concerned in this lesson. Miracles are but lessons writ large, that none may be able to mistake their meaning. 'l'he promises of tbe Dible abundantly announce the same truth ; and the thanksgivings (in the Psalms and elsewhere) of those whose faith has tested those promises, bear witness to their fulfilment. So does the experience of God's children in all ages. lr. THIS SPECIAL VIEW OF GOD'S LOVING-KINDNESS TO INDIVIDUALS MUST NO'l' NARROW OR OBSCURE OUR VIEW OF IHS MERCY AND LOVING-KINDNESS ON THE BROAD SCALE-to his Church and to mankind. "The earth is full of the goodness of the Lord" (Ps. xxxiii. 5, same Hebrew word; Luke vi. 35, 36; John iii. 16; 1 John iv. 9). 'l'he "glad tidings of great joy," the gospel, is in the heart of it the message that God loves us. 'l'he transcendent proof, the gift of his Son, while it caste all lesser gifts into the shade, is the assurance of them all (Rom. viii. 32). III. CONTEMPLATION OF GoD'S LOVING-KINDNESS IN ALL THESE ASPECTS-devout, thankful meditation on it, is at once a delight and a duty. A duty, because gratitude demands it (Ps. ciiL 2), because God wills it and is honoured thereby (Ps. cxi. 2-4), because thus the roots of our love and piety are nourished, and our doubts answered. But a duty that can be practised only by those to whom it is a delight. For really to apprehend God's loving-kindness without having our heart opened to its gladness and brightness, as the flower to the sunshine, is impossible. Love only apprehends love (1 John iv. 8). What richer, sweeter, more glorious object of contemplation is possible? IV. THE CONTEMPLATION OF Gon'e LOVING-KINDNESS, NEVER OUT 01!' BEASON, 18 ESPECIALLY SEASONABLE IN THE SANCTUARY. "In the temple." Here Asaph got quit of his doubts, and felt his faith and joy revive (Ps. lxxiii. 17, 28). Christian places of meeting and worship are not called" temples" in the New Testament. But Christian reople are (2 Cor. vi. 16). The material temple present to the psalmist's thought, with all its glorious ritual and local sanctity, has vanished like a vision. Not because the Gospel has pat ns further from God, but because it has brought us nearer. The cross has hallowed the whole earth as the outer court of the temple, of which heaven is the sanctuary; and we Lave boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus. How rich are tee poorest who know that this portion is theirs, the loving-kindness of the Lord I How poor the 1icbest without this I Let our meditation of him be sweet! Let us be glad in the Lord I
HOMILIES BY VARIOUS AUTHORS. Vers.1-14.-God's own (Jhurch the object of his special care. In this psalm, which is both song and psalm, and is one of those " for the sons of Korab," there is a geneml theme, illustrated by a reference to some historic event. The general theme is the loving-kindness ac.d care of God over his Church, _'l'he specific historic illustration it is not possible to fix with certainty, although the preponderance of opinion, and also the largest amount of probability, seems to incline towards the wondrous repulse of Edom, Ammon, Moab, and others, in answer to Jeboshaphat's prayer, without Israel having to fight in the battle (see 2 Chron. xx.). We see from the narrative of the ChroIJicles that the children of the Korahites sang a song of praise on the occasion of that signal interposition of God, although it _is not li~ely t~at the song then san_g was the forty-eighth psalm; for the reference m ver. 7 1s agarnst that; and at first 1t is not easy to see how "ships of Tarshish" sho?1d come to be mentioned_ in this son_g, if prepared with reference to the event of which we have made mention. Ezekiel (xxvii. 25, 26) makes mention of ships of Tarshish which belonged to 'l'yre, be~ng "broken" by the east wind; and it is possible that the psalm may hav,e an allus10n thereto. But, singularly enough, the chapter that records Jehoshaphat s prayer nn_d deliverance records also his defection and its punishment; and we are told that his ships were broken so that they were not able to go to 'l'arshish (2 Chron, xx. 35-37). 1f this be the reference in the song before us, its significance would be very striking; in that case, it would mean that Jehovah, Israel's God, who put the heathen to flii;ht for Israel's sake, put even Israel to shame when her people or her kings left the straight 11ath of reliance on and obedience to God alone; and that this was among the" judg- 1'13. ltLVIII. 1-14.J THE BOOK OF PSAtMS. 375