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hymn after the facrament, although they knew their Lord was going to fuffer, and they were greatly troubled. In that forrowful hour they fang. Singing is always feasonable, but efpecially when the heart is happy, "Is any among you merry? "Let him fing pfalms." Is he in a good frame of mind, rejoicing in the bounty of God, either for temporal or fpiritual mercies? Let him fing pfalms to the praise and glory of his benefactor: This is a proper expreffion of gratitude for favors received, and will be the means of fecuring them: For fince his happiness comes from a good God, and arifes from communion with God in Chrift, it is fit and meet, that he should ascribe it to the right object, and in a way of God's own appointing. A divine hymn upon the fubject of praife (of which there are many) fung with heart-felt thankfulness is a grateful fervice. The Lord requires such an acknowlegement, and it becometh well the juft to be thankful—yea he has vouchfafed to reveal the very words, in which he requires it to be paid him: And when all within us bleffes his holy name, rejoicing in the Lord, he would have the outward man to join, and to declare with the melody of his lips, how happy he is in his heart. Thus in finging the praifes

of our God we fhall find fresh reafon to praise him. He will certainly meet us in his own means, and blefs us in his own ways. We fhall not wait upon him in vain. The means of his appointing cannot fail of anfwering the end. He has promifed to put honor upon his own appointments, and his word cannot be broken. The joyful chriftian is commanded to fing the praises of his God, and his heart fhall be thereby kept in holy joy, yea it shall be increased. His joy fhall abound: And when believers fing, as they are commanded, with one another, it shall tend to their mutual edification. It fhall ftir them up to greater thankfulness, and excite warmer affection to the God of their falvation. Singing pfalms is a church-ordinance, and as fuch it is bleffed. The Lord will not forfake the affembly of his faints. When they are met together to praise him, he will be in the midft of them, and will manifest his acceptance, both of their perfons and fervices. This will make their attendance upon him delightful. When he lifts up the light of his countenance upon them, how can they help finging what they feel? Now they experience he has bought them with his blood, and faved them from hell, has wrought out their righteoufnefs, and will give them his

heaven,

heaven, it becometh them well to praife him, and to rejoice in his holy name. He has made them bleffed at prefent, and they shall be bleffed for evermore. Their bleffedness comes from a never failing fpring. They are the one true church, of which it is faid-" Joy and gladness "fhall be found therein, thanksgiving and "the voice of melody." Singing is their heaven in the church triumphant. They have the fulness of joy from God and the lamb, and they acknowlege it with humble adoration, and a grateful fong of never ending praise. The innumerable company of the redeemed will find their heaven of heavens in enjoying communion with the holy Trinity, and in finging the glories of that mercy, which is from everlasting to everlasting.

In this paffage the apoftle James fupposes, that joy and finging agree well together. So they do. They depend on one another as the cause and the effect. The melody of the heart breaks out, and expreffes itself with the melody of the mouth. A heart made fenfible of God's love in Christ has the greatest reason to rejoice, and will be ready to fhew it in every way of God's appointment, particularly in finging the praises of his wondrous love. Does the prophet happy in D 4

his

his foul declare?"My mouth fhall praise "thee with joyful lips"-true christians can gladly join him. They have returned to God in faith, and have found redemption through the blood of the lamb. They know in whom they have believed, and are fatisfied of the Father's love to them in his dear fon. Now they can delight in God. It is their privilege to rejoice in him, as their God: Yea it is their bounden duty (he calls upon them) to exprefs their fense of his goodness in fongs of praife. This joy in God is one of the chief ingredients in pfalm finging. The heart cannot make pleasant melody, unlefs joy be there: For the Lord God has an unalienable right to the fervice of the whole man, but we never acknowlege it, until we become his children through faith in Chrift Jefus; in whom we have free access unto the Father. Then perfuaded of his precious love to us, we love him again, and in thankfulness give up ourselves with all we have and are to his service and glory. From hence arises our joy in God, and every expreffion of it; which were required of all men by the holy law, but are only fulfilled by those, who have the faith of the gospel. An unpardoned finner cannot poffibly rejoice in God: Because this holy joy is a fruit

of

of the Spirit, and is the confequence of believing. Thus David-" The Lord is

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my strength and my fhield, my heart "trusted in him, and I am helped, THERE"FORE my heart greatly rejoiceth, and "with my fong will I praise him." What the prophet had experienced himself, the fame he wishes for others-"Let all thofe "that put their truft in thee rejoice, let "them ever fhout for joy, because thou "defendeft them: Let them alfo that "love thy name be joyful in thee." And when a company of these happy people meet together, it is the delight of their hearts to join in praises to their God, and Saviour. "O come let us fing unto the "Lord; let us make a chearful noise to "the rock of our falvation: Let us come "before his prefence with thankfgiving, "and make a joyful noife unto him with "pfalms." With thefe words we always begin the reading of the fcriptures in our church fervice. And what could be more fuitable? How proper is it in a congregation of believers to call upon one another to join in the praifes of the common Saviour, that we may ftrengthen our mutual joy in him. All true joy comes from him, and every acknowlegement of it inward and outward is therefore required, in order to preferve and to increase our rejoicing

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