in them, offer up one tribute, agree in one fong, and fing in heaven, as one and the fame perfon. Whence that fong pointed at here is elsewhere called, "the fong of Mofes the fervant of God, and "the fong of the Lamb," Rev. xv. 3. in other words, the fong of the redeemed and the Redeemer, the mystical members, and the myftical Head.

This is a fong of praise to our God, in which the glorified Head, with his glorified members, will be employed through eternity. Angels, indeed, and the fpirits of juft men made perfect, will not cease to praise the worthy Lamb, as well as the eternal Father and Spirit: but, in this mystical view, the Head himself will join the members in the high praifes of God: they will praife him for what he is as God; for the independence, perfection and excellence of his nature; for the eternity and unchangeableness of his existence; in which respects, none of the creatures, the Man Chrift himself not excepted, can compare with him,-be equalled unto him; he being, in thefe, removed at an infinite diftance from all his votaries and worshippers. Praifing God because he is what he is, will never be rightly understood by even his true and spiritual worshippers, as long as they are on this fide heaven but then, and there, led on, animated and inspired, by the prefence and example of the glorious Man, their elder brother; this mode of worfhip will, at once, be learned and performed by the loweft and feebleft of them all.

The Redeemer and the redeemed will praise God for his ancient everlasting good will to finners; for Entertaining thoughts of love, peace and grace, to any of the forefeen rebel family of Adam. This

cannot

cannot fail to make a leading, effential part of the Mediator's fong; because the Father's love was the fource whence every thing refpecting his mediatory character, office and glory, flowed: nor can it fail of entering into the fong of a ranfomed world, fince to that original their whole bleffednefs, as the members of Chrift, is radically owing.

They will praife God for the fovereignty of that love, for his pitching upon elect finners, and, without any creature caufe, diftinguishing them from the rest of mankind. Of this our Lord gave a beautiful specimen when he said, "I thank thee,' "O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because "thou haft hid these things from the wife and prudent, and haft revealed them unto babes. "Even fo Father, for fo it feemed good in thy "fight," Matth xi. 25, 26.

66

They will praite God for his giving that felected company of finners to the Mediator, and, by the covenant, fubftituting him in their room and ftead. Of this donation our Lord made frequent mention when on earth; and there is no reason to think it will be neglected and overlooked by him when in heaven.

They will praise God for the whole claufes, conditions, promifes and provifions, contained in the everlafting covenant. The Father will, to eternity, be acknowleged, as the bleft contriver and author of that wonderful play. If the Redeemer agreed to it, it was in confequence of the Father's propofal of it, who "made the covenant with his

chofen" Pfal. lxxxix. 3. or put it unto him, for his approbation and acceptance, as fome understand that phrase.

Finally, The glorious Man, with his glorified members. will praife God, even the Father, for all he has done, is doing, and will do, in confe

quence

quence of his obligations by the covenant, whether to the Mediator himself, or to those whom his generous mediation refpected.

This is a new fong. It is new, in respect of the bleft fongster, the Man Chrift. For though he was God from eternity, and, as fuch, the object of worship how foon there were creatures to admire and adore him; yet, in his human nature, as ManMediator, he never actually trode the courts of the Jerufalem above, until he was taken out of the horrible pit and miry clay; and of confequence, until then, Jehovah the Father was never celebrated by him in perfon within the vail: fo that the fong was new to him, and the worshipper new to the Father. It is a new long, as the Mediator, along with his myftical members, make up a new confort of heavenly mufic,-inimitable melody. Long before any of that raniomed company had a being, or their Redeemer was manifefted in the flesh, "the

morning ftars (of angels and archangels) fang to"gether, and all the fons of God fhouted for joy," Job xxxviii. 7. which, doubtlefs, made a moft delightful harmony; and long before our Lord's incarnation, many of the faved ones were joined in the fweeteft confort before the throne above: but upon the Man Chrift's emerging out of the depths of death and wrath, and taking his place at the Father's right hand, the divine confort was joined, or rather led, by him in perfon; which, as it must give lite and add luftre to the whole, fo, without impropriety, it makes it, on the matter, a new fong.

It is a new fong, as there are circumstances in the burden of it, that had not,could not have

place,

place, previous to our Lord's exaltation, as Man. Mediator. Though the faved ones, under the Old Teftament difpenfation, praised God in heaven, for having prepared a body for Jefus Chrift, and for the promises of his manifeftation and exaltation in due time; they could not praise him for Chrift's actual triumph and perfonal glory, as man, until the bleft event gave rife to it: whereas, on his arrival at the port of glory, this new circumstance was at once added to the fong of the redeemed, in which the new fongfter, with peculiar elegance and vivacity, delightfully joined,

It is a new fong, as, until "the mystery of God "be finished," there will be a continual acceffion of new fingers. Upon the translation of every heir of promife the confort fwells, and the melody rifes: thefe birds of paradise, upon their enlargement from the clay tabernacle, mount up, and gladly mingle with the facred throng. Thence, not only the number of praisers, but the occafion of praise, are perpetually increased, rendering the fong always And,

new.

It is a new fong, as the object matter of it will never be fully explored, can never be wholly exhaufted; the ground of praise being infinite, eternity itself will be too fhort to utter it. Through countless, endless ages, new beauties will arife, new excellencies appear, new difcoveries of God and the covenant will be made; which muft, in the fame proportion, exhilerate their praise, and raise their wondrous notes upon higher, and ftil higher keys. So far from waxing old, or flattening, through the ceafelefs performance of it, the fong will not only be as if new, but will actually be always new, -entirely new and ravishing.

SECT..

SECT. IV.

This new fong of praise to God will be performed with the mouth; "he hath put a new fong (faid "the Meffiah) in my mouth." The mouth, the lips, the tongue, and the throat, are, in fcripture, confidered as fynonymous terms, pointing out the inftrument or faculty of fpeech in man and our Lord, as Man-Mediator, having taken to himself a true body, as well as a reasonable foul; muft be confidered as like unto his brethren, in that, as well as in other bodily members and organs. His having and exercising the faculty of speech while on earth, will bear no difpute: and as the fame body, which was humbled, is now exalted, who can doubt of his having and exercifing the faculty of fpeech in heaven? When bodily members are ascribed unto God, it is only in condefcenfion to our infirmity and weakness; but when afcribed even to God Redeemer, in his human nature, the afcription is juft; there is no figure or allegory, no parable or mystery, no allufion or paradox, at all in it: and if the bodies of the faved ones will be made like unto Chrift's glorious body, at last, it is plain that, amongst other particulars, they will have fuch faculty of fpeech, as fhall render them capable of performing this new fong of praife. This exalted piece of worship will, by the glorified Man and his glorious hofts, be performed with their hearts. On earth, there is often a vaft difference between the language of mens hearts and mouths; in heaven, the former will dictate to the latter, and the latter be only an expreffion of the former. As our Lord in his human nature, never knew guile; fo his members, when joined with him in this fong, fhall be incapable of guile. The human foul of Jefus Christ, with the fouls of all redeemed finners, will

be