enjoy what God gives, while our hearts are merry, and our tongues joyful, and our spirits high, let us keep in mind the truth, that our merry hearts, and our joyful tongues, and our high spirits, cannot alter the irreversible sentence, "In the world ye shall have tribulation ;" and let the remembrance of this keep us humbled and subdued. Welcome afflictions, welcome disappointments, if only they bring us nearer to Him in whom is our true rest. “They that sow in tears shall reap in joy." The sadder the present sorrow, the more joyful the after happiness; the more bitter the outward earthly spring, the sweeter that inward spring which flows from heaven.

1 John xvi. 33.

SERMON XXIV.

KNEELING AT PUBLIC PRAYER.

PSALM XCV. 6.

“Oh, come, let us worship and fall down, and kneel before the Lord our Maker."

THE Psalm from which our text is taken is appointed to be used at the beginning of morning prayer; and doubtless it was so chosen because it very forcibly expresses the feelings with which a religious mind draws near to God.

Indeed, this very Psalm used to be chanted by the Jews at the beginning of their temple-service, and was for ages used in the Christian Church at the commencement of morning prayer, as we see from the ancient liturgies; on which account it was called the Invitatory Psalm. It begins, "Oh, come, let us sing unto the Lord: let us heartily rejoice in the strength of our salvation ;" and then, because it is necessary at all times, when we come before God, to appear with a thankful heart, it goes on to say, "Let us come before His presence with thanksgiving, and shew ourselves glad in Him

with psalms." Afterwards it gives the reason for this: "For the Lord is a great God, and a great King above all gods. In His hand are all the corners of the earth: and the strength of the hills is His also. The sea is His, and He made it : and His hands prepared the dry land." Then, next upon this thought of the greatness and majesty of God, the Creator of the world, and of all things that are therein, what follows? There follows the necessity of worshipping this great and glorious God: "Oh, come, let us worship and fall down, and kneel before the Lord our Maker." And why so? Because He is the Lord "our" God. Not only is He God of the universe, but also especially "our" God: "He is the Lord our God, and we are the people of His pasture, and the sheep of His hand." We, as Christians (for the Psalms were written by inspiration, not for Jews only, but for Christians also, through all time)- -we, as Christians, are "the people of His pasture." He has called us, and set us apart in a particular manner, to worship Him. We are also "the sheep of His hand." has redeemed us by the blood of His dear Son. He has sanctified us by His Spirit. Christ Himself is our good shepherd, and we are His sheep. Let us beware, then (as the Psalm goes on to warn us), that we do nothing "to harden our hearts," as the Jews did; but looking forward to that "eternal rest which remains for the people of God," and

1 Heb. iv. 9.

He

fearing lest we be deprived of entering therein, let us endeavour in all things, both in body and soul, to fulfil His holy will.

Here, in particular, I would direct your attention to one point of duty very necessary to be observed if we desire to please God. We read in the text, "Let us worship and fall down, and kneel before the Lord our Maker." God having made man of two parts, body and soul, requires of him that in each part he should glorify his Maker. Not only is it necessary for the heart to be in communion with God, to love God, and to humble itself before Him but also, in the worship of God, the body must bear its own share: "Oh, come, let us worship and fall down." This was what the ancient Christians did; this is what, even now, many Christians in other lands do. When they come before God, they not only worship, but also fall down. When they say their prayers, whether in public or in private, they actually bow down their bodies to the earth, in token of their humility and submissiveness before God. This even the heathens did in worshipping their false gods. I mean to say, they did not sit comfortably on seats while they prayed, but they bowed themselves down upon the very floor of their temples. Even they Even they who worshipped the image which Nebuchadnezzar set up, "fell down and worshipped it." Even Satan said, "If Thou wilt fall down and worship me."

1 Dan. iii. 5.

2 Matt. iv. 9.

However, since, under certain circumstances, it might not be possible to fall down and worship, you will observe it is provided for in this Psalm, that at any rate those who do not bow down to the earth before God in their prayers, should at least kneel: “Oh, come, let us worship and fall down, and kneel before the Lord our Maker." If we do not fall down before God in our public and private worship, which we might well do, at least we are bound to kneel. Neither can we have any hope that God will hear the prayers of our souls, unless, at the same time, we humble our bodies before Him.

This, my brethren, I seriously state to be a matter of the utmost importance, and yet, how very little is it attended to! Every one of you, indeed, when you say your private prayers at morning and evening, take care, as I do not doubt, to kneel, and you would think it most irreligious to say them sitting; yet, when you come to church, where, if possible, you ought to be still more careful to serve God with the very utmost degree of humility both of body and soul, how few amongst you really kneel down at your prayers! It is, indeed, the great curse of our congregations through the length and breadth of the land, that not one quarter of the people use any other posture than that of sitting, throughout the prayers. And I have asked myself, What can be the cause? How is it that Christians come to church for the sake of praying, and yet,