Two explanations of this valley are given. Some say it means "wet, marshy places;" others say,·" dry, sandy places." Clearly it means something trying and difficult for pilgrims. We know well that there are difficulties in the way of our effort to live the godly life; valleys of Baca in o·ur pilgrim-route to the eternal temple of the holy. 1. There are valleys of weeping; sorrows, both outw11rd and inward (valleys of balsam, or • weeping). 2. Ve.lleys of unrelieved want; desert places. Illustrate the ever-varied, ever-unquenchable thirst of the spiritual life. JI. A BRAVE, EARNEST SPI'lUT Wil,L MAKE A WAY TlIB0UGH THESE VALLEYS OF' BAOA, Times of trouble we must have, but everything depends on the spirit in which we approe.ch them, and deal with them. The true heart is helped to triumph over the difficulties of the way, by keeping ever in mind the end it has in view. Lead on to show how the hee.ven of established holiness, and near communion with God, becomes the inspiration to overcoming the difficulties of the way. Ill. GOD RESPONDS TO THE EARNEST MAN IN THE VALLEYS OF' BACA, If they dig pools in the desert, God will be sure to fill them with his genial rains. God is to us in blessing as we are to him mtrust.-R. T.
Ver. 7.-Stages of spiritual progress. "The very journeys to the temple, often toil- some and hazardous, take on a certain sacredness from memory, imagination, and desire, insomuch that they can say that 'the highways to Zion are in their hearts.' 'l.'hey remember how they wept with vague, almost joyful emotion as they passed through the valley of Baca, and how they went 'from strength to strength,' that is, grew stronger and stronger, more and more joyrul, as they topped the hills round about Jerusalem." Illustrate by the growing excitement we feel when nearing borne after a time of prolonged absence. Every mile finds us more and more anxious to catch a sight of familiar scenes. It might be reasonably expected that the long and trying journey would make the pilgrims feel weary and indifferent. Instead of that, their souls master their circumste.nces, and they are brighter and more cheerful at the end than at the beginning. So do we see aged Christians who, for sunny faces and happy ways altogether, put to shame young beginners in the pilgrim-path. They have evi- dentJy·gone "from strength to strength." I. SPIBITUAL PILGRIMS IIIUBT "KEEP ON." According to the figures of the text, they must not be stopping, or idling, or taking up any interests on the way; day by day, persistently, they must be going forward; every day getting a day's march nearet· Zion. A pilgrim must just "keep on." So we are called to "patient continuance in well-doing;" to do.y-by-clay persistent goodness; aud this of itself may become weari- some. It is the hardest thing given us to do, this keeping on, day by day, in the same scenes, and doing the same work. But it is never really a mere keeping on. vV e may not realize the joy of it, but the fact is that, in keeping on, we are going "from strength to strength." II. IN" KEEPING ON," SPIRITUAL PILGRIMS FIND THEMSELVES EVEB BETTER ABLE TO KEEP ON. Every difficulty overcome means a higher strength to overcome diffi- culties. Every joy felt in a spiritual triumph is cheer for dealing with new anxieties. Every day of Christian life is a step; from it we get power to take a step higher. The man who has lived well his Christian life to-day is in fact, and ought to be in feeling, e. stronger man to live his Christian life to-morrow. And so, making the day's experi- ence a step up, he finds power and joy increasing as he nears the city of God, the heavenly Jerusalem. A Christian life may be exhausting for the body, but "as the outward man perishes, the inwe.rd man is renewed day by day."-R. T.
Ver. 9.-The shield-figure. In this psalm we find three names for God, "God of hosts,"" God of Jacob," "God our Shield." 'l'o Abraham God had said, "Fear not, I am thy Shield, and thy exceeding great Reward." And in the fifth psalm we read, "Thou, Lord, wilt bless the righteous; with favour wilt thou compass him as with a shield." Moses exclaims (Deut. xxxiii. 29), "Happy art thou, 0 Israel! who is like unto thee, 0 people so.ved hy the Lord, the Shield of thy help?" And one of the later psalms (cxv.) h.,s this for a refrain," 0 Israel, trust thou in the Lord; he i~ their Help and their Shield." The p1"Byer of the text is urged by two metaphors-" Thou my Shield;" "I thine anointed," , 200 THE BOOK OF PSALMS. [PS. LXX.XIV, 1-12,
I. Goo MAY BE THOUGHT OF AS OUR SHIELD. Shields were peculiar to the hand- to-haud warfare of ancient times. They were of two kinds--one very large, protecting the whole body; another smaller, used by light-armed troops very sl1ilfully. 'l.'hey were sometimes made of light wood, covered with bull's hide of two or three thick- nesses, plated with met.al; sometimes they were studded with nails or metal pins. They were smeared with oil, both to prevent them from injury by weather, and to render them so smooth that missiles might the more readily glance off. Show that so varied and so complicated is religious life we are glad of the help of all kinds of metaphor. As Christ is set under many names, so God is set under many relations. Christian life, conceived as a warfare, has its defensive and offensive sides. Under the shadow of God, as a Shield, men find defence. Compare figure of the" strong Tower," into which "the righteotts runs and is safe." There are times in our Christian warfare when we can only act on the defensive. Then God is our Shield. Under the shadow of God, as a Shield, attacks were made. Describe the ancient mode of attacking a fortress, under shields placed together so as to make a protecting roof, which secured the soldiers lrom hostile missiles. There is "offensive war II sometimes in Christian life. Prevailing evils must be vigorously attacked. We may be sure of God's shield in all active service. The psalmist here is writing as a civilian, and a Levite, and thinks lovindy of God as his Defence from the perils of the pilgrim-way. II. WE MAY THIKK OF OURSELVES AS Goo's ANOINTED. It is as thongh the psalmist had said, "Recognize the face that is uplifted to thee." 'l'hough the term "anointed" will suit David, it will equally suit the priest and the Levite, as set apart, anointed for the special senice of God's temple. If God bas brought us into close and loving relatious of service to him, he has given us a plea to use in prayer, We may say, "Look upon the face of thine anointed."-R. T.