-made use of very early, even from the times of the apostles; and I deny not but that they may now be useful; though a great deal of care fhould be taken that they be agreeable to the facred writings, and the analogy of faith, and that they be expreffed, as much as can be, in fcripture-language; yet after all, I must confefs, that I cannot but judge them in a good measure unneceffary, fince we are fo well provided with a book of pfalms, and scriptural fongs, indited by the Spirit of God, and suitable on all occafions: However, I cannot think that fuch composures are defigned by the apostle; nor can I believe that he would place fuch between pfalms and spiritual songs, made by men inspired by the Holy Ghost, and put them upon a level with them, to be fung equally with them, to the edification of the churches; therefore, I take hymns to be but another name for the book of pfalms; for the running title of that book may as well be, the book of hymns, as of pfalms; and fo it is rendered by Ainfworth, who alfo particularly calls the cxlvth pfalm, an hymn of David: So the pfalm which our Lord fung with his difciples, after the supper, is called an hymn, as the pfalms of David in general, are called, by Philo the Jew, hymns, as they are alfo fongs and hymns by Jofephus *.

3. By fpiritual fongs, may be meant the fame pfalms of David, Afaph, &c. the titles of fome of which are', fongs, as fometimes a pfalm and fong, a fong and pfalm, a fong of degrees, and the like; together with all other fcriptural fongs, written by men inspired by God; and are called fpiritual, because the author of them is the Spirit of God, the writers of them men moved and acted by the fame Spirit; the fubject-matter of them fpiritual, defigned for fpiritual edification, and opposed to all profane, loose, and wanton fongs.

These three words, pfalms, hymns, and fongs, answer to Dhipip, Dban, and, the titles of David's Pfalms; and are, by the Septuagint, rendered by the Greek words the apostle uses. I fhall not trouble you with obferving to you how these three are diftinguished by learned men ", one from another, but only obferve, what has been remarked by others before me; that whereas the apostle, in his exhortations to finging, directs to the titles of David's pfalms, it is highly reasonable to conclude, that it was his intention that we should fing them but, inafmuch as there are fome queries, fcruples, and objections, about the finging of them, it will be proper to attempt a fatisfactory answer

to them.

(r.) It

L de Mutat. nom. & 1. de Somniis & alibi. * Antiq. 1. 7. c. 12.

1 So Pfal. xxx, xlv, xlvi, xlviii, lav, lxvi, lxvii, lxviii, lxxv, lxxvi, lxxxiii, lxxxvii,

1xxxvii, xcii, cviii, cxxvi-cxxxiv.

m Vide Zanchium, Grotium, & Hammond, in

Eph. v. 19. Bezam in Col. iii. 16. & Leigh's Critica Sacra in voce, p.

(1.) It is inquired, Whether the book of Pfalms was originally written in verse or metre? The reason of this enquiry is, That if it should appear that it was not originally written in Hebrew metre, then there is no reason why it fhould be tranflated into metre in another language, and fo confequently not to be fung in the manner we do. To which I anfwer, That the book of Pfalms, with fome other writings of the Old Teftament, were originally writ ten in metre, is univerfally allowed by the Jews, and does alfo appear from the different accentuation of them, from that of other books. Jofephus", a learned Jew, fays, "That David being free from war, and enjoying a pro"found peace, compofed fongs and hymns to God, of various metre; fome "trimetre, that is, confifting of three feet, and others, pentametre, that is, "of five feet." David's Pfalms feem to be of the Lyric kind; hence Jerom, who of all the fathers beft understood the Hebrew language, calls "David, our Simonides, Pindar, Alcaeus, Flaccus, Catullus, and Serenus," who were all of them Lyric poets. And, in another place, he fays, "If it fhould feem. "incredulous to any that the Hebrews have metre, or that the Pfalms or the "Lamentations of Jeremiah, or almost all the fcriptural fongs are compofed "after the manner of our Flaccus, and the Greek Pindar, and Alcaeus, and. "Sappho; let him read Philo, Jofephus, Eufebius Caefarienfis, and he will find, "by their teftimonies, that what I say is true "." The learned Gomarus, in his Lyra, has given out of the Pfalms, and other poetical books of the fcriptures, feveral hundred of instances of verfe of the Iambic, Trochaic, Dactylic, Anapaeftic, Choriambic, Ionic, Antifpaftic, and Paeonic kind, which he has compared with a like number out of Pindar and Sophocles. The Jews indeed have now loft the knowledge of the facred poetry, and have been, for many hundred of years, unacquainted with it; though R. Benjamin Tudelenfis fays, that there lived in his time, at Bagdad, one R. Eleazar, and his brethren, who knew how to fing the fongs as the fingers did, when the temple was standing.. But

9

* Απηλλαγμένο δ' ηδη πολέμων ο Δαβίδης, και βαθείδας απολαύων το λοιπον ειρήνης, ώδάς εις τον Θεον,. και υμνες, συνελαξατο με ρε ποικίλα. Τις γαρ τριμερες, της δε πενταμερες εποίησεν. Jofeph.. Antiq, 1. 7. c. 12. §. 3.

David, Simonides nofter, Pindarus & Alcaeus, Flaccus quoque Catullus & Serenus. Chriftum lyra perfonat. Hieron. Ep. ad Paulin. inter opera ejus. Tom 3. p. 3. Edit. Parif. Quod fi cui videtur incredulum metra fcilicet effe apud Hebraeos, & in morem noftri Flacci, Graecique Pindari & Alcaei, & Sapphus, vel Pfalterium, vel Lamentationes Hieremiae, veli omnia ferme fcripturarum cantica comprehendi, legat Philonem, Jofephum, Origenem, Caefarienfem Eufebium, & eorum teftimonio me verum dicere comprobabit. Ibid. p. 8.

▸ Inter ejus opera, tom. 2. p. 317, &c.,

9 R. Benjamin. Maffaot vel Itinerarium. p. 70, 71. edit. L'Empereur.

But be this as it will, there is reason enough to conclude, that the book of Pfalms was originally written in verse; and therefore it is lawful to be tranflated into verfe, in order to be fung in the churches of Christ.

2. It is queried, Whether the book of Pfalms is fuitable to the present gofpel difpenfation, and proper to be fung in gospel-churches. I answer, Nothing is more fuitable to the gospel-state, or more proper to be fung in the churches of Chrift; fince it is fo full of prophecies concerning the perfon, offices, grace, and kingdom of the Meffiah; concerning his fufferings, and death, his refurrection, afcenfion, and feffion at the right hand of God; which are now more clearly understood, and are capable of being fung by believers, in a more evangelic manner than when they were first compofed : Befides, this book is full of exceeding great and precious promifes, as the ground of the faith and hope of God's people; it is a large fund of experience, a rich mine of gofpel-grace and truth, and is abundantly fuited to every case, state, and condition, the church of Christ, or a particular believer, is in at any time. A little care and prudence used in the choice of proper pfalms, on particular occafions, would fully difcover the truth of this.

(3.) It is objected, that perfons often meet with things which are not, and which they cannot make their own cafe; yea, fometimes with what is shocking and ftartling to a Chriftian mind; fuch as imprecations and curses, on enemies or wicked men. And it is asked, Should perfons fing cafes not their own, and fuch things as thefe now mentioned; would they not be guilty of lying to God, and of want of that charity to men which is fo much recommended under the gospel-dispensation? To which I reply, That as to finging cafes not our own, this is no more lying to God than reading them is, finging being but a flower way of pronunciation in a mufical manner; therefore, if this ought to deter perfons from finging, it should also from reading: befides, in public worship, we fing not as fingle perfons, but in conjunction with, and as parts of the community, and body of the people; fo that what may not be fuitable to one, may be fo to another, and in both, the end of praise be anfwered. Moreover, when we fing the cafes of others, and which we cannot make our own, we fing them as fuch, and not as our own fense and experience;

which yet may be very ufeful to us, either by way of example, or advice, or

comfort, or instruction, or admonition, and the like: and if this should not be the case, yet there are two other principal ends of finging, namely, the praise and glory of God, and the edification of others, which may be attained this way; and, after all, the fame objection will lie against public prayer, as much as public finging; fince no prayer put up by the minifter, in public, at

least,

leaft, not all the petitions in it, any more than every pfalm or hymn, fung in public, are fuitable to the cafes of all perfons prefent; yet this has not been thought a fufficient argument against public prayer, or to deter perfons from joining it. As for imprecations and curses on wicked men, though the scriptural instances of them are no examples to us to do the like; because these were made by men under the inspiration of the Spirit of God; yet they were prophetic hints of ruin and deftruction to wicked men, and as fuch should be confidered, and may be fung by us, and that to the glory of God and fome instruction to ourselves; for herein we may observe the juftice and holiness of God, the vile nature of fin, the indignation of God against it, and the juft abhorrence and deteftation that fin and finners are had in with God, and fhould be had in with all good men.

(4.) It is faid, that if we must fing the pfalms of David, and others, then we muft fing by a form; and if we may fing by a form, why not pray by one? I answer, The cafe is different; the ordinance of prayer may be performed without a form, but not the ordinance of finging: the Spirit of God is promised as a Spirit of grace and fupplication, but not as a spirit of poetry. And suppose a perfon had a gift of delivering out an extempore pfalm or hymn, that pfalm or hymn would be a form to the rest that joined with him; unless we suppose a whole congregation to have fuch a gift, and every one fing his own pfalm or hymn; but then that, namely, joining voices together, which is the beauty, glory, and harmony of this ordinance, would be mere jargon, confufion, and difcord. Befides, we have a book of pfalms, but we have not a prayer-book: had we a book of prayers, compofed by men infpired by the Spirit of God, as we have a book of pfalms made by fuch, we should think ourselves under equal obligation to pray by a form, as we now do to fing by one. Add to this, that the pfalms of David were compofed on purpose to be fung by a form, in the very exprefs words of them, as they accordingly were. David, when he had wrote them, fent them to Afaph, and his brethren, or to the chief musician, the mafter of the fong, who had the management of it, or fome fuch perfon, to be made ufe of in public; for thus it is 'written, Then on that day David delivered first this pfalm, to thank the Lord, into the hands of Afaph and his brethren. And we may observe, that fome hundreds of years after, the pfalms of David and Afaph were fung in the exprefs words of them, by the order of king Hezekiah; for fo it is faid, Moreover, Hezekiah the king, and the princes, commanded the Levites to fing praise unto the Lord, with the words VOL. III. of

4 G

of David, and of Afaph the feer; and they fang praises with gladness, and they bowed their heads and worshipped. Hence alfo, when the people of God were exhorted to fing his praise, they were bid not to make, but take a pfalm, ready made to their hands; Sing aloud unto God our strength; make a joyful noise unto the God of Jacob; take a pfalm, and bring hither the timbrel, the pleasant harp, with the pfaltery. Which leads me,

(5.) To confider another objection made against singing the pfalms of David. The finging of these was formerly attended with the use of musical instruments; fuch as the harp, timbrel, cymbals, and the like: if then they are to be fung now, why not with these instruments, as heretofore? And if these are difufed, why fhould not finging itself? I reply, That the use of musical instruments was not effential to finging; therefore, though these are laid afide, that continues. The Old Teftament-difpenfation was a fhowy, gaudy, and pompous one, fuited to the then infant state of the church; there were many ceremonious rites which attended the worship of God, even that part of it which was of a moral nature; which ceremonious rites, though now abolished, the worship being of a moral nature, remains in full force: as for inftance; it was usual to burn incense at the time of prayer; now the use of incenfe, which was typical of the acceptance of the prayers of the faints, through the mediation of Christ, is laid afide; but the duty of prayer, being of a moral nature, continues fo the use of musical inftruments, which attended the work of finging the praises of God, and were typical of inward fpiritual melody, is at an end; when finging, being equally of a moral nature with prayer, is still obligatory. It is now fufficient, if, when we fing vocally, at the fame time we make melody in our hearts to the Lord. I close this with an obfervation of an ancient writer"; Barely to fing, fays he, is not fit for babes, but to fing "with inanimate inftruments, with cymbals, and with dancing; wherefore, "in the churches (that is, under the gospel-difpenfation) the use of such inftruments, and others, fit for babes, is taken away, and bare, or plain finging "remains." I proceed,

IV. To point out to you the perfons who are to fing, and who ought to be found in the performance of this duty; I fhall take no notice of a private

t Pfal. lxxxi. 1, 2.

perfon's

" Ου το ασαι απλώς εςι τοις νηπίοις αρμόδιον, αλλά το μελα των άψυχων οργανων ασαι, και μετα αρχη σεως και κροταλών, διο εν ταις εκκλησίαις προαιρεται (lege, παρηρηται) εκ των ασματων ή χρήσις των ποιείων οργανων, και των άλλων των νηπίοις οντων αρμοδίων, και υπολελειπία το ασαι απλως. Autor. Quæft. & Refponf. ad orthodox. inter Juftin. opera, p. 462. edit. Paris.