they derive their preciousness and their bloom? Is it not because these branches abide in Him, in the true, the living Vine; they are chosen redeemed, sanctified and beautified with salvation. They can say, in the fulness of their own happy experience, 'Blessed is the man whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered.' Not only does this salvation cover and hide all the believer's transgressions, but it changes and renews all his inner thoughts and desires, his affections and his will, and thus beautifies' him. This glorious salvation comes to the great, and makes him humble; it comes to the rich in this world's goods, and makes him 'poor in spirit ;' it comes to the poor, the destitute, and the needy, and says, 'Blessed are ye poor; for yours is the kingdom of heaven.' It makes the eye which was once blind now to light up with heavenly light until the child of God is not only clothed in His righteousness for ever, but is 'changed into the same image, from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord'-like Him, for we shall see Him as He is. To be like Jesus-ah, well might the Psalmist exclaim, 'I shall be satisfied when I awake with Thy likeness;' 'satisfied,' and no wonder. When the poor sinner is lifted up from the depths of sin and darkness, and set at God's right hand for ever in the glory of the New Jerusalem; when he is made a crown of glory in the hand of the Lord, a royal diadem in the hand of his God; when he is clothed with the garments of salvation, and covered with the robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decketh himself with ornaments, and as a bride adorneth herself with her jewels; then is he indeed beautified' and made meet for the Master's use. Yes, beloved, all of beauty, of holiness, and of truth in the Bride, must be for ever associated with the glorious Bridegroom; and these shall only fully be seen without a cloud of earth to dim our sight, in that day when it shall be said, 'The marriage of the Lamb is come, and His

wife hath made herself ready;' then shall these words be fully realised, and the meek shall be beautified with salvation. Need we say, beloved, with all these glorious thoughts before us, that we ought indeed to praise the Lord, that we ought to sing unto Him a new song.' Oh, try it, beloved, try it anew to-day, try it as you never tried it before. Take a new song' in your mouth, and praise Him for this great, this mighty, this wondrous salvation. Be not for one moment cast down by the cares, the sorrows, the trials, or the difficulties of life. He is beautifying you thereby. He has got fast hold of you and will never let you go, until He brings you safe to the home which He is preparing for you above, and gives you to sing the new song of the redeemed in the kingdom of heaven. Hallelujah! Praise the Lord. The Lord God omnipotent reigneth.' There will be nothing left out then, beloved; there will be nothing forgotten in that glorious universal song of praise; and, as we cast our crowns at the feet of Him who has loved us and washed us from our sins in His own blood, it will be with the glorious melody of hearts redeemed for ever from the power of sin and Satan, and taught to sing the praises of God in a higher strain than even the angels may. Thou art worthy to take the book, and to open the seal thereof; for Thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God by Thy blood out of every kindred and tongue and people and nation. Salvation to our God which sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb for ever and

ever.'

O for a bright celestial ray

To bear our thoughts and souls away
To glory's boundless blissful scene,
And sing the Lamb that once was slain.

There all the harps and choirs above
Dwell on His vast, His wondrous love;
Divine the notes, and sweet the strain,
Worthy the Lamb that once was slain.

With them we gladly, humbly join
In praise so joyful, so divine;
His death is our eternal gain,

Worthy the Lamb that once was slain.

His glorious, His immortal love
Shall be our theme, our song above;
No more of sin shall we complain,

But sing the Lamb that once was slain.

MEDLEY.

PSALM CXLIX. 5-9.

FROM GLORY TO GLORY.

'Let the saints be joyful in glory: let them sing aloud upon their beds.

'Let the high praises of God be in their mouth, and a two-edged sword in their hand;

'To execute vengeance upon the heathen, and punishments upon the people;

"To bind their kings with chains, and their nobles with fetters of iron; 'To execute upon them the judgment written: this honour have all His saints. Praise ye the Lord.'

WE have already considered the first part of this Psalm, my dear friends, where we have seen that the Lord taketh pleasure in His people, and that 'He will beautify the meek with salvation.' The Psalmist now rises a step

higher and says, 'Let the saints be joyful in glory.' This does not, I imagine, refer to the future glory of the saints; there will not then be any need of an appeal to them to be joyful; it is to the saints of God now that these words are addressed; exhorting them to be joyful in glory now. Here is the key to this, beloved; But we all with open face, beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord.' This is the glory in which the believer is called upon to be joyful, so that every step he is enabled to take in the knowledge of the Divine

U u

will, every additional desire or feeling which he is enabled to crucify, he knows that he is being changed' into that glorious image; while brighter and brighter, day by day, becomes its glory as reflected in Him, until at last he awakes up after Christ's likeness and is satisfied.

'In

Beloved, it is this same glory in which the saints are to be joyful now, for every time that the believer is enabled to walk more closely with God, and to confess Him more fully before men, is, as it were, another step in that glory, which shall be fully manifested in the day when the Lord shall make up His jewels. 'Let the saints be joyful in glory: let them sing aloud upon their beds.' This brings to mind some of the night scenes' at which we may glance for a moment, in passing. the day of my trouble I sought the Lord: my sore ran in the night, and ceased not: my soul refused to be comforted. I remembered God, and was troubled: I complained, and my spirit was overwhelmed. Selah. Thou holdest mine eyes waking: I am so troubled that I cannot speak. I have considered the days of old, the years of ancient times. I call to remembrance my song in the night: I commune with mine own heart and my spirit made diligent search.' The Psalmist was in trouble here; the joy of the Lord was obscured from him, and all seemed dark; he 'I call to remembrance my song in the night.' It is as if he had said, I have not got a song now, I am not able always to praise the Lord, or to realise His joy, but I will at least call to remembrance my song in the night.

says,

Again, My soul shall be satisfied as with marrow and fatness; and my mouth shall praise Thee with joyful lips: when I remember Thee upon my bed, and meditate on Thee in the night watches.' Here we find the Psalmist in a very different condition of heart. He has got the song now; his heart is full of praise and joy, and as he meditates upon God in the night watches, he praises Him

with joyful lips. We find yet another experience in the 42nd Psalm, 'Deep calleth unto deep at the noise of Thy waterspouts all Thy waves and Thy billows are gone over me. Yet the Lord will command His lovingkindness in the daytime, and in the night His song shall be with me, and my prayer unto the God of my life.' The writer is here in deep perplexity and sore trial. All Thy waves and Thy billows are gone over me,' nevertheless in the full assurance of faith, he sings, Yet the Lord will command His lovingkindness in the daytime, and in the night His song shall be with me, and my prayer unto the God of life.' Ah, yes, my my friends, this teaches us that even in the midst of deep affliction we ought to be able to sing our song of praise. We are not straitened in Him, but in ourselves. He has said, Open thy mouth wide, and I will fill it; and it is our own coldheartedness and weakness which prevents us from praising the Lord alway. 'Let them sing aloud upon their beds.' In the stillness and quiet of the night watches, when perhaps the refreshment of sleep may be denied us, how unspeakably precious thus to sing aloud upon our beds. It is still and solitary; there is nothing outward to distract our minds, and oh, how sweet and blessed is it to commune. with our Beloved,' to think of all His greatness and power, and love, and thus to have given to us a blessed 'song in the night.'

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There is nothing, perhaps, which tells more powerfully on the whole spiritual being of the believer than his thus preventing the night watches.' If God is ever last in our thoughts at night, and present to our minds as we awake in the morning, we shall assuredly be brought daily more into the image and likeness of our Divine Master. In the still hours of the night the mind has time too often to dwell upon its varied joys and sorrows, its cares and anxieties, to the exclusion of the