genius and the talent of the poet have never been so well directed, and their productions have never been more pleasing to the Almighty, than when devoted to religion.

No finer bursts of poetry; no finer sentiments of the human mind; no touches of genius, can be found to surpass those which were composed by the mind warmed by that sacred fire, and influenced by that pure glow of Heaven. And yet, my brethren, with the human voice never more sweet, with the organ never more melodious, and with poetry never more sublime than when at the service of the Almighty; we remain still unmindful of the great duty of Psalmsinging; we rest satisfied that the few voices of children are sufficient to represent the voices of hundreds.

We protest again and again against the silence, on the part of the congregation, when the voice should be raised. It is nothing less than a farce, to pray secretly that our lips may be opened, that we may show forth

the praise of the Lord, if they are never moved for the purpose. How can we expect that the prayers of the Priest will be answered by the Almighty, if the congregation appear silent, at the time they are offered up. The Priest and the congregation must pray together; they must excite each other; they must move each other to devotion; they must together wrestle with God in prayer, and so shall they prevail. My brethren, ye must not be cold in worship; the listless spirit must be roused; the dormant pulse must be invigorated; the whole man must glow with devotion. Our "light must so shine before men, that they may see our good works and glorify our Father, who is in heaven."

If we are unmindful of His service, or if we be regardless of His ordinances, how can we expect the divine blessing to descend upon us! how can we expect the spiritual grace of the Comforter to abide with us for ever? Are not the love of God, the mercy of Jesus Christ who died for a disobedient race, and

opened unto us the kingdom of Heaven, and the sanctifying influence of the Holy Spirit, are not our restoration to the favour of God, and the certainty, that grace will descend in answer to our prayers, thus enabling us to stand against the world, the flesh, and the devil, and to prepare us for Eternity-I say, are not these truths sufficient to excite us, and to move us to devotion? Oh! my brethren, I beseech you to consider what has been said in this discourse; let no longer coldness in the sanctuary be marked, but let all join in praising God, with a godly zeal, and pour forth the sacred voice to heaven: "Kings of the earth, and all people; princes, and all judges of the earth; both young men, and maidens, old men and children, let them praise the Lord for His name alone is excellent; His glory is above the earth and heaven; yea, let every thing that hath breath, PRAISE THE LORD."

SERMON VII.

CHRISTIANITY PRESERVED.

PSALM CXvii.

"O praise the Lord, all ye nations: praise him, all ye people. For his merciful kindness is great toward us: and the truth of the Lord endureth for ever. Praise ye

the Lord."

WHEN I last addressed you, I dwelt at some length upon the duty of praising God in His sanctuary, by joining with the minister in the prayers; by Psalm-singing, and by partaking of the holy ordinances of our religion.

In this discourse I shall confine my remarks to the merciful and gracious acts of Almighty God, to the preservation of Christianity during the dark ages, through which

it has passed; and, lastly, to the necessity of praising and glorifying God for establishing the truth, which our text assures us "endureth for ever."

The royal Psalmist evidently impressed by the "merciful kindness" of the Lord, appears suddenly to break out in an exhortation to praise God for His mercy and truth's sake. Perhaps the Psalm may be considered as a prophetic annunciation of the joy which the coming of Christ would diffuse, and of the perpetuity which the establishment of Christianity would secure to it. The Psalm itself must clearly be taken in connection with that which precedes it and that which follows it; but even if the mention, which is made of the cup of salvation (Ps. cxvi. 13.) and of the voice of rejoicing and salvation in the tabernacle of the righteous (Ps. cxviii. 15.) be deemed overstrained for an argumentative purpose, the fact is established, by the quotation and application of a part of our text by St. Paul, in his Epistle to the Romans

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