Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-01-04
Christian Endeavor Hour
For Sunday. January ). 1905


Topic Songs of the Heart: I. What is True
Blessedness?" "a New Year Conservation
Meeting) Psalm, /; Matthew, 3-l2.
Psalm l.
l. Blessed is the man that walketh not
in the counsel of the ungodly. nor stand
eth in the way of sinners nor stitch in
the seat of the scornful.
. But his delight is in the Jaw of the
Lord; and in His law doth he mediate
day and night. -'" " ~sst+ "f'.7t 80
s. And he shall be like a tree planted
by the rivers of water. that bringeth forth
his fruit in his season; his lec,f also shall
not wither; and whatever he doeth shall
prosper.
4. The ungodly are not SO; but are like
the chaff which the wind driveth away.
i. Therefore the ungodly shall not stand
in judgment. nor sinners in the congrega-
ton of the righteous.
6. For the Lord knoweth the way of the
righteous; but the way the ungodly
shall perish.
Matthew. V:I-12
g. Blessed are the poor in spirit: for
theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
A. Blessed are they that mourn: for they
shall be comforted
>. Blessed are the meek: for they shall
inherit the earth.
TlO" Is tildl WOTu DieSSeu
multiplied in the book of Psalms. The
book seems to be made out of that word.
and the foundation raised upon that
word for it is the first word of the book.
But in all the book there is not one woe"
Dome.
Alexander Maclaren says: 1.-THE Psalter
may be regarded as the hearts echo to
the speech of God, the manifold music of
its wind-crept strings as Gods breath
sweeps across them The true
% inv iyl, o,,f Il,
water in. Delight in the law will deliver
from delight in the counsels of the wicked
AS the negative, so the positive begins
with the inward man. The main thing
about all men is the direction of the de
light Where do tastes run, what pleases
them most and where are they most at
ease? Deeds will follow the current of
desires and be right if the hidden man of
the heart be right. To the psalmist that
law, was revealed by Pentateuch and
prophets; but the delight in it, in which
he recognizes the germ of goodness, is the
coincidence of will and inclination with
the declared will of God, however de-
clared.. In effect he reduces perfection to
the same elements as the other psalmist
who sang, I delight Thy Will, yea. Thy
law is within my heart The secret of
blessedness is self-renunciation-
And by that loss he free
They to whom the will of God is delight
rooted in God and a heart delight in His
law, that life will be prosperous and that
heart will be at rest. If God be
not the supreme delight and His law
sovereign, some other object is mems de-
light and aim. and that departure from
God taints a life. however fair it may be.
1t is a plain deduction from our relations
to God that lives lived irrespective of
Him are sinful. whatever be their COM
plexion otherwise
]. Munro Gibson says:
I'm -expounding the blessedness of the
kingdom the Master has unfOlded' the
character of its members, thus not only
explaining the nature of the kingdom and
the advantages to be enjoyed under 1t,
but also showing who those are that be-
long to. it. That this was intended seems
evident from the first AMI the last of the
beatitudes, both ending with the en-
phatic words. theirs is the kingdom of
heaven 1t Is as if on the two gates at
the hither and farther end of this beauti-
full garden were inscribed the words, The
truly blessed ones, the citizens of the
commonwealth of heaven are those who
are at home here! Here was kingdom
in which race. distinctions had no place.
which took no account of territorial lin
its. which made no appeal to force OF
arms or rights of conquest--a Kingdom
founded on character. Yet it is no mere
aristocracy of natural virtue. 1t is not
royal academy of the spiritually noble
and great Its line seems rather to stretch
down to the lowest. for who else are the
poor in spirit? And the mourners and
the meek are no elect classes of natures
nobility. On the other hand. however. 1t
runs up to heights even quite out of sight
of the easy going virtue of the day; for
those who belong to this Kingdom are