Ver. 12.-Tlie foy of salvation. "Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation; and uphold me with a joyful [willing] spHr." J. THAT TIIE CON8CIOUS:,:EsS OF SALVATION IS ACCOMPANIED WITII A GREATEil OR LESS DEGREE OF "JOY." Salvation is a deliverance from the greatest d,rnger the soul can apprehend, and is, therefore, a cause of the most rapturous joy the soul can feel. It is precerl<'d, in the majority of case~, by terror of the Divine anger; by the despair awakened by guilt; by the deep sorrow which distraction brings after it; till the re-.e\ation of the Divine mercy through Jesus Christ is embraced, and the way of escape is known, and then the soul is unable to restrain its joy. This is the outward aspect of salvation. Salvation e.s an inward fact is the enjoyment of a new state of the affections towards Christ, or love te> Gud. And this is a perpetual spring of ever- incrcasin~ joy. Joy may become not a momentary rapture merely. J[. 'l'llAT llY TBE ISDULGENCE OF SIN WE FORFEI'l' THE JOY OF SALVATION. We may not utterly forfeit the hope of salrntion; for hope is a thing of degrees: how lon;:; a faint hope may linger, and in connection with how much sin, is a practical question d'llicult of determination I The question of our personal salvation may hecorne even to ourselves a very debatable, doubtful question, a struggle of hope egainst dropair. Here certainly the /oy of salvntion is forfeited, Then, again, though the hope may not be gone, there may be so much remorse nnd sorrow in consequcnct of fiin as to destroy all the/oy which is connected with an RS6nre<l slnto of the heart. Ill. O:s WHAT GROIJND CAN WE PHAY GOD TO RESTOllE WHAT WE IIAVE f:INFIJLLY LOST? 1. That God is thP. Author of all renewril and salvation in man's soul. ~•~is 1iraye:r is 1lierefore a prnyPr for tbe renewal of the iufluence nnd work of the Holy Splrlt: "T~kc 11ot thy Huly Spirit from me." It is called Gcd'8 salvation for which be prays. 2. 17,iR pmy1-r for /oy 1,resuppores that which is tl,e condition of all re~l i~Y: The 1,rcvio·;s wurk of deep, genuine sorrow-repentance ~°:<l hatred o! the Bill wn!ch has caused the sorruw. This is the unalterable coud1t1on on which we obt11.111 any lasting joy. IV. THAT THE RECOVERY OF TIIIB JOY 18 NI:CEBSAnY TO OUR FUTURE CONSTANOY. "U phoM me with a joyful spirit." Doubt, sorrow, remorsr, pnralyze all the powers of prayer, action, re~ista11oe to evil. They are the sickness and discaso of tbo ~oul. Joy quickens. A joyous, willing mind has Htrcngth for the future, bccnusc it bas conquered. in tLe p~t; for that is the c•Jn<litio::i of its joyonsness.--S. l'S, Ln, l-9,] 'l'HE BOOK OF PSALMS. 407
VerH. 13-19.-Worlcin_q for God. With a conscience set free from guilt, with 8 heart renewed by the Spirit or GtJd, and full or thankfulness for God's great mercy, he cannot keep silent, but will seek to turn other sinners to God. The thirty-second psalm 8hows how this resolution was kept. J. l!E WIIO DY IIIB EXAMPLE IIAD TAUOHT OTHERS TO SIN WILL NOW SEEK TO CONVERT THEM TO THE WAY OF OBEDIENCE. (Ver. 13.) 'l'o the ways or God's commandment. We cannot undo all the evil which our example has done; but we can in part repair it ir wo renew our lives. II, DELIVERED FROM HIB SIN, TIE WOULD PROCLAIM TTIE nIGHTEOUSNESS OF GOD IN PUNISHING AND DELIVERING HIM. (Ver. 14.) God is good and righteons in both- in punishing and saving from sin. "If we confess onr sins, he is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." III. 'J.'HE CONSCIOUSNESS OF PAHDONED BIN UNCLOSES THE LIPS WHICH SIN HAD SEALED, AND HE CAN NOW TRULY PRAISE GOD. (Ver. 15.) God opens the lips by giving the sense of forgiveness; then wo can preach and sing with a full heart. IV. THE TRUEST SACRIFICE WE CAN OFFER TO Goo FOR OUR BIN rn REPENTANCE. (Vars. 16, 17.) Not blood or burnt offering; the cleansing of the heart by sorrow and renewal of mind-the work of God's Spirit. V. ,VllEN A MAN HAS DEEN TRULY RESTORED HIMSELF, HIS BYMPATIIIES WlDJcN OUT WITH PRAYER FOil THE NATION AND THE WORLD. (Vers. 18, 19.) Genuine concern for others is founded upon the regeneration of our own spiritnal nature. Zeal -..for others is spurious if we have not bceu zealous about ourselves; like those philosophers Cowper speaks of- .. Giving lives to distant worlds, • And trifling in our own."
EXPOSITION. the servants or Saul" The position wonld PSALM LII. be a high one, 1md would imply the posses- HEn'E, ngnin, the title is the best guide to sion of much physical strength. A eenso the origin, intent, o.nd authorship of tho of tyranny or extreme arrogance seems to nttnch to the word transl::i.ted II mighty psalm. It is ascribed to David, nnd snid one" (gibbor); see Gen. vi. 4; x. 8. The to have been written on the occnsion when word tro.nslated "mischief" implies some- Doeg the Eclomitc o.cquo.inted Saul with thing worse. In Ps. vi. 9 it is renderer! the fa.et of D,wid's visit to Ahimclcch the "wickedness," ond is thougllt to menn, in priest, recorded in 1 Snm. xxi. 1-9. This the Psalms genero.lly, "ruinous, uufothom- able evil-destructive mnlignity" (Canon infonno.tion led to a fenrful masso.cre, in Cook). Tho goo:iness of Go:i cndurcth aon- which Docg himself took the chief po.rt tinually. Why not follow the Diviue pnt- (1 So.m. xxii. 11-10). 'l'be bitterness of tcrn, ins tend or setting thyself in dire et feeling displayed in the pso.lm is thus antagonism to it? Cnnsl thou expect to nccounted for. prosper when thou nrt thus opposet.l to the Almighty? Metrico.lly, the pso.lm seems to consist of Ver. 2.-Thy tongue deviseth misohicfs; three strophes, extending respectively to or, malig11ities-ovi1s of tho worst kiud. It four, three, o.nd two verses, Iu tho first was Doeg's II tongue" thnt brought Cl bout strophe Doeg's wiclceclness is set forth (vers. the entire ghastly massacre (seo 1 Sam. 1-4); in the second (vere. 5-7), he is xxii. 9, 10), Like a sharp razor, working deceitfully, Doeg hnd II worked deceit- threo.tonecl with God's vengcnnce; in the fully," since ho had not tokl So.ul the cir- third (vere. 8, 9), Do.vicl tho.nke God for the curustonccs that mnclo Ahimelech's giving vongennce which be hns excculcd, nnd de- o.id to Davi,( no disloyalty to the king clares hie intention nl wo.ys to trust in l,im. (1 Snm. xxi. 2, 8). The suppres,io ve,; is u. 111(1'/estlo fal•i. Vor. 1.-Why boastest thou thyself in \rer. 3.-Thon lovost evil moro than good. mischief, 0 mighty man 1 Do,·g wns II the To "love nil" is to have real'lie,l lho chiefeet of the herdmen thnt belonged to lowest depth of clcpmvily. It is lo BClY, So.ul" (1 So.m. xxi. 7), or, nrcording to with l\Iillon's Scctl\n, "E1·il, ho thou ruy another po.sso.ge (1 Snm. u ii. 9), "set over got:<l ! " Ami lyi.1g rathc1· tha::i. to spaa'.ll: 408 THE BOOK OE' PSALMS.