join in fongs of praise to God. The cxlviii. pfalm is a beautiful inftance and example of this, where all his angels, and all his faints; the fun, the moon and the ftars of light; the heaven of heavens, and the waters above the heavens; the earth, the dragons and all deeps; fire, hail, fnow, vapour, stormy winds; mountains and all hills; fruitful trees, and all cedars; beafts, and all cattle; creeping things, and flying fowls; kings of the earth, and all people; princes, and all judges of the earth; young men and maidens, old men and children; are called to celebrate God, in continual fongs of praise.

The glorious object, however, of this fong, is reprefented by the Meffiah, in a peculiar relative point of light, when he calls him our God: intimating that, as Mediator, he is the reprefentative of all thofe whom the Father gave him; that they and he are one in a myftical view; that as the Father is his God, fo he is theirs; that, in this fong, they will, to eternity, be partakers with him; that though none of them accompanied, or could accompany him in the deeps of his humiliation, all of them shall reap the fruits of his victory and triumph, in the enjoyment and in the praifes of Jehovah, as his God and their God, his Father and their Father: fo that as the object of this fong, Jehovah, muft bè confidered as a God of grace, a God in Chrift, a God united and related to elect men, through the glorious and triumphant Man. Befides, this relative view of God intimates, that although the Mediator be himself the object of all heavenly worship, confidered in his divine nature, and confidered even as God-Man; yet, in another point of light, he is a worshipper, and a worshipper of the Father, namely, as the head and elder brother of ranfomed finners; they in him and he

in them, offer up one tribute, agree in one fong, and fing in heaven, as one and the fame perfon. Whence that fong pointed at here is elsewhere called, "the fong of Mofes the fervant of God, and "the fong of the Lamb," Rev. xv. 3. in other words, the fong of the redeemed and the Redeemer, the mystical members, and the mystical Head.

This is a fong of praise to our God, in which the glorified Head, with his glorified members, will be employed through eternity. Angels, indeed, and the fpirits of just men made perfect, will not cease to praife the worthy Lamb, as well as the eternal Father and Spirit: but, in this myftical view, the Head himself will join the members in the high praifes of God: they will praife him for what he is as God; for the independence, perfection and excellence of his nature; for the eternity and unchangeableness of his exiftence; in which refpects, none of the creatures, the Man Christ himself not excepted, can compare with him,-be equalled unto him; he being, in these, removed at an infinite diftance from all his votaries and worshippers. Praifing God because he is what he is, will never be rightly understood by even his true and fpiritual worshippers, as long as they are on this fide heaven: but then, and there, led on, animated and infpired, by the prefence and example of the glorious Man, their elder brother; this mode of worfhip will, at once, be learned and performed by the lowest and feebleft of them all.

The Redeemer and the redeemed will praise God for his ancient everlafting good will to finners; for entertaining thoughts of love, peace and grace, to any of the forefeen rebel family of Adam. This

cannot

cannot fail to make a leading, effential part of the Mediator's fong; becaufe the Father's love was the fource whence every thing respecting his mediatory character, office and glory, flowed: nor can it fail of entering into the tong of a ranfomed world, fince to that original their whole blessedness, as the members of Chrift, is radically owing.

They will praise God for the fovereignty of that love, for his pitching upon elect finners, and, without any creature caufe, diftinguishing them from-the rest of mankind. Of this our Lord gave a beautiful fpecimen when he faid, "I thank thee, "O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because "thou haft hid these things from the wife and prudent, and haft revealed them unto babes. "Even fo Father, for fo it feemed good in thy "fight," Matth. xi. 25, 26.

66

They will praite God for his giving that felected company of finners to the Mediator, and, by the covenant, fubftituting him in their room and stead. Of this donation our Lord made frequent mention when on earth; and there is no reason to think it will be neglected and overlooked by him when in heaven.

They will praife God for the whole claufes, conditions, promifes and provifions, contained in the everlafting covenant. The Father will, to eternity, be acknowleged, as the bleft contriver and author of that wonderful plan. If the Redeemer agreed to it, it was in confequence of the Father's propofal of it, who "made the covenant with his "chofen," Pfal. lxxxix. 3. or put it unto him, for his approbation and acceptance, as fome underftand that phrafe.

Finally, The glorious Man, with his glorified members. will praife God, even the Father, for all he has done, is doing, and will do, in confe

quence

quence of his obligations by the covenant, whether to the Mediator himself, or to those whom his generous mediation respected.

This is a new fong. It is new, in refpect of the bleft fongfter, the Man Chrift. For though he was God from eternity, and, as fuch, the obje& of worship, how foon there were creatures to admire and adore him; yet, in his human nature, as ManMediator, he never actually trode the courts of the Jerufalem above, until he was taken out of the horrible pit and miry clay; and of confequence, until then, Jehovah the Father was never celebrated by him in perfon within the vail: fo that the long was new to him, and the worshipper new to the Father. It is a new fong, as the Mediator, along with his myftical members, make up a new confort of heavenly mufic,-inimitable melody. Long before any of that ranfomed company had a being, or their Redeemer was manifefted in the flesh, "the

moining stars (of angels and archangels) fang to"gether, and all the fons of God fhouted for joy," Job xxxviii. 7. which, doubtlefs, made a moft delightful harmony; and long before our Lord's incarnation, many of the faved ones were joined in the sweetest confort before the throne above: but upon the Man Chrift's emerging out of the depths of death and wrath, and taking his place at the Father's right hand, the divine confort was joined, or rather led, by him in perfon; which, as it must give life and add luftre to the whole, fo, without impropriety, it makes it, on the matter, a new fong.

It is a new fong, as there are circumstances in the burden of it, that had not,-could not have

place,

place, previous to our Lord's exaltation, as ManMediator. Though the faved ones, under the Old Teftament difpenfation, praised God in heaven, for having prepared a body for Jesus Christ, and for the promises of his manifeftation and exaltation in due time; they could not praife him for Chrift's actual triumph and perfonal glory, as man, until the bleft event gave rife to it: whereas, on his arrival at the port of glory, this new circumstance was at once added to the fong of the redeemed, in which the new fongfter, with peculiar elegance and vivacity, delightfully joined.

It is a new fong, as, until "the myftery of God "be finished," there will be a continual acceffion of new fingers. Upon the tranflation of every heir of promife the confort fwells, and the melody rifes: thefe birds of paradife, upon their enlargement from the clay tabernacle, mount up, and gladly mingle with the facred throng. Thence, not only the number of praifers, but the occafion of praife, are perpetually increased, rendering the fong always new. And,

It is a new fong, as the object matter of it will never be fully explored,-can never be wholly exhaufted; the ground of praife being infinite, eternity itself will be too fhort to utter it. Through countlefs,-endlefs ages, new beauties will arife, new excellencies appear, new difcoveries of God and the covenant will be made; which muft, in the fame proportion, exhilerate their praife, and raife their wondrous notes upon higher, and ftill higher keys. So far from waxing old, or flattening, through the ceafelefs performance of it, the fong will not only be as if new, but will actually be always new, -entirely new and ravishing.

SECT.