ing of them is now almost as defpicable among the modern religious, as it was fome time ago among the prophane.

I know this is a fore place, and I would touch it gently, as gently as I can with any hope of doing good. The value of poems above pfalms is become fo great, and the finging of mens words, fo as quite to caft out the word of God, is become fo univerfal(except in the church of England) that one scarce dare fpeak upon the subject: Neither would I, having already met with contempt enough for preferring God's hymns to man's hymns; if a high regard for God's, moft bleffed word did not require me to bear my teftimony, and if I did not verily believe, that many real chriftians have taken up this practice without thinking of the tendency of it, and when they come to confider the matter carefully, they will rather thank me, than cenfure me for freedom of fpeech. Let me obferve then, that I blame no body for finging human compofitions. I do not think it finful or unlawful, fo the matter be fcriptural. My complaint is against preferring mens poems to the good word of God, and preferring them to it in the church. I have no quarrel with Dr. Watts, or any living or dead versifier. I would not with all their poems burnt.

My

My concern is to fee chriftian congrega tions fhut out divinely infpired pfalms, and take in Dr. Watts's flights of fancy; as if the words of a poet were better than the words of a prophet, or as if the wit of a man was to be preferred to the wif-dom of God. When the church is met together in one place, the Lord God has made a provifion for their fongs of praise -a large collection, and great variety and why should not these be used in the church according to God's exprefs appointment? I speak not of private people, or of private finging; but of the church in its public fervice. Why fhould the provifion which God has made be fo far despised, as to become quite out of use? Why fhould: Dr. Watts, or any hymnmaker not only take the precedence of the holy Ghost, but also thruft him entirely out of the church? Infomuch that the rhymes of a man are now magnified above the word of God, even to the annihilating of it in many congregations. If this be

right, men and brethren, judge ye. Examine with candor the evidence, which has determined my judgment, fo far as it is conclusive may it determine yours.

First, the pfalms are the word of God, with which no work of man's genius can be compared. His attributes are manifeft

in every page, and prove the author to be divine. His infinite wisdom fhines throughout his goodness appears to be matchlefs-his truth in every tittle infallible-his power almighty to bless the hearing, reading, and finging of his word. None that trufted in it was ever afhamed: For his faithfulness to it can never fail. The word of the Lord has been tried, and in very great difficulties, yea in feeming impoffibilities, but it was always made good. In every trial he "magnified his word above all his name," he made it the means of bringing glory to his name and nature, and every perfection in deity has been exalted by the faithfulness of God to his word. In this view of the pfalms, what is there to be put in competition with them? What man is like their author? What poetry is to be compared with the pfalms of God? Who can make the finging of any human verfes an ordinance, or give a bleffing to them, fuch as is promised and is given to the finging of pfalms? For what reafon then are they fet afide in the church? Why are the words of man's genius preferred to the words of infpiration? Singing of pfalms is commanded by divine authority, and commanded as a part of divine worship; not left to man's wisdom, how to provide

for

for it, but it is exprefly provided for in the good word of God. And is not great contempt put upon this infinitely wife provifion, when it is quite difufed in the church, and man's word is preferred to it? What would you think of them, who fhould throw afide all the fcripture, and never read it at all in the congregation? And is it not an offence of the like nature, totally to neglect a part, a chief part of it, which was recorded for the ufe of the church, and in which its members were to fing the high praises of their God? It is hereby treated as ufelefs and good for nothing. A very grofs affront is put upon the love and wisdom, which revealed this divine collection of hymns, and the church is deprived of the bleffing promised to the finging of them, whereby it is robbed of one of its choiceft treasures. If any thing be facrilege this is. The pfalms are stolen out of the church, and thereby the members are deprived of the bleffings promised to the finging of them: For God will not give you the end, if you neglect the means. Frequent are his commands in the old teftament to fing pfalms, and we have feveral in the new For inftance," Let the word" (not something befides it) but the word of Chrift itself dwell in you richly in all wisdom,. teaching

teaching and admonishing one another in pfalms and hymns and fpiritual fongs→→ these are not different things, but different names for the fame collection of pfalms, as they treat of different fubjects. Pfalms in praise of Immanuel, fuch especially as have Hallelujah at the beginning or end, are called hymns, and the pfalms which relate to the spiritual things of Chrift and his kingdom, have the title of fong fet before them by the holy Spirit, fuch as, 7, 18, 30, 45, 46, 48, 65, 66, 67, 68, 75, 76, 83, 87, 88, 92, 108, from 120 to 135. These hymns and spiritual fongs were part of the fcripture, and part of the pfalms, fcripture hymns and fcripture fongs; for the word of Chrift in finging them was to dwell in them richly; not man's word, but Chrift's, and when the apostle is speaking of them altogether, he calls both the hymn and fpiritual fong a pfalm. We render the word aλoves making melody, but it means finging the pfalm, and is as if he had faid-when you use a hymn to the praife of God, or a fpiritual fong to any fpiritual purpose fing the pfalm fo that one may teach and admonish the other. It was a fervice in which each is commanded to join, and each, was to endeavor in it to profit the other. They were to try fo to fing with

the