shone upon us, when our members were unformed, everything about ns and before us was within his knowledge. 'l'here is absolutely no remotest or darkest corner of this wide world which is not included in God's realm - the realm of his presence, his observation, his action. Everywhere his hand leads us; everywhere his right hand of power upholds nnd restrains us. Since God is everywhere, we infer- II. 'l'HE FOLLY OF OBDURACY. 'l'he psalmist is not the man who wishes to escape from the presence and the power of God, but his words b1ing out very forcibly the impossibility of so doing. 'l'here are too many souls who would gladly" flee from bis presence" if they could. 1. Many try to escape from the consciousness of it by immersing themselves in some form of activity, or burying themselves in excitement, but they are very partially and only \emporarily successful. Beneath all and after all that they do rises up the unextinguishable thought, "Surely God is in this place I" 2. Many try to escape the remorse of a rebuking conscience by taking their own life, but they only pass from one part of God's domain to another, Whithersoever they go, "his right hand holds them." If it be possible, they only enter bis nearer presence, and come into closer contact with his power than ever. The one wise thing to do is to draw near to God in penitential prayer, to seek and find reconciliation to him by faith in the Divine Saviour, that there may be no need and no desire to hide from his face, to shun his voice, to fear the touch of his hand. Ill THE CONFIDENCE OF CHRISTIAN SONSHIP. That thought which is a terror to the guilty is a comfort and a security to the good. It is a strong assurance to the heart to feel that whithersoever its path may lie it must be where the Father is at hand to guide and bless, "I know not where his islands lift Their fronded palms in air; I only know I cannot drift Beyond his love and care.• It must be well with us; for we shall be with God, we shall be with Christ, in whatever part of the universe we may be. Anywhere, everywhere, his hand will be laid upon us, his arm will be around us. Vere. 11-24.-Thoughts, Divine and human. With some apparent abruptness, the psalmist calls our attention to- I. THE THOUGHTS OF GoD. 1. Their manifoldness. 2. Their preciousness. Every- thing we see and hear and touch is a manifested thought of God; it must ho.ve existed in his mind before it took shape, colour, substance. It adds deep interest to all natural 6Cf!MT'Y to think of sea and sky, of flower and tree, ot the wooded glen and the snow- clad mountain, as thoughts of God. So also of ourselves, of our wonderful, complex nature, of manhood and womanhood in their strength and beo.uty, in their intellectual and spiritual maturity. And so also of the profoundest, of the loftiest, of the most beo.utiful and entrancing thoughts we have ever enterto.ined in our minds, They are there because they were first in the mind of God. They are thoughts that havo po.ssed from tho Divine to the human intelligence. How eleVl\ting and enriching must it be to be daily receiving the thoughts of God into our souls I What a new aspect is given to 1111 study, in every sphere of knowledge, by looking at all objects and processes in this light I How near it brings God to us I We are never far from him whose uttered thoughts are around us on every hand-shining in the sun, singing in tbe song of birds, etc. At all times we are with him-as we walk, and as wo work, and as we rest; and "when we awake we are still with him." II. Oua. THOUGHT A.BOUT HIM. (Vera. 19-22.) Tho psalmist cannot tolora.te lho idea of men living to deny, to blaspheme, to disobey, to grieve God. His angor is stirred against them; tbey are an offence to him; ho woulJ like to have them removed from the earth. J~sus Christ has taught us a" more excellent way" than that of destroying such men. He bids us go forth and win them; conquer their disobedience, their rebelliousness; capture their will for wisdom o.nd worth; bring them into that captivity to truth o.nd righteousness which is freedom itself and lasting joy, But the root-thought of the psalmist is true. It is deep sympathy with the Di vine; it is the identifying of ourselvQS with the Pivinci Object of our love, Wo love them thl\t lovo 318 THE BOOK OF PSALMS. [ I'S, CXXXIX, 1-24,
him; we hate (are grieved with and are opposed to) those that hate him. The Christian man regards all things as they affect Jesus Christ and his kingdom • he looks with a profound dissatisfaction and sorrow on lives that are dissociated from the service of Jesus Christ. He feels that something vital is wanting to those who do not call Jesus Lord and Friend. He is separated by an immeasurable distance from those who speak ill of his Master. His soul is stirred to its depths by conduct or language which is irreverent or antagonistic toward him. His prayer is for their conversion; he hopes that such may be convicted and ashamed. III. A WISE THOUGHT FOR OURSELVES. (Vers, 23, 24.) "Who can understand his errors? " There is no maxim more difficult to obey than that which seems the simplest of all, "Know thyself." For we are all of us subject to the law which makes familiarity blunt the sense of importance; and we are all of us liable to form the habit of excusing ourselves those duties which are disagreeable, and lessening the guilt of those sins to which we are inclined; and the result is that our measurement of ourselves is often very far from being the true one. We do not see ourselves as others (who judge without prejudice or passion) see us, or as God sees us. There may be within us, awakening and arising to power, some " wicked way," some evil habit some strong craving, which, if not eradicated or subdued, will gain a mastery over ils, and will destroy us. Or if not that, there may be within our heart; or in our life, some distinct imperfection or inconsistency which goes far to diminish our worth and to nullify our influence for good; and we may be unconscious of it. We do not know ourselves. We may be making a very serious, if not fatal, mistake about ourselves. Hence the wisdom of accepting, modestly and even gratefully, the counsel of the wise and true; hence the wisdom of asking the Searcher of hearts to try us and to cleanse us, and to lead ns in "the way everlasting." If we do thus honestly and earnestly ask God's interposition, we must be prepared for his answer. 'l'hat may take a different form from what we expect or desire. It may come in the shape of trouble, of loss, of affliction, of humiliation. But however it come, it is infinitely better to be led back into the way of everlasting life than to be allowed to go ou and down in the path of sin and death.