Ver. 10.-The joy of doing little things for God. "I had rather be a door-keeper; " literally, "stand or lie on tlie threshold.'' A missionary tells us that in India the office of door-keeper is truly respectable and confidential. Door-keepers of temples are men of the greatest dignity and power; whereas the ps1lmist was thinking of the lowliest and most humble situation. "I would rather choose to sit at the threshold." 'l'his is the situation of the devotee and the beggar. "Excuse me, sir, I pray you; I had better lie at the threshold than do that," is a frequent mode of expression :'llllong Orientals. The psalmist prefers the situation and attituJe of a beggar, at the tbrellhold or the hou1<0 of the Lord, to the most splendid dwdlings of the wicked. From 1 Ch•on. xxvi. 12-19 we learn that the. sons of Korah, or Kore, were the porters of the gates of the Lord's house. "To these ministers of the sanctuary none seem so blessed as they who dwell in God's boUBe, and are for ever praising him. To these keepers of the temple gates one day in tbe sacred courts is better than a thousand spent else- where; and they would rather be door-keepers in the house of God than sit an<l be served as chiefs in alien tents." I. LITTLE THINGS ABE AS TRULY" BEBVIOE" AB GREAT ONES, They are necessary in their places. They are fitted to those of moderate or small capacities. To God the little thngs of service are as acceptable as the great things. Find any earthly sphere, and take the little things of it away. What an upset of the whole would result I The door-keeper at the gate was as important in his way as the priest at the altar. We can do our "little things" for God cheerfully, when we can fully realize that they are service-just our service. 11. LrrrLE THINGS CAN EXPBEBB 0HABACTEB AB TRULY AB GREAT ONES. A little pool can mirror the. sun as truly as the widespreading lake. A dewdrop can refresh the earth, in its way, as truly as the thunder-shower in its. God is the reader of motives, and accepts the actor rather than the act. It often, indeed, takes more and nobler character to do a small deed well than to do a large one. There is much to help a priest to be noble; there is but little to help a mere door-keeper, and be has to fe.11 back upon :,-indple. Let 1:-ut a man rightly e~teem doing anything for God, and he will be lull or holy joy in beiilg permitted to do some "littfo thing."-R. T.
Vere. 11, 12.-0onditional bestowments. What God is to his people, and what ho dots for them, may be put into two figures, and expr~ssed in two plain statements. 1'8, LXXXlV, 1-12.] THE BOOK OF PSllLMS. 201
But what he ie to them, and what he doe! for them, depend on what they are in them- eelves, and what they are toward him. 'rhie the sincerely good man is always willing to recognize. I. 'rHE DIVINE BESTOWMENTS. 1. Suggested by two figures. (1) "The Lord God iB a Sun." This figure for God is only used in this place. The sun in nature is the source of light, life, warmth, beauty, fruitfulness. The psalmist seems, even ia this figure, to have God's de[endings chiefly in mind. God is Light against darkness, which Easterns so greatly fear. (2) "The Lord God is a Shield." See this figure treated in the homily on ver. 9. We may add the picture of the tents of the army ran2;ed in circles round the king's tent, and forming an almost impregnable shield; so" the Lord is round abont his people." Some have suggested making one fip;ure of the two, and reading it, "The Lord God is a bright and shining Shield." They think reference may be to the brazen shields, which were kept polished, so that, catching the sun•~ rays, they might dazzle the enemy. 2. Suggested by two statements. (1) "The Lord will give grace and glory.'' We may think of Divine bestowcoent exactly according with human necessities. Grace fits into all present needs; glory fits into all future needs. But the psalmist probably used the terms as figures for the two things he needed-help and success. (2) "No good thing will he withhold." A carefully qualified promise. It does not say, "Nothing will he withhold." It is "no good thing;" and no one can decide what is good for us as he can who has the infinite knowledge, and ii the iufiuite Wisdom and Love. II. THE DIVINE CONDITIONS. "From them that walk uprightly." That being regarded as the sure sign that the heart is right with God. A man may walk upri 6htly befvre his fellows who is not heart-right with God. But this is quite certain-if a man does not walk uprightly, he cannot be right with God. God is an unstinted Giver; we put the limitations by the failure of our faith, love, submission, and obedi- ence. God would have his bestowments to be the best possible blessing to us; and therefore they are withheld until it is quite plain that we are prepared to make the beijt of them.-R. T.
Vers. 1-7.-The glory of worship. I. HELPS us TO REALIZE OUR NEARNESS TO Go». ('Ver.1.) "How lovely are thy dwellings!" or" the house where thou dwellest." 11. IT IS THE EXPRESSION OF THE DEEPEST LONGING OF THE BEA.BT AND SOUL. (Ver. 2.) III. lT GIVES TBE SENSE OF BEING AT HOME WITH GoD. (Ver. 3.) He is at a distance from the sanctuary; and the birds of the air seem nearer God than he is. IV. IT INTENSIFIES THE SPIRIT OF GRATITUDE AND PRAISE. (Ver. 4.) V. WE BECOME CONSCIOUS o~- A STRENGTH DERIVED FROM GoD. (Ver. 5.) VI. IT CREATES SPRINGS OF REFRESHMENT 1N THE WILDERNESS. 1n the weeping vale (ver. 6). '' 1'he early rain cometh in with blessings." VlI. IT CONSTANTLY Bl':NEWtl AND IN0IIEASES OUR SPIRITUAL STRENGTH. (Ver. 7.) VIII. 1T WILL BRING 011 AT LENGTH TO THE VISION OF GoD I:,i HEAVEN. (Ver. 7.)-S. Ver. 11.- W?iat God is to his people. I. Goon MEN ENJOY THE GRA:,iDEST EXPElli- ENCES. 1. God is to them a Sun and Shield. These figures refer to our moral state as dark and dangerous. Alienation of the soul from God is a state of darkness. God is the Source of our light and life and joy. Our danger is-life is a great battle-field. We have protection from God if we are on bis side. The battle is his. 2. He gives to them grace and glory. Grace is unmerited favour. The favour of G0d to man has been in the exercise of his mercy. " Hath not dealt with us after our sins," etc. Glory is the perfecting the work of grace, in the revelations and rewards of eternity. 'l'he beginning, the continuance, and the end of lifo are fr.:>m God. 3. He holds baclc from them no good thing. This includes the bestowment of all real good. And he bas given us a proof aud pledge in the gift of Christ. "If God spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us nil," etc. 11. SoME GOOD MEN HO NOT EllJOY THE FULL EXT1'NT OF THESE PROldlSES. 1. Because their characters do not answer to the description of the text. 'l'hey do not walk_ uprightly, or only do so very imperfectly. None of us translates the theory THE BOOK OF PSALMS. [PB, LXXXV, 1-13,