Psalm V.

SING to our Lord a psalm of joy; sing praises to the God of our salvation.

Sing with a loud and cheerful voice; sing with a glad and thankful heart.

Sing to the weak of spirit, be strong; and to the sorrowful, be of good comfort.

Make known to all this soul-reviving truth, and let their hearts exult to hear it.

Tell them that the Lord is risen again, and has clothed himself with immortal glory. He appointed angels the heralds of his victory; and vouchsafed even himself to

bring us the joyful news.

How many ways has thy mercy invented, O thou wise contriver of our happiness! to impress upon the mind this salutary belief, and settle in our hearts a firm ground of hope.

Thou didst appear in the garden to the holy women who sought thee, and openedst their eyes to know and adore thee.

Thou didst overtake in the way the two disciples that discoursed of thee, and madest their hearts glow with admiration.

Thou didst shew thyself, on the steadfast shore, to thy weary followers labouring on the waters;

Labouring, alas! all night in vain without the blessing of their beloved Jesus.

Thou didst shew thyself, and tell them who thou wert, by the welcomed token of a beneficent miracle.

Through the doors, though shut, thou swiftly passedst to carry peace to thy comfortless friends:

To dispel their fears by thy animating presence, and confirm their faith by thy charitable reasoning.

How didst thou condescend to eat before them, and invite them to touch thy impassable body!

How didst thou sweetly constrain that incredulous servant, to thrust his hand into thy wounded side!

Actions, we know, unsuited to thy glorified state, but absolutely necessary for our slow belief.

How often, O gracious Lord! during the forty days after thy resurrection, did thy goodness place thee among thy disciples!

That thou mightedst impart to them some further truths, and imprint thy love still more deeply in their hearts;

Discoursing perpetually of the kingdom of heaven, and pointing out the means of securing it.

At last, when thy glorious task was accomplished, and thy parting hour from this earth drew near,

Thou tenderly gatheredst thy children about thee, and in their presence ascendedst into heaven;

Leaving thy dearest blessing upon them, and promising them a comforter to supply thy absence.

O how adorable are thy counsels, O Lord! how endearing the ways of thy love!

Say now, my soul, is not this evidence clear enough to satisfy all thy doubts?

Is not this hope abundantly sufficient, to sweeten thy bitterest sorrows?

What though we mourn and be afflicted here, and sigh under the transient miseries of this world?

We are sure, that our grief will be turned into joy, and our joy no one shall take from us.

What though our bodies crumble into dust, and that dust be scattered over the face of the earth?

We know that our Redeemer liveth and will appear in glory at the last day.

He will appear in the midst of innumerable angels, and with these very eyes we shall see him.

We shall see him in whom we have so long believed; we shall find him whom we have so often sought.

We shall possess him whom our souls have perpetually loved, and we shall be united to him for ever, who is the end of our being and the consummation of our happiness. Glory be to the Father, &c.

Psalm VI.

RAISE thy head, O my soul! and look up, and behold the glory of thy crucified Saviour. He that was dead and laid in the grave, low enough to prove himself man,

Is risen again and ascended to a station which clearly establishes his divinity.

He rose, and made the light his garment, and called upon the clouds to be the chariot of his triumph.

The gates of heaven obeyed their Lord, and its everlasting portals opened to the king of glory.

Enter, mighty king! attended with thy beauteous angels, and the glad train of thy newly delivered captives.

Enter, and take possession of thy ancient throne, and reign eternally at the right hand of thy Father.

May every knee bend at the sound of thy adorable name, and every tongue confess thy exalted prerogatives.

May all created nature adore thy power, and all mankind rejoice in the hope of thy goodness.

What have we in heaven, O Lord! but thee, who art gone thither to prepare a place for thy followers?

What have we on earth but thee, who aidest us by thy grace to secure the happiness of enjoying thee for ever?

O glorious Saviour! our strength, our joy, and the immortal life of our souls,