I. OF THE SPRING ITSELF. It has two great sources.

1. God's great goodness. The psalm tells much of God's providential goodness - how "the eyes of all wait upon thee, and," etc. (vers. 15, 16). And what a theme for never-failing praise this is! Who can reckon up the mercies of God given to us here and now, for the supply of our temporal wants, and for the comfort of our lives? Since this life is brief, earthly, inferior, of comparatively little worth; and yet how doth God care for it! He crowneth it with loving-kindness and tender mercy. But his "great" goodness has to do with the eternal life; and when we think of what he has done for that, we can see that his goodness is indeed great. Whether we contemplate the depths of sin and misery from which his grace has brought us up; or whether we tell of the glorious heights of joy, sanctity, and service, to which he is bringing us; or of the pure beauty and grace which prompted him thus to deal with us so utterly undeserving; or of the fearful cost at which he purchased us - even the precious blood; or of the present blessed help of his Holy Spirit, which we daily enjoy, and by which we are enabled to serve and glorify him, and to become channels of blessing to others; - when we think of all this, or of any part of it, our souls are lost in wonder as we gaze with awe and unspeakable gratitude on his great goodness.

2. The other source of this spring is God's righteousness. "They shall sing of thy righteousness." To the guilty soul, trembling with fear of God's condemnation, God's righteousness is a source of terror rather than joy. But to him who has received God's salvation aright, it causes his soul to sing for joy. For deep down in the heart of man is the conviction that nothing but righteousness can endure for ever; it is the permanent element in all things that do endure. Without it that which seems most stable, fixed, and sure will ere long perish and disappear. And even the goodness of God - his great goodness, unless there were righteousness at the heart of it, could not give the soul rest. It is because Christ is the Lord our Righteousness, as well as the Lord our Redeemer, that therefore we believe he is our Redeemer. In him we see how God can be just, and yet the Justifier of him who believeth in Jesus. And the righteousness of God is our soul's support amid the manifold and many sorrowful mysteries of life. "Shall not the Judge of all the earth do right?" That is our deep conviction, though we cannot understand all that he does. We are sure that in good time all will be seen to be right, which now often seems to us most wrong. And there is yet another clement of joy in God's righteousness - that it is sure to reproduce itself. "Good and upright is the Lord, therefore will he teach sinners in the way." Then he will teach me, he will satisfy my soul's hunger after righteousness.

II. ITS CHANNELS. They are pointed at in ver. 6.

1. Men have been convinced of God's righteous judgments. They" speak of the might of thy terrible acts." A solemn fear of God takes possession of them, they tremble with deep alarm, they are pricked to the heart. "When thy judgments are abroad, then the inhabitants of the earth will ]earn righteousness." Like the men of Nineveh under Jonah's awful preaching, and like many a sinful soul since. Deep conviction of sin is wrought by the Holy Spirit, and it is along this channel God's great goodness flows.

2. The proclamation of God's exceeding grace. "I will declare thy greatness." The psalmist sees and seizes the opportune time; and now, when the conviction of the Holy Spirit has prepared the way, sets forth the grace; for that is the greatness of God. Of the greatness of his justice and his power they already know; now they are told of the greatness of his mercy and of his readiness to forgive. Well is it when the Christian teacher can find hearts thus prepared; for then it is speedily seen that God's Word does not return to him void.

3. For there follows the reception into the heart of the truth of God's great goodness. They could not have afterwards abundantly uttered the memory of that great goodness, unless first they had believingly received it. Thus along these channels of conviction, proclamation of the grace of God, and believing reception of it, we come next to -

III. ITS RESERVOIR. Its storage in the memory. The truth of God's grace had not merely glanced on the minds of those here spoken of, but it had come to stay. Hence it was treasured up in the reservoir of memory. Well is it when our minds are thus stored with memories of the grace of God - his great goodness to our souls.

IV. ITS OUTFLOW.

1. In abundant utterance. Some keep a wretched silence, and say never a word for God; others, it' they do speak, do so in such a half-hearted way that they might almost as well be silent. But those who have known the grace of God in truth, and realize the greatness of the salvation they have experienced, they will "abundantly utter," etc. Not alone their lips, but their lives, their look, their whole spirit and temper, will tell forth the vividness of their memory of God's great goodness. And:

2. In song. "They shall sing of thy righteousness." The utterance will be a joyful one - a glad sound, - not a dirge or any other such mournful strain, but a song befitting the glad tidings of great joy which have been made known to them. May we learn this song! - S.C.

I. THE METHOD OF SECURING THE ABUNDANT UTTERANCE OF THE DIVINE PRAISE CONCERNING HIS GOODNESS. Our text gives the mental philosophy of such praise, and shows the plan by which it may be secured.

1. By careful observation. "They shall abundantly utter the memory of Thy great goodness." Now, in order to memory there must first be observation. If we want to remember His goodness we must let it strike us, we must notice it, consider it. Too many fail to notice that the goodness they receive is God's goodness. They put it down to other causes. If we are willing to see it we shall not lack for opportunities. It is everywhere. David notices especially its greatness. And this evident if we consider those who receive it. What have we done to deserve it? And then, the greatness of God the benefactor. "What is man that Thou art mindful of him?" And then the evil from which it rescues us; and the actual greatness of the benefits bestowed He giveth like a King; nay, He giveth like a God. Observe the goodness of God carefully for your soul's good.

2. By diligent memory. Memory collects facts and afterwards recollects them. The matters before us are recorded by memory, but the tablet may be mislaid; the perfection of memory is to preserve the tablet in a well-known piece, from which you can fetch it forth at the moment. How are we to strengthen our memory as to God's goodness? Be acquainted with the documents in which His goodness is recorded. Observe the memorials, baptism and the Lord's Supper. Treasure up your own personal experience. I have heard that the science of mnemonics, or the strengthening of the memory, lies in the following of certain methods. According to some, you link one idea with another: you recollect a date by associating it with something that you can see. Practise this method in the present case. Associate it with the objects around you. Let your bed remind you of God's mercy in the night watches, and your table of His goodness in supplying your daily needs. All around us there are memoranda of God's love if we choose to read them. There is the old arm-chair where you wrestled with God in great trouble, and received a gracious answer: you cannot forget it; you do not pray as well anywhere else as there. That thumbed Bible — that particular one I mean, all marked and worn, out of which the promises have gleamed forth like the stars in the heavens. Oh for a clear remembrance of the goodness of God. Classification is another help. Also making notes of things. You know the day in which you lost that money, do you not? The Black Friday or Black Monday up in the City; you have indelible notes of such things in your memory. Have like ones of notable benefits that you have received. Then, besides observation and memory, let there be-3. Utterance. "They shall abundantly utter." The word contains the idea of boiling up or bubbling like a fountain. It signifies a holy fluency about the mercies of God. We have quite enough fluent people about, but they are many of them idlers for whom Satan finds abundant work. The Lord deliver us from the noise of fluent women; but it matters not how fluent they are if it be on the topic now before us. Open your mouths; let the praise pour forth. Be so occupied constantly. "Abundantly" means that. Just as the singers in the temple repeated over and over again, "His mercy endureth for ever." Your memory will lose strength unless you utter what you know. Then —

4. Sing. "And shall sing of Thy righteousness." Parnassus is outdone by Calvary; the Castilian spring is dried and Jesu's wounded side has opened another fount of song. Lift up, then, your music till the golden harps shall find themselves outdone.

II. THE MOTIVES FOR SUCH PRAISE.

1. We cannot help it. "If these should hold their peace," etc. "Oh," said one in his first love, "I must speak, or I shall burst."

2. Other voices are clamorous to drown all such praise.

3. It will do you such good. The past, the present, the future will all be lit up with delight if we are wont thus to praise God. We shall find nothing to grumble at or complain about, but everything to rejoice in.

4. And it does such good to other people. "While here our various wants we mourn, united groans ascend on high" — so says Dr. Watts, and I fear truly; but very few will be attracted by such utterances. Is it good reasoning if men say, "These people are so miserable that they must be on the way to heaven"? We may hope they are, for they evidently want some better place to live in; but then it may be questioned if such folks would not be wretched anywhere. We have glorious reasons for being happy; let us be so, and soon we shall hear persons asking, "What is this? Is this religion? I always thought religious people were mournful people." There is a blessed seductiveness in a holy happy life. And such happy utterance will help much to comfort others. Many are sorrowing from various causes: therefore be happier than ever you were. That venerable man of God, now in heaven, our dear old father Dransfield, when it was a very foggy morning in November, used always to come into the vestry before the sermon and say, "It is a dreary morning, dear pastor; we must rejoice in the Lord more than usual. I hope we shall have a very happy service to-day." He would shake hands with me and smile, till he seemed to carry us all into the middle of summer. Lastly, let us thus praise, because it is the way in which God is glorified.

( C. H. Spurgeon.)