HOMILIES BY VARIOUS AUTHORS. Vers. 1-5.-" The Lord reigneth." Note- I. THE PROPOSITION To BE PROVED-that " the Lord. reigneth." The psalmis\ describes: 1. Thei·oyal robes. "He hath clothed himself with majesty." The sacred writers seem to have drawn their ideas of the regal splendour of God, not so much from the magnificence of Oriental potentates, as from the gorgeous glow of the heavens-the suu by day, the moon and stars by night. Further," he hath girded himself with strength." This seen in the steady march of the heavenly bodies, never breaking rank, never failing to appear in due course, never wearyi□ g by long continuance. 2. The per- manence of his i·ule. "The world established, tnat it cannot be moved." The order of his universe cannot be broken. And so it has ever bee □, "from everlasting." II. THE PROOF. The psalmist likens the wild tumult of the peoples in rebellion against God to the fury of a storm at sea. The roar of tbe breakers dashing against the rocks, the thunder of the surf upon the shore, the fillrce agitation of the storm- tossed waves as they lift themselves on high,-all this is the vivid picture which suggests to the mind the worse, because the wicked, rage of a rebellious people or of a rebellious soul. And how terribly true the likeness is I The souls of men setting themselves against God, in wrath and rage against him, and scornfully rejecting and renouncing his authority! But as be hushes the storm so that there is a great calm, in like manner doth he still the wrath of man, and makes it to praise him (var. 4). How often he bas do □ e this 1 UL THE DEDU0TION. It is twofold. 1. That God is faithful. Men may utterly rely upon his word. Fools that we a.re, we often fail thus to trust him, and follow instead the miserable maxims of men of the world. But, nevertheless, God remaineth true. 2. That holy obedience i~ our wisdom. We cannot have God on our s:de if we wander from his ways-it is impossible. Let us, then, be on the side of God. Wisdom, g'ratitude, duty, love for our fellow-men, all urge this.-S. C, 296 THE BOOK OF PSALMe, [Ps. xcm. 1-ti.
Ver. 1.-" Is God dead1" Mrs. Beecher Stowe relates an incident which once gave to a speech which Frederick Douglas was delivering a startling and almost over- "·helming power. Douglas was desc1mting, in his usual impassioned mauner, upon tho wrongs and miseries of the negro race. ·warming with his subject, and waxing more and more indignant with their persecutors, he seemed to loso all patience, and at last said that they mu~t henceforth trnst in the strength of their own right arms, seeing that it WII.S in vain otherwise to hope for deliverance. At this moment there arose a tall, age<l negress, who, while perfect silence reigned in the hall, said, in a voice not loud, but deep," Frederick, is God dead ?"--S. C. Ver. 1.-The God ofve11geance. To many it seems a strange prayer that God should show himself in this character. Therefore consider- I. WHAT YENGEANCE IS, 1. It is not the same as revenge, n human, an evil, and often unjust thing. Revenge is what men delight in when they have received some injury at the hands of their fellow-men, and hence is never right, hut ever condemned of God. But: 2. Ven_qeance is the avenging of public wrong, the upholding of justice and righteousnes$, and essential to the preservation of society and of all human well- being. Therefore it may well be prayed for. See Milton's appeal, "Avenge, 0 Lord, thy slaughtered saints," etc. Now, concerning this vengeance of God, note further- II. lTs REALITY. The history of mankind is marked by it. Again and again has God thus visited guilty men. The Bible, secular history, personal observation, expe- rience, all attest it. Tnerefore when in the future life the Scriptures warn us of like vengeance, how can any dare to regard it as impossible? IIL ITS o?-~ AND O?-"LY EXCITING CAUSE-Human sin. Not a man's circumstances nor anything that he cannot help, but only his sin, conscious, wilful, persisted-in sin. In this psalm there are set forth some of these sins, which cry to God for vengeance. IV. lTs BIGIITEOUSNESS. We confess this now wheu we see men who have steeped themselves in crime brought to judgment, and just doom passed upon t-hem. And in the future there will be no vengeance that does not command the heartfelt confession from all beholders, that God is righteous who judgeth so. V. ITS TERRIBLE:KESS. "Fools make a mock at sin;" did they know its doom, their mockery would soon cease. Even in this world the vengeance of God often utterly overwhelms tbe sinner. Well may the psalmist ask (Ps. xc. 11), "Who knowetb the power of thine anger?" etc. It is immeasurable. T'L lTs cERTAIKTY. It may be delayed, and for a long while seemingly evaded, but sooner or later it surely comes. VII. ITs caosEN HIGHWAY. It is along the path of little sins. The ungodly falleth by little and little. The mere cobwebs of separate single sins become at length twisted and transformed by the law of habit into the strenuous ligaments which bind the soul over to eternal sin. Vl.II. ITs A.BREST. Let the sinner repent and flee for shelter to Christ.-S. C.
Ver. 1.-The King-figure for God. Prayer-book Version, "The Lord is King." The sentence would be more precisely rendered '' has become King," for some particular manifestation of Jehovah's kingly rule was then occupying the psalmist's attention; but what that manifestation was cannot be discovered. Some associate the psalm with the returned cautives, wbo, in some sense at least, re-established the theocracy. It repre- sents the religious joy of the people in the setting up of Jehovah's kingdom, and the realized presence of Jehovah as the spiritual King; but the setting is that of a poet, who has a wider sphere from which to draw his figures than the re_ligious man bas. It needs attention that the King-figure for God is not altogether sat1s~actory, bec~use kingship is not a natural relation; it cannot be either a permanent or umversal relat1?n· Kingship represents a human expediency. God made families; these naturally orgamze into tribes. For families and tribes the rulers are fathers and patriarchs. Men made cities and nations, and invented kingships to centralize the governmental systems which they designed. '!'be figure of king should therefore al ways be applied to God, e.nd to the Messiah, with great care and caution. The actual kiog8 who have ruled over Dations, though they may, in some things, fitly repr~sent God, in other things are wholly unworthy of him. And an ideal king is difficult to create mentally. It was PB, xom. 1-5.] 'l'HE BOOK OF PSALMS. 2()7