e. oho.em in the clouds, from which the temple, or palo.ce (1.eykal), of henven and forkml lightning issued. eo.rLh. In this temple "every one," or Ver. 8.-The voioe of the Lord sha.keth rather e11erylhing, all that is in it, is con- the wildeme11 ; yee., the Lord sha.keth the tinuo.lly speaking of his glory (literally, wildeme11 of Xe.desh. Kadesh seems to bo "says, Glory I"). mentioned as lying o.t the opposite ex- Ver. 10,-The Lord eitteth upon the flood. tremity of Po.Jestine from Lebo.non and Most modems translate, "Tl1e Lord ,at (as Hermon, so that the storm is ma.de, by a King) at the 11ood," and understand by magnificent hyperbole, to extend over the "the Floo<l" the great Noachian Delage entire Holy Lo.nd, from the far north to the (Rosenmiiller, Hengstenberg, Kay, Revised extreme sonth, and to embrace ot once Version). Some, however, regard this o.s a the lofty mountain-chains which are rather forced nnd unnatural interpretation (Bishop Syrian than Po.lestinian, the hills and Horsley, 'Four Friends,' 'Speaker's Com- valleys of Palestine proper, o.nd the arid mentary'), and think the flood accom- region of the south where Judma merges panying the storm just described (vers. 3 into Arabfa. -9), or floods and inundations genero.lly, Ver. 9.-The voice of the Lord maketh to be meant. It is difficult to decide between the hinds to calve. Plutarch says, "Shep- tbe two interprelations. Yea, the Lord herds acaustom their floaka in a thunder- eitteth King for ever. As God has eat as atorm to keep together, and put their heads King in the past, whether at the great ill the au.me direction ; for such as are left Deluge or at o.ny other flood or floods, so aloue and aeparated from the rest through will he ever "sit as King" in the fut ore. terror cast their young"(' Sympos.,' Quwst. Ver. 11.-The Lord will give strength ii.). And Pliny, "Solitary sheep cast their unto his people. Tho Lord, who shows his lambs in thunderstorms; the remedy is to strength in the thunderstorm, will he able, keep the flock together, since it helps them and assuredly will be williug, to "give to have compo.ny," A traveller in South stre11gth to his people "-to impart to them Afric11 observeH, "In Bechu11no.land, when some of that power nnd might which he there ore hc11vy thunderstorms, the ante- so nbundautly possesse.'l. 'fhen they, par- lopes flee in coneternntion; o.nd the poor tnking in his strength, need not fear the Bechuo.nas start off on the morning follow- aUucks of any o.dveraaries. Struggle and ing such a storm in quest of the young contention will, by his good providence, be which have been cast through horror" (see one day brought to o.n end ; o.ud ultimately Molfat's ' South Africa,' quoted by Dr. Jfoy, the Lord will bless his people with peace- in his ' Oommento.ry on the Pso.lms,' p. 93). will givo them tlio "rest which rernaineth And dis3overeth the forests; or, Blrippeth to the people of God" (Heb. iii. 9), the tl,e forests. Denudes them of their leo.vcs perfect peace which "po.sscth oil under- and bro.nched. And in his temple doth standing" (Phil. iv. 7). evory one apeo.k of his glory; i.e. his gmnd
Il.OhlILETICS. Ver. 2.-" TM beauty of holiness." To every devout Israelite Jcru~'.llem was" Lho perfection of beauty,'' "the joy of the wholo earth" (Ps~. xlviii. 2; l. 2); beco.uso tho temple of the Lord was there. Its gorgeous ritual, white-robed priosLs and Levites, choral psalms, clangour of trumpets, harps, cymbals, all seemed the highest ideal of worship, the very visible "beauty of holiness." To o.11 this we mo.y well see nu allusion in these words. Hence the Revisers put in the margin, "holy array;" and some even render, "holy vestments." But the Hebrew word is not "vestments,'' but "splendour" or "mo.jestic adornment." And it is not to priests and Levites these words are spoken, but to angels (ver. 1; Ps. lxxxix. 6); nnd in Ps. xcvi. 9 to the "kindreds of tho people" (Revised Version), q.d. all the families of mankind. Therefore we recognize a higher, more spiritual meo.ning, of which all the glory of temple- worship was a faint shadow. 'l'o perceive "tho beauty of holiness," we must first know what holiness really means. I. WnAT 18 noLINESS? The Bible gives a triple answer-threo steps, from the lowest t.o the loftie~t views, from ritual to spirituo.l, from spiritual to Divine. Hulincs3 is (1) consecration to God; (2) likeness to God ; (3) God's own nature. 1. Conse- cration-dedication, or devotion to God. In this sense, things, places, times, coremouic~, as well as persons, are continually spoken of in the Ohl 'l'esta.ment o.s "holy to !ho Lord." The ground round the burning bush was holy (I~xoJ.. iii. 5), a.s Ion~ ns Go•l'a 2l4 THE BOOK OF PSALMS. [rs. XXIX. 1-1 t.