are to give Glory to the Lord, and Serm.II. they must declare his Praife in the Ilands. The Preaching and Conqueft of the Gospel is meant by publishing glad Tydings, and faying Rom. X. unto Sion, Thy God reigneth: And 15. when this is the Happiness of any People, they shall lift up the Voice, Ifa. LII. and with the Voice together they fing: 8,9. They break forth into Foy, and fing together, when the Lord has made bare his holy Arm in the Eyes of all Nations, and all the Ends of the Earth come to fee the Salvation of God. Time would fail me to bring in all that we meet with to this purpose; I will only fum up the Argument, That if God design'd to abolish this Ordinance, and rafe it out of his Worship, we can fcarce think that he would have put the Duty and Joys of a Gofpelday into fuch Language.

S. 2. I proceed to thofe Commands that we have in the New Teftament; and thefe are plain enough to carry their own Evidence. The firft I fhall mention you have Eph. V. 19. Speaking, laulois, to your felves (or to one another) in Pfalms,

and

Serm.II. and Hymns, and Spiritual Songs; finging and making melody in your heart to the Lord. 'Tis apparent by this Scripture, that a fecret Joy in God doth not come up to the Defign of the Exhortation. A devout and warm Refentment of his Goodness to us is the Soul of

all Duty, but this is not Speaking in Pfalms: The Phrafe of the Advice lets us fee that it must be dif ferent from Meditation, where the Soul is purely retir'd into it felf, and fhuts out the whole Creation. The Melody in the Heart is no Cenfure of the Voice: It only. tells us, that befides the Pleafure of regular Sounds, we must have our Affections rais'd with the Subftance and Matter of what is fung: PL.CIII. 1. That our Souls and all that is within us may praise the Lord; left we fall under the Mifery of those Ifa.XXIX who honour him with their Lips, but remove their Hearts far from

13.

him.

Another Scripture, which is much to the fame purpose, you have, Col. III. 16. Let the Word of God dwell in you richly in all Wif

dom,

dom, teaching and admonishing Serm.II. (taulois) one another in Pfalms, and Hymns, and fpiritual Songs; finging with Grace in your Hearts unto the Lord. The Word that was tranflated your felves in the other place, is here produc'd in its true and genuine Senfe. The Context to each of thefe Scriptures is fill'd with Directions for general Service; the Advice in both of 'em is almost the fame, only here we are bid to let the Word of God dwell richly in us; which anfwers the Design of this Ordinance two ways: First, as we are thereby the readier at accommodating the Pfalms to our own or others occafions: and, Secondly, as it enlarges the Mind to understand and apply what we meet with in that great Bank of Experience. My Lips fhall praife thee, fays David, pf. CXIX. when thou haft taught me thy Sta- 171. tutes. This will help us to find our own cafe in thofe Pfalms, that look as if they were either personal, or wrapt up in Judaifms. When the Word of God dwells thus richly in us, it will form the Thoughts

Serm.II. Thoughts to a greater compafs, and teach us to compare fpiritual

Rom. XV. things with fpiritual: for whatsoever

3.

was written aforetime is for our Admonition. We shall be Partners with David in his Afflictions, and taft his Comforts as if they had been our own at the first hand. Ifa. LV. 3. And indeed the Everlasting Covenant that God makes with us, is no other than the fure Mercys of David. This will lead us within the Vail of Ceremony: By knowing the Fitnefs of the Types to their Subftance, we fhall not have our Thoughts fhackled with the Phrafe; but know that those Paffages which feem to be of the narroweft meaning, and moft confin'd to that Age, have a GofpelSenfe and Beauty in 'em.

Another Command you find Jam. V. 13. Is any afflicted? let him pray: Is any merry? let him fing Pfalms. Perhaps the Word in our Tranflation is a little too light for the Frame of Spirit here defign'd. It expreffes a Temper that's very becoming those who are Heirs of the Grace of Life, and fhou'd re

joice evermore, being not appointed Serm.II. unto Wrath, but to obtain Salvation by Jefus Chrift. So that the ufual Answer to this is frivolous, that it's a Duty only for thofe who are joyful: They may as well affirm, that Prayer obliges no further than when Affliction has gone before. The latter part of the Verse is no more limited than the former. Several Pfalms are the Breathings of David's Spirit under his Diftrefs. The CII is call'd A Prayer of the Afflicted, when he is overwhelm'd, and pours out his Complaint before the Lord. There was in thofe Believers a Love to God and a Hope in him, to gild the Darkness of Providence; and fhould not the Chriftian be acquainted with thefe in all his Adverfitys? The Exhortation therefore ftands unfhaken; Sing unto the Pf. XXX. Lord, ye Saints of his, for his Anger 4, 5. endures but for a moment; in his Favour is Life: Weeping may be for a night, but Foy comes in the morning. Who's to blame that we are not in a Temper for the Duty? Is our Sadness fo irregular and vio

lent,