AN ESSAY. b . 2. The scripture doth not always confine itself to the ori- ginal meaning of all these words ; for ,1- axpoç, a psalm, and the word ,j.&te, are used; 1 Cor. xiv. and in other places of the New Testament, where we can never suppose the primitive church in those days had instruments of music. And the word egt,, a song, is used several times in the book of Revelation, where harps are joined with voices in the emblematical prophecy. 3. The sense therefore of these words in the New Testa- ment seems to be thus distinguished. A psalm is a general name for any thing that is sung in divine worship, whatsoever be the particular theme or matter; and the verb is designed to express the melody itself rather than to distinguish the matter of the song, or manner whereby the melody or music is performed and therefore in Eph. v. 19. our translators have well rendered a +y SoyrEÇ %Ct4 axXOVTES, " singing and making melody; and it should be thus rendered ; James v. 13. "Is any merry, let him make melody." I confess in the New Testament the noun q.aaµos refers generally to the book of psalms, and without doubt there are many of the psalms of David and Asaph, and other songs among the books of the Old Testament which may be prudently chosen and sung by Chris- tians, and may be well accommodated to the lips and hearts of the church tinder the gospel. Yet this word is once used in ano- ther sense, as I shall show afterwards. An hymn, whether implied in the verb vjAYEN, or expressed in the noun vµa, doth always retain its original signification; and intend a song whose matter or design is praise : Nor is there any thing in the nature oc use of the word either in scripture or other authors, that determines it to signify an immediate inspira- tion, or human composure. A song, 'aa,,, denotes any theme or subject composed into a form fit for singing, and seems to intend somewhat suited to the gospel- state, rather than any Jewish psalms or songs in all the five verses in the New Testament where it is used. Eph. v..-19. and Col. iii. 16. It is joined with the word spiritual: and that seems to be used by the apostle in all his epistles, as a very distinguishing word between the law and the gospel, the Jewish and the Christian worship. The Jews had carnal ordinances, and carnal commandments, and their state and dispensation is often called flesh, but the church under the gospel is, " a spiritual house, blessed with spiritual blessings, endowed with spiritual gifts, to worship God in spirit and in truth, to offer spiritual sacrifices, and to sing spiritual songs. Col. iii. 16. confirms this sense " for the word of Christ must dwell richly in us in psalms and hymns, and spiritual songs." Now though the books of the Old Testament may in some sense be called " the word of Christ," because the same A3
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