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they might find proper matter and fuitable words to raise their gratitude, as high as it can be on this fide of heaven. We have alfo the apoftle's practice and experience to recommend his use of the pfalms. He fung them with delight, as well as quoted them with propriety. His love to Jefus run as high, as love ever will upon earth. He fpeaks of him continually as the perfect delight of his foul, on whom he had placed all his affections, and whom he found every day worthy of more love, than his narrow heart could contain. O how precious was his Saviour, when he could fay"What things were gain to me, those I "counted lofs for Chrift: Yea doubtless, " and I do count all things but lofs for "the excellency of the knowlege of "Chrift Jefus my Lord, for whom I "have fuffered the lofs of all things, "and I do count them but dung, that I ་ may win Chrift." Happy Paul! what muft he have feen in Jefus, who could account it an honor to fuffer fhame for his name, and an infinite gain to win Christ, though with the loss of all things? O happy, thrice happy man, who could carry the crofs of Chrift, and esteem it as his crown. God forbid, fays he, that I fhould glory in any thing, except in

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the crofs of our Lord Jefus Chrift: For I count not my life dear to myself, fo as I may but live and die fulfilling his will. And this was not a flight of fancy, or a mere rant of enthufiafm, but it was cool fober love, and arose from real experience of the pretioufnefs of Jefus to his heart. This heavenly lover was the fubject of his fongs in the worst house of his painful pilgrimage. He was fo truly in body foul and fpirit devoted to his Jefus, that how much foever he fuffered, yet he could rejoice in the Lord. O what a proof did he give of it!-sufficient to shame our higheft profeffions of attachment to the dear Redeemer. When he had been beaten with many and cruel ftripes, put into a difmal dungeon, and even there with his feet in the ftocks, his heart was then full of gratitude, and in tune to make delightful melody unto the Lord, yea brake out into pfalms of praise-" At midnight Paul and Silas "prayed, and fang praifes unto God," with a loud voice: for the prifoners heard them. O for more faith in Jefus to fill us more with this thankful and praifing fpirit.: Lord, pour it out abundantly for thy mercies fake upon all thofe, who believe in thy holy name:

Let

Let us make our boast of thee all the day long, and praise thy name for ever.

From these inftances it is evident, that the new teftament church understood the pfalms in the fame light, as the old. Believers always fung them with the same view, with hearts and voices making melody unto the Lord Christ. He himfelf confirmed this use of them: For he joined in this part of religious worship. The apoftles quoted the pfalms, and directly applied them to their bleffed Lord. Yea, when the church met together in one place, the pfalms were not only read and fung, but fome abufes in finging them are corrected, which will lead me to confider

CHA P. V.

Rules laid down in fcripture for finging them aright.

SINGING of pfalms is a divine ordi

nance, and has an inward and an outward fervice. The inward confifts in the proper frame and affection of the renewed and fpiritual mind: For no man can use the pfalms as an ordinance of God, who has not received the Spirit of God: Without him we can do nothing, being dead

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in trefpaffes and fins. And after he is received, he is the continual breath of fpiritual life, yea as much as the air we breathe is of natural life. Every fpiritual fenfation of peace, comfort, and joy in God the Father is from the divine agency the Lord the Spirit. Every act of religious worship is performed acceptably by his ftrengthening us mightily in the inner man, and giving us the will and the power. If we pray aright, it is in the holy Ghoft. If we hear aright, it is by his bleffing on the word preached. If we fing aright, it is by the fame Spirit: And therefore we are not only commanded to feek his affiftance in all we do, but also a growing and increasing measure of his graces and gifts. Thus the apoftle directs the Ephefians in their finging of pfalms, "Be ye filled with "the Spirit, fpeaking to yourselves in "pfalms," &c. This is not meant of receiving him at firft: For it is fpoken to believers, who had the Spirit, but it relates to their thirsting after more, how much foever they had attained, ftill more of the Spirit's fulness, it being in him infinite, and always in us finite. We never have fo much, but we may have more; and when we have the moft, our thirft is then the greateft. This is an holy thirft, to which there is a divine invitation-" Ho, every

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"one that thirfteth come to the waters "of life." And a divine promife" In "the last day, that great day of the feaft, "Jefus stood and cried faying, If any "man thirst, let him come unto me, and "drink; but this fpake he of the Spirit, "which they that believe on him should "receive." And when this promife is fulfilled, and the holy Spirit is received, we are ftill in faith to ufe means for the increafing of his graces and gifts; among which means the apoftle recommends

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Speaking to yourselves in pfalms," &c. He fuppofes their finging would tend to their mutual edification: For the words are in the plural number, and denote their joining together in this holy exercife. He alfo commands the Coloffians to inftru&t and to admonifh one another in pfalms and hymns and fpiritual fongs, herein ufing the grace given both for its exercife, and alfo for its improvement. And this true manner of finging comes from the Spirit, and increafes the fruits of the Spirit.

It comes from the Spirit; because none Acan perform it, but the new creature in Chrift Jefus. It is a fpiritual fervice, in which only the fpiritual man can join. No one can make any melody acceptable to God, who has not been first a partaker

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