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we may be in a posture fit to offer them up to Almighty God. For we have no warrant to fit at Prayer, however, not in the New Teftament.

VI. In the Pfalms we shall frequently meet with Acts of Truft and Relyance in the Divine Goodnefs; and every Chriftian, that fincerely endeavours to perform his part, may certainly leave the reft to God, and need not doubt but he will fupply all our neceffary Wants, and preferve us in all the Dangers we are expofed to, or however make all turn to his Glory, and our eternal good. It may be indeed, that we in our own Perfons have no great reafon to be fo apprehenfive of any fuch Danger, or Calamity attending us, no fuch occafion for the exercise of our Confidence, and Reliance on God, as David feems to have had, when he pen'd feveral of his Pfalms; but then we may apply thefe words to the Church, the whole body of good Chriftians which is always more or lefs, in whole or in part, threatned with affaults and fnares from the fworn Enemies of Religion, the Devil and his Angels, and wicked Men; and yet fhe may fafely truft in him for deliverance, who hath promifed, that the Gates of Hell fhall never prevail a gainst her.]

VII. There are in the Pfalms frequent acknowledg ments of God's especial prefence with his People, of which the Ark was the fymbol. This Ark ftood for the most part in a Tent, or Tabernacle, till the Reign of Solomon, who placed it in the innermoft, and moft honourable part of the Temple, which he had built for this purpose, 1 Kings viii. 5,6. God had promised that he would be favourably prefent with his People, and hear their Prayers, and be ready at hand to relieve them in all their Difficulties, between the Cherubims on the Ark, Exod. XXV. 20,21,22. and xxix. 43. and to affure them of the truth of it, a bright Cloud of Glory did fometimes fpread itself not only over the Ark, but from thence over the whole Tabernacle. As the

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Jews did always look on this to be the chief Priviledge, and the greateft Ornament, and Honour of their Nation; fo the Pfalmifts do very frequently mention, and acknowledge this favour, which God had vouchfafed them; and many Pfalms were indited, on purpose to teach the People to pay their De votions to God, confider'd as prefent over the Ark. Now when the Chriftian Worfhipper rehearses any of these Pfalms, he is to remember, that the Ark was a Type of Jefus Chrift, and that the Godhead did and does more effectually, and really dwell in him than ever it did on the Ark; that Chrift Jefus is truly prefent with his Church, or wherever two or three are gather'd together in bis Name, tho' not in a visible, or bodily manner. And it may further be obferv'd, that we don't want vifible Symbols of Chrift Jesus's Prefence amongst us, I mean the Sacrament of his Body and Blood, which we ought therefore to approach with as great reverence, at least, as the Fenis did the Ark: And if we now often hold our Religious Af femblies without thefe Tokens of his Prefence, the Sa crament of his Body and Bloud, this must be attri buted to the Iniquity of the Times, and to our Coldnefs in Matters of Religion. 'Tis allow'd, that the Primitive Chriftians made this Sacrament one conftant part of their publick Devotion: God grant that we may by degrees cure this defect in our Publick Worship; as to be fure we fhalldo, when we recover that holy zeal which animated the firft Profeffors of our Holy Religion, and come to live as they did, fo as to be always ready to Communicate.The Church of Rome, in ftead of conftant Communion, has order'd the Hoft to be referv'd,which they believe to be not only a Symbol of Chrift's prefence, but Chrift himself, and this they keep perpetually in their Churches, as a conftant object of Divine Worship. This is a Practice in itself fuperftitious, and as manag'd by them, Idolatrous, a Remedy worfe than the

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disease. 'Tis juft as if the Governors of the Jewish Church, fhould have kept the People from gathering Manna, excepting on two or three Days in the Year, and inftead of that fhould have fhew'd them that Omer, which was to be laid up in the Tabernacle for a Monument of God's Miraculous Providence toward his People, but with this difference, that they had a divine Command for keeping a Veffel of Manna, but the Papifts have none for referving the Sacrament.

VIII. Many Exprefs Prophecies of the Mellias are found in the Pfalms: The ii, xxii, xlv, cx, do chiefly relate to him and there are feveral Paffages to the fame purpofe interwoven with the other Pfalms and thefe fhould be read or fung with a good degree of attention. And fure, it cannot but quicken our Faith, and inflame our Zeal toward our Saviour, to confider, that David fhould thus foretel his coming above a Thousand Years before-hand. And if he did, fo many Ages before his coming, own him for his Lord and Prieft, this will be a great aggravation of their Guilt, who do not fubmit themfelves to him, fince he has appear'd in the World and fulfilled what was foretold.

IX. Some Pfalms are filled with Complaints of the Malice of wicked Men against the Church. As in other refpects David was a Representative of the Church, fo efpecially in being hated, perfecuted, and flander'd by a great many ill Men, and thofe too of ten of his own Acquaintance and Family; and it is to be remembred that David, while alive, was the Patron of God's People, the Defender of the Faith, and the Soveraign of the Church; and therefore they who were Enemies to him, were confequently Enemies to God and Religion. We need not fuppofe that David made his private Refentments the fubject of his Devotions, but this was what he laid to Heart, and fo often bemoan'd, that he should have fo many Enemies, when his Caufe was the Caufe of God, that

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He should meet with fo much Oppofition, when all his Intentions were to do Honour to his Maker, and be a Benefactor to his Church and People: So that indeed all that he fays on this Subject, is not fo properly to be understood in any fence, as that I am now mentioning; namely, as fpoken in the Perfon of the whole Church of God, which ever had, and fhall have many bitter, and implacable Enemies. And the meekeft Chriftian, that can put up all private Wrongs, yet may be moved with a juft Indignation against thofe that are Enemies to the Church. Perhaps there is no eftablifh'd Churchin the World without fuch Enemies, 'tis fure the Church of England has her share of them, both at home and abroad: Nay, to fhew that David did Prophecy of the future ftate of the Church in his own Perfon, we have not hitherto wanted thofe toward whom we have behaved our felves as Brethren, humbled our fouls with Fafting when they were perfecuted, efpoufed their Caufe, and fought their Battels, when they were oppreffed by their own Princes, received them with a true Chriftian Friendship, and Hofpitality, when driven out of their own Country; fome of whom have, notwithftanding all this, join'd themfelves to our Enemies, when we have been in Adverfity, and fpit Venom against that Church, with whofe Charity they were warm'd and cherish'd.

X. Again, Sometimes thé obftinate and irrecfaimable Enemies of God and Religion have Curfes, and Imprecations denounced againft them in the Pfalms. The moft obfervable of thefe are the lxix. and cix. And as the Pfalmift had a regard to our Saviour's Sufferings in both thefe Pfalms, fo 'tis evident, that the imprecating part chiefly concerns Judas, and those who joined with him in that execrable Treafon against the Life of Chrift Jefus, A Paffage out of each of thefe Pfalms is actually apply'd to Fudas, Acts i. 20. by St. Peter, and that fhews to whom,

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and what fort of Men the reft belongs, namely, to. none but fuch as are of the Temper of fudas, and if Chrift were again upon Earth, would again betray and crucify him. The cxxxvit Pfalm, ver. the laft, was intended against the Babylonians, the greateft Enemies, which the Church then had and from ཏཾ thence Antichrift and his Adherents are called Babylon in the New Teftament. There are, no doubt, many Anti-chriftian Spirits in the World, and I can fee no reason, why we may not with St. Paul pronounce Anathema against them, I Cor. xvi.22. Gal. 1.8. efpecially when we have this Sentence put into our Mouths by the Holy Spirit. In a word, I take all thefe Paffages in the Pfalms to be the Voice of God's Church, declaring all sturdy Infidels and Apoftates for ever excluded from God's Favor, and delivering them up to his just Judgment, to which the moft tenderhearted Chriftians'may and ought to give his Vore; as at the last day all the Saints fhall join with Chrift in paffing Sentence on the wicked World, t Cor! vi. 2.

XI. But that which chiefly employ'd the Devotion of the Pfalmifts, and ought in reafon to have as great a fhare in ours, is Praife and Thanksgiving to God, for all his Mercies. The fews call the whole Book of Pfalms [Tehillim,] that is, Lauds, or Praises, by the fame Figure that we call our Liturgy the CommonPrayer; becaufe Prayer makes a great part of it, the there be other Devotion of all forts mingled with it. And certainly 'tis very reasonable, and what the light of Nature directs, that we fhould make fome return to all, from whom we have receiv'd anty Benefits, and therefore above all to God, from whom we receive the greateft, and even our very felves: And fure we are guilty of the greateft bafenefs, if we do not make him fo eafy and cheap a requital, as that of Praife and Thanks,which puts us to no further expence than that of a grateful Heart, and a cheerful Votes:

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