courageously carried them out. But if their aspirations have been limited to this world, success brings no real satisfaction. Byron found himself famouR, and for a while was a great power; but how miserable were his last days! Even Gibbon, when he had brought his great work, that cost three and lhirty years of labour, to an end, felt anything but quite satisfied. "I will not dissemble," he writes at Lausanne, "the first emotions of joy on the recovery of my freedom, and, perhaps, the establishment of my fame. But my pride was soon humbled, and a sober melancholy was spread over my mind, by the idea that I had taken an everlasting leave of an old and agree- able companion, and that whatsoever might be the future fate or my History, the life of the historian m11st be sliort and precarious" (vol. i. p. xxiii.). Our aspiration, need guidance and support.. 'l'he true ascent is to '' the !,ill of the Lord," and "his holy pince." The Hebrews had much to stimulate them in the very conditions or thin;.(S. '!'hey had to" go up" to Jerusalem, and when they went to the house of the Lord, the way was "still upward "-from the entrance to the holy place (Ezek. xii. 7). And all this was made helpful to them as regards higher things. ilut we have greater aids and encouragements. We have" the hope of glory;" the lives of the good who have gone before us; the voices of the prophets ; the example of our blessed Lord; and the promise of the Iloly Spirit. Every true life has its Jerusalem, and we must "go from strength to strength," still upward, if we are at last to reach the joy and peace of God. 'l'here are difficulties, as there will be in the way of all high endeavours; but we are com- forted with the promise of help and the assurance of success. Thought is good, "meditated action" is better, but right action carried out, and that to the end, is best of all. If we are of the generation that seek God (ver. 6), then our motto will be, "Death to evil, and life to good." If we open our hearts to the King of glory, then under his leading our path shall ever be onward and upward, till at last we sta.nd in the holy place, and receive the blessing from the Lord. "Breathe me upwarcl, thou in me Aspiring, whoo.rt the We.y, the Truth, the Life I - That no truth henceforth seem inditferent., No we.y to truth lo.borioua, o.nd no life- Not even this life I live-intolernble." (' Aurora Leigh.') W.F. Vere. 1-6.- Wno can dwell with God 1 'l'he twenty-third psalm concludes with the hope of dwelling in the house of the Lord for ever, and this psalm asks, "Who is qualified to dwell with God in his holy place?'' Composed on the bringing of the ark to Mount Zion. Vers. 1-6 are introductory. I. Goo's EXALTED NATURE. (Vers. 1, 2.) Relation of land to water in Gen. i. 9. God's creative universal power was connected in the mind of the psalinist with : 1. His omniscience. He saw with unerring truth the character of those who professed to worship e.nd serve him. 2. His holiness. None but the pure in heart could ho.ve fellowship with him. 'fhe hypociile, therefore, could not hope for acceptance. "God is a Spirit, and those who worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth." And he was a Holy Spirit, who could have no fellowship with the untruthful and unclean. II. QUALIFICATIONS OF WORSIIIPPERS. (Ver. 4.) 1. Pure conduct. "Clean hands"- significant of conduct- the outward life of action, which must be unstained and righteous. No man's inward life can be right if his outward life be unclean or unjust. 2. Pure thoughts and affections. "A pure henrt." The heart is the seat of the pur- poses and desires, and if these be not in the main and on the whole pure-" the single eye "-the whole character and life are defileJ. "Not that which goeth into a man defileth him, but that which cometh out of him." "He bath not lifted up his soul unto vanity or falsehood." He is not pursuing vain or untrue things-things which are only a show, but have no substance. 3. Pure speech. "Nor sworn deceitfully." His word corresponds to his thought, and is not uttered to deceive. This requires not only truthfulness, but courO!Je, to brave all consequences of being truthful. A man who combines these attlibutes can live in God's highest presence, and have fellowship and friendship with him. III. THE REWARD OF SUCH WORSHIPPERS. (Vcrs. 6, 6.) 1. Increase of righteottsness. 180 'l'BE BOOK OF PSALJ\IS. [PB, XXV, 1-22.
By seeing God and. having real communion with him. The "blessing h he receives is this increase of righteousness. No priestly benediction avails, unless there be the moral condition indicated. 2. He shall seek the face of God with increased earnestness. "To seek the face of the Lord" is to be greatly concerned. about hb favour and the doing bis will. .And this can come only as the result of previous effort and practice.-S.