of God. If we have known aught of the love of Jesus, we shall never be satisfied with anything else; and if for a time we have been seduced from our allegiance to Him, we soon become dissatisfied, and cry after God, and say, "My soul thirsteth for Thee." Like the prodigal son, we find the food that this world offers is but husks, whilst the Lord feeds us with the "Bread of Life."

It is Jesus Himself that we must seek: it is Jesus Himself that must satisfy. Infinite in every perfection, He alone can meet the infinite desires of our hearts. His love passeth understanding: it is an untiring, unchanging, everlasting love; something to rest upon, for it will never fail.

Do you know anything of the beauty of Jesus? Do you know Him as "the altogether lovely, the chiefest among ten thousand"? (Cant. v. 10, 16.) Is He your Beloved? Words fail in speaking of Jesus. Come to Him, and find for yourselves what He is, and you will soon be led to say that He is indeed unspeakably precious to your soul. (1 Pet. ii. 7.)

II. DAVID'S CONFIDENCE.

This was based upon two things:(i.) His knowledge of God.

(ii.) Past mercies.

(i.) In the dreary, wakeful nights, he says "he remembers God." A night of wakefulness or of pain is not pleasant to the flesh; but sometimes God

makes such nights times of great blessing. In Ps. lxxvii. we read of the thoughts of God bringing trouble in the night to one of His servants (Asaph). But after his spirit had "made diligent search," he speaks thus: "This is my infirmity." He finds that he had an imperfect knowledge of God, thence his disquiet; and now he renewes his confidence in God. by reviewing all the past wondrous works of God. (Ver. 11.) "Acquaint now thyself with Him, and be at peace." (Job xxii. 21.) When we can say with Paul, "I know in whom I have believed," then we trust: not till then.

We must study Him in His works as well as His words. Look at all He has done for His people, what He has wrought for them in the way of deliverance and help, and learn what He is. Then look at His declarations and His promises, and take your comfort. David, as we have seen, had a knowledge of God and a deep and earnest love to Him, and in the day of trouble this was the ground of his confidence.

(ii) It was also based upon past mercies. "Because Thou hast been my help, therefore in the shadow of Thy wings will I rejoice." (Ver. 7.) This is the reflection of God's own mind. He is unchangeable: what He has been, that He will be. (Is. xl. 28. Heb. xiii. 8.) "With Him there is no variableness, neither shadow of turning." (Jas. i. 17.) And so in the full confidence of this truth, because experienced, David comes to Him, and is able to rejoice beneath the shadow of those protecting wings. Our Lord Jesus Christ makes use of this same figure. (Matt. xxiii.

37.) The hen gathers her chickens under her wing: how safe, how comfortable they are! In Ps. xvii. David makes it his prayer: "Hide me under the shadow of Thy wings." And now his past experience of the safety and comfort of that hiding-place gives him a quiet confidence for the future.

Have you any past mercies to think of? Perhaps you have taken no note of them. Oh, gather them up and store them in your memory! Remember how God has helped you and blessed you, and brought you through hard times; and remember also what He has been to you, He will be again.

Before concluding, we must mark that eighth verse. It does so exactly express the position a child of God must take: following hard, yet upheld by God.

Christian life is compared in Scripture to a racea battle. We are not to sit down and feel we have nothing to do. It is quite true that we cannot earn our salvation, nor win eternal life by any good deeds; but it is equally true that we must use all diligence to make our calling and election sure. (2 Pet. i. 10.) If we let go the hand that is upholding us, we shall surely fall: it is only as we keep a firm hold that we are safe.

Is your hand locked in the hand of Jesus? Loosen not your grasp: He will keep you from falling, He will never let you go. Follow hard after Him: be in earnest; be diligent; with purpose of heart cleave to Him. "The hand of the Lord, it is mighty." (Joshua iv. 24.)

XVIII.

ASAPH'S TEMPTATION.

PSALM LXXIII.

THE Psalms were mostly written by David, but not all. Several (and amongst them this that we have now read) were the fruit of Asaph's pen. Asaph was specially appointed as chief singer before the ark of the covenant of the Lord. (1 Chron. xvi. 5.) He was one of the Levites, a priest and a seer in Israel; and his Psalms with David's, were commanded to be sung in the House of the Lord, at the renewal of the services there, by good King Hezekiah. (2 Chron. xxix. 30.)

Asaph was evidently a man of deep spirituality of mind. It is very interesting to read the experiences of the saints of old, and to find that they were men of like passions with ourselves, and that they had their struggles and trials of faith just as we may have. God the Holy Spirit guided the pen of Asaph to write more than one of his exercises of mind, that we who are in the same way troubled, may learn the lessons that he was taught, and that our faith may be strengthened as was his, by communion with the

Lord Himself in the sanctuary. It was there that he went to understand the ways of the Lord; it is there that we must go, as we shall presently see.

Asaph, in this Psalm, describes a process of mind through which he went, when he looked abroad upon the families of the earth, and saw the prosperity of the wicked, their riches and their strength; and he draws a comparison with his own condition, which he describes in ver. 14: "All the day long have I been plagued, and chastened every morning." This was a state of things he did not understand. He was almost tempted to think that God was unjust; that the wicked, with all their pride and violence, should be rich and prosperous, whilst he and others of God's people were tried and suffering, was hard to comprehend, and he was inclined to murmur at God's dealings with him. (Ver. 2.)

Let us not be too hasty to pass judgment upon this man of God. How often, how very often have thoughts such as his passed through our minds, and we perhaps have not stopped to consider, and to ask God to make all clear to us; but we have let the thoughts go on unchecked, and the temptation has led to sin, to the sin of murmuring and discontent. Let us never confound temptation and sin. God permits His children to be tempted, but never "beyond what they can bear." (1 Cor. x. 13.) "Jesus was tempted in all points like as we are, yet without sin." This holy man Asaph was in a temptation, but God kept him from sin.

I. HE WENT TO THE SANCTUARY FOR TEACHING.