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flame the affections. The full concert was to excite the higheft fentiments of thankfulness in the view of that one offering, which was to bear the fire of the Father's wrath, and thereby was to become an odor of a sweet smell, a facrifice acceptable, well pleafing to God. No bleffing is beyond this. No joy is to be compared with the joy of this. If any one had been present who did not know the occafion of this wonderful rejoicing, and had asked good Hezekiah what they meant by this mufic, which made the very earth ring again, he would have graciously informed the enquirer

We are now triumphing in ftedfaft faith of the fulfilling of the promise, that God will be incarnate, and will come to take away fin by his facrifice: Therefore we enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praife. We rejoice in our hearts in the future offering of the lamb of God. Although we have divine words, in which to express our joy, yet our prefent fenfe of it is only according to our faith. When this is lively our joy is unfpeakable and full of glory: For it brings a foretaft of that fulness of joy, which we fhall have, when we shall receive the end of our faith, even the eternal falvation of our fouls. Then

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all the bleffings, all the glories of heaven will come to us through the redemption that is in the blood of the lamb. Hence while the burnt offering is confuming on the altar, we make the most joyful noise we poffibly can, finging and triumphing in the offering of Immanuel: For we believe it will be a sweet smelling favor unto God, and through it we fhall enter within the veil, even into heaven itself. There we fhall take up the fame moft bleffed fubject, and celebrate the lamb that was flain with never-ceafing praife.

The answer, which I fuppofe Hezekiah would have given, is perfectly agreeable to David's own account of this matter. He relates very clearly for what end the pfalms were revealed, and were fung in the temple fervice. We find it thus defcribed, 1 Chron. xvi. "David appointed "the Levites to minifter before the ark, "and to RECORD and to THANK and "PRAISE the Lord God of lfrael," ver. 4. and again, ver. 7. "Then on that day "David delivered first this pfalm to thank "the Lord into the hand of Afaph and

his brethren: Give thanks unto the "Lord, call upon his name, make known "his deeds among the people: Sing unto "him, fing pfalms unto him, talk you "of all his wonderous works: Glory ye

"in his holy name, let the heart of them rejoice that feek the Lord."

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We have in this paffage a very clear description of the defign of the book of pfalms. It was first to RECORD; the word fignifies to caufe to be remembered. The pfalms were a standing memorial, to bring into mind the wonderful love of the everbleffed Trinity in faving finners through Jefus Chrift, and to keep it fresh and lively upon the hearts of believers. We are apt to forget this our greatest good, and therefore God has graciously recorded it in his word. Therein he has promised to fanctify the memory to retain it, and in the use of the pfalms he bestows this bleffing. When they are read and mixed with faith, then they are meditated on with delight, fung with melody, and help to keep the heart warm in its attachment to the beloved Jefus. When they are thus treasured up in the mind, and brought into constant ufe, believers learn in finging them to rejoice in the infinitely perfect facrifice of Immanuel, and to triumph in his divine righteoufnefs. The pfalms are the means appointed of God to answer thofe ends; and they do by his grace. They,ftir up the pure minds of his people by way of remembrance. They afford them proper matter, and choice words, and

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when fung with fignificant founds, they excite affections to Jefus, as holy and as happy, as they can be on this fide of heaven.

The ufe of the pfalms was alfo to THANK: O give thanks unto the "Lord: For his mercy endureth for "ever," feems to have been the chorus of all the antient hymns. The word which we translate TO THANK fignifies to give the hand to God, as an acknowlegment that all power was his. The hand is power. Our power extends as far as our hand reaches. The hand of God is every where, and his power is infinite. The cuftom of paying homage in antient times explains this ufage of the word. I Chron. xxix. 23. "Then Solomon fat on the "throne of the Lord as king, instead of "David his father, and profpered, and "all Ifrael obeyed him, 24.

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And all the princes, and the mighty men, and "all the fons likewife of king David fubmitted themselves unto Solomon the "king-Heb. gave the hand under So"lomon the king." This was an expreffive ceremony: They kneeled down and put their hands under his; thereby confeffing that their power was fubject to his: And in this manner they paid him, homage. There is a curious letter extant of king Hezekiahs, which farther ex

plains both the expreffion and the custom. He says in it to the people, 2 Chron. xxx. 8. "Be ye not ftiffnecked as your "fathers were, but yield yourselves, Heb. "give the hand unto the Lord," fall down before him, and afcribe all your power to the Lord-acknowlege him to have all power in heaven and earth. Thus give the honor due unto his name. Confets that all your good comes from him, and that he keeps you from all evil. Every bleffing which you receive in earth or hope for in heaven, acknowlege to be from the good pleasure of his own will, and to the praife of the glory of his free grace. Most of the pfalms were written, and fhould be fung, with this fpirit. What David felt in his own heart at the free-will offerings of the people towards the building of the temple, the fame he. would excite in others, when they read or fing the pfalms. 1 Chron. xxix. 10, &c. "Wherefore David bleffed the Lord "before all the congregation, and David "faid, Bleffed be thou Lord God of If"rael, our Father for ever and ever: "Thine, O Lord, is the greatness, and "the power, and the glory, and the vic"tory, and the majefty: For all that is "in the heaven and in the earth is thine: "Thine is the kingdom, O Lord, and

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