted me." IIL RIGHTEOUS:!.'ESS DE.ABB RELATION TO THE AGENTS OF NATIONAL AND INDIVIDUAL AFFLICTION. This is symbolically taught in God's prophecy concerning Egypt, as the oppressor of his people, ".And also that nation whom they shall serve will I judge." And so Babylon, the agent of the Captivity, was to be judged. It needs to be seen that the fact of God's using Balaam, or Egypt, for bis purposes does not relieve them from the responsibility of their conduct, Hating Zion may lead to action which works out God's purposes; but hating Zion surely brings a man or a nation into the judg- ment-vindication of the righteous God.-R. T, Ver. 6.-.A new figure ef the grass. Jowett says, ".At .A.nata, the Anathoth of Scripture, I observed that the roofs of some of the houses were partially covered with grass-a circumstance which I noticed also in several other placea, .As the roofa of the common dwellings are flat, and, instead of being built of stone or wood, are coated with plaster or hardened earth, a slight crop of grass frequently springs up in that situation. Such vegetation, however, having no soil into which it can strike its roots, and being exposed to a scorching sun, rarely att~ins to any great beigh't or contii:iues Jorw. It is a feeble, stunted product, and soon w1thers away. Hence the sacred wnters so~etimes allude to the grass of the house-top as an emblem of weakness, frailty, and certain destruction" (Isa. xxxvii. 27). The meaning of vers. 7, 8 is this-Thero will be no reapers of such worthless grass as this; there will be nothing to elicit the utter- ance of those common formulas of benediction with which passers-by were wont to greet har\'esters. It is better to associate these verses with the short-lived enmity of the Samaritans to the returned exiles, than with the more systomatic dealing of an empire like Babylon. L THE ENWTY OF THE SAMARITANS WAB SHOWY. After rain, the grass on the house--top springs up in a very showy and boastful way, as if it were going to do great things. And so the Samaritans vaunted much and taunted much, and at first seemed to accompliBh much; for they put cords on the re~to!ing work of the exiles, and stopped the building of the temple, and prevented the bu1ldrng of the wall. II. 'l'11E EN!41TY OF TlfE $A:UAniT4~S w4s SHOR'f·LlVEP, H WI\S met wit4 xiatie~cq, .I's. ClXXIX. 1-8.] THE BOOK OF PSALMS. 245
Presently the energy or an Ezra and a N ehemiab, like an east wind or a scorching sun, hopelessly cut down the blades. Persecutors or God's people are never given a "Jong tether." God's people may always pray, "Come quickly." III. THE ENMITY OF THE SAMARITANS BROUGHT TllEM NO GOOD. It only spoiled permanently their relations with Israel, and put them out or favour with Persia. The mower never filled his hand with any harvest of the grass that grew on that house- top. The harvest of all enmities to God's people is never anything else than "a heap in a time of desperate sorrow." Goodness is a harvest reaped from good.-R. T.
Ver. 8.-Politeness in the harvest-field; or, right relations of employer and employed. Dr. S. Cox writes, "It is a graphic picture of an ancient harvest scene. Tl:.e field is thick with waving barley, The reapers cut their way into it with sickles, grasping the ears till their arms are full. The overseer is busy urging on the reapers. Vessels filled probably with the rough local wine are at hand, that the heated and thirsty labourers may refresh themselves at need. As the day advances, the master of the estate comes to see how the work goes on. With grave, pious courtesy he salutes his •young men' with the words, 'Jehovah be with you!' and they reply, •Jehovah bless thee I' It is true that this was often times a mero formality; but, even if not altogether realized, it shows what the social relations should be." I. EMPLOYERS AND EMPLOYED BEBVE EAOH OTHER. So much mistake is made, and Ro much confusion is caused, by the sentiment that only the employed serve the employer. Things would right themselves if it was fully apprehended that the service is mutual. We think the rewards of service ought to come to the employed ; but if the employers also serve, the rewards of service ought to come also to the employer. If they come to either the one or the other in undue measures, there must be something wrong in the social system, which needs readjusting. II. EMPLOYERS .AND EMPLOYED NEED TO TRUST EACH OTBEB. The complications of modern labour problems arise from the mischievous work of demagogues, who set class against class. The spitit of Christianity encourages mutual trust, and tends to bring classes together, and helps each class to consider the claims and needs of other classes. The dream of a universal equality has delighted and amuseJ humanity in all ages, and it will to the end of the age. But it will never be more than a dream. Nature makes classes, and will go on making them; and Paradise can never be gained otherwise than by the labourer and his master realizing the Christly spirit of mutual service, The master must trust the servant to render his best of service ; and the labourer must trust his master to give a fair and relatively proportionate reward.-R. T.