The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1892-05-11
A Song of Praise.


human soul. Nature praises God, heaven
adOres him, but God waits yet for one other
note OF homage the sweetest to him OF all
"bless the Lord. o my soul" With this
beautiful selection we pass out OF the
psalms for season. 1t IL II fitting close TO
tbs study OF the lyrical portion OF tho
sacred word With these earnest, tender
strains OF praise to God let us study
all the holy book and live all the holy life.
The Psalms are, AS some one has called
them. "the inspired response OF the human
heart to Gods revelation OF himself. In law
and history and prophecy and philosophy
WHAT THE LESSON SAYS.
Bless. In the sense of worship, adore.
The original meaning OF the word Is to
break or bend (as OF the knee). Ills
holy name. Hebrew: the name OF hA
holiness. 1. g., the attributes OF his holy
nature.
Bless the Lord. The repetition suggests
the lyrical character of the composition.
Benefits An interesting word, liter
ally, bearings, department. Gods atti-
tude toward us. Same word as rewarded
In " 10. Douay: "Never forget what he
hath done for thee"
Who forglveth. Or forgiving Thus:
Forget not all his benefits. namely: for
giving all thine iniquitles, healing all thy
diseases, etc, etc--Diseases. From the
verb to slacken, to be weak, to be In pain.
Redeemeth strong word and of sacred
associations Ceremonially, to release or
recover what is devoted LEV. 81: 49,; also,
to recover what is sold or buy 1t back from
its possessor. LEV %: 25. )-Destructon.
or death, Rendered grave or pit at job SO:
"a; Eze. %: S.-Crowneth. Same word
used at Ps s: 5. Rendered compass In Ps.
5: IL. (See Margln.)
Satisfeth. The word for full-rounded
completeness From IL comes our number
seven. the mnemonic for perfectness.-
Thy mouth. Rather thy life, or age, in con"
trast with the word youth in the same sen
tence.-Renewed Freshness given in old
age.
Executeth or performe.h. A word for
the actual doing OF right eousnejs. OPP
pressed or defrauded. Justice for those
unjustly treated. Douay: All that suffer
wrong. The first meaning, however, Il
pressed; and hence Pentecost may be right
in applying this to the redemption which
is in Christ, who paid the debtwe could not
pay.
His ways. From the verb 10 step or
walk.-Aots, or dolngs (Revision), samo
word at Ps. y: IL. Douay. His wills
MercifuL Same word as tender mercies
v. Slow to anger and plenteous In
mercy. Literally, much or great In mercy.
The two phrases seem to balance each 9TH
er, like backward with his anger; ready
with his mercy
Chide Or strive, contradictory his
anger. First meaning to keep watch, as of
n vineyard The meaning seems TO be that
there is coming time when Gods mont
tive and retrfbutlve work shall have. as II
were, an end, his mercy putting III else
out of sight
Pitieth, same word translated meEsful
in V. 8, and tender mercies In v. 4.
Frame or framing, same word used OF
creation at Gen. % 49, "Out OF the ground
the Lord God formed every beast Of the
eld.n-Dust, as noted in the same chap
tnr oil nHn 70 nh Ca o. of
110: %.
AS for man, his days are as grass literal
ly, man like grass, his days, as II spoken in
soliloquy. Douay: Mans days-Flour-
isheth fist meaning glitter, OF a moment
airy bloom. (Ps. 90: 81
WHAT THE LESSON TEACHFs.
Forget not all his benefits And now TO-
lows a list of these wondrous benefits, to
wit: niquities forgiven, diseases healed.
life redeemed from destruction and crowned
with loving kindness and tender mercies,
mouth satisfied with good things, youth re-
newed like the eagles How many OF these
things are you enjoying? Certainly they
cannot be enjoye IL they are 9forgCtten."
A great man. souls there are who have
never much as thought that these bene-
fits were theirs, or that they come from
Gods hands They are living right on as
almoners from the bounty OF God and
never thinking to return him praise. 1t Is
worthy OF inquiry, too, whether there Is
not IA lurking intimation here of benefits
ignored and so forfeited. 1t IS the promise
that most of us have forgotten, and only
those who accept and acknowledge enjoy
the highest blessings OF God The rest go
on living poor half-empty life They
have forgotten their position. Remember
what Paul said to the Romans: "The Same
Lord over all is rich unto all that GALL upon
him A rich Lord-does your faith realize
such?
Who crowneth thee with loving kindness
and tender mercles. The crown of Gods
love. Now we may understand the margin
of that strong passage ut Ps. 3: II: "With
favor wilt crown him as with shield"
Gods goodness to his people Is both crown
and shield When men see Gods favor on
our brows they fear us. Be sure Of this,
the world Is afraid OF a God blest man.
Know God--defy Satan. 1t is blessed to
see that this bestowment comes by Gods
free grace. 1t Is free and ready, for the
Lord is "slow to anger and great for mercy"
4. O.. he Is, as IL were, behindhand with his
wrath and beforehand with his forgiveness.
It Is OF grace; for abe hath not dealt with
us after our SINS" l. O., as we have treated
him, "nor rewarded Hebrew benefted) us
according TO our own iniquities" There is
only one way OF accounting for IL. He
loves us, and so he has put the crown of
sonship on our brows. Loving kindness
and tender mercies must needs accompany.
me all the days OF my life"
He made known his ways unto Moses, his
acts unto the children. May we not be JUS
titled In drawing distinction between the
two balancing words of this sentence? The
writer we'll recalls an intimaton that came
from the lips OF DIR. Henson as he held us a
moment In his genial, friendly way at his
doorstep "Have you ever noticed" he
said, "on what special terms OF intimacy
God put himself with his servant Moses?
He made known his ways unto Moses, only
his acts unto the children OF Israeli At
any rate there was sweet comfort in the
reflection. God brings into very close fell
lowship with himself those who love and
trust him. before their eyes he causes his
glory to pass, he makes them TO know his
ways. His acts, majestic, wonderful-all
men must see them to-day. But his ways,
glorious, subdulng, transforming, only the
Spirit can reveal "Blessed Is the man
whose strength is in thee; in whose heart
are the ways"
Next Lesson-"Daniel and His Compare