.r- A .•'»S^, i'M L I B RARY OF THE U N IVLRSITY or ILLINOIS -r TVirvu, Xfi-t-tU^^ »5>x Uc-(cM^*tt«k.t JU^ (hjH UlAu- 5: Kwl|^U'6 \^iXu^y^ ^Cpc^. ^^'^ ^• o />i cz: ',/^ Clbe 3^salm0 : A CHRISTIAN MANUAL. LONDON: EDWARDS AND HUGHES, AVE' MARIA LANE. 1849. [2(7., or 146'. per 100.] What is e'en now the Christian's song of praise, The storehovxse of his prayers, the saint's delight, The counsellor and guardian of his ways. The pilgrim's staff and lantern through the night ? The armory of holy thought ? 'Tis Israel's Psalm-book sweet, by inspiration wrought." The Baptistery,—^' The Spiritual Husbandman." ^!)e ^0alm0 : a Ctjri^tian ^anuaL ''Let the ivords of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, he ahvay acceptable in Thy sight, Lord, my Strength, and my Redeemer."— Vsalm xix. 14, 15. The great St. Athanasius, by whose name one of the holy creeds of the Christian Church is known, used to say that " the book of Psalms was like Para- " dise r^ and he meant in this way: that as in that happy garden, in which God placed our first parents, He made every pleasant plant to grow,^ so in the ' g-'i holy and divine Psalms we find, in a few words, the various histories which are written in the other parts of the Bible : they are all gathered together, as it were, into that one place. Thus, for instance, in the book of Genesis we find mention made of the crea- tion of the heavens and the earth. In the Psalms we read : " The heavens declare the glory of God, " and the /irmament sheiveth His handiwork^- " For ^ Ps. " He hath founded it upon the seas, and prepared it " upon the floodsr^ Again, the book of Exodus tells ' P^ us how God plagued the Egyptians, and brought His own people out from among them, and led them through the Red Sea and the wilderness. These things we have exactly told us in the Psalms. " He " sent Moses, His servant, aiid Aaron whom He had " chose7i. And these shewed His tokens among them, " and wonders in the land of Ham. He sent dark- a Ep. ad Marcellinum. xix. 1. xxiv. 2. 4 THE PSALMS : *' ness^ and it was dark ; He turned their waters " into blood, and slew their fish ; their land brought ^' forth frogs, yea, even in their kings chambers ; He " spake the word, and there came all manner ofjiies " and lice in all their quarters ; He smote their vines " also, and fig-trees, and destroyed the trees that were " in their coasts ; He smote all the first-born in their 1 Ps. cv. 26- " land"^ — and then ^''Israel came out of Egypt" — and " He led them through the deep as through a wil- 2Ps. cvi. 9. « derness"'^ — and " //e spread out a cloud to be a 3 Ps. cv. 38. a covering, and fire to give light in the night- season"'^ And many other verses of these two Psalms I might mention, but I dare say they will occur to your own mind ; at all events, you can easily see them in your Prayer-books. This will be enough to shew you what the good Athanasius meant when he said that the Psalms told us, in a short and simple way, of the same things as the other books of the Old Testament. I would add also, that sometimes the holy Psalms shew us the true meaning of the commands which God gave by Moses more plainly than Moses himself. I mean in this way: God commanded that Aaron should wash his hands before he approached to mi- 4 Exod.xxx. iiister at the altar ;4 but the Psalmist says, "/ will ' ■ " ivash my hands in hmocency, O Lord, and so will sps. xxvi.6. " I go to Thine altar "^ Plainly telling us that it is the ^^ pure heart," rather than the " clean hands," which the Almighty looks for.^ Farther, we may venture to add, that the Psalms tell us very much of what God's goodness has given us in the New Testament also. When a Christian reads the Songs of David, I think he must see that they are full of our most holy Saviour. In almost every Psalm He seems to be coming to meet us ; and to be savina: and doing; those same thing's which we know, from the Gospels, that He said and did. Acts ii. 25. " David speaketh concerning Him," said St. Peter.^ b Other instances of this use of the Psalms we may see in xl. 8 ; li. 16, 17. A CHRISTIAN MANUAL. 5 " Thou hast Him in every Psalm," says St. Athana- sius.^ " Who is there," asks St. Augustin,'^ " who does not in the Psalms recognise Christ whom we preach?" We have, as it were, His whole life put before our eyes, though, of course, in some places more plainly than in others ; thus, for example, that He was to come : " Our God shall come,"^ and '^Blessed be He (haf^^s.\.3. *' cometh m the name of the Lord.'"^ — That He should ^ ^g. cxviii. be " made flesh :" " Of Zion it shall be reported that " He was born in her"'^ — That the Jews should lay ^ Ps.ixxxvii. wait for Him : " The kings of the earth stand up, " and the rulers take counsel together, against the " Lord, and against His Anointed."^ — That He ^ ps. ii. 2. should die : " Thou shalt bring me into the dust of " deathr^ — That His death should be on the cross: 5ps.xxii.15. " They pierced my hands and my feet" ^ — That He eps.xxii.u. should lie in the grave, descend into hell, and rise again : " / ivill lay me down in peace, and take my " restr'^ For " Thou wilt not leave my soul in helL"^ sps'xvi^ii — That He should ascend into heaven : " God is " gone tip with a merry noise, and the Lord ivith the " sound of the trump.' '^ " Lift up your heads, O sps. xivii.o. " ye gates, and be ye lift wp, ye everlasting doors, and " the King of glory shall come in.''^^ — And, lastly, '°Ps. xxiv. that He shall come again to judge the quick (J,, e. the living) and the dead : " God is Judge Himself."^^ " Ps. 1. 6. " God standeth in the congregation ofprbwes, He is a " Judge among gods."^'^ — In this manner, then, you i^Ps.ixxxii. see the hfe of the blessed Jesus is drawn out for us in the Psalms. Here too, in these sacred songs, besides those great truths which I have mentioned, we find the other great mysteries of the Christian faith. Thus, for example, we find the awful doctrine of the ever- blessed Trinity in this verse : ^'' By the word of the " Lord ivere the heavens made, and all the hosts of " them by the breath, of His mouth."^'^ " The Word," '^ Ps. xxxiii. we know from St. John,^"* is our Lord and Saviour ; Hi.i. and " the breath " of God's mouth is His Spirit.^^ '' ^°^ xxvi. Again, in this verse: " With Thee is the well of life, •= Ep. ad Marcellinum. '^ De civit. Dei, xvii. 16. 6 THE PSALMS : 1 Ps. xxxvi. and in Thy light shall we see light ''^ The " well of ^" life^" or " living ivater,'" is the figure under which our ast.johnvii. Saviour spake of the Holy Ghost,^ while He Him- ,JI^'t^I- . self is "Me true light :"'^ and then there is God the ' St. John 1. iiT'i iT'P r-\ 9. Father, with whom the Light and Lite are. Or, to take another example, we have in the Psalms the true doctrine of the Holy Sacraments : " Wash me " throughly from my ivickedness, aiid cleayise me '''from my sin. Thou shalt wash me, and I shall be 4 1's.. li. 2, 7. " whiter than snow."^ Here is Holy Baptism ; and the Holy Sacrament of the Lord's Supper we find in " Bread to strengthen mans hearty and wine 5 Ps. civ. 15. " to make it glad ;"^ that wine which is " the cup of 6 Ps.cxvi.i2. " salvation.''^ Or, to view the Psalms in another light, we may regard them not only as teaching the faith, but as giving the true and proper rules of life. Thus we are warned to keep chastity, for God " has de- " stroyed all them that commit fornication against • Ps. ixxiii. " Himy^ Not to envy evil men, however great : '^Ps.xxxvii. " Neither he thou envious against the evil doers^^ 1- for this reason, their power is all nothing. " / went " by, and lo, he was gone ; I sought him, but his 9 Ps. xxxvi'-. '^ place could no where be fowid^^ We are taught that lowliness of mind is a good : Lord, I am not "^ Ps. cxxxi. " high-minded, I have no proud looks."^^ And again, we learn that pity is a praiseworthy thing : " The 11 Ps. cxii. 5. " good man is merciful, and lendeth ;"^^ and farther, that we should ever be exercised in giving alms ; for that will bring a blessing to us : " He hath dispersed " abroad, and given to the poor :" and, " his right- ^2ps. cxii. 9. '■'- eousness remaineth for ever."^" They instruct us also in the duties of fasting and humiliation : " I ptcf " on," says holy David, " sackcloth, and humbled my 13 Ps. XXXV. " soid with fasting"^'^ And of prayer and praise : " hi the evening, and morning, and at noon-day will 1* Ps. iv. 18. " I pray." ^^ " Seveyi times a day do 1 praise Thee, '^ Ps. cxix. " because of Thy righteous judgments. "^^ — And so on as regards every grace and virtue.^ ^ See this thought follovred out more fully by St. Chryso- stom, Horn. ix. on Ep. to Colossians. 164. A CHRISTIAN MANUAL. I Once more, to regard this holy book in yet another light ; we shall see, if we look carefully into it, that it is full of instruction to us as regards earthly and created things. I mean in this way, for example : we might ask, whence are our bodies made ? David tells us, God " remembereth that we " are hut dust.''^ — In what way are the mountains of ' P-^- «"'• i^. use? " The high hills are a refuge for the wild " goats, and so are the stony rocks for the conies,"'^ — - Ps. civ. is. How are the animals fed? ''These wait all upon " Thee., that Thou mayest give them meat iii due " season."'^ — The heavens are great and high, be- ^ ps. civ. 27. cause they ''^ declare the glory of God ;"^ but yet ^ Ps. xix. 1. they shall pass away with all things else, for "they " shall perish, but Thou shalt endure ; they all shall " wax old as doth a garment ; and as a vesture shalt " Thou change them, and they shall be changed ; but " Thou art the same, and Thy years shall not fail y^ ^ ps- cii. 2c, And thus, as said St. Chrysostom, "the sweet singer '* of Israel will tell thee both of things present and " things to come, of things seen, and of the invisible " things of God."f There is, however, one peculiarity which these holy songs have, beyond the other parts of sacred Scripture, which I will here mention. The other books of the Holy Bible, by God's mercy, teach us what we ought to do to please God; but the Psalms not only teach us this, but also how we are to obey God and keep His commandments. For example, St. Paul says : " We glory in tribulation, knowing that " tribulation worketh patience ; and patience, expe- " rience ; and experience, hope ; and hope maheth not " ashamed."^ But David, by his example and in his ^ Rom. v. 3, Psalms, shews how tribulations (that is, sorrow and ' ' trouble) are to be borne : " / waited patiently for " the Lord, and He inclined unto me, and heard my " calling i'"^ and how each man may try, and prove ^Ps. xi. 1. himself, whether troubles are working patience in him : " Before Iivas troubled, Ivjent wrong ; but now ^ See Horn, xxviii. on Ep. to Romans. THE PSALMS fi7, n. Ps. xxvn. 1. have I kept Thy wordy " It is good for me that I have been in trouble, that I may learn Thy sta- Ps. rxix. " tutes;"^ and also what words are suitable for those who have hope in God, to express that hope as Chris- tians ought to express it: " The Lord is my light, " and my salvation ; whom then shall I fear ? The " Lord is the strength of my life ; of whom then shall " / be afraid ?"'^ Again, to take another example, we are commanded to give thanks always for all things, and how can we do so better than in the wonderful words of the Psalmist? — '^ I will magnify '- Thee, O Lord, my King, and J will praise Thy 3 Ps. cxiv. 1. " name for ever and everJ''^ " Praise the Lord, " my soul ; and all that is within me, praise His holy ^Ps. ciii. ]. ^^ name."^ And again : when we are in penitence and sorrow, which is so earnestly enjoined upon us who have fallen from our ])aptismal purity, where shall we find words wherewith to approach our Saviour, more fitting for us than the 51st Psalm; that Psalm wherein David expressed his deep sorrow for his past sins ? " Have mercy upon me, O God, after Thy " great goodness : according to the multitude of Thy " mercies do away mine offences. Wash me throughly '"'•from my wickedness, and cleanse me from my sin ; '■^for I acknowledge my faidts, and my sin is ever be- '"'• fore me .-" — and so on through the whole Psalm. Or, to give one instance more of the way in which this divine book helps us to obey God's commands, we are told, as you may remember, to be " instant in ^ Rom. xii. '■'■ prayer f'^ to be ^'praying always with all prayer 6 Kpii. vi.i8. " f^'f^d supplication in the Spirit,''^ Now the Psalms are, as it were, the Spirit's prayers, for they were all written by God's Holy Spirit ; and in them we shall find prayers, not only for ourselves, but for all God's Church, and that under all the changes and chances of this mortal life. For ourselves we may pray daily in the words of the 25th Psalm ; " Shew me Thy ways, O Lord, and teach me Thy paths. Lead me forth in Thy truth, and learn me ; for Thou art the God of my salva- A CHRISTIAN MANUAL. 9 Hon ; in Thee hath been my hope all the day long. Call to remembrance, O Lord, Thy tender mercies and Thy loving-kindnesses, which have been ever of old, O remember not the sins and offences of my youth ; but according to Thy mercy think Thou upon me, O Lord, for Thy goodness^^ In like manner ' 3, 4, 5, fi. for God's Church : " Thou hast brought a vine out of Egypt ; Thou hast cast out the heathen, and planted it. Thou modest room for it; and when it had taken root it filled the Icmd. The hills were covered with the shadow of it, and the boughs thereof were like the goodly cedar-trees. She stretched out her branches to the sea, and. her boughs unto the river. Why hast Thou then broken dozen her hedge, that all they that go by pluck off her grapes ? The ivild boar out of the wood doth root it up, and the wild beasts of the field devour it. Turn Thee again. Thou God of hosts, look down from heaven : behold, and visit this vine ; and the place of the vineyard that Thy right hand hath planted, and the brayich that Thou madest so strong for Thyself. '"^^ ^ Ps- J^xx. Another remarkable feature of the Psalms, in connexion with what I have just been saying, is this : — when a person devoutly uses the Psalms, they will always seem to him as if written on purpose for himself, as if they gave exact expression to his thoughts and feelings. And surely this is of itself a very great blessing which God has given us ; these holy prayers and hymns which we may use as if they were quite our own. We are warned in Holy Scrip- ture to watch over our lips when we speak to Al- mighty God,3 and here He has Himself given us words ^Eccie?. v. 2. to use which express our feelings in language better than any of our own ; language, of whose perfect truth we are quite sure. And besides, as it was said of old time, that God takes delight in hearing from His children the Lord's prayer, because the words of that prayer are the words of His " well-beloved Son,"s so we may humbly hope that He will be well ? See St. Cyprian on Lord's Prayer. xxiii. 4(). 10 THE PSALMS : pleased to hear the Psalms from us in prayer and praise, they being the words of His most Holy Spirit. And when we use the Psalms in this way, it must be an exceeding comfort to us to bear in mind that the Holy Jesus Himself seems to have used them so. We know for certain that more than once He made them His prayers, as in that solemn and awful cry to His Father from the cross : St. Matt. " Ml/ God, My God, why hast Thou forsaken Me ?"^ — and again : " Into Thy hands I commend My spi- 2 St. Luke " rit."'^ From this it has been reasonably thought, that not only these words from the 22d and 31st Fsalms, but that the whole of these Psalms, and others, were then and always in our Lord's mind. And thus, as this holy book was hallowed by our Lord's use, and commended to His disciples by His example, so we find that when the Church was in her best and purest days, then did she most of all use the sacred Psalms; in public her priests and people read them through, from beginning to end, every week : and good and holy men, " the noble army of martyrs," and those great saints whom we are accustomed to call " the Fathers," did ever, in their private devotions, constantly use the same. Nor may we forget to mention a holy deacon of the Church in England, who is now at rest, who with his family was in the regular habit of reading through, " from the first to the last verse," the whole Psalms in every twenty-four hours. With very good reason indeed, therefore, has this book of Psalms been called " The prayer-book of Christ and His saints." One caution I must here give. When we use the Psalms, the great thing which we have to bear in mind is this : — that we use them not as men, but as Christians ; that if we were not Christians (weak, and blind, and sinful, indeed, but still Christians) we could never rightly use the Psalms at all. This will, I think, remove any difficulties which might stop our using them. A CHRISTIAN MANUAL. 11 Those Psalms, for instance, which are full of hard words against our enemies, which seem to be calling down God's anger and wrath upon our fel- low-men ; these, being Christians, we may say, or chant, because they are God's words. It is not we who speak, but God w^ho is speaking by us : and He is speaking not of our enemies, but of His own — the enemies of Himself and His Church. Again : those Psalms which are so full of longing for God, and of being athirst for Him — such Psalms even the very best of men might shrink from saying of himself ; in such cases, then, when we chant the Psalms, we are expressing what God's Holy Church feels towards her Lord. The Church of God is "Me King's daughter," and she " is all glorious within ;" and she is the spouse and bride of Christ, and is ever crying after Him, and praying for His com- ing. When therefore we, as members of the Church, use such Psalms as the 42d, we shew forth not our feelings only, but the feelings of the whole body of Christ: His whole Church — Apostles and Prophets, and martyrs and saints. " Every spirit blessed, From realms of triumph or of rest, From him who saw creation's morn, Of all Thine angels eldest born, To the poor babe who died to-day, Take part in our thanksgiving lay."* " May we not think that this, amongst others, hath " been a cause of the decay of right and true devo- " tion in these latter days, namely, the neglect of " this excellent book" of Psalms ? " I would not have * The Christian Year, — "■ Holy Communion." I'i THE PSALMS : " David's Psalms disused, but used frequently ; and " made, as they were by Athanasius and St. Jerome, " a great, if not the greatest, part of our private de- " votions."^ So spake a holy Bishop of the Church. I will subjoin a list of Psalms, and the occasions on wliich they may suitably be used ; chiefly from St. Athana- sius : — 1. Tfthou wouldest describe the blessed man, who he is, and what makes him so, thou hast the 1st, 32d, 41st, 112th, and I28th Psalms. 2. If in troubles thou hast called upon God, and He has heard thee, give Him thanks in the 4th, 40th, and 116th Psalms. 3. If thou feelest afraid of God's judgments, thou may est say the 6th, 38th, and 88th Psalms. 4. If thou knowest that men are taking counsel against thee, sing to God the 7th Psalm. 5. If thou wouldest praise God for a prosperous gathering of thy fruits, use the Sth Psalm. 6. If thou wouldest have thine enemy kept back and thy soul saved, trust not in thyself, but in the Son of God ; and say the 9th Psalm. 7. If God be angry with His people, thou mayest appease Him by saying the 10th, 60th, and 74th Psalms. 8. When man threatens thee, trust in God, say- ing the 11th Psalm. 9. When tempted to despair, call upon the Lord, and sing the 13th, 22d, and 61st Psalms. 10. If thou hearest any blaspheme God, do thou make haste to Him, and say the 14th and 55th Psalms. 11. If thou seest one in trouble and adversity, comfort him and pray for him in the 20th Psalm. 12. If thou seest God to be thy Defender and Keeper, thou mayest be glad thereof, and praise Him in the 23d Psalm. 13. If thou art building again thy house, both of •' Bp. Sparrow, Rationale, pp. 23, 21; ed. 1722. A CHRISTIAN MANUAL. 13 the soul, vvlierein God is thy guest, or thy temporal dwelling-place, sing to Him the 30th, 48th, and 127th Psalms. 14. If thou wouldest call to mind God's wonders of old time, thou mayest do so in the 44th, 78th, 89th, 106th, and 114th Psalms. 15. If thou wouldest move thyself to trust in God, who giveth to all men all things richly to en- joy, do so by the 49th Psalm. 16. If thou hast sinned, say the 51st Psalm. 17. If trouble comes on thee suddenly, say to God the 57th, 116th, and 142d Psalms. 18. If thou wouldest praise God, do so in the 65th, 66th, 148th, 149th, and 150th Psalms. 19. If thou seekest mercy, pray for it in the 67th Psalm. 20. If thou seest wicked men prosper in peace, be not offended, but sing unto God the ISd Psalm. 21. If God permit His enemies to get the upper hand, and to defile His house and persecute His Church, pray His mercy in the 79th Psalm. 22. If thou wouldest meditate on the Church as distinguished from Dissent, thou hast for this pur- pose the 87th Psalm. 23. If thou wouldest see and praise God's Provi- dence in His works, thou hast the 100th, 147th, and 148th Psalms. 24. If thou wouldest remember God's judgment, thou hast the 101st Psalm. 25 If wandering thoughts hold thee captive, say the 137th Psalm. 26. After temptation thou mayest give God thanks in the 140th Psalm. 27. After the Holy Sacrament of the Lord's Supper, 103d Psalm. If thou wouldest meditate on thy Saviour, thou hast Him in every Psalm : — 1. His Birth ; 19th, 45th, 85th, 89th, 110th, and 132d Psalms. 14 THE FSALMS : 2. His Cross and Passion ; 22d, 40tb, 5Uh, 69th, and 88th Psahns. 3. His Resurrection; 2d, 57th, llltli, 113th, 114th, and 118th Psalms. 4. His Ascension; 8th, 15th, 21st, 24th, 47th, and 108 th Psahns. 5. His sitting at the right-hand of God; 110th Psalm. 6. His return for judgment ; 50th, 72d, and 82d Psalms. When first thou risest in the morning, think of thy Saviour's resurrection and thine own ; and say, solemnly, — " / laid me down and slept, and rose up again ; '^ for the Lord sustained me.'' And let thy last thought at night be of thy Sa- viour's grave and thine own : — " / will lay me down in peace, and take my rest; '•^ for it is ThoUy Lord, only that makest me to dwell " in safety'' A CHRISTIAN MANUAL. 15 The following is a list of the Psalms which were ap- pointed for each Sunday and holyday, in King Ed- ward's First Book ; which, together with the Epistles and Gospels ordered by the Church to be read, will supply us with subjects for sacred naeditation on those days : — rSALM Advent Sunday ... 1 2d Sunday in Advent . 120 3d Sunday in Advent . 4 4th Sunday in Advent . 5 Christmas Day . . 98, 8 St. Stephen .... 52 St. John the EvangeKst 1 1 The Holy Innocents . 79 Sunday after Christmas . 121 The Circumcision . .122 The Epiphany ... 96 1st Sunday after Epiphany 13 2d Sunday 14 3d Sunday ..... 15 4th Sunday .... 2 5th Sunday* .... 20 Septuagesima Sunday . 23 Sexagesima .... 24 Quinquagesima . . .26 Ash Wednesday ... 6 1st Sunday in Lent . . 32 2d Sunday 130 3d Sunday 43 4th Sunday . . . . |6 5th Sunday .... 54 Sunday before Easter . 61 Good Friday .... 22 Easter Eve .... 88 Easter Sunday . . 16, 3 Easter Monday ... 62 Easter Tuesday . . .113 1st Sunday after Easter 112 2d Sunday .... 70 3d Sunday 75 4th Sunday .... 82 5th Sunday PSALM . . . 84 Ascension Day 47 Sunday after A scension Day93 Whit Sunday . . . 33 Whit Monday . . 100 Whit Tuesday . . . . 101 Trinity Sunday . 67 1st Sunday af- ) terTrmity S Parti of 119 2d Sunday — 2 — 3d Sunday — 3 — 4th Sunday . — 4 — 5th Sunday — 5 — 6th Sunday . — 6 — 7th Sunday — 7 — 8th Sunday . — 8 — 9th Sunday — 9 — 10th Sunday . — 10 — 11th Sunday . — 11 — 12th Sunday . — 12 — 13th Sunday . — 13 14th Sunday . — 14 — 15 th Sunday . — 15 — 16th Sunday . — 16 — 17th Sunday . — 17 — 18th Sunday . — 18 — 19 th Sunday . — 19 — 20th Sunday . — 20 — 21st Sunday . — 21 — 22d Sunday . — 22 — 23d Sunday . . 124 24th Sunday . . 125 25th Sunday . . . 127 St. Andrew . . 129 St. Thomas . . 128 * For the sixth Sunday there was then no provision made. 16 THE PSALMS. Conversion of St. Paul . 138 Purification . . . .134 .St. Matthias . . . .140 Annunciation . . . .131 St. Mark 141 St. Philip and St. James 133 St. Barnabas . . . .142 St. John the Baptist . 143 PSAtM St. Peter 144 St. James 148 St. Bartholomew . . .115 St. Matthew . . . .117 St. Michael . . . .113 St Luke 137 St. Simon and St. Jude 150 All Saints 149 ^^ Printed hy Levey, Robson sr.d Franklyn Great New Street .Ferter Lane.