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s 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 saw my work.

10 Forty years long was I grieved with this generation, And said, It is a people that do err in their hearts, And they have not known my ways:

11 Unto whom I sware in my wrath

That they should not enter into my rest.

REFLECTIONS.

1. It highly becomes us to praise God with songs of joy and thanksgiving. It highly becomes us to worship Him; to bow down and kneel before Him. And why? Because He is the Rock of our salvation: He is the Creator of all things; He is our Maker and our God; and we are His sheep, His people, over whom He watches with a gracious eye, and for whom He provides with a bountiful hand.

2. We need the words of caution; and these verses furnish them. We look upon the Israelites in the wilderness we think of their transgressions, and of the punishments inflicted upon them. "Now all these things happened unto them for examples; and they are written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the world are come. Wherefore let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall."

PRAYER.

O glorious and gracious God, give us, we beseech Thee, an effectual knowledge of Thyself as our Creator and Redeemer, that we may worship Thee, and praise

Thy holy Name. May we, as the people of Thy pasture and the sheep of Thy hand, labour to enter into the promised rest, and carefully guard against impenitence and unbelief. Grant this for Thy mercies' sake, through Jesus Christ our Saviour. Amen.

PSALM XCVI.

Displaying the divine perfections, as Psalm viii. Written by David. See 1 Chron. xvi. 23, &c.

(I. Exhortation to praise.)

1 O sing unto the Lord a new song:
Sing unto the Lord, all the earth.
2 Sing unto the Lord, bless His Name;
Show forth His salvation from day to day.
3 Declare His glory among the heathen,
His wonders among the people.

(II. God's greatness.)

4 For the Lord is great, and greatly to be praised: He is to be feared above all gods.

5 For all the gods of the nations are idols: But the Lord made the heavens.

6 Honour and majesty are before Him;

Strength and beauty are in His sanctuary.

7 Give unto the Lord, O ye kindreds of the people, Give unto the Lord glory and strength.

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.

(III. His sovereignty and justice.)

10 Say among the heathen, that the Lord reigneth : The world also shall be established

that it shall not be moved:

He shall judge the people righteously.

11 Let the heavens rejoice, and let the earth be glad ; Let the sea roar, and the fulness thereof.

12 Let the field be joyful, and all that is therein: Then shall all the trees of the woods rejoice

13 Before the Lord:

For He cometh to judge the earth:

He shall judge the world with righteousness,
And the people with His truth.

REFLECTIONS.

1. Our duty is to sing unto the Lord, to bless Him, and to proclaim Him to others. The name of the Lord, His salvation, glory, and wonders, are what we are to celebrate and declare. This is to be our work daily; and we are to labour for the diffusion of divine truth through all lands.

2. The greatness of God is the point here dwelt upon. It is seen in creation: it is seen in the sanctuary. And how are we to act? We are to fear Him, to worship Him, to ascribe to Him the glory that is due to Him.

3. As the greatness and glory of God are matters for praise and inducements to worship, so especially is His righteousness, manifested in His government now of the world, and in the judgment of the last day. Whatever confusion we see, we may well praise God

for His righteous dealings, aware that at the appointed time His righteousness will be made conspicuous before all the world.

PRAYER.

O Lord our God, give us a right understanding of Thy greatness, glory, and righteousness, that we may worship Thee with holy worship, and declare Thy praise with joyful hearts. Make Thy glory and goodness known in all lands: and may we, and all Thy faithful people, so walk before Thee that we may be approved in Thy sight both now and always, through our blessed and only Saviour Jesus Christ. Amen.

PSALM XCVII.

Displaying the divine perfections, as Psalm viii.

(I. Majesty of God's kingdom.)

1 The Lord reigneth;

Let the earth rejoice;

Let the multitude of isles be glad thereof.

2 Clouds and darkness are round about Him:

Righteousness and judgment

are the habitation of His throne.

3 A fire goeth before Him,

And burneth up His enemies round about. 4 His lightnings enlightened the world: The earth saw and trembled.

5 The hills melted like wax

at the

presence of the Lord,

At the presence of the Lord of the whole earth.

6 The heavens declare His righteousness, And all the people see His glory.

(II. Idolatry overthrown.)

7 Confounded be all they that serve graven images, That boast themselves of idols:

Worship Him, all ye gods.

(III. The Church rejoices.)

8 Zion heard, and was glad;

And the daughters of Judah rejoiced

Because of Thy judgments, O Lord.

9 For Thou, O Lord, art high above all the earth: Thou art exalted far above all gods.

(IV. Blessedness and duty of the righteous.)

10 Ye that love the Lord, hate evil;

He preserveth the souls of His saints;

He delivereth them out of the hand of the wicked.

11 Light is sown for the righteous,

And gladness for the upright in heart.

12 Rejoice in the Lord, ye righteous;

And give thanks at the remembrance of
His holiness.

REFLECTIONS.

1. Jehovah reigns. What a source of consolation and joy! If darkness is about Him and His ways, yet we may be sure that He is just and holy in all His proceedings. We may look to Sinai; we may look to the final judgment; and learn how awful God is. He will destroy His enemies; and all the world shall see His righteousness and glory.

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