these provinces from impending dangers, and at his word, and fulfilling his will. Let us fear God in this view of him, if our minds enveloped in matter cannot conceive an idea of a Being, whose will is self-efficient, and who alone can act on immaterial souls. But, my brethren, a mind accustomed to meditation has no occasion for this last notion: the first absorbs all. A God, every act of whose will is effectual, is alone worthy of the homage of fear. A just notion of his power renders all ideas of means useless. The power of God has no need of means. Were I existing alone with God, God could make me supremely happy, or supremely miserable: one act of his will is sufficient to do either. We do not mean to enlarge the idea, when, speaking of an all-"King of nations" to favour our designs, sufficient Creator, who is superior to the want of means, we treat of a concurrence of creatures: we only mean to level the subject to the capacities of some of our hearers. Let us sum up what has been said. To consider a creature as the cause of human felicity is to pay him the homage of adoration, and to commit idolatry. The avaricious man is an idolater; the ambitious man is an idolater; the voluptuous man is an idolater. And to render to a creature the homage of fear is also idolatry; for supreme fear is as much due to God alone as supreme hope. He who fears war, and does not fear the God who sends war, is an idolater. He who fears the plague, and who does not fear the God who sends the plague, is an idolater. what must our destiny be? And ye tragical It is idolatry, in public or in private adversities, to have recourse to second causes, to little subordinate deities, so as to neglect to appease the wrath of the Supreme God. To consult the wise, to assemble a council, to man fleets, to raise armies, to build forts, to elevate ramparts, and not to consider the succour of heaven, which alone is capable of giving success to all such means, is to be guilty of idolatry. Isaiah reproves the Jews in the most severe manner for this kind of idolatry. "In that day," says the prophet, speaking of the precautions which they had taken to prevent the designs of their enemies; "In that day thou didst look to the armour of the house of the forest. Ye have seen also the breaches of the city of David: and ye gathered together the waters of the lower pool. And ye have numbered the houses of Jerusalem, and the houses have ye broken down to fortify the wall. Ye have made also a ditch between the two walls, for the water of the old pool: but ye have not looked unto the Maker of this Jerusalem, neither had respect for him that fashioned it long ago. And in that day did the Lord God of hosts call to weeping, and to mourning, and to baldness, and to girding with sackcloth: and behold, joy and gladness, slaying oxen and killing sheep, eating flesh and drinking wine; let us eat and drink, for to-morrow we shall die. And it was revealed in mine ears by the Lord of hosts, Surely this iniquity shall not be purged from you, till ye die, saith the Lord of hosts," Isa. xxii. 8-14. Do we deserve less cutting reproaches? In that day, in the day of our public and private calamities, we have consulted wise men, we have assembled counPraise is comely for the upright. cils, we have fitted out fleets, and raised THERE is something very majestic, my bretharmies, we have pretended by them to secure ren, in the end for which we are now assembled Christians, let us satiate our souls with these meditations. Let us give up our hearts to these emotions. Let us fear God, and let us fear nothing else. "Fear not, thou worm Jacob. Fear thou not, for I am with thee. Be not dismayed, for I am thy God; I will strengthen thee, yea, I will help thee, yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness. Fear not, thou worm Jacob, and ye men of Israel; I will help thee, saith the Lord, and thy Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel. Who will not fear thee, O King of nations? for to thee doth it appertain," Isa. xli. 10. 14. May God inspire us with these sentiments! To him be honour and glory for ever! Amen. SERMON XIII. THE MANNER OF PRAISING GOD. Preached after the administration of the Lord's Supper. PSALM XXXiii. 1. in the presence of God. His Providence has | infinitely diversified the conditions of those who compose this assembly. Some are placed in the most eminent, others in the most obscure, posts of society. Some live in splendour and opulence, others in meanness and indigence. One is employed in the turbulence of the army, another in the silence of the study. Notwithstanding this infinite variety of employments, ranks, and ages, we all assemble to-day in one place; one object occupies us; one sentiment animates us; one voice makes the church resound, "praise ye the Lord, for his mercy endureth for ever," Ps. cxxxvi. 1. If there be an object that can give a mortal any ideas of the first impressions which are made on a soul, at its first entering the glorious palace of the blessed God in heaven, it is this. The first objects that strike such a soul, are multitudes of all nations, tongues, and people, concentrated in a meditation on the beneficence of God, prostrating themselves before his throne, casting their crowns at his feet, and crying, out of the abundance of their hearts, which conE template the perfections of a Being worthy of their profoundest praise, "Amen, blessing, and glory, and wisdom, and thanksgiving, and honour, and power, and might be unto our God, for ever and ever, Amen. We give thee thanks, O Lord God Almighty, which art, and wast, and art to come; because thou hast taken to thee thy great power, and hast reigned. Great and marvellous are thy works, Lord God Almighty; just and true are thy ways, thou King of saints! Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood, and hath made us kings and priests unto God and his Father; to him be glory and dominion for ever and ever, Amen," Rev. vii. 12; xi. 17; V. 3; i. 5, 6. This is the employment of the blessed in heaven: this is what we are doing to-day on earth. But what a contradiction, what a contrast appears, when lifting up the exterior habit of piety that covers some of us, we examine the inward dispositions of the heart. The psalms, which are uttered with the voice, are contradicted by the tempers of the heart. The mouths that were just now opened to bless the Creator, will presently be opened again to blaspheme and to curse him. The praises which seemed so proper to please him in whose honour they were offered, will incur this reproof, "Thou wicked man! What hast thou to do to take my covenant in thy mouth?" Ps. i. 16. Jerusalem, to an innumerable company of angels, and to the church of the first-born which are written in heaven?" Heb. xii. 22, 23. But, who are we, to be admitted into a society so holy? Great God! Thou dost appear to us to-day, as thou didst formerly to thy prophet, "sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up, and thy train filling the temple," Isa. vi. 1. Around thee stand the seraphim, covering themselves with their wings in thy majestic presence, and crying one to another, "Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord of hosts, the whole earth is full of thy glory," ver. 3. We are stricken as thy prophet was, with such a tremendous vision, and each of us cries, with him, "Wo is me! I am undone! I am a man of unclean lips! and yet, mine eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts," ver. 5. O great God! command one of thy seraphim to fly to us as he flew to him; bid him touch our mouths as he touched his, with "a live coal from off thine altar," ver. 6; and in this day of grace and mercy, let him say to each of us, "Lo this hath touched thy lips, and thine iniquity is taken away, and thy sin purged! Amen," ver. 7. "Praise is comely for the upright." The praising of God is a duty of which we may form two different notions: a general, and a particular notion. By a general notion of praise, I mean, the exercise of a man, who, being capable of examining sublime objects, and of comprehending grand subjects, fixes his attention on the attributes of God, feels the force of those proofs which establish the truth of them, is delighted with them to a certain degree, and is happy in publishing their praise. I mean, by a particular notion of praising God, the exercise of a man, who, having received some signal favour of God, loves to express his gratitude for it. Each of these exercises of praise supposes reflections, and sentiments. To praise God in the first sense, to reflect on his attributes, to converse, and to write about them without having the heart affected, and without loving a Being, who is described as supremely amiable, is a lifeless praise, more fit for a worldly philosopher than for a rational Christian. To praise God in the second sense, to be affected with the favours of God, without having any distinct notions of God, without knowing whether the descriptions of the perfections that are attributed to him be flights of fancy or real truths, is an exercise more fit for a bigot, who believes without knowing why, than for a spiriMy brethren, if we would join our voices tual man, who judges all things, 1 Cor. ii. 15. with those of angels, we must have the senti- If we distinguish the part that these two faculments of angels. We must (at least, as far as ties, reflection and sentiment, take in these two the duty is imitable by such frail creatures,) we exercises of praise, we may observe, that the must, in order to worship God as those happy first, I mean the praise of God taken in a gespirits praise him, love him as they do, serve neral sense, is the fruit of reflection, and the sehim as they do, devote ourselves to him as they cond of sentiment. The first is, if I may be aldevote themselves to him; and this is the man-lowed to speak so, the praise of the mind: the ner of praising God, to which I exhort, and in second is the praise of the heart. which I would endeavour to instruct you to- It is difficult to determine which of these day, agreeably to the prophet's exalted notions of it in the words of the text. What day can be more proper to inspire such a noble design? What day can be more proper to engage you to mix your worship with that of glorified intelligences, than this, on which we are to come "unto the city of the living God, the heavenly two notions prevails in the text, whether the psalmist uses the word praise in the first, or in the second sense. If we judge by the whole subject of the psalm, both are included. The praise of the heart is easily discovered. Whether the author of the psalm were Hezekiah, as many of the fathers thought, who say, that this prince composed it after the miraculous defeat should follow our inquiries. With such dispo of Sennacherib; or whether, as it is most like-sitions the psalmist celebrated the praises of ly, David were the composer of it, after one of God, in the psalm out of which we have taken those preternatural deliverances, with which the text. How comely are the praises of God his life was so often signalized: what I call the in the mouth of such a man! praise of the heart, that is, a lively sense of some inestimable blessing, is clearly to be seen. On the other hand, it is still clearer, that the sacred author does not celebrate only one particular object in the psalm. He gives a greater scope to his meditation, and comprises in it all the works, and all the perfections of God. Although the solemnity of this day calls us less to the praise of the mind than to that of the heart; although we intend to make the latter the principal subject of this discourse; yet it is necessary to attend a little to the former. I. "The praise of the Lord," taking the word praise in the vague sense that we have affixed to the term," is comely for the upright:" and it is comely for none but for them. "Praise is comely for the upright." Nothing is more worthy of the attention of an intelligent being, particularly, nothing is more worthy of the meditation of a superior genius, than the wonderful perfections of the Creator. A man of superior genius is required, indeed, to use his talents to cultivate the sciences and the liberal arts: but, after all, the mind of man, especially of that man to whom God has given superior talents, which assimilate him to celestial intelligences, was not created to unravel a point in chronology, to learn the different sounds by which different nations signify their ideas, to measure a line, or to lose itself in an algebraic calculation; the mind of such a man was not created to study the stars, to count their number, to measure their magnitude, to discover more than have yet been observed. Nobler objects ought to occupy him. It becomes such a man to contemplate God, to guide the rest of mankind, to lead them to God, who "dwelleth in the light which no man can approach unto," 1 Tim. vi. 16, and to teach us to attenuate the clouds that hide him from our feeble eyes. It becomes such a man to use that superiority which his knowledge gives him over us, to elevate our hearts above the low region of terrestrial things, where they grovel with the brute beasts, and to help us to place them on the bright abode of the immortal God. The praise of the Lord is comely for upright men. But praise is comely only for upright men. I believe it is needless now to explain the word uprightness. The term is taken in the text in the noblest sense: this is a sufficient explication, and this is sufficient also to convince us, that the praising of God is comely for none but upright men. I cannot see, without indignation, a philosopher trifle with the important questions that relate to the attributes of God, and make them simple exercises of genius, in which the heart has no concern, examining whether there be a God, with the same indifference with which he inquires whether there be a vacuum in nature, or whether matter be infinitely divisible. On determining the questions which relate to the divine attributes depend our hopes and fears, the plans that we must form, and the course of life which we ought to pursue: and with these views we should examine the perfections of God: these are consequences that Let us follow the holy man a moment in his meditation. His psalm is not composed in scholastic form, in which the author confines himself to fixed rules, and, scrupulously fol lowing a philosophical method, lays down principles, and infers consequences. However, establishes principles, the most proper to give t us sublime ideas of the Creator; and he speaks with more precision of the works and attributes of God, than the greatest philosophers have spoken of them. How absurdly have philosophers treated of the origin of the world! How few of them have reasoned conclusively on this important subject! Our prophet solves the important question by one single principle; and, what is more remarkable, this principle, which is nobly express ed, carries the clearest evidence with it. The principle is this: "By the word of the Lord, were the heavens made; and all the host of them by the breath of his mouth," ver. 6. This is the most rational account that was ever given, of the creation of the world. The world is the work of a self-efficient will, and it is this principle alone that can account for its creation. The most simple appearances in nature are sufficient to lead us to this principle. Either my will is self-efficient, or there is some other being whose will is self-efficient. What I say of myself, I say of my parents, and what I af firm of my parents, I affirm of my more remote ancestors, and of all the finite creatures from whom they derived their existence. Most certainly, either finite beings have self-efficient wills, which it is impossible to suppose, for a finite creature with a self-efficient will is a contradiction: either, I say, a finite creature has a self-efficient will, or there is a first cause who has a self-efficient will; and that there is such a Being is the principle of the psalmist; "By the word of the Lord were the heavens made: and all the host of them by the breath of his mouth." If philosophers have reasoned inconclusively on the origin of the world, they have spoken of its government with equal uncertainty. The psalmist determines this question with great facility, by a single principle, which results from the former, and which, like the former, carries its evidence with it. "The Lord look. eth from heaven: he considereth all the works of all the inhabitants of the earth," Ps. xxxiii. 13, 14. This is the doctrine of Providence, And on what is the doctrine of Providence founded? On this principle: God "fashioneth their hearts alike," ver. 15. Attend a moment to the evidence of this reasoning, my brethren. The doctrine of Providence, expressed in these words, "God considereth the works of the inhabitants of the earth," is a necessary conse quence of this principle, "God fashioneth their hearts alike," and this principle is a necessary consequence of that which the psalmist had be fore laid down to account for the origin of the world! Yes! from the doctrine of God the Creator of men, follows that of God the inspector, the director, rewarder, and the punisher of their actions. One of the most specious objec- | dispositions, that we cannot enjoy the gifts of ions that has ever been opposed to the doctrine his goodness without obeying the laws of his of Providence, is a contrast between the gran- righteousness. The happiness of an individual, Meur of God and the meanness of men. How who procures a pleasure by disobeying the laws an such an insignificant creature as man be of equity, is a violent happiness, which cannot An object of the care and attention of such a be of long duration: and the prosperity of public nagnificent being as God? No objection can bodies, when it is founded in iniquity, is an e more specious, or, in appearance, more in- edifice, which with its bases will be presently vincible. The distance between the meanest sunk and gone. nsect and the mightiest monarch, who treads But what we would particularly remark is, and crushes reptiles to death without the least that the excellent principles of the psalmist, egard to them, is a very imperfect image of concerning God, are not mere speculations: he distance between God and man. That but truths from which he derives practical inwhich proves that it would be beneath the dig-ferences; and he aims to extend their influence ity of a monarch to observe the motions of beyond private persons, even to legislators and ants, or worms, to interest himself in their ac- conquerors. One would think, considering the tions, to punish, or to reward them, seems to conduct of mankind, that the consequences, demonstrate, that God would degrade himself which are drawn from the doctrines of which were he to observe, to direct, to punish, to re- we have been speaking, belong to none but to ward mankind, who are infinitely inferior to the dregs of the people; that lawgivers and him. But one fact is sufficient to answer this conquerors have a plan of morality peculiar specious objection: that is, that God has crea- to themselves, and are above the rules to which ted mankind. Does God degrade himself more other men must submit. Our prophet had by governing than by creating mankind? Who other notions. What are his maxims of policy? can persuade himself, that a wise Being has They are all included in these words: "Blessed given to intelligent creatures faculties capable is the nation whose God is the Lord; and the of obtaining knowledge and virtue, without people whom he hath chosen for his own inheriwilling that they should endeavour to acquire tance," ver. 12. What are his military maxknowledge and virtue? Or who can imagine, ims? they are all included in these words:→ that a wise Being, who wills that his intelligent "There is no king saved by the multitude of a creatures should acquire knowledge and virtue, host; a mighty man is not delivered by much will not punish them if they neglect those ac- strength: a horse is a vain thing for safety; quisitions; and will not show by the distribution neither shall he deliver any by his great of his benefits that he approves their endea- strength," ver. 16, 17. Who proposes these maxims? A hermit, who never appeared on the theatre of the world? or a man destitute of the talents necessary to shine there? No: one of the wisest of kings; one of the most bold and able generals; a man, whom God had self-elected to govern his chosen people, and to command those armies which fought the most obstinate battles, and gained the most complete victories. Were I to proceed in explaining the system of the psalmist, I might prove, that as he had a right to infer the doc trine of Providence from the works of nature, and that of the moral attributes of God from the works of creation; so from the doctrines of the moral attributes of God, of providence, and of the works of creation, he had a right to conclude, that no conquerors or lawgivers could be truly happy but those who acted agreeably to the laws of the just and good Supreme. But I shall not enlarge on this article. ער vours to obtain them? Unenlightened philosophers have treated of the attributes of God with as much abstruseness as they have written of his works. The moral attributes of God, as they are called in the schools, were mysteries which they could not unfold. These may be reduced to two classes: attributes of goodness, and attributes of justice. Philosophers, who have admitted these, have usually taken that for granted which they ought to have proved. They collected together in their minds all perfections; they reduced them all to one object, which they denominated a perfect being: and supposing, without proving, that a perfect Being existed, they attributed to him, without proof, every thing that they considered as a perfection. The psalmist shows by a surer way that there is a God supremely just, and supremely good. It is necessary in order to convince a rational being of the justice and goodness of God, to follow such a method as that which we follow to prove his existence. When we would prove the existence of God, we say, there are creatures, therefore there is a Creator. In like manner, when we would prove that a creature is just, and a good being, We say, there are qualities of goodness and justice in creatures, therefore he, from whom these creatures derive their existence, is a Being just and good. Now, this is the reasoning of the psalmist in this psalm: "The Lord loveth righteousness and judgment; the earth is full of the goodness of the Lord," ver. 5, that is to ay, it is impossible to consider the works of the Creator, without receiving evidence of his goodness. And the works of nature, which demonstrate the goodness of God, prove his justice also: for God has created us with such VOL. I.-17 Permit me only to place in one point of view the different phrases by which the psalmist describes the Deity in this psalm. "The earth is full of the goodness of the Lord. By the word of the Lord were the heavens made: and all the host of them by the breath of his mouth. He gathereth the waters of the sea together, as a heap: he layeth up the depth in storehouses. The Lord looketh from heaven: he beholdeth all the sons of men. From the place of his habitation he looketh upon all the inhabitants of the earth. He fashioneth their hearts alike; he considereth all their works," Ps. xxxiii. 5— 7, 13-15. From these speculative ideas of God, he derives the following rules of practice, "Let all the earth fear the Lord: let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of him. Our soul waiteth for the Lord; he is our help and our shield. For our heart shall rejoice in | him: because we have trusted in his holy name. Let thy mercy, O Lord, be upon us according as we hope in thee," Ps. xxxiii. 8; 20-22. How delightful it is, my brethren, to speak of God, when one has talents to speak of him in such a noble manner; and when one intends to promote the fear and the love of him, with a universal obedience to him, from all that is said! How well it becomes such a man to praise God! The praise of the Lord is comely in the mouths of upright men. II. Let us now apply the subject more immediately to the service of this day. To praise God is a phrase, which is sometimes taken in a particular sense, for the exercise of a person, who, having received singular favours of God, delights in expressing his gratitude to him. This praise is comely in the mouth of an upright | man for four reasons. First, Because he arranges them in their true order, highly estimating what deserves a high esteem, and most highly estimating what deserves the highest esteem. Secondly, Because he employs all his benefits in the service of his benefactor. Thirdly, Because, while he recounts his blessings, he divests himself of all merit, and ascribes them only to the goodness of God from whom they proceed. Fourthly, Because he imitates that goodness and love, which inclined God to bless him in such a manner. I will affix to each of these reflections a single word. Praise, or if you will, gratitude, "is comely for the upright," because it is wise, real, humble, and magnanimous: in these four respects, praise is comely for the upright." These are the sentiments with which the august ceremony of which we have partaken this morning, should inspire us. These are the most important reflections with which we can close this discourse. 1. The gratitude of upright men is wise. The praise of the Lord becomes them well, because, while they bless God for all their mercies, they arrange them in their proper order; they prize each according to its real worth, and that most of all which is of the greatest value. It is a very mortifying reflection, my brethren, that the more we study ourselves, the more clearly we perceive, that the love of the world, and of sensible things, is the chief spring of all our actions and sentiments This disagreeable truth is proved, not only by the nature of our vices, but even by the genius of our virtues; not only by the offences that we commit against God, but by the very duties that we perform in his service. A person so ungrateful, as not to discover any gratitude to God, when he bestows temporal blessings on him, can scarcely be found. We praise God, when he delivers us from any public calamity, or from any domestic adversity; when he recovers us from dangerous illness; when he raises us up an unexpected friend, or a protector, who assists us; when he sends us some prosperity, which renders life more easy. In such cases as these, we render a homage to God, that cannot be refused without ingratitude. But we are extremely blameable, when, while we feel the value of these blessings, we remain insensible of the worth of other blessings, which are infinitely more valuable, and which merit infinitely more gratitude. A blessing that directly regards the soul, is more valuable than one which regards only the body. A blessing, that regards our eternal happiness, is of greater worth, than one which influences only the happiness of this life. Whence is it then, that being so sensible of the blessings of the first kind, we are so little affected with those of the last? How comes it to pass, that we are so full of gratitude, when God gives the state some signal victory; when he pros pers its trade; when he strengthens the bonds that unite it to powerful and faithful allies; and so void of it, while he continues to grant it the greatest blessing that a society of rational creatures can enjoy, I mean a liberty to serve God according to the dictates of our own consciences? Whence is it, that we are so very thankful to God for preserving our lives from the dangers that daily threaten them, and so little thankful for his miraculous patience with us, to which it is owing, that, after we have hardened our hearts against his voice one year, he invites us another year; after we have falsified our promises made on one solemnity, he calls us to another solemnity, and gives us new opportunities of being more faithful to him? Whence comes this difference? Follow it to its source. Does it not proceed from what we just now said? Is not love of the world, and of sensi ble things, the grand spring of our actions and sentiments? The world, the world; lo! this is the touchstone by which we judge of good and evil. An upright man judges in another manner: he will, indeed, bless God for all his benefits: but, as he knows how to arrange them, so he knows how to prize each according to its worth, and how to apportion his esteem to the real value of them all. According to such an estimation, what ought not our gratitude to God to be to-day, my dear brethren! we may assure ourselves with the utmost truth, that had the Lord united in our houses to-day pleasures, grandeurs, and dig nities; had he promised each of us a life longer than that of a patriarcli; a family as happy as that of Job, after his misfortunes; glory as great as that of Solomon; he would have bestowed nothing equal to that blessing which he gave us this morning. He forgave those sins, which, had they taken their natural course, would have occasioned endless remorse, and would have plunged us into everlasting misery and wo. A peace was shed abroad in our consciences, which gave us a foretaste of heaven. He excited hopes, that absorbed our souls in their grandeur. Let us say all in one word: he gave us his Son. "He that spared not his own Son, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things" Rom. viii. 32. 2. The gratitude of upright men is real. The praise of the Lord becomes them, because, while they praise God for his benefits, they live to the glory of their benefactor. Every gift of God furnishes us with both a motive and a mean of obedience to him. It is an exof cess of ingratitude to make a contrary use his gifts, and to turn the benefits that we re ceive against the benefactor from whom we receive them. What gifts are they by which |