_O God, the heathen are come into Thine inheritance._ THE INHUMANITY OF MAN AND THE MIXTURE OF GOOD AND EVIL I. Here is a fact revealing the inhumanity of man and the permissive government of God. 1. What inhumanity is here! (Psalms 79:1). (1) It is opposed to our_ a priori _ideas of God, as a B... [ Continue Reading ]
_O remember not against us former iniquities._ THE HEREDITARY PRINCIPLE IN GOD’S MORAL GOVERNMENT OF MANKIND The proper translation of this would be, “Remember not to us the iniquities of former men.” The text recognizes the fact that men suffer for the iniquities of their fathers and their forefa... [ Continue Reading ]
_Help us, O God of our salvation._ THE HIGHEST DIVINE TITLE, AND THE HIGHEST HUMAN PRIVILEGE I. The highest Divine title. “God of our salvation.” God in creation appears transcendently great; but in salvation we see-- 1. A higher kind of power: moral power; the power to manage, master, and mould... [ Continue Reading ]
_Wherefore should the heathen say, Where is their God?_ A BAD SPIRIT AND A THEOLOGICAL ERROR I. A bad spirit. “Where is their God?” 1. There is a tendency in wicked men to deal in it. This spirit always indicates-- (1) A mean nature. (2) A malignant nature. (3) A haughty nature. 2. There is a... [ Continue Reading ]
_Let the sighing of the prisoner come before Thee._ THE PRISONER’S SIGH How difficult is it in earthly courts for the poor and sick to get access to the monarch’s earl There is a fearful contrast between the king thus surrounded with magnificence and pomp, and the prisoner alone in his sad dungeon... [ Continue Reading ]
_And render unto our neighbours sevenfold into their bosom their reproach._ VENGEANCE This is the same spirit as is breathed out in Psalms 79:6. It is revenge. We have here two things. I. A noble instinct. It is an instinct of justice, a cry against wrong. As an instinct, it is a spark from the D... [ Continue Reading ]
_We will show forth Thy praise to all generations._ GOD’S PEOPLE SHOULD SPEAK GOD’S PRAISE Dr. Parkhurst says he loves to think that every man is sent into the world with something to tell. “That is what makes of any man a prophet, being filled with a story too big for his own soul to house,” a sto... [ Continue Reading ]