-cl. that they may sink the deeper in the soul. 83 or the exulting joyousness amid heavy disquiet to turn of Ps. ciii., or Ps. cxlvii. to Him, would have been much diminished had not But, besides this general the same tender words been law, verses or parts of verses thrice repeated. are directly repeated in the So, again, in that affecting Psalms and in Isaiah, as prayer for the Church, the the expression of a con- Vine which God had planted tinued abiding feeling, and and nourished, and then ala means of promoting it in lowed to be wasted, all will those who use them. No have felt the threefold appeal one can have read Ps. xlii. to God, " Turn us again, O 5. 11, and xliii. 5, without Lord God of Hosts, show feeling how much is added the light of Thy Counteby the three-fold repetition nance, and we shall be of the self-expostulation and whole," which is varied only firm resolve, “Why art thou in the titles given to God, cast down, O my soul? and expressive of increasing why art thou disquieted with- hope, "O God," "O God in me? Hope thou in God: of Hosts," "O Lord God for I shall yet praise Him, of Hosts1." Yet the like who is the health of my repetition of joyous words, countenance, and my God." equally give vent to exulting And this because it is ex-joy, as in Ps. lxvii. 3. 5, pressive of a truth, that the "Let the people praise Thee, soul after having been lifted O God; let all the people up to God, still sinks down praise Thee;" and in the again through its natural twofold, "The Lord of heaviness. Twice the Psalm- Hosts is with us; the God ist lifts it up out of oppres- of Jacob is our refuge 2.' sive heaviness; the third Who has not felt, at least time amid rising hope. The on the morning of the Astenderness of the Psalms, cension, that triumphant whereby God teaches us burst? "Lift up your heads, O ye gates, And be ye lift up, ye everlasting doors: " 9 c. ix. 12. 17. 21. x. 4. "For all this His anger is not turned but His Hand is stretched out still." away, 1 Ps. lxxx. 3. 7. 19. 2 Ps. xlvi. 7. 11. 84 Repetition in Festival Psalms also. Who is the King of Glory? It is the Lord strong and mighty, And then, who has not fol- and awe of the Heavenly lowed upwards that repeti- Hosts, to the Right Hand tion, as though he heard the of the Father, until the echo of that first marvelling wondrous tale of the condequestion and response, scension of our God had sounding from Heaven to encircled the whole compass Heaven, as our Lord as- of spiritual being, now made cended in our Human one in Him?— Nature amid the admiration "Lift up your heads, O ye gates, And be ye lift up, ye everlasting doors: Even the Lord of Hosts. He is the King of Glory." Again, another Ascension and thy glory above all the Psalm is surely the more earth.' In other cases the triumphant, because it be- two verses correspond with gins and ends with the same one another; but there is words of praise, “O Lord3 some slight variation in the our Governor, how excel- words, without impairing lent is Thy name in all the the effect of the whole. world!" And an Easter The most systematic Psalm (so much does this Psalm, however, of this repetition occur in joyous sort, is Psalm cxxxvi.; but Psalms) closes the two still not as an insulated case. halves of prayer and of It contains the very words deliverance with the same of Ps. cxxxv. 4. 10-12, but verse: Set up Thyself, O separates them by its own God, above the heavens, peculiar "burden," "for His 3 Ps. viii. 1. 9. 4 Ps. lvii. 6. 12. 5 Ps. xlix. 12. 20 (where the variation is but of a single letter, p) and Ps. xcix. 5. 9, where the first and last clause is the same with a remarkable cadence, in the Hebrew. Again, in Ps. cxiv. 5, 6, the Apostrophe to the sea, the Jordan, the mountains, the hills, is much more emphatic, because exactly the same words are used as in ver. 3, 4. "For His mercy enaureth for ever” used at all times. 85 mercy endureth for ever." the house of the Lord." And none, probably, have It again was the praise when heard that twenty-sevenfold the fire came down to conhymn of praise, "for His sume the burnt-offering; mercy endureth for ever," they bowed themselves brought out by music (with with their faces to the which the Psalms were sung ground upon the pavement, in the temple-service), with- and worshipped, and praised out feeling the force of a the Lord, saying; For He few simple words, repeating is good: for His mercy enagain and again, unvary- dureth for ever." Jehoingly, the unvarying love shaphat, going out to battle of God. And these very with the great multitude of words, which form its bur- the Ammonites, "appointed den, "for His mercy endur- singers unto the Lord, and eth for ever," must have that should praise the beauty entered very deeply into all of holiness, as they went out Hebrew Psalmody. They before the army, and to say, are the characteristic of the Praise the Lord; for His temple music which David mercy endureth for ever"." appointed. They form the After the restoration from close of the Psalm delivered the captivity, they sang by David when he brought together by course in praisback the ark; he chose the ing and giving thanks unto singers to "give thanks unto the Lord; because He is the Lord, for He is good; good, for His mercy enfor His mercy endureth for dureth for ever toward When Solomon Israel1." ever 699 66 brought up the ark, it was All must have observed, "when they lifted up their how the Psalter, which bevoice with the trumpets and gan with the calm declaracymbals and instruments of tion of the blessedness of music, and praised the Lord, the man, who keepeth from saying, For He is good; for evil and delighteth in the His mercy endureth for law of God, becomes more ever that then the house joyous at its close 2, until was filled with a cloud, even the last Psalm but one, be 6 1 Chron. xvi. 34. 8 2 Chron. vii. 3. 1 Ezra iii. 11. 7 1 Chron. xvi. 41. 2 Chron. vii. 6; v. 13. 9 2 Chron. xx. 21. 2 Ps. cxlv.-cl. 86 The same words repeated very often in Anthems: gins with the sevenfold 3, for in Thy sight shall no Praise ye the Lord, Praise man living be justified," or, Him;" and the last with its in a different style, the thrilltwelvefold, "Praise ye the ing anthem which closes Lord, Praise Him," sounds with "The fear of the Lord, like the endless song of the that is wisdom, and to deblessed, and our earthly part from evil, that is unPsalter dies away in the derstanding;" or, again, sound, "Let all spirit praise that swelling burst of praise, the Lord;" not flesh any "We thank Thee, we thank longer, but "spirit," when Thee, we thank Thee, and we shall be made like unto bless Thy Glorious Name;" His Glorious Body, and all-none can, I think, have shall be spiritual and filled listened to them without with the fulness of God. feeling how touching, or But again, that twelvefold soothing, or devotional, or Praise ye the Lord" must penetrating an effect the have dwelt on many hearts, varied repetition, again and who unknowingly speak again, of the same words of against the repetition of the Holy Scripture may have. same words. The memory of the cadence, 66 This has been carried yet as of a soul passing into further by sacred music. everlasting peace, peace, It is the very basis of our peace," dwells in the mind anthems, and what are tech- whenever the words occur; nically called "services;" and the words, "In Thee yet these have their basis Alone," "We trust Alone in in a law of nature. Few, Thee," furnish one deep however little they may un- varied rest and repose in derstand of music (as my- God Himself, in God Alone. self), can have heard Han- Thus, from the simple utterdel's anthem, dwelling ten-ance of childhood to the derly on the few simple deepest knowledge of the words, "Lord, we trust mystery of sound, whereby alone in Thee," or that it moves the inmost soul, which closes with "God there is one principle of the shall give his people the power excited over the mind blessing of peace,' or that, by the earnest repetition of "Enter not into judgment the same simple words. with Thy servant O Lord, For the sake of illustra 3 See Bible Version. its power over the mind. in Thy sight shall no man living be justified." (Three times.) Chorus: "Now therefore, our God, we thank Thee, we thank Thee, we thank Thee, O God; we thank Name, we thank Thee and praise Thee and praise Thy glorious Thy Name, and praise Thy Name, and praise Thy Name, we thank Thee, we thank Thee and praise Thy glorious Name, we thank Thee, we thank Thee, we thank Thee and praise Thy glorious Name, Thy glorious Name, we thank Thee, we thank Thee O God, we thank Thee, we Thy glorious Name." thank Thee O God, and praise 87 tion, I will set down the in Thy sight shall no man living words as they are actually be justified, for in Thy sight, for sung. It is the character of the music of all the cathedral or mother churches in our Church. If it did not have an effect in raising the soul to God, elaborate music in God's house would be profane. Yet this has been the fruit of the study of devout minds; and it has a powerful effect upon devout minds. No idea of the effect of varied voices, of the rising and falling of the sounds, the fulness of a chorus, or the tenderness of a single voice, can of course be given, except by the ear itself. the Lord for ever, for ever, for I would here only set before ever, for ever, for ever and ever, the mind, the repetition of and I will dwell in the house of the same devotional words the Lord for ever, for ever and as an acknowledged princi- ever, for ever and ever, for ever ple in our Church. Some will dwell in the house for ever, might be able to conceive for ever, for ever and ever, for the deep pathos. ever, for ever and ever." "O Lord, we trust alone in Thee, alone in Thee, alone, alone in Thee we trust, in Thee O Lord, in Thee O Lord, O Lord we trust in Thee alone." "I will dwell in the house of and ever, for ever and ever, and I "The Lord shall give strength unto His people, the Lord shall give strength unto His people: the Lord shall give His people the blessing of peace, peace. (Five Hallelujahs in Chorus.) This is so sung by one The Lord shall give His people voice, and then repeated the Lord shall give His people the blessing of peace, peace, peace, with full chorus. "Enter not into judgment with Thy servant O Lord, for in the blessing of peace, peace, the blessing of peace." peace, "O put your trust in God, O Thy sight, for in Thy sight, for put your trust in God, O put 4 This is copied from the anthem, as written; as sung, the words we thank Thee" are repeated yet more frequently. |