IN this chapter the Apostle exhorts the Colossians to a variety of duties, to which they were strongly obliged by virtue of their knowing and professing the gospel. In particular; he enjoins it upon them to be heavenly-minded; to seek those things [Page 4] that are above; to mortify their members which are upon the earth; to speak the truth one to another; to put off the old man with his deeds; to be clothed with bowels of mercies and charity;—to be peaceable and thankful.

AND in our text, in order to supersede the necessity of any more particular instruc­tions concerning their duty, he recom­mends it to them to become intimately acquainted with the gospel of Christ: For if they were happily possessed of this know­ledge, it would be unnecessary for him, or any other Apostle, to descend to a minuter detail of those virtues, which their professi­on of christianity laid them under peculiar obligations to practise. The word of Christ would itself sufficiently instruct them in these things; and therefore he had nothing farther to do, than only to press it upon them, to study it with diligence and care, and make it familiar to their minds. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom, &c.

AND as the Apostle was persuaded that they would, by a careful and frequent perusal of the Gospel, discover a rich profusion of divine grace, a wonderful display of God's perfections in general, he would have them affect their hearts with a grateful sense thereof: And as there is no better way to [Page 5] testify and express thankfulness, than by singing hymns of praise; therefore he exhorts them in the latter part of the verse, to teach and admonish one another in psalms, hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in their hearts to the Lord.

SINGING is expressive of thankfulness, as appears from the text, and from that parallel place of scripture, Eph. 5.19. It also denotes joy and gladness, as is evident from that direction of St. James, Is any merry? let him sing psalms. It likewise indicates an hearty acquiescence in the dispensations of providence. Lastly, it is a particular way of worshipping God; of blessing him for his favors, and praising him for his unrivalled perfections. Hence it is a duty proper at all times, and suited to all occasions. Accordingly, David declares that he would bless the Lord at all times, and that his praise should be continually in his mouth.

SINGING was much practised by the Jews of old. they had "singing men and singing women," persons particularly in­structed in musick, appointed to lead in this part of divine service. And that it might be performed with the greater variety and pleasure, they introduced all kinds of [Page 6] musical instruments into publick worship; not to supersede, but to be used in concert with the human voice. The Jews doubt­less delighted in musick, and this delight, together with its being a duty expressly en­joined, was the reason why such ample provision was made by them for its being regularly and decently conducted. And if these were reasons to them, why should they not be so to us? It is a duty now as much as it was then, and we may presume that it is in general as delightful to us as to them, to Christians as to Jews.

THAT it is a duty under the gospel none can question, who consider that Christ, with his disciples early set an example of it; and that his Apostles have several times warmly recommended the practice: And thô no mention is made of organs or other musical instruments in the New-Testament, yet it cannot from thence be, with certainty, concluded that they would be either unlaw­ful or improper.

ACCORDING to the idea that mankind generally have of singing, it seems to be more especially adapted to joyful occasions. But as it denotes submission to the events of Providence, be they what they will; as musick has a most happy tendency to polish and refine the soul, to improve and perfect it in the virtues of the divine life; and, [Page 7] especially, as there are tunes of different airs, some cheerful, others solemn, fitted to joy­ful or mournful occasions; and as the apos­tle assures us in the text, that there is a vari­ety of subjects to be set to musick, (as ap­pears from his using the several words, psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs,) it must be concluded that it is never unseasonable, and that it is a duty at all times to teach and admonish one another in psalms, hymns, &c.

EVEN should it be granted that singing is expressive of joy and thankfulness only, it would prove nothing against the constant fitness and propriety of the practice; be­cause we are required to "rejoice in the Lord alway, and always to give thanks for all things unto God in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ." And were this not expressly required; when can we be said to be so far destitute of favours, as to be under no obligation to bless God, and sing praises to his Name? Under the most afflictive circumstances we are constantly surrounded with a thousand blessings, for which we are bound to give thanks, and consequently to engage in this delightful service. Therefore if we consider the duty of singing in this view only, it brings us to the same conclusion, and teaches us that it should be perpetual. Even that the Lord [Page 8] superintends all things, and is concerned in the government of the world, is matter of joy and gladness. "The Lord reigneth let the earth rejoice, let the multitude of the isles be glad thereof."

OF this constant and delightful duty of our holy religion, I shall now say some­thing more particular. And in my subse­quent discourse on this subject, shall speak of the two following things, viz.

I. OF the nature, excellency and advan­tages of Church-musick: And

II. OF the manner in which it ought to be performed— with grace in our hearts to the Lord.

THAT singing is a duty, and a part of instituted, publick worship, none who be­lieve the divinity of the scriptures will pretend to deny: And that it was not made our duty without reason and design, may appear form what follows.

MAN is the only creature on the earth that is endued with reason and a faculty of speech. These superior powers are the gift of God; on him he depends for the continuance of them, and therefore in his service and for his glory is he bound to employ them.— [Page 9] The glory of God is the principal end for which all creatures were made; and this they are capable of declaring in divers manners, according to their different na­tures and capacities. Even the inanimate world, the Sun, the Moon and the Stars in a silent, but expressive manner, proclaim the glorious perfections, the wisdom and skill, the goodness and power of the divine Architect. The brutal creation subserve the same design, and in their way shew forth the praises of him who made them. But then these several ranks of creatures are only the passive instruments of the divine glory. Man, as he is possessed of reason and a faculty of speech, is capable of being actively employed in this delightful and honorable service; is capable of declaring articulately to all around him the glories of his heavenly King. For this end was his tongue given him, which therefore, in the psalms, is stiled his glory.^*

AND shall he suffer so noble, so distin­guished a faculty to lie dormant? Shall other creatures, both animate and inanimate, live up to the laws of their creation, declare the glory of God and shew forth his handy work? And shall man alone, tho' raised high in the scale of being, be silent in his Maker's praise? Shall man, tho' his organs are framed to make articulate sounds, and [Page 10] his reason sufficient to enable him to pro­duce harmony, talk, notwithstanding, the confused language of beasts, and chant the discordant songs of birds? No. His im­provements should be eminent, as his pow­ers are superior. For harmony was he made, and in melodious notes should he sign the praises of his God.

HARMONY consists in a continued coal­essence of two, or more, sounds, tho' at diffe­rent distances from each other; and the pro­per ingredients thereof, are concords. In the doctrine of concords, there is something absolutely unaccountable by man. Voices at some certain distances from each other, how pleasant soever in themselves, will grate and jarr; whereas at other different distances (which are easily ascertained by fixed rules) they will mix and unite, and, by their union, produce concords, from a continued combination of which, springs harmony. Now why this is so, we are unable to say; neither does there appear any natural aptitude in two sounds of a concord to give a pleasing sensation more than in two of a discord; these different effects are by us inscrutable, and must be resolved wholly into the divine will. All that we can say is, that these things are in fact so; and upon this well known, tho' unintelligible property of nature, the art of [Page 11] musick is founded▪ the rules of which may be learned by persons of common capacities without any great expence of time or at­tention; and when learnt, may be reduced to practice by far the greater part of man­kind; and when practised in that perfection the thing will admit, by a proper choice and mixture of male and female voices, constitutes one of the most pleasing and advantageous exercises in the world.

CONCERNING the pleasure of it, but little is necessary to be said: For they who have a taste for musick know by experience its delight; whilst others cannot form any better conception of it, than a blind man can of colours. Altho' harmony be found­ed in nature, some persons have their ears so oddly constructed as to be incapable of distinguishing between jarring and concor­dant sounds; they are all alike to them, alike insiped and indifferent. But they who have their auditory nerves rightly strung receive the most refined pleasure from musick; and when they hear a select number of skilful voices, in concert joined, hymning the eternal Father, are trans­ported with joy and filled with rapture. The clear and lofty notes of the Counter; the soft, but full sound of the Tenor; the sprightly and acute consonance of the Treble; the manly, the solemn and the [Page 12] grand echo of the Bass, all conspiring to­gether, and uniting in one charming sym­phony, give the soul such delight as is be­yond description glorious! Such harmo­nious sounds flatter our hopes, soften our cares, encrease our joy, inflame our love, dispel our fears, and excite the softest pas­sions, the tenderest emotions of the heart. I would not be understood to mean that these different effects are all produced by the same strains of musick. The power of sounds is great, and the effects various ac­cording to the air, measure and proportion of a tune, and the different keys on which it is constructed. There is the grave and the acute sound; the joyous and the mournful, the sprightly and the solemn mode; the flat and the sharp key, by a suitable choice of which, almost any pas­sions and feelings may be excited. Some strains of musick will melt us into softness and enervate the soul; whilst others will rouse us into manly courage and make us undaunted in the field of battle: Some will fill us with pleasing sensations; whilst others shall excite painful commotions in the breast.

SOUNDS have an immediate and power­ful influence on the nervous system; and, by giving the animal spirits a brisk or slow, an equable or unsteady motion, produce mirth or sorrow, hope or despair, rage or [Page 13] distraction. Accordingly history gives an account that diseases have been cured, un­chastity corrected, seditions quelled, passions raised or calmed, and even madness occa­sioned by tunes of different airs. It is storied that Timotheus could transport Alexander into rage and fury by the Phry­gian sound, and sooth him into indolence with the Lydian. And of a certain musician in Italy it is said, that he was able, by va­rying his musick from brisk, to solemn, and so vice versa, to move the soul so dif­ferently as to cause distraction or madness.

THESE are some of the various effects that are produced by different compositions. Since therefore singing is constituted a part of divine service, it is always supposed that no tunes of a light and airy kind; none that are calculated to sensualize the mind and excite lascivious desires are introduced into the publick worship; but only such as are suited to mend the heart, to purify the soul, to dispossess it of malignant passions, to strengthen its faith, and raise its hopes to heaven.

OF this sort of musick would we be un­derstood principally to speak; and of the divine effects of it, what cannot be said! it is difficult if not impossible to say too much and to launch forth too far in it's commen­dation. Should we describe it as capable [Page 14] of working miracles, I am not certain the scripture would not authorize the descripti­on. This musick is an enemy to all malice, to impure imaginations and un-hallowed desires. This, and that grand adversary to the souls of men, the Devil, who walks about continually seeking whom he may devour, are, luckily, no friends: They can­not dwell together. Sacred harmony which gives all pious souls the most sensible plea­sure, fills that infernal and envious fiend with torture: so that he had rather quit his de­lightful possession of mens bodies and minds, than undergo the torment of it. For the truth of this, witness king Saul, who, we are told, was troubled with an evil spirit, and had it removed by the harmony of David's lyre. Whether by this evil spirit we are to understand the Devil himself, or a spirit of malice and rage which from time to time seized the king, it matters not; for they are near akin, and what will remove one, will doubtless disposess the other.

PRAYER may, in a sense, be said to have an omnipotent power, as it prevails with the Almighty, and brings down blessings from heaven to earth. But the efficacy of sacred harmony is nothing inferior. This, if it proceeds from a pious heart, makes delightful melody in the ears of Jehovah, and inclines him to look down from his [Page 15] throne propitious to the sons of men. This raises the soul to heaven, and fills it with that peace of God which passes all under­standing. This spreads a divine calm over the mind, hushes all tumultuous passions, and prepares us to receive, with reverence, instruction from on high. This sets all the springs of nature to work, fires the soul with divine love, and diffuses joy and gladness through the heart.

ARE we at any time cast down, and filled with melancholly and disponding thoughts? by the power of musick the gloom is dispelled, and a ray of light darted into the mind, which cheers and enlivens it. Are our breasts torn with the passions of revenge, envy and malice? no sooner do we hear the voice of melody, than the rage is suspended, and every baneful passion hangs its head. Is the soul immer­sed in the pleasures of sense and voluptu­ousness? a sacred song sung by skilful and pleasant voices will arouse it from its lethargy, and make it ambitious of nobler and diviner joys. Is it careless about reli­gion and the things of futurity? when it hears the important truths of God, and another world chanted forth in melodious accents, and considers that in such raptu­rous strains a whole eternity will be employ­ed by the blessed inhabitants of heaven, it [Page 16] is immediately excited to work out its salvation with diligence and care, with fear and trembling, that so it may be qua­lified for, and at last be made a partaker of the delights and honors of the upper and better world.

THUS sacred musick is a friend to the social and religious life; it advances our happiness here and lays a foundation for the perfection of it hereafter. Doubtless the experience of many now present can witness the truth of the above assertions. Have you not received numerous advanta­ges, as well as great pleasure from closely attending on this part of divine worship, especially since your late distinguished improvements in musick? Are not some of you able to say, that from hearing an agreeable piece of sacred harmony, you have had your thoughts turned into a devout channel, and been led into some such soliloquy as the following? If melody made by frail and imperfect men be so ravishing, so transporting, how charming must that place be where God's praises will be set to the harps of Angels, and ten thousand times ten thousand shall join with sweet and sonorous voices to extol his unrivalled perfections? If we feel such pleasing emotions of soul at hearing the harmony of earth, how extatick, must be [Page 17] our joy, when we hear the angelick choir attune their voices in their maker's praise, whilst the innumerable band of the spirits of just men made perfect shall join the cho­rus, and without discord sing, "Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty, which was, and is, and is to come: great and marve­lous are thy works, just and true are thy ways, thou King of Saints; blessing and honor and glory and power be unto him that sitteth on the throne, and unto the Lamb for ever and ever!"

IN a word; if the frequent hearing of church musick, well performed, will not infallibly make a person religious, it will do much towards polishing his manners; and if to delight therein does not demon­strate a man to be devout, yet it is for the most part an evidence that there is nothing in his nature that inclines him to be flagrant­ly wicked. The lovers of harmony are seldom known to be malicious and revenge­ful; but it has been said, and in some cases experience will justify the assertion, that they who have no ear for musick, no relish for its charms, have dark and dread­ful souls, strangely disposed for treasons, massacres, bloodshed and war.

A FEW lines from an excellent poet shall conclude this head.

II. I AM in the second place to show how this part of divine worship is to be per­formed—singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord.

NOW this expression (with grace in your hearts) may import the two following things, viz.

1st. THAT we should sing gracefully, and in a manner acceptable to others; and 2dly, That we should sing with grate­ful minds, with pious and devout affections.

Some interpreters tell us that the greek words (en kariti) which are translated, with grace, are equivalent to another greek word (viz. kaientoos) which is most properly rendered, decently, acceptably; [Page 19] or so that our hymns may be grateful to others, and be received with spiritual delight. But whether the words are capa­ble of this construction; or whether this were the sense of the Apostle or not, evi­dent it is that those who engage in and pretend to perform this part of divine service, are obliged to use their best endea­vors to sing in the most regular and agree­able manner possible. Though the tem­per of the heart be the thing that God principally regards in this, and all other religious exercises, yet it cannot be sup­posed to be altogether indifferent to him, whether we sing by rule, or irregularly, in a graceful, or in a barbarous manner. God is not the author of confusion, but of peace, and he expects that all things should be done decently and in order, especially in all the churches of the saints. ^* As certain then as the great Jehovah is self-satisfied, and pleased with his own perfections; so certain is it that harmony is more acceptable to him than discord, regularity than confusion. Therefore they who perform church-musick the most by rule, and make the compleatest melody with their voices, as well as in their hearts to the Lord, bid the fairest to obtain his approbation and favor. As God is the author of nature, they who come nearest [Page 20] to her unerring standard, are advanced to the greatest perfection, and must certainly please him the best. Since then harmony is produced by a close attention to the laws of nature, those who make the finest musick are evidently most observant of her rules, and consequently must be, in this respect, the most acceptable to nature's God.

This being so undeniably the case, it is somewhat wonderful that any persons, and still more surprizing that any who pretend to the least share of reason and goodness, should set themselves to oppose the laudable endeavors of such as have of late attempted to make the singing in our publick assem­blies regular; to retrieve the credit of our psalmody, and rescue it from that barbarism and uncouthness, that ridicule and con­tempt into which it had very unhappily, and almost universally fallen. It is well if all such persons do not at last, to their sorrow, find that, in making such opposi­tion, they were fighting against God.

As regular singing is the most pleasing to the Diety, so it is also to the greater part of mankind; to all who have their senses, as the Apostle expresses it, exercised to dis­cern good and evil. Now as it is, in the general, the most grateful to our fellow men, this suggests another very substantial reason why we should endeavour to sing [Page 21] by rule: For that musick, which gives the greatest satisfaction, will probably produce the most beneficial effects, inspire the war­mest gratitude to God for his favours, en­kindle in our hearts the divinest love, excite the purest desires, and raise the soul on contemplations wings to heaven.

THIS duty of singing gratefully to others, implies the two following things.

1st. THAT we should select out of that variety of tunes with which we are favored a few of the finest compositions; those that contain the greatest number of perfect con­cords, those whose air and time shall be found to be most pleasing to a correct ear; whose notes are properly adapted to the words, and whose "sound shall seem an echo to the sense." A neglect to use the sound of the notes to the sense of the words which answer to them, is doubtless the greatest deficiency in our Church musick. Some superior compositions done by great masters of song, are now in our hands. But is it not apparent that there is a gross failure in this regard? And does not this defect render our psalmody too unmean­ing a thing? An exact correspondency be­tween the sound of the notes and the sense of the words that are set against them; be­tween [Page 22] the general air of a tune, and the nature of the subject-matter to be sung, would give life and energy, beauty and force to the performance; and therefore in order to render singing acceptable to others, the chorister would do well, always to adapt his tunes as much as possible to the complexion of the psalm: That is, for a penitential hymn, or psalm of mournful contents, a tune constructed on the flat key, and of a grave and solemn tone, should be given; whereas hymns of praise and thanksgiving should be always sung in tunes of a brisk and sprightly air.

IT is as beautiful to suit the tune to the nature of the psalm, as it is to adapt the psalm to the occasion, be it what it will. They who are the most observant of this rule are the likeliest both to please, and to profit. Now to be able thus to accommo­date tunes to different subjects and occa­sions, it is necessary that the choir should be acquainted with, and have at command a considerable number of them; and this is also necessary upon another account, viz. to prevent a disagreeable repetition. If the number of tunes which are sung in publick be very small, they must needs recur fre­quently; and if they are often sung, their sound will grow familiar, and if familiar it will pall upon the ear; and if it once [Page 23] grows dull, it will soon be offensive and displeasing. And all this may take place, not only with indifferent compositions; but also with the finest pieces of musick. Such is the constitution of man, that plea­sure itself will not long please: Much of our happiness results from variety; and novelty has its peculiar charms. New and strange things do we love, and after them will we go. Now this passion for variety should be gratified in all cases where it can be done with safety; and to please it in the case before us (in which certainly there can be no danger) it is of importance, not only to have the number to which we are at any time confined somewhat large; but also to leave out old and introduce new tunes from time to time, as may be found to be neces­sary to avoid a dull identity, and to give to this part of divine service all the charms of novelty. But then we should be always careful, that our humor for introducing new pieces of musick does not exceed our capa­city for learning them, lest, under a notion of making our psalmody more pleasing by a variety of tunes, we really spoil it by our inability to sing them.

WHICH brings me to say in the 2d place, that the duty of singing gratefully to others, implies not only that we introduce the best musical compositions into our churches, but [Page 24] also that we get a perfect knowledge of them, and are able to sing them with all their graces.

THERE is not only a difference in the tunes, with which we are favored, but also a diversity in our manner of singing them; and the excellency of the performance is the joint-result of the Composition, and the manner of its being sung. An excellent tune but indifferently sung shall not appear so agreeable, as an indifferent one regularly and gracefully performed. Hence then if we would sing gratefully to others, we must have respect both to the tunes in themselves, and to the method of performing them. The apostle Paul exhorts us to sing not only with the spirit, but with the understanding also, ^* at least he virtually injoins such a method of singing; and the Psalmist in so many words requires all to sing praises with un­derstanding; or, as it might as properly be rendered, all that have understanding to sing praises to God. ^† To this purpose it is necessary that we should teach and admo­nish one another, as we are directed in the text. Instruction in psalmody is as necessa­ry as in any other art or science. No man is born with the knowledge of musick, tho' some persons have a genious particularly turned to make surprizingly rapid improve­ments therein. It is in vain for us to pre­tend [Page 25] that we need no other instructor than nature in this matter, and that it would be sufficient for every man blindly to follow her uncultivated dictates: For besides that in this extemporaneous way, we should not hit upon ten notes out of a thousand that would be melodious; besides that our hu­mors and fancies are different, which would inevitably lead us into different turns, trilloes and rolls in singing, and draw us out into divers lengths of sound: Besides these things, I say, not being acquainted with the same pieces of musick, and not used to sing in concert, no harmony could be produced, but such a jarr and discord as would be absolutely intolerable to a nice and delicate ear. Such singing, if it may be called by that name, would

HENCE the indispensable necessity of an acquaintance with the rules of musick, and of a joint-knowledge of those tunes that we pretend to introduce into our public assem­blies. Hence also the necessity of singing-masters to teach and instruct the young, the ignorant and the unlearned.

TIME and money expended for this pur­pose are profitably laid out. Instruction brings back the aged to the rule, from which [Page 26] they gradually, and in a course of years widely depart; and enables the rising gene­ration regularly to employ their tongues in their Maker's praise. How beautiful is it to see, under the benefit of kind and faith­ful Tutors, even children skilfully using their tongues in singing loud Hosannahs to the Son of David! Such an appearance brings to mind and seems to be a fresh con­firmation of this passage in sacred writ, "out of the mouths of babes and sucklings thou hast perfected praise." ^§ How much better is it for youth to spend their leisure hours in learning so pleasant and profitable an art, than to pass them, as is too often done, "in rioting and drunkenness, in cham­bering and wantonness," to the disgrace of human nature, the destruction of their cha­racters and estates, their health, and their souls. But

IIdly. SINGING with grace in the heart, intends that we should sing with pious and devout affections, with grateful minds full of the sense of the divine favours. This, in the sight of heaven, is the principal thing; and to have our hearts rightly tuned, is, in a religious consideration, infinitely pre­ferable to the finest modulations of the voice. To what avail is it to have our tongues sing in grateful accents, unless our souls [Page 27] catch the sacred fire and glow in grati­tude to heaven. The melody of the heart is what the Apostle has seen fit particularly to recommend, as that which in the sight of God is "of great price," and with which the melody of the voice is not wor­thy to be compared. The first is the weightier matter of the law which ought always to be made, whilst the latter should never be omitted.

IF we would make melody in our hearts to the Lord, we should endeavour to affect them with what we are employed about. Are we singing a psalm of praise and thanks­giving? we should be careful that our souls are filled with gratitude, and expanded with love to the supreme Benefactor. Are we engaged in singing those psalms which describe the man after God's heart, and teach us what we ought to be? It will be the fixed resolution of him who sings de­voutly to comply with these demands and answer to this description. Are we singing a penitential hymn? Sadness should set up­on our faces, and contrition possess our hearts. And so in all other supposeable cases. To sing with grace in the heart, then, implies that the words of the song are re­ligious, as well as the notes of the tune har­monious; and that we diligently attend to, and understand the sense and meaning of [Page 28] the psalm or hymn, or whatever it is we are singing.

IN this service we should have in view not so much the praise of men, as the glory of God. We should sing to the Lord, have respect in this as well as in every other part of worship to his will, and to the honor of his name and religion. "Whatever we do in word or deed, we should do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father, by him," as it follows in the verse immediately after the text. We should be solicitous to please him, and fear­ful lest we offend him in the manner of discharging this duty, knowing that the ac­ceptance of our praises is thro' him, and the recompense of them will finally be from him.

UNLESS these are our views and purpo­ses; unless this be the temper and disposition of our hearts, tho' our singing may please and profit others, it can be of no lasting spiritual benefit to ourselves; Our oblations will be offensive, and with all the musick and harmony of our voices, we shall be deemed by God, who searches the hearts and weighs us in an even balance, as "sounding brass and tinkling cymbals." Tho' in a sense we may be said to "offer praise, yet we shall not glorify God," nor, in this way shall we ever "see his salvation." Harmony will not supply the place of devo­tion, [Page 29] neither will the correctest musick, atone for the want of piety. Should we therefore be ever so celebrated for our su­perior attainments in this art, it will signify nothing if our hearts are discordant and not right in the sight of God. It seems to be the more necessary to mention, and insist on this, because young persons are too prone to neglect their hearts, whilst they are culti­vating their voices, and to seek the praise of men, rather than that favor which com­eth of God only. But if the applause of men be the only thing they have in view, verily they shall have their reward; they shall receive the empty compliments and fulsome panagyricks of their fellow-mortals and nothing else. To guard you against a mistake so pernicious, be persuaded to carry your views forward and consider how ter­rible it must needs be to go, at death, from praising God on earth, to be associated with damned spirits who spend their hopeless hours in blaspheming that venerable Name which all should worship and adore.

BUT if you are sincere in your devoti­ons to God now, then may you humbly hope to join, at last, with Angels round the throne in singing anthems of praise and hallelujahs to God, and the Lamb that liveth and reigneth for ever and ever. Ha­ving learnt the song of Moses and the Lamb [Page 30] here on earth, and in temples made with hands, you shall, when your tongues grow cold and motionless in death, thrô grace, be received to heaven to "join the general assembly and church of the first born," and, in temples not made with hands, sing in more exalted strains, without interruption or fatigue, the high praises of your God and King through interminable ages.

A FEW reflections on what has been said shall conclude the whole.

SINCE musick is so pleasant an exercise, how thankful should we be to Almighty God, that he has constituted it a part of divine worship; herein making our duty and pleasure perfectly coincident: An evi­dence, among a thousand others, that God is not a hard master, that he has consulted our happiness in all his laws, and that he does not delight in the torment and misery of his creature man. In token of our gra­titude to our supreme Benefactor for his goodness in this regard, let us be excited to cultivate and improve our musical talents, to "stir up the gift that is within us," to teach and admonish one another in psalms, and hymns, that so we may make our tongues, in this way, instruments of the divine glory. Some persons are shamefully negligent, and therefore highly culpable in [Page 31] this matter; they suffer those organs to rust away, which ought in all reason to be worn out in the immediate service of their maker. Indeed there are a few who have no talents for musick, neither ear nor voice; and whose endeavors to learn the art, much more to excell in it, would be, of consequence, to no purpose. Such persons must content themselves to sing with the spirit, and to make melody in their hearts only, as they are unable to do it with the understanding and the voice, always re­membring for their consolation, that God requires of men only in proportion to what he has given them; and that, if there is first a willing mind, it is accepted accor­ding to what a man has, and not according to what he has not. But they, who are furnished with musical organs, and either do not improve them at all, or misimprove them by singing profane and vicious songs, are chargeable with guilt; "to them it is sin."

To the honor of many it may be spoken, that they seem to have a juster sense of their duty in this matter, and that, of late, they have been fired with a noble ambition to excel in this art: We rejoice to see that their endeavors have been crowned with abundant success; and that, under the advantages of good Instructors, they have, [Page 32] in the compass of a few years past, carried vocal musick to a degree of perfection un­known in this part of the world till now. It must needs give to all sincere lovers of harmony and Zion, great pleasure to see this spirit spreading from place to place; and particularly it is matter of heart felt joy to many that you, my young friends in this place, have imbibed so large a propor­tion of it, and, under the auspices of the most high, have made such distinguished improvements in vocal musick. Suffer me, with modesty, to say it is much to your honor: May it be to the credit of religion, and the interest of your souls.

It is presumed that all here present, will heartily join with me in fervently wishing you the divine blessing and presence.— May you be encouraged to persevere, and may prosperity attend you. May your worthy examples be imitated by others: May your numbers daily increase, and the glorious, the ethereal flame be propagated hence, and catch from town to town, till by the prevailing harmony of our musick, the natural asperity of our tempers is taken away, and the soft, the benevolent affecti­ons become predominant; till from loving and practising harmony here, we are qua­lified to dwell in that place where love and joy, peace and pleasure go hand in hand.

[Page 33]Lastly, IF musick be so pleasant and pro­fitable, and the late improvements add so much to its excellency, then it is matter both of grief and surprize that reformation in our singing should, in any place, meet with resistance and opposition. Although perhaps, it would be no breach of charity to attribute much of this opposition to the ignorance and prejudices of those who make it; yet as all may be conscientious, and think they have good reasons for their conduct, we will consider these reasons and give them all the weight they deserve.— Some object and say, "that they cannot but oppose these improvements in musick, be­cause they take it entirely out of their hands and place it above their reach." And thô they would not be supposed to act upon the same principle the fox did in the fable, who called those grapes sour which he could not reach, yet they persuade them­selves that this is a very sufficient reason why they should discountenance this new method of singing. They were, perhaps, once famous for their skill in psalmody and for the part they bore in this service, but now are obliged to set entirely mute, not only to the disparagement of their musical skill, but also to their great mortification, as they once took delight in "making their voices to be heard on high." This seems [Page 34] to be an objection in some mens minds; and if any part of it proceeds from pride, we are truly sorry for it; but if it proceeds from this, that these improvements render them unable to comply with what they suppose is their duty, we say that probably they may have wrong notions of their duty in this instance.—It would be very agreeable to see the whole assembly join as one in praising God for his common boun­ties; but this is a sight we can never expect to see in this world; and were it possible, it would not be worth purchasing at the expence of our psalmody. If our musick has at any time got to a very low ebb, and cannot be reformed without leaving a part of the congregation behind, it is, notwithstanding, a duty to attempt a reformation: For regular singing must be more acceptable both to God and man, thô performed by only a part of the assembly, than that which is groveling and indifferent, thô all should be engaged therein. Therefore if there be any who, through age, or other infirmity, are unable to keep pace with others in the necessary improvements in musick; instead of oppo­sing them, they ought to attend on it with all the delight and profit possible; remem­bring for their comfort that the benefit of singing is not confined to whose who per­form [Page 35] it, but may extend to all who, thô they cannot sing with the understanding and voice, endeavor to make melody in their hearts to the Lord. If I mistake not, the hearer has the advantage of the singer in this respect; for the first has nothing else to do, but to excite and cultivate his devotion; whereas the latter must attend to the harmony of the voice, as well as to the melody of the heart. Let not any then, who are destitute either of voice or skill, imagine themselves to be unconcerned in this part of divine worship, but rather let them closely attend to both the subject and the song, that they may sing with the spirit and make melody in their hearts to the Lord.

AGAIN, others there are, who, tho' they approve the musick, object to the ceremo­nies with which it is preformed, and par­ticularly exclaim against the Pitch-Pipe, and the motion of the hand. With what pro­priety these are called ceremonies, I know not. There is certainly a wide difference between ceremonies strictly so called, and those circumstances which are necessary ei­ther to the being or well-being of any particular performance, action or thing Ceremonies properly so called ought never to be encouraged; because it is well known they corrode the vitals of religion; [Page 36] and that in proportion as they flourish, true and undefiled Christianity withers and de­cays. But what is all this either to the Pitch-Pipe, or the Hand. These are said to be circumstances necessary to the decent and regular performance of vocal musick: The one enables us to begin and set the tune at a proper height or pitch, that so the notes of it may be within the compass of different voices; and the other, to keep exact time and sing in perfect consonance. For want of some such expedients or helps as these, how often have we known the most melodious compositions spoiled in the performance, and converted into harsh and grating dissonance. Inasmuch, there­fore, as these things give no disturbance to the congregation, and are in so great a degree necessary to the beautiful and regu­lar discharge of this duty, why should they be opposed, especially by those who esteem regular singing? To esteem the one and find fault with the other is just as consistent, as it would be to extol a regu­lar face, and exclaim against those features on which its beauty depends.

Lastly. OTHERS oppose the present regu­lar method of singing because they say it is an innovation, and an introductory step to Popery: Two charges, if true, that ought [Page 37] to determine all serious and good men to oppose it. But there is no sort of founda­tion for these assertions. An innovation it is not, and to popery it cannot tend. Regular singing is not a new practice even in this part of the world; for however the inhabitants first began to sing, we know a reformation once took place, which occasioned then as it does now, too much disturbance. And as there is no foundation for the charge of innovation, so it gives no occasion for that terrible outcry which some persons make, as tho' popery was advancing with haughty strides upon us. This is the mear bugbear of folly, or the offspring of ignorance, or what is worse, the wicked craft of some designing men to bring this reformation into discredit and stop the progress of it. For no person of common sense can see the least connexion between popery and the late improvements in our church-musick.

To conclude. IT is much to be lamented that christianity is so little under­stood, and that the meek and condescen­ding spirit of the gospel is so seldom disco­vered by those who call themselves the disciples of Christ. If superstition, bigotry and ignorance were not so prevalent, we [Page 38] should not see such fierce contentions about trifles to the neglect and detriment of the weighter matters of the Law. May toleration and charity be more uni­versally practised. "May we look not every one on his own things, but every one also on the things of others. May the ignorant be less prone to speak evil of the things which they understand not, and may the strong bear the infirmities of the weak."

AMEN.