As for errors--who can mark them? Absolve thou me from hidden faults. Spare thy servant from the proud : Let them not have dominion over me: Then shall I be blameless, And I shall be guiltless of great transgression. Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in thy sight, O Lord, my rock and my redeemer. 'Day poureth forth speech.' The idea is that one day tells to another day what it has to say. There is a constant vocal stream of divine glory poured on from day to day and from night to night. Wellhausen, however, would interpret: The blue vault tells it by day, the starry heavens teach it by night.' There is no speech.' This, the most probable rendering of the Hebrew, would appear to mean that there is no real speech; the voice of the heavens, though real, is yet inarticulate. Some scholars hold that such an intimation that an obvious metaphor is not to be taken literally can only be regarded as a gloss. Might one perhaps suppose that the Psalmist meant to suggest that the teaching of the heavens could only be apprehended by the inner ear? To those whose inner ear is closed they say nothing; sun and stars are merely spots which shine or twinkle. The translation of the Authorized Version, 'There is no speech nor language where their voice is not heard,' cannot be got from the Hebrew. 'In them hath he set.' 'In them' does not refer to any of the words which precede. 'A clause seems to have fallen out which mentioned the antipodean world, the waters of the ocean where the sun spends the night' (Wellhausen). 'As a bridegroom.' So vigorous and joyful. The fear of the Lord.' Apparently this phrase means here true religion, of which the 'fear of the Lord' is the basis. 'As for errors.' The writer here alludes to any infractions of the law due to heedlessness; while 'hidden faults' are those committed in ignorance. The ritual as well as the moral law seems included. Addison, in No. 399 of the Spectator, finds a fuller meaning in this verse. He regards it as a prayer against hypocrisy'that hypocrisy by which a man does not only deceive the world, but very often imposes on himself; that hypocrisy which conceals his own heart from him, and makes him believe he is more virtuous than he really is, and either not attend to his vices, or mistakes ADDISON'S HYMN 625 even his vices for virtues. It is this fatal hypocrisy and selfdeceit which is taken notice of in those words: Who can understand his errors? Cleanse thou me from secret faults.' I may here add the fine paraphrase which Addison, in a later number of the Spectator (465), gives of the first verses of our Psalm. The spacious firmament on high, And spangled heavens, a shining frame, Their great Original proclaim: Th' unwearied sun, from day to day, The work of an Almighty Hand. Soon as the evening shades prevail, Whilst all the stars that round her burn, And spread the truth from pole to pole. What though, in solemn silence, all "The Hand that made us is Divine.' 'The proud.' This prayer may mean that the Psalmist fears that, if the proud apostates gain the upper hand, he and his friends may become guilty of anger and revenge. Or (more probably) it may mean: If the apostates rule and set the tone, even true believers may be forced or tempted to break the law. The Psalmist prays to be saved from the oppression of the proud and godless, lest he should be tempted even to deny God. Cp. Psalm cxix, Ain; and note how often "the proud" are mentioned in that Psalm, and how the thought of faithfulness to the Law in the teeth of mockery and persecution is emphasized' (Kirkpatrick). 'Then shall I be blameless,' may mean 'Then shall I continue to be blameless,' or 'Then shall I not fall into sin.' Another interpretation explains the 'I' more strictly as Israel. So Wellhausen: The Arrogant are the heathen; the Servant is Israel. If the heathen bear rule, this is a proof of Israel's guilt; if the reverse be the case, Israel knows itself to be righteous before God, and free from gross transgression.' There seems a certain scrupulosity in this short Psalm respecting the keeping of the law which was absent from Psalm cxix. And this undoubtedly was sometimes an evil effect of the rule of the Law that for the commoner order of minds it tended to split up goodness into separate fragments, to each of which an equal value might be assigned. Thus a mere ritual ordinance could be co-ordinated with the supreme maxims of morality. In other cases the conscience became uneasy; the possibility of 'hidden faults' harassed the soul. A man is not likely to develop a free big nature if he is over anxious; he will not become nobly good if he thinks too often whether he have stepped an inch on this side of the 'strait pathway' or on that. But, on the other hand, the Psalm shows us also the strength of the Law. Men loved it and rejoiced in it. Its rule was a rule of joy; its service was freely rendered. In the keeping of it there was great reward. And this was the predominant experience as well as the predominant belief of the Rabbis about the Law. They felt about the Law what Ben Sira felt about wisdom. 'Bring thy feet into her fetters, and thy neck into her chain. Put thy shoulder under her, and bear her, and be not grieved with her bonds. Come unto her with all thy soul, and keep her ways with thy whole power. Search and seek, and she shall be made known unto thee; and when thou hast got hold of her, let her not go. For at the last thou shalt find her rest; and she shall be turned for thee into gladness. And her fetters shall be to thee for a covering of strength, and her chains for a robe of glory. For there is a golden ornament upon her, and her bands are a riband of blue. Thou shalt put her on as a robe of glory, and shalt array thee with her as a crown of rejoicing.' Let none of my readers believe a word of it if they read in non-Jewish books that the Law was a burden and a bondage. That is historically false. Outsiders can only discern the fetters and the chain; but to the immense majority of those who wore them they were transfigured into the robe of glory and the crown of joy. THE VOICE OF THE LORD 627 CHAPTER X PSALMS OF PRAISE §1. The twenty-ninth Psalm: Afferte Domino.'-My last group of Psalms is now before us. It is the group containing those Psalms which praise in various ways and for various reasons the goodness and glory of God. And among these I will place first two or three beautiful Psalms which sing the praise of God in nature, and so link on to the first part of the nineteenth Psalm with which our last group ended. My first Psalm in this group celebrates the majesty of God as revealed in the storm. To all races thunder and lightning have seemed to be the special operation of the divine powers, but to the Psalmist the sensuous images which he applies to God are consciously metaphorical. Some scholars believe that this twentyninth Psalm was imitated by the writer of the ninety-sixth. It is, however, by no means certain that the Psalm is merely a description of a storm and of the marvels of nature. It is quite possible that, like the 'accession Psalms,' the song now before us celebrates the great 'judgement' which marks the opening of the Messianic age. The storm is the prelude to the Divine Assize which is to follow. Finally, God takes his seat as supreme sovereign and judge. Israel will at last be rescued from all its troubles. Give unto the Lord, O ye sons of God, Give unto the Lord glory and strength. The voice of the Lord is upon the waters: The Lord is upon great waters. The voice of the Lord is powerful; The voice of the Lord is full of majesty. The voice of the Lord breaketh the cedars; Lebanon and Sirion like a wild ox in its youth. [The voice of the Lord sendeth forth] flames of fire. But in his temple every one saith: Glory! The Lord will bless his people with peace. 'Sons of God' are the angels. The thunderstorm comes up from the sea. 'Cleaveth the rocks.' Some words seem to have fallen out: those in brackets are supplied conjecturally by Wellhausen. 'The Lord sat enthroned at the Flood.' A difficult verse, which, as Professor Cheyne has shown, is capable of four different translations. As rendered above, the meaning must be, God showed or revealed his kingship at the Flood, and God has continued his kingship from then till now, and will continue it for all time to come. But the whole reference to the story of the Flood is very sudden and inappropriate. Professor Cheyne thinks the Hebrew word mabul can be here translated 'storm,' and translates: 'At the storm the Lord sat enthroned; the Lord is enthroned as king for ever'; and Professor Wellhausen, who adopts the idea of the grand assize, renders: The Lord has taken his judgement-seat to bring on a deluge, and as king he is throned to all eternity.' "The Lord will bless his people with peace.' After a storm comes the calm: true in 'nature' and true in human life and experience. The storm may even give birth to peace: it may, as we say, 'clear the air'; and the greater the storm, the greater the peace. And the storm may strengthen. It may give knowledge. We may learn to 'know the Lord' through tempest; to render to the Divine Ruler the 'glory due unto his name.' 6 § 2. The eighth Psalm: Domine, Dominus noster.'-With Psalms xix and xxix the commentators frequently associate Psalm viii, which connects nature with man. To the vastness and majesty of nature such a frail creature as man would seem |