he has shewn forth, in what he has done and spoken. To utter the
CHAPTER XI
THE SONG OF THE AGES TO COME
THE word Halleluiah is literally, Praise ye Jah, or Jehovah; and the word Hallel, or praise, denotes clearness of voice or sound, as if to signify that praise ought ever to be the clearest, fullest, gladdest, utterance of man's voice, dwelling upon the wonders of Jehovah's character and mighty deeds. Hallelujah, then, is "Lift up the voice in its loudest and most expressive tones to celebrate Jehovah." Use that tongue of yours which is your "glory,"—use that voice of yours in all its variety of compass, in telling of Him whose name is Jah, the Being of beings, the I AM, out of whom all being came, visible or invisible, earthly or heavenly, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers; for of him, and through him, and to him, are all things, to whom be glory and dominion now and for evermore. "Hallelujah! Praise God in his sanctuary; praise him in the firmament of his power; praise him for his mighty acts; praise him according to his excellent greatness; praise him with the sound of the trumpet; praise him with the psaltery and harp; praise him with the timbrel and dance; praise him with stringed instruments and organs; praise him with the loud cymbals; praise him upon the high sounding cymbals; let every thing that hath breath praise the Lord. Hallelujah."
Regarding this hallelujah, let us ask and answer such questions as these:—1. For what it is to be sung. 2. By whom. 3. Where. 4. How long.
1. For what it is to be sung.—For that which is in Jehovah, and which he has shewn forth, in what he has done and spoken. To utter the name of God, as the heathen do, without knowing what that name reveals, is but foolishness and mockery; it is no better than sounding
brass or a tinkling cymbal. But to speak of that name as embodying all the excellencies of greatness and goodness, of holiness and love,— this is praise—this is, of all employments, the noblest and the worthiest. And in proportion as that name is comprehended in all its infinite breadth and length, in that proportion will our praises abound, and our hallelujahs wax louder and louder. An unknown God calls forth no praise. It is the knowledge of what God is, or of what is in God, that awakens praise. Just as the sight of some object of surpassing beauty, some mountain scene, some ocean view, some far-stretching landscape, draws forth, irresistibly, our fervent expressions of admiration; so it is the sight of Jehovah, as he has revealed himself in his Word, that calls up our hallelujahs. Profoundly conscious of wants and sins past number, we are driven to our knees, and the cry of necessity goes up unceasingly; we cannot but pray. But losing sight of ourselves, and getting larger, brighter, discoveries of God, our souls fill with rapturous admiration, the utterance of want passes into that of worship, our hearts go upward, as by some irresistible attraction, prayer melts away into praise, and the unutterable groan vanishes into the more unutterable hallelujah. We see in him the great Creator—creator of heaven and earth, sea, sky, hills, plains, forests, streams; and we praise him. We see in him the perfection of wisdom, and might, and truth, and righteousness; and we praise him. We see in him the Lord God merciful and gracious,—the God who so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son,—the God of forgivenesses, and compassions, and endless bounties; and we praise him. All that is in him, and about him, spoken by him, done by him, is so infinitely perfect and excellent; his whole character is so glorious and loveable—that we wonder why there is such strange silence all around, why even one voice should be dumb; and say, as we contemplate more steadfastly and learn more fully his unsearchable riches in the person of his Incarnate Son, Who would not fear thee, who would not praise thee, O Lord, and glorify thy name!
That gospel which we preach is the proclamation of God's glorious character. It is his own testimony to himself; it is our testimony to