Homilist Psalm 119:44-48 So shall I keep your law continually for ever and ever.… I. To be CONSTANTLY OBEDIENT (ver. 44). What is obedience? Not conformity to the letter of the law, but the incarnation of the spirit of the law It is to have the Divine will not only written in the heart, hut living and reigning in the heart. II. To be MORALLY FREE (ver. 45). Soul liberty is not mere freedom to act, not licence; it is the spontaneous action of love. Where "the spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty." A reigning love for God breaks all the shackles of the soul, and dispreads a sphere of action as wide as immensity. III. To he HEROIC IN TEACHING (ver. 46). 1. Here is a resolution — (1) To speak truth, (2) To speak it in the highest circles, (3) With the greatest boldness. "Will not he ashamed." 2. We should be bold in speaking out truths (1) Because it is Divine, (2) Because it is rational, (3) Because it is powerful, (4) Because it is restorative, (5) Because it is universal. IV. To be HAPPY IN DUTY (ver. 47). You cannot be happy by merely resolving to be happy, but you can by resolving to obey with a loving heart. Happiness, like a deep crystal stream, follows every step in the path of true obedience. All the creatures in the universe that obey the laws of their natures are happy. V. To be DEVOUT IN LIFE (ver. 48). 1. Religious love is devout. "I have loved." 2. Religious love is contemplative. "I will meditate." 3. True living is devotion. (Homilist) Parallel Verses KJV: So shall I keep thy law continually for ever and ever. |
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