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PREFACE.

N the fervice of the church of Eng

IN

land there is great ufe made of the pfalms. They are read in every day's fervice, both at morning and evening prayer, and are conftantly fung in public worship. It is much to be wifhed they were better understood, that the daily reading and finging of thent might be the means of grace. Very few, it is to be feared, receive the profit, from them, which as an ordinance of God they were intended to adminifter. I have long feen the design of them greatly mistaken, and have long lamented the contempt put upon them. At laft I have been perfuaded to try to make the fubject of these divine hymns plain and clear, and to reftore the finging of them in the congregation to their primitive usefulness. This is my prefent attempt. Succefs in it depends on help from God. He revealed the book of pfalms, and he alone can A 2 make

make the finging of them profitable. I hope he will. May he accompany my well-meant performance with his prefence, and profper it with his grace. If it bring any honor to his holy name and word, thanks be to him. If any body reads it, and is ftirred up to fing more and better, if our public finging of pfalms be reformed, and become in the leaft like the great concert of faints and angels, this will be altogether his doing; may he have all his praife. I deferve none, being only in his church and fervice what he is pleased to make me. Through his grace I wish to live to his glory, and to be useful in my day to his caule and interest Help me, reader, to exalt him.in life and death. May it be thy Happiness to do the fame: for which thou haft the hearty prayer of thy fervant in him:

W. R.

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WE

E are the creatures of God, dependent on him for being and for well being. He gives us all our faculties both of mind and body, and he requires us to use them in his fervice and to his glory. This is our bounden duty. It is the peculiar dignity of man, who never acts more nobly, than when he employs the powers bestowed upon him to the praise of the giver. None of them should be uselefs, but each fhould be exerted, whenever an opportunity offers of glorifying God.

In the common actions of life this may, and should be done: The rule is, "Whether ye eat or drink, or wHATSOEVER

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ye do, do all to the glory of God," but it is far more needful in spiritual matters, which have an immediate relation to God and his worship. These he has appointed to be the means of fhewing forth his praife. Among them finging of pfalms is not the leaft. It is frequently commanded, and with a promise-faithful is he who hath promifed- he will render the means effectual to answer the end. When believers employ the faculties of foul and body in finging of his goodness and greatness, he does accept the fervice, and teftifies his acceptance. He does indeed communicate to them by his Spirit joy and peace, and. he renders finging to the Lord with melody in the heart the means of increasing the melody and joy.

But where is fuch finging in what church? among what people? There are fome. May their number increafe. It is worth while to try to increase them, efpecially as this ordinance is fo much neglected. The holy affections, which should be ftirred up by fo heavenly an exercife, are generally damped by it. When it is performed with coldness and indifference, how can it produce fenfations fuitable to

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