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courts, when compared with that glory and majefty, the unutterable brightness of which fills the court of the heavenly King? Some portion of this celestial light is communicated, through grace, to the Chrif tian church, which is defcribed by St. John, under images borrowed from the figurative sanctuary, and the earthly Jerufalem, as an edifice compofed of gold and precious stones, illuminated by the glory of God and the Lamb, refiding in the midft of it. See Rev. xxi.

7. Give unto the LORD, O ye kindreds, or, families, or, tribes of the people, give unto the LORD glory and frength. 8. Give unto the LORD the glory due unto his name; bring an offering, and come into his courts. 9. O worship the LORD in the beauty of holiness: fear before him all the earth.

In these three verses, the tribes of the fpiritual Ifrael are enjoined to afcribe to their Redeemer' all "glory and strength," as effentially inherent in him, and by him communicated to his people; to give him the entire "glory of his name," and of that "falvation" imported by it; to bring the "facri"fices" of the new law, and to affemble in the "courts" of his houfe; to worship him in that

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beauty of holiness," which is constituted by the regular and folemn fervices of the church; to "fear" and obey him, as the fubjects of a King invested with plenitude of power in heaven and earth,

10. Say among the heathen, that the LORD reigneth: the world alfo fhall be established that it shall not be moved: he fhall judge the people righteously.

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In other words-Make proclamation, therefore, Oye Apoftles and preachers of the Gofpel, that a new and eternal kingdom is erected; the ufurped empire of Satan is overthrown, and the Lord Jefus, having redeemed mankind, reigneth in the hearts of his people by faith; a community is formed, not upon the plan of secular policy, but upon the divine principle of heavenly love; it is established on immoveable foundations, nor fhall the gates of hell prevail against it; righteoufnefs fhall dwell in it, fince He, who is the King of Righteousness, prefides, directs, and determines all things, by his Word, and his Spirit.

11. Let the heavens rejoice, and let the earth be glad; let the fea roar, and the fulness thereof: 12. Let the field be joyful, and all that is in it: then fhall all the trees of the wood rejoice before the Lord.

Tranfported with a view of these grand events, and beholding in Spirit the advent of King Meffiah, the Pfalmift exults in moft jubilant and triumphant ftrains, calling the whole creation to break forth into joy, and to celebrate the glories of redemption. The heavens, with the innumerable orbs fixed in them, which, while they roll and shine, declare the glory of beatified faints; the earth, which, made fertile by celeftial influences, fheweth the work of grace on the hearts of men here below; the field, which, crowned with a produce of an hundred fold, difplayeth an emblem of the fruit yielded by the feed of the Word in the church; the trees of the wood, lofty, verdant, and diffuse, apt representatives of holy perfons, thofe " trees of righteousness, the

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"planting of Jehovah," Ifai. Ixi. 3. whofe examples are eminent, fair, and extenfive; all these are, by the prophet, excited to join in a chorus of thankf giving to the Maker and Redeemer of the world.

13. For he cometh, for he cometh to judge the earth; he fhall judge the world with righteoufnefs, and the people with his truth.

The coming of Chrift is twofold; firft, he came to fanctify the creature, and he will come again to glorify it. Either of his kingdoms, that of grace, or that of glory, may be fignified by his "judging the "world in righteoufnefs and truth." If creation be represented, as rejoicing at the establishment of the former, how much greater will the joy be at the approach of the latter, feeing that, notwithstanding Christ be long fince come in the flesh, though he be ascended into heaven, and have sent the Spirit from thence, yet "the whole creation," as the Apostle speaks, Rom. viii. 22, "groaneth and travaileth in "pain together until now, expecting to be delivered, "from the bondage of corruption, into the glorious "liberty of the fons of God. And not only they, "but ourselves alfo, which have the first fruits of "the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within our"felves, waiting for the adoption, to wit, the re

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demption of the body;" when at the renovation of all things, man, new made, fhall return to the days of his youth, to begin an immortal fpring, and be for ever young.

PSALM

PSALM XCVII.

ARGUMENT.

In this Pfalm, 1. the reign of Chrift, is again celebrated, and the nations are again called to rejoice on that account: 2-7. He is described as taking vengeance on his enemies, overthrowing idolatry in the heathen world, commanding adoration from all creatures,and 8, 9. infpiring gladness into the church, by fubduing her enemies: 10-12. The duties of holiness, thankfulness, and religious joy, are inculcated..

1. The LORD reigneth, let the earth rejoice: let the multitude of the ifles be glad thereof.

Triumphant over death and hell, the Lord Jefus is gone up on high, and "reigneth." What greater caufe can the whole earth have to "rejoice;" yea, even the most diftant ifles of the Gentiles, to "be

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glad," and to fing for joy; fince they are all become his fubjects, and share the unspeakable bleffings of fo gracious a reign? We Britons, as inhabiting one of those heathen ifles, and enjoying fo fair a portion of evangelical bleffings, have reason to repeat this verse, with a particular pleasure and energy. The Hebrews called by the name of "ifles," "N, not only countries furrounded by the fea, but all the countries which the fea divided from them; so that

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the term became fynonymous with "Gentiles." Thus, it is faid, Ifa. xlii. 4. " The ISLES fhall wait "for his law;" which paffage, Matt. xii. 21, is expounded as follows, " In him fhall the GENTILES "truft."

2. Clouds and darkness are round about him: righteousness and judgment are the habitation, or, eftablishment of his throne.

When the mercy and grace of our heavenly King are to be described, he is likened to the fun fhining in a clear firmament, and gladdening univerfal nature with his beneficent rays. But when we are to conceive an idea of him, as going forth, in « justice "and judgment," to discomfit and punish his adverfaries, the imagery is then borrowed from a troubled fky; he is pictured as furrounded by "clouds and "darkness;" from whence iffue lightnings, and thunders, ftorms and tempefts, affrighting and confounding the wicked and impenitent.

3. A fire goeth before him, and burneth up his enemies round about. 4. His lightnings enlightened the world: the earth faw and trembled. 5. The hills melted like wax at the prefence of the LORD: at the prefence of the LORD of the whole earth.

The judgments of God, and their effects upon the world, are here fet forth, under the usual fimilitude of lightning and fire from heaven, caufing the earth to tremble, and the mountains to melt and' diffolve away. The exaltation of Chrift to the throne of his kingdom, was followed by a dreadful difplay of that vengeance, which broke in pieces the Jewish nation, and brought their civil and religious polity

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