11:OMILETICS. Vers. 1, 2.-.A standard of integrity. "Lord, who shall abide," etc.? We may truly call this brief psalm a flawless gem of religious ethics, unmatched in all the treasures of heathen literature. It is a sufficient proof that the moral failures which surprise and distress us in many of the Old 'l'estament saints were due to human infirmity-the imperfect character of the men and of the times, not to deficient revelation of truth and duty. 'l'hen, as now, men knew more than they practised, What the New Testament has done for morality is, firstly, to give us a model of holiness-a pattern life, which human imagination could never have framed, in the Person and life of Jesus our Lord; secondly, to supply motives to holiness only given in his gospel. But no higher standard of spotless integri'.t.11 can be set forth than this psalm contains. 'l'he best commentaries on it are St. John's First Epistle and St. James's Epistle. I. 'J.'HE QUESTION. Who itJ the guest of God, "Lord, who shall abide in thy tabernacle?" etc. Jn David's time there were two tabernacles-the ancient one, where the brazen altar remained., at Gibeon; and the new one, to which the ark bad been removed, on Mount Moriah, which thenceforth became the "holy hill" (1 Chron. xv. 1; xvi. 1; 2 Chron. i. 3-6). Dut here is no question of priestly ritual or office, but of personal character before God; therefore under the imago drawn from tho actual taLernacle the real thought is of spiritual communion with God (cf. Pas. xxiii. 6; nvii. 4). 'Who ie he who shall commune with God as a child with his father-to whom Christ's great promise shall be fulfillet\ (John xiv. 23)? ll, 'l'HE ANSWER. (Ver. 2.) The portrait is here drawn in three strokes. The rest of the psalm is the shading o.nd colouring of the picture. 1. " Walketh uprightlY_," Our walk in Scripture means our conduct, especially as regards ourselves, and as tu God's sight-the inward, even more than the outward, life (Luke i. 6; Acts ix, 31, PB. xv.1-5. THE BOOK OF PSALMS.
Gen. v. 24). 2. " Worketh righteousness." Deals justly, fairly, honestly, with others. 'l'his is the outward side, of which Christ says," Let your light shine" (Matt. v. lG). 3. "Spealceth truth in his heart." The correspondence of thn inward and outward life. People sometimes speak truth with the lips-what is literally true, but with a different meaning in the heart. Transparent integrity is indicated-speech, the clear mirror ot' the hidden soul. No need to draw any strong line of distinction between these tbree- tualk, work, speech. Like the sides of a triangle, each implie~ the other two. If we walk with God, we must needs deal justly with our fellows, and shall account our speech one of the most responsible parts of conduct towards God and towards man. This is no impossible picture of ideal perfection-simply a description of whole- hearted obedience. Our Lord and Saviour expects no less. Strange if less were el(pected in a "disciple indeed" than in "an Israelite indeed" (John i. 47; viii. 31). Fellowship with our Father and our Saviour implies "walking in the light" (1 John i. 5-7; John xv. 1-5). This fellowship is the earnest of and preparation for that of which the earthly "tabernacle" and "holy hill" were the faint, vanishing shadows (Rev. vii, 15; xxi. 3, 27; xxii. 3, 4).
HOMILIES BY VARIOUS AUTHORS. Vers. 1-5.-Tlie man in undisturbed rest. It matters little when this psalm was written, or by whom. Although there is no reason for denying its Davidic authorship, still its contents are manifestly and equally precious, whoever was the inspired penman, and whenever he penned these words. Manifestly, the psalm is a product of Judaism.1 'l'he Mosaic legislation had its ritual, but it was not ritualistic. 'fhere was not only an altar of sacrifice, but also a pillar of testimony and the tables of the Law; ancl to leave out either the sacrificial or tb.e ethical part of the Hebrew faith would give as the residuum, only a mutilated fragment of it. This psalm is not one of those which in itself contains a new revelation, but one the inspiration of which is due to a revelation already received. The forms of expression in the first verse indicate this with sufficient clearness; the entire psalm suggests to us three lines of truth for pulpit exposition. L THERE IBA HOME l'OB THl!I souL IN Gon. We do not regard the question in the first verse as one of despair, but simply as one of inquiry. It suggests that there is a sphere wherein men may dwell with God, and asks who are the men who can and do live in this sphere. 'l'he inquiry is addressed to" Jehovah," the redeeming God of Israel, who by this name had made himself known to the chosen people as their God-the Loving, the Eternal, the Changeless One. Moreover, there bad been a tabernacle ruade, nod a[terwards the palace of the great King was erected on Mount Zion, the holy bill. "This is my rest for ever; here will I dwell, for I have desired it." And inasmuch as this was the spot where God dwelt with men, to the devout soul the happiest place was that spot where he could meet with God; and if, perchance, he coul<l there abide, not only to sojourn as for a night, but even to take up his permanent abode, he would realize the very ideal of good. "One thing have I desired of the Lord, that will I seek after: that I may dwell in the house of tho Lord all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the Lord, and to inquire in hid temple." But in the later form of scriptural thought it is not only in this place or that that the yearning spirit can fiud God, but everywhere; yea, God himself is the soul's home-a home neither enclosed by walls, nor restricted in space, nor bounded by time. And we know what are the features of that home-it is one of righteousness, of a purity which allows no stain; it is one of mercy, in which all the occupants have made a covenant with God by sacrifice; it is one of closest fellowship, in which there may be a perpetual interchnngo of communion between the soul and the great eternal God. And ,vhen we remember that on the one hand, God is of purer eyes than to beho!d evil, and cannot look on iniquity, and that on the other hand, even all our righteousnesses o.re as filthy rags, it must always be a wonder of wonders that the sinner should over be allowed to find a home in God ; ancl 11ever can it be inappropriate to ask the question with which the psalm begins, " Lorrl 1 • l:le!' "faus~et'e • Bturlies hi the faahqs,' lect, i:. p. St, THE BOOK OF PSALMS. [rs. xv. 1-5.