The Psalmist exhorteth the celestial, the terrestrial, and the rational creatures to praise God.
THIS too is a psalm of praise; in which the author calls upon heaven and earth, with all that is in them, to praise God. The last verse seems to shew that it was occasioned by some victory granted to his people. Many expositors have thought that David composed this psalm when his kingdom was in a very flourishing condition, and when God had given him rest from all his enemies. See Psalms 148:14 and 2 Samuel 7:1. Bishop Lowth, speaking of the origin of the ODE, observes, that it had its birth from the most pleasing affections of the human soul, joy, love, admiration. If we contemplate man in his state of innocence, newly created, such as the sacred scriptures exhibit him to us, endued with the perfect power of reason and speech; neither ignorant of himself, nor of God; conscious of the divine goodness, majesty, and power; no unworthy spectator of the beautiful fabric of the universe, the earth, and the heavens; can we suppose that at the sight of all these things his heart would not so burn within him, that his mind, carried away by the warmth of his affections, would of its own accord pour itself forth in the praise of its Creator, and glow into that impetuosity of speech, and that exultation of voice, which almost necessarily follows such emotions of mind. This seems to have been exactly the case, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, with the contemplative author of this beautiful psalm, wherein all created things are called upon to celebrate together the glory of God. Praise ye the Lord, &c. a hymn, which our Milton, by far the most divine of poets after the sacred ones, has most elegantly imitated, and very aptly given to Adam in Paradise. (See Paradise Lost, book 5: ver. 153, &c. and Bishop Newton's notes). Indeed we can scarcely conceive rightly of that primoeval and perfect state of man, unless we allow him some use of poetry, whereby he might worthily express in hymns and songs his piety and affection towards God. See the 25th Prelection.