Ver. 6.-Revival. I. NOTE THE CHIEF WORD OF TllIS VERSE: "REV~VE." It Implies: 1. Life. The new creation has been accomplished, the passing from death unto life has taken place. 2. But that life has dedined, and therefore needs revival. How often this occurs I Our spiritual life is not a~ our natural life, which is weakest at the beginning and end; but the spiritual life is strong in the vigour of its first love, nor does it ever at the last hour fall from Goo, but in the midst of the years, like the wires of the telegraph between the posts, it often falls to its lowest. The causes are not a few, but may be summed up in one-the not abiding in Christ. 3. The life 11:hich has dedi11ed can be revived-the health and vigour come back again, the back- slidi □ g be healed. II. WHAT IT EXPRESSES. It is an earnest prayer, an impassioned pleading for revival. It mea.ns, "Oh that thou wouldst revive us again I" Now, this reveals: 1. Conscious- fleSS of need. There may be the need, 11.S at Laodicea, and no consciousness of it; but when such prayer as this is heard, it shows that the soul is wide awake to its needs. 2. Distress on account of it. Earnest anxiety is aroused; the work of conviction has been done; this prayer proves it. 3. The confession of it, and the casting of the soul on God for its need being met; a□ d this could not be without there being also: 4. Corifiden~ that God would answer his prayer. A child mnst see the look of" Yes" in his father's face, or else he will soon give over asking; but when he does see that look, what a vehemency of asking then ensues! And so with the child of God here. He has seen that look of" Yes" on the Father's face, and hence this confident earnest- ness. Such are the characteristics of every such prayer as this. Note- III. lTs PLEA. "That thy people may rejoice in thee." So then it is plainly taught that a low religious life and a joyous one are incompatible; there must be a reviving if there is to be rejoicing. Hence it is that to so many people religion seems rather a distress tLan a delight. They are, as it has been said, like a man with a headache; he would not like to lose his head, but he is very uncomfortable with it. A man was once invited to eat of some apples from a certain orchard, but he promptly declined. His friend was mnch surprised, and asked him the reason. " Oh,'' said he, " I took of some uf your apples the other day, which were hanging over the hedge, and I am quito sure I do not want any more of them." "Ah," said the other, "I am not surprised; those apples were a poor lot; but I put them there on purpose for the boys, who are always taking what does not belong to them. But come into the middle of the orchard, and try the fruit there, which is of a very different sort." And so it is with many Christians; they take only the hard sour fruit of the religious life; that which is full of delight is in the midst of the garden of God, whither as yet they have never entered. It is good to be God's servants at all, better, far better, to be of those who rejoice, whose service of God is not a drudgery, but a delight; best of all when the rejoicing is in God, not in his blessi □ gs merely, but in him. Go~ wants us t~ rejoi~e in him ; the world will be more surely won for God when more JOY characterizes h1a sen-ants, and for ourselves, it is the surest guarantee of steadfastness.-S. C.
Ver. 8.-" What God the Lord will speak." Note, by way of introduction, that we have here: 1. .A personal resolve. "1 will hear." Some would not; others could not; others would offer to hear for him and report; but the psalmist makes the wise resolve that he will hear for himself. It is ever best to go direct to God, and employ no intermediaries. 2. It is also a firm resolve. Whether the word be rendered "I will," or "I would," or "let me hear,'' it denotes resolve. And no one will ever hear what God the Lord will speak unless his will be settled in that purpose. 'l'he devil hates such hearing of God, and will do all in his power by raising up every kind of hindra□ ce-wbo knows not this ?-to prevent it. 3. It is a sincere resolve. '!'he hearing means uo mere listless listening, but it is that of the heart, with real desire to hear what God the Lord will speak. Therefore the hearing will be, as it ever should be, attentive, prayerful, obedient. Comider- 1. THE SPHKER. God the Lord. Three thinga are taught. 1. '1.'hat God tlie Lord will speak. liis very name involves this. He is the covenant God; hence his name PB, LXXXV. 1-13.] THE BOOK OF PSALMS. 207