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If He has appealed to my love as the Good Shepherd of the green pastures, even more does He claim my adoration, my reverence, my heart, as the Shepherd of the lost and straying sheep.

I. THERE IS NO DISGUISING THE FACT, HIDE IT AS WE WILL, OF OUR FREQUENT FALLING AWAY. Be it the weakness of our human nature, ever prone to evil; be it the corrupted atmosphere in which we live, the swampy marsh of the world, from which rises up, in stealthy, deadly fumes, the vapour of bad public opinion, which we call the world, where the mosses are brightest, and the flowers the fairest, and the sunbeams dance the merriest; be it Satan, above all, with his terrible power of trickery and deceit; — whatever it may be, try as hard as we may, we have to reckon with a constant deflection from a high ideal. And all along the course of our life, His efforts to restore us, to help us to persevere, are spread out. Think only of the many new beginnings which He offers to us. The oft-recurring strength of our Communion, the storehouse of Sundays, the manifold means of grace which surround oar path, are well known to us. But think, also, of such things as the disposition of day and night, the necessity of sleep, and the like: these are all merciful new beginnings which offer us occasions for fresh efforts after amendment. It is so with the Church's seasons, with the great round of fast and festival, each with a fresh aspect of Divine grace, each with a fresh hope of a better life.

II. And being restored, once more THE PATHS OF RIGHTEOUSNESS LAY OPEN BEFORE US — the paths which come from righteousness, which end in righteousness, and are righteousness. Certainly we ought to strive for a more harmonious life of goodness. Our lives are too often sharply divided up, as you might divide a concert, into sacred and secular. Most certainly we should all strive to live by rule. It is impossible to overestimate the importance of rule. Rule makes us like Jesus Christ, to whom every action apparently had its hour, and whose whole life was a fulfilment of minute prophecy. Rule, once more, helps us to utilise life. It is the scaffolding from which all the materials which daily life brings us can be placed upon the wall. The paths of righteousness, the very highest paths, are open to us; our very sins may be stepping stones to higher things, and produce, if not humility, at least watchfulness. Christ will bring out character, if only we do not hinder Him, until it becomes established in righteousness.

III. AND THIS WILL HE DO "FOR HIS NAME'S SAKE." "The revealed name, which gathers up and expresses for man just so much as he can apprehend of the Divine nature." His name is Jesus. As great conquerors are named after their victories, so He is named from His. "He shall save"; "able to save"; "mighty to save." Through Jesus is the way to escape. This, perhaps, is Satan's chief terror which he holds over us — the impossibility of escape. His name is Emmanuel, "God with us": with us, in every stage of our life; with us, when we broke away; with us, when we came back; with us, as we are gaining strength. His name is the Christ, the Prophet who warns me, the Priest who atones for me, the King who rules me. So He restoreth my soul; so He leads me in the paths of righteousness; so He pledges to me the assurance of His holy name.

(W. C. E. Newbolt, M. A.)

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KJV: He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake.

WEB: He restores my soul. He guides me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake.