these things I heard," he says, "a great voice of much people in heaven, saying, 'Alleluia! Salvation, and glory, and honor, and power!' And a voice came out of the throne, saying, 'Praise our God, all ye his servants! and ye that fear him, both small and great!" After this expressive solo follows another chorus-the "Hallelujah Chorus,"" the voice of a great multitude, and as the voice of many waters, and as the voice of mighty thunderings, saying, 'Alleluia, for the Lord God omnipotent reigneth!'"

Thus, anthem after anthem, and chorus after chorus, peals from the upper temple. There all is praise, and none are silent.

"Seraphs, with elevated strains,
Circle the throne around;

And move and charm the starry plains,
With an immortal sound."

With them we hope to dwell-with them to praise. And how can we consent to forego even here the bliss of heaven? Why does not every blood-bought soul catch something of that inspiring theine, that fills all heaven with joy? why not now learn and exercise that holy art, which fills angelic hosts and ransomed saints with rapture? Has he the soul of a saint, who has no sympathy with the saints in bliss, no desire to anticipate their joy? I wonder not that the devotees of Mammon and of Mars, of Thespis, and of Bacchus, are deaf to the praises, and dead to the allurements of sacred song. Yes,

"Let those refuse to sing,

Who never knew our God;

But favorites of the heav'nly King
Should speak their joys abroad."

Wake up, then, ye ransomed ones! awake to bliss. Behold what a fountain of joy is yet sealed up within your bosom. Break those seals, and let the living streams gush forth. Repress no more the rapturous emotions of a glad spirit. Kindred of the skies! drink in their rapture who dwell by the river of the water of life. Ye who minister at the altar! take of the living flame that is there kindled by the breath of God, and kindle up in the heart of every worshipper the fire of holy love, the flame of sacred, rapturous praise. And ye, to whom God has given the high trust of training the souls of your own offspring for the skies; ye Christian parents! bring those little ones, while yet they scarcely lisp, and teach their infant lips to sing "Hosanna!" Let the incense of praise ascend to God from the altar of every sanctuary, household and heart.

"In one mighty choir,
All creatures! unite,
His praise to respire,
By day and by night;
Ye heirs of salvation!
His praises record;
O'er all the creation,

Oh! praise ye the Lord!

PROFESSOR IN THE THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY, BANGOR, MAINE.

GOD A GREAT KING.

“I am a GREAT KING, saith the Lord of hosts."-Malachi i: 14.

In these words God asserts his kingly authority. He claims to be the great Monarch of the universe.

The sovereignty which God here asserts is not that over the natural world, but over the moral world. Nor is it so properly that which consists in the disposing of events in the moral world, as that which consists in his administering over it a moral government-a government of law. There is a distinction to be observed here. God exercises his sovereignty in disposing of events in the moral world, in such way as to fulfil his eternal purposes. He turns the hearts of men as he pleases, even as the rivers of waters are turned. But this species of sovereignty is not so properly denoted by the term King. This term, which God applies to himself in the text, rather leads us to contemplate him as administering a government like other kings-a government of law over free, intellingent subjects. God has seen fit to create innumerable beings, of different orders, and to endow them with intellectual and moral powers. He has made them after his own image; capable, like himself, of knowing and doing their duty; fit subjects of law and government. And he has undertaken to administer such a government over them. He has undertaken to be their King, and to exercise over them a kingly power. He has given them laws for the regulation of their conduct. He has promised rewards to the obedient, and threatened punishment to the disobedient. He has erected a high and holy throne, and sits upon it. He has taken the sceptre in his hand, and claims to administer a government of law over all the intelligent creatures which he has made.

In administering such a government, it is obviously necessary that the great Monarch of the universe, like every other monarch, should be particularly guarded on certain essential points. In the first place, he must maintain his own honor and glory as a Sovereign. He must do this, by seeing to it that his laws, and penalties, and promises, and dispensations are all perfectly right. They must be, and must be seen to be, holy, just, and good. The least defect here would be an everlasting dishonor to him, and would detract just so much from the regard which was due to him as a sovereign. Were it seen that his law was too strict or too lax; that it required or threatened too much, or too little; that he was par· tial in his rewards, or cruel in his punishments; in short, that any part of his administration was otherwise than holy, just, and good; his glory as a Sovereign would be tarnished, and the stability of his throne would be seriously threatened.

Secondly; it is moreover incumbent on the Supreme Being to maintain his dignity as a Sovereign. He can no more degrade himself, than he can deny himself. He can no more do that which is inconsistent with his dignity, than that which is inconsistent with his holiness or truth. He cannot even gratify his benevolence at the expense of his dignity. He cannot consistently do that which might be prompted by mere benevolence or pity, if, in order to this, he must descend beneath what was proper for him as the Sovereign of the universe, and degrade himself in the eyes of his subjects.

I remark, thirdly, if God is to administer a government of law, he must maintain his authority as a Sovereign, and the honor and authority of his law. He must cause himself to be revered, and his holy law to be respected. Obviously a government of law, whether on a large or small scale, can be maintained in no other way. Let any Sovereign begin to trifle with his law-to exact beyond it, or to fall beneath it-to withhold its rewards when merited, or to remit its penalty on slight and insufficient grounds, and suffer the transgressor lightly to escape; and he cannot long continue his government. It cannot be long before himself and his law will be trampled on at pleasure, and his government will be subverted and overthrown.

In reference to the points to which I have here adverted, it is important that every Sovereign, great or small, should be strictly guarded. Not even the head of a family, or the teacher of a common school, can maintain his authority without being guarded here. But several reasons may be assigned why this is of very special importance to the great Monarch of the universe.

1. His government is of vast extent. Did it reach to only a few subjects, he might be less cautious as to his measures. Were it limited, like the monarchies of earth, within comparatively narrow bounds, he might be less strict and vigilant in his adminstration. But the government of God is, I had almost said, (and perhaps might truly say,) boundless. It stretches from world to world-beyond all known or assignable limits. It includes myriads upon myriads of intellectual, immortal beings, all subject to the same

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law, all held by the same indispensable obligations, and all accountable to the same absolute and almighty Sovereign And now if this Sovereign is to sit upon his throne, and maintain it, and wield his sceptre over all these countless myriads of intelligent minds in heaven, on earth, and throughout the universe; who does not see that he must maintain the honors of his throne-must maintain inviolate his sovereign dignity and authority?

There are many things which God may do, and not endanger the stability of his government. He may roll aside the visible heavens as a flaming parchment. He may dash material worlds out of existence at a word, and re-create them at another word. But he cannot trifle with his law. He cannot trifle with his dignity and authority as a Sovereign. These must be guarded and secured at any rate, or a government so vast as that which he has undertaken to administer cannot possibly be maintained.

2. Another reason why it is of indispensable importance that the great Monarch of the universe should guard well the points to which I have adverted, grows out of the character of his subjects, or at least of a portion of them. Had God created no intelligent beings but those of the feeblest capacity-who were but a single remove from the brutes-who could look but a little way, and know but little either of themselves or their Creator; it would be of less consequence in what manner his government over them was administered. Defects might occur, and yet never be perceived; or, if perceived, might be glossed over to their satisfaction. But God has been pleased to create different orders of intelligences; and some of them, we know, of the brightest, noblest capacities and powers. He has been pleased to surround himself, more especially in his upper temple, with angels and archangels, cherubim and seraphim, spirits of towering height and glowing intelligence, who are capable of looking into every part of his administration-of scanning and scrutinizing his works and ways. And not only so, a portion of the lofty spirits whom God has created sustain to him. the attitude of enemies. They have cast off his authority, broken his laws, and raised the standard of rebellion against him. Still, their existence has not terminated, nor is the keen eye of their intelligence dimmed. They still live in the presence of God, and . watch the course of his administration, and watch it with the intent to find occasion of objection and murmuring, if they can. Now it is over all these bright and glowing intelligences-friends and enemies-those that love him and those that hate him-in heaven, on earth, in hell, and throughout the universe-it is in their presence, and under their eye, that the great God has set up his throne, and is carrying on his government. He shrinks not from their closest scrutiny. He throws, himself all open, so far as possible, to their survey. He calls upon them to look him in the face-to look through the whole course of his administration, and to testify against him, if they can. Now, is it not perfectly obvious, in view of all these circumstances, that the great Sovereign himself must be specially guarded as to what he does, or suffers to be done, under

his government? Must he not see to it, that nothing takes place to tarnish the honors of his throne-nothing that will not bear the strictest scrutiny? Must he not guard his law with a sleepless vigilance, and maintain it unbroken, and to the last iota, throughout the universe.'

3. It still farther appears that it is of indispensable importance for God to guard well the points to which we have referred, since, from his very nature, he cannot descend to the shifts which other sovereigns sometimes make in order to evade these points; or in case of a failure, he cannot resort to such excuses as other sovereigns may with propriety offer. For instance, should a case of transgression go unpunished under the government of a father, a school-master, or a petty earthly monarch, he might save his authority by pleading that he did not see the evil committed. It did not fall under his eye. It took place behind his back, or when his attention was turned another way. But the great Monarch above can never justify himself by such an excuse as this. For he is omniscient. He sees and knows every thing. No circumstances of seclusion can be conceived of, through which his eye does not intuitively penetrate. There is no darkness where the workers of iniquity can hide themselves from him. If the law is transgressed in any part of his immense dominions, he must instantly see it; and if the transgressor escapes a merited punishment, he must be privy to it, and responsible for it, to the universe of intelligent minds.

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Persons in authority sometimes do not wish to see instances of neglect or transgression which take place among those who are subject to their control. If they see them, they will feel constrained to notice them publicly, and to inflict punishment. And to avoid this necessity they choose not to see them. But the omniscient God cannot descend to any such shift as this. He must see every instance of neglect or transgression which takes place under his government; and seeing it, he must dispose of it publicly, according to the principles of eternal justice, and in a manner to satisfy the universe of intelligent minds.

If transgression fails to meet with its reward under human governments, the sovereign 'sometimes justifies himself by pleading his inability. The offence was of such a nature, or it took place under • such circumstances, that he was not able to punish it as it deserved. But it is obvious, if God suffers the offender against him to escape punishment, he can never justify himself in this way. He can never plead his inability to inflict it, because he is every where present, and every where omnipotent. Wherever and whenever an offence takes place, he is on the spot to see it, and is in the present possession of the almighty power to punish it. However formidable the transgression may be, or however numerous and mighty the confederacy engaged in it, they are all before him as the moth, and he can crush them with the utmost ease.. 1 he if ex

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1 When defects are discovered in the administration of other monarchs,' they may plead, in excuse, that they do not pretend to be perfect They do not profess to administer à perfect government,