and call for the tribute of constant thankfulness. He created the fun, and ordained it to difpenfe every earthly bleffing, that it might be a lively picture of the true light, who communicates fpiritual life, with all its comforts. While the believer looks upon the moft glorious Immanuel in this view, and has a warm fenfe of his obligations to him, how sweet is the exercife of faith! He finds the courts of the Lord to have fome of the bleffedness of the palace itself. Such they were to him, who faid, "Bleffed "are they that dwell in thy courts, they "will be ftill praifing thee. Selah." They will be ftill acknowleging their debt in pfalms and hymns and fpiritual fongs: Which is the very employment of the faints round the throne, and which is the divine ordinance to express our communion with them, and to bring us a foretaft of their happiness.

From this paffage in Chronicles we fee the use of the pfalms in the old testament, and for what end they were then fung in the church. It was to remind believers of the wonderful perfon and of the divine works of the incarnate Jehovah, that they might admire his matchlefs beauty, and adore him for his moft precious love. With happy and thankful hearts they

ufed

ufed daily to fing of him in the temple fervice. The concert will never be excelled upon this earth, and the effect which accompanied it will only be equalled in heaven. The fubject-the number of voices and inftruments-the excellence of the mufic and of the performance-and the divine approbation which crowned the whole, by a miracle confirming the faith and strengthening the hopes of the congregation, these are moft nobly defcribed in 2 Chron. v. 11, 12, &c. Solomon had finished the temple, and had brought the ark of the covenant into the holy of holies: "And it came to pass, "when the priests were come out of the

holy place: For all the priests that "were prefent were fanctified, and did "not then wait by course: Also the Le"vites who were the fingers, all of them "of Afaph, of Heman, of Jeduthun, "with their fons and their brethren, being arayed in white linnen, having

66

cymbals, and pfalteries, and harps, "ftood at the east end of the altar, and "with them an hundred and twenty

priests founding with trumpets: It "came even to pass, as the trumpeters and fingers were as one, to make one found to be heard in praifing and. thanking the Lord. And when they

"lift up their voice with the trumpets "and cymbals, and inftruments of mu"fic, and praised the Lord, faying, For "he is good, for his mercy endureth for "ever: That then the house was filled "with a cloud, even the house of the "Lord: So that the priests could not "ftand to minister by reason of the cloud: "For the glory of the Lord had filled "the houfe of God." All Ifrael met upon this occafion, a very great congregation, from the entering in of Hamath, unto the river of Egypt. They came to the dedication of the temple, knowing that it was a type of the body of Chrift, and prefigured his coming from heaven to dwell with men on the earth. The filling the temple with glory was to teach them that a perfon in Jehovah was to tabernacle in the manhood of Chrift. In him the fulness of the Godhead was to dwell bodily, and out of his fulness they fhould receive grace for grace. While they were looking forward with joyful hope, and finging the praifes of this moft bleffed event, the Lord gave them a fenfible proof, that he would come and inhabit the temple of his body; and would alfo come and dwell in their hearts by faith. Once in the end of the world God was manifeft in the flesh, but in

every age he has vifited his people with his prefence, and bleffed them with his love, while they have been with thankful hearts afcribing to him all the glory of their falvation. When he has thus difpofed them to give him the honor due unto his name, then he has brought them into a proper temper to receive the greateft communications of his grace. For the moft high and holy one that inhabiteth eternity vouchfafes to dwell in the humble and contrite heart. The King of Kings admits the meek and lowly to the nearest approach, yea to the most intimate familiarity with him. The highest refides with the loweft. With them the almighty fovereign keeps his court, according to his promife" I will dwell "with you, and will walk among you, "and I will be your God, and ye fhall "be my people." When he fmiles upon them with his reconciled countenance, and excites in them holy love and humble adoration what an happiness is it to behold the king in his beauty, even here by faith. The foul thus enamoured with him will find it a moft delightful employment to fing his praises, and cannot help breaking out into pfalms and hymns of thankfulness. Thefe are the appointed means of teftifying its facred joy. In

them

them the faints above have their heavenly exercife, and the faints below have often in the use of the fame means a fortaft of the glory to be revealed..

When Zerubbabel and his brethren began to rebuild the temple after the capti-. vity, the work was entered upon with finging pfalms. "And when the builders "laid the foundation of the temple of "the Lord, they fet the priests in their

apparel with trumpets, and the Levites "the fons of Afaph with cymbals, to praise the Lord, after the ordinance of "David king of Ifrael; and they fang

together by courfe, in praifing and giv "ing thanks unto the Lord: Because he

is good: For his mercy endureth for 66 ever towards Ifrael." Ezra iii. 10, 11. The words to praife, and to give thanks are the fame, as in the forecited place in Chronicles, and applied to the fame perfon, even to the defire of all nations, who was to come and fill the fecond temple with his glory." The glory of this latter "house fhall be greater than of the former, "faith the Lord of hofts:" Hag. ii. 7. which was really accomplished, when the word was made flesh and dwelt among us. Then the Lord came, to his temple, and his difciples faw his glory, the glory as

of