Sunbury American. [volume] (Sunbury, Pa.) 1848-1879, 1853-07-02
THE LONGEST PSALM.

other, are well entitled 10 our admiration -
In the language Of Calvin, "Wherever we
begin, we seem TO be at the commencement; !;
and wherever we stop the sense is complete ;
and yet the poem does not conss, of detach-
ed sentences, but is whole, consisting of
many parts, all of which seem necessary TO
its peIfecion.n
1t is another PECULIARLY Of this psalm, iha,
long as il is, and various as il u.s. the uniform
and consisten, object is 10 extol the law
the word of God. There are in the entire
one hundred and seventy.six verses, not
more than two or three in which there is not
some word or other signifyng the law Of God.
Ten different terms, correctly represented in
our authorized version, are employed for the
purpose-the Law, the Testimonies, the
Statutes, the Commandment, the Judgments,
the Precepls, the Righteousness, the Ordi.
nances, the Word, and the truth of God :
and sometimes two Of these terms present
themselves in the same verse. These terms
partly apply, 10, or, rather, they comprise the
intercourse between God and The soul of the
believer which give 10 it law Of spiritual
life But there is doubtless primary refer
ence in them TO the written Law-The Word
of God. And what was that a, the time this
Psalm was written? 1t could have compri.
sed little more than the five books Of Moses.
These 10 a pous Jew might be, and where,
when rightly understood, full of heavenly
inst
ses not quite one-ffih OF The Word of God,
as we have it in our possession. We have
beside it the Historical and Poetical books,
and Prophecies, the Gospels, the Epis,le
and of the Psalmis,, knowing only so small
portion of the sacred Scriptures, was so
deeply impressed with sense Of its incalcu-
liable value-with what intensity Of apprecia.
tion with what strong emotions of thankful
ness and gratitude should we not regard our
richer treasure, in the completed Work 1t
may not be that the expression OF OUT rever.
ence should surpass those OF the Psalmist, or
our feelings of love and Joy be more intense
than his. Ii is enough if, with far greater or
at least far riper, cause, we can but come
near to him in his sense Of the unut,erabe
value of The Lords testimonies il they had
become 10 ourselves as to him, IA light unto
our feet, and lamp TO our path; and if we
can but say with him, ''Oh, how love thy
law ii is my meditation all the day.n But
we are left without excuse, it, with the
greater blessing, our thankfulness be less
than his; and if, with our higher obligations,
our emotions, in the com pleled manifestation
of Gods will and way, ale bu, faint compa-
red with his.
There is perhaps no equal portion Of the
Old Testament which is more nourishing
than this noble Psalm, and this is from the
striking manner in which il sells forth the
workings Of true Godiness in the regeneraie
soul. This was per ,eived by Jonathan Ed.
wards, who, in his work on the "Re.igious
Affections" says Il know no pat, of the
Holy Scriptures in which the nature and eyi-
dence Of true Godliness are so fully ard
largely insisted on and delineated as in the
one hundred and nineteenth Psalm. The
Psalmist declares his design in The first verse
of the Psalm, keeps his eye on 1t all along,
aud pursues it 10 The end. The excellence
of holiness is represented as the immediate
object Of spiritual taste and delight. Gods
law-that great expression and emanaion
of holiness 10 the creature--is all along re-
presented as the object of The love, and COM
placence and the rejoicings Of the gracious
nature which prizes Gods command above
gold, yea, the finest gold, and 10 which they
are 'sweeier than honey and the honey.
comb.'"
In this quality of The Psalm which so fire.
quenlly brings us 10 pause in the perusal
of it, that we may ponder over some sacred
maxim, treasure up some golden sentence, or
try our own heart by some golden rule. We
have been particularly interested in noticing
this process in the exercises of Chalmers on
this Psalm.