profession with a sinful life: "I never knew you; depa.rt from me,, ye tha.t work miquity." II. Therefore THIS oo:r,n,lAND 0OMES TO us, WE MAY BAY, WITH THE WHOLE BIBL■ AT ITS BACK-all the motives of the gospel added to all the motives of the Law, The words of the old Hebrew psalmist should have tenfold force in the cars and hearts of Christian believers, "Ye that love the Lord, hate evil." Reasons for hating sin are to be found in every page of human history; in every home and heart throughout the world. It is hateful as the source, directly or indirectly, of all the misery which perrndes the world. Hateful as <legrading, deforming, debasing, human nature; for ~hich reason sin is so constantly represented in Scripture by the loathsome image of defilement (Job ix. 30, 31). Hateful because "the encl of tho8e things is death" (CTom. vi. 21). What the Bible precisely means, what God means, by the death of a soul bas been of late years fiercely controverted. I feel no warrant or wish to dogmatize, I only point out here that the tendency of sin, unforgiven, unrepented, unremoved, ie to the extinction of all that is worth calling " life." Even one Bingle sin, lying, e.g., or pride, or gluttony, if it were to gain absolute unchecked mastery, would render the man hopelessly selfish, blind to duty, incapable of nobleness, unfit for society, unfit, in a word, to live. But it is not by any or all of these reasons that we are here urged to "hate evil." It is by love. "Ye that love the Lord," Love to God and love of evil are the two most irreconcilable opposites in the universe. One must be fatal to the other. We conld not love Goel, at least not aright, did we not know that" his work is perfect," etc. (Deut. xxxii. 4). The supreme truth that "Go,i is love" involves his eternal abhorrence of sin, for sin is the deadly foe of love. The opposite of love is selfishness; and sin and selfishness are so closely connected that some of the deepest thinkers have reckoned them identical. Perhaps it is true to say that the essence of sin is want of love to God; and where -love is absent, selfishness rnshes in to fill the void. Accordingly, the great crowning proof of God's love is declared to be that which is at the same time God's crowning condemnation of sin, " the death of his Son" (Rom. v. 10). Our Lord himself declares this to be a new and glorious reason for his Father's love (Isa. :x.17). The crucial test of his own love (John xv. 13). Of God's love to the world (John iii. 16; 1 John iv. 9, 10). In sight of the cross let ue learn how to "hate evil"
HOMILIES BY VARIOUS AUTHORS. Vers. 1-12.-Jehovah iB King. The subject of this psalm, as of the whole group to which it belongs, is the reign of Christ. Some glorious revival in t~e Jewish Church so uplifted the thought of the writer of these psalms that he sees, as if already present, that blessed advent and reign of the Lord which, whilst it must be the confusion of his adversaries, mnst also be the everlasting joy of hie faithful people. We observe- L THE AFFIRMATION OF THESE PSALMS-that Jehovah is King. "The Lord reigneth." The writer has no doubt of it at all. Therefore: 1. He bids the whole w,rth rejoice, even to its uttermost parts, the scatt.ered islands of the sea. 2. He admits that much mystery remains. " Clouds and dark1;1ess_ are," e_tc. 3. Nevertheless, h~ affirms that riyhtel)usness and judgment are the habttatton ?f his throne. The Lord ts enthr?ned, and righteousness and judgment shall be habitually upheld.. 4. l_vature bears witn~sa to him. Lightnings, earthquakes, volcanoes, the earth m~ltmg_ like wax, symbolize his majesty and power. 5. The heathen are confounded, whilst his people.for abundant reasons (ver. 9), rej<nee. IL THE GENERAL DENIAL OF THIS AFFIRMATION, which is met with in our day. There are not a few who say that the Lord will reign ; but that, a.a yet, the state of the world is getting worse and worse, and will do so until the coming of the . Lord, wbeu he will brinu all evil to an end. They look forward to that second commg of the Lord as the g(eat hope of the Church. Hence it is only as having the right and the power to reign, and as now and then manifesting that powe~, that, at present, the Lord can be said to reign. They believe that the Lord shall reign, not that he does, But note-- IIL THE NEW TEBTAKF:NT OONFIRMATI0N ol' THIS PBALM. 1. It everywhere declare• PB, XCVII, 1-12.] THE BOOK OF PSALMS. 333