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CH A P. VI.

Thefe abufes I would particularly mention,. and humbly propose a remedy for each of them.

SOME of thefe may feem not worthy.

of notice, they are fuch fmall matters;; but I think there is nothing little in di vine worship. The majefty of God enno-bles, and exalts every part of it. He has commanded us to fing pfalms, and. whatever he has been pleased to command, has his authority to enforce it :. And whatever he has engaged to bless,. has his promise to make it the means of bleffing. In keeping of it there is at. prefent great reward. His prefence. will. be in it, when it is rightly performed,. and he will render it effectual. He will. hear, he will accept, he will witnefs his acceptance of the praises of his people: Therefore every thing relating to them. fhould be done decently and in order. We should always fing with a reverence, becoming the greatness and goodness of our God, in fuch a manner as may beft exprefs our happiness in his love, and as may tend most to mutual edification.

If these things be confidered, it wilb not be thought an indifferent matter, whether the pfalms be fung at all, or how they be fung-whether with, or without any heart devotion, with or without any melody of the voice-whether every believer in the congregation fhould fing, or no-whether finging fhould be a trial of skill, who can bawl loudeft-whether the pofture fhould not be expreffive as well as the voice-whether fuitable portions of the pfalms fhould be chofen, or the person who gives them out should be left to choose them, often without any judgment-whether grace fhould be exercifed in finging, or not-whether we fhould fing in order to increase grace, or not-whether we fhould fing for amusement, or for the glory of God. It is not a trifling matter how you determine those points: They enter deep into an important part of religious worship, yea into a very high act of it, one in which we pay the nobleft fervice we can upon earth, and indeed the nearest we can. come to the service of faints and angels.. How then can it be an indifferent thing,. whether a believer fings pfalms, or not,. or whether or no he fings them with, metody in his heart unto the Lord? Certainly if he would please God in finging, he

fhould

should attend to the fcripture rules before laid down for directing his conduct, which compared with the analogy of faith will regulate every thing relating to the divine ordinance of pfalm finging.

One great abufe is the general ignorance of the fubject of the book of pfalms. No portion of God's word is lefs known: Many in our congregation very seldom understand what they are finging. They have not Chrift in their eye, nor his glory in their view: Although the defign of all those hymns is to defcribe the love of God to finners in Chrift Jefus. They all treat of him in fome view or other: For there are many extenfive, and all very glorious views, in which his perfon, offices, works and ways may be confidered. Some treat of his high praises as God-man, describing his perfon, as the infinite treasury of grace and glory. Some celebrate the matchlefs deeds of his life, as the Lord our righteoufnefs, and the complete atonement made for fin by the facrifice of himself. Others in language and sentiments truly fublime fing the endless victories of his refurrection, and the prevailing efficacy of his interceffion. Several of them treat of his moft bleffed government, when he fets up his throne in the hearts of his willing people, and faves them from fin, and

death,

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death, and every enemy: While others foretell the great day of the Lord, when he will come to judge all flesh, will take his redeemed home, and the whole heaven fhall be filled with his glory. Befides, the pfalms treat of this wonderful perfon, not only from the beginning of time, but alfo from the ages of eternity: They discover the undertakings of his love before all worlds in the covenant of the Trinity his fulfilling the covenant engagements in time and his bestowing covenant-bleffings from henceforth and for ever. What an extenfive view do they give us of the loving kindnefs of Immanuel, reaching from everlafting to everlasting! And in all these refpects the pfalms are of ineftimable value with believers For their ufe the holy Spirit has recorded them; and herein they learn, what fentiments they are to form of God the Saviour, with what gratitude they fhould fpeak of him, and with what holy joy they should fing the triumphs of redeeming love. The pfalms were fitted for this purpose by infinite wifdom: For holy men of God fpake them as they were moved by the holy Ghost: And they are bleffed for this purpofe, when with the apostle any one can fay, "I will fing

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"with the Spirit, and I will fing with "the understanding alfo."

In order to remedy this great evil, I have prefixed the fubject of every pfalm in this collection, that the congregation might have a key to the true fenfe, and each might know, what particular grace was to be exercifed in finging it. This will help fomewhat to keep up harmony in the understanding. But it will not be without fome difcord, until the fubject treated of in the book of pfalms be. made very plain, and their application to. Jefus Chrift be well fettled. For this end I have finished fome years ago a translation of the pfalms, with a treatise upon their ufe and defign: It was computed to make two large volumes in octavo, entitled, An effay towards a new tranflation of the bible-In which I have been engaged, as opportunity has offered, above thirty years; but I fhould have published nothing more of it in my life time, than this effay, in which the tranflation of the book of pfalms would have been given as a fpecimen of the work. It has laid by me fo long, that I am not very fanguine about the publication. Yet if this little tract fhould be favorably received, and God fhould be pleased to

make

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