_O Lord my God, Thou art very great._ A HYMN OF PRAISE TO GOD IN NATURE I. The universality of God’s workings in Nature. 1. In the domain of dead matter. He is operating in the waters as they sail in the clouds, come down in the showers, etc. He is operating on the crusted earth, laying its “foun... [ Continue Reading ]
_Who maketh the clouds His chariot._ THE CLOUDY EQUIPAGE To understand the psalmist’s meaning, you must know that the chariot of old was sometimes a sculptured brilliancy, made out of ivory, sometimes of solid’ silver, and rolled on two wheels, which were fastened to the axle by stout pins, and the... [ Continue Reading ]
_Who laid the foundations of the earth, that it should not he removed for ever._ STABILITY OF NATURE ESSENTIAL TO PROSPERITY Earthquakes alone are sufficient to destroy the prosperity of any country. If beneath England the now inert subterranean forces should exert those powers which most assuredly... [ Continue Reading ]
_He seneth the springs into the valleys._ THE FURNISHING OF THE EARTH 1. Because the use of fresh waters was necessary for man, and necessary it was that man should have it nigh at hand unto him, for the more commodious use, the Lord broke up wells of water in several places, and made brooks and w... [ Continue Reading ]
_He causeth the grass to grow._ IN THE HAYFIELD I. Grass is in itself instructive. 1. As the symbol of our mortality. The whole history of man may be seen in the meadow. He springs up green and tender, subject to the frosts of infancy, which imperil his young life; he grows, he comes to maturity,... [ Continue Reading ]
_The trees of the Lord are full of sap._ THE TREES OF THE LORD The cedars are amongst the most beautiful of the trees--majestic in appearance, towering in stature, and enormous as to girth. Being indigenous to Palestine, they are fitly called trees of the Lord’s planting, for no human hand has fix... [ Continue Reading ]
_Man goeth forth unto his work, and to his labour, until the evening._ THE DAY’S WORK The psalm from which our text is taken is one of the most complete and impressive pictures of the universe to be found in ancient literature, and it breathes the very spirit of the Hebrew race. It has been called... [ Continue Reading ]
_O Lord, how manifold are Thy works._ THE SPIRITUAL SIGNIFICANCE OF THE UNIVERSE I. The Divine existence should constitute the central fact in all contemplations of the universe. This reflection serves-- 1. To disprove the speculations of Pantheism. 2. To annihilate the materialistic theory. Mat... [ Continue Reading ]
_So is this great and wide sea, wherein are things creeping innumerable._ THE SEA’S INHABITANTS Since the psalmist’s days our knowledge of the grandeur of the seas, and of their marvellous fulness of life, has been vastly extended. The discovery of the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans made the Mediterra... [ Continue Reading ]
_There go the ships._ I was walking the other day by the side of the sea looking out upon the English Channel. It so happened that there was a bad wind for the vessels going down the Channel, and they were lying in great numbers between the shore and the Goodwins. I should think I counted more than... [ Continue Reading ]
_These wait all upon Thee; that Thou mayest give them their meat in due season._ THE WAITING WORLD SUPPLIED Often the poet, rather than the scientist, is the true interpreter of nature. Mystic links which the scientist kens not, bind the universe to God. The devout poet hears God in the thunder; s... [ Continue Reading ]
_That Thou givest them they gather._ GOD’S GIVING AND MAN’S GATHERING I. God alone gives; we only gather. He is the Sole Proprietor in the universe, and of it. We can have nothing but by His bestowal. Our industry, perseverance, skill, are only methods that we employ in gathering. We have nothing... [ Continue Reading ]
_Thou hidest Thy face, they are troubled: Thou takest away their breath, they die._ VIEWS OF DEATH I. Death disorganizes and destroys our corporeal frame. The words of the text merely announce the execution of the original sentence, “Dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return.” II. Death puts... [ Continue Reading ]
_Thou sendest forth Thy Spirit, they are created._ THE BREATH OF THE MOST HIGH GOD The Holy Spirit is called the Breath of God, as being breathed out in a mysterious and marvellous way over His whole creation, but especially into the souls of reasonable beings, to make all in their several measure... [ Continue Reading ]
_The Lord shall rejoice in His works._ GOD’S JOY IN HIS WORKS With the spirit in which the psalmist penned these words, it may be, we have too infrequent and imperfect familiarity. Compelled to frequent acquaintance with grief, we may find the avenues of joy not sufficiently opened up to us. I. Co... [ Continue Reading ]
_He looketh on the earth, and it trembleth._ GOD CAN SHAKE THE WORLD Earthquakes certainly teach us that human existence in this world is entirely dependent upon God. Probably no natural experience impresses the mind as completely with the sense of utter insecurity. A traveller in South America giv... [ Continue Reading ]
_I will sing unto the Lord as long as I live._ A JOYOUS FAITH The Oriental life differed in a very marked degree from our modern life. For one thing, it was spent more in the open air than is possible in these colder climates; it was a simpler life, coming into contact with nature, open to the infl... [ Continue Reading ]
_My meditation of Him shall be sweet._ MEDITATION UPON GOD I. The meditations of a pious man--he meditates on God. Meditation is the action of the thoughts upon subjects which present themselves to the mind. As man is by nature, the quality of his thoughts is said to be evil. The Redeemer, when on... [ Continue Reading ]
_O my soul _ THE SOUL (TO CHILDREN) I. You have a soul. A stone can be seen and felt, weighed and measured; but it has no life. A flower is superior to a stone, because it has a certain kind of life. A dog is more valuable than a flower, because he possesses a higher form of life. He has all the f... [ Continue Reading ]