Oxford eagle., 1913-09-04

, mis- tenderness,
the moan Of his penitence, the pathos
OF his sorrow. the triumph of his vic
tory, the despair Of his defeat. the
! nrmness OF his confidence. and the
rapture OF his assured hope" In these
B psalms many travellers OF every age
ana cline have found rivers OF re-
Teshment and wells OF consolation.
here God opens the door. shows us
his secret dwelling place. and tells us
how we may get close to him in fel-.
lowship. Here he speaks to us; but
more. here we speak. telling our own
experiences and anon crying to God;
We have written many of the psalms
out OF the experiences of our own
lives
This first psalm is regarded as a
sort OF preface to the entire collection.
specially 1t is picture OF the pros
porous life and by sharp contrast a
picture of the life without God in H.
There Is really only one life worth
considering or cultivating: that is the
NE hid with Christ in God. and IL
should be our utmost concern TO make
that life blessed Consider the ele- |
ments OF such life as set forth ir
the entire psalm.
Refusal
The prosperous life is sheltered be-
hind wall Verses 10 set forth the /
great character. and II is marked by |
great refusal l. Evil Practice
walketh not in the counsel OF the un.
godly; ? Evil habit-nor standeth in
the way OF sinners: ,. Evil charac-
ter-nor sitteth in the seat Of the
scornfuL The prosperous life must
not think wrongly. nor speak wrongly.
III God is not in all your thoughts,
loose thinking soon will lead to loose
living. and things that would eat away
the fiber Of will and conscience and
FEELING. oh! the blessedness-the
happtness-of the man who can say,
viii not defile myself: who will not
take these three downward steps in
the evolution OF sin. and God pity
the man who has taken the third de-
gree In sin
But refusal Of evil thought, practice,
and habit II not enough. One does
not acquire physical health vigor and
power simply by refusal to eat poi
sonous foods or drink damaging liq-
uors. The physical life requires food
The soul grows beautiful and strong.
and the life prosperous and useful not
only by its great refusal. but by the
reception OF all things that are full OF
nourishment-the pure, the honest.
the lovely, the things OF good report
God not only brings US away from
Egypt; he leads US into Canaan-a
land flowing with milk and honey II
man enter into the fold by Jesus,
the door. he shall find pasture.
The prosperous life must receive all
ennohltng and uplifting things. and the
change In our outward walk is a rich
sign OF our inward grace. The might
lest need Of such life is lofty OBJ
iect to grapple. keep. and rule our
love. The psalmist says of the pros
porous man. But his delight is in
the law of the Lord, and in his law
doth he mediate day and night"
Gods book is a lamp to his feet. a
light to his path. wisdom for his tx |
norance. water for his thirst. bread for |
his hunger-a delight in every hour |
The life that refuses the evil and |
received the good will be crowned |
with glorious blessings They are
stated SO plainly in this psalm q am
Indebted to a friend for those brief sug-
gestions) Noble growth-"like a |
tree. land that figure meant much In
Palesttne); propitious placing
planted; sustenance-"by the rivers
of water fruitfulness--that bring
eth forth its fruit in its season."
beauty OF character-"his leaf also
shall not wither;" real prosperity
Whatsoever he doeth shall prosper"
This result is measured by Gods
standard-"all things work together
for good TO them that love God" Yes.
above all conditions apparently unfa-
forable and all results temporarily dis
tressing, this is Gods way OF reward
ing the man who trusts him. who
waits upon God for sustenance. who
delights himself in God, and who
makes Gods win not only the law OF
his life. or the Joy OF his life, but real
ly his life.
Contrast
LOoh di tuis plCluTe-blesSed is the
man. whatsoever he doeth shall pros
per; then on this-"Not SO the ungod-
ly. not So" And by this sharp con-
trast and sudden change the psalmist
increases the emphasis on the ele-
ments that constitute a prosperous
life, and the blessings that attend II.
Notice the characteristic ungodly.
simply the man who does not live in
the way God demands; notice his
Characteristic the chan: notice his
doom-whlch the wind driveth away.
call you by the persuasion of this
psalm to choose the prosperous life.
Nothing else is worth while, nothing
else abides. For the Lord knoyeth
the way Of the righteous, but the way
OF the ungodly shall perish" What
God knows, lasts; what he does not
know, perishes. Choose now your
place, and decide your character. your
usefulness. and your destiny. Which
shall Ii be-tree or chaH1