Psalm 77:6 I call to remembrance my song in the night: I commune with my own heart: and my spirit made diligent search. Communion with ourselves! that is surely something very wonderful; and evidence enough of a sublime nature. "I commune with my own heart: and my spirit diligently explores her own hidden world." Why, nothing in the whole compass of nature can do that. A wise man will surely say, "I am not going to analyze creatures who are lower than myself to know myself; but I must commune with myself, and make inquiry of the measureless capacities involved in my personal spirit." Now, whoever thus searches into himself is constrained to search after the living God. Unless a man is under the influence and control of his inner and diviner nature he inevitably leads a life and acts a part which degrades and ruins him. God, the Father of his spirit, is infinitely averse to this, which He has most affectingly shown and proved by that great mystery of Love, God manifest in man's flesh. Bethlehem, Calvary, and Mount Olivet simply mean God's infinite concern for man's redemption. If Christ's Ascension does not signify the possibility of man's ascension to God and the angel world, it signifies nothing. To be destitute of self-knowledge is, strictly speaking, to be destitute of all true and right knowledge. If we know not ourselves, nor the end of our being, we shall fall into many foolish and hurtful snares, and mistake the value of everything. We shall take appearances and sophistries for truth, and regard God's truth as dreams. And worse than all, we shall misuse ourselves; thinking that we are wise when we are foolish, and that we are doing well when we are perishing. For we may take every possible care of the corruptible body of our flesh, while we are destroying the health and happiness of the precious inner man. Self-knowledge will inspire more than dignity and self-respect; it will inspire awe and a sublime hope. There will be no self-adulation in this knowledge; on the contrary, self-knowledge is always associated with sweet, restful, childlike humility. For right self-knowledge recognizes the Infinite Father-Spirit to be alone great and worshipful. We all share in Divinity; that is the one great human inheritance. To claim direct relationship to the Infinite Spirit is not presumptuous: "Our Father, which art in heaven." And the one tremendous thought is that our Divine birthright is for eternity. The Everlasting Christ, as the ideal of our own humanity, is not only revealed to us; but the breath of His power is within us all. (John Pulsford, D. D.) Parallel Verses KJV: I call to remembrance my song in the night: I commune with mine own heart: and my spirit made diligent search.WEB: I remember my song in the night. I consider in my own heart; my spirit diligently inquires: |
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