an the greatest of men
"under the sun," and, placing the hand of faith in His, we have been
led into other scenes, and have found every single need of our being
fully, absolutely, satisfactorily met. Our body if now the seat of sin
and suffering, yet we have learned to sing in the joyful hope of its
soon being "like Him forever." Our soul's affections have in Him a
satisfying object, whilst His love may fill the poor, empty, craving
heart till it runs over with a song all unknown under the sun,--our
spirit's deep questions, as they have come up, have all been met and
answered in such sort that each answer strikes a chord that sounds with
the melody of delight;--till at last death itself is despoiled of his
terrors, and our song is still more sweet and clear in the tyrant's
presence, for he is no longer a "king" over us, but our "servant."
Even the deepest, most awful terror of all to sinners such as we--the
Judgment-seat--has given us new cause for still more joyful singing;
for we have in that pure clear light recognized in God--our
Creator-God, our Redeemer-God--a love so full, so true,--working with a
wisdom so infinite, so pure,--in perfect harmony with a righteousness
so unbending, so inflexible,--with a holiness not to be flecked or
tarnished by a breath,--all combining to put us at joyful ease in the
very presence of judgment--to find there, as nowhere else possible, all
that is in God in His infinity told out, ("love with us made perfect,")
and that means that all the creatures' responsive love must find sweet
relief in a song that it will take eternity itself to end. In our
Father's House we only "begin to be merry," and end nevermore, as we
sound the depths of a wisdom that is fathomless, know a "love that
passeth knowledge";--singing, singing, nothing but singing, and ever a
new song!

May God, in His grace, make this the joyful experience of reader and
writer, for the Lord Jesus Christ's sake! Amen.

[1] This differs from the usual interpretation, which makes this verse
a metaphor of the mouth and teeth. This has been rejected above, not
only on account of the direct evidence of its faultiness, and the
fanciful interpretation given to the "sound of grinding," but for the
twofold reason that it would make the teeth to be alluded to _twice_,
whilst all reference to the equally important sense of "hearing" would
be omitted altogether. I have therefore followed Dr. Lewis's metrical
version:--

"A