unto His name; whatever be the immediate occasion of our gratitude, there is, in the very relation which we bear to Almighty God, and in the perfections which belong to Him, a claim for the worship of every intelligent creature. If to Him belong the greatness, and the power, and the glory, and the victory, and the majesty, and all that is in the heaven and in the earth; and if He is exalted as head above all;* what is the sentiment which the consideration of these things is suited to awaken, but that which was expressed with such solemnity by the king of Israel, Now therefore, our God, we thank Thee, and praise Thy glorious name? The very thought, that a Being of such majesty condescends to reveal Himself as our God; that we are the people of His pasture, and the sheep of His hand, should of itself suffice to call forth expressions of grateful adoration, from all who are acquainted with His name. We are accordingly taught by our church, to join in a general ascription of praise to the Almighty, under the title of God and Lord; whom all the earth doth worship; to whom all

angels cry aloud; whom apostles and prophets and martyrs praise, and the holy church throughout all the world doth acknowledge, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost.

But there are special subjects of meditation and thankfulness; and of these the Psalmist cites in particular, the loving-kindness, and the faithfulness of God; it is a good thing to shew forth thy loving-kindness in the morning, and thy faithfulness every night.

For the illustration of this idea, he directs our attention in the following verses, to the works, and the judgments, and the mercies of God. All these testify the loving-kindness, and faithfulness of the Most High; and the more closely they are examined, the more clear and decisive will be their testimony.

To a

(1.) In deducing an argument of praise from the works of God, he says, Thou, Lord, hast made me glad through thy work; I will triumph in the works of thy hands; O Lord, how great are thy works, and thy thoughts are very deep.* mind like his every thing which bears the mark of the divine hand, attests not merely the power, but the wisdom, and goodness, and truth of the Creator. The great predominant design

* Psalm xcii. 4, 5.

is so obviously benevolent, and notwithstanding the transgressions of mankind, continues so decisively at this day to maintain the same character, that even those parts of the creation, in which there is neither voice nor sound, seem to proclaim it to the ends of the earth.*

(2.) The psalmist next turns to the judgments and the mercies of God, apparently opposing them to each other in the way of contrast, and thus particularly magnifying the loving-kindness and faithfulness of the Lord in reference to His people. The enemies of the Most High shall be scattered and shall perish; but the horn of the righteous shall be exalted like the horn of a unicorn;† i. e. they shall have abundance of prosperity; it is an allusion to a custom said to have been prevalent in some parts of the east, of adorning the head with a fillet and a horn, as a mark of rejoicing; the wicked spring as the grass: but the righteous shall flourish like the palm-tree; he shall grow like a cedar in Lebanon: the prosperity of the one is only for a moment; that of the other shall be lasting: the one is like the grass of the field, soon to be cut down and destroyed; the other a tree of stately growth, with all the blessed influ* Psalm xix. + Psalm xcii. 9, 10. Psalm xcii. 7, 12.

ences of heaven descending copiously upon it, and rendering it fragrant and fruitful even in old age; a visible proof of that loving-kindness and faithfulness which exists throughout all generations.

Such is the manner in which the sacred writer seems to follow up his own recommendation of the service of praise; and on such grounds every pious Israelite would feel himself bound to give thanks unto the Lord, and to sing praises unto His name. But what then shall we say concerning the members of the Christian church? Whether the psalmist might not himself be looking forward to those days, when the love and faithfulness of God should be so wonderfully commended to us by the gift of His son, is a question which we may not venture absolutely to decide; but if this were not in his contemplation, how much more exalted is that evidence of the divine goodness which now meets us in the christian Sabbath, than all the works of creation, and all the interpositions of a gracious Providence! The very day on which we meet for devotion is kept in remembrance of a greater event than the creation of the world, even the resurrection of the

Lord Jesus Christ from the dead. It points us to the Saviour of sinners, once born into the world, once subjected to a life of pain, and expiring upon the cross; but now ascending from the grave, and resuming in the heavens that glory which belonged to Him before the world was. It reminds us that we have beheld the loving-kindness and faithfulness of God in their highest perfection; He had promised a Saviour, and the promise was fulfilled; God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.* It leads us to demand, with the apostle, He that spared not His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things? With this history in our hands, what reasonable man shall pretend to doubt either of His goodness or His veracity? Did He so love us as to give His Son on our behalf, and will He withhold inferior mercies? Did He preserve inviolate, for so many ages of wickedness and crime, the promise of a Redeemer, and shall He fail in any promise to His faithful people? How does it, therefore, become us to sanctify + Rom. viii. 32.

* John iii. 16.