and old prophets, "The
Word of the Lord came unto me, saying,"--or again, "The Word which came
to Jeremiah from the Lord, saying." It is not the Bible which is meant
by such words as these--I am sorry to have to remind a nineteenth century
congregation of this fact--but a living being, putting thoughts into the
prophets' minds, and words into their mouths, and a divine passion too,
into their hearts, which they could not resist; like poor Jeremiah of
old, when he was reproached and derided about The Word of the Lord, and
said, "I will not make mention of Him, nor speak any more in His name.
But He was in my heart as a burning fire shut up in my bones, and I was
weary with forbearing, and I could not hold my peace."

But now, what words are these which we read of this same Word of the
Lord, in the first chapter of St John's Gospel? "In the beginning was
The Word: and The Word was with God, and The Word was God. By Him all
things were made, and without Him was not anything made that was made.
And in Him was life, and the life was the light of men."

Thus--as always--the Old Testament and the New, the Psalmist and St John,
agree together.

This is the gospel and good news, which the Psalmist saw in part, but
which St John saw fully and perfectly. But because the Psalmist saw it
even in part, he saw that The Word of the Lord endured for ever in
heaven; and that therefore his only hope of safety was to listen eagerly
and reverently for what that Word might choose to say to him.

But why does the Psalmist seemingly go out of his way, as it were, to
say, "Thou hast laid the foundation of the earth, and it abideth. They
continue this day according to Thine ordinance, for all things serve
Thee"?

For the very same reason that St John goes, seemingly, out of his way to
say, "All things were made by The Word, and without Him was not anything
made that was made."

Why is this?

Look at it thus: What an important question it is, whether This Word of
God is a being of order; a regular being; a law-abiding being; a being on
whose actions men can count; who can be trusted, and depended on, not to
alter His own ways, not to deceive us poor mortal men.

The Psalmist wants to know his way through this world, and his duty in
this mortal life. Therefore he must learn the laws and rules of this
world. And he has the sense to see, that no one can teach him the rules
of the world, but the Ruler of the world, and the Maker of th