Eafter Sunday.

PSALM CXVIII.

This is a day big with wonders.

Christ the Lord is

rifen. He has put away fin, has fubdued Satan, and death, and all our enemies, and we are met to fhare with him in his victories. Here is an Eafter hymn, to be fung with thankfgiving to our triumphant Jefus. It treats, as the new teftament abúndantly fhews, of his fufferings, his refurrection, and of his entrance into his kingdom, whereby he became the head ftone of the corner, uniting both Jews and Gentiles into one fpiritual building. I have felected a paffage out of it for the prefent exercife of our faith and gratitude. Its fenfe is fixed by our Lord and his apoftles. If we understand it as they did, and believe Chrift to be rifen for our juftifica tion, we cannot but blefs him, and praife him this day, reckoning ourfelves to be dead indeed unto fin, but alive unto God in Jefus Chrift our Lord. May we fing with hearts alive to him, triumphing in his complete and eternal falvation.

I.

THE ftone which formerly among the builders was refus'd,

Is now become the corner stone and chiefly to be us❜d.

II.

This was the mighty work of God, it was the Lord's own fact,

And it is wondrous to behold this great and noble act.

III. This

III.

This is the joyful day indeed
which God himself hath wrought,
Let us be glad and joy therein,
in voice in heart and thought.

IV.

Thou art my God I will confefs and render thanks to thee, Thou art my God and I will praise thy mercy towards me.

PSALM XVI.

The words of the pfalm, which follow, are spoken by Christ in faith of his rising from the dead, and they are applied in this fenfe by the apostle Peter: He quotes them Acts ii. as a proof of its not being poffible that Christ should be holden of death. Since Christ the first fruits is rifen, fo are all who believe in him rifen already from the grave of fin, and they shall rise one day from the grave of death, when the laft enemy shall be deftroyed. In this hope, which fhould be full of glory and immortality, they ought to praise their rifen Jefus, and in their fongs to bless him to day and for ever.

I

I.

SET the Lord ftill in my fight
and trust him over all,

For he doth stand at my right hand,
therefore I shall not fall.

Because of this my heart was glad and joy fhall be expreft,

Ev'n by my glory and my flesh in confidence shall rest.

II. Thou

III.

Thou wilt not leave my foul in hell, because thou loveft me,

Nor yet will give thy holy one corruption for to fee;

IV.

But wilt fhew me the path of life,
where there is joy in store,
And where at thy right hand there are
pleafures for evermore.

AFTERNOON.

PSALM XVIII.

This pfalm is applied to Chrift in the New Teftament. It treats of his death, his refurrection, and his kingdom. The title explains it all: for it fays, the pfalm was spoken by Chrift upon his being delivered from the power of all his enemies, and from the power of the grave. This has been literally fulfilled in the perfon of Jefus Chrift. We are remembring the fact to day. May it be with thankful faith. May the finging of thefe lines tend to exite and improve it.

I.

THE pangs of death did compass me and bound me ev'ry where,

The floods of the ungodly men did put me in great fear.

II. The

II..

The forrows and the bonds of hell
were round about me fet,
And for my life there was prepar'd
a deadly trapping net.

III.

I thus befet with pain and grief
did pray to God for grace,
And he forthwith heard my complaint
out of his holy place.

IV.

He to a place where liberty

and room was, hath me brought, Because he took delight in me he my deliverance wrought.

Eafter Monday.

PSALM IL

St Jerom fays, he must be a very bold man, who would dare to give any other interpretation of this pfalm, than Peter has done in the Acts of the Apostles. He and his beloved brother Paul have quoted it feveral times. It confifts of three parts, according to which I have divided it.

First, It describes the oppofition, which the kingdom of Chrift should meet with from the great ones of the world, and which would-certainly bring deftruction upon their own heads: So Herod, and Pontius Pilate and the people of the Jews found it: For Secondly, Chrift is in the Godhead omnipotent and eternal, but as God-man he had all power in heaven and earth committed to him by the decree of the everbleffed Trinity, which took place upon his refurrec

SEE

Wednesday in Easter Week.

PSALM II.

I.

EE that ye ferve th' anointed Lord, rulers and kings with fear,

See that with reverence ye rejoice, when ye to him draw near.

II.

See that ye homage pay and kiss the Son without delay,

Leaft in his wrath ye fuddenly perish from the right way.

III.

If once his wrath but little fhall

be kindled in his breast, Then only they who trust in him shall happy be and bleft.