The Preacher's Homiletical

Commentary.

HOMILETIC SKETCHES ON THE BOOK OF

PSALMS.

OUR PURPOSE.-Many learned and devout men have gone Philologically through this TEHELIM, this book of Hebrew hymns, and have left us the rich results of their inquiries in volumes within the reach of every Biblical student. To do the mere verbal hermeneutics of this book, even as well as it has been done, would be to contribute nothing fresh in the way of evoking or enforcing its Divine ideas. A thorough HOMILETIC treatment it has never yet received, and to this work we here commit ourselves, determining to employ the best results of modern Biblical scholarship.

OUR METHOD.-Our plan of treatment will comprise four sections: (1) THE HISTORY of the passage. Lyric poetry, which the book is, is a delineation of living character; and the key, therefore, to unlock the meaning and reach the spirit of the words is a knowledge of the men and circumstances that the poet sketches with his lyric pencil.-(2) ANNOTATIONS of the passages. This will include short explanatory notes on any ambiguous word, phrase or allusion that may occur.-(3) The ARGUMENT of the passage. A knowledge of the main drift of an author is amongst the most essential conditions for interpreting his meaning.(4) The HOMILETICS of the passage. This is our main work. We shall endeavour so to group the Divine ideas that have been legitimately educed, as to suggest such thoughts and indicate such sermonizing methods as may promote the proficiency of modern pulpit ministrations.

No. CXLIX.

The Voice of the Church.

"SAVE NOW, I BESEECH THEE," &c. Ps. cxviii. 25-27.
Festal Procession.

The Reception of the

ANNOTATIONS:-Ver. 25. "Save now, I beseech Thee, O Lord: O Lord I beseech Thee send now prosperity." "Save now." "The original word Hosannah, or, Save I pray, was repeated with the verse following by the multitude in their enthusiastic welcome of Messiah into His kingdom."Fuller.

Ver. 26.-"Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord; we have blessed you out of the house of the Lord." The priests and Levites here

welcomed those who entered the temple.

"Who in Jehovah's nanie draw near, Blessed is he; we hold him dear: We bless you on your holy road; We of the house and shrines of God." Keble. Ver. 27.-" God is the Lord which hath showed us light." That is prosperity amidst the light of our adversity, specially alluding to the pillar of fire that shone by night on the children of Israel. Exodus xiii. 21, and iv. 20. Nehemiah ix. 12, "Bind the sacrifice with cords, even unto the horns of the altar." "The

sacrifice-lit.,the feast, hence here the festive victim (Exodus xxiii. 18; 2 Chron. XXX. 22) At the feast of tabernacles, especially, there were many sacrificial victims offered him (xxix. 13) Josephus (Antiquities viii. 14) calls it "a feast pre-eminently holy and great." The sense is, since God is Jeho

vah, the faithful, unchangeable, fulfiller of His promises to His people, as He has now shown Himself, let us tesify our gratitude by sacrifices. Even unto the horns (or hornlike extremities in which the altar culminates) of the altar on which the blood of the sacrifices was sprinkled." -Fausset.

HOMILETICS-We take these words to illustrate the voice of the Church

I. The voice of the Church IN RELATION TO ALL. Here

is the voice of prayer. "Save now, I beseech Thee, O Lord: O Lord, 1 beseech Thee, send now prosperity.' This is the prayer of all those who were on this occasion outside the sacred enclosure, and this is the prayer which the universal Church offers on behalf of all who are outside. First: It is a prayer for immediate salvation. "Save now, we beseech Thee, O Lord." The great want of mankind is, salvation from their sins. Secondly: It is a prayer for immediate prosperity. "I beseech Thee, send now prosperity." There are different kinds of prosperity. Some prosperities become curses. It often happens that the more a man prospers in the world, the higher the secular heights he reaches, the deeper the moral depths into which he falls. Temporal prosperity is often spiritual adversity. The prosperity which is here prayed for is soul prosperity-prosperity in all that is Christ-like. "Grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ."

II. The voice of the Church in relation to those WHO ARE ENTERING IT. "Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord." Here is a hearty welcome, The

welcome those who There are, of course,

true Church is always ready to enter it in the name of the Lord. conventional Churches and sects who only welcome in the name of their creed. The true Church throws its doors. open to all, and addresses its invitation in tones of earnest love to all, saying "Oh, every one that thirsteth, come ye to the waters, and he that hath no money," &c. Nay, it goes further, it sends out its messengers to the highways and hedges, and seeks to compel those who are morally hungry and thirsty, to come to its feast.

IN.

III. The voice of the Church in relation to ALL WITH"God is the Lord, which hath showed us light: bind the sacrifice with cords, even unto the horns of the altar." First: It is the voice of mutual congratulation. He "hath showed us light." How blessed are we! "Why were we made to hear Thy voice,

And why whilst there's room;

While thousands make a wretched choice,
And rather starve than come?"

Secondly: It is the voice of mutual exaltation.

"Bind

the sacrifice with cords, even unto the horns of the altar." We should all provoke one another to love

and good works.

No. CL.

Personal and Social Religion.

"THOU ART MY GOD," &c.-Ps. cxviii. 28, 29. Answer to those who have Entered the Temple.

ANNOTATION :-Ver. 28, 29. "Thou art my God, and I will praise thee; thou art my God, and I will exalt thee. O give thanks unto the Lord; for he is good for his mercy endureth for ever." These two utter

ances are supposed to have proceeded the one from those who had just entered the assembly, and the other both from them, and those who welcomed them, the whole together.

HOMILETICS: These verses may fairly taken to represent personal and social religion.

I. PERSONAL religion. "Thou art my God, and I will praise thee." First: Here is a personal appropriation of God-" My God." The human soul is so constituted that it must have God as its portion. We may have worlds, yet if we have not Him we cannot be satisfied. It is only when we can say, "The Lord is my portion," "Whom have I in heaven but thee?" &c., that our moral hunger is appeased.

66

Could our souls in love embrace

All the spirits dear to Thee,

Though they clasp'd all worlds in space,

Empty, Lord, they still would be."

Secondly: Here is a personal adoration of God.

will praise thee, I will exalt thee."

"I

"Praise thee," not

merely with lips, but with the life. "Laborare est orare.' Work is worship. Right living is true hymning.

II. SOCIAL religion. "O give thanks unto the Lord; for he is good: for his mercy endureth for ever.” In this all joined, those who had just entered, and those who were there to receive them. Our remarks on the

first four Psalms will apply here.

CONCLUSION: We trust that the rapid homiletic sketches that we have drawn from this Psalm will prove suggestive and helpful to those who are officially engaged in expounding God's Holy Word. It is inspiringly interesting to remember that this Psalm was sung by Christ and His apostles on the very eve of His passion. His enemies were compassing Him about; the Lord was chastening Him sore; the Stone was being rejected; the Sacrifice was about to be bound to the altar: but the Lord was on His side; He would not be given over unto death; the rejected Stone would soon become the Head of the Corner.

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 lso 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; "Ihe Gospel History," by Ebrard; "Our Lord's Divinity," by Liddon; "St. John's Gospel," by Oosterzce; Doctrine of the Person of Christ," by Dorner, Lange, Sears, Farrer, etc., etc.]

Christ's reply to Pilate's address and Pilate's remark on Christ's Reply.

"THEN PILATE ENTERED INTO THE JUDGMENT HALL," &c.(John xviii. 33-35.) EXPOSITION:- Ver. 33. "Then

Ver.