•" Heb. iv. 2. « Ps. x. 4, 5,
THE DUTY OF MAKING CHRIST KNOWN TO THE HEATHEN.
Ps. xcvi. 1 — 3. 0 sing unto the Lord a new song ; sing unto the Lord all the earth. Sing unto the Lord; bless his name: shew forth his salvation foom day to day. Declare his glory among the heathen, his ivonders ainong all people.
TO any one who looks even in the most superficial manner into the holy Scriptures, there must appear a very wide difference between the experience of the saints recorded there, and that which is found amongst persons reputed saints in the present day.
The
The Saviour himself is not so much the object of holy glorying, as he was amongst some, who looked forward to him at the distance of a thousand years ; nor are the same elevated affections towards him brought into exercise, as were displayed by them. A man who should now exclaim, as David did, *' O sing unto the Lord a new song ; sing unto the Lord, all the earth : sing unto the Lord ; bless his name ; shew forth his salvation from day to day;" he, I say, would be accounted an enthusiast at least; and it would be well if he were not characterized by a yet harsher term. But religion is, or ought to be, the same in all ages ; except indeed that our views of Christ should be more elevated, and our delight in him be more ardent, in proportion as our means of knowing him are more ample, and our motives to love him more enlarged. The psalm before us un- doubtedly refers to him; for it speaks expressly of the publication of his Gospel to the Gentile world. It is indeed only a part of a psalm written originally by David at the time of his bringing up the ark to Mount Zion from the house of Obed-edom*: and this part was selected afterwards for the constant use of the Church, as being calculated to keep up in the minds of men an expectation of the Messiah, and to prepare their hearts for the reception of him.
In discoursing on that portion of it which we have read, we shall,
I. Point out your duty to the Lord Jesus Christ —
In speaking to persons who profess to derive all their hopes of salvation from the Lord Jesus, me- thinks it is scarcely necessary to say, that,
1 . We should praise him ourselves — [We should not be content to acknowledge him in words j we should feel towards him in deed, as our "All in alP." These feelings we should express in songs of praise: or if we be silent as to our voice, we should at least " make melody to him in our hearts;" " blessing " and adoring him from our inmost souls.
We should sing to him " a new song." It was so called by
David, * 1 Chron. xvi. 7—36. '' i John iii. 18.
326 PSALMS, xcvi. 1 — 3. [402.
David, because it was a song that was to be sung especially at the introduction of the Christian dij-pensation, the events pre- dicted and shadowed forth beuig then fuliilled. But it is still a new song to all who sing it; because in their unconverted state they have no disposition, no ability to sing it : " they cannot, in that sense, say that Jesus is the Lord, but by the Holy dhost"^." Moreover, it will to all eternity continue neiv ; fresh discoveries of his glory being ever manifested to the soul, and fresh energies supplied for the celebration of his- praise. Hence in heaven itself the songs of all the glorified saints are thus designated : " they sing unto the Lord a new song*^." Thus " from day to day " our harps should be tuned afresh, and our praises ascend to heaven with every breath we draw.]
2. We should make him known to others —