HOMILIES BY VARIOUS AUTHORS. Vers. ~-S.-The secret ef a happy life. The psalm is evidently one composed on the occas10n of the setting op of a new order of thin!!S in the home or in the State or in b?th, and it tells of the psalmist's holy resolves in"regard to himself, and his cond°uct m his household and amongst men generally. And they are wise resolves. I. THEY CONCERN HIMSELF. (Ver. 2.) "I will behave myself," etc. Here we must begin if our life is to be worthy and happy. Therefore: 1. The psalmist consider, his ways. He will behave himself wisely. It was not enough that he had full soil clear knowledge, and frequent good purposes and desires, and just opinions and true beliefs; what be was concerned about was as to bis conduct, his behaviour. And that is the all-important thing; the others have their value as they influence that. 2. And his desire and purpose were that he should behave himself J' wisely." In what vast and such variety of ways men--especially those in high station-behave themselves I "Man, vain man, dressed in a little brief authority," etc. But here was one who would sink mere self-pleasing, and the suggestions of pride and power which his high i:tation would bring to his mind, and, like Solomon, his one desire was to behave himself wisely. 3. And his conviction was that the way of righteousness, the periec~ way, was alone the way of wisdom. 4. And that for all thi8 he needed the abiding presence and blessing of God. "Oh when wilt thou come," etc.? (ver. 1). Surely this man began well l II. Hrs HOME-LIFE, "I will walk within my house," etc. He would "show piety at bome." If it be not there, it does not matter where else it is. There, where it is more difficult, because we are more off our guard, and contact with wife, children, servants, is so close that there is more peril of friction and irritation than in _the more distant and guarded intercourse with the world outside. A man has need of "a perfect heart," upright, faithful, and true, if his home-life is to be what it should be. IIL BIS DEALINGS WITH BIS FELLOW-MEN. He divides these into three classes: 1. Tl,ose whom he will avoid. They are the froward, the slanderer, the proud, the deceitful. Woe to the man whose companions are of such a sort! sorrow and shame will be his lot. 2. Those whom he will choose. "The faithful of the land;" they who walk with God. Such companions and servants do minister much to our peace and happiness. 3. Tlwsefor whom he will have no tolerance. The wicked-doers. Kindness to them, whilst they persist in wickedness, is cruelty and wrong to the innocent, the godly, and to the city of the Lord. "Ye that love the Lord, hate evil "-so we are told (Ps. xcvii. 10). And, indeed, if there be not such intolerance, it is because the love of God iB weak within us (cf. Rev. ii. 6, 15). The psalmist may have meant by "cutting off" the putting of them to death. A monarch such as David w_ould have deemed that quite right. But it is a power too great for human hands to wield. Our part will be to cut off the prompters to sin in our own hearts, to slay evil passions and unholy desires there; then, by earnestly seeking the conversion of the ungodly, to cut them off from their sin.-S. C.
Ver. 1.-" Mercy and judgment." The psalmist says he will sing of these; and· if it were David who wrote this psalm, he ha.a good reason for such song, And who of us iB there that, in looking back over our life, has not rea.ljon for the like song? But- rs. or. 1-8.] THE BOOK OF PSALMS 363
I. TllERE WAB A TIME IN MAN'S LIFE WHEN THERE WAS NEITHER MER0Y NOB JUDG- MEN"r, 1. In Paradise, beforo sin had entered, there was no occasion for mercy; for mercy implies unworthiness anri guilt. But these there were not. Man received love, bounty, goodness, hut not mer<:y. Only a sinner can receive that. This is why the redeemed sinner will sing more loudly than the angel~, who have never known what sin is. 2. And so, too, there was not judgment. No anger darkened the face of God; no need for the chastisements and disciplines of life. But this time will never come again. II. THERE WILL BE A TIME WHEN MEN WILL KNOW BUT ONE OF THESE, 1. Mercy only will be known in heaven. 'l'he time for chastisement and punishment will be gone. God will have wiped away every tear. It will be mercy without judgment. 2. But judgment only will be known in hell. Mercy comes not there; for hell is a state of mine! rather than a place, and the mind that has its fit place there must be forsaken ere mercy can come and do its work. The father's welcome was not given to the prodigal until be had come away from the" far country." 3. But he1·e judgment and mercy are blended. They are the warp and woof of life; but yonder they will stand apart; where the one comes, the other cannot. III. AT PRESENT MEN ABE THE BUllJECTS OF BOTH. Tbis is a certain fact. It was true of David, of Israel, of our Lord Jesus Christ, for because of both mercy and judgment he came into the world. And it is true of God's dealings with humanity generally. IV. AND BOTH ARE TO BE THE BUBJEOT OF OUR SONG. 1. For think what would have been the consequences had man received nothing but mercy. See what prosperity often does now, and always will, unless diligently guarded against by faith and prayer. "How hardly shall they that have riches enter into the kingdom of God I" (and cf. Ps. xvii.). But: 2. Had God dealt with man only in the way of judgment, the results would have been no less disastrous; men would have hated God, broken out into wild rebellion, or laid down in despair. 3. And think of the seruice both render. The mercy of God brightens all our life, and makes up in us the love of God. "We love him 1because he first loved us." This is especially true when we behold the mercy of God in Christ. But his judgments also are blessed for us. "Before I was affiicted I went astray" (Ps. cxix.). They bridle and curb the lawless will; they make manifest to our souls the bitter evil of sin. "Blessed is the man whom thou chastenest "-so said the saints of old; and it is true still. 4. And of the characteristics of both. Of mercy-so free, so great, so abiding, so seasonable, so undeserved. Of judgment-its purpose, its profitableness, its alleviations, its limit to the present life and never beyond our power to endure. 5. But some sing of neither. Not of mercy, for they regard not God as its giver; not of judgment, for they deem it only ill fortune. 6. Some sing only of one. Of mercy, for that is easy to sing about. Some only of judgment,-they believe only in a God of judgment, not in "our Father." 7, Let us sing of both.-S. C.