crimes, in the eyes of wickedness and guilt. For thefe crimes, Cain flew his brother Abel, the Jews crucified Chrift, the pagans tortured and murdered his difciples, and bad men in all ages have perfecuted the good. Marvel not, my brethren, if the world "hate you." 1 John iii. 13.

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22. But the LORD is my defence: and my God is the rock of my refuge. 23. And he fhall bring upon them their own iniquity, and shall cut them off in their own wickedness; yea, the LORD our God fhall cut them off.

Jehovah is our "defence;" we fear not the fiery darts of the enemy; He is "the rock of our re"fuge;" we bid defiance to the rage and malice of earth and hell. Armed with the fhield of faith, and the fword of the Spirit, we rife fuperior to every ef fort of diabolical malice, and fecular power; waiting, in patience and hope, for the coming of that day when He who hateth unrighteoufnefs, and with whom the throne of iniquity can have no fellowship, fhall vifit the wickedness of the wicked upon them; when the world of the ungodly thall fhare the fate of apoftate Jerufalem, and the righteous fhall be glorified with their Lord and Saviour.

XIX. DAY. MORNING PRAYER.

PSALM XCV.

ARGUMENT.

This Pfalm hath been long ufed in the Chriftian church, as a proper introduction to her

holy

holy fervices. It containeth 1, 2. an exhortation to praise Jehovah, 3. for his greatnefs, 4, 5. and for his works of creation; 6. men are invited to worship him, as their Maker, and 7. as their Preferver: 8-11, they are warned against tempting and provoking him, by the example of the Ifraelites in the wildernefs. The author of the epiftle to the Hebrews hath taught us to confider the Pfalm as an addrefs to believers under the Gospel.

1. O come, let us fing unto the LORD: let us make a joyful noife to the rock of our falvation.

In this firft verfe, Chriftians now exhort and ftir up each other, as the Jews did of old, to employ their voices in honour of Jehovah, to celebrate "the "rock of their falvation." Jefus, by redeeming us from our enemies, hath opened our lips, and our mouths ought, therefore, to fhew forth his praise. He is the Rock of ages, in which is opened a fountain for fin and uncleannefs; the Rock which attends the church in the wilderness, pouring forth the water of life, for her ufe and comfort; the Rock which is our fortress against every enemy, fhadowing and refreshing a weary land. "O come, then, let us fing unto this our LORD, let us make a joyful noise "unto this rock of our falvation."

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2. Let us come before his prefence with thanksgiving, and make a joyful noife unto him with Pfalms.

The "prefence" of Jehovah dwelt formerly be

tween

tween the cherubim, in a tabernacle, or temple, made with hands, whither the Ifraelites were to refort, untill God became manifeft in the flesh. After that time, the divine prefence left the fynagogue, and removed into the Chriftian church; by her we are now invited to "come before that prefence with thankfgiving," and, while we "make a joyful noise," by chanting thefe divine "Pfalms," to imitate, in fome measure, the heavenly choirs, who “reft not,” from their bleffed employment of praifing God, "day or night." Rev. iv. 8.

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3. For the LORD is a great God, and a great King above all gods.

It is not without reason, that we are exhorted to give thanks and praife unto our God and King; for he is " worthy to receive glory and bleffing:" Rev. v. 12. he is a God above all that are called by that name; above thofe deities, which were once worshipped by the ancient heathen; above the world, which ftill continues to be an object of adoration among infatuated mortals. His throne is over all, and power and dominion are his.

4. In his hand are the deep places of the earth; the ftrength of the hills is his alfo. 5. The fea is his, and he made it; and his hands formed the dry land.

The treasures, which lie hid in the "deep places" of the earth beneath; the majestic pride and "ftrength "of the hills," which tower above, and lift up their heads to heaven; the unnumbered waves of the great and wide "fea," which roll in perpetual motion round the world; the rich and variegated produce of the "dry land," crowned with verdure and beauty; together

together with every thing that liveth, in the waters, or on the earth; all are under the government of our God; by him were all things created; by him have all things been redeemed.

6. O come, let us worship, and bow down: let us kneel before the LORD our Maker.

As in the beginning of the Pfalm we were called upon to "praife" Jehovah, fo here we are invited to humble ourselves before him in " prayer." From him we had our being; him, therefore, we are to fupplicate for every other bleffing, both in this life, and that which is to come. And fince he made our bodies, as well as our fouls, it is meet and right that they should bear their part in his fervice, and that internal worship should be accompanied and fignified by that which is external.

7. For he is our God, and we are the people of his pafture, and the sheep of his hand.

An additional reafon, why we fhould both praise Jehovah, and pray to him, is the peculiar relation into which he hath been pleafed to put himself by the covenant of grace; "he is our GOD;" we are the objects of his tender care, and unfpeakable love; we are his "people," and his "fheep;" his chosen flock, which he hath purchafed with his blood, which he feeds with his Word, and refreshes with his Spirit, in fair and pleafant paftures. From those pastures, O thou good Shepherd, fuffer us not to ftray; or, if we do ftray, bring us fpeedily back again, by any means, which thou, in thine infinite wifdom, fhalt think fit. Wholefome is the difcipline, which drives us into the fold, and keeps us there.

8. To day if ye will hear his voice, Harden not your hearts, as in the provocation, and as in the day of temptation in the wilderness, 9. When your fathers tempted me, proved me, and faw my work.

The first clause of these two verfes may be joined to the preceding verfe, thus, "He is our God, we "are the people of his pafture and the sheep of "his hand, if ye will hear his voice to-day;" that is, if ye will be his obedient people, he will continue to be your God. Or elfe, the word DN, translated "if," may be rendered in the optative form. "O "that you would hear his voice to-day," saying unto you. "Harden not," &c. However this be, what follows to the end of the Pfalm is undoubtedly spoken in the person of God himself, who may be confidered as addreffing us, in thefe latter days, by the Gospel of his Son; for fo the Apostle teaches us to apply the whole paffage, Heb. iii. iv. The Ifraelites, when they came out of Egypt, had a day of probation, and a promised Reft to fucceed it; but by unbelief and disobedience, they to whom it was promised, that is, the generation of those who came out of Egypt, fell fhort of it, and died in the wilderness. The Gospel, in like manner, offers, both to Jew and Gentile, another day of probation in this world, and another promised Reft to fucceed it, which remaineth for the people of God, in heaven. All whom it concerns are, therefore, exhorted to beware left they forfeit the fecond Reft, as murmuring and rebellious Ifrael came short of the first. The verses now before us allude to what paffed at the place called "Maffah," and "Meribah," from VOL. II.

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