August 15

"Praise waiteth for thee, O God, in Zion; and unto thee shall the vow be performed." Psalms 65:1.

HERE we have the church's praise and the church's vow; the suspension of the one and the fulfilment of the other.

In general, God waits for our praise. And how slow and reluctant are we in rendering it! And how seldom, at last, do we render according to the benefit done unto us! Here praise waits in Zion for him. The meaning is, that the deliverance or blessing which they were in need of had not arrived, but they were looking for it. They had their harp in their hand, ready to strike up a song of thanksgiving, but delay kept them silent. Praise waited, therefore, because the church waited.

And this is no unusual thing, first, as to their spiritual experience. They wish to be able to view him as the strength of their heart and their portion for ever, and to claim all the exceeding great and precious promises as their own. But they are doubtful and uncertain; yea, they often exclude themselves from all part and lot in the matter. Now we cannot praise him for what we think he has not done for us or given to us, but only for what he has. If, therefore, he has forgiven and accepted us, the acknowledgment of the blessing requires the knowledge of it. Yet how many are in a state of anxiety, waiting for the Lord more than they that watch for the morning, and praying, Say unto my soul, I am thy salvation! And,

Secondly, as to providential dispensations. How long was it, even after David had been anointed by Samuel, before he was established on the throne. How long did Joseph wait, with every prospect growing darker, before his prophetic dreams were accomplished. And so Abraham, only "after he had patiently endured, obtained the promise." God keeps back, till self-despair and the failure of creature confidence have spread a dark ground on which his glory must be seen. He loves to astonish as well as succor. He will convince us in future difficulties that he is able to do for us exceeding abundantly above all we can ask or think. Therefore at evening-time it is light, and he turneth the shadow of death into the morning.

Here, however, let it be observed, that Christians cannot be ever entirely silent. They have always much to praise God for. Whatever be their present condition, it might have been much worse; yea, in every thing they are to give thanks. Nor will they be silent long. The vision is only for an appointed time. Yet a little while, and he that shall come will come, and will not tarry. And they need not be silent at all, if they have faith in God; for faith can see the certainty of the thing before it takes place, and cause us always to triumph in Christ, while yet the warfare is not actually accomplished.

If hope deferred maketh the heart sick, when it cometh it is a tree of life. Therefore says the church, "Unto thee shall the vow be performed." The vow means, their solemn engagement to praise him when the deliverance or blessing arrived. "If he appears to my joy, I will give him the glory that is due unto his name: witness my vow." We do not always admire vows. They often ensnare the soul, and give the enemy an advantage over us. And Christians, as they advance in self-knowledge, are commonly more disposed to pray to God, than to stipulate with him. It is a useful hint which Cowper gives us,

"Beware of Peter's word, Nor confidently say, I never will deny thee, Lord; But, Grant I never may."

Yet vows, in some cases, may be useful. They may prove as a kind of fence to the field, or hem to the garment. They may serve to remind us when we forget, and to humble us when we fail. But two things should be always observed. The first is, that they be formed in an entire dependence upon divine grace. "By thee only will we make mention of thy name." "Through God we shall do valiantly."

The second is, that when we have made them, we should be concerned to fulfil them. "When thou vowest a vow unto God, defer not to pay it; for he hath no pleasure in fools: pay that which thou hast vowed. Better is it that thou shouldest not vow, than that thou shouldest vow and not pay." Yet how often have men bound themselves when they were in danger, sickness, and affliction, and forgetting or violating their vow, have turned again to folly. Even Jacob, after all his solemn covenanting with God in the prospect of his journey, was awfully remiss upon his return, till, divinely rebuked, he said, "Let us arise, and go up to Beth-el: and I will make there an altar unto God, who answered me in the day of my distress, and was with me in the way in which I went." Hannah was more exemplary. She had vowed that, if her prayer was answered, she would give her son to the Lord as long as he lived. The surrender was painful, but as soon as she had weaned him, she took him to Shiloh, and brought him to Eli: "And she said, O my lord, as thy soul liveth, my lord, I am the woman that stood by thee here, praying unto the Lord. For this child I prayed; and the Lord hath given me my petition which I asked of him: therefore also I have lent him to the Lord; as long as he liveth he shall be lent to the Lord." "Well done, thou good and faithful servant."