of our God we fhall find fresh reason to praife him. He will certainly meet us in his own means, and blefs us in his own ways. We shall not wait upon him in vain. The means of his appointing cannot fail of answering the end. He has promised 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 fhall tend to their mutual edification. It fhall ftir them up to greater thankfulness, and excite warm-" er 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 midst of them, and will manifeft 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 righteousness, 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 fhall be bleffed for evermore. Their bleffednefs comes from a never failing fpring. They are the one true church, of which it is faid-" Joy and gladness "shall 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 praife. 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 fuppofes, 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 express their fenfe 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 accefs 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 fervice and glory. From hence arifes 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 "trufted in him, and I am helped, THERE

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FORE my heart greatly rejoiceth, and "with my fong will I praife 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 shout for joy, because thou "defendest them: Let them alfo that "love thy name be joyful in thee." And when a company of thefe 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 thanksgiving, " and make a joyful noise unto him with pfalms." With these 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 congrega-tion of believers to call upon one another to join in the praises 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.

in the Lord Jesus Christ. He deferves all our joy-the loveliness of Immanuelhis love to us-the bleffings of his lovehow many-how great-how lafting! thefe fhould encourage us to be glad in him now with great joy. But the wellgrounded profpect, which hope has, of finding in him infinite and everlasting bleffings, fhould lead us to rejoice in him with joy unfpeakable and full of glory. This profpect has brightened the darkest day: It has enabled fufferers greatly to rejoice, when in heavinefs through manifold temptations: It has fupported them under every fiery trial. Nothing could extinguish the joy. It has lived, and triumphed in the martyr's breaft, even in the agonies of the most painful death. Faith reads, and with hope looks out for (and it is a hope that will never be ashamed) the accomplishment of this faithful promife-" The ranfomed of the Lord fhall "return and come to Sion with fongs, "and everlasting joy upon their heads,

they shall obtain joy and gladnefs, and "forrow and fighing fhall flee away.'

Doft thou find, O my foul, any of this holy joy? Canft thou fing pfalms with the understanding, with the heart, and with gladnefs in thy heart, rejoicing in the Lord? Canft thou give thanks always for

all