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is commanded by divine authority, and commanded as a part of divine worship; not left to man's wifdom, how to provide 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 difused 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 ftolen out of the church, and thereby the members are deprived of the bleffings promifed 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

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For inftance, Let the word (not fomething befides it) but the word of Christ itself dwell in you richly in all wisdom, 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 praife of Immanuel, fuch efpecially as have Hallelujah at the beginning or end, are called hymns, and the pfalms which relate to the spiritual things of Christ 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 apoftle is fpeaking of them altogether, he calls both the hymn and spiritual fong a pfalm. We render the word farrotes making melody, but it means finging the pfalm, and is as if he had faid-when you use a hymn to the praise 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

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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 melody of the heart to the Lord, as at the fame time to confult each other's profit, that while the Lord was glorified the church might receive edifying. Here is a full authority for the use of pfalms in the church, and a very clear direction how to fing them, and as following this. direction was the divine means of making. the word of Chrift to dwell richly in believers, how poorly muft it dwell in them, who flight and defpife the command, yea fo far as never to fing any pfalms at all?

If any real chriftian would attend to this reafoning, how can he oppose it? Here is a collection of hymns appointed to be fung in the church by divine authority; but the authority is despised, and the collection is thrown afide. It comes. from the infpiration of the Almighty, but the church entirely refufes to use it; is not this doing defpite unto the Spirit of grace? The collection is large and very particular in fetting forth the praifes of the adoreable Immanuel, is it not a grofs affront to him to fing none of his praifes in the words which the holy Ghost teacheth, as if any praises were good enough

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for him, or as if he could be praised better in the words, which mans wisdom teacheth. Men and brethren, confider whether this be not a very grofs affront to the word of God, to the Spirit of God, and to the Son of God. Confider it well,' and the Lord give you a right understanding in this matter.

Secondly, The finging of mens poems in the church and fetting afide the pfalms. given by inspiration of God is contrary to the prophecies of the old teftament, and is an attempt to defeat them. They defcribe the state of the gofpel church, and declare there fhould be great joy and gladness found in it; particularly they mention finging of pfalms, as the outward expreffion of their inward joy in the Lord. Thus we read Chron. xvi. 23, 24. "Sing unto the Lord all the earth, fhew "forth from day to day his falvation: "Declare his glory among the heathen, "his marvellous works among all the na"tions:" Of the fame thing speaketh the prophet Ifa. Ivi. 6, 7. "Alfo the fons "of the stranger that join themselves to "the Lord to ferve him, and to love the

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name of the Lord, to be his fervants, "even every one that keepeth the fab"bath from polluting it, and taketh hold "of my covenant, even them will I

bring to my holy mountain, and make "them joyful in mine houfe of prayer; "their burnt offerings and their facri"fices fhall be accepted upon mine altar: "For mine houfe fhall be called an houfe "of prayer for all people." How this joy was to be expreffed is mentioned in pfalm xcv. The prophet fhews how believers fhould ftir up one another to rejoice in finging pfalms: And St. Paul fays this was written of the new teftament church. According to his explanation of the pfalm given in the 3d and 4th chapters of the Hebrews, the holy Ghost here calls for the folemn worship of our Saviour, and requires him to be praised with pfalms: He preffes this duty together with public prayer, ver. 6, 7. and then demands obedient attention to the word of God, against which no man fhould harden his heart through unbelief: From whence it appears, that praifing God folemnly, with finging pfalms, with public prayer, and with hearing the word are ftill the ordinances of Chrift, and are to continue to day, even while it is called to day, unto the end of the world. These prophecies have been fulfilled. The bleffed gofpel has brought joy and gladness into heathen lands, and this very day pfalms have been fung and a pure offering of praise has been prefent

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