remnants are as much in God's power as armies, and he will be glorified in the mastery of both. l. THE LIFE-FOES THAT WE KNOW AND ESTIMATE ARE WELL WITHm THE CONTROL OF OUR Goo. And a man ought to understand what his besetting sins are, what his circumstances of temptation are, 'l.'here are spiritual foes which" loom large" to our view-large as the vast host of Assyria did to Hezekiah. But "greater is he who is with us than all who can be ngainet us." Those foes lose their power to affright us when once we can see that God will get his glory in dealing with them, and in delivering us from them. II. THE LIFE-FOES THAT ABE TOO SUBTLE AND INSIGNIFICANT FOB US TO OBSERVE ARE EQUALLY IN THE CONTROL OF OUR Goo. They may be represented by the remnant, or remainder, of the Assyrians. And after the disaster, Sennacherib might have collected his soldiers, stayed in the land, and done much mischief. God con- trolled that remnant, and sent him ignominiously back to his own country. Subtle foes, small foes, like ichneumon flies, who deposit their eggs in the caterpillar and eat up its life, could ruin us more surely than open foes, were it not that our God will be sure also to get his praise of them.-R. T. Ver. 11.-Following up our vows. "Vow, and pay unto the Lord your God." Vows were formal promises or engagements made in acknowledgment of Divine mercies, or as conditions on which Divine help was sought. They are illustrated by Jacob's vow after the vision at Bethel; by King Saul's vow at Michmash; Absalom's vow which was made the excuse for starting his revolt; St. Paul's vow, which explained his presence in the temple courts, etc. The vows of the olden time are precisely repre- sented by our solemn resolves, our good resolutions, which become promises and pledges of what we will do. The psalmist found out, what we have all found out through our own experiences, that it is easy to make vows and promises, and to take solemn pledges, bnt far easier to neglect them and let them go unfulfilled. Therefore in moments of awakened feeling, he exclaims, "I will pay my vows unto the Lord," and he advises God's people to " vow and pay "-to follow up their vows, a.ad never to rest until they are fulfilled. It may be well to note what is the mission of vows. They are helpful in sti-engthening the will. A purpose may be formed which will stand bnt little testing, and exert but feeble influence. We strengthen that purpose if, in relation to it, we take open pledge, we make solemn promise. Our own inward purpose may be easily forgotten; no one knows a.bout it but ourselves, and so its power of influence on us is small. Turo our purpose into a public vow, and we a.re helped by remembering that others, and God, expect us_ to be faithful to onr word. How has it been with the vows we have made in the past? Have we joined "vowing" and "paying"? l. Oun vows AT CONFIRMATION, AND UN10N WITH CHRIST'S CHURCH. II. Oun vows ON BIRTHDAYS, NEW-YEAR DAYS, ET0. III. OUR VOWS WHEN ENTERING ON NEW LIFE-RELATIONSIIIPS-MABRIAGE1 ETC. IV. Oun vows ON RESCUE FROM PERILS, OR RECOVERY FROM SICKNESS. Thinking over all these vows, who among us can fail to be impressed by the thought of how much is unpaid, and how much we owe to God? Never have we had a year of life in which our payment of vows matched our New-Year promises. What a heap of unpaid vows the years have piled up I What a heap of imperfectly paid vows! Very seldom, indeed, have our vows been fully kept; and we search our lives almost in vain to find any single instances in which we have done better than we vowed. It is important that we should have solemn opportunities for calling our vows to remem- brance, such as sacramental seasons provide. So we may be set on new efforts to "pay our vows."-R. T.
Vere. 1-12.-..A. psalm of triumph. This is one of several psalms supposed to havo been written in celebration of the sudden overthrow of Sennacherib's army in the neighbourhood of Jerusalem, and snggesl3 the following truths- I. THAT THE CHOROH IS Goo's PEuULIAR ABODE, WHERE THE MOST GLORIOUS REVELATIONS OF HIS POWER AND GRACE ARE SEEN. (Ver. 3.) The gospel is most emphatically the "power of God unto salvation." II. 'l'HAT Gon's GREATEST GLORY IS NOT IN DESTROYING, BUT IN SAVING AND 11-0 THE BOOK OF PSALMS. [PS. 1 i.Uvu. 1-20.
REDEEMING, l!RN. (Vere. 4--6.) Here his power for destruction ie cclchrnte<l • but in t.h~ New Testament bis work of salvation-bis power to give life, not his po~or to take 11. away. HI. Goo IS TO BE FEARED MORE FOR HIS HOLINESS AND LOVE THAN FOR me PHTSICAL OMNlrQTENCE. (Vers. 7-9.) Th(',Se excite filial nlfoctionate fear; that oxci tcs an unworthy slavish fear. IV. GoD IS ADLE TO OVERRULE THE REBELLION OF MEN 80 THAT IN TIIE END IT SHALL n.LUSTRATE HIS PRAISE, (Ver. 10.) God's love cnn conquer buwau wrath and so make it praise him. - ' V. TrrE ONLY ACCEPTABLE <lIFTS WE CAN OFFER TO Goo ARE THOSE OF REPENT• ANC~ AND A RENEWED LIFE. (Ver. 11.) "A broken and a contrite spirit;"· "To do Justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God•" "Let all that are around him do homage to his majcsty."-S. '