wait till the clouds clear. That is what the believer has to do-" wait patiently for him."--S. C.
Ver. 8.-" The way wherei,n I should walk." The tone and language of this psalm lend colour to the general belief that it was written by David, and, perhaps, as tho LXX. adds, when he was a fugitive from before the rebellion of Absalom. He had very great need of help. He could not plead that he had done no wrong; on the con- trary, he virtually confesses that he has (ver. 2). But his present distress was very great i a~d we c~n well believe that he turned to his accustomed arms of prayer and supplication. His prayers, however, do not seem to have, thus far, much aided him; he is still in desperate straits-his spirit overwhelmed, his heart desolate; he was nigh to becoming "like them that go down into the pit." And amongst his other trouble..•, the.re was this one-that he was in utter perplexity as to the way he should take. He did not know what that way was; and hence he prays, as in this eiahth verse. But he feels that if only it were well with his soul, if the life of God there could but be revived, then most of his difficulties would clear away. Now, this per- plexity of the psalmist teaches us- I. THERE rs A wAY IN WHICH MEN SHOULD w ALK, 1. There are some ways in whi,di, a man cannot walk; as e.g. the way which would reverse the Rast, which would undo or alter that which is past. How much we should like to be able to do this I But it is impossible. What is done cannot be undone: even God cannot make that not to be which has been. Nor can we walk so as to retrace our steps. We cannot put back the clock of life, so as to recall the years that are gone. Forward our path lies ; back- ward we cannot go. What urgency this fact gives to the Preacher's charge, "What- soever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might; for," etc. (Eccles. ix. 10) I But: 2. There are some along which we must walk. Those which lead to the grave and to the judgment-seat of God. If death did end all, even then the squanderings of life's opportunities would be miserable folly and grievous wrong; but when we read and know that "after death the judgment," then the seriousnees and responsibility of life become vastly greater-so great that we cannot over-estimate them. And th'ere is yet another path in which we must walk-that which leads to the formation and fixing of our character. We are for ever building up the fabric of character-building in the wood, hay, stubble, or the gold, silver, and precious stones. We are forming habits which are tLe garment of the soul. No day leaves us without having added its contri- bution to the final character we shall bear. But : 3. We have to speak of the way in which we should walk-the way we should deliberately choose and decisively prefer and cleave to, as the only right way. There can be no doubt of there being such a way (see Isa. :xiv. 5). There is a life-plan for each of us, a definite will of God. (1) Nature attests this. There, everything from the minutest atom up to the ruost magnificent star, the drop of water as well as the wide ocean, have each and all of them their course marked out, the way they are to take. Nothing is left to chance or haphazard. Is it likely, then, that man, the highest creation of God, should bo sent purposeless and without definite course in the world? (2) And experience and obser- vation confirm this belief. See the history of Joseph (Gen. xiv. 6-8). And of Moses and many more. We can see how God ordered their lives, and fitted them for the work he had for them to do. .And fOJ: us there is no joy greater than to know that we are in the way God appoints. .All difficulties and sorrows of the way can be borne if we know we ~re where God would have us be. 4. But man can refuse to wallc ln this way. How often ha does refuse, and turn nside to his own self-chosen way! It seems right to him, but it ends miserably. It !Dust do so. How terrible is this power of choice! Happy the mau who has said to God, "Choose thou for me"I II. TBIB WAY 1B OFTEN DIFFICULT TO DISCOVER. Who does not know that very often the doing of what is right is far less difficult than the discovering of what the right is? Many causes may contribute to this difficult)'., It may be part of God's discipline for us. Earthly sorrow and trouble may bewilder. The faculty of clea1 seeing in such cases may not be ours. Self-will may pervert judgrnent. III. GoD 0AUSEi3 MEN TO KNOW THIS WAY. By angels, visionR, pillar of cloud and fire, by dreams, by Urim and Thummim,-so in ancient days he guided his people. PI!, 0XLIII, 1-12,] THE BOOK OF PSALMS. 35i