October 14

Praise ye the Lord.—Psalms 150:1.

THE subject of our meditation in this present life should be the praises of God; for the everlasting exaltation of our life hereafter will be the praise of God, and none can become fit for the life hereafter, who hath not practised himself for it now. Now then, brethren, we exhort you that ye praise God; this is what we all say to one another, when we say, Hallelujah. "Praise ye the Lord," thou sayest to thy neighbor, he to thee: when all are exhorting each other, all are doing what they exhort others to do. But praise with your whole selves: that is, let not your tongue and voice praise God, but your conscience also, your life, your deeds. For now, when we are gathered together in the church, we praise: when we go forth each to his own business, we seem to cease to praise God. Let a man not cease to live well, and then he ever praiseth God. Then dost thou cease to praise God, when thou turnest aside from righteousness and from all that pleaseth him. For, if thou never turn aside from a good life, though thy tongue be silent, yet thy life crieth out, and the ears of God are open to thy heart. For just as our ears are open to our voices, so God's ears are open to our thoughts. But it is impossible for a man's acts to be evil, whose thoughts are good. For acts issue from thought: nor can a man do any thing, or move his limbs to do aught, unless the bidding of his thought precede: just as in all things which ye see done throughout the provinces, whatsoever the emperor biddeth goeth forth from the inner part of his palace, throughout the whole Roman empire. How great commotion is caused by one bidding by the emperor as he sits in his palace! He but moveth his lips, when he speaketh: the whole province is moved, when what he speaketh is being executed. So in each single man too, the emperor is within, his seat is in the heart. If he be good, and biddeth good things, good things are done: if he be bad, and biddeth evil things, evil things are done. When Christ sitteth there, what can he bid, but what is good? When the devil is the occupant, what can he bid, but evil? But God hath willed that it should be in thy choice for whom thou wilt prepare room, for God, or for the devil: when thou hast prepared it, he who is occupant will also rule. Therefore, brethren, attend not only to the sound; when ye praise God, praise with your whole selves; let your voice, your life, your deeds, all sing. And if there be still groaning, tribulation, temptation, hope that they will all pass away, and then the day will come when ye shall praise without failure.