III. TIIAT OUR RECORD WILL DE WRITTEN rn THE BOOK OF Goo AS WELL AB IN THE LIVES OF MEN. Not much is written in the Book of God respecting most of these; we know nothing of them but their names. A deeper obscurity than this will be our portion; not even our names will go down one century, certainly they will not descend to thirty centuries. We need not regret that; but we shall do well to remem- ber: 1. That not only our names but our actions are written in some imperishable record in God's unerasible handwriting. 2. That our lives are written and are repeated in the hearts and lives of men whom we have influenced. Fame is rare enough and vain enough. Lasting work, abiding influence, is common enough and serious enough.-O. Ver. 31.-" The service of song in the house of the Lord!' The "house of the Lord" is the place whither we go primartiy to worship him. So, at least, it should be. We may have learnt to go thither in order to enjoy sacred oratory or even for some less honourable purpose. The primary end of service in the sanctuary is the worship of God; and the service of song should be regarded as one most important ieature of public worship. In sacred song we present ourselves to God in every attitude which our souls can assume toward him, and if we went and sang together with the heart as well as with the voice, and then returned, we should have rendered an acceptable offering and gained a valuable blessing. If "the service of song in the house of the Lord " be perfect, or as perfect as it is possible to make it, there will be- I. .AN APPROACH TO Goo IN EVERY VARIETY OF BPffiITUAL ACCESS. In our hymns: 1. We shall adore him, as when we sing, "Great God, how infinite art thou!" etc., or "My God, how wonderful thou art!" etc. 2. We shall praise and bless him, as when we sing, "Oh for a thousand tongues to sing," etc. 3. We sbo.11 corfess our sin to him, as when we sing, "Oppressed with sin and woe," etc. 4. We shall make supplication to him; for there is no essential distinction between "praise" and "pro.yer." In the lo.tter we frequently bless God for his mercies, while in the former we often supplicate him for his blessing, as when we sing," Guide me, 0 thou great Jehovah," etc. 5. "\Ve shall reconsecrate ourselves to him, as when we sing, "My Saviour, I am thine," etc., or "Lord, in the strength of grace," etc. 6. We shall intercede with him on behalf of others, as when we sing, "0 Spirit of the living God," etc. II. A BAORED SUMMONS, AS IN BIB HOLY rRF.~ENCE, TO FIDELITY AND DEVOTION. We shall call upon ourselves and one another to illustrate our truest and highest con- victions as Christian men e.nd the soldiers of Christ, as when we sing, " Sto.nd up, sto.nd up for Jesus!" etc., or "Ye servants of the Lord," etc. We shall have holy aml elevating fellowship with the whole Church of Obrist, as when we sing, "Come, let us join our friends above," etc. III. SPIRITUAL AS WELL AS VOCAL PARTICIPATION. Our service of song will be only a hollow sound, unmusical in the Master's ear, if we rise no higher than the harmouy or blending voices. There must be living, spiritual sympathy. All souls must join together as well as all tongues. In this great matter of the service of son~, o.s in o.ll other things, "the Lord looketh npou the heart." We must "mo.ke melody in our hearts " unto him, or the sound of our song will rise no higher than the roof of our building; it will not reach his throne. IV. UNIVERSAL PARTIOIPATION, Choral singing may find its place in the new dis- pensation as it did in the old; but it must take the "lower room." Congrngational psalmody is the desideratum, the perfect thing, the stnndo.rd at which to o.im. "Ev,.ry creature in heaven and on the earth" did John hear saying, "Blessing, and honour, aud glory," etc. (Rev. v. 13); "A great multitude, which no man could number ... xtood ... and crioid with a loud voice, saying, Salvation to our God," etc. (Rev. vii. !l, 10). Let the Church on earth anticipate the Church in heaven, by every voice, the voice of a great multitude, being heard in the accents of praise, po.rticipating in" the service of ~ong in the house of the Lord." This will be: 1. A source of joy to each participant. 2. A service to fellow-worshippers. 3. An acceptable offering to the Saviour.-O.
Vers. 32-81.-Religiuus culture. The promised land was to be a well-cultivated country in more ways than one. Not only was its soil to be well tilled, but its popu- lation wo.s to be well trained. Ho.rvcsts of grain were to be go.thcrccl ~rum its fahls, 92 THE FIRST BOOK OF THE CHRONICLES. (en. v1. 1-81.