for he has treated us with bounty, and he has given us bis Son to redeem us from iniquity and from destruction. We are for ever dependent upon him, who is our Lord and Judge; and, in giving nnto him, we do but give him his own. II. 'l'HE RESPONSE EXPECTED. 1. A willing respC\nse. In fact, there can be no unwill- ing response. God does not use constraint, and a gi udged offering would not be accept- able to him; for it is our affection nnd devotion that he desire11. 2. An immediate response. " Who is willing tliia day P" 'l'o-clay is not too early; to-morrow may be too late. The old have no time to lose. 'fbe middle-aged and busy should not leave decision until old age comes, if come it should. But it is chiefly from the young that an immediate acceptance of the invitation of the gospel is desired, that so they may spend a whole life in his delightful service. "To-day if ye will hear his voice, harden not your heart." • III. AN APPEAL URGED. " Who is willing?" All who are capable of understanding the entreaty and the ground upon which it is based; all who enjoy religious privileges, who hear God's Word, Christ's gospel, are under a sacred obligation to yield themselves a living sacrifice unto God. Motives, inducements, persuasions,-all are brought to bear upon the soul. A most honourable and happy service, the most desirable recompense, the profoundest satisfaction,-all are proffered to you upon the terms of unconditional surrender, complete consecration. "Who then is willing to consecrate his service this day unto the Lord? "-T. • Ver. 9.-Generosity and joy. There was true unity between king and subjects. It was a national movement in which they joined, and it was a national emotion which they shared. I. THE CAUSE TO WHICH THEY GA VE. It was their own cause, but in a higher sense it was the Lord's. It was for the glory of Jehovah and for the spread of his worship and obedience that the temple was to be reared; a cause this which justified all their enthusiasm and all their liberality. II. WHAT THEY GAVE. They offered of their own substance, and accoriling to their several ability; and their gifts were appropriate, costly, and generous. III. How THEY GAVE. "The Lord loveth a cheerful giver;" and such givers Israel furnished on this occasion in grent abundance. They gave willingly, and not simply in conformity to their sovereign's example. 'l'hey gave with a perfect heart; i.e. from dis- interested, devout, and pious motives. IV. 'l'HE CONSEQUENCE OF THEIR GIVING. "They rejoiced." A simple but very expressive account of the feelings of both monarch and subjects. They felt by antici- pation the truth of our Lord's saying, "It is more blessed to give than to receive." 'l'he selfish and niggardly are ever the miserable; the sympathetic, liberal, and soil~ denying are ever the happy and lightsome of heart.-T. Vers. 10-19.-David's blessing. One of the closing acts of David's lif.i was a public ackilowledgment of God's favour, and a public entreaty of God's blessing upon his people and upon his son. It was a sacred and solemn act of devotion, and only inferior in sublimity to the invocation and prayer of Solomon upon the occasion of tho dedica- tion of the temple. The aged king acted, not only as the civil ruler, but as the religious leader of Israel. Gathering the princes, the warriors, and the multitude together, he, as their representative, offered spiritual sacrifices of adoration, thanksgivini:, and prayer before Israel's God, We observe, in this address to Heaven, a combination of the several parts of which devotion should be composed. I. THE RECOGNITION OF THE DIVINE CHARACTER. In vers. 11 and 12 the attributes of Jehovah are celebrated with devout reverence, and in languago of memorable beauty and eloquence. The propriety of such an invocation is manifest. When we drnw near to God, it is not simply to bring our sin and want before him; it is to bring his holiness and greatness and beneficence before our minds. 'l'ho Lord Jesus, iu thu prayer known as the Lord's Prayer, has given us an example of such adoration; for the petitions are prefaced by a reverent invoking of the Divine Father. II. THE DLESSING OF Gon's NAME, 'l'he contemplation of God's power, majesty, anc\ dominion fails to produce its •foe result, unless it awakens our he:uts to grateful praise. Ver. 13, '· Wo thank thee, and praise lhy glorious Nawc." l'rayer without thanks- 448 THE FIRST BOOK OF THE CHRONICLES. LoH. :nu. 1-30.
giving <'annot be acceptable; what God bas done, what he has given, must be acknow- ledged by those who have fresh favours to implore. III. HUMILUTION AND OONFESSION. 'l'he language of vers.'14 and 16 is marvellous for sublimity and pathos, has wrought itself into the speech and the prayers of men. Feeble, finite, dependent, and short-lived denizens of earth, when we come into the presence of the Unchangeable and Eternal, it becomes us to cherish a sense of our utter u~worthiness. We cannot even undertake to engage in the service of God with- out feeling that for that service we are altogether unfit. Confession of sin and humili- ation before the All-holy must be part of all truly acceptable devotion. IV. INTERCESSION. In ver. 18 David prays for Israel at large; in ver.19 for his son Solomon. For his people the king's chief desire was that the Lord would "prepare their heart unto himself." Their allegiance to Heaven, their spiritual good, their quali- fication for whatever work God should call them to undertake,-such were the bless- ings the aged king sought on behalf of his subjects. And for his son, how earnestly and appropriately did he plead ! His prayer was that Solomon's character and his life- work might alike be acceptable to God. A. prayer so comprehensive, so devout, so suited to the circumstances in which it was uttered, surely deserves the attentive study of those who would draw near to God in such a spirit as may justify the expec- tation that he will draw near to them.-T.