Expositions of Holy Scripture: PsalmsMaclaren, Alexander
Religion
Expositions of Holy Scripture: Psalms
Maclaren, Alexander
Bible. Psalms -- Commentaries
Another personal characteristic is 'Grace is poured into Thy lips.'
Kingly courtesy, and kingly graciousness of word, must be the
characteristic of the Sovereign of men. The abundance of that bestowment
is expressed by that word, 'poured.' We need only remember, 'All
wondered at the gracious words which proceeded out of His mouth,' or how
even the rough instruments of authority were touched and diverted from
their appointed purpose, and came back and said, 'Never man spake like
this Man.' To the music of Christ's words all other eloquence is harsh,
poor, shallow--like the piping of a shepherd boy upon some wretched
oaten straw as compared with the full thunder of the organ. Words of
unmingled graciousness came from His lips. That fountain never sent
forth 'sweet waters and bitter.' He satisfies the canon of St. James:
'If any man offend not in word, the same is a perfect man.' Words of
wisdom, of love, of pity, of gentleness, of pardon, of bestowment, and
only such, came from Him. 'Daughter! be of good cheer.' 'Son! thy sins
be forgiven thee.' 'Come unto Me all ye that labour and are
heavy-laden.'
'Grace is poured into Thy lips'; and, withal, it is the grace of a King.
For His language is authoritative even when it is most tender, and regal
when it is most gentle. His lips, sweet as honey and the honeycomb, are
the lips of an Autocrat. 'He speaks, and it is done: He commands, and it
stands fast.' He says to the tempest, 'Be still!' and it is quiet; and
to the demons, 'Come out of him!' and they disappear; and to the dead,
'Come forth!' and he stumbles from the tomb.
Another personal characteristic is--'God hath blessed Thee for ever.' By
which we are to understand, not that the two preceding graces are the
reasons for the divine benediction, but that the divine benediction is
the cause of them; and therefore they are the signs of it. It is not
that because He is lovely and gracious therefore God hath blessed Him;
but it is that we may know that God has blessed Him, since He is lovely
and gracious. These endowments are the results, not the causes; the
signs or the proofs, not the reasons of the divine benediction. That is
to say, the humanity so fair and unique shows by its beauty that it is
the result of the continual and unique operation and benediction of a
present God. We understand Him when we say, 'On Him rests the Spirit of
God without measure or interruption.' The explanation of the perfect
humanity is the abiding Divinity.
II. We pass from the person of the King, in the next place, to His
warfare.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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