Pagina-afbeeldingen
PDF
ePub

SERMON IX.

ON THE LITURGY,

THIRD PART.

I CORINTHIANS XIV. PART OF V. 15.

I will pray with the understanding also.

IN last discourse on this subject, I

pro

my ceeded in my explanation of our church service, as far as those hymns which are repeated after each of the lessons; and it was there that I engaged to resume it. These hymns or psalms are, with much propriety, intermixed with hearing the word of God, each promoting the benefit which we receive from the other; thus, the hearing the word is apt to excite in us

SERM.
IX.

SERM. gratitude and thankfulness, which we shew

IX.

forth in celebrating our Maker's praise, and this latter again will dispose us to listen with a greater degree of attention and delight to the word. There are two hymns which follow each lesson, both in morning and afternoon, and it is left to the minister's choice which he will read; but as the custom, in general, is to read the same particular one, I shall not dwell upon the others. Of the four which are used, the three latter are taken from scripture; that which follows the first lesson in the morning is not so, but it is recommended to us, both by the length of time which it has been used in the Christian church, and by its own intrinsic excellence. It is called Te Deum, from the two first words of it in Latin, which was the language it was originally written in. We praise thee, O God, we acknowledge "thee to be the Lord;"we confess

that

IX.

that thou art the supreme sovereign of SERM. All the earth doth wor

the universe.

[ocr errors]

ship thee, the Father everlasting;”— there is no corner of the globe so barbarous, there has been no age so rude, but that devotions have been offered to thee, the common father of all, from all eternity. But not only do the human race worship thee, the angels also, the heavens and all the powers that are therein, cheru bim and seraphim (two different orders of celestial beings) celebrate without ceasing thy praises, evermore crying, "Holy, holy,

holy, Lord God of sabaoth, heaven and

"earth are full of the majesty of thy

[ocr errors]

glory." This exclamation is copied from

the sixth chapter and the third verse of Isaiah, where the prophet represents the seraphims, whom he saw in a vision, standing before the throne of the Lord, continu

[ocr errors]

ally crying to each other, Holy, holy,

$6

holy is the Lord of hosts, the whole earth

IX.

SERM. " " is full of his glory." I should observe to you here, that the word sabaoth is the Hebrew word for hosts, and that it does not mean the Sabbath day, as perhaps it is generally thought, for though the two words are alike in sound, they are very different in sense.

The Almighty is frequently called by this name in the scriptures, God of sabaoth, or Lord of hosts or armies; and it signifies the sovereign of angels, archangels, and all the heavenly powers; of stars, planets, and all the various worlds which make up the universe; of good and virtuous men, whether before or since the times of Christianity; all these make up the army of the Lord, of which he is general and commander. The glorious company of the apostles praise thee; the goodly fellowship of the prophets praise thee; the "noble army of martyrs (those who laid "down their lives for thy sake) praise "thee."

[ocr errors]

All

IX.

All these illustrious personages, as it SERM. was their employment and delight while

on earth, în defiance of all dangers and sufferings, to assert thy glory and to perform thy will, so is it (now that they are freed from their labours and sorrows) their highest happiness to hymn thy praises. Thy church, likewise, throughout all the world, is incessantly proclaiming and cele. brating thee, the Father of an infinite majesty; and with thee, Jesus Christ, thine honourable, true, and only Son; and the other, the third person in the ever blessed Trinity, the Holy Ghost, our comforter, instructor, and supporter. We then return again to the praises of our redeemer:

Thou art the king of glory, O Christ; "thou art the everlasting son of the fa"ther: thou wast the son of the Almighty from all eternity. "When thou "tookest upon thee to deliver man when thou undertookest to come down upon earth,

« VorigeDoorgaan »