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renew the earth. It may be, in part, to this annual renewal, when winter is over and gone, that verse 30 refers. Even if it be so, however, it contains, besides, the promise and prospect. of earth's final renewal at the "Times of Restitution of all things;" for then only shall we know the meaning lodged in the words,

"Thou makest new the face of the earth."

If, at verse 24, the adoring exclamation spontaneously broke from the beholder's lips, "O Lord! how manifold are thy works in wisdom thou hast made them all!" it shall yet again burst from admiring witnesses of that New Creation. And then shall that chorus be heard from heaven and earth together;

"The glory of the Lord shall endure for ever!

The Lord shall rejoice in his works!" (Ver. 31.)

They shall say of him in their songs

“It is He who looked (ap) on earth and it trembled !

He toucheth the mountains, and they smoke.”

One shall cry to the other-

"While I live, I will sing to the Lord;

During the whole period of my existence (eternity) I will praise my God.
Sweet, as it rests on him, shall my meditation be !

I

though no one else should) will rejoice in the Lord."

At last has come that "New Earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness;" for "sinners are consumed (as in Num. xiv. 35), the wicked are no more." Even in anticipation now we cannot but join in the "Bless the Lord, O my soul!" and the “Hallelujah" that closes this celebration of the Lord's glory— The glory of the Lord revealed in Earth created and Earth renewed.

PSALM CV.

1 0 GIVE thanks unto the Lord; call upon his name:

Make known his deeds among the people.

2 Sing unto him, sing psalms unto him: talk ye of all his wondrous works.

3 Glory ye in his holy name: let the heart of them rejoice that seek the

Lord.

4 Seek the Lord, and his strength: seek his face evermore. 5 Remember his marvellous works that he hath done;

His wonders, and the judgments of his mouth;

6 O ye seed of Abraham his servant, ye children of Jacob his chosen 7 He is the Lord our God: his judgments are in all the earth.

8 He hath remembered his covenant for ever,

The word which he commanded to a thousand generations.

9 Which covenant he made with Abraham, and his oath unto Isaac, 10 And confirmed the same unto Jacob for a law, and to Israel for an everlasting covenant,

11 Saying, Unto thee will I give the land of Canaan, the lot of your in

heritance.

12 When there were but a few men in number; yea, very few, and strangers in it.

13 When they went from one nation to another, from one kingdom to another

people;

14 He suffered no man to do them wrong: yea, he reproved kings for their

sakes,

15 Saying, Touch not mine anointed, and do my prophets no harm.

16 Moreover he called for a famine upon the land: he brake the whole staff

of bread.

17 He sent a man before them, even Joseph, who was sold for a servant:

18 Whose feet they hurt with fetters: he was laid in iron :

19 Until the time that his word came, the word of the Lord tried him.

20 The king sent and loosed him; even the ruler of the people, and let him go free.

21 He made him lord of his house, and ruler of all his substance:

22 To bind his princes at his pleasure; and teach his senators wisdom.

23 Israel also came into Egypt; and Jacob sojourned in the land of Ham. 24 And he increased his people greatly; and he made them stronger than their enemies,

25 He turned their heart to hate his people, to deal subtilely with his servants. 26 He sent Moses his servant; and Aaron whom he had chosen.

27 They shewed his signs among them, and wonders in the land of Ham. 28 He sent darkness, and made it dark; and they rebelled not against his word.

29 He turned their waters into blood, and slew their fish.

30 Their land brought forth frogs in abundance, in the chambers of their kings.

31 He spake, and there came divers sorts of flies, and lice in all their coasts, 32 He gave them hail for rain, and flaming fire in their land,

33 He smote their vines also and their fig-trees; and brake the trees of their

coasts.

34 He spake, and the locusts came, and caterpillars, and that without number. 35 And did eat up all the herbs in their land, and devoured the fruit of their

ground.

36 He smote also all the firstborn in their land, the chief of all their strength.

37 He brought them forth also with silver and gold:

And there was not one feeble person among their tribes.

38 Egypt was glad when they departed: for the fear of them fell upon them. 39 He spread a cloud for a covering; and fire to give light in the night.

40 The people asked, and he brought quails, and satisfied them with the bread of heaven.

41 He opened the rock, and the waters gushed out; they ran in the dry places like a river.

42 For he remembered his holy promise, and Abraham his servant.

43 And he brought forth his people with joy, and his chosen with gladness: 44 And gave them the lands of the heathen: and they inherited the labour of the people;

45 That they might observe his statutes, and keep his laws.

Praise ye the Lord.

reignty.

THE first fifteen verses were written at the bringing up of the Ark, 1 Chron. xvi. They tell that it is sovereign grace that ruleth over all—it is a sovereign God. Out of a fallen world God's sovehe takes whom he pleases-individuals, families, nations. He chose Israel long ago, that they might be the objects of grace, and their land the theatre of its display. He will yet again return to Israel, when the days of his Kingdom of Glory draw near; and Israel shall have a full share-the very fullest and richest in his blessings, temporal and spiritual. In these days shall this song be sung again

O give thanks unto the Lord, call upon his name!

Make known among the Gentiles his workings," &c.

Inviting, in such strains (ver. 1-8), all Israel to tell of their The contents. redeeming God among the nations; "He, the Lord, is our God" (ver. 7). They recount his benefits, from the days of Abraham onward to their entering in peace upon possession of Canaan-the type of the more blessed rest remaining for them and us under the true Joshua. The Covenant (ver. 8, 9) was the sure foundation of this favour manifested toward them ; and that same Covenant (ver. 42) was the Lord's reason for putting the cope-stone on the work. It is "grace, grace," from beginning to end. And the repeated call on saints to "make God's deeds known" breathe a missionary spirit, and should be so felt by us who know the great deeds of Calvary and Pentecost. Horne, also, well remarks on verse 2, "Sing -talk,—music and conversation are two things by which the mind of man receiveth great good or a great deal of harm.

They who make Jehovah the subject of both will enjoy a heaven on earth."

1. The Psalm, then, selects incidents that may best touch the heart. Thus Israel's insignificance, even after becoming a nation, and their weakness, and wanderings (vers. 12-15). They went "from the kingdom," a land promised to them, (2) "to a foreign people."

"From kingdom unto kingdom,

Sojourned a little band :

From place to place compelled to stray—

Strangers in a strange land." (Barclay.)

Yet they are "anointed;" the oil of him who set them apart is on their head; and therefore they are safe (ver. 15). He has separated them for himself, and made them "his prophets" -teachers of his will to other nations of earth.

2. Joseph's Ilistory is next selected as a theme; for there Jehovah is seen casting down and lifting up; using, too, a despised instrument to be a glorious deliverer. There is something graphic in the language of verse 16, "He called for famine," representing it as his waiting servant, (Horne). Scarcely less so is the literal rendering of verse 17, "He sent a man before them"-but how? To man's eye there appeared no sending; but it was to emerge from this, "Joseph was sold for a servant." Here again is grace-grace flowing in unthought-of channels (vers. 16-24).

3. Egyptian bondage follows, but only as introducing redemption-redemption by power, and redemption that proclaimed Jehovah's wrath on the rebellious (vers. 25, 26). We see Jehovah removing from the rebellious resisters of his will the blessing of light, the blessing of water for their thirst, the blessing of domestic comfort, the blessing of fertilising rain, the blessing of the increase yielded by the vine and fig, the grass and grain, nay, the blessing of health and of life (27-36). On the other hand, his blessing rests, in sovereign grace, on his redeemed (vers. 37-43)-the blessing that is the reverse of these inflictions on Egypt, besides strength, security from foes, guidance, providential supply of food and water.

"He brought forth his people with rejoicing,

His elect with the song of joy.”

But all this--not for their sakes-only because of his holy co-
venant. "Grace, grace," pervades his ways; and grace leads.
them into possession of their inheritance (ver. 44); but leads
them thither to glorify their redeeming God, even as shall be
the case at their final return-

"For the sake of having his statutes observed,
And his laws preserved.

Hallelujah!"

Whether we consider the sweet singer here to be David, or David's Son, who sat in the pillar-cloud over Israel's tents, the theme is the same.

The Lord glorified in his redeeming acts toward Israel.

The singers

PSALM CVI.

1 PRAISE ye the Lord. O give thanks unto the Lord.

For he is good: for his mercy endureth for ever.

2 Who can utter the mighty acts of the Lord? who can shew forth all his praise?

3 Blessed are they that keep judgment, and he that doeth righteousness at all times.

4 Remember me, () Lord, with the favour that thou bearest unto thy people: O visit me with thy salvation!

5 That I may see the good of thy chosen, that I may rejoice in the gladness of thy nation,

That I may glory with thine inheritance.

6 We have sinned with our fathers, we have committed iniquity, we have
done wickedly.

7 Our fathers understood not thy wonders in Egypt;
They remembered not the multitude of thy mercies;
But provoked him at the sea, even at the Red Sea.
8 Nevertheless he saved them for his name's sake,

That he might make his mighty power to be known.

9. He rebuked the Red Sea also, and it was dried up:

So he led them through the depths, as through the wilderness.

10 And he saved them from the hand of him that hated them, And redeemed them from the hand of the enemy.

11 And the waters covered their enemies: there was not one of them left. 12 Then believed they his words; they sang his praise.

13 They soon forgat his works; they waited not for his counsel:

14 But lusted exceedingly in the wilderness, and tempted God in the desert.

15 And he gave them their request; but sent leanness into their soul.

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