Psalms 49:8

For the redemption of their soul is precious, and it ceaseth for ever.

Redemption

I. Its subject--the soul of man. Think--

1. Of its powers.

2. Of its affections.

3. Of its duration.

II. Its price--the precious blood of Christ.

III. The period of its accomplishment. It is limited; “it ceaseth for ever.” How precious is time! what eternal results binge upon its right employment or neglect! (D. M’Allum, M. D.)

The preciousness of redemption

I. The subject of redeeming love--the soul. We cannot question its existence. Reflect upon--

1. Its origin.

2. Its prodigious faculties.

3. Its duration. The soul is a flower that always blooms, a fountain which ever flows, a seed which never dies, a plant which never withers; that mysterious flame which, once kindled, nought can ever quench.

4. Its last and rescued state.

II. The value of this redemption. It is “precious.” For consider--

1. From what the soul of man is redeemed.

2. To what the soul is redeemed. Some of you have already tasted something of the pleasure which arises to the soul that has been sensibly freed from the trammels of sin and of Satan, and which anticipates the blessedness reserved in heaven for those who love God.

3. By what the soul is redeemed--the precious blood of Christ.

III. The limits within which alone the benefits of this redemption are to be obtained. “It ceaseth for ever.” Consider, then--

1. The uncertainty of life.

2. How this world deceives us.

3. And Satan also deceives.

4. The positive evil which springs from delay. (John Gasken, M. A.)

The preciousness of the human soul

I. The soul of man is precious. For--

1. How high was the origin of the soul. See the history of its creation.

2. How vast its capacities. Small is the power of the human body, but the soul of man gives him a might and mastery all his own.

3. How eternal its duration.

II. Its redemption is precious.

1. See the greatness of the Author of Redemption.

2. The price that was paid to redeem us.

3. The stupendous nature of its results. These may affect the whole intelligent universe, and not this world alone. We are brought into a new relationship with God. Eternal woe is escaped and eternal blessedness gained. All this will be seen fully when the whole work of redemption is accomplished. How precious, then, must this work be. How important not to neglect it. (Hugh Stowell, M. A.)

The redemption of the soul precious

I. The worth of the soul. The soul is precious to God, for it is His own workmanship--the end of creation, for which all earthly things were made, which received His blessing and obtained dominion over everything below. It is precious to the angels, for “there is joy in heaven over one sinner that repenteth.” It is precious to all Christians upon earth. How fervently and with what an undying flame did the love of it burn in the hearts of the apostles; and in how many forms did it show itself--in preaching, in writing, in continual prayer. And are not our souls precious to ourselves? If we find the soul to be precious, let us act as if it were so: if we discover that it is valueless, let us snatch the pleasures of life while they last. But the soul is precious. It must be so--

1. From the statements of God’s Word;

2. From its nature;

3. From the value of that which has been given for it;

4. From the means used to save it.

II. The impossibility of recovering the soul when it is lost. Our conduct in this world will determine our fate in the next.

1. The soul may be lost.

2. The soul must be lost, unless it be redeemed.

3. When once lost, the soul can never be regained.

4. The soul may be soon lost. It well becomes us, then, to improve our brief existence by endeavouring to secure the salvation of our souls; for in the future all is uncertainty but this one thing, that “the wicked are driven away in their wickedness, but the righteous hath hope in his death.” (W. Dickson.)

The value of a soul

When Sir John Franklin was lost, the most extraordinary measures were set on foot to recover him and his party. The British and American governments combined together to save him if he should be yet living. Nearly a million pounds were spent in the search. Besides money, good and fearless men were ready to expose their life in the distant hope of finding, and relieving their missing brothers. The exceeding value of man’s soul is seen in what Jesus has done for it. Men often put forth great efforts for very insignificant objects; but when we think of Christ leaving His bright throne in the heavens, and becoming a homeless wanderer upon the earth, that He might save lost souls, we are able to form some estimate of the soul’s value. This was the life, the spiritual being, the deathless power breathed into man by the breath of God when he was made. It is our greatest gift, and that over which we should exercise the most sacred care,