Lift up Thy bleeding Hand, O Lord,
Unseal that cleansing tide;

We have no shelter from our sin

But in Thy wounded Side.

C. F. ALEXANDER.

PSALM LXXI. 22-24.

HIGHER AND HIGHER PRAISE.

'I will also praise Thee with the psaltery, even Thy truth, O my God: unto Thee will I sing with the harp, O Thou Holy One of Israel.

'My lips shall greatly rejoice when I sing unto Thee; and my soul, which Thou hast redeemed.

'My tongue also shall talk of Thy righteousness all the day long: for they are confounded, for they are brought unto shame, that seek my hurt.'

WE have seen, dear friends, in the earlier parts of this Psalm, David rejoicing in all God's dealings with him in times past, because by these he had learned much that he could never otherwise have known. These 'great and sore troubles' had shown him more of the plague of his own heart than he could ever have realised without them; and he had proved that God would return and quicken him, would return and bring him up again from the depths of the earth. In these last verses he rises to the full perception of God's design in the whole matter, and bursts forth in a joyful song of praise, 'I will also praise Thee with the psaltery, even,' or, as it is more correctly rendered, 'for Thy truth, O my God.' See how throughout the Psalm he rises in his tribute of praise to God. He says first, 'Let my mouth be filled with Thy praise, and with Thy honour all the day.' Further, 'I will hope continually, and will yet praise Thee more and more.' Here, 'I will also praise Thee with the psaltery, for Thy truth, O my God; unto Thee will I sing with the harp, O Thou Holy One of Israel.' He rests here, not alone upon the mercy

or love of God, but upon His truth, that eternal unchangeable truth, which is the sure and safe foundation of all our hopes. It is His faithfulness towards each individual believer which calls forth this high note of praise. David here reminds us how God has watched over us from the first moment of our lives until now; how He has led us, sometimes in prosperity, sometimes in adversity, but always in love, nearer and nearer to Himself, and enabled us in the midst of deep sorrow to learn through great and sore troubles' strange and terrible lessons concerning our own hearts, and has then 'quickened us again' and 'comforted us on every side.' Such praise as this is a high attainment, beloved. It is easy to praise God when He sends us prosperity, when all is fair sunshine around us; but there are other times for which we must learn to praise Him. There are times of darkness and woe, of suffering and trial, which are often 'blessings in disguise;' for these we must praise Him as well as for the love which has sweetened our bright That same love has dashed some of them with

days. gloom,

'So that earth's bliss may be our guide, and not our chain.' For all this shall we not praise Him? Shall we not say with David, I will also praise Thee with the psaltery, for Thy truth, O my God.'

Observe the blessed token here of the union between

God and the believer. He says, 'My God,' not 'the Lord,' or 'God,' but My God, make haste for my help.' How very precious and sweet is the simple, childlike confidence here expressed, while at the same time it shows great maturity of Christian experience; it is the feeling of one deeply taught by the Spirit, the language of one who knows that he is Christ's, and Christ is God's.' Would that we could all, by God's grace, attain to more of this simple trust, beloved, so that

we might join heart and soul with the Psalmist in this joyous ascription of praise to our God, and tune our harps to the unfaltering note of praise for His 'truth.' Unto Thee will I sing with the harp, O Thou Holy One of Israel.' This last expression we find caught up and re-echoed again and again; in Isaiah it is repeated no less than twenty-four times, as though to emphasise its truth. He is the Holy One, perfectly holy, and spotlessly pure, the Holy One of Israel.' So just, so holy, that His law cannot be broken with impunity; and yet the reconciled God and Father of His people in Christ Jesus!

Beloved friends, shall we not praise this Holy One for all that He has done for us? For all that He has done for us miserable sinners, who lay in darkness and the shadow of death,' taking us from our low and lost estate, and raising us up to glory and honour and immortality. Shall we not praise Him for His unchanging faithfulness and truth toward us? We may have known what it is, among the loved ones of earth to have some in whose truth and faithfulness we felt that we could implicitly trust; yet after all they were but frail beings like ourselves, who might change or pass away; but oh, beloved, He changes not. He is the same yesterday, to-day, and for ever.' 'To Thee will I sing with the harp, O Thou Holy One of Israel. My lips shall greatly rejoice when I sing unto Thee.' There shall be no hesitation in my note of praise; it shall be the simple, loving uplifting of the soul to Him in gratitude for all His tender mercies' towards me, and my soul which Thou hast redeemed.' It will not be language of the lip only, but that of the heart, the full overflowing praise which cannot be restrained.

'

The Psalmist here again touches upon the vital truth on which rest all our hopes, when he says, 'which Thou hast redeemed.' He has paid the price and given the ransom,

and now we who were afar off by our sins are made nigh by the blood of Christ. He has lifted us out of the depths of darkness and death, and redeemed us and given us life. The anthems of heaven itself are but higher notes in this song of praise. For Thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God by Thy blood out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation.'

'My tongue also shall talk of Thy righteousness all the day long for they are confounded, for they are brought unto shame, that seek my hurt.' Oh that we could attain to this, beloved friends; thus to find our joy in communing with Him and His righteousness all the day long, instead of in the vanity and folly which too often occupy our thoughts. Then should we be able to add, with the Psalmist, For they are confounded, for they are brought unto shame, that seek my hurt.' He speaks now with increased assurance. In the 13th verse he says, 'Let them be confounded and consumed that are adversaries to my soul; let them be covered with reproach and dishonour that seek my hurt.' Here he says 'they are confounded and brought unto shame.' We are made more than conquerors' through Him. If we do not, at least in some measure, realise this, dear friends, we lose an immense advantage. If we go forth to meet our enemies with a sinking heart, we need not wonder if the battle goes against us. Let us rather remember that though we are weak, Christ is strong; and that 'His grace is sufficient for us; then will the victory be won before the battle is commenced; we shall be victorious over every foe, and shall be able in the midst of danger and death to 'endure as seeing Him who is invisible.' We shall praise Him then, beloved, with body, soul, and spirit, yea, with all that we are and have, for His truth, His holiness, and His love; for all that He has done for us, and in us. We shall praise Him, for He has redeemed' us; we are bought with a price,' a marvellous price, even the price

less blood of God's dear Son. And He will perfect that which concerneth us.' Having loved His own which are in the world, He will love them unto the end.

For what shall I praise Thee, my God and my King,
For what blessings the tribute of gratitude bring?
Shall I praise Thee for flowers that bloomed on my breast,
For joys in prospective and pleasures possest?

For the sunshine that heightened my days of delight,
For the slumbers that sat on my pillow at night,
For this should I praise Thee, but if only for this,

I should leave half untold the donation of bliss;
I praise Thee for sickness, for sorrow, for care,
For the thorns I have gathered, the anguish I bear;
For nights of anxiety, watchings, and tears,

A present of pain, a prospectus of fears;

The flowers were sweet, but their fragrance is flown;
They yielded no fruit, they are withered and gone;
The thorn it was poignant, but precious to me,
'Twas the message of mercy, it brought me to Thee.
MISS FRY.

PSALM LXXII. 1-3.

QUIETNESS AND ASSURANCE.

'Give the king Thy judgments, O God, and Thy righteousness unto the king's son.

'He shall judge Thy people with righteousness, and Thy poor with judgment.

'The mountains shall bring peace to the people, and the little hills, by righteousness.'

THIS Psalm contains a glowing description of the reign of the Messiah, as righteous, universal, beneficent, and perpetual, by Solomon.' O God, Thy judgments to the king give, and Thy righteousness to the king's son.' The form of expression in the first clause or title is precisely the same as in the phrase so often rendered by David.' That it designates the author, may be argued not only from this usage, but from the fact, that the