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be that formed them, will fhew them no favour. To live to the praifing of God, requires,

ift, The knowledge of who he is, Father, Son, and Holy Ghoft, one God, 1 John v. 7. In the name of the three perfons we are baptized by divine appointment: if we know him not fo, we know not the God to whom we are engaged in baptifm; and fo cannot praife him.

2dly, The knowledge of what he is; the dif cerning of his glorious perfections, which are the matter of his praife. We must know him to be the greatest and best of beings, infinite, eternal, and unchangeable, in his being, wisdom, power, holinefs, juftice, goodness, and truth; more excellent than any creatures, or all of them together, as, being the fountain of all excellency in them.

3dly, The knowledge of what he has done. His works are glorious, creation, providence, and redemption. By them he fhews what he is, (Pfal. xix. 1. The heavens declare the glory of God: and the firmament fheweth his handy-work), and affords us matter of praife: and we are to think on them for that end, that we may from thence praise him, Pfal. cxi. 2. The works of the Lord. are great, fought out of all them that have plea-. Sure therein. And it is highly offenfive not to regard them: Pfal. xxvii. 5. Because they regard. not the works of the Lord, nor the operation of his hands, he ball deftroy them, and not build them up. That is to deny him his praise.

3. The love of God. Love is the mother of praise, and natively brings it forth. They that do not love God, can never kindly or acceptably praise him. 1 John iv. 16. God is love, not only fubjectively,

Subjectively, infinitely loving; but objectively, wholly lovely. And fo he is in the eyes of all who live to his praife. To them the Father is lovely, the Son lovely, the Holy Spirit lovely. Every attribute of God is lovely. The holiness and purity of his nature, the great eye-fore of carnal men, is moft lovely to them: Exod. xv. 11. Who is like unto thee, O Lord, glorious in holiness, fearful in praifes, doing wonders? Pfal. xxx. 4. Sing unto the Lord, O ye faints of his, and give thanks at the remembrance of his holiness. His works are lovely. The creation of the world is a lovely work, the guiding of it by providence a lovely work; but the moft lovely is the redemption of the world by the blood of Christ.

4. The admiration of God; which is, love and efteem raised to a high pitch. This is the nearest cause of praise; for it is the heart fwelling with admiration of the object, that burfts forth in praifes, Exod. xv. 11. above cited. They that live to God's praise, are admirers of him they fee all excellencies in him to be tranfcendent, nothing comparable to them in the whole creation, and believe there are infinite treafures of excellency in him, which they cannot comprehend. So their heart faith, with the Pfalmift, Whom have I in heaven but thee? and there is none upon earth that I defire befides thee, Pfal. lxxiii. 25. Lanching into the ocean of the glories of his nature and works, they fee it is fhorelefs: Pfal. cvi. 2. Who can utter the mighty acts of the Lord? who can shew forth all his praife?

5. laftly, The expreffing that love to, and admiration of him: Exod. XV. 11. forecited. Micah vii. 18. Who is a God like unto thee, that pardon

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eth iniquity, and paffeth by the tranfgreffion of the remnant of his heritage? he retaineth not his anger for ever, because he delighteth in mercy. This is it in which the effence of praifing God confifts, and is the great end for which man was made and it is the native becoming return the creature is to make to its Creator, from whom it has received all, and to whom it can give nothing, but only commend him, and set forth his glory. And this not being confined to words, is twofold.

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ift, Vocal, by words. It is called the calves of our lips, Hof. xiv. 2.; and the fruit of our lips, Heb. xiii. 15. Man's tongue is called his glory, Pfal. xvi. 9. as being a prime inftrument wherewith he is furnished for praifing and glorifying God. And thus we are to praise him, folemnly and ftatedly, in the duties of worship, finging his praifes; and occafionally, in fpeaking to his praife, as we have occafion offered.

2dly, Real, by deeds or actions, though it be not accompanied with words: for as there is a prac tical Atheism, Tit. i. ult.; fo there is a practical praifing or glorifying God. And this is the main thing in that praife which is the end of life, without which vocal praife avails not. It is twofold. (1.) In heart: 1 Cor. vi. 20. Ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God-in your fpirit, which is God's. Mens praife of men from the teeth outward may pafs, but God knows the heart; and if the heart harmonize not with the tongue, it cannot be accepted of him, I. xxix. 13. He must be praised in our understanding, thinking and efteeming him above all, Pfal. lxxiii. 25.; in our will, chuting him above all, for our portion, Pfal. cxlii. 5.; and in our affections, lo

ving, rejoicing, and delighting in him above all, Pfal. xxxvii. 4.

(2.) In life and converfation: Matth. v. 16. Let your light fo shine before men, that they may fee your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven. A holy life is a fhining light, to let a blind world fee the glory of God: for as God has expreffed his nature in his word, fo his word is expreffed again in a holy life, Philip. ii. 15. 16, The fudy of holiness fays God is holy; mourning for every fin proclaims him Spotless; and horror of fecret, as well as of open fins, is a teftimony to his omniprefence and omniscience.

Secondly, What are the peculiarities of the praifes of the living? The praifes of living faints have thefe peculiarities, which the dead have no access

to.

1. They are the praises of the whole man, in foul and body too: 1 Cor. vi. 20. Ye are bought with a price therefore glorify God in your body, and in your fpirit, which are God's. Thofe of the dead are of their fouls only; but the living have access to praife God, foul and body in concert. Even the clay body hath, for the time of life, access to join in this honourable work: but death breaks it in pieces, that it can no more bear a part in God's praife.

2. They are praifes which may spread among the living, as in their land, from whence the dead are cut off: Col. iii. 16. Let the word of Chrift dwell in you richly in all wifdom; teaching and admonishing one another in pfalms, and hymns, and Spiritual fongs, finging with grace in your hearts to the Lord. The voice of the praises of living faints, may be heard under this vault of the hea

vens; but the praises above, as high a strain as they are in, reach not hither, to this our native earth.

3. They are praises raised by the way to the heavenly kingdom, which the dead have no more accefs to join in. The living are upon the road, the dead are at their journey's end. There is a fong of praise raised in the house of our pilgrimage, Pfal. cxix. 54.; but there is a deep filence in the grave. The wilderness-fong is peculiar to the living.

4. They are praises of faith, not of fight: 2 Cor. v. 7. For we walk by faith, not by fight. The faints in glory raife a fong of praise to God, upon their feeing and enjoying; the living faints, upon their believing what their eye hath not seen, 1 Pet. i. 8. Praifing of God on what one fees of him, is more comfortable to the party himself: but praifing him, upon what one believes of him, if other circumstances be alike, is more to the honour of God: John xx. 29. Jefus faith unto him, Thomas, because thou haft feen me, thou haft believed: bleffare they that have not feen, and yet have believed. Rom. iv. 20. 21. Abraham ftaggered not at the promife of God through unbelief; but was strong in faith, giving glory to God: and being fully perfuaded, that what he had promifed, he was able alfo to perform.

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5. laftly, They are praises to God amidst a deal of dishonours done to him. David takes notice of God's covering a table to him in the midst of his enemies, Pfal. xxiii. 5.; and God will take notice of praises given him in the midft of thofe that dif honour him: Rev. ii. 13. I know thy works, [writing to the angel of the church in Pergamos], and

where

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