AN ESSAY. l some divine sense and materials agreeable to the word of God, and suited to the present .ease and experience of christians, and compose them into a spiritual song ? especially when we cannot find one ready penned in the bible, whose subject is near a -kin to our present condition, or whose form is adapted to our present purpose. The second argument shall be drawn from the several ends and designs of singing, which can never be sufficiently attained by confining ourselves to David's psalms, or the,words of any songs in scripture. The first and chief intent of this part of worship, is to express unto God what sense and apprehensions we have of his essential glories ; and what notice we take of his works of wisdom and power, vengeance and mercy ; it is to vent the inward devotion of our spirits in words of melody, to speak our own experience of divine things, especially our religious _joy ; it would be tiresome to recount the endless instances out of the book of psalms and other divine songs, where this is made the chief business of them. In the texte of the New Testament where singing is required, the same designs are proposed ; when the Ephesians are filled with the Spirit, theenlightener and coin- forter, they are charged to indulge those divine sensations, and let them break out into a spiritual song ; Eph. v. 19. When any is merry or chearful, the apostle James bids him express it by sing- ing. Giving thanks unto God, is the command of St. Paul to the saints while he enjoins psalmody on them ; and speaking the wonders of his power, justice and grace, is the practice of the church constantly in the visions of St. John. To teach and ad- monish one another, is mentioned by St. Paul as another design of singing ; the improvement of our meditations, and the kindling, divine affections within ourselves, is one of the purposes also of religious melody ; if Eph. y. 19. he rightly translated. Now, how is it possible all these ends should be attained by a chrisr tian, if he confines his meditations, his joys, and his praises, to the Hebrew book of Psalms ? Have , we nothing more of the nature of God revealed to us than David had ? Is not the mystery of the ever - blessed Trinity brought out of dark- ness into open light ? Where can you find a Psalm that speaks the miracles of wisdom and power as they are discovered in a crucified Christ ? And how do we rob God the Son of the glory of his dying love, if we speak of it only in the gloomy language of " smoke and sacrifices, bullocks and goats, and the fat of lambs ?" Is not the ascent of Christ into heaven, and his triumph over principalities and powers of darkness, a nobler entertainment for our tuneful meditations, than the removing of the ark up to the city of David, to the hill of God, which is high as the hill of Bastian ? Is not our heart often warmed with holy delight in the contemplation of the Son of God our dear Redeemer, whose love
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