weakness and impotency of mind to be unable to forgive." The point on which we now dwell is the strong demand that Israel shall hope in Jehovah himself. The sense of personality in God is to be most jealously treasured. In India it is conceived that the personality of god is but a step towards the higher realization of him, or it, as an impersonal, unca.used, unrelated, absolute being. But this is an unreal dreamland. No fitting idea of God can fail to include an active, ever-working will, that is influenced Ly surroundings and swayed by feeling. But that is the characteristic of a _pfrson. The Word of God, while refusing to permit any representation of God as a Fersoo. nevertheless insists that we shall always deal with him as a Person. I. GOD HIMSELF IS TUE OBJECT OF A SINNER'S HOPE. There is a distinction of the utmost importance, which is often missed, and often very imperfectly apprehended. A man can never have absolute confidence based on anything that God has ever done. His confidence must rest in God, who did those things, and has revealed himself as wholly trustworthy in doing them. For the nation to rely on what God did in delivering it from Egyptian bondage, would be wholly unworthy. For it to rely on God, who then delivered, and so proved himself to be the Deliverer, was worthy and ennobling. So still, the work of Divine redemption is not the proper object of a sinner's hope, but God, who in such a glorious and Divine way has red11emed. The hope is in no thing, though it may have the Divine stamp on it. The hope is in the Person who is revealed in and by the thing done. The apprehension of this involves the reforma- tion of very much of the imperfect theology that now prevails. JI. CHRIST HIMSELF IS TUE AGENCY FOR REALIZING HIM WHO IS THE ODJECT OF THE SINNER'S HOPE, St. Peter states this with admirable precision, " Who, by him, do believe in God." Our faith is demanded, not for Christ's work, but for Christ himself. And not for Christ other than as a mediary. Our hope as sinners is only rightly fixed on Christ when we apprehend that " God waa in Ghrist, reconciling tho world unto himself."-R. T. Ver. 8.-Redemption only complete in sanctification. "Plenteous redemption" is here described. It is a redeeming of Israel from e.11 his iniquities. It is not a deliver- ing of Israel out of all his disasters. '!'hat might be important enough in its way; but no kind of material redemption can ever be of supreme interest to God. To deliver Israel from his iniquities is the Divine thought. 'fo deliver Israel from all his iniquities is the supreme Divine thought. When is a man saved? The answer depends upon a right idea of what the salvation or redemption of a man is. To save o drowning man and to save a city waif are not the same thing. You have done saving the drowned man when you have brought him ashore alive. You have not saved the waif when you have got him inside the doors of the Boys' Home. It neecls to be set in the strongest and clearest light possible that the object of God's redemption is the man-not the man's circumstances, nor the man's perils. It is a fiction of man'ij theology that God's salvation is satisfied with removing penalty, When the penalty is gone, we hear the Divine voice saying, "And now what about the man 1" I. REDEMPTION GETS ALL IlINDRANCES OUT OF THE WAY OF ITS WORK. Never confuse the preliminary with the real work. Getting hindrances out of the way may be quite necessary; and it may be vigorous and prolonged work, calling for much energy and aelf-<lenial; but it is God's pioneer work. It is God getting his sphere, clearinu for himself the sphere in which ho may do his true redemptive work. If this had be:n worthily apprehended, we should never have been worried by being called to believe in a work, in a plan of salvation, in a removing of our penalty. Our faith is demanded for a Hedeen:er who, having done such and such things, is able to do what he now wants to do in our minds and hearts and lives; i.e. redeem us from our iniquities. II. REDEMPTION WORKS FREELY IN THE SPACE IT HAS CLEARED. And a plentiful and most glorious work it has in view-deliverance from the power, fascination, and 1mare of sin; redemption from all iniquities. Work liko getting the threading weed-roots out of the soul, and making a lovely, clean lo.wn. Work like getting out every tiny fibre of the spreading cancer, and giving a clean and hopeful bill of health. No man is saved as God would save him until he is "clean every whit." -B.T. PS. 0XXXI. 1-3.] THE BOOK OF PSALMS. 253
Vere. 1-8.-A ('JT'y to God for the forgiveness of sin. I. TIIE PROFOUND MISERY WHICH THE OONS0J.OUBNEBS OF BIN PRODUCES. (Vers. 1-3.) "Out of the depths . . . . If thou shouldest mark iniquities," etc. Other "depths" than the depths of poverty or bodily affliction. II. 'l'HE STRONGEST MOTIVE TO THE REVERENT FEAB OF Goo. (Ver. 4.) "God freely forgives sin-not that men may think lightly of sin, but that they may magnify his grace and mercy in its forgiveness. 'For thy Name's sake pardon mine iniquity.' This a more powerful motive than any other to call forth holy fear and love and self- sacrifice." UL HIS FAITH WAITS IN THE EXPECTATION OF Goo's FORGIVENESS. (Vers. 5, 6.) 1, His faith is full of hope-is expectant, opposed to unbelieving despondency. Hope supposes difficulties and uncertainties melting away or triumphed over. 2. But it is :patient and anxious at the same time. More than those who watch for the morning in the sick-room-whether the sick or those who watcl;i. with them. The faith, therefore, is connected with anxious exercises of mind battling with the delay. IV. HE WHO IS CONS0IOUB OF FORGIVENESS CAN INSPIRE OTHERS WITH HOPE AND TRUST. (Vers. 7, 8.) "Hope"-" plenteous redemption"-" will redeem Israel"- not this or that favoured man, but Israel, the nation-" from all his iniquities." Not merely from the punishment, but from the iniquities themselves.-S.
Ver. 1.-Full redemption. "And with him is plenteous redemption." I. THE ORIGIN OF REDEMPTION. "·with him "-with God. The gospel bears the stamp of its Divine origin: 1. In what it reveals. 2. In what it proposes. It is not man's appeal to God, but God's proposal to man. IL THE NATURE OF REDEMPTION. 1. The slavery from which we are redeemed. 2. The price of our redemption. 3. The liberty bestowed. III. 'l'RE FULNESS OF THIS REDEMPTION, 1. It is full for each. 2. lt is full f o,. all.-S.
EXPOSITION.