_I will extol Thee, my God, O King._ THE KINGHOOD OF GOD, AND THE GLORY OF HIS PROVIDENCE: - I. The Kinghood of God (Psalms 145:1). 1. Absolutely incomparable. (1) Majesty incomprehensible. (2) Reign perpetual. (3) Power tremendous. 2. Supremely praiseworthy. (1) By all. (2) At all times.... [ Continue Reading ]
_Every day will I bless Thee._ A GOODLY OCCUPATION I. The duty imposed. 1. It is purely voluntary. Whatever we do must be done “not grudgingly, or of necessity.” To do it against our will is to render mechanical service. In that there is no manhood. 2. It is personal. David appealed to others (v... [ Continue Reading ]
_His greatness is unsearchable._ THE UNSEARCHABLENESS OF GOD God transcends all thoughts; notwithstanding this, men should search after His greatness. I. Searching after His greatness is a righteous occupation. 1. It agrees with the profoundest instincts of the soul. 2. It is stimulated by the... [ Continue Reading ]
_One generation shall praise Thy works to another, and shall declare Thy mighty acts._ THE LAW OF THE GENERATIONS The Church that stood aloof from missions would now be as much condemned as formerly it would have been commended. And how much has been done in the varied mission fields. Now, all this... [ Continue Reading ]
_And men shall speak of the might of Thy terrible acts: and I will declare Thy greatness._ HOW “THE UNSPEAKABLE” IS SPOKEN OF Various are the ways in which men speak of the Lord. There is an ascending scale in the four sentences of our text. We hear-- I. The awestruck talk. “Men shall. .. terribl... [ Continue Reading ]
_They shall abundantly utter the memory of Thy great goodness._ THE PHILOSOPHY AND PROPRIETY OF ABUNDANT PRAISE This is called David’s psalm of praise; all through it he is inflamed by strong desire that God may be greatly magnified. I. The method of securing the abundant utterance of the Divine... [ Continue Reading ]
_Slow to anger, and of great mercy._ SIN A PROVOCATION AND A MISERY I. The provocative power of sin. God is susceptible of provocation. 1. He is not cold intellect. 2. He is not indifferent to moral conduct. 3. His nature revolts at sin. 4. However great His displeasure, He controls it. II. T... [ Continue Reading ]
_The Lord is good to all._ THE GOODNESS OF GOD Goodness is the same quality in all beings which have understanding, in God, in angels, and in men; it is, and it must be, the same in kind, differing only in degree. Now goodness in us is a disposition and an endeavour to promote the welfare and happ... [ Continue Reading ]
_All Thy works shall praise Thee, O Lord; and Thy saints shall bless Thee._ TWOFOLD WORSHIP I. God’s works. 1. They reveal Him--as the building the architect, or the book the author. 2. They obey Him--never transgress His orders, or neglect His behests. II. God’s children. 1. They reveal Him m... [ Continue Reading ]
_They shall speak of the glory of Thy kingdom._ CHRISTIAN CONVERSATION It is much to be regretted that true children of the Lord often talk too little of Him. What is the conversation of half the professors of the present day? Honesty compels us to say that, in many cases, it is a mass of froth an... [ Continue Reading ]
_Thy kingdom is an everlasting kingdom._ THE GREATNESS AND CONDESCENSION OF GOD What we admire in these verses is their combining the magnificence of unlimited power with the assiduity of unlimited tenderness. It is of great importance that men be taught to view in God this combination of propertie... [ Continue Reading ]
_The Lord upholdeth all that fall, and raiseth up all those that be bowed down._ THE GOD OF THE UNSUCCESSFUL The Bible, being a book for humanity, is a book for the weak, the fallible, and the disappointed. A large part of it is devoted to the erring and the unsuccessful. Take its biographies. Abra... [ Continue Reading ]
_The eyes of all wait upon Thee._ THE DIVINE DEALINGS AND ATTRIBUTES We lose a great deal by taking verses by themselves, considering them as detached and isolated passages in place of noticing how closely they may be connected with the context. For instance, if we take as our text the last of thes... [ Continue Reading ]
_Thou openest Thine hand, and satisfiest the desire of every living thing._ THE CREATOR MINISTERING TO THE WANTS OF HIS CREATION How does the Almighty provide for His creatures? I. Personally. “Thou.” The pseudosage ascribes the fruits of the earth to the elements and laws of Nature. But the Bibl... [ Continue Reading ]
_The Lord is righteous in all His ways._ THE DIVINE WAYS I. God has many ways of dealing with His universe. God’s ways are His methods of action. 1. He has settled methods of action in relation to His inanimate universe He has a way of managing the seas, and the stars, and all the blind forces of... [ Continue Reading ]
_The Lord is nigh unto all them that call upon Him._ GOD AND HIS PEOPLE I. The persons who are favoured with the Divine presence. 1. They call upon God. 2. They call upon Him in truth. 3. They desire Him. 4. They fear Him. 5. They cry unto Him. 6. They love Him. 7. They praise Him. II. The... [ Continue Reading ]
_All them that love Him._ LOVE TO GOD I. On what account God is to be loved, and is loved by His saints. 1. For Himself (Psalms 8:1). 2. As their chief, yea, only good (Psalms 73:25). 3. For the blessings of His goodness communicated to them (Psalms 6:9). 4. For the various relations in which... [ Continue Reading ]