experience the evils of haughtiness. In the court of Achish he knew what it was to be scorned by haughty princes. Ver. 6.-"Mine eyes shall be upon the faithful of the land, that they may dwell with me, he that walketh in a perfect way"or perfect in the way-" he shall serve me." Whilst he would disown and crush the slanderer and the haughty, he would countenance with kindness the faithful and the upright. Ver. 7.-" He that worketh deceit shall not dwell within my house : he that telleth lies shall not tarry in my sight." The false, whether in conduct or speech, he would not tolerate, he would expel such from his "house." Ver. 8.-" I will early," Literally every morning, "Destroy all the wicked of the land, that I may cut off all wicked doers from the city of the Lord." "This of course means that he would destroy all those in the city whom he considered to be wicked. "Day after day," each morning (See 2 Sam. xxiv. 11; Jer. xxi. 12; Ps. lxxiii. 14; Luke xxii. 6,) without let or hindrance, I will pursue my endeavor; the clearance of my palace is only the beginning of my enterprise. I I will drive out at last all evil doers from the land, but specially from the city in which Jehovah dwells. (2. Sam. vi. 10, 16)."-Canon Cooke. In HOMILETICS :-This Psalm depicts one man in two characters, one comparatively good, the other comparatively evil. Such a man is a fair type of the race. no man, however good, do you find a perfect character, and in no man, however evil, do you find unmitigated wickedness. Here then you have in the same man the character of a saint and the character of a despot. I. The Character of a SAINT. As a saint we find him here full of good resolutions, resolutions in relation to his conduct towards God, in relation to his conduct towards himself, and in relation to his conduct towards others. First: In relation to his conduct towards God. "I will sing of mercy and judgment: unto Thee, O Lord, will I sing." Here is a lofty theme for song,-kindness and justice. A theme this, which lies at the foundation of all true theology, which pervades all true ethics, and explains all Divine Providence. Now, to sing on such a theme implies that the soul is to some extent attuned to it and exults in it. Some of the themes of the songs which men sing are sometimes foolish, and sometimes abominably profane and wicked. Even some of the themes of the compositions which men call hymns, are sometimes both silly and sinful. Here is a resolution, Secondly: In relation to his conduct towards self. "I will behave myself wisely in a perfect way." Or as Delitzsch renders it, "I will walk in the innocence of my heart." He determined to exercise over himself a wise control, to act not from passion or impulse, but from principles, and from principles that were rational and just. Good behaviour does not mean merely conduct in conformity to the letter of morality, but conduct inspired by the spirit of all true obedience. Here is a resolution, hold. 46 Thirdly: In relation to his conduct towards his houseHe determines not to have in his house either the "froward heart,” a "wicked person," a 66 slanderer," a 'proud heart," or the deceitful and the false. "He that worketh deceit shall not dwell within my house; he that telleth lies shall not tarry in my sight." His servants, however intelligent, agile, skilful, useful, and apt,—he would not tolerate in his service unless they were good. He would dismiss them from his presence, exclude them from his household. On the other hand he would accept only those who were "faithful," and who "walked in a perfect way." Morality was the great qualification for his service. Here is a resolution, Fourthly: In relation to his conduct towards his country. He resolves to tolerate falsehood and wrong no more in his kingdom than in his house. "Mine eyes shall be upon the faithful of the land," and on him that "walketh in a perfect way." On such he would smile and no others, such he would exalt and no others. Such are his resolutions, and they are good resolutions, the resolutions of a saint; resolutions which every man should adopt both in relation to God, himself, and his fellowman. In Luther's version this Psalm is described as 66 David's mirror of a monarch." Delitzsch informs us that "Eyring in his Vita of Ernest the Pious (Duke of Saxe Gotha, b. 1601, d. 1675), relates that he sent an unfaithful minister a copy of the 101st Psalm, and that it became a proverb in the country, when an official had done wrong; "he will certainly soon receive the Prince's Psalm to read." Here we have in this same man Here the God and II. The character of a DESPOT. "I will early destroy all the wicked of the land; that I may cut off all wicked doers." Whilst all his other resolutions one must commend and wish they were universally adopted, here is a resolution to be denounced without mercy. It is the resolution of an impious and a ruthless despot. man assumes the prerogative that belongs to God only. There are Expositors who vindicate in David such a resolution as this, as, indeed, they vindicate all his imprecatory utterances. We have read their vindications not only with astonishment, but with immeasurable distress of heart. We have frequently in our progress through this book, had occasion to refer to some of their vindicating arguments-if indeed arguments they can be called—and shall have to do so again when the 109th Psalm comes under our notice. Were all Kings to act upon this resolution of David the world would soon be depopulated, for how few there are amongst the millions of the race who are not wicked! HOMILETIC GLANCES AT THE GOSPEL OF ST. JOHN. [As our purpose in the treatment of this Gospel is purely the development, in the briefest and most suggestive form, of Sermonic Outlines, we must refer our readers to the following works for all critical inquiries into the author and authorship of the book, and also for any minute criticisms on difficult clauses. The works we shall especially consult are:-" Introduction to New Testament," by Bleek; "Commentary on John," by Tholuck; "Commentary on John" by Hengstenberg; Introduction to the Study of the Gospels," by Westcott; "The Gospel History," by Ebrard; "Our Lord's Divinity," by Liddon, "St. John's Gospel," by Oosterzee; "Doctrine of the Person of Christ,," by Dorner, Lange; Sears; Farrar; etc., etc.] No. CXV. Kosmos: Unregenerated Humanity. "THESE THINGS I COMMAND YOU, THAT YE LOVE ONE ANOTHER," etc. -John xv. 17-25. EXPOSITION: Ver. 17. "These things I command Ver. 18, 19.-"If the world hate you." "The if suggests no doubt of the fact, but prepares them for the terrible reality. and furnishes them the antidote." The word "world Kosmos-here does not mean the physical frame of the world, the globe, nor the human race which it is frequently employed to represent, but the corruptive portion of the race, unregenerate humanity. It is used five times in this nineteenth verse. It is that vast section of humanity of which Satan is the Prince, it is the Kingdom of evil. Ver 20.-"Remember the word that I have said unto you.” Elsewhere it is said "if they have called the master of the house Beelzebub, how much more shall they call them of his household." (Matt. x-25.) Ver. 21.-"But all these things will they do unto you for My name's sake, because they know not Him that sent Me." The Christians in the opening of the second century were put to death for professing to be U Christians, and because they would not renounce the name. Pliny wrote to Trajan, the Emperor that this was his practice in Bithynia. Athenagoras pleaded before the heathen magistrates that the Christians should not be punished for bearing the name when in other respects they were blameless. Tertullian says in the second century, even the name is hated in men perfectly innocent. The disciples were called Christians, and Peter says "if any man suffer as a Christian let him not be ashamed." I Peter iv-16. James asks, "do they not blaspheme that worthy name by which ye are called?" James ii—7. Ver. 22.-"If I had not come and spoken unto them they had not had sin." Our Lord here declares that their sinfulness was wonderfully augmented in consequence of His appearing amongst them. Had He not come they would have been amongst the ordinary class of sinners, which God of old overlooked in the times of ignor ance. Acts xv. 31. "But now they have no cloke, (margin HOMILETICS.—These verses excuse,) for their sin." Ver. 23.-" He that hateth Me hateth My Father also." Hatred against the disciples is hatred against their Master, and hatred against Him is hatred against God the Father. Ver. 24.-"If I had not done among them the works which none other man did they had not had sin," etc. What wonderful works He did. (See Chaps v. 36; ix. 3, 4; x. 2137; xiv. 10.) His great works were great proofs of His superhuman power, and mission. Ver. 25.-"But this cometh to pass that the word might be fulfilled that is written in their law, they hated me without a cause." The word "may" is better than might: and the words this cometh to pass which are italicised should be omitted. The sense is, not that their hatred came to pass in order to fulfil an old Scripture, but it so turned out that an old Scripture was illustrated by it. The passage referred to is found in Psalms lxix. 4; and xxxv. 19. There was no just reason for their hatred of Him. present this Kosmos or unregenerate humanity in two striking aspects, as glowing with hate and as loaded with responsibility. I. AS GLOWING WITH HATE. The words suggest the following remarks concerning this hatred. |