wide, glorioua prospect bathed in aunshine. This is the privilege of faith; only faith can see goodness and mercy in all God's past dealings, and foresee them in all to come ; for that varied fitness which is one great feature of God's loving-kind □ ess, implies a great mixture of rough with smooth, dark and bright. The " restoring of the soul " implies wandering, and means chastening as well as forgiveness. The "rod and staff" are needed in the dark valley; the table is spread· in the desert and amongst foes. A child can see that a cricket-ball is a globe; but it needed much philosophy to con vine,: men that this great world, which to ordinary vision is flat, is a globe too. So any eye can see goodness and mercy in health, wealth, prosperity,joy; but in sickness, povert:/ bereavement, private or public calamity, we are ready to ask Gideon's question (Judy vi. 13). It needs strong faith to be sure that "all the paths of the Lord are mere.:; nnd truth" (Ps. xxv. 10). To have David's bold hope, we need David's experience, submission, unreserved trust. 2. "And I will dwell . . . for ever." This cannot mean the earthly tabernacle. David could not dwell there; even a priest or Levite could not dwell there" for ever." He means the heavenly temple (Ps. xi. 4). How bright or dim his faith waR we know not. But for us {he way into the holiest is made plain (Heh. ix. 8, 24; x. 19, 20). II. Here is A GLORIOUS EMPHASIS OF CERTATh"TY. "Surely;" "all the days;" "I will dwell," or "I shall dwell;" not simply "I choose and desire," but "I expect assuredly to dwell in my Father's house fur ever." Beyond the rough, weary, winding path lies rest.; beyowl the conflict, peace. 'l'he mysteries and seeming contra,lictions of God's dealings, compared with his promises, cannot last long. Faith sees them vanish in the light of eternity. Whence this calm, exulting security? How can one whose life is "a vapour" (Jas. iv. 14), standing on a point which crumbles beneath his feet, ignorant what the next hour may bring, thus boldly challenge the hidden future of earthly life, the boundless future beyond? The answer comes from the Divine Shepherd, the faithful Witness-" Because I live, ye shall live also" (John xiv. 1-3, 19; xii. 26; 2 Cor. v. 1; ~om. viii. 35-39).
HOMILIES BY VARIOUS AUTHORS. Vera. 1-6.-The good Shepherd and Ms flock. This is one of the sweetest of all the psalms. That it was written by him who was raised from having care of a flock to be the king on Israel's tbrone, there is no reason for doubting, spite of all that destructive critics may say. No amount of Hebrew scholarship can possibly let any one into Lhe deep meaning of this psalm. No attainments in English literature will ever initiate any student into the mysteries of a mother•~ love, and no atlninments in Oriental learning will help any oae to learn the secret of the Lord which is hero disclosed. There is nothing to equal it in the sacred books of the East; for none but the Hebrews have ever had such a disclosure of God as that in which tho writer of this psalm rejoices. Every clause in this psalm is suggestive enough to he the basis of a separate discourse; but in accordance with our plan in this section of the' Pulpit Commentary,' we deal with it as a unity, indicating the wealth of material for perpetual use therein contained. We have presented to us-Four aspects of the Shtpherd•care of God. I. GoD'B SHEPHERD-CARE DISCLOSED IN REVELATION. For tho Scripture doctrine of God's relation to his people as their Shepherd, the student ruay with advanta~o study and compare the following: Pss. lxxiv. 1; lxxvii. 20; lxxix. 13; lxxx. 1; xcv. 7; c. 3; cxix.176; Isa. xl.11; !iii. 6; Jer. xxxi. 10; xxiii. 1-3; Ez,·k. xxxiv. Micah vii. 14; Zech. xi. 16; xiii. 7; Matt. x. 6; xv. 24; xviii. 12; Luke xv. 4-6; John x. 1-16, 26-29; xxi. 16; Acts xx. 28; Heb. xiii. 20; 1 Pet. ii. 25; v. 4. 'l'hese passages summarize :Bible teaching on this theme for us. Wo may set it forth under the following heads : 1. God is related to men as their Shepherd. A purely absolute Ileing out of relation does not exist. 'l'o whatever God has mado he stands in the relation of Maker. And when he has ma.de man in his own image, after his likeness, he stancls to such a one in a relation corresponding thereto; and of the many names he bears to express that relation, few more tenderly illustrate his watchful care than this word "shepherd." 2. This relation is manifested in Jesus Christ. (John x. 1-16.) Ile claims to be emphatically "the goOLl Shepherd." The apostle speaks o: 168 'l.'HE BOOK OF PSALMS. [t>S, XXIII. 1-6,