and after he had been directed to offer up a Ram in the Stead of his Son; the Angel of the Lord called, and faid unto him, By myself have I fworn, faith the Lord that in bleffing I will blefs Thee, &c.—and in thy Seed Shall all the Nations of the Earth be blessed. Gen. xxii. 16, 18.— Here is a Promife, confirmed by an Oath, made to the Patriarch, of a spiritual Bleffing to all Nations, that is, to all, whether Jews or Gentiles, who should follow Him in Faith and Obedience: for they which are of Faith, fays St. Paul, the fame are the Children of Abraham-and are blessed with faithful Abraham. Gal. iii. 7, 9. They are delivered out of the Hands of their Spiritual Enemies, and admitted into the Service of God- to ferve Him without Fear (which is always accompanied with Torment) and with the Love and willing Obedience of Sons" In Holiness and Righteousness all their Days" For the Grace of God that bringeth Salvation bath appeared to all Men ; teaching us that, denying Ungodliness and worldly Lufts, we should live foberly, righteously, and godly in this prefent World. Tit. ii. 11, 12. Thus must we imitate the great Father of

the

the Faithful, not only in a lively Faith, but in a ready and conftant Obedience to the Will of God; fince by Works, we are told, was his Faith made perfect. Jam ii. 22; else we shall infallibly forfeit our Title to the Bleffing promised to his Pofterity.

The good old Man having thus foretold the Accomplishment of the antient Prophecies, in the Coming of the Meffiah, then at Hand, and the bleffed Effects that were to flow from it; we may fuppofe him, in the Midft of his holy Tranfport, cafting his Eyes with paternal Fondness on his infant Son: "And Thou, Child," fays he," shalt be called the Prophet of the Higheft, for Thou shalt go before the Face of the Lord, to prepare his Ways" Others have prophefied of Him at a Distance, but Thou shalt announce his Coming as his immediate Forerunner; Thou shalt be called a Prophet, yea and much more than a Prophet; for in Thee fhall be fulfilled thofe famous Predictions of Ifaiah and Malachi; Thou art the MefSenger fent to prepare the Way before the LORD, even before the HIGHEST: Thou fhalt Speak comfortably to Jerufalem, and cry unto Her, that her Warfare is accomplished, that

her Iniquity is pardoned; and many of the Chil dren of Ifrael fhalt Thou turn to the Lord their God. Thou art appointed. "to give Knowledge of Salvation unto his People, for the Remiffion of their Sins ;" to preach Repentance, and proclaim the Approach of the promised Redeemer, declaring that the Kingdom of Heaven is at Hand: -to publish the glad Tidings of Pardon and Peace, which fhall be to all People; to exhort them with humble and contrite Hearts to obey the heavenly Call..66 Through the tender Mercy of our God, whereby the Day-fpring from on High hath vifited us" for to his undeferved Goodness alone do we owe this great Salvation of his infinite Mercy. He hath fent the Day-fpring to vifit us, and shall cause the Sun of Righteousness to arife with Healing in his Wings. Mal. iv.2. "To give Light to them that fit in Darkness, and in the Shadow of Death: and to guide our Feet into the Way of Peace" To difpel the dark Clouds of Ignorance and Superitition, with which the whole World is overspread, to free us from the Dominion of Sin and Death, and by converting our Hearts to lead us into the Way of

Peace;

Peace; of Reconciliation to God, of inward Comfort here, and of everlasting Happiness hereafter.

The hundredth Pfalm.

This Pfalm is, like many others, prophetical of the Gospel Difpenfation; and is an Invitation to the People of "all Lands,” Gentiles as well as Jews, to rejoice in the Lord, to joy in the God of their Salvation.-It would be endless to quote the various Paffages in the Old Testament, in which the Gentiles are called upon to glorify God for his Mercy.

St. Paul in his Epiftle to the Romans, Chap. xv, points out fome of the most re-. markable; one in particular from the Song of Mofes, where he fays, Rejoice O ye NATIONS, with his People. Deut. xxxii. 43. The Prophecy of Ifaiah is full of them; and the Pfalmift, in many of his divine Hymns, no lefs clearly declares those glad Tidings of great Joy, which should be to ALL PEOPLE

REJOICE IN THE LORD, is the Language of the infpired Writings throughoutRejoice in the Lord alway, fays the Apostle, I 3

and

and again I fay, rejoice. Phil. iv. 4.-Exhortations of this kind, one would think, were needlefs to those who live under the Light of the Gospel, and stedfastly believe the Promises of God in Chrift Jefus. - Can they, who are redeemed from endless Death and Mifery, and made capable of obtaining everlafting Life and Happiness, want Motives or Perfuafions to rejoice? Can the light Afflictions of this World, which are but for a Moment, deprefs the Spirits, or abate the Joy of thofe, who firmly expect an eternal Weight of Glory? Does our gracious and merciful God require us to be joyful and happy; and shall we refufe to obey fo pleasing a Command? - Yet, if one might judge from the gloomy and dejected Appearance of many Christians, one would imagine that they thought it their Duty to be melancholy, and to make themfelves unhappy. So prevalent is the Force of Superstition and Enthufiafm, against the plaineft Dictates of Reason and Religion. These teach us, as we are directed in the Pfalm now before us, to " ferve the Lord with Gladness, and come before his Prefence with a Song;" to fhew our Grati

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