HOMILETICS. Vere. 1-35.-The greatness of God. This psalm, charged with the truest poetry, sings of the greatness of God (ver. 1) and of the heritage of man. The subjects are inseparably mingled. Of the former we have suggested to us- I. His GLORY. (Vers. 1, 2, 31.) II. His POWER. (Y ers. 3-9.) The winds are his messengers ; the fire is his sen·ant; the clouds arc his chariot; the waters flee at his command; the ocean stays at the bound he has drawn. III. Hrs WISDOM. (Vers. 5, 10.) Nowhere is his wisdom more apparent than in: 1. Providing for the security of the earth. The diurnal and annual rotation (wit!> which we are familiar), giving us our change of night and day, and also of our seasons, in no way interferes with the sense of our security, while it brings into view the wonderful wisdom of God (see ver. 24). 2. In the provision of water for his thirstin"' crnatures. The beautiful circulatory system, by which the vapour is drawn up fro~ the seas and the lakes, carried as clouds by the winds, drawn down by the hills and the trees, purified by the earth through which it passes, comes forth as the springs which flow down in the streams and rivers through the land, and end their course by replenishing the sea,-this is another striking instance of those "manifold works" "made in Divine wisdom." IV. HIS PROVIDENTIAL GOODl-.'ESS. 1. In supplying water for man and beast (vers. 10--13). 2. In providing nourishment (vers. 14-16). 3. In giving shelter and protection to the weak-to the bird, to the goat, to the cony (vers. 17, 18). 4. In dividing time into seasons (ver. 19 ; see Gen. i. 14); so that we can calculate with perfect accuracy the incoming and outgoing of the tides, as well as the return of summer and winter. 5. In the amplitude of the gift of life. Not only are the air and the earth full of happy life, bnt so is the" great and wide sea" (ver. 25). All these innumerable hosts of living things-insects, birds, beasts, fishes-are spen<ling a happy life in their own element, and after their own instincts. Who can form any conception of the sum of sentient life and enjoyment at any moment upon this earth? 6. In providing the materials for locomotion. Those ships of ver. 26 are suggestive of all the forces at our command, every year becoming greater, for moving rapidly over land and sea, indefinitely promoting the circulation of produce and intercourse between man and man. All these instances of Divine beneficence are suggestive of- V. Bis GRACE to his human children. For: 1. If God cares so much for bird and beast, he will care very much more for us, his children by faith in Jesus Obrist. 2. If he provides so bountifully with the necessaries of mortal life, we can well believe that he has madP. ample provision for our spiritual and eternal good.
Vers. 1-35.-The heritage of man. The psalmist sings of the greatness of God (swpra), and al.Bo of the fair heritage bestowed upon us. This includes- I. SuFFICIENOY AND VARIETY OF FOOD. "These [all the living creatures, including mau, that have been specified] wait on thee, that thou mayest give them their food," etc. (ver. 27); and the "herb" (ver. 14), for the service of man, stands for all the variety of fruits and vegetables whh which our need is met and our taste is gratified. Tl,e constant supply of necessary and of palatable food is no small p11rt of our heritage. F8, O!V, 1-35.] THE BOOK OF PSA.LMS. 401
II. STRENOTII AND HEALTH, The gift of bread which "strengtheneth man's heart' is suggestive of all the bount'tful provision God has made for builJing up our bodily frame, raising it from infantile helplessness to manly vigour, and frequently restoring from the weakness of disease to the wholeness and capacity of health. Strenath is the normal condition, and if we conformed to the laws of nature, i.e. to the will ;f God, it would be tho general and the lasting condition. III. HAPPINESS, The "wine that makes glad the heart of man" may well stand for all those gifts of God which stimulate and gladden the soul, which give sparkle and joyousness to human life ; e.g. the good wine of human fellowship, and that of honourable enterprise, and that of generous helpfulness. IV. LABOUR. For while oppressive toil is an evil and a part of the penalty of sin, wholesome and regular activity, developing muscle and nerve, ministering to health, conducing to moral soundness, resulting in many kinds of wealth, is a true blessing to our race. V. REST. God makee the darkness, in which the wild beasts come forth for their prey (vers. 20, 21), but in which also man lies down to rest; and the sleep which comes with the night is as welcome as the labour which comes with the day (ver. 23). The invigoration which comes between the evening and the morning, fitting the body and the mind for new life, is one of God's kindest gifts to man. VI. Joy IN GoD AND IN IIIS SERVICE. (Vers. 33, 34.) The act of contemplation when God (with his loving-kindness) is the Object of our thought, and the service of praise, are specified; but these a.re suggestive of :ill the blessedness which springs from piety and devotion. .All reverent thought, all worship, all sacred study and sacred song, a.II Christian service rendered "as unto God," all really religious offerings,-all this is a large part of the human heritage. A.nd it all demands of us the frequent utterance (vere. 1, 35) as well as the deeply cherished spirit, of gratitude and praise. Ver. 28.-God gives -we gather: luvrvest thanksgiving. I. Gon's GIFT IN THE HARVEST. God gives: 1. The soil. 2. The seed. 3. The forces which make the seed oxtract the virtues of the soil. 4. The sunshine, the rain, and the wind, which minister to the growth of the blade, and which ripen the grain. 5. The intelligence which enables us to cultivate the ground, to acquire the art of agriculture (Isa. xxviii. 26). II. OUB HUMAN BHABI!: IN IT. We" gather." There are places where the gathering is all that man has to do; e.g. the bread-fruit in the tropics. But usually "gathering" includes more than that-it includes the preparation of the soil, sowing, weeding, watering, etc. To the production of the harvest there goes not a little human thought, skill, labour. Where, then, is- III. GoD's GOODNESS IN IT? 1. Our share is very much the smaller. 2. God's gifts are bestowed on us with such ceaseless constancy, never failing through all the ages of human existence, and in spite of the ingratitude, the atheism, or even the idolatry, of the husbandmen. 3. God's requirement of our labour is an instance of Divine goodness, to be added to, not subtracted from, his other loving-kindnesses (see supra).