the Lord reigneth ( comp. Pen. xciii, 1 ; Yer. 12.-Let the tleld be joyful; ,.e." lha xc,·ii. I; xoix. 1). The world also shall be oullive.ted ground." And all that is there- established that it shall not be moved. in. Its vines, its olives, its other fruits, and When God takes his throne, and manifestly its harvests. Then shall all the treea of reigns, the earth is at once "established," the wood rejoioe before the Lord. Lcbnnou settled, placed on a firm footing (see the and Bashau shall rejoice equally witli comment on Ps. xciii. 1, where ei.:aotly the Carmel and Sharon. Tile whole eo.rth same words occur). He shall judge the she.II "break forth into singing" 11ee Iso., people righteously ( comp. ver. 13). God, xliv. 23). the Delirnrer of old time (vers. 3, 4), God, Ver. 13.-For he oometh, for he oometh the King of the whole enrth (fer. 10a), is to judge the earth (sec o.bove, ver. 10). This also God the Judge, who gives sentence on is given as the rnnson for the burst of joy. the" peoples" with equity. God's coming to judgment is the esto.blish- Ver. 11.-Let the heavens rejoioe, and let ment of moral order in the place of moral the earth be glad. "An appeal for the disorder upon the earth, and the inaugura- si·mpnthy of nature" (Che~·ne); comp. Isa. tion of a reigu of love, peaoe, and happiness div. 23; Jer. li. 48. If the final coming (comp. Isa. lxv. 18-25). He shall judge of Messiah's kingdom be the event alluded the world with righteousness (see above, to iu 'fer. 10, as is qnite possible, the calling ver. 10, and comp. Ps. ix. 8). The judg- ou heaven and earth to rejoice may indicate ment which the psalmist bas specie.Uy in a real renovo.tion of the materio.l universe, view is," not n retributive, but a gracious such o.e to l,ring it into harmony with the judging, by which controversies are adjusted newly established spiritual conditions of and prevented, and the law of love intro- the period (comp. lea. lxv. 17-25; Rev. duced into the life of the people" (Heng- u:i. 1-4). Let the sea roar, and the ful- stenberg). And the people with his truth; ness thereof ( o"mp. Ps. xc'fiii. 7). The sea rather, the peoples; i.e. all the nations on is to show its joy by raising its voice, and the face of the earth. '' roaring," or" thundering."
HOMILETICS. Ver. 5.-Idolatry. Thus it was three thousand years ago. Thus, to an extent as astounding as melancholy, it is to-day. Population of globe estimated at fourteen hundred millions; if so, one thou.sand millions heathen. Considering the prevalence, permanence, antiquity, of idolatry, that these words and many like these should have been written when and where they were, is no unsubstantial proof of the superhuman author~hip, Divine inspiration, of Old Testament Scriptures. History presents no more impressive and significant sight than that of the little nation of Israel, holding a tiny comer of earth not twice the size of Yorkshire, hemmed in by mighty empires and ancient civilizations, often crushed by their irresistible weight; with absolutely no advantage over other peoples in the struggle for life, save their religion; yet maintain• ing for fifteen centuries their single-handed witness to the foundation-truth of religion, and protest against the perverted faiths of the world. (I) The causes of idolatry; (2) its evil; (3) our duty. I. THE CAUSES OF IDOLATRY. How to account for this terrible and amazing fact- the widespread, long-continued prevalence of idolatry? No single origin can be historically verified. Worship of forces and forms of nature, of ancestors, of deified heroes, of symbols or personified attributes, of partial and degraded conceptions of the one living God, or fading traditions of his worship,-all these have their place in the labyrinth of the history of national faiths. The theory propounded with immense a&;urance and iclat a generation ago, that fetishism was the parent of polytheism, and the worship of many gods crystallized into the worship of One, has shared the fate of theories which facts are forced or invented to fit, in place of theory being fitted to fact. Degraded superstitions of barbarous nations have the clear marks of being dust and dregs of ruined faiths (most striking illustration in the history of Madagascar, where proverbs still bore witness to God, while idols were bundles of sticks and rags). American Indians (types, wcording to Sir W. Dawson, of pre-historic men), among remnants of decayed civilization, have preserved the ancient faith in "the Great Spirit." Greece and India bear witness to the fact that the worship of nature preceded that of deities in human shape. In China, where the emperor once a year publicly PB, XOVL 1-13,] THE BOOK OF PSALMS. 321