_Fret not thyself because of evil-doers._ FRET NOT There are many who suppose that it is well-nigh impossible to pass the time of our sojourning here without some degree of anxiety and depression of spirit. I grant you these feelings will come to us, but we are not obliged to welcome them. Luther... [ Continue Reading ]
_Trust in the Lord and do good; so shalt thou dwell in the land, and verily thou shalt be fed._ THE REMEDY FOR HARD TIMES That is good, sound advice; no metaphysics in that: it is good common sense, even if it be three thousand years old. To-day is a time of a good deal of trouble in the world and... [ Continue Reading ]
_Commit thy way unto the Lord._ COMMIT THY WAY What more appropriate motto can we select for a new year? Counsel such as this is in itself a kind of revelation. It reveals us to ourselves! Is our way such that we can commit it to the Lord? Now, such committing of our way to God means-- I. Meditat... [ Continue Reading ]
_Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for Him: fret not thyself._ THE GOOD MAN IN TROUBLE Note the man contemplated. He is a man of real piety, and he is contrasted with the wicked. The wicked are spoken of, but he is spoken to. He is understood to be of a different class altogether. But he is at... [ Continue Reading ]
_Fret not thyself in any wise to do evil._ FRETFULNESS I. It is a sin against God. Caesar having prepared a sumptuous feast for his nobles and friends, the day appointed for it proved so inclement, that all went wrong. He was so much out of temper on this account, that he commanded all who had bow... [ Continue Reading ]
_For yet a little while, and the wicked shall not be: yea, thou shalt diligently consider his place, and it shall not be._ But the meek shall inherit the earth. THE CHARACTER AND BLESSEDNESS OF THE MEEK I. The nature of christian meekness. It stands opposed to-- 1. Hastiness and violence of temp... [ Continue Reading ]
_The wicked plotteth against the just, and gnasheth upon him with his teeth._ THE PLOTTINGS OF THE WICKED AGAINST THE GOOD That the wicked plot against the just is matter of history, and of everyday experience. They envy the moral character of the good, with the respect it wins and the influence i... [ Continue Reading ]
_A little that a righteous man hath is better than the riches of many wicked._ THE FOLLY OF FRETFUL ENVY I. The good in comparative poverty are better off than the wicked with plenty, “A little that a righteous man hath is better than the riches of many wicked.” Better for two reasons. 1. His con... [ Continue Reading ]
_The Lord knoweth the days of the upright: and their inheritance shall be for ever._ THE PORTION OF THE UPRIGHT I. The persons spoken of--the upright, a character equally rare and excellent. II. The period--their days. These are known of God. He knows them kindly and graciously, and will make the... [ Continue Reading ]
_The wicked borroweth, and payeth not again: but the righteous showeth mercy, and giveth._ THE SUPERIORITY OF THE RIGHTEOUS TO THE WICKED I. In relation to society. 1. The righteous man here is put in social contrast to the wicked, which “borroweth” and doth not pay. David means to say that the w... [ Continue Reading ]
_The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord: and He deligteth in his way._ THE ORDERED STEPS That first step of your little child--what an event it is! Never again will single steps have such interest for you. And yet why not? In manhood, no less than in infancy, single steps are significant.... [ Continue Reading ]
_The Lord upholdeth him with His hand._ HAND IN HAND WITH GOD The force of this passage is somewhat lost by the rendering of it here. What David says literally is this, Jehovah is holding his hand. “His hand” is the man’s hand--not God’s hand. Read it thus, “Though he fall, he shall not be utterly... [ Continue Reading ]
_I have been young, and now am old; yet have I not seen the righteous forsaken._ THE VOICE OF AGE TO YOUTH Between youth and age, in one sense, there is a great gulf fixed. It is impossible that there should be an entire intelligence on the one side; it is rare to find an entire sympathy on the oth... [ Continue Reading ]
_Depart from evil, and do good; and dwell for evermore._ MAN’S GRAND CONCERN I. Eschewing evil and doing good. “Depart from evil and do good.” Evil and good are correlative and coextensive terms. They are antagonistic principles, they are both in the world, and both incessantly working. Both are i... [ Continue Reading ]
_The Lord forsaketh not His saints: they are preserved for ever._ SECURE PROPERTY A religion of contingencies and uncertainties deserve not the name of Christianity, and it is perfectly a misnomer to call it Christianity. I. The property of jehovah is his saints. Not the angels, the heavens, or t... [ Continue Reading ]
_The law of his God is in his heart; none of his steps shall slide._ THE LAW OF GOD IN THE HEART I. The inward principle which actuates a good man. 1. An acquaintance with the law, considered as the standard of holiness, as the rule of action. 2. An habitual reference to God’s mind and will. 3.... [ Continue Reading ]
_The wicked watcheth the righteous, and waiteth to slay him._ The Lord will not leave him in his hand, nor condemn him when he is judged. THE FOES OF THE RIGHTEOUS AND HOW TO ESCAPE THEM We have seen a dog run after a bird when it was upon the ground, and nearly catch it; but, as soon as it mount... [ Continue Reading ]
_Wait on the Lord and keep His way, and He shall exalt thee to inherit the land: when the wicked are cut off, thou shalt see it._ A TWOFOLD ADMONITION AND PROMISE. I. The admonition. 1. Wait on the Lord. Do you thus wait? Now, in the present time, and at all times? 2. Keep His way. This is beaut... [ Continue Reading ]
_I have seen the wicked in great power, and spreading himself like a green bay-tree._ Yet he passed away, and lo, he was not. THE TWO CHARACTERS The word “perfect” in the Old Testament is generally used in the same sense as the word “godly” in the New. This “perfect” man is he “He feareth God and... [ Continue Reading ]
_Mark the perfect man, and behold the upright, for the end of that man is peace._ THE PERFECT MAN I. The description given. 1. It cannot imply positive perfection--that is impossible. True, there is the seed of all grace in the heart of every child of God, and it is an incorruptible seed, but it... [ Continue Reading ]
_The end of the wicked shall be cut off._ THE END OF THE WICKED The condition of the sinner is an awful one notwithstanding things may seem lovely and fair to him now. He resembles the man who lives in a magnificent mansion on the brow of a volcano, the situation is beautiful, the scenery is beaut... [ Continue Reading ]
_The salvation of the righteous is of the Lord._ A TESTIMONY TO FREE AND SOVEREIGN GRACE “The salvation of the righteous “in the broadest sense of the word” is of the Lord”; and the more breadth of meaning we give to it, the more completely we shall see that it must be divine. At the same time, ou... [ Continue Reading ]