The central Presbyterian. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1856-1908, 1880-08-18

it could be looked for or imagined. And
what happy condition it is How bles-
sed to be rid of that which keeps the
conscience IN perpetual fever, and
makes the imagination a constant breeder
of horrorsl How blessed at the gate of
Eden. instead of meeting the angel with
the flaming sword guarding the way of
the tree of life, to find new and living
way into the Divine presence, and hear
the Spirit and the Bride say, "Comer
How glorious, instead of trembling at
the name of God, and running to hide
from Him among the trees of the garden.
to be able to welcome Him as Father and
Friend, all whose resources of love and
goodness avail for the benefit and com
fort of His child Where, in pagan Veda
or Mohammedan Koran, shall we find
anything like this Where, in all other
literature, shall we find trace of that
peculiar blessedness which is extrolled
here-the blessedness of forgiven sin?
Whatever may have excited the mirthful
feelings expressed in the songs and
dances of other religions, it is never even
alleged to have been the sense of forgive
ness. Whatever other conceptions of
God men may have attained to, it is GER
tain that they did in no case attain to a
comforting, rejoicing, triumphant sense
of the truth that the Lord God is mer-
ciful and gracious, forgiving iniquity,
and transgression and sin.
Let us glance at another psalm of sim
liar tone-the 103d. 1t is one of the
most triumphant and exulting in the
whole collection. The effort of praise
to which the Psalmist summons his soul
is so high that it cannot be reached in
any ordinary mood of mind; all that is
within him must be mustered and com
blned for the act of adoring gratitude
that is to be rendered to God. Then.
when he begins to enumerate the bless
lngs for which God is to be praised, the
very first on the list is, che forgiveth
all thine iniquities." 1t is first on the
list, and 1t is, moreover, the dominating
mercy. Indeed, if this did not head the
catalogue, the rest would form but sor-
ry enumeration. If sin remained I'M
forgiven, and its terrible retribution
We're still IN force; if the iudgment-seat
still closed the vista, and the law waited
there for its due, how could any poor
sinner call upon all that is within him
to bless the Lord? 1t is because the
good Lord forgiveth all thine inquities
that all His other acts become SO lovely
and so gracious. And this great foun-
dation-mercy, the forgiving of all thine
lnlqultles, is not passed over in single
short clause. The Psalmist returns to
the subject and dwells on it fully. He
hath not dealt with us after our sins.
nor rewarded us according to our mi
qulties. For as the heaven is high above
the earth, so great is His mercy toward
them that fear Him. AS far as the east
is from the west, so far hath He removed
our transgressions from u.s." Infnity
is called in to exemplify the greatness
OF the Divine mercy in the act of for
giveness: The height of the heavens
above the earth is the measure of the
Divine mercy; the distance of the east
from the west denotes the distance to
which sin has been removed from the
sinner. Many of us are familiar with
the effort to conceive an infinite distance.
but are equally familiar with the hope
lessness Of the endeavor. How far is the
east distant from the west? Strictly
speaking, the distance is infinite. We
have read this psalm on ship-deck, when
out of sight of land we have asked our
audience to look eastward and tell how
far off any eastern limit lay, then to look
westward, and try to fancy a limit there
and then we have bid them think how
glorious it would be to be assured that
the same infinite distance separated them
from their sins J. How different, when sin
is thus buried by the Lord beyond the
possibility of resurrection, and when it is
to be buried by pagan devices
or any human endeavors whateverl It
is this complete burial of sin, in it's guilt
or power to condemn, that so wonder
fully distinguishes the Psalms, and proves
them to have an origin higher than hu-
man. a,l biol l.. ono. erI
There are many other cries of need in
the Psalms besides the cry for pardon.
Conspicuous among them is the cry for
deliverance from trouble, and especially
from the cruel attacks and crafty devices
of enemies. In fact, trouble in the case
of the Psalmist was almost always as
ISOLATED with hostile attacks. And often
they were sufficiently alarming. But we
mark in his cries to God in reference
to these likewise that he never despairs.
Deliverance always looms in the future.
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