human wit. The sense, in which the church of Christ understood this subject, has been, till of late years, always one and uniform. Now we leave the ancient beaten path. But why? Have we found a better? How came we to be wiser than the prophets, than Christ, than his apostles, and the primitive Christians, yea,than the whole church of God? They with one consent have sung Psalms in every age. Here I leave the reader to his own reflections. There is one plain inference to be made from hence, none can easily mistake it. May he see it in his judgment, and follow it in his practice.

Fourthly, Singing of Psalms in the church is an ordinance commanded of God, prophesied of in the Old Testament, and hitherto fulfilled in the New. That Psalm singing is one of the means of grace has been shewn before. It is part of public worship, enjoined of God, and to which he has promised his blessing. Now when you lay aside Psalms in the church, you at the same time cast out the ordinance: for they are inseparably one. The Psalm is the ordinance. Your practice speaks, as if you said "We will neglect the means of increasing our joy in God; for we want no growing love to him, nor fresh communications of his love to us." Surely this is the language of those persons who live in the constant neglect of one of the divine ordinances. God appointed it in vain as to them. They make no more use of the Psalms, than if there were no such Hymns in being. And is not this opposing his authority? Is it not ungrateful to throw away his appointed means, and to think you can please him better, with singing your own poetry than his? Is it not hurtful to yourselves; for in seeking the promised blessing in the way of will-worship, you certainly cannot find it. Because

Fifthly, The blessing is promised to the ordinance. You cannot have the end without the means. The Psalms were revealed, that we might in singing them express our joy in God, and thereby improve it. They were for the exercise of grace, and for the increase of grace; that we might sing with grace in our hearts, and make one another's hearts warmer by singing. The word is one of the means of grace; by hearing it, faith cometh: by constant hearing, faith is established. If the word was never heard, how could faith come? If the word be entirely neglected, how can faith grow? Prayer is one of the means of grace: it is appointed in order to keep up communion with God, and to bring down daily supplies of mercies from him: Could these be had without asking? Certainly they could not. Singing of Psalms is also one of the means of grace: How can the blessing promised to the means be received, if no Psalms be sung? What sort of a church would it be, in which the word was never read

nor prayers, nor singing of Psalms, nor any means of grace used? It could not be a church of Christ: because his presence with, and his blessings to his people, are promised to them in the use of the means. The blessing accompanies the ordinance, and is promised unto it; God has joined them together, and they must not be put asunder. He will give honour, he does give honour to his own means. He makes them answer the end of their institution. When the Psalms are sung in faith, they do rejoice the heart. The holy Spirit blesses the singing, and causes mutual joy to abound, which is

Sixthly, Another reason for preferring divine Psalms to man's poems. The Psalms were for church service. When the members met, we read of their singing together both in the Old Testament and in the New. It was their joint offering of praise. The Psalms were appointed to be sung in the congregation, that one might admonish another, which we do, by joining with them, by making the word of Christ dwell more richly in them, and by exercising their graces with ours. Thus we shew our fellowship in the gospel When we all sing the same Psalm, it is as if the church had but one mouth to glorify God. And we never enjoy more of the presence of God, than while we are thus praising him together with thankful hearts. The Lord, who instituted the ordinance, promised this blessing to it: but when his Psalms are thrust out, and human compositions sung in their room, what reason have the singers to expect that he will give his good Spirit to quicken their hearts. and to inflame their devotion? He did not promise mutual edification, but to the use of his own means. He would have believers to teach and to exhort one. another, but it was in singing his own Psalms: and when they do, he has met them and blessed them, and always will; but he has given no promise to be present, whenever the church meet together in public to sing their own compositions, or to make them full of joy with the light of his countenance, when they have been doing despite to his Spirit, and putting dishonour upon his word.

Perhaps these sentiments may arise from my great attachment to the word of God, with which others may not be affected as I am: for I am persuaded it is not possible for me to set too.. high a value upon the holy scriptures-sa the revelation of the will of God, I want words to express my respect for them as the revelation of his good will in Jesus, I reverence them next to himself. What more precious! What more delightful! They are indeed more precious than gold, yea than much

ane gold: and the Psalms are sweeter than honey, yea than the honey dropping from the comb. I find them so. They are my daily study, and daily delight. I do not boast, but praise. The more I read, the more I admire them. The description of Jesus in them is sweet: the meditation of him is sweeter than all other sweets. It often tastes so much of heaven, that it seems to me I cannot possibly bestow so much admiration upon the Psalms, as they deserve. This is my settled judgment confirmed by experi ence. I cannot help taking particular notice of this, because it fully confirms the arguments which have been before used:

Experience demonstrates, that God does bless the singing of Psalms in the church, and does not bless the singing of men's Hymns. It is a melancholy matter of fact, that in many congregations there is no reading of God's word, no singing of God's word. It is almost laid aside, even the great ordinance of God for all saving purposes. And what has followed? Truly, what might be expected; yea, what could not but follow. The Holy Spirit has been grieved, and has withdrawn his powerful presence. For want of which a deadness that may be felt is in such places. Of this good men have complained to one another, and are humbled for it before God. They find public worship without power. Prayer is lifeless. Preaching is voice and nothing more. It may be the truth, but the bearers are apt to fall asleep over it, and the preacher is no more animated, than if he was telling an old story. The channel of dive communication is quite stop up: hence Ichabod may be seen and felt too upon such congregations. Reader, if thou art alive to God in thine own heart, thou knowest this to be true. And how does it affect thee? Certainly Ithou wilt join with me in begging of God to revive his work among us, and to put glory upon his ordinances. O that the Lord would return with his gracious presence to his worshipping people. May the Holy Spirit lead them to see their error in neglecting his established means of grace, especially his word read and sung. And whenever he does this, and whenever they put honour upon his word, there will he certainly put life and power into the ordinances, and the congregations shall again experience that God is among them of a truth.

And as God does not bless the singing of human compositions in his church, so it is a certain matter of fact, that he does bless. the singing of his own Psalms. If the eyes of your understanding be opened, look around; where is the power of God most to be found? Among whom is he chiefly carrying on his work? And where are the liveliest congregations? If you know the resent state of religion in this land, you can easily find them.

God has made them very conspicuous. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hid. The builder of it did not intend it should. His gifts and graces are therefore conferred, that the giver may have all the glory. And who are most enriched with his gifts and graces? Are they not such as he has brought to use the means most? Who honour his word, never failing to make the reading of it part of public worship, and who never meet, but they sing out of the word the praises of their God. Among these the Lord the Spirit does work with power, and they do find in singing his Psalms, what they never find in singing men's poems. He makes all their church ordinances lively and edifying. He enables them to draw near to God in prayer, and they have happy communion with him: he hears, and answers. The word preached is mighty through God. Sinners are awakened. Mourners are comforted. Believers are strengthened. The word sung is also accompanied with the same power: the Psalms are made an ordinance indeed. The holy Spirit works in and by them to keep up holy joy in believing hearts. He promised this, and the promise is fulfilled at this very hour-" The Lord shall comfort all her waste places, and he will make her wilderness like Eden, and her desert like the garden of the Lord, joy and gladness shall be found therein, thanksgiving and the voice of melody." Blessed be God for these favours now bestowed upon the church of England. This prophecy is ours. Adored for ever he his love. He is now with us of a truth, and he has turned our wildWe do not triumph for this

erness into the garden of the Lord. in ourselves. We do not look down with contempt upon others. No, no. We acknowledge it to be the Lord's doing, to the praise of the glory of his own grace; and to him we look for the continuance of this inestimable blessing. O that he would bestow it abundantly upon those congregations, who have the form without the power. This is the fervent prayer of my heart. I am sure our joy will increase by their sharing with us. May the good Lord reveive his work in all his churches, and may the life and power vouchsafed to some be found in all.

What can any unprejudiced person infer from hence? Is not the case plain? Where is the presence of God most to be found? Among the singers of poems, or the singers of Psalms? What says matter of fact? It speaks to the point, and determines in favour of God's word. The holy Spirit does not put honour upon man's poems, when set up in the church in opposition to his divine Hymns. Yea, he disgraces them. He pours contempt upon them, as it might be expected he would: for he leaves the singers to themselves, and then their performance is without life

and power. It keeps up no communion with God. It administers no holy joy. It is not the means of grace, but degenerates into a mere entertainment, and is the same thing in the church, that music is in the playhouse.

How can that be, says one, I am a witness to the contrary: I have found profit in singing hymns, and I am sure I have received pleasure. You may fancy so, but perhaps it is only fancy: for your practice confutes your profession. God has revealed the Psalms for the use of the church, he has commanded them to be sung in it, and has promised to meet his rejoicing people, and in singing to make their joy abound: but you despise the command, and therefore you can have no title to the promise. You cannot have the end without the means: while you slight the ordinance, how can you possibly receive the blessing promised to it? For the Holy Ghost will not vouchsafe his joy to them who seek it in opposition to his sovereign will: so that you might be pleased, but profited you could not. The profit is God's blessing upon the use of his own means, but you did not use the means, nay you despised his, and followed your own self-will. What profit could such singing bring you? What fellowship could you have with God in it, or what joy in God increased by it? You may bring your poems into the church, and may be vastly delighted with performing them. So is the vainest creature alive at the opera. The pleasure in both cases arises from the same cause. The ear is pleased with harmony, some animal joy is excited, a fine tune, well played, well sung, a very agreeable entertainment; but there could be no more spiritual edification in the one than in the other: because neither of them was the ordinance of God.

What! say some, is it unlawful to sing human compositions in the church? How can that be? Why, they sing them at such a place, and such a place: great men, and good men, aye, and lively ministers too sing them: will you set up your judgment against theirs?

It is an odious thing to speak of one's self, except it be to magnify the grace of God. What is my private judgment? I set it up against no body in indifferent things: I would wish to yield to every man's infirmity: for I want the same indulgence myself. But in the present case the scripture, which is our only rule of judgment, has not left the matter indifferent. God has given us a large collection of hymns, has commanded them to be sung in the church, and has promised his blessing to the singing. of them. No respect here must be paid to names or authorities, although they be the greatest on earth: because no one can dispense with the command of God, and no one can by his wit com