352
n.il V jftUXU.
book a present comfortable remedy always to be found by
those who rightly seek it.
They are sometimes called The Psalter, from the psal¬
tery, a musical instrument used to accompany them when
sung.
The titles of the Psalms sometimes have reference to a
choice of tunes, or instruments, or contain some directions
to persons appointed to set them to music, or to the leaders
ofthe choir, or something peculiar in the subject, season,
or style of the composition. The conjectures as to their
meaning are various.
This book was once published in five parts, each con¬
cluding with a doxology, viz. i.— xii.; xiii.— Ixxii ; lxxiii.
— Ixxxix. ; xc.— cvi. : cvii.— cl.; but it is cited as one
book, in Luke xx. 42.
The original collection would seem to have comprised
psalms i.— Ixxii. [See the subscription, Ps. Ixxii. 20. And
for a chronological arrangement of the Psalms, with the
occasion which led to the composition of them, see Life of
David, by Am. S. S. Union, pp. 273—275.]
Solomon.—The Song of Solomon, the wise man. The
words of Solomon, the son of David, to his friends : " I am
black, but comely, [graceful] oh ye daughters of Jerusalem.
Look not upon me because 1 am black as the tents of Ke¬
dar, as the curtains of Solomon." Here Solomon describes
his color to be as beautiful as the tents of Kedar, whose
tents were made of black goat's hair; also travellers tell us
camel's hair was used for the covering of tents; that ap¬
pear beautifully to the distant traveller ; so was Solomon to
Israel, " as the curtains of Solomon." There was a shel¬
ter, a cover from injury, or cave, in Arabia, where the
shepherds with their flocks at night, fled for protection. So
did Israel and all the kings of that country flee unto Solo¬
mon for wisdom and knowledge.
Solomon s history is full of interest, and amply given in
Scripture. He was the author of several hooks, besides
those in the Bible, viz. 3000 Proverbs, 1005 Si ngs.
Eccles-iastes, or [as the name signifies,] the Preacher, is
the twenty-first in the order ofthe books ofthe Old Testa¬
ment, and was written by Solomon, besides works on bot¬
any, and commerce.
We are told of the book of the acts of Solomon, (1 Kino-s
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