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BIBLE THOUGHTS,” THE WORK OF THE HOLY GHOST,"

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LONDON:

ELLIOT STOCK, 62, PATERNOSTER ROW.

BY THE SAME AUTHOR.

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The Work of the Holy Ghost in the Present Dispensation. By the Rev. J. HAWKER, Author of "Bible Thoughts on Genesis and Galatians."

"Many volumes have been written on this momentous subject, but it is long since we read one with so much pleasure and profit as this has afforded. Thoughtful, lucid, and Scriptural, are terms truly descriptive of its contents, while the dispensational aspects of the theme are so treated as to give the work peculiar value as a guide to its intelligent study. It is a valuable manual of Bible teaching, and cannot fail to be of great service to the cause of truth."-Christian.

Are Sacraments or the Bible the Life of the Church? Sermon preached at Portland Chapel, Bath, on Sunday, May 2nd, 1880, by Rev. J, HAWKER. Price 6d.

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PSALM lxiii. 8.

'My soul followeth hard after Thee; Thy right hand upholdeth me.'

No critical difficulty presents itself in this verse, nor is there anything wrong in the rendering. It is just one of those passages which fairly come within the range of these annotations. The words 'followeth hard' are forcible, but they fail fully to express adhesion' such as to make separation very difficult if not impossible.

'Following after' implies some amount of distance, be it ever so small; indeed it allows that there is not actual contact, or overtaking. Now the literal sense of the Hebrew word is 'to cleave to.' It is thus used and thus translated at Ps. xxii. 15, 'My tongue cleaveth to my jaws; and at Ps. cxxxvii. 6, 'Let my tongue cleave to the roof of my mouth.' It may be well expressed by our word 'adhere.' From this, as the primary, literal sense, flow the others, such as loving, pursuing; and the word is also employed to express anything coming upon a person or nation, as we use the expression 'befall you,' 'fall upon you,'' overtake you.'

This surely strengthens very much the general tenour of the Psalm. It contains the true outpouring of the feelings of a heart devoted to God; and this verse well accords with verse 1, which we have just been considering. This cleaving to God not only implies the strongest affection; but, especially when taken in connection with the next clause, the earnest waiting on God for help, clinging, as it were, to His right hand, Who alone upholds His people. It may remind us of the Patriarch, and his resolve, 'I will not let thee go, except thou bless me.' It

will be seen that the translations which I give are pervaded more or less with the same sentiment.

Septuagint : Εκολληθη ἡ ψυχή μου ὀπίσω σου.

Martin Luther: 'Meine Seele hänget dir an.'

Diodati: L'anima mea è attaccata dietro a Te.'

Ostervald 'Mon âme a adhéré à Toi, a Te suivre.'

Patre Scio: Mi alma se apegó a Ti.'

The old version of 1632, which I have before quoted, gives the verse with quaint accuracy :

'My soul doth surely sticke to Thee,
Thy right hand is Thy power;

And those that seeke my soul to stray,
Them death shall sone devoure.'

PSALM lxv. 1.

'Praise waiteth for Thee, O God, in Sion; and unto Thee shall the vow be performed.'

Having already directed attention to the word translated 'waiteth,' I will refer my reader to page 83, where he will find the subject fully treated. The translations being, however, different here, I will give them. They are not, in fact cannot be literal; as none of them could, any further than the English, convey to the mind the exact sense of the Hebrew. Some are free enough to be considered as short comments.

Septuagint : Σοι πρέπει ὕμνος ὁ Θεός.

Vulgate Te decet hymnus, Deus.'

:

Patre Scio: O Dios á Té ti está bien el hymno.'
Diodati: 'O Dio, lode T' aspetta.'

Ostervald: 'O Dieu, Ta louange T'attend en silence.'

Martin Luther: 'Gott, man lobet dich in der Stille.'

PSALM lxvi. 3.

'Say unto God, How terrible art Thou in Thy works; through the greatness of Thy power shall Thine enemies submit themselves unto Thee.'

The word rendered 'submit' is literally 'lie.' It seems solemnly to express the difference between that true conversion to God, in and by which the heart is given to Him, under the influence of the Holy Spirit, and the false and hypocritical submission where only terror is at work upon fallen human nature. It has been well remarked in words somewhat to this effect, that where the pressure of affliction and the influence of fear are at work upon a man without grace, and that they alone draw forth a profession of obedience, you will find that as soon circumstances change, the man is himself again,' only, as we might add, more hardened by what he has experienced thus far, and rejected.

The Apostle commends the Philippians because they had obeyed 'not in my presence only, but now much more in my absence.' The work was real. There is a fear of God which He implants in His people that they may not depart from Him, but this is intimately associated with the principle of loving obedience. Slavish fear calculates, How little will God accept? loving obedience considers, How much can I give ?

I notice this word not only that I may make these few observations, but also because it occurs more than once in the Psalms in the sense of feigned submission. Ps. xviii. 44, The strangers shall submit themselves unto me;' Ps. lxxxi. 15, The haters of the Lord should have submitted themselves unto Him.' We also find it in 2 Sam. xxii. 45, 'Strangers shall submit themselves unto me.' Also in Deut. xxxiii. 29, the word is found in the clause,