instructions of truth, and presents his songs of praise, with the intention of glorifying that Name which inspires the awe and veneration of angels. He feels, indeed, that his efforts are of a very humble order, and that there is an infinite disparity between them and the full discharge of his obligations; nevertheless, he is conscious of his sincerity; and, surrounding himself with the realities of religion, and contemplating those eyes which are as a flame of fire, and that voice which thunders in the heavens, and that arm which setteth fast the mountains, and that throne which is high and lifted up, and that train which fills the celestial temple with ten thousand hallelujahs; he dreads the thought of levity, indifference, and hypocrisy; labours to bring his heart into a becoming frame, and acknowledges, with the Psalmist, that "God is greatly to be feared in the assembly of the saints, and to be had in reverence of all them that are round about him."

With reverence the christian is anxious to associate fervour. Aware of the injurious effects of spiritual insensibility, and of the disgrace which attaches to a mind that is indifferent to the approbation, and unconcerned for the glory, of the Creator, he endeavours to cultivate a sense of the infinite excellence and amiableness

of the Divine character. Convinced, that, as a creature, he is under immense obligations for his preservation and support,-as a sinner, for the grace of the gospel,- and as a believer, for the consolations of the Holy Spirit, and for the prospect of eternal life; he endeavours to emulate those pure and virtuous spirits whose element is gratitude and praise. Far from imagining that his speculative powers only are to be employed in religion, he is desirous of engaging all the affections of his heart, and of concentrating them in him who is the exhaustless Fountain of benevolence, and whose glory is the only proper end of rational existence. Thus a christian, instead of quenching the flame of holy passion, instead of suspecting every warm emotion as an ebullition of enthusiasm, instead of viewing the wonders and miracles of redemption with the apathy of a stoic, aspires to the most elevated and exultant state of feeling, rejoices with "joy unspeakable and full of glory," and breathes out his devotion in the language of pious David;-" Bless the Lord, O my soul, and all that is within me, bless his holy name! I will extol thee, my God, O King; and I will bless thy name for ever and ever. Every day will I bless thee, and I will praise thy name for ever and ever."

Hallowing the name of God in our worship

is opposed to sloth, inattention, and earthlymindedness. If so, how culpable is that man who suffers his heart to be totally engrossed, especially in seasons of devotion, by the concerns and business of the present life! What blame attaches to that person, who, indifferent to the presence of the King of Zion, and forgetting the sacredness of the place, yields, without resistance, to the solicitations of sleep, and converts the house of God into a dormitory; who, perhaps, would be sufficiently wakeful under the discussion of a favourite topic, but thinks himself discharged from the duty of attention, if the subject lie out of his accustomed track! How censurable is that female, who, destitute of forecast, or regardless of the skilful arrangement of her domestic concerns, suffers the labours of the week to intrude on the hours of the sabbath; sets an example of irreligion to her children; neglects the privileges of Divine worship herself; denies them to her servants; and sacrifices the glory of God to her own mismanagement! How culpable is that parent, who, though he professes to revere the name of the Most High, is apparently unimpressed with the spiritual state of his family; who allows his children to neglect the public worship of God without reproving them; and, from the hurry of business, or from indolence,

or from shame, almost habitually omits the solemnities of domestic worship! Is it not obvious, that such irregularities are incompatible with that diligence, reverence, and ardour, which the worship of God demands at our hands? Are they not at total variance with all the sentiments of religion which we profess to have imbibed? Are they not utterly hostile to the petition which is the basis of our present meditation? How can we sincerely desire the name of God to be hallowed, if in this state of frigid indifference, this absence of spiritual fervour? "O Lord, to us belongeth confusion of face, because we have sinned against thee !""Enter not into judgment with thy servants, for, in thy sight, we cannot be justified!"

IV. The sincere Christian desires to hallow the name of God in his general conduct.

By hallowing the name of God, in this respect, we are to understand universal obedience to his authority, or the government of our passions and our actions by his revealed will. It is thus that we show our conviction of his supremacy, our submission to him as the Governor of the world, and our high estimation of him as a Being who is infinitely worthy of our love

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and obedience. And, in proportion as our deportment is expressive of these dispositions, so far we glorify the name of our heavenly Father. We act in such a manner as to show his glory to each other, and in this way to please him, and gain his approbation. This is the meaning of the following passages: your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven." "Whether, therefore, ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God." "Walk worthy of God, unto all pleasing." "Ye are not your own, but ye are bought with a price; therefore glorify God with your bodies and spirits, which are God's."

The glorification of God is the most sublime object that can excite the attention and employ the energies of a rational creature. It addresses itself with peculiar force to the Christian, being strictly agreeable to his views of moral obligation, and in perfect harmony with the holy bias of his mind. The principles of grace, which constitute him a new creature, induce him to regard this object with the highest satisfaction, and to aim at promoting it with sincerity and zeal. He feels, that, as an heir of immortality, he could not live answerably to the grandeur of his destiny, were he to be governed by an inferior motive; that the amassing of wealth,