was the custom at most of the heathen banquets. They used to try to fill one another with wickedness. But ye have not fo learned Chrift. Seek ye to be filled with his fpirit, and ufe the means appointed for that purpose: Among which finging of pfalms, and hymns, and fpiritual fongs is one of the chief. These feveral names are expreffive of the different fubjects treated of in the facred poetry; hymns are in praise of Immanuel, fpiritual fongs are in praise of his fpiritual kingdom, according to the fenfe of the words in the Hebrew, and according to the tranflation of them in the Septuagint, as was before shewn. The manner of finging them it is here faid was by joining together with their voices, but especially with their hearts. From thence comes the beft melody. Harmony in found is pleasant in our ears; but harmony in affection is the mufic, which enters into the ears of the Lord of hofts. "My fon, give me thy heart:" He will have no fervice without it. Prayer, obedience, praife, every offering muft come from the heart. He looks at this, and this in all, and above all. This he accepts, and teftifies his delight in For it is the fame facrifice of praife, which will for ever delight him. The church triumphant has begun the fong, which will

be

be perfectly and for ever pleasing to the Lord: And when we meet below with one faith to glorify our one Lord, then we enjoy the communion of faints. We have one heart with them-join in the fame fubject of praise to their Lord and our Lordour harmony is theirs-our happiness is theirs-it is one and the fame communion with the Father and the Son by the Spirit. And though we cannot raise our fong to fo high a pitch, or continue it without ceafing, as the faints above do; yet we entirely agree with them, and are trying to make better mufic in our hearts every day, until we fee, their Jefus and our Jefus face to face. He loves us, as well as them: For he is our Immanuel: And our fouls rejoice in him together with them. We love him, we ferve him, we bless him, as humbly, and as thankfully, as we can; yea in all things we would be giving of thanks to his holy name. O for more love, more thankfulness, more devotedness to our precious Lord Jefus Chrift. This is our daily prayer, and our conftant purfuit. Bleffed and eternal Spirit purify our hearts by faith, and increase in them a fenfe of his wondrous love to us, that we may be growing in love to him, until he vouchfafe to admit us into his pre

fence, and give us to thank him with never ceafing fongs of praife.

In another place the apoftle treats of the fame fubject, only varies the expreffion a little. He recommends finging of pfalms to the Coloffians, as an ordidinance of God for increafing the graces of his people" Let the word of Christ "dwell in you richly in all wisdom, "teaching and admonishing one another "in pfalms and hymns and fpiritual "fongs, finging with grace in your "hearts to the Lord: And whatfoever 66 ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jefus, giving thanks "to God and the Father by him." The Coloffians had put on the new man, and the apostle exhorts them to put on the ornaments and endowments peculiar to their new nature, and he mentions several of them: In which he would have them to be growing daily: And he proposes to them the word of God, as the best means for this purpose. He would have it treafured up in their hearts, and inwardly digefted" dwelling richly in them in all "wifdom" for knowlege and practice. He includes both: Because this wisdom was for edification-they were to teach and to admonish one another. What each had learnt out of the fcriptures was to be

of

of public benefit to the church. And the way of doing this is particularly mentioned-They were to fing together with grace in their hearts. All is difcord within, until we are taught by grace, free effectual grace. But when we believe the doctrines of grace, then harmony comes in, and we learn to afcribe every good to the mere mercy of God. We receive his bleffings, and he receives all the praise of them. Then grace is in the heart: It is there not only to reconcile the finner to the way of falvation by faith alone, but alfo to make him in love with it, and to keep him willing to praife God for it with his lips and life. O how good a thing is it, that the heart be thus established with grace! For then the affections will be fixt upon the right object, and the whole foul will be in harmony with the truth as it is in Jefus. Free grace doctrines felt in their power in the heart make heavenly melody. Every faculty is in tune, and inclined to bear its part in bleffing the name of the Lord. The understanding fees it right, the will chooses, the heart loves to give him all the praise, and the mouth joins to glorify him with joyful lips, finging unto the Lord-The God-man-Immanuel is the subject of this happy fong. He is the God of all grace. It is a joyful and pleafant

D 2

fant thing to be thanking him for it: Yea, it is a foretaft of the faints fulness of joy. The truly humble believer, feeing the exceeding riches of grace, gladly joins his elder brethren round the throne in praising the Lord Jefus Chrift. And when the temple of God fhall be complete, and the last believer joined to the spiritual building, then the topftone fhall be brought forth with fhouting-grace — grace unto it-glory be to free grace for ever and ever.

To the fame purpose the apoftle James, ch. v. 13. teaching believers how to behave in every state directs them, "Is any 66 among you afflicted? let him pray. Is "any merry? let him fing pfalms." AfAliction fhould fend him to prayer, for grace to bear it and to improve it: Joy to finging of pfalms to express thankfulness to God. Is any merry? that is a proper season, though not the only feason. Prayer is neceffary at all times, though it be most needful in affliction: And fo finging; it is not only needful when we are rejoicing, in order that our joy may center in the Lord, but fometimes finging will beget fpiritual joy, and will awaken it in the afflicted heart. Paul and Silas were in great outward diftrefs, yet they fang a pfalm in prison. The apoftles fang an

hymn