Rom. IX.

3, 4.

a Meffiah. The Adoption that per-Serm.II. tain'd to 'em, the Glory, the Covenants, the giving of the Law, and the Promifes, was because they were a People, of whom as concerning the Flesh Chrift came. These had no further value in them than as they were establish'd by a temporary Command, and pointed to that riper Glory, thofe better things that Heb. XI. God had referv'd for us. But the ult. Works that are purely moral are oftentimes mention'd apart from them; and when thefe two are put into the Ballance, the Charafter always weighs on one fide: The Lord has not so great Delight 1 Sam. in Burnt-Offering and Sacrifice, as XV. 22. in obeying the Voice of the Lord: behold, to obey is better than Sacrifice, and to hearken than the Fat of Rams. When he fuppofes an awaken'd Confcience lamenting how infufficient Thousands of Rams, and Ten Mic. VI.8. Thoufand Rivers of Oil would be, he puts a new credit upon those parts of Obedience that are everlafting and moral: He has shown. thee, O Man, what is good, and what the Lord thy God requires of thee.

Serm.II. Of this kind are thofe Praises that Iwe offer to him in the Ordinance

of Singing. This is the plain fenfe of David, tho he liv'd in an Age when the Ceremonial ComPf. LXIX.mands had all their Force: I will 30, 31. praise the Name of God with a Song, I will magnify him with Thanksgiving; this alfo fhall please the Lord better than an Ox or Bullock that has Horns and Hoofs.

'Tis not my Province to anfwer Objections, that's a Service better plac'd; but I cannot be paffive to one that ufually affaults this Argument. Some tell us, that we may as fairly conclude for the use of Inftrumental Mufick in the Worship of God, because the Jews often brought it in thither. I fhall give a very eafy and general Answer, which I hope may both break this Difficulty, and lead us into the true Nature of that Service we are now oblig'd to. Tis certain, most of their moral Dutys had a Tincture of Ceremony in 'em, because fomething further was requir'd of 'em befides an Obedience to the Law: There was the

hope

Acts

XXIV. 6,

7.

hope of the Promife made unto the Serm.II. Fathers; unto which Promise the twelve Tribes inftantly ferving God Day and Night hop'd to come. That this Expectation might be kept alive, they had the Figures and Shadows of the great Blefling united to their Services. I will fhow you this in a parallel Cafe: Prayer to God is undoubtedly establish'd upon another foot than that of the Types and Ceremonys; and yet they are fo interwoven, that the Duty has a great deal peculiar in it, as it comes from them. There must be an Offering, their Faces are directed to the House which God had chosen to place bis Name there. They had Seafons of doing it: The multitudes ftood pray- Luk. I. 10. ing without at the time of Incenfe. We read of the Hours of Prayer : A&. III.1. They were to guard against all ceremonial Impuritys; and if any thing of this external Part was neglected, we fometimes find there's a frown of Providence to cloud the Work. God made a Breach upon David's Defign, by ftriking Uzza dead (tho it's probable there

Serm.II. was a religious Temper among the People) because they fought him not Chron. after a due Order. So that, to bring XV. 13. up the Argument, if a Duty ceases to be moral, because their way of difcharging it was peculiar, we fhall have the whole Character deftroy'd no part of our Obedience can poffibly come under that name. The diftinction is very plain between this Ordinance we are now defending, and those that are calHeb. IX. led carnal ones, impos'd on the Jews

10.

till the time of the Reformation. When the Apoftle writes to the Church at Colofs, he makes it one great part of his Advice to them, Col. II.16. that they be not entangled with Meats and Drinks, or in respect of Holidays, or New Moons, or Sabbath-Days, which took up a mighty room in the Jewish Worship; but they were only a fhadow of Ver. 20. good things to come, for the Body was Chrift, and they ought to be dead from the Rudiments of the World. And yet, after he had thus demolifh'd the whole Mafs of Ceremony, in the very next Chapter he Col.III.16.directs 'em to Pfalms, and Hymns,

and

and Spiritual Songs: which fhows Serm.II. they are not to be thrown into the number of thofe Services that are purely Typical.

§. 3. Human Nature is fitted to this Work with an efpecial Defign. The Facultys of Enquiry, Meditation, Delight and Wonder, are to relish the Perfection and Bountys of a God, what he is in himfelf, and what he has done for us: and the Tongue is our Glory, that Pf. XXX. we may fing Praife. We have a 12. Capacity to the Service above what other Creatures can pretend to: Our Voices are pliable to Melody; and how can that Beauty in the frame of them be better turn'd than to a decent and regular Performance of this Work? And when any will be at Pains to have this Ordinance carry'd on with a becoming Sweetnefs, 'tis indeed å devoting the beft Inftrument of Nature to the beft Employment of Grace. Our Glory is exerted, and God's admir'd. Satan's Artifice against this Duty fhows it felf two ways: On the one hand, he perfuades a loofe and careless C 5 World