15. And so say I too, O my God, where art Thou? Behold where Thou art! In Thee I breathe a little, when I pour out my soul by myself in the voice of joy and praise, the sound of him that keeps holy-day. [1241] And yet it is "cast down," because it relapses and becomes a deep, or rather it feels that it is still a deep. Unto it doth my faith speak which Thou hast kindled to enlighten my feet in the night, "Why art thou cast down, O my soul? and why art thou disquieted in me? hope thou in God;" [1242] His "word is a lamp unto my feet." [1243] Hope and endure until the night, -- the mother of the wicked, -- until the anger of the Lord be overpast, [1244] whereof we also were once children who were sometimes darkness, [1245] the remains whereof we carry about us in our body, dead on account of sin, [1246] "until the day break and the shadows flee away." [1247] "Hope thou in the Lord." In the morning I shall stand in Thy presence, and contemplate Thee; [1248] I shall for ever confess unto Thee. [1249] In the morning I shall stand in Thy presence, and shall see "the health of my countenance," [1250] my God, who also shall quicken our mortal bodies by the Spirit that dwelleth in us, [1251] because in mercy He was borne over our inner darksome and floating deep. Whence we have in this pilgrimage received "an earnest" [1252] that we should now be light, whilst as yet we "are saved by hope," [1253] and are the children of light, and the children of the day, -- not the children of the night nor of the darkness, [1254] which yet we have been. [1255] Betwixt whom and us, in this as yet uncertain state of human knowledge, Thou only dividest, who provest our hearts [1256] and callest the light day, and the darkness night. [1257] For who discerneth us but Thou? But what have we that we have not received of Thee? [1258] Out of the same lump vessels unto honour, of which others also are made to dishonour. [1259] Footnotes: [1241] Ibid. ver. 4. [1242] Ibid. ver. 5. [1243] Psalm 119:105. [1244] Job 14:13. [1245] Ephesians 2:3, and v. 8. [1246] Romans 8:10. [1247] Cant. ii. 17. [1248] Psalm 5:3. [1249] Psalm 30:12. [1250] Psalm 43:5. [1251] Romans 8:11. [1252] 2 Corinthians 1:22. [1253] Romans 8:24. [1254] Though of the light, we are not yet in the light; and though, in this grey dawn of the coming day, we have a foretaste of the vision that shall be, we cannot hope, as he says in Psalm 5:4, to "see Him as He is" until the darkness of sin be overpast. [1255] Ephesians 5:8, and 1 Thess. v. 5. [1256] Psalm 7:9. [1257] Genesis 1:5. [1258] 1 Corinthians 4:7. [1259] Romans 9:21. |