Psalm 19
We are studying Psalms this quarter in SBS, and I was assigned Ps. 19 yesterday. I have studied it a great deal in the past and enjoyed teaching it, but interestingly enough I read Calvin's take on it this morning.
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Suppose we ponder how slippery is the fall of the human mind into forgetfulness of God, how great the tendency to every kind of error, how great the lust to fashion constantly new and artificial religions. Then we may perceive how necessary was such written proof of the heavenly doctrine, that it should neither perish through forgetfulness nor vanish through error nor be corrupted by the audacity of men. It is therefore clear that God has provided the assistance of the Word for the sake of all those to whom he has been pleased to give useful instruction because he foresaw that his likeness imprinted upon the most beautiful form of the universe would be insufficiently effective. Hence, we must strive onward by this straight path if we seriously aspire to the pure contemplation of God. We must come, I say, to the Word, where God is truly and vividly described to us from his works, while these very works are appraise not by our depraved judgment but by the rule of eternal truth. . . . For we should so reason that the splendor of the divine countenance, which even the apostle calls "unapproachable" (I Tim 6:16) is for us like an inexplicable thread of the Word; so that it is better to limp along this path than to dash with all speed outside it."
Nothing like reading great prose that is both perspicacious and yet dense with ideas. I often say poetry is like candy, very rich, not you can take much of, but the analogy breaks down there, since good poetry is nutritious for the soul and candy never is more than momentary pleasure to the senses and a curse to the hips and bloodstream. Good writing of any kind means long pleasure and long nourishment both.
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Suppose we ponder how slippery is the fall of the human mind into forgetfulness of God, how great the tendency to every kind of error, how great the lust to fashion constantly new and artificial religions. Then we may perceive how necessary was such written proof of the heavenly doctrine, that it should neither perish through forgetfulness nor vanish through error nor be corrupted by the audacity of men. It is therefore clear that God has provided the assistance of the Word for the sake of all those to whom he has been pleased to give useful instruction because he foresaw that his likeness imprinted upon the most beautiful form of the universe would be insufficiently effective. Hence, we must strive onward by this straight path if we seriously aspire to the pure contemplation of God. We must come, I say, to the Word, where God is truly and vividly described to us from his works, while these very works are appraise not by our depraved judgment but by the rule of eternal truth. . . . For we should so reason that the splendor of the divine countenance, which even the apostle calls "unapproachable" (I Tim 6:16) is for us like an inexplicable thread of the Word; so that it is better to limp along this path than to dash with all speed outside it."
Nothing like reading great prose that is both perspicacious and yet dense with ideas. I often say poetry is like candy, very rich, not you can take much of, but the analogy breaks down there, since good poetry is nutritious for the soul and candy never is more than momentary pleasure to the senses and a curse to the hips and bloodstream. Good writing of any kind means long pleasure and long nourishment both.
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