Vera. 11, 12.-0hildren who are a sorrow and shame, and those who are ou1 unspeakabl8 foy. In these verses we have contrasted the children concerning whom we pray, "Rid and deliver us," with those who are such as every godly man desires aud craves of God that his own sons and daughters may be. '!'ha prayer of our text, it has been repeatedly remarked, is the prayer which may well come frl.lm every prince, patriot, and parent. The interests and well- being of each depend upon its being answered. As is the character of our sons and daughters, so will be the happiness of the throne, the nation, the homo. But especially is it the godly parents' prayer. Consider- 366 'l'l:lE DOOK OF PSALMS. [rs. CXLIV, 1--115,
I. THE STRANGE CHILDREN HERE SPOKEN OF, (Ver. 11.) From them the psalmist pra:i:s, "Rid and deliver us." 1. Who are they 1 (1) The children of foreigners, or the foreigners thcmse~ves; the heathen peoples around them, and especially those with who_m they were m conflict ;-these may be meant. (2) Or the evil children of God• fearmg parents. There arc, alas I such children, o.ud many a home is saddened an,] ~hamed ?Y them. They are rightly called "strange children." Literally they are so 1{ the children of strangers; but rigb tly too, if thoy are the offspring of saintly parents'. For t?e~ are strangers to th~i_r f~Lhcr's G~d, their fa~her's thoughts and ways, their fathers Joys and blessed ant1c1patJons, their father's holy character. They are out of sympathy with the spilit of their home, and their influence in it is of a hosWe a11d most hurtful nature. (3) Or wicked children generally. 2. Their characteristics are given. "Their mouth speaketh vanity." No wholesome, helpful speech is heard from their lips, but only that which is worthless or worse, and which comes from and leads to no good. \\'.hat a miserable amount of such speech there is in one day, heard or read, spoken, wntten, or printed! and what incalculable mischief it has worked, and must ever wo1 k I The 8trange children, the foreign speech as read in their literature- what an amount of uncleanness and ungodliness is not that responsible for I And "their right hand is a right hand of falsehood." This is another of the characteristics of the "strange children." 'l'he meaning seems to be that they are unfaithful to their covenants, false in their dealings; they cannot be trusted or relied upon at all. Further, their conduct is such as, by its influence upon men, lea,ls to the denial of God's existence, authority, and Word, and to the belief of the falsehood that this world is everything, and is alone worthy of our care. They are utterly ungodly both in speech and deed. 3. Bible instances of such strange children. Cain, Esau, Jacob's sons, A.bsalom, and apparently all David's sons, and many more. 4. The motives that shoul,d lead to the prayer in our text concerning them. We would not have such children, for we remember what their end must be; what the sorrow they bring upon those who love them (see David's sorrow about A.bsalom); what the disastrous influence they exert upon others; what the dishonour they bring upon God. Let all this quickeu our prayers, as parents, for our children's real conversion to God, and our endeavours to bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord. II. THE CHILDREN TH.AT ABE LIKE THE TREES AND THE POLISHED PILLA.RB OR COBNEB·STOKES. (Ver. 12.) 'l'hese are the sons and daughters that the psalmist longed to behold and to possess ; and such may well be our longing likewise. Note the imagery employed. In both, the metaphors here, though they are manifestly unlike, as a stone is unlike a plant, yet they have some common characteristics, and these seem to have been in the psalmist's mind. 1. The grown-up plant. As such, so it is prayed, may our sons be in their youth-that is, whilst yet young. It is the grown-up plant, not the root; because that is out of sight, and the psalmist would have their godly character a visible thing. And not the tender plant, for that would be wanting in st.rength, and strength of character is another blessin~ desired. Hence the ideas suggested by the metaphor seem to be these-that, as the grown-up plant, the moral character of their sons may have root. Rootless plants never abide or come to full maturity; therefore there must be the inward principle and spring of life. 'l'hen, visibility. All can see the grown-up plant; it attracts attention-is evident to all. So should our son's character be-not only inward, but outward and visible. Beautiful too, as the grown-up plant, whether tree, or herb, or flower. There should be about' the godly character what too often is conspicuous only by its absence- symmetry, attractiveness, loveliness, and spiritual beauty. The matured _flower, how beautiful it is! "So," etc. Then, further, there should be strength. The vigour of the plant is when it is grown up. And how essential is it that our children's character i;hould be streno-thened 0 with all might by the Spirit in the inner man (Eph. iii. 16) I "Be strong " is a perpetual charge iu the apostolic writiDgs, and they ever point us to the one Source of strength. Aud there is yet one other idea suggested-that o/ God. The plant is no man-made or man-matured thing; it is of God. And so with tho.t character which we so crave-it must be of God. He must create, he must sustain, he must perfect it. Character that is simply man-made, that relies on self alone, what a sad contrast it offers to that which is depicted here I how much it always o.nd inevi- tably lacks I 2. The polished pillar or corner-stone. This is the other metaphor. PB, OXLIV. 1-15.] THE BOOK OF PSALMS. 367