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make it useful: If fome providence should afford me leisure to revise my papers, of which I have no profpect at prefent, and if they should then appear to me likely to promote the honor of God, and the good of his church, I fhould think it my duty to let my light shine before men. Yet in this, and in every thing else, I do earnestly pray-Not my will, Lord, but thine be done.

Another very great abuse arifes from not treating pfalm finging as becometh a divine ordinance. There fhould be great respect paid to what God has appointed, and in the use of which he has promifed to meet and to blefs his people. We commonly call those the means of grace, to which grace is promised, and by which grace is received, and through which it is increased in the heart. Singing of pfalms is undoubtedly one of those means, but it is amongst us very much neglected, and when used, it is done in fo irreverent a manner, that the end of its inftitution is not attained. God, as has been already proved, has enjoined, and enforced it by repeated commands. He has alfo affigned the reafon of them, namely, that whenever we find ourselves happy in him, he would have our joy to flow out this way. And what more proper and fignificant?

Singing

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Singing is only expreffing outwardly the melody of the heart: And God has required it of us, as a juft fervice of praise. He has furnished us both with matter and -words. He has given us a divine collection of moft perfect hymns. And when we use them in humble faith, God will render them the means of exciting, of preferving, and of increafing our holy joy: For the promife is" The meek also "fhall increase their joy in the Lord, and "the poor among men fhall rejoice in the holy one of Ifrael."

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This promise has been made good in all ages. The bleffing has come in the ufe of means. The church of Chrift in praifing him has found fresh reason to praise him. While its happy members have been finging together, he has vouchfafed to them his gracious presence, and has given them fweet communications of his heavenly love. They have fung till their hearts burnt within them, inflamed with a sense of his goodness. Then they had delightful experience of the pfalmift's words" Praife ye the Lord; for it is a "good thing to give thanks unto the“Lord, and to fing praifes unto thy name, "O moft high: For it is pleafant and praise is comely."

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Reader, doft thou find it fo? Is it a pleasure to thee to fing pfalms? Doft thou fing them, as an ordinance? Doft thou in faith expect a bleffing upon thy finging? And is it indeed to thee the means of grace? If it be, ufe them more, and thou wilt find an increafing bleffing: If it be not, confider well what has been faid-repent of thine abuse of this precious ordinance— and pray for grace to obferve it to the honor of God, to the edification of others, and to the profit of thine own foul: The Lord give thee, a right understanding in this matter.

The neglect of it as an ordinance has led many people entirely to neglect it. I have scarce ever feen a congregation, in which every one joined in finging. This is a very great abufe: Because it is defeating the end of God's inftitution. He commanded pfalms to be fung for mutual edification. It was to be the fervice of the whole church. All were to join; whereas among us it is performed by fome few, and they are fometimes fet by themfelves in a finging gallery, or in a corner of the church, where they fing to be admired for their fine voices, and others hear them for their entertainment. This is a vile prostitution of church mufic, and

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contrary to the letter and spirit both of the old teftament and alfo of the new.

The first facred hymn upon record was fung by Mofes, and the children of Ifrael, in which Miriam, and all the women joined, and fang the chorus. The second hymn mentioned is said to be fung by the people of Ifrael without any distinction. When the ark was brought up to the city of David, he and all Ifrael played before God with all their might, and with finging: Moft likely they fang the lxviiith pfalm accompanied with harps, and pfalteries, and with timbrels, and with cymbals, and with trumpets. David frequently fpeaks of finging pfalms, as an ordinance in which every one, fhould bear his part, that God might be glorified, and all might be edified-" Make a joyful noise unto "God, all ye lands; fing forth the honor

of his name, make his praise glorious. "All the earth fhall worship thee, and "fhall fing unto thee, they fhall fing unto 46 thy name. O let the nations be glad, " and fing for joy, fing unto God, ye "kingdoms of the earth: O fing praifes "unto the Lord." The fweet finger of Ifrael chooses this for his fubject

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All thy works fhall praise thee, O Lord, "and thy faints fhall bless thee"—and he pursues it through the cxlviiith pfalm.

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He begins with Hallelujah, and intending to have a full chorus to join him in afcribing all glory to God in the highest, he calls upon the holy angels and the heavenly hofts to affift; then he addreffes himself to the active powers in nature, which praise God by doing his will and obeying his decree; afterwards he calls upon the earth with every thing in it, and on it, animate, and inanimate: For thefe fulfill his commandments, and keep his laws, and fo praife him: At last he comes to mankind, and requires high and low, kings and all people, princes and all judges of the earth, both young men, and maidens, old men and children, to join with him in praising the name of the Lord: For his name alone is excellent, his glory is above the earth and heaven: He also exalteth the power of his people, the praise of all his faints, even of the children of Ifrael, at people near unto him. Hallelujah.

This was the state of the cafe in the old. teftament. We know from prophane history, that the first Chriftians in all their meetings used to fing the praises of Jefus their God. They would not fit down to meat, or rife up without a pfalm. Jerom fays, you might have heard the ploughmen and reapers in the fields finging pfalms: Yea feveral of them could repeat E

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