the sin covered, the transgression forgiven, the perfect righteousness of Christ imputed, ere mercy can compass us about. Then, he that trusteth in the Lord, even in the midst of sorrows and dangers, is safe and happy for

ever.

Well indeed might David wind up with the glorious song of praise contained in the last verse for all those whose sins were covered and whose transgressions were forgiven: Be glad in the Lord, and rejoice, ye righteous; and shout for joy, all ye that are upright in heart.' 'The Lord hath done great things for us, whereof we are glad.' He hath turned our captivity as the streams in the south, and given us to realise that they who sow in tears shall reap in joy.'

PSALM XXXIII. 1-5.

REJOICING IN THE LORD.

'Rejoice in the Lord, O ye righteous: for praise is comely for the upright.

'Praise the Lord with harp sing unto him with the psaltery and an instrument of ten strings.

'Sing unto Him a new song; play skilfully with a loud noise.

'For the word of the Lord is right; and all His works are done in truth.

'He loveth righteousness and judgment: the earth is full of the goodness of the Lord.'

In the previous Psalm we have seen the only ground of the sinner's hope; we have there the conviction of sin, the confession of sin, and the sin covered, so that the poor weary heart finds rest, and joy, and peace in believing. When the believer realises this wonderful deliverance, he is at once enabled to sing his song of joy, and he exclaims, in the triumphant language of the 1st verse of this Psalm, 'Rejoice in the Lord, O ye righteous: for praise is comely for the upright.' Here we see no longer the poor, guilty, trembling soul coming into the presence of God seeking

forgiveness; but already forgiven, justified, pardoned, exclaiming, in the fulness of its 'peace in believing,' Rejoice in the Lord alway, and again I say rejoice.'

Many great and sore troubles St. Paul had to pass through, 'in weariness and painfulness, in watchings often, in hunger and thirst, in cold and nakedness,' yet amid it all, even within the prison walls of the jail at Philippi, with his feet fast in the stocks, he and his fellowprisonersprayed and sang praises to God.' He had tasted the sweetness of redeeming love; he was forgiven, washed, justified by the blood of Jesus. Therefore he says, 'Rejoice in the Lord alway, and again I say rejoice.' This is the one only spring of true and lasting joy, my dear friends; all others, like the apple of the desert, though fair to look upon outwardly, are but bitterness within. There is no joy which deserves the name, save that which comes to us from the Cross of Jesus; and that is, as every believer can testify, 'unspeakable and full of glory.' Yet alas, beloved, even if we get now and then some moments of that joy, they are after all but transient seasons; we do not have the steady, full, abiding joy which might be ours, did we but lean with a more childlike faith and unwavering trust on the 'great things which He has done for us.'

There is here not only the joy of being forgiven, but the going out of the heart in thanksgiving and praise (verses 2, 3). There is far too little of that constant spirit of praise amongst us, beloved. We have the image and superscription of the great King stamped upon our hearts; we ought also to have light, and peace, and hope stamped upon our brow, declaring plainly that we seek a better country, that is an heavenly.' Ah, there is too little of both these, my dear friends; too little of this entire heart-consecration of all we are, and have, to Him; and too little of the joyful, loving ascription of praise to Him for every good gift which He

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bestows from day to day. We are too apt to keep back part of the price, and to forget that in the least things, as well as in the greatest, we must ever praise Him with joyful lips. In everything give thanks, for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.'

Ah, beloved friends, if He has clothed us with the 'garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness,' let us strive after more of this spirit of praise, which is 'comely for the upright.' 'Sing unto Him a new song:' new every day, never exactly the same song twice. We praised Him for the mercies of yesterday; to-day He puts a 'new song' into our mouths, filling our hearts with thanksgiving, leading us on step by step, and proving Himself to be indeed the same yesterday, to-day, and for ever.' It is always a 'new song,' day by day, even here, until at last we reach the upper sanctuary, and are made like the Master for ever. And then it will be still a 'new song' of praise to the Lamb, which none but the redeemed can sing, For He was slain for us.'

The Psalmist goes on (verses 4, 5) to recall in a few sentences the truth which is the source of all his joy: 'For the word of the Lord is right, and all His works are done in truth.' When God passes His word of promise it is sure, and cannot fail. 'Heaven and earth may pass away,' but His word, never. 'And all His works are done in truth.' 'Hath He said, and shall He not do it? or hath He spoken, and shall He not make it good?' He 'keepeth truth for ever:' and having promised eternal salvation to as many as believe on Him, He rested not until from the cross of Calvary He cried, 'It is finished!' and bore away with Him into the land of forgetfulness' the sins of all His people for ever. 'He loveth righteousness and judgment.' Yes, He is just as well as true; and before He could touch us in our sin and misery, He first 'magnified the law, and made it honourable,' so that He might be just, and yet the justifier of the sinner.

Oh, the wondrous story of the Cross! How marvellous is it in its love, its suffering, and its triumph! The earth is full of the goodness of the Lord '-in other words, the mercy of the Lord. Truly 'His tender mercies are over all His works!' And while we And while we meditate upon the 'great' things which He has done for us, may we not well burst into a glad song of joyful thanksgiving, Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all His benefits; bless the Lord, O my soul, and all that is within me bless His holy name.'

When you look back, dear friends, upon that day in the past, when after long years of wandering upon the dark mountains the Good Shepherd found you at last, poor wandering sheep, and brought you back to the fold rejoicing; when the scales fell off at last from your blinded eyes, and you were enabled to see Christ as your Saviour, suffering, bleeding, dying for you; did He not then put a new song' into your mouth? Did you not then realise that the earth is indeed full of the goodness of the Lord?

Or, if it was a more gradual work; from day to day the light growing almost imperceptibly as He led you on step by step to the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ, and the darkness at last fled away, and the true light shone into your heart; can you not now understand that the earth is full of the goodness of the Lord' ?

Yea, the 'mercy of the Lord is from everlasting to everlasting upon them that fear Him;' and though we have a 'new song' now, even here, amid the 'mists and shadows,' there is a day coming when yet louder and fuller shall ascend the song of praise for that goodness and mercy which are over all His works.

'One song' shall employ all nations,

And still the cry in heaven is, Oh, the depth !'

This is our hope for the future. Christ is ours now, our Saviour, our elder Brother, our all in all; but now we

can only see with the eye of faith Him who is invisible. Then we shall see Him, eye to eye, and face to face, when the last lingering cloud shall be dispelled before the glorious light of the Sun of Righteousness, and when the bride shall array herself in pure linen, clean and white, 'prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.' Still it will be the mercy of the Lord' which will give us an entrance there. Shall we not rejoice in Him, beloved? Yea, although the fig-tree shall not blossom, neither shall fruit be in the vines, though the labour of the olive shall fail, and the fields shall yield no meat,' yet, 'I will rejoice in the Lord, I will joy in the God of my salvation.' Oh for more of that spirit in our daily lives! Whatever happens, whatever He sends us, whether it be joy or sorrow, whether it be light or shade, to know that our feet are fast upon the Rock of Ages,' to feel that the everlasting arms are underneath us, and the loving mercy of our God overshadowing us; then shall we fear no evil, we shall not be afraid of evil tidings,-whatever He may give or withhold. We shall only feel with one of old, 'The Lord gave, and the Lord hath taken away: blessed be the Name of the Lord!'

PSALM XXXIII. 6-22.

THE LORD OUR HELP AND OUR SHIELD.

'By the word of the Lord were the heavens made; and all the host of them by the breath of His mouth.

'He gathereth the waters of the sea together as an heap: He layeth up the depth in storehouses.

'Let all the earth fear the Lord: let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of Him.

'For He spake, and it was done; He commanded, and it stood fast. "The Lord bringeth the counsel of the heathen to nought: He maketh the devices of the people of none effect.

'The counsel of the Lord standeth for ever, the thoughts of His heart to all generations.