deemed before the throne. "The Lord knoweth them that are his;" they may indeed be hid from the sight of man, but we should remember to our comfort when we look upon the few who, to us, seem on the Lord's side, and are jealous for his cause, "what the scripture saith of Elias, and what saith the answer of God unto him," (Rom. xi.); the prophet's idea was that he was left alone, how surprised must he have been when the Lord said, “I have reserved to myself seven thousand men, who have not bowed the knee to Baal." We may indeed often look in vain for the exterior appendages of a generally-received religion: the praises of God go up indeed from the great congregation; it is as some one has said, a delightful sound when from thousands of lips goes forth the acknowledgment of the Majesty of Jesus, "Thou art the King of glory, O Christ," and the well-tuned organ may swell the sound. But we must not forget the melody of the heart which has been sent forth from the solitary outcast, and the strains of adoration and thanks for salvation which have entered the ears of Him that inhabiteth eternity, from the wanderer amidst deserts and mountains, whose shelter was in dens and caves of the earth. Thousands of years have rolled away since the prediction of the Psalmist was delivered, and in that space how many thousands have been created, appearing for a little time, and then vanishing away. Our fathers, where are they? and the prophets, do they live for ever? The earth and sea enclose a noble host, although dust has mingled with dust, and destruction of form has to us been apparently followed by annihilation of substance; yet a day is coming when all that are in the graves shall come forth, and the sea shall cast out her dead: that day will be a revelation of the Lord's hidden ones,-it will

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be a manifestation of the riches of God's mercy, extending to ourselves, and to others infinitely above our narrow views and expectations, demonstrating the fallacy of our calculation of his pity and love, in saving thousands, when we had looked but for a solitary one! then shall tongues which, while on earth, confessed Jesus and condemned sin, in realms above, sing Messiah's reign of love.' A short space, and the present inhabitants of the world will be in the position of those who have just been considered: a little time and every eye now beaming with health and life will be closed, and the hum of every voice will be hushed in the silence of the tomb! How awful is this thought? and if it be so, how important the enquiry to every individual as connected with the eternal interests of the soul, to ask,—Am I among those of whom the Psalmist spoke when he said, "The people that shall be created, shall praise the Lord ?"

What can be more reasonable than to acknowledge with gratitude the mercies which are showered upon us, to trace up beyond second causes the source from whence they flow? It should be a constant cause for sorrow and humility that we are so insensible to our blessings, and that we are so feeble in our praises for those which we are conscious of possessing. Our blessings are as free as the air we breathe; and there is another resemblance in the comparison: the air incloses us; there is no part on which it does not rest with an equal pressure; were it otherwise, we should be fatally inconvenienced. And so too we live in an element of mercies; their universality (which should rather furnish us with a fresh note of praise) causes us to be unmindful of their existence. Such is the folly and weakness of our human nature, that we convert

God's gifts into a veil which screens from our view the hand which pours them upon us. At every turn we may detect the weakness of our fallen nature is it not here lamentably exhibited in receiving as we do each hour countless mercies, without a moment's consideration, either of our own deserts, or of the never-failing goodness of our gracious Benefactor? May the Holy Spirit quicken us, that we may awake; may he open our lips, and our mouths shall then shew forth the Lord's praise. But the thought of what we owe, will at once overwhelm us; and with the Psalmist we must ask, "Who can utter the mighty acts of the Lord? who can shew forth all his praise? For his wonderful works are many which he has done, and his thoughts which are to usward, cannot be reckoned up in order ; if we would declare and speak of them, they are more than can be numbered." Psalm xl. Let us thank God for the Book of Psalms; it gives us together the portrait of one who was going on to perfection. We may from psalm to psalm gather the beautiful and ripening fruits of the Spirit: as much as an earthly tongue can celebrate, we shall constantly hear the praises of the Most High. And its practical bearing upon ourselves is this, that by looking constantly, intently, and prayerfully into the model set before us, we shall, through the help of God, be changed into the same image, we shall receive of Christ's fulness, and grace unto grace. And we may suggest the question, as to the resemblance which at present exists between ourselves and the portrait drawn for us. Is there any sort of correspondence between what we are, and what we should be ? Do we show such love to God; or have we a like warmth in exhorting ourselves and others to recount the mercies of God, to speak of his praise? What an expanse opens

before us when we think of the character of the Almighty and of his dealings towards us! the simple and beautiful truth that "God is love," is not only set before us, but we see this attribute embodied wherever we look, and the same of his faithfulness, notwithstanding our manifold provocations, and all his attributes are brought into action; they are not mere fanciful abstract ideas, with which our imaginations would clothe the Deity, but they stand out in the book of God, the book of eternal truth which shall never pass away.

Is not the fact that God is addressed as he who "heareth prayer," a subject, as for our comfort, so for our praise? What a wonderful carrying out of this attribute do we witness in the history of Israel. Subject as this people was to the special guardianship of one who had led them safely to their journey's end; experiencing as they did his never-failing care and tenderness, we find them doubting his purpose, limiting his power, unmindful of his goodness, disbelieving God and not trusting in his salvation. We naturally look for punishment to follow so much provocation, it would not be matter of surprise if the wrath of God had consumed them (Ex. xxxii.) because they rebelled against him, and contemned the counsel of the Most High. And so we find that their heart was brought down with labour, they fell, and there was none to help.

But naturally we are not prepared for such touching tenderness and pity as was exercised towards them; the record of Israel's sin and of the Lord's unbounded goodness, is not confined to one single example-how humbling the one thought, and how overwhelming the other! If we read of sin and punishment, how closely do mercy and forgiveness keep pace! They forgot God their Saviour, they hearkened not unto his voice,

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therefore was the wrath of the Lord kindled against them; they were given into the hand of the heathen, who oppressed them. Many times did he deliver them; but they provoked him with their counsel, and were brought low for their iniquity. Nevertheless he regarded their affliction, when he heard their cry: he remembered for them his covenant, and repented according to the multitude of his mercies. Psalm cvi. It was after a review of these things that the Psalmist exclaims, “ Oh that men would praise the Lord for his goodness, and for his wonderful works to the children of men." Here we may indeed ponder; and here blest by the Holy Spirit we shall understand something of the lovingkindness of the Lord. This is a rich and full stream of comfort, when we consider our own ways, and perceive how closely they correspond with the conduct recorded of others. Our fallen nature, and the devices of Satan, often hinder us from embracing God's precious gifts. We may possibly put the consolation to be thus derived, away from us, thinking that Israel is described nationally, and that therefore the Lord's dealings towards them must be regarded in that light only. But what shall be said when we behold precisely the same graciousness manifested towards individuals? Of Ahab we read this, he exceeded in wickedness all his predecessors, that he did more to provoke the Lord to anger than all the Kings of Israel that were before him. In consequence of these abominations, the just threatenings of judgment were denounced upon him. Ahab stood convicted -he rent his clothes, and put on sackcloth, and fasted, and lay in sackcloth, and went softly. But could we expect God (who had been so long provoked) to look upon such an one, to have respect to his abasement? Oh, surely we may ask, where is the limit to the Lord's