PREACHING IN THE TABERNACLE.

Put them in fear, O Lord:

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That the nations may know themselves to be but men."

This piece affords a fine example of "calling to remembrance." It opens with earnest praise to God, and then passes on to recount several instances in which His power had been exerted on behalf of His people with the most happy effects to them, and destruction to their enemies. This is followed by another burst of praise. After which, the speaker refers to his present sorrow, and prays for deliverance, encouraging himself in confidence and hope, because "the Lord is known by judgment," and "will not forget the poor and the needy." The effect which such addresses would produce on a company of earnest worshippers who understood all the allusions, and had participated in some of these deliverances, can scarcely be conceived of by us.

In one of his Psalms, David makes distinct reference to these discourses of his in the tabernacle :

"I delight to do Thy will, O my God:

Yea, Thy law is within my heart.

I have preached righteousness in the great congregation:

Lo, I have not refrained my lips, O Lord, Thou knowest.

I have not hid Thy righteousness within my heart; I have declared Thy faithfulness and Thy salvation : I have not concealed Thy lovingkindness and Thy truth

From the great congregation." (Psalm xl. 8-10.)

It will be admitted that the addresses of the royal

speaker must have been numerous, varied, and important, to lead him to allude to them in such terms as these; and he refers to his statement of these deliverances as uttered under a deep sense of duty. God knew the whole case, and that he was so wrought upon that he could not refrain his lips. He held righteousness in his heart, but dared not hide it there, but had fully and freely proclaimed the faithfulness and salvation, the lovingkindness and the truth of God, which he had experienced, to the great congregation. David here must not be considered in his regal character, but as an inspired prophet of God: as such he takes his place among the teachers of his people, and bears witness to the greatness and goodness, the truth and faithfulness of the God of Israel. There were others, undoubtedly more than we know of, who in a similar manner bore testimony for the truth. Asaph, the chief of the Levites and of the singers in this sanctuary, himself the inspired writer of sacred Psalms, has left one such instance on record, which we regard as the basis of one of his Psalms; a Psalm which could scarcely have been composed without some reference to its subject having been made in this part of the public worship; considering that Asaph was himself the man on whom the duty devolved of arranging for these oral communications. He tells us that he had been led to pay particular attention to the prosperity of wicked men; that he perceived they had not trouble as other men, while they had more than heart could wish; that they indulged in pride, practised violence, and spoke wickedly concerning oppression : that these ungodly ones who prosper in the world, and increase in riches, said respecting the Most High, "How doth God know?" From all this the good man was led to conclude, "Verily I have cleansed my

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heart in vain, and washed my hands in innocency. For all the day long have I been plagued, and chastened every morning." Yet, having been led thus far, he perceived that his conclusions must be wrong, inasmuch as they would militate against the righteous providence of God, and the true position of His people. So he felt painfully embarrassed, and found no relief to his doubts and misgivings, until he went into the sanctuary of God. Then light from heaven beamed forth on his mind; then he saw that the prosperity of the wicked was but for a moment, and that they stood on the brink of destruction. Under this inspiration, he felt the glorious privileges of the pious, and exulted in the position God had given him. "I am continually with Thee: Thou hast holden me by my right hand. Thou shalt guide me by Thy counsel, and afterward receive me to glory. Whom have I in heaven but Thee? and there is none upon earth that I desire beside Thee. My heart and my flesh faileth but God is the strength of my heart and my portion for ever." The effect of such communications on the worshippers at Zion must have been wonderful. But without dwelling on this, it may be observed that the ministrations that could lead to such conditions and experiences must have been richly endowed with spiritual gifts, and accompanied by very gracious influences from the Holy Spirit.

The concluding part of the worship in this tabernacle is thus described by the sacred writer,"To thank and praise the Lord God of Israel." This is elsewhere called "the service of song." Poetry and music have been consecrated to the service of God from the earliest ages. The songs of Miriam, of Deborah, and of Hannah will always be regarded as marvellous displays of hallowed genius, and lofty, impassioned

feeling. And, inasmuch as they all contained addresses to God, they had in them the nature of worship. But where, before the days of David, do we find poetry and music of set purpose and systematically consecrated to the Divine service? We know of nothing of the kind as having existed. Here, however, begins a new era in the history of public worship. David provided a new course of sacred songs expressly for the worship of God in this tabernacle. Some of these have been quoted, others may hereafter be given; but that is not our present object, which is to show the vast importance of the importation of this new element into the worship of God.

Here were men of sterling piety and lofty genius, great wisdom, and earnest zeal, employing all their powers, under the inspiration of the Holy Ghost, to embody chaste, holy, elevating thoughts in the most soul-stirring language, for the edification of the congregation, in this part of their holy worship. The object set before their minds was, " to thank and praise the Lord God of Israel." And to this object they directed all their energies. The song composed for the opening service, which has been already given, conveys an idea of the general character of this portion of the worship performed here. It exhibits pure and lofty thoughts of God, and of His goodness, glory, and covenant mercies to Israel, such as nothing but the direct and plenary inspiration of the Holy Ghost could suggest; and these were expressed in poetic language of the highest order. We only echo the judgment of the best authorities sacred literature has produced, when we say, that the sacred poetry of the Hebrews stands out to this day unrivalled for its chaste, elevated, and sterling excellence.

But in one remarkable and peculiar respect the

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introduction of this poetry marked a new era in the history of the Hebrew church. It led the way to enshrining in sacred verse the hopes and fears, the joys and sorrows, the thoughts and feelings, the supplications and thanksgivings of the people of God. Nothing in the wide range of national affairs, nothing in the whole circle of family or individual prosperity or adversity, nothing, in fact, that could affect the church of God, as a whole, or any of its members in particular, was beyond the range of the subjects comprised in this service of sacred song; and, dictated as these compositions were by the Holy Spirit, they remain, throughout all time, a living memorial of the joyous, elevating, and effective power which this new element introduced into public worship, and at the same time present a model for the imitation of worshippers in all ages.

It is not supposed that this portion of the service was performed in what would now be called an artistic manner. It was, we believe, beautiful in its simplicity: yet there can be no doubt but that it was eminently effective, and conducted with all the science, tact, and ability that the musical attainments of that day could command. Singers were duly trained for this service,— in what numbers, during the early portion of the time of this tabernacle, we do not know; but before the transfer of the ark to the temple, there was a body of four thousand persons prepared to devote themselves in regular courses to this service. (1 Chron. xxiii. 5.) And from the beginning, the singing was sustained by all the force of instrumental music. All the musical instruments then known were pressed into this service, and new ones were devised, so to add to the powerful effect of the hallowed strains poured forth in the praise of Jehovah.

It is vain for us to attempt to realize the glorious

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