W HILE we fing the Praises of our GOD in his Church, we are employed in that Part of Worship which of all others is the nearest akin to Heaven; and it is pity that this of all others fhould be performed the worst upon Earth. The Gofpel brings us nearer to the heavenly State than all the former Difpenfations of God amongft Men: And in these last Days of the Gofpel we are brought almost within fight of the Kingdom of our LORD; yet we are very much unacquainted with the SONGS of the New Jerufalem, and unpractifed in the Work of Praife. To fee the dull Indifference, the negligent and the thoughtlefs Air, that fits upon the Faces of a whole Affembly, while the Pfalm is on their Lips, might tempt even a charitable Obferver to fufpect the Fervency of inward Religion; and it is much to be feared, that the Minds of most of the Worshippers are abfent or unconcerned. Perhaps the Modes of Preaching in the best Churches, ftill want fome degrees of Reformation; nor are the Methods of Prayer fo perfect, as to ftand in need of no Correction or Improvement: But of all our Religious Solemnities, Pfalmody is the most unhappily managed: That very Action which fhould elevate us to the moft delightful and divine Senfations, doth not only flatten our Devotion, but too often awakes our Regret, and touches all the Springs. of Uneafinefs within us. I have been long convinced, that one great : Occafion of this Evil arifes from the Matter and Words to which we confine all our Songs. Some of them are almoft oppofite to the Spirit of the Gofpel: Many of them foreign to the State of the New Teftament, and widely different from the prefent Circumftances of Chriftians. Hence it comes to pafs, that when fpiritual Affections are excited within us, and our Souls are raifed a little above this Earth in the beginning of a Pfalm, we are checked on a fudden in our Afcent toward, Heaven, by fome Expreffions that are most fuitable to the Days of Carnal Ordinances, and fit only to be fung in the Worldly Sanctuary. When we are just entering into an Evangelic Frame, by fome of the Glories of the Gofpel prefented in the brightest Figures of Judaifm, yet the very next Line perhaps which the Clerk parcels out unto us, hath fomething in it fo extreamly Jewish and cloudy, that it darkens our Sight of GoD the SAVIOUR. Thus, by keeping too close to David in the House of God, the Vail of Mofes is thrown over our Hearts. While we are kindling into divine Love by the Meditations of the Lovingkindness of God, and the Multitude of his tender Mercies; within a few Verfes, fome dreadful Curfe against Men is propofed to our Lips, that God would add Iniquity unto their Iniquity, nor let them come into his Righteousness, but blot them out of the Book of the Living, Pfal. Ixix. 26 28. which is fo contrary to the New Com mandment of loving our Enemies, and even under the Old Teftament is beft accounted for, by - referring it to the Spirit of Prophetic Vengeance. Some Sentences of the Pfalmift, that are expreffive of the Temper of our own Hearts, and the Circunftances of our Lives, may compole our Spirits to Serioufnefs, and allure us to a fweet Retirement within ourfelves; but we meet with a following Line, which so peculiarly belongs but to one Action or Hour of the Life of David or of Afaph, that breaks off our Song in the midft; and our Confciences are af frighted, leaft we fhould fpeak a Falfhood unto GOD: Thus the Powers of our Souls are fhocked on a fudden, and our Spirits ruffled, be-, fore we have Time to reflect that this may be fung only as a Hiftory of ancient Saints; and, perhaps, in fome Inftances, that Salvois hardly fufficient neither: Befides, it almost always fpoils the Devotion, by breaking the uniform -Thread of it: For while our Lips and our Hearts run on fweetly together, applying the Words to our own Cafe, there is fomething of divine Delight in it: but at once we are forced to turn off the Application abruptly, and our Lips fpeak nothing but the Heart of David. Thus our own Hearts are as it were forbid the Purfuit of the Song, and then the Harmony and the Worship grow dull of mere Neceffity. Many Minifters, and many private Chriftians, have long groaned under this Inconvenience, and have wifhed, rather than attempted, a Reformation: At their importunate and repeated Requests, I have for fome Years past devoted 230Far many Hours of Leifure to this Service. Fat be it from my Thoughts to lay afide the Book of Pfalms in public Worship, few can pretend fo great a Value for them as myself. It is the moft noble, moft devotional and divine Collection of Poefy; and nothing can be fuppofed more proper to raife a pious Soul to Heaven, than fome Parts of that Book; never was a Piece of Experimental Divinity fo nobly writ sen, and fo justly reverenced and admired: But it must be acknowledged ftill, that there are a thoufand Lines in it which were not made for a Church in our Days to affume as its own: There are alfo many Deficiencies of Light and Glory which our LORD JESUS and his Apostles have fupplied in the Writings of the New Tef tament: And with this Advantage I have com pofed thefe SPIRITUAL SONGS, which are now prefented to the World, Nor is the Attempt vainglorious or prefuming; for in respect of clear Evangelical Knowledge, The leaft in the Kingdom of Heaven is greater than all the Jewish Prophets, Matt. xi. 11.. NOW let me give a fhort Account of the following Composures. The greatest Part of them are fuited to the general State of the Gofpel, and the most com mon Affairs of Chriftians; I hope there will be very few found but what may properly be used in a Religious Affembly, and not one of them but may well be adapted to fome Seafons either of private or public Worship. The most fres quent Tempers and Changes of our Spirit, and Conditions of our Life, are here copied, and the Breathings of our Piety expreffed according to the Variety of our Paffions, our Love, our Fear, our Hope, our Defire, our Sorrow, our Wonder and our Joy, as they are refined into Devotion, and act under the In=fluence and Conduct of the bleffed SPIRIT; all converfing with God the Father by the new and alving Way of Accefs to the Throne, even the Perfon and the Mediation of our LORD JESUS I CHRIST. To Him alfo, even to the Lamb that =was flain and now lives, I have addreffed many a Song; for thus dath the Holy Scripture inftruct and teach us to worship, in the various fhort Patterns of Chriftian Pfalmody defcribed in the Revelation. I have avoided the more obfcure and controverted Points of Chriftianity, that we might all obey the Direction of the Word of GOD, and fing his Praifes with UnderStanding, Pfal. xlvii. 7. The Contentions and diftinguishing Words of Sects and Parties are fecluded, that whole Affemblies might affift at the Harmony, and different Churches join in the fame Worship without Offence. If any Expreffions occur to the Reader that favour of an Opinion different from his own, yet he may obferve, thefe are generally fuch as are capable of an extenfive Senfe, and may be ufed with a charitable Latitude. I think it is moft agreeable, that what is provided for public Singing, fhould give to fincere Confciences as little Disturbance as poffible. However, where any unpleafing Word is found, be that leads the Worship may fubftitute a better; for |