Homilist Psalm 74:17 You have set all the borders of the earth: you have made summer and winter. Summer illustrates — I. SOME ASPECTS OF THE DIVINE CHARACTER. 1. God's love of beauty. 2. God's wonderful wisdom. (1) The simplicity of the agencies which produce such a variety of results — creating the beautiful, picturesque, and the sublime — sustaining life — increasing happiness, and producing expansion of soul. (2) The permanent maintenance of these agencies. Earth still wears the freshness of Eden, wherever there are the perceiving eye and the sympathizing heart. And is not the truth felt by us, that the mind of God is unchangeable towards man, although His final purposes are not vet completed? 3. God's infinite benevolence. (1) It is given to all to enjoy. (2) It is appreciable by all. II. SOME ASPECTS OF HUMAN LIFE. 1. The imperceptible progress of the spring into summer is a representation of the gradual advance of the mind in knowledge. 2. The gladsomeness of summer is an emblem of the temporal prosperity of man. 3. The luxuriance and loveliness of the summer is an emblem of the progress of the soul in the Divine life. There was as violent a struggle in nature between winter and spring as there was in the soul between sin and holiness; but the latter gained the victory, and it expands with life under the influences of the Holy Spirit and the Sun of Righteousness, as the fields and woods under the heat of the sun. And as the life of nature depends on the bounty of God, so does the life of the soul. And as the scenes of nature excite our admiration and love, souls Consecrated to His service in the dawn of manhood will kindle emotions of gratitude in our hearts too deep for utterance. (Homilist.) Parallel Verses KJV: Thou hast set all the borders of the earth: thou hast made summer and winter.WEB: You have set all the boundaries of the earth. You have made summer and winter. |
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