TO THE 
 
 IMITATED 
 
 lU the Language of the Xerv Testament; 
 
 AND TO HIS 
 WITH 
 
 OBSERVATIONS AND REMARKS, 
 
 BY 
 
 ROBERT REID, A. Df. 
 
 PASTOR OP THE FIRST CHURCH OF ERIE, 
 
 / Jley shall be ashamed of the oaks which ye have desired, and yc ehall b© CdlH 
 
 founded for the gardens that ye have chosen.^-Jsaia^ /. 29. 
 
 XENIA, OHIO, 
 BS'PBINTED BY JAMES B. GARDINER* 
 
 J 826. 
 
 >^o' 
 
 tcrian His^brical Society 
 ^^liil^-PJi^'PsL. 19147. 
 
THC writer of the following observations and remarks is on© 
 of those who have formerly considered the difference between 
 what is called •' Rouse's version of David's Psalras.''' and the 
 Psalms of Dr. Watts, to be so trivial, that it ought never to have 
 been agitated in the christian church. Indeed, so great was his 
 apdlhy concerning thissubje. t, that he seldora gave it a moment's 
 consideration; he knew that it had long been a source of diificul- 
 ties in the church, that it has created party feelings and conten- 
 tions & animosities whenever it had been agitated, & therefore 
 he tjelermined to ;et it rest. Hp had always been accus- 
 tomed to the use of the Psalms of Scripture, -^nd he imagined 
 that his , predilection for them arose merely from habit; and 
 therefore he was disposed to make allowance for the predilec- 
 tion of those who had been accostomed to Watts'; he still, how- 
 ever, continued the use of the Old Psalms in his public ministra- 
 tions, although contrary to the wishes of many of his congrega- 
 tion; and to his pertinacity in the use of them he ;s indebted for 
 a large portion of his troubles in the gospel ministry. Just a- 
 bout the period when his mmd began to be somewhat as;itated 
 on the subject, & in doubt what course was the best to be pur- 
 sued, Mr. iVl'Master gave to the world his excellent " Apology 
 ior the Psalms of Scripture." This he read with care and much 
 anxiety, and then gave the subject all the attention which his 
 circumstances would admit of. From that period his course 
 v/as decided. He blamed himself for having so long delayed to 
 bear his testimony for the truth, and immediately took a deter- 
 mined stand in favor of the soncrs of divine inspiration. 
 
 He now confesses with shame that his former inattention to 
 ihh subject was exceedingly culpable; for he has reason to fear 
 tnat it arose, at least in part, from too great a desire not to offend 
 certain leading characters who at that time belonsred to his con- 
 fjregation. It grieves him also to reflect thnt many on whom he 
 then might have had some influence are now so far gone into de- 
 lusion that there is no longer any hopes of reclaimins: them • but 
 still he considers ith;s !my to state the truth: fjnd he trusts that 
 these who are acquaiiited with him will not impute it to selti&h 
 
t, T^'TRODUCTIOX. 
 
 jhouli.] be io ?pe:\k t!ie truth without any improper iuflueno.e 
 from fear or aiiectiori; the warmth of our feelings will no doubt 
 son;etimes lead us into eirois ot" e.\j)res?ion; but every man of 
 oruKlorwid know how to jnd^^e on this subject, and will make 
 thosf ailowanr.es wiiirh charity demands. 
 
 Upon the whole the writer is confident that he i? sveakivg on 
 GoWs behalf, and in defence of Ihe flivine institutions; — he is 
 assured, by the testimony of' his conscience, that he speaks vi//: 
 riinplicilij and podhj sinccritii ; and that his chi'jf desire, next to 
 tlie honor of (iad, is to benefit mankind, and especially the 
 .••ouls entrusted to his care, lie is deeply convinced fiom long 
 m;ddilif(ent sturly oflhe propiiecifs, and from as attentive, and 
 as accurate ohservHtion of the state of the religious world as his 
 . opportunities would allow, that we are now u[»on the eve of 
 sonrie cxenlful clinnire in the providence olGod. IJe firmly be- 
 lievfi^; that tli.' introduction oi'liuman inventions into the wor- 
 ship of Jehovah has y:r»^at!y contributed to cast a veil over the 
 real ci^oumstance^ of the chrislian rhurch; and was the cfiief 
 means by which the ( east that asccndeth out oj the bottovihss pit 
 lias been enabled, in the^^e (lay>/o makcivur ai:;cti)iii the witnesses 
 vf tndh and to oicrcome ihim aiv! Idll ihevt. — lie is equally cer- 
 ta:n, from the events which iiave lately taken place in the world 
 and iVom the chanire that has lately taken place in his own 
 mind. an<l in thf; minds of others whose writings he has consult- 
 ed, or with who:n he has conversed, tiiat the wilne.-ses have now 
 bci^un to rise iVom fhf» <lead, and tha» they shall soon stand upon 
 their teet, and ^reat fear shall fall vpon them thai ithold thtui. — 
 f;rnorance and inaltention will no doubt blin<lfold the eyes of 
 many. We are told by the Mpostle Peter, that tlurc shall come 
 in these litfl da>jy srufliij-st^'.iialuing afcr their oivn liisis. ami sayiu^\ 
 vckcre is the promise nf hi* comiv.^.fcr since the fathers fell asleep 
 alltliinfj^s conlinmros Iheij verc from the be;jit>nin^ of ike creation. 
 Such characters will no doubt endeavor to turn these obs»^i va- 
 fi'ins into ridiriile; but tho d:>y of venj^eance will come upon 
 f'u'fn suddenly: iov wht-n tlity suf; peace and safety^ then sudden 
 df\iirurtion ca-.ndk vponthciii, Wi travail vpon a ivoinanunth child, 
 nu'l t'ley shall no' acapp. 
 
 'I'liese ihinp's l-f ino^ premised, tlip candid attention ofth^ read- 
 (*\' i* eurne-riy requested to the followinjr subject. l|e will not 
 fju'l much that i-j new; but he will find snuie important lliin;^5 
 i\i.i\ havo'bcc" ('''.iv ,. ,...!. .,> 1 .'.,>,^.^ (^.-../.^fon 
 
wmm wm^MM. 
 
 WHILE wesing the praises of our God in his diurcli, we are 
 employed in that part of worship which of all others is the near* 
 est akin to heaven; and it is a pity that ibis, of all others, should 
 be performed the worst upon earth. The gosffel brings us 
 nearer to the heavenly state than all the former dispensations 
 of God amongst men: And in these last days of the gospel, we 
 are brought almost within sight of the kingdom of our Lord ; yet 
 we are very much unacquainted with the songs of ihc A'ew Je- 
 rusalem^ and unpractised in the work of praise. To see the dull 
 •*jn difference, the neglig-ent and thoughtless air that sits upon 
 the faces of a whole assembly, while the psalm is on their lip<, 
 might tempt even a charitable observer to suspect the ferven- 
 cy of inward religion; and it is much to be feared, that the 
 minds of most of the worshippers are absent or unconcerned. — 
 Perhaps the modes of preaching in the best churches, still want 
 some degrees of reformation; nor are the methods of prayer so 
 perfect as to stand in need of no correction or improvement; 
 but. of all our religious solemnities, Psalmody is the most un- 
 happily managed ; that very action, which should elevate ns to 
 the most delightful and divine sensation, doth not only flat oaf 
 devotion, but too often awakens our regret, and touches all th6 
 springs of uneasiness viith in us. 
 
 I have been long con-vinced, that one great occasion of this 
 evil, arises from the matter and words to which we confine all 
 our songs. Some of them are almost opposite to the spirit of 
 the gospel; many of them foreign to the state of the New Testa- 
 ment, and widely different from the present circumstances of 
 Christians Hence it comes to pass, that when spiritual affec- 
 tions are excited within us, and our souls are raised a little a- 
 bovethis earth in the beginning of a psalm, we are checked on 
 a sudden in our ascent towards heaven, by some expressions 
 that are most suited to the days of carnal ordinances, and fit on- 
 ly to he sung in the uorldly sanctuary. When we are jnst en- 
 tering into an evangelic frame, by some of the glories of the 
 gospel presented in the brightest f-irures of Judaism, yet the very 
 next line perhaps which the rlerk parcels out unto us, hath some- 
 thing in it so extremely Jewish and cloudy, that darkens our 
 
 / 
 
e PREFACE. 
 
 si'ht of God the Saviour. Thus, by kcepfng too close to David 
 in the house of God, tha veil oi .Moses is thrown over our hearts. 
 While we are kindling into divine love by the meditations of the 
 Icrving kindness oj God^ and the multitude of his tender mercies^ 
 within a feu vei pes some dreadful curse against men is propo- 
 sed to our lip?: Th^t God -xould add iniquity unto their iniquity, 
 nor let them come into his righteousness, but blot them out of the 
 booh of the living, P.^al. Ixix. 26. 27, 28, which is so contrary to 
 the new comraandaient oi lorcing our enemies; and even under 
 the Old Testament is best accounted for, by referrinor it to the 
 spirit of prophetic vengpince Some sentences of the Psalmist 
 that are expressive of the temper of our own hearts, and the 
 circumstances of our lives, may compose out spirits to serious- 
 ness, and allure us to a sweet retirement within ourselves, but 
 we nieet with a following line, which so peculiarly belongs but 
 to one action or hour of the life of -Darii, or ot Asaph, that 
 breaks offoursong in the midst; our consciences are affrighted; 
 least we should speak a falsehoofl unto God: Thus the powers 
 of our souls are shocked on a sudden, and our spirits rufBed, be- 
 fore we have time to reflect that this may be sung only as a his- 
 tory of ancient saints; and perhaps, in some instances, that saU 
 vo IS hardly sufficient neither: Besides, it almost always spoils 
 the devotion, by breakings the uniform thread of it: For while 
 our lips and our hearts run on sweetly together, applying the 
 words to our own case, there is something of divine delight in it; 
 but at once we are forced to turn off the application abruptly, 
 and our lips speak nothing but the heart of David. Thus our 
 own hearts are, as it were, forbid the pursuit of the song-, and 
 then the harmony and the worship groiv dull of mere necessity. 
 Many minister"', and many private christians, have long 
 I groaned under this inconvenience, and have wished, rather than 
 
 I attempted a reformation. At their importunate and repeated 
 
 requests, I have, for some years past devoted many hours of 
 I leisure to this service Far be it from my thoughts to lay aside 
 
 ! the book of Psalms in public worship: few can pretend so great 
 
 I a value of them as myself It is the most artful, most devotion- 
 
 I al, and divine collection of poesy ; and nothing can be supposed 
 
 I more proper to raise a jjioussoul to heaven, than some parts of 
 
 that book; never was a piece of experimental divinity fo nobly 
 I written, and so justly reverenced and admired: But it must be 
 
 acknowledged still, that there are a thousand lines in it which 
 were not made for a cliurch in our days, to a>«sume,a8 its own? 
 There are also many deficiencies of light and glory, which our 
 Lord Jesus^ and his apostles h»ve supplied IQ tte writings of the 
 
^ei?7 Tesiacient; and with this advantage I have composetl 
 these spiritual songs, which are now presented to the world. — 
 Kor IS the attempt vain-glorious or presuniing; for in respect of 
 clear evangelical knovvledge, The least in the kingdom of heaven, 
 is greater Stan all the Jeiuish 'prophet,':^ Mattb. xi. 11. 
 
 Now let me give a short account of the following compO' 
 sores. 
 
 The greatest part of them are suited to the general state of 
 the gospel, and the most common afifairs of Christians. I hope 
 there will be very few found but what may properly be used ia 
 a religious assembly, and not one of them but may well be a- 
 daptedto some seasons, either of private or ot public worship. 
 The most frequent tempers and ch.inges of our spirit, and con- 
 ditions of our life, are here copied, and the breathings of our 
 piety expressed according to the variety of our passions, our 
 love, our fear, our hope, our desire, our sorrow, our wonder, and 
 our joy, as they are refined into devotion, and act under the in- 
 fluence and conduct of the blessed Spirit; all conversing with 
 God the Father by the new and living way of access to the 
 throne, even the person and mediation of our Lord Jesus Christ 
 To him also, even to the Lamb that ivas slain, and naxv lives, i 
 have addressed many a song; for thus di)th the Holy Scripture 
 instruct and teach us to worship, in the various short patterns of 
 Christian Psalmody described in the Revelations. I have avoid- 
 ed the more obscure and controverted points of Christianity, that 
 we might all obey the direction of the word of God, and sing his 
 praises v:ith understanding. Psal. sivii. 7. The contentions and 
 distinguishing words of sects and parties are RecUided, that 
 whole assemblies might assist at the harmony, and difierent 
 churches join in the same worship without offence. 
 
 If any expressions occur to the reader, that savour of an opin- 
 ion difierent from his own, yet he may observe, these are gener- 
 ally such a? are capable of an extensive sense, and may be used 
 with a charitable latitude. 1 think it is most agreeable, that 
 what is provided for public sinking, should give to sincere con- 
 sciences as little disturbance as possible. However, where any 
 unpleasing word is found, he that leads the worship may sub- 
 stinite abetter, f r (Wcssed be G d!) we are not confined to the 
 words of any man in our public solemnities. 
 
 The whole book is written in four sorts of metre, and fitted to 
 the most common tunes. 1 have seldom permitted a stop in 
 the middle of a line, and seldom left the end of a line without 
 aa«i to comport a little with the unhappy mixture o^ reading 
 
 B 
 
.a preface:. 
 
 and sJDgin|:, which cannot presently be reformed. The met.w 
 phurs aro gent^rally sunk to the level of vulvar capacities^, t 
 have aimed at ease of numbers and smoothness of so-aul. am! en- 
 deavored to make the sense plain and obvious. If the vers© 
 iippears so gentle and flowing as to incur the censure of feeble- 
 ness, I may hone.-tly affirm that sometimes it co:5i me labor to 
 make it so. Some of the beauties or poesy are neglected, and 
 some wiifull V defaced, I have thrown out the lines that were too 
 sonorous, and have given an allay to the verse, lest a more ex- 
 alted turn of thought or language should darken or disturb the 
 tievotion of the weakestsouls. But hence it comes to pass, that 
 I have been forced to lay aside many hymns after they were 
 finished, and utterly exclude them from this volume, because of 
 (he bolder figures of speech that crowded themselves into the 
 verse, and a more unconlined variety of number, which I could 
 Bof easily restrain. 
 
 These, with many other divme And moral rompof»nres, are 
 row prmted in a second edition of the poems entitled Horcb Lv- 
 ricw; for, as in that bf ok I have endeavored to please nd profit 
 the politer part of mankind, without oti'endin^ the plainer sort 
 * ofchristians. so in tliis it has been my labor (o promote the pious 
 entertainment of souls truly serious, even of the meanest capaci- 
 ty, and at the same time (if possible) not to give disgust to per- 
 sons of richer sense, and nicer education; and 1 hope, in the 
 present volume, this end will appear to be pursueH with much 
 greater happiness than in the first impression of it, though 
 the world assures me the former has not much reason to com- 
 plain. 
 
 The who^e is divided into three books. 
 
 In the first I h^ve borrowed the sense and much of the form of 
 the song, from some particular porti'^ns ol scripture, and have 
 jjaraphrased most <>f the doxologies in the New Testament, that 
 contain any thiog in them peculiary evangelical; and many 
 parts of the Old Testament, also that have a reference to the 
 times of ihc Messiah. In (hrse I expert to be often censored 
 for a (00 religious observance of the words of scripture, where- 
 by the verse is weakened and deha'-ed according to the juflg- 
 ment off ritirs: But as my whole design was to aid the devo- 
 tion of rhnstinns, so more esperially in thi^ part: And lam 
 aatisGed I shall hereby attain two end.s, viz. assist the worship 
 of all serious mmds. to whom the expresHons of scrinture are 
 vjTV d»'Mr anddeliu;htful. atid siritify theta«<te and inclination of 
 lUiOse who think nothing mu^t berjuog unto Cod but tUe tUQslii' 
 
 #^ 
 
PREFACE. J! 
 
 iions of lis word. Yet you will always find in this paraphrase 
 d-ivk expressions eniightened.and the Leviti cat ceieinonies and 
 Ncbre-ji) ibrms of speech changed into the worship ot the gospel, 
 and explaiijed in the language of our time and nation; and wnat 
 would not bear such an alteration, is omitted and laid aside. — 
 After this manner sriould I rejoice to see a good part of the book 
 of Psalmt lilted for the use of our churches, and Z>artG^ convert- 
 ed into a Christian: But because 1 cannot persuade others to at- 
 tempt this glorious work, 1 have suffered myself to be persua* 
 ded to begin, and have, thiough divine goodness, already pro* 
 ceeded halfway through. 
 
 The second part consists of hymns, whose form is mere hu- 
 man composure; but 1 hope the sense and materials will always 
 appear divme. I might liave brought some teit or other, and 
 applied it to the margin of every verse, if this method had been 
 as useful as easy. If there be any poems in the book that are 
 capable of giving delight to persons of a more refined taste and 
 poiite edu alion, perhaps they may be found in this pari; but 
 except they lay aside the humor of criticism, and enter into a 
 devout frame, every ode here already despairs of pleasing. J 
 confess myself to have been too often tempted away from the 
 more spiritual designs [proposed, by some gay and tlowery ex- 
 pressions that gratified the fancy; the bright images too often 
 prevailed above the fire of divine affection; and the light ex- 
 ceeded the heat: Y^t 1 hope in many of them, the reader will 
 find, that devotion dictated the song, and the head and hand are 
 nothing but interpreters and secretaries to the heart: Nor is 
 the magnificence or boldness of the figures comparable to that 
 divine license which is found in the eighteenth and sixty-eighth 
 Psalms, several chapters of c/o6, and other poetical parts of 
 scripture: And in this respect I may hope to escape the reproof 
 of those who pay a sacred reverence to the Holy Bible. 
 
 I have prepared the third part only for the celebration of tho 
 Lord's supper, that, in imitation of our blessed Saviour, we 
 might sing an hymn after we had partaken of the bread and 
 wine. Here you will find some para[)hrases of scripture, and 
 some other compositions. There are above an hundred hymns 
 in the two former parts, that may very properly be used in the 
 ordi lance, and sometimes, perhaps, appear more suitable thau 
 any of these last: But there are expressions generally used ia 
 these which confine them only to the table of the Lord; and 
 therefore, [ have distinguished and set them by themselves. 
 
 If the Lord, \vho inhabits tbc praises of /jrac/, shall refuse id 
 
le PREFACfe 
 
 imile upon tills attempt for the reformation of psalmody amonj^at 
 the churches, yet 1 humbly hope, that the ble?ised Spint will 
 niike these composures useful to private Christians; and it tliey 
 may but attain the honor of being esteemed pious meditations, 
 to assist the devout and retired soul in the exercises ol love, faith, 
 and joy, it will be a valuable compensation of my labors: My 
 beart shall rejoice at the notice.of it, and my God shall receive 
 the glory. Tliis was my hope and view in the tirst publicaiion; 
 and it is now my duty to acknowledge to him with thankfulness 
 how useful he has made these compositions already to the com- 
 fort and editication of sorietiesand of private persons: And up- 
 on the same grounds I have a bet'er prospt^ct, and a bigger 
 hope of much more service to the church, bv the large improve- 
 ments ot this edition, if the Lord who dwells ia Zion shall favor 
 it with his continued blessing. 
 
 NOTE. — In all the longer hyrfins, and in some of the shorter, 
 their are several stanzas included in crotchets, [ ]; which stan- 
 zas may be left out in singing, without disturbing the sense.— 
 Those parts are also included iii surh crotchets, which contain 
 words too poetical for meaner understandings, or too particular 
 lor the whole congregation to sing. But after all, it is best, in 
 public psalmody, for the minister to chose the particular parti 
 and verses of ihe Psalm and Hymn that ia to be sung, rather 
 than leave it to the Judgment or casual determination of hiax 
 that leads the tunc. 
 
 NOTE. — Since the sixth edition of this book, the author has 
 finished what he has so long promised, viz. The Psalms of Da- 
 vid imitated in the language of the New Testament; which the 
 world seems to have rocoived with approbation, by the sale of 
 some thfiusands in a year's time. It is presumed, that the book> 
 m conjunction with thii«, may appear to be such a suflic ient pro- 
 vision for psalmody, as to answer most occasions of the Chris- 
 tian's life: And if an author'^ own opinion may be taken, he ea- 
 teems it the greatest work that he has ever published, or evcjr 
 hopes to do, for the use of tUe chuicbes.- 
 
 ^arci^a^ 1720/ 
 
i©i§imTA^2©ifi 
 
 i^^i 
 
 THAT part of the exercises of devotion by which we cele- 
 brate in songs the praise of our God, is truly the most elev ted- 
 of all the christian duties. It is '' the part of worship which \s 
 the nearest akin to heaven " All our duties are designed to 
 prepare us for this. This is the combined perfection of them 
 b11. We are to sing the doctrines of the truth of God in which 
 we have been instructed, we are to celebrate the perfections of 
 God which he has revealed to us. We express in our praises all 
 the varied eraotionsof heavenly joy, k godly sorrow; our fears, 
 our troubles, our repentance, our conviction of sin, our sense of 
 j)ardon, our comfort and our hopes, in a word, every sentiment 
 and feeling of the Christian's heart may be made an offering to 
 God in the exercise of praiae. 
 
 The praises of the church of God are advancing towards per- 
 fection; as every chiistian is always advancing towards the 
 Stature of a perfect man in the LordJesiis Christy so the whole 
 united body of worshippers are always making some progress in 
 the knowledge of God and in the purity of worship. The church 
 in ancient times were wholly ignorant, or had dark and con- 
 tracted views of many subjects in religion, which areas clear to 
 Qs as the noon-day sun; and there are still, no doubt, many stib- 
 jectsin religion, of which our views are dark and contracted, but 
 which will be altogether bright and glorious in the eyes of pos- 
 terity: and thus the church is gradually advancing towards th« 
 light and glory of the heavenly state. 
 
 But this gradual advancement of the church towards perfec- 
 tion is not to be measured by her progress in any particular age 
 or country It is not like the hiws of gravity, by which the mo^ 
 tion of a falling body is constantly accelerated. It is rather 
 like the influence of light from the dawning of the morning to 
 the brightness of noon. The sun is frequently obscured by 
 clouds which leave some parts of the earth's surface in com- 
 parative darkness; but still it is true that the light is increasing: 
 so the church of God has been advancing ever since the begin* 
 ning. In some ages and in some countries the hght has beea 
 partially obscured; but it has always shone with greater splen- 
 dor, when that obscuration was removed; we have now strong* 
 . (ground to believe that the last clouds which obscure the glory of 
 tjic church are about to pass awa/, and that we sb&IJi soon be 
 
U OBSERVATIOXS. 
 
 blesspd w't^ the " sight of the kingdom of our Lord."" God viiH'^ 
 soon b ^n i» say to liis church, and y,'i\\ accompan)' his word 
 with puer to produce the eflect: anse, shines Jor thy li^hi 
 is come, end the glory oj the Lord is risen ujjon thee. 
 
 But we may rest assured that this Llessed light, which in these 
 latter days shall etih^hten the world, will not only ^iruceed alto- 
 gether from the word of God, but it *vill teach men to esteem, 
 /respect and reverence the word of God more than they did be- 
 fore. We shall always indeed have reason to lament our o*n 
 dullness, and want of readiness to apprehend the blessed truth of 
 the sjoFpel, which is constantly pouring in upon us Irom duinc 
 revelation; and to be ashamed and grieved lor our negligence 
 nnd haniness of heart *' while the Psalm is on our lips;"' because 
 *!very one drags after him a body of sin and death : which is ao 
 impediment in the performance of every christian duty : but wc 
 .-,h;»ll learn to ascribe our sins to the proper cause, &. not to the 
 mai:er and words which God has given us to be oilered to bim m 
 praise. 
 
 Every accurate observer of mankind, who has attended t!ie 
 TVor-hip of God in courche where the psalms of scripture 
 are exciusively us*^<!, will no doubt, in the present days, as well 
 as in the days of Dr. Watts, have some reason to suspect the 
 fervency of inward religion in many; and perhaps, in some con- 
 ^reo^ations, he mi} he led to conclude that there is very little 
 ifervency of inward reli^gion in the great mass ot the worshippers j 
 but I am persua.led there are few christians in the world ia 
 Ihnse days, who like the Doctor, would dare to lay the blame on 
 llie word of God to '* which they conline all their songs." 'V\\e 
 nnost charitable observer, who attends the worshij) of those con* 
 
 fre2;ations. that have adopted new systems of psalmody, might 
 e tempted to suspect that more uttenlionis paid to the exter- 
 nals of worship, the tuning of the voice, and the harmony of 
 io'ind*. than to the internal melody of the heart; and perhaps 
 when there is a strong degree of excitement in their devotion, iie 
 might be tempted to attribute a part of it to enthusiasm, and ta 
 as-f rtthat one great occasion of the evil arose from the matter 
 am! words of their song of praise: but still, although his opir.ion 
 might he wrong, he would not be guilty of disrespect to th€ 
 WoilofGotl. Vet Dr. W. boldly announces his conviction 
 •* t!iat one great occasion of the dull indi!lerence and the negli* 
 g' nt ind (hoMghtiess air that sits upon the fact s of a whole a»- 
 te Mbly whf'h tlie P^airti is on their lips, arises trom the maUef 
 tnd woicU'"' of Ibc .Scripture of truth! 
 
OBSERVATIONS, tC 
 
 It is true we are not to use the word of God as a cfiarm ^r ^-I- 
 rsman from which we ho[>e certain efierts will be produced ;n 
 our minds. The mere words of s<^ripture will be of no mofe 
 benefit to us than the words of a man, unless we have some nn- 
 derstandingof the senee and meaning:, and are able to make 
 some apphcation of them to our own hearts; we are not disposed 
 to deny that some parts of the word of God were more applica- 
 ble in the^r literal sense to the church in ancient days, than thej* 
 are to the church in the present time; but still we believe witli 
 the apostles that all scripture is ghen by inspiration, of God. and 
 is profitable j or doctrine, for reproof for correction, and for in- 
 str'uction in righteousness: and we infer that every ordinance of 
 the ancient dispetisation, however it may appear at first inap- 
 plicable, has nevertheless a spiritual meaning from which we 
 may derive spiritual benefit provided we understand it; the 
 Psalms of David frequently recur to the forms of worship under 
 the Old Testament; but if our minds are spiritually exercised 
 we shall always find a substantial spiritual sense, which will 
 both enlighten the underslanc'ing and warm (he heart. In thf 
 psalms of David we sing the deliverance of the Israelites from 
 their troubles, and the jud'p;ments executed on them for their 
 sins, but when we reflect that the church of God is one; that 
 the christian church is the very same which existed in the dayt 
 of Moses and of Joshua, in Egypt and in Canaan; that the hia^ 
 tory of God's dealing with his people in the ancient ag'es is al- 
 so the history of his dea'itig^s in latter ages; and, that every i»* 
 dividual may find in his own experience something to correa- 
 pond with every sentiment and every expression, which relate* 
 to that body of which he is a member we can scarcely avoid 
 conviction that the Psalms of scripture contain not only the 
 true offering of praise, which ought to be rendered up io Got 
 continually; but that they contain the true spiritual food for our 
 »ou!s, which cannot be derived from the inventions of men.— 
 Hence it IS plain, that if we do not derive benefit from the 
 Bono^s of inspiration, the fault must be in ourselves. " The dulj 
 inditiierence and the negligent and thoughtless air, that sits upoo 
 our faces whi?e the Psalm is on our lips,'' ought to be a matter 
 of humiliation and godly sorrow; but let us be aware of charging 
 oursins upon the word of God. 
 
 Dr. W. seems never to have taken the subject into consider- 
 ation, that the authority of God is as necessary for the re^ula- 
 tjbn of oar worship nnderthe NinvTestamentasundertheOld-.S^ 
 ^at we oaust be able to put our finger oii some part of scri^jtuje. 
 
\p OBSERVATteN^. 
 
 3y approaches to blasphemy against the spirit of inapiratioD, tla« 
 every man who truly reveres the word ol God, must shudder at 
 the horrid presumption to which Dr. W. and his followers have 
 been led. Nothing but ignorance can save them from that sin 
 frhich is beyond the reach of pardon. Verily, if christians wera 
 rightly affected with this subject, their feelings would be sinii* 
 lap to those of Ezra, when he came to Jerusalem and found that 
 the priests and theLevites and the people had not seperated 
 themselves from the heathen around them; but had taken theit 
 daughters for wives, and had mingled in their abominations.— 
 When I heard this thing, said Ezra, / rent my garmcjits and my 
 Tfiantlc, arid plucked off the hair of my head and of my beard, and 
 sat doicn astonished. 
 
 This is truly a painful subject and we shall pass over it as 
 lightly as possible: The whole paragraph is so plainly founded 
 on mistaken views of the Old Testament dispensation, that wo 
 jfondly hope that no christian will now attempt to justify one 
 line of it. None of the Psalms when rightly understood wili 
 be found to be " opposite to the spirit of the gospel;" none of 
 them " foreign to the state of the New Testament,"'^ none of 
 them " widely different from the present circumstances of chris- 
 tians." The truth is, that they express the very circumstances 
 of the christian church at this time, and the particular circum- 
 stances of every christian. They express all the glories of the 
 gospel not only in the " figures of Judaism;" but in the language 
 which is most easily understood by the christian who is conver- 
 sant with his bible. None of us need be afraid of having the 
 " veil of Moses thrown over our hearts,"" so long as we are ena- 
 bled to behold, w'if/i open face as in a glass, the glory of our 
 ILordby means of the New Testament scriptures; and see the 
 Splendor of his giory as it is reflected upon the Old Testament. 
 Both these parts of the scripture equally reflect the glory of Je- 
 3US Christ upon the christian's heart; and thus he 18 changed in- 
 to the same image from glory to ^\ory as by the spirit of the 
 Lord. The new commandment of loving our enemies is by ng 
 means contrary to the imprecatory parts of the Psalms, The 
 Piedpemer himself when he was upon the earth useil us stronj 
 Jan?uaa;e on this subject as was used by David. ^Voe ufito you 
 acribis aud pharisefs, hypocrites. Ye serpents, ^e {generation of 
 vipers, how can ye escape the damnation ^fheVl VVhit is the Im- 
 gUHge of Paul on thissubjp t? (T'^"?/ ^^^^ ^^"^'^ "of (tie fjurdJe- 
 inis Cdmsf, let him hr Anathema Mar inatha. What is the Ian- 
 ^jage of the eaiate ef G^U es^rca^e^ia the Hcrelati»a;> ? •^'^ 
 
OBSERVATIONAL tSk 
 
 ikeae things 1 heard a great voice of muck people in heaverty saying 
 aiitiuia; saivation and honor and glory and power unto Itie Lord 
 our God: for true and righteous are kisjadgments: Jor he hath 
 j\idged tfie great zvhore, who corrupted the earth wUft her/ormcaw 
 tio :,;andkatli avenged the blood of his saints at her hand. Xi^. 4 2.. 
 TiiC true cnn?tiaii when ne ig engaged in the exercise ot uevCK 
 tion aever indulges a spitetui or revengeful thougbt against those 
 vvtio have injured him. On the contrary he blesses them liiat 
 curse him, and prays for tlwse that despitefuUy use hvn and per sc'^ 
 cute him; but at the game time he fuliy acquiesces and rejoices 
 ia tue righteousjLidgments ofGod. The enemies of the chcjs-- 
 tian are the enemies of Jesus Christ, and when we pray Ibr the 
 commg of his kingdom, we embrace the principle of all the im-. 
 J>r cations of thf Fsalms of David Every true ser\ ant oi God 
 pnys for the days of vengeance; not from selfish considerations, 
 not that he may exult in the misery and degradation of those 
 w iO have i jured him, but that righteousness and truth may pre» 
 Va; and be exalted. He knows that Jehovah is the God of 
 ven.eaoce, and that he will be glorified by the final con^iemna* 
 tion of his enemies, as well as by the final salvation of his people; 
 and when he prays for that salvation, all the means of its ac* 
 co'iip ishmentare also included in his petitions. No line in th& 
 psalms of scripture, so peculiarly belongs to " one action oc 
 hour in the lifeof David or of Asaph,'* that it cannot when prop- 
 erly applied, belong to many actions aud hours in the fife of ev- 
 ery chaistian: and if we sing with the spirit and understanding-^ 
 our consciences need never be affrighted lest we speak a' 
 falsehood to God when we address him in the language of his 
 Word. It is truly lamentable to read such sentiments from the 
 pen of one who has written so well, and so much like a chns- 
 tian on many of the subjects of Christianity,. Such sentiments 
 from Tindal or Paine or Voltaire, would be comparatively inof- 
 fensive; but when one who has long been considered as one of 
 the best and warmest friends of the gospel of Christ, is heard to 
 utter such horrible sentiments, we can scarcely avoid feeling as 
 if truth had forsaken the earth: and the impression is still more 
 painful when we see his errors followed and vindicated by the 
 descendants of men who in former ages were the most strenuous 
 advocates of the truth. Their consciences are affrighted! They 
 are afraid lest they should speak a falsehood unto God, wheia 
 they offer up to him the very matter and words which he ha3 
 provided for their praises, but they are not afraid to offer up ta 
 h'.m most glariog notsQcse and fals^booda which tbey have a- 
 
20 OBSERVATIONS. 
 
 dopted, find made their own, by receiving the effusions of weak 
 aiid erring mortals like themselves! 
 
 It IS a fact, which no man of understanding will deny, that 
 there much of both nonsense and falsehoods in those humao 
 compositions, which in this age of the world disgrace the prais- 
 es of the church; and the Psalms and Hymns of Dr. W. are not 
 more free from such faults than other human compositions; and 
 yet they will dare to ^o into the presence of iheir maker and 
 ofi'er an unclean sacrifice m preference to the pure offering 
 wh.ch God has provided. The contracted limits of this little 
 ^ork will not aJmit, that we should enter largely upon the 
 proofs of this position; nor is it necessary that we should; for 
 sundry writers have already brought forward and exposed a suf- 
 6cient number of the errors of Dr. VV.'s ifhitationss; to show cleai- 
 ly both nonsense and falsehoods. We shall however take the 
 liberty of adding to the list, one which does not appear to have 
 have been publicly noticed, although by no means the least offen- 
 sive and dangerous: 
 
 The CIX. is one of those psalms which the Dr. reprobates as 
 being very contrary to the " New commandment of loving our 
 enemies,-' he therefore puts in the room of it, one of his own, 
 tvhich he entitl<;s, '' Love to Enemies after the example of Christ:'''' 
 plainly intimating that even an imitation of this psalm would 
 have been improper. In verse fourth he says: 
 ** Their malice raged without a cause, 
 
 Yet with his dying; breath. 
 He prayed for murUeicrs on his cross. 
 And blessed his foes in death." 
 
 Here the Dr. evidently refers to the prayer which was of- 
 fered by our Lord when the Roman soldiers had nailed him tc 
 the cross, just before </ici/ parted his garments and cast lots. — • 
 Father, said hf, forgive them for they know not what tkey (fo. Luke 
 XX^iM. 34. He supposes that this prayer was offered up for hie 
 murderers the Jews. But this is evidently far from the truth; 
 the Dr. tells us himself in one of his hymns 
 
 " Itsha'nt be said that praying breath 
 Was CTCr spent in vain." 
 
 Surely then God would honor the dying breath of his only be- 
 gotten son, when it was spent in prayer tor his murderers; and 
 those "■ foes whom he blessed in deaih'^ are blessed forever. If 
 this doctrine were true it wonid certainly bring great consolation 
 to all murderers; for the raurdrers of Jesus Christ were certainly 
 the <:reatc'st sinners that ever disgraced the earth. If they were 
 (Bav«>d who jhall be lost? l/hc that opmilhaTvl no man shntlcih'^ 
 
OBSERVATIONS. £J 
 
 titts opened the door of mercy for them, then what crimbrj 
 Deed fear tbe punishment of the second death ? What sentiment 
 can declare universal salvation more openly and plainly thao 
 this? If this is true, then the unpardonable sin may be pardon- 
 ed, and the worst enemies of Jesus Christ have as good a rio;ht 
 to expect mercy as his best fnenc^s. But this is only the Ian* 
 guage of Dr. W.'s imitation. The language of God's word, io 
 the faithful version of the psalms, concerning such characters 13 
 rery different: 
 ^ As he in cursing pleasure took, 
 
 So letitto him fall; 
 As be delighted not to bles3j 
 
 So bless him not at a'.l. 
 As cursing he like clothes put on, 
 
 Into his bowels so, 
 I^ike water, and into his bones 
 
 Like oil, down let it go. 
 
 This was the end, and this is now the condition of the mur- 
 derers of Jesus Christ, notwithstanding the false sentiment 
 which Dr. W. puts into the mouthsof his followers, and which 
 they still dare to offer up to God in his church. 
 
 It was not for the Jews the Redeemer prayed, but for those 
 who were employed as the executioners of the unrighteous sen- 
 tence. They were not murderers unless the executioners of 
 an unjust sentence should always be called murderers. It is 
 true they committed a great sin. No man could be innocent 
 who laid violent hands on the Son of God. But th«y ac'ed in 
 obedience to their commander, and they knew not whai they did. 
 If they had done it with knowledge, they would have been be- 
 yond the reach of pardon. But their sin of ignorauce was for- 
 given, and they were saved. Hence it is said concerning them, 
 and all such enemies, who are brought to repentance, they shall 
 look upon him whom they have pierced. 
 
 It may perhaps be proper for us in this place to notice tbe ic* 
 suiting manner in which the Dr. treats the sweet Psalmist of Is^ 
 rael in his imitation of the CXIX Psalm, and in the note which 
 he sets before it. He says, " I have collected and di^posed the 
 most useful verses of this psalm under eighteen different heads 
 and formed a divine song upon each of them. But the verses 
 are much transposed to attain some degree of connection." This 
 Psalm, as it stands in the original Hebrew, is one of the most 
 artful and elegant, and perhaps one of the most labored compo* 
 sitions that ever appeared in any language. It is divided into 
 twenty-two parts, aod each part contains eight stanzas or f cftv 
 
^ OBSERA^^TIONS. 
 
 ses, which begin with the same letter of the Hebrew alphabet. 
 Jt was probably composed when the psaimist was lar advanced 
 in years, and matured in divine knowledge and wisdom ^ ior it 
 contains lessons of'practical religion which have not only never 
 been equalled by the pen of man, but are, m lact, the sum and 
 substance of all true religion, a? it exists in the heart and expe- 
 rience of the aged christian. The man who has spent a long life 
 m the study of the scriptures and the practice of Christianity, 
 will here rind, day by day, new lessons of spiritual wisdom to 
 regulate his heart and affections. Men possessed of the most 
 exalted talents,— men the most highly endowed with every 
 christian virtue, have not been ashamed to read and study and 
 meditate upon this psalm to the end of iheir lives; and confess 
 tliai mey always found something in it new and delighttul. Uut 
 Dr. \V. treats it as a piece of crude composition, dericient in 
 connexion and precision; and as if some of it were useless or un- 
 xnieiligibie to the christian church, and therelore not lit to be 
 sung in the praises of God. lie tells us furtherj ''in some pla- 
 ces among the words /a:y, commands, judgments te^iUmoiiuSy I 
 have used, gospel, ivord.gracey truth, prumiseSf Sfc. as more a- 
 greeable to the New Testament, and the common language of 
 christians, and it equally answers the design of the psalmist 
 which was to recommend the Holy Scriptuies." Men do not 
 
 fpnerally see the poison which is contained in the words of the 
 >r and perhaps he did not see it himself: but we can now feel 
 the effects of it to our sorrow. It is a fact that the world has 
 learned to set one part of the scripture in opposition to the oth- 
 er; and while they lavish all their praise, and all their religious 
 tlioughts and meditations on the New Testament, they treat the 
 Oid Testament scripture as a garment that is worn out and de- 
 CJ' .ed. This was certainly not the design of the psalmist, and 
 it ( ertainly was not the design of our Lord Jesus Christ when he 
 said to the Jews, search the scripture, for in then tje thud:: ye have 
 ttirnal life and theij are they rakicti testify ofmt' The Redeemer 
 evidently meant the Old Testament scriptures, for the New 
 T'starnent was not then in existence. In fai t the New Testa* 
 xn^nt is merely a developement of truths which are substan- 
 ti:»lly contained in the Old; and therefore the intelligent chris- 
 tian always searches in one for the truths contained in the other; 
 and thus the man of God becomes perfect, thoroughly J nrnished Jot 
 every good work. Bu^ the eflect of Dr. VV.^s production?, has 
 b»''vi, to conlui^' the aUention of the world to the New 'i'esta- 
 ftent, withoat leading tb«ra at all to searcia aad iaVeaiigate the 
 
OBSERVATIONS 1^ 
 
 Did Testament scriptures: and hence we may date the origin of 
 that light, and superficial, and fluctuating kind of religion vvhirb 
 we have among us. It is founied on no investigation of the 
 ecriptures; it has no stability b;jt pr^djudice; and when this is 
 shaken and removed, we shall see the accomplishment of the 
 second vial of the wrath of God. The second angel poured out 
 kis vial upon the sea, and the sea became as the blood of a dead man, 
 and every living soul died in the sea. This will be found in the 
 present and the succeeding age to be an enormous evil which 
 Tvill swallow up all the imaginary spiritual benefits, derived trooj 
 the efforts of Dr. W. to amend the Psalms of David. 
 
 In order "to attain some degree of connection^' he has man- 
 fled, and torn, and dislocated almost every joint of this divind 
 composition. We talk of a language being murdered when the 
 Writer orspeaker uses the words of it m a manner which is high* 
 )y improper. But Dr. W. has committed murder in a nwich 
 jBJOre criminal sense, for he has torn this psalm limb from limb; 
 and put it together in such a bungling manner, that cot criH it« 
 beauty and elegance, but the sense of it is in a great measure 
 lost. He has the vanity and presumption to say, that he hai 
 collected and disposed the most useful verses of it, under "eigh« 
 leen different heads, and formed a divine song upon each of 
 then/" Some of the verses he considered as useless, and threw 
 them aside; and the rest, he altered and arranged according to 
 his own fancy and this he calls "forming a fli vine song upo^ 
 each of them." It is charitably hoped that Dr. W. did not be» 
 lieve that this psalm was given by the inspiration of God,- for if 
 be had believed it, the most ingenious of his advocates will net 
 be able to clear him of the charge of blasphemy against the 
 ^irit ofinspiration. 
 
 It seems indeed plainly to have been the opinion of Dr. W. 
 that David was permitted to intermingle his own particular 
 feelings and circumstances with the word of God, so that some* 
 times he speaks the mind of the spirit of God, and at other times 
 be speaks his own heart. But if he had seen the consequence 
 of this sentiment, there is little doubt he would have rejected it 
 with abhorrence. If some parts of the book of Psalms are inspi- 
 red and some parts merely human; if there are some lines in it 
 in which David speaks his own heart and not the mind of the 
 spirit, may not the same thing be said of every writer both of 
 the Old and New Testament.? Who then shall undertake to 
 tell us what is human and what is divine? Such a do( trine 
 vould make the bible of no more authority than any other book= 
 
j^ OBSEKVATrONa 
 
 We might take such parts as we suppose to suit our own castv 
 and throw the rc«t aside. It will not mend the matter iu the 
 least to say that God gave a book of psalms to the Jews-, but he 
 he has j^ivcri us leave to fabricate one or tu-o or as many as we 
 please lor ourselves. This suppo:-ition is not only without any 
 su[)port from the sacred volume; but it supposes that the proph- 
 ets j'poke their own sentiments to subserve a temporary purpose j 
 that David made the boo!: of Psalms merely for the age ia 
 which be lived, or to be used until the coming of the Messiah : 
 and tliGu either to be thrown aside, or altered and amended by 
 some other better poet; so that it might last another age: and 
 thus rew systems of psalms, hymns and spiritual songs should be 
 introduced from generation to generation. 
 
 This statement is flatly contradicted by the apostle Peter.-- 
 2^no\vin^ this first, says the apostle, ikat no prophecy of scripTurt 
 is of private mit.i^reidition for the prophecy came 7iot in old time 
 hit the will (ftnan, but holy men of God spoke as they were moved 
 by the Holy Spirit. It is evident the book of Psalms is a system 
 of prophecy, directing us to Jesus Christ, and unfolding the 
 blessings and the glory of the gospel. It was not therefore giv» 
 en by the will of man ; it was not made to subserve a temporary 
 pur[ ose, but to continue ia the church as the system of inspired 
 songo of praise; and to be used as such by the worshippers of 
 Gori uptil the erjd of time. 
 
 What horrible delusion and degradation of the worship of God 
 bas this false sentiment introduced among mankind! The opin- 
 ion bas now become current that one kinri of religion is as 
 good as another, and that any other system of psalmody is as 
 acceptable to God as that which he has given us in his word. In- 
 deed this divine system is not relished, and can scarcely be 
 borne for this very reason stated by Dr. W. As long as they 
 can apply the words to ♦heir own case, or their own frames and 
 feelings which are frequently very difierent from the christiao 
 feelings, then their lips and their hearts run on sweetly together: 
 but when the word of God teaches other sentiments and other 
 feeliugs, it becomes disgusting and must be exchanged for some- 
 thing more pleasing. There are no limits to this kind of ex- 
 travagance. One system of praise must be exchanged for ao« 
 other, and cne system of religion for another, until invention it- 
 eclfisexhauKted: Dr. W. witli all his poetical powers has now 
 boromc antiquated among many reli2;ious societies. His imito* 
 Cion is left toslumbHr in silence, while some more fortunate po- 
 et :s honored as tbo fabricator of their praises. Agaiu his boa- 
 
OBSERVATIONS 25 
 
 or fails, and the laurel is bestowed on some other adventurer. 
 Sic transit gloria mundi! thus we see how the wisdom oj ^he wise 
 man perishes, and the under standing of the prudent is hid: 
 
 Dr. VV. confesses thai he yielded to the importunate and re- 
 peated requests of many ministers and private christians, to de- 
 vote his hours of leisure to this seivice, and that still it was far 
 from his intention " to lay aside the book of Psalms m public 
 worship;*' and then he launches forth into an encomium upon it, 
 but in a moment afterwards he displays the corruptnesfe of his 
 sentiments by saying it must be acknowledged that there are^ 
 thousand lines in, it, *' which were not made for a church in our 
 days to assume a? its own." No doubt he gives us two or three 
 of the thousand lines in his quotation from the LXIX Psalm: 
 
 " Add thou iniquity unto 
 
 Their former wickedness: 
 And do not let them fcome at al! 
 
 Into thy righteousness." 
 
 But yet these very sentiments are assumed by the apostles as 
 their own when they quote the words of this Psalm as fulfilled 
 in Julias the traitor. Men and brethren, says Peter,- this scrip- 
 ture rH^^st needs have heen fulfilled, lehich the Holy Ghost spoke by 
 the mouth of David concerning Judas who was. guide to them that 
 took Jesus.— Let his habitation be desolate, let no Tfian dwell there- 
 in: and his bishoprich let another take. If therefore the apostles 
 assume these lines as their own, we ought to have no hesita- 
 tion in singing them to the praise of God. It might also have 
 been easily shown, if he had been so good as to have pointed out 
 (he remainder of the thousand lines, that there is as little reason 
 for rejecting them as for rejecting those which he has quoted. 
 There IS no part of the Psalms which the church in any age, 
 may not assume as its oVn. *' The deficiencies of light and glo- 
 ry" which have been supplied by our Lord Jesus Christ and h^s 
 apostles, were intended to illuminateand not to shine in oppo- 
 sition to the sentiments of the Sired Psalmist of Israel Al! 
 spiritual songs which are composed for this purpose will be lika 
 ignus fatuus that glares for a moment and is then lost in thA 
 gloom of night The vain glory and presumption of Dr W. 
 are not the less obvious althoug-h he, disclaims them. The at-^ 
 tempt he has made would have Deen"yain-gloriJousiand presuming 
 although he had been in every sense of the word a greater char- 
 acter than the greatest of the Jewish prophets. It is not the 
 greatness of the frophet, riorhis clearness of evangelical knoH? 
 
 D 
 
a^ OBSERVATIONS. 
 
 edge that gives him a right to make Psalms for the church of 
 oiGod. If Isaiah or John the Baptist had undertaken such a 
 work without the divine authority, would it not have been vain- 
 glorious and presuming? Did the prophets or apostles ever in- 
 troduce their own inventions into the worship of God? Had 
 2hey not a THUS SAITH THE LORD, for every change that 
 Ihey made even in the outward forms of worship? and shall a 
 mere uninspired man at the solicitation of his friends, and be- 
 cause he possesses a certain portion of poetical talents, dare to 
 put his effusions in the r^om of that system of psalmody which 
 Ood has given to his church? The man who acts in this man- 
 ner does in fact arrogate to himself one of the essential prerog- 
 atives of the Lord Jesus Christ. It is he alone that has the au- 
 tthority, and we are sure he never sent hiji spirit to inspire Dr. 
 fV. to write sentiments exactly opposite to his former revela- 
 tions, which he has given in the scriptures of truth. This is a 
 tremendous consideration. Let those who follow this vainglo- 
 rious presumer, look at the precipice on which they are stand- 
 ing The ground has began to moulder away under their feet, 
 and if they do not speedily quit their situation, their fall will be 
 deep and dreadful. 
 
 Although Dr. W. professed such high estimation, and such 
 exalted sentiments of regard for the book of Psalms; and not- 
 withstanding his declaration, that *' it was far from liis thoughts 
 to lay il a.^ide in pubhc worship;" yet like many professors ia 
 tiie present time, there seem? to be a total inconsistency be- 
 tween his professions and his actions. He certainly acted as if 
 it was his intention to lay aside the Psalms of scripture entirely. 
 He first formed an "imitation" of the book, a kind of resem- 
 blance or image of it, and introduced this resembance or image 
 intothe churches in the room of the original. For certainly the 
 Psalms of Dr. W. are not the same as the Psalms of scripture, 
 when he himself declares that '* there are a thousand lines in 
 (hem that were not made for a church in our days to assume as 
 its own." The truth is, therefore, that Dr. W. and his follow- 
 ers have laid aside the book of Psalms in public worship, even 
 although they should never use any other compositions but hie 
 " Imitation. " But he has made the inconsittency .still more 
 glarings by introducing into the churches a number of composi- 
 tions entirely his own. In these elTusions whicli he calls 
 *• Hymns and Spiritual Songs," it is very plain, notwithstanding 
 ail his professed humility, and hisd^pial of vainglory and prc- 
 »i;mption, that he acts himself vip as the stapdarJ of imitation for 
 
.OBSERVATIONS. 2f 
 
 ihe churches of Christ. He says he has copied " ttie frequent 
 tempers and changes of our spirit, and the conditions of our hfe." 
 He has •* expressed the breathings of our piety according to 
 the variety of our passions, our love, our fear, our hope, our de- 
 sire, our sorrow, and our joy, as they are refined into devotion, 
 and act under the unfluence and conduct of the blessed Spirit." 
 But whfre was the original from which this '• copy*" was taken t 
 Was it not in the mind of the Dr. himself? He has copied 
 merely what be supposed to be '' the frequent tempers and 
 changes of our spirit and the breathings of our piety,'* &c.;and 
 it is just such a copy as might be expected. It displays nothing 
 90 much as his own vanity and presumption. Who authorized « 
 Dv W. to draw a copy of the " breathmgs of our piety," and 
 then to present this copy for us to imitate in our devotions, in 
 stead of the original w,hich God has given? If Moses had 
 not been satisfi« J with the .engraving o[ the law | of God 
 on thft tables of stone, because he found somethmg in it whicli 
 did not exactly suit his taste; and had therefore made an imita- 
 tian leaving out things which did not please him: and if he had 
 added to this imitation two other tables oi hi^ own, he would 
 have acted precisely on the principles af Dr. W, But would 
 not God have said to him, who hath required this atijour hand'^ 
 and would not every man have charged him with vain glory and 
 presumption? This is a very different case from a minister of 
 the gospel in the pulpit, or a writer in a printed book exhibiting 
 what he believes to be the breathings of chiistian piety, &c,,- 
 for we never think of taking his thoughts and presenting therB 
 to God as the offeringg of our praise. But Dr. W. has dared to 
 giv€ to the churches his copy of devotion, that they may present 
 it to God. I ask then have we not great reason to suspect, 
 from his egregious vanity, that his copy is not a faithful portrait 
 of the original, or that he had not so much knowledge of the o- 
 riginal a? to make a true copy of it? And, will not the Redeem- 
 er say to all such as worship by this copy, In vain do you woV" 
 ship me, teaching for doctrines the commandmevts of men. 
 
 He says '* there are various shortpaterns of christian psalmO" 
 dy described in the Revelations." Such as Worthy is the lamb 
 That K'as slain, 4*c. But here the Dr.'s enthusiasm has led him, 
 like the famous Don Quixote, to mistake a wind-mill for a gi- 
 ant. There is no pattern of christian psalmody described in 
 the book of Revelation. Every one knows that the v/hole 
 book is symbolical, and every particular revelation is made in 
 the language of symbols In certain cirCumslaaces the ^vhcle 
 
iJ^ CBSERVATIOIS'S. 
 
 v« -I 
 
 church is repres^oted as pouring forth one spontaneous accla- 
 mution of praise to the lamb that ivas slain. Sfc. and this the Dr. 
 suppobas to be a pattern of christian psalmody But if there 
 was any argument to be drawn from this representation, it 
 would certainly conclude in favor of having no pattern at all; 
 and that every one should sing tfie praises of God in such lan- 
 guige as might occur to himself at the moment. Then wo 
 shouirl, every Sabbath, have a jargon of words and sounds infi- 
 nitely worse than that which the apostle reprobates when he 
 says, !J' thert-Jore {he whole church he come together i.'do one place, 
 cV al' spea'c uith tongues ; <^ there come in those that are unlearned 
 cr unhtliezcrs, rcill they not ^ay that ye are mad'^ 1. Cor. XIV. 23. 
 Tliis argument seems to'have some athnity with that drawii- 
 from the command to singr a 7iew son^ to the Lord. From this it 
 13 inferred that we ought to sing the eifusions of Dr. VV. But 
 if this is the meaning of the command, the compositions of Dr. 
 W. ought long before this to have beQn laid aside; for that can- 
 not be called a new' song which was composed a hundred yiears 
 ago. All this is ridiculous and mere trilling. Every Fsalm in 
 the book ofGod's inspiration is always flew to the man whose 
 understanding will be enlightened by the spirit of God. In pro- 
 portion to his advrincemont in the knowledge of God, and of the 
 plan and works of redemption; and in proportion to his own 
 iniividual experience of the love of God, he will tind the light 
 of truth advancing and prevailing over the natural darkness of 
 his mind; his heart will always be more and more warmed and 
 animated, so that his song of praise will always be delightful 
 and ahvf»ys new. Hence it is said of them who are repiesent- 
 ed in XIV. chapter of the book of Revelation, as standing zcith 
 the lamh 6n mount Zion, and having his father'' s name -written oti 
 their foreheads \ th:\i they sano; a neiv song^ ^c. a7id no man could. 
 ijCarn thiit .song, but the hnndred and forty and four thousand which 
 mere red eeme-l from the caith.' Tliis is the very period oflhe 
 world in which this jTophecy m;iy be expected to be fulfilled. — 
 But those who stanrl with the lamb, and sing this new song, and 
 understand it, are not such as liave forsaken the Psalms of scrip- 
 ture to follow the Vain inventions of men. In fact the exrrci- 
 s.^s of devotion recede from the truth in jroportion as they re- 
 cede from the Psalms uf David. The fire of enthusiasm, has 
 tor many years, kept the christian world in a Hame and con- 
 <:(?aled the light oi'true devotion from the under.^tanding; but 
 the flame has begun to subside and we are enabled in some de- 
 cree to examine tbe eilects it has produced. But armdst- tltc 
 
wide spread desolation, there is nothing pcrhap* more Saciicnta- 
 bie than the almost total ignorance of the inspired Psalnris, and 
 the blind predjudice-ivhich has been excited against them.—' 
 There is ewery reason tft fear that multitudes who call them- 
 selves christians are forever' unfitted for singing or for learn- 
 ing to sing that new song of the hundred and forty and four 
 thousand; and that years and perhaps ag'es will be required to 
 bring the churches back to that true taste, that purify, and that 
 enlighteneo devotion, which existed in former times, before the 
 worship began to be corrupted by these Vain inventions. 
 
 The Dr, tells us " that he has avoided the ihore obscure and 
 cortlroyerted points of Christianity ,'' that '* the contentions and 
 distinguishing words of sects or parties are secluded;" that " if 
 anv expressions occur to the reader that savor of an opinion 
 ditfereat from his own; yet he may observe th^t these are gen- 
 erally such as are capable of an extensive sense and may be ii 
 sed with a charitable latitude:" and io crown the whole he tells 
 us that " where' any unpieasing word is found, he that leads the 
 worship may subslit^ute a better." This is charity with a wit- 
 cess. It is not indeed surprising, that the partizans of Dr, W. 
 have bfeen willing to keep his opinions from the eyes of the 
 world: For certainly if this preface had been published with 
 everyeditionof his poetical effusions, it would in some degree 
 have abated the fervor of? innovation. We should consider that 
 this is his own account of his works, and of the principles which 
 actuated his mind while he was engaged in composing them. — 
 We would wish to exercise charity, and are disposed to give 
 some credit to what has been- currently reported, that these last 
 poetical effusions of Dr. W. were rather the vagaries of the 
 mind of a good old man, who was substantially a christian; but 
 having embraced some erroneous opinions in the former part of 
 his life, was left to partial and afterwards complete derange- 
 ment of intellect as the chastisement for his follies. But what 
 ever might have been his principles and habits of thinking in 
 the former part of his life, he exhibits in this quotation a deplo- 
 rable example of the corruption of the heart. In fact, he tells 
 us in substance, if there be any meaning in his words, that his 
 *' Hymns and Spiritual Songs" are not designed to be a pure 
 offering of truth and righteousness, but calculated for all sects, 
 and all characters, that choose to offer up any kind of worship 
 to the Almighty, whether they receive the truths of Christianity 
 or not: — that there is a charitable latitude in his expressions^ 
 t^jitmen gf different opiaions may use them, every one iu his 
 
,30 CBSERVATION^.. 
 
 own sense; — that even the clerk of the congregation, or any one 
 that leads the worshi[», may substitute a better word, if any of 
 the Dr.'s expressions should not happen to suit his fancy:— and 
 to cap the c;im;ix of his absurdity [I had almost said blasphe- 
 mv] he concludes the paragraph with " blessed be God we are 
 iijt confined to the word of any man in our public solemnities.*' 
 When men will not be contiued by the word of God, they will 
 naturally run into every kind of extravagance. Error has gen- 
 erally small and almost imperceptible beginnings; but they who 
 are led hy its influence, are incapable of perceiving it, even 
 xvhen it becomes palpable. These opinions of Dr. VV. ad.surd 
 and profane as they are, seem to be currently received among 
 christians at the present moment. In their zeal for making 
 proselytes they lose sight of honesty and candor: and in their 
 unbounded charity, the truth passes without regard. But let 
 them tremble at the words of insulted Heaven: — Shall I not vis- 
 it for these tkings, shall not uiy soni be avenged on such a nation 
 as tiiis. We may well say with the prophet: — .'2 -c^onderfid and 
 horrible thijig is committed in the land. The prophets prophecxj 
 fals'lij^and the priests bear rule by their means, ani my people love 
 io have it so : A:id what will yc do in the end thereof. 
 
 Why should svhat is provided for public singing be so contri- 
 ved as 'Mo give to sincere consciences as little disturbance as 
 possible." if those consciences are erroneous? If a man has em- 
 braced some ftilse imd corrupt opinions in religion is it right, is 
 it according to the will of God, that a system of religious songs 
 chould be provided in which the words are capable 4)f an ex- 
 tensive sense and may be used with a charitable latitude, so 
 that such a man might conscientiously join in worship with one 
 whose opinions are correct? As we are naturally inclined to 
 error rather than truth, is there not a greater probability that 
 hy such an unholy union, the leaven of ialsehood might operate 
 more ciTectually than truth, especially when it is concealed un- 
 der an ambiguous expression? If the words provided for pub- 
 lic sin^^ing ought to he such as can be u?ed io this extensive 
 «ense and charitable latitude, so as to give afj little disturbance 
 as possible to sincere thoup:h erroneous consciences,; might not 
 wi»at U provided for public preaching and pr;iyec be also contri- 
 ved as to have a double meaninji; and thus tivoor more classes 
 of regions ciiaracters might bo suited with sentiments accord- 
 ina: io their feelings? Thi,§ truly is an admirahle contrivance, 
 nod Dr. W. ought to have had a patent for it; for there is rea- 
 son to fear that many in this age practice it upon the same prin- 
 
 #r 
 
OBSERVATiOIVS. 31 
 
 ciple without having made any suitable acknowledgnnent for the 
 invention. But the man who acts under the influence of such 
 principles; although he may be well calculated for making pros- 
 elytes; yet he can never bear the testimony of a true midfaitk'- 
 Jul witness It is this very poiic}' which the Redeemer repro- 
 bates, when he says Woe unto you scribes and pharisees for ye 
 compass sea and land to mti^ce oiie proselyte: and when he is made^ 
 ye make him ten-fold more the child of hell than yourselves. It is 
 a fact which nnust strike every one that has reflected on the 
 subject, that in all heresies, and all departures from the truth 
 of the gospel, the man that first divulged the erroneous senti- 
 ment, was a much better character than the mass of his follow- 
 ers. We have no reason to say that Dr. W. carried this false 
 s'entinaent any further than what he ^' provided for public sing- 
 ing;" but we know that many of his followers are not so scru- 
 pulous. They will both preach and pray, so as not to give 
 much disturbance to "sincere consciences" provided they have 
 a hope that their congregations will be increased by it. \t 
 would be well for us ministers of the gospel, to reflect occasion- 
 ally on the words of Paul. Do I now persudde men, or God? or 
 do I seek to please men? for if I yet pleased men I should not be the 
 servant of Christ. 
 
 It is true that Dr. W. possessed analural and highly cultiva- 
 ted talent for poetical composition; and if he had exercised that 
 talent in versifying the Psalms of Scripture, — in translating the 
 elegance of the inspired psalmist into English verse, his name 
 would have stood 4o the latest ages on the list of benefactors to 
 the church of God. But as the case now stands, it is certain ht 
 has been the instrument of diffusing among mankind, a taste 
 and disposition which is altogether at variance with the spirit 
 of true religion. The translators or versifyers of the system of 
 psalmody usually called " Rouse's version of David's Psalms," 
 evidently did not consider ease and elegance of diction, or 
 smoothness of sound, to be an object of much importance. Their 
 grand design was to give the sense and sentiments of the inspi- 
 red Psalms. They acted on the very contrary principle to 
 that of Dr. W. They never thought of using words that might 
 be "capable of an extensive sense and charitable latitude, that 
 they might give to sincere consciences as little disturbance as 
 possible." In truth they seem to have paid very little atten- 
 tion to the graces of composition. Hence it is not at all surpri- 
 sing that the compositions of Dr. W. should have been receiv-^ 
 ed with actlaipation by the thooghtless wotld; because bis 
 
S^ OBSEirVATlOI^. 
 
 <»r€at object was ta please them, and give as little disturbance ai 
 possible to their ccnsciences. He has therefore been do bene- 
 luctor to the church. Ilis compositions have procluceda kinl 
 of morbid religious feeling, which, although it may have some 
 symptoms ot spiritual health, will nevertheless miserably de- 
 ceive those who indulg-e in it. While they think they are ma- 
 king ^re:it advances in the divine life, and his words "compose 
 their spirits to seriousness, and allure them to a sweet retire- 
 ment within themselves ^^ they are indulging a dream of enthu- 
 siasm, a vain image of devotion, which God ziill despise. 
 
 VVh:itelse can be expected from follewing the man, wh6 with 
 vanity almost unparalelled, and only equalled by his presump* 
 tion,can gravely come forward and tell us that he has changed 
 the " Levitical ceremonies and Hebrew forms of speech into the 
 worship of the gospel; that what would not bear such an alter- 
 ation he omitted and laid aside: That he. would rejoice to see a 
 good part of the book of Psalms thus fitted for the use of our 
 churches, and Divid converted into a christian.'^ Certainly 
 there could not be a stronger evidence of the unfitness of Dr. 
 IV. to be a leader in any kind of devotion, than the ezpression 
 of such sentiments: for they manifestly show either a partial 
 derang-ement of intellect or such vanity and presumption as arc 
 entirely inconsistent with the humble spirit ol Christianity. If 
 David needed conversion before he could become such a chris- 
 tian as Dr. W. there is every reason to fear that the Dr 's Chris- 
 tianity was not according to the mind jind will of God. We know 
 that David was amnn according to God's own heart, k. that the 
 ipintofthe Lord spake by him, even when he indited those very 
 bnes which the Dr. despises & throws aside as not fit to be used: 
 We know, from his own confession, that his Christianity was dif- 
 ferent from the religion of David; we are therefore irresistibly 
 kd to the conclusion, that Dr. W.'s compositions are not a true 
 model of christian devotion. What then I again a-^k can be ex- 
 pected, but that God will despise the vain iinaginjitions of those 
 \vho forsake his word^ and form their devotional feelings from 
 ;h»s false model? 
 
 We shall take notice of another exceptionable passage in this 
 preface, and shall then close our observations. He tells us that 
 iie has "prepared the third part of his Hymns and Spiritual 
 Jiongs only, for the celebration of the Lord's supper, that in im- 
 i,tation of our ble>^sed Saviour, wo might sing ao hymn after we 
 bavepJ^rtakcn of the bread and wine;" For this part he seems 
 ^0 draw his authority fram Mark XIV. 26. fVk^n they had stmg 
 
OBSERVATIO^^S. 33 
 
 an hymn iJiey went out unto the mount ofOnvc^. 11$ must havft 
 thought that the Redeemer or some of his disciples had heen 
 exercising their talents in poetrv, an<l had prodticed an hymn 
 for the occasion; and therefore he had a right, as the poet lau- 
 reat of the church in his time, to exercise his talents in produ- 
 cing hymns for every such occasion after his days. With ail 
 bis learning the Dr. seems to have been ig-norant that it has 
 been, and still is the custom among the Jews, when they have 
 eaten the passover, to sing or chaunt one of the Psalms of Da- 
 vid, in the latter part of the book, beginning- with Alleluia, or 
 praise ye the Lord, It was evidently one of these that Christ 
 and his Apostles sang and not an extemporaneous eflusion, or 
 a hymn produced for the occasion according to the custom of 
 modern times. It is not for a moment to be supposed that the 
 Redeemer would reject his own Psalms, which all relate to 
 him, and which are suited to every occasion of christian wor- 
 ship; and that he would establish a precedent, which would have 
 put it in the power of every poetaster of ancient and modern 
 times, to impose his worthless or profane productions on the 
 church, as hymns suited to those solemn occasions, in which 
 they commemorate the dying love of their Lord. 
 
 If [ am not very much mistaken, the modern idea attached 
 to the word hymn, as a kind of poetical composition in s^me 
 respects difterent from a Psalm, was in a great desjree deri\ed 
 from the productions of Dr. VV. and some of his cotemporaries. 
 According to the Dr. and other writers of the same stamp, a 
 Psalm seems to be a kind of sacred poetry formed after the pat- 
 tern of the Psalms of David; and hymns are a kind of composi- 
 tion suitable to be sung on certain occasions, and in particular 
 circumstances. But this is quite an arbitrary, and altogpfher a 
 modern idea. The Latin word carmen, found in that cehdira- 
 ted sentence in Pliny, which has been quoted as a triumphant 
 argument, that hymns were in use among the primitive chris- 
 ti ins, signifies any kind of Ode or Poem. No doubt the Psalms 
 of David were the carmina or hymns which they sang to Jesus 
 Christ ^s God. There were no Psalm-makers in those days a- 
 mong the persecuted christians to alter and amend the word of 
 God and render it suitable for christian devotion. Nor is there 
 (he smallest reason to believe that the orthodox believers depart- 
 ed on any occasion from the Psalms of Scripture to sing a hymn 
 of human composition. It is however evident, from the man- 
 ner in which the Psalm.s are quoted by the apoj^tle Paul in the 
 epistle to the Hebrews, that the primitive christians uudeistood 
 
 E 
 
M JTEMARKS. 
 
 tb<>m as relating to the Messiah. H'^ never stops to inform them 
 that the XLV and the ClI. which he quotfts in the tirst chijp- 
 tor, are desisfned to hoa)r the Lord Jesus Christ. They had 
 not lost this kmvvled^e ii thediva of Pliny, nor did they wish 
 to conceal the truth, that Je^iis Carist received divine honors 
 in their praises. Ic was therefore very natural for Pliny to give 
 this infonnatioa to his master, that the christia»s were accus- 
 tomed to asse'oble and to sin^ n (carmen) hymn to Christ as 
 God; although they sang nothing but the Psalms of David. The 
 terms. Psalms, Hymns, and Spiritual Songs, which are men- 
 tioned by Paul are only an amplification of the varieties of sacred 
 poetry which are found in the book of Psalmji. There is just a^ 
 about a? muc!i dilTerence in the ideas conveyed by these w )r !sr 
 as there is in the words iniquity, transgression, and sin, wh.ch 
 are sometimes found in the Old Testament. No one seems at 
 a loss to understanfi the general meaning of these words, al- 
 though it might be ditficult to distinguish them severally. VVe 
 find the Hebrew word MlZMOPi, the most frequent of the ti- 
 tles of the Psalms, and this word has exactly the same signifi- 
 cation as the Latin word Carmen, viz: any hii^hly finished po- 
 etical composition. We tindalso the word SIf iER which sig- 
 nifies a 50A>if . and SfllEn MIZMOR, which mav be rendered ri 
 highly finished snncr. Some are entitled RIASCHIL, which 
 Tne^ns, giving wisdom ; some MfC^HTAIVI. which means golden, 
 ^c. but they are all classed under the general term TEHILLIiVf, 
 psalms or praises. Thus we see that the distinctii)n which Dr. 
 W. has thought proper to make between Psalms, Hymns and 
 Spiritual Songs, is entirely his own invention, and has no foun- 
 dation in the original meaning of the words. 
 
 We shall now t 'ke leave of the Dr. and his compositions, as 
 ♦he partirular subject of our criticism, and proceed to make a 
 fow general 
 
 I. OL'R stated and regular exercises of public devotion con- 
 »ist in praise and prayer, and the preaching of the word The 
 two latter must alvvays vary their form according to circumstan- 
 ces. The public instruction of the gospel must always be suit- 
 ed to the circumslances of the hearers, and therefore the form 
 of the words must be varied in every discourse. The same ot^ 
 rcrvatioiis in \y be made, with rctr.ard to prayer. 0':r circinc. 
 
 I 
 
fiances and wants are perpetually varying and the forms of our 
 petitii'DS snoul 1 oe varieti accordingly. But as it is the duty of 
 every preacher to premediate his subject, and even to clothe it 
 in some form before he presents it to his audience; so it may 
 be very proper for us also to premediate the subject of our pray- 
 er. Hence forms of prayer may be useful in certain circum- 
 stances, to assist us in our devutions, especially when we are 
 youpg and inexperienced. But those who confine tbemselv^^ 
 always t > particular forms of prayer, whether ministers of the 
 gospel, or private cnrisiians, act as absurdly as if they were aU 
 ways to preach or to hear a certain form of sermons: Henco 
 there is no form ofprayer given for our imitation in the whole 
 scriptures. It i^ very evident that the prayer which our Lord 
 4aught his disciples was not intended as a form to be used al- 
 ways as it stands in the Bible, li was intended to show us how 
 to pray, and what things we should ask. It contains the sub- 
 stance of all the petitions which are agreeable to the will of 
 <jrod. But when the Eedeemer prescribed this prayer, he cer- 
 taioly did not intend to give any man or bod^ of men the au- 
 thority to prescribe forms of prayer tor the churches. They 
 may be profitably used m some cases as Jaand-maids to devoi^ 
 tion, but when they usurp the place of the mistress they stand 
 upon the same footing of the othei inventions of man. They 
 are an infringementof the prerogatives of Jesus Cnrist. Heuce 
 the prayers of the prophets and apostles which are recorded iq 
 the divine word^ are all of them varied according to their cir^ 
 cumstances, and none of them intended as forms for our imita- 
 tion. 
 
 But the case is very different with respect to our praises — 
 H«re a form is absolutely necessary. We are all commande^i 
 to sing aloud to God — to make a joyful noise to him — to sing for tk 
 the honor of his name, «^'c. As therefore there is a necessity for 
 a form of praise ; so he has given the form in his word; and has 
 given no authority to any man to alter or amend it. This theo 
 is one of the high prerogatives which our Lord Jesus Christ hag 
 reserved to himself. If he bad thought proper to make any al« 
 fc Tuitions or amendments in order to render the Psalms of Da- 
 vid niore suitable to the present state of the church, we have 
 no reason to think that he would have left this important work 
 untinished when he departed from the earth. He would have 
 inspired some af his apostles to write a system of Psalms and 
 Hymns and Spiritual Songs for the times of the New Testa- 
 zasnt. But as we do cot trnd a word or syllable on this iubject 
 
j^ REMARKS. 
 
 in the whole scriptures of truth, we are bound to believe that uq 
 surh authority is ^ vea,an(i that no such thing is necessary. 
 
 It is evident thutttie frequent acclamations of praise, which 
 ftre found in the book ot" Revelation, were not intended as pat- 
 teni* of psalmody. They represent the substance, but not the 
 formof the praise* ofthe churrh in these latter times of the 
 gospel: and nolhioi^ is necessary but to have our tninds enlight- 
 ened by t e kno\vledL'"e contained in the New Testament to see 
 the the substance of all their praises in the Psalms of David. — 
 Cjrnpare for example the XCVIII Ps aim with the XV^ chapter 
 of the book of I^Hvelation. The Psalmist eyclaims: The Lord 
 hath made kno:vn his salvatioji: his righttousncas hath he ojKuly 
 showed in the si^ht of the heathen. The church exclaims: ivlio 
 shall not fear and glorify thy name; for thou only art holyl for 
 all nations .shall co)iie and ^vorship before thee ; for thy judgments 
 are male man fst. If it should be asked why do they not use 
 the Psalms of David, that the argument might have been con- 
 clusive in their tavor. we answer: — -Tiie hook of Revelation is 
 all written in the lans,''uag:e of symbols, and is consequently in- 
 tended to express llie substance and not the form of words in 
 which the praises of God are to he sung. It is enough that we 
 Rre told they sang the song of Moses and the song of the Lamb; 
 vvhir.h are iiothinir else than the song> of Zion tbund in the book 
 of Psalms Besides the very sentimerits here used are at vari- 
 :ujce with the modern Hymn bo^ks. The great subject is the 
 judo;^ments of God. & v<n<.'eance executed on his enemies. Tiiis 
 was the great ohjei t of the prayers of the saints, and it is here 
 represented as the cause of their praises. What system of 
 j)raise, but tiie book of inspiration^ can teach us how to pray lor 
 thf judgements of (jod, upon the woild, and how to praise him 
 when tliose judgments are manifest.^ Il i^ therefore the senti- 
 ments of the book of Psalms wh'ch are here put into the mouth 
 of the church by the spirit ot God. They and they alone shall 
 be sung by Ihe christian church in ages to come. 
 
 II. If Jn.-iis Chri.it did not think proper to aUer this formula 
 of praise — if the apostles did not presume to alter or amend it; 
 it may not only be fairly presumed that the system is perfect and 
 net ds no amendment; but that all who have published new sys- 
 tems of ps ilm- or Hymns, or Spiritual Sonpfs, with the intention 
 of h iving th'Mn introduced info tlie churches, have, in fact, u- 
 fiurped onH of the highest prerogatives of the iirdemer, and do 
 crpube tbeiDsehes to the jud^tneaticoataiQed in that admooi- 
 
RE]VtARK9. 37 
 
 lion. Prov. XXX. 6. Add thou not unto his words, lest he reprove 
 thee and thou he found a liar 
 
 ^'oJhinii Dvii bf-vere judc^ments will teach the presumptiou^ 
 chiidrrH of Aaurn to aiknowied^e the sovereignty, and to res- 
 pe' t tie ifiStitutionsof the Aim^hty, Nudab and Abihu, the 
 8. us o ■ Aurou. dared to ofr*T stranoje fire upon the altar of 
 G d. ihrtead olthiit sacred tire whi'h had beea kindled at first 
 by nis rwii hand, an i was still kept burning upon the altar; and 
 there went out fire from the Lord and devoured them, and tkey died 
 before the Lord. The sentiaient> contained in the Psalms of 
 IJavid are the sacred fire winch has proceeded fronm the Al- 
 mighty, and which he has appointed with the agency of his Ho- 
 ly Spirit to kindle thf sacred flame of devotion in our hearts; 
 but if we use for this purp>se the strange lire of the inventions 
 of men, we have e. ery reason to fear the judg-ments of his wrath. 
 THv^y may not indeed come in the same form of those whicb 
 were executed on the sons of Aaron: for the judgments of these 
 latter times are spiritual rather than temporal. It is said of the 
 Redeemer thatAg shall smite the earth xcith the rod of his mouthy 
 4ind with the breath of his tips he shall slay the wicked. Spiritual 
 judgments are much more to be dreaded than tne most severe 
 of those whifh are merely temporal. They are the death of 
 the soul, for they harden the heart against'the fear of God.— 
 There is a kind of infatuation in the use of human psalmody, 
 which renders those who have adopted it, deaf to the admonitions 
 of truth. They will not attend to arguments which contradict 
 their favorite practices. They are more and more hardened 
 by every new reproof, until ijoally, God says ye have chosen your 
 own ways, and your soul hath delighted in your abomhiaiions : I will 
 also choose youi" delusions. Thus the Redeemer smites the earth 
 with the rod of his mouth, and still they go on in disobedience 
 from generation to generation, and many of them go down to 
 the grave with a lie intheir right hand. 
 
 But it is evident from the prophecies, and from an impartial 
 and enlightened view of the moral aspect of the world at this 
 moment, that, in this and the following age, we are to expect 
 the consumation of the judgments of God which shall introduce 
 the kingdom of the Mcssian, so clearly and so frequently fore- 
 told hy the prophets We ourselves shall most probably wit-^ 
 ness the accomplishment of that prophecy, which in the ages 
 that are past has exercised the faith of the church, and is still 
 sung in her praises. Our God shall come and shall not keep n- 
 kncey afire ihall devour bejoro. him and ii shall be v€ry temjiestxt^ 
 
Jft • KEMARKS. 
 
 OILS round about him. He shall call to the heavens Jrom above a'B.d 
 to the earth, that he may ju fge his people. \^s. L. 3, 4. God h^s 
 siiid, that he is a jealous Goi, zisiiing the ini(juities of the fathers 
 upon the children unto the third and fourth generation, it is now 
 liiree generation"* siuce this new kind ot" idoiatr)', this new mode 
 offering strange tire, was first introduced into the cliuich of 
 God. We may therefore expect thai in the days of vengeance 
 thut are now impending, an exemplary punishment will be in- 
 dirted on all those who have so long and so presumptiously re- 
 }erted the ordinance of God to lollow the traditions of men.— 
 He has said and his word will soon he fulfilled: They shall be 
 ashamed of the oaks rvhich ye have desired, and ye shall bt confound" 
 edfjr the gardens which ye have chosen: for ye shall be as an oak 
 \rhose leaffadelh, and like a garden in which there is no -d-ater. 
 
 It is not to be supposed that G kJ is now less jealous of hispre- 
 rogatives, than he was when the prophecies were written. If 
 it was then a sm to sacrifice in gardens, or under the shade of 
 an oak, when the temple at Jerusalem was the appointed pi ice 
 of worship; it cannot be less a sin at the present time to iorsake 
 the established and authorized system of praise, which no one 
 will dare to say has been abrogated by divine authority. We 
 should still bear in mind that it is the authority of God to which 
 we are to look, &, not to the imaginary benerits which we think 
 we are receiving; nor even to the imaginary honor which we 
 'Jhink we are rendering to God. it was thus that Samuel con- 
 futed the vain reasonings of Saul, when he attempted to excuse 
 his disobedience in not destroying the cattle of the Amalekites. 
 The people, s^\d Saul, spared the best of ilie sheep, and of the o:c- 
 <2;2, to sacrifice unto the Lord thy God, and the j'cst we haveutterhj 
 destroyed. But Simuel said. Ualh the Lord as great delight in 
 hurnt offerings and .sacrifices as in obeying the voice of the Lordl 
 Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice^ and to hearken than the fat 
 of rams: for rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness 
 is as iniquity and idolatry. B -ause thou hath rejected the o>)Ord 
 of the Lord, he hath even rejected Ihtejrom being king An obe- 
 dient di-sposition is of more value in the sight of God, than ihe 
 most costly sacrifices. All our worship, especially our praise, 
 M to })e considered in this light. VVe are to render laiio God the 
 ta'irificcof praise, even the fruit of our lij/s giving thanhs to hit 
 name These oli»^rings may be pure and unacceptable both id 
 respect of the matter and form. The matter or substance Oif 
 oui- praise m »y be an abominfition to God, while the outward 
 form of it iis eucli as he has coaimaiided; but when we are guil- 
 
iy o^drsobedience in the form, the very substance is contamina- 
 ted. Whether a sacritice was offered at ihe temple, under an 
 oak, or in a garden, the subvStance of it was the same; but when 
 they did not bring it to the temple, it was whoily pol uJed; it 
 tv'as all a provocaiion and broutjht down a curse and not a bless- 
 ing. So when the worshippers of God forsake his appointed 
 ordmance in their sacrifice of praise, they may have many go )d 
 sentiments to offer, and many good dispos^rtions and affections, 
 but the sin af disobedience, in one part of their worship, con- 
 taminates the whole. Sau! did right when he destroyed the sin- 
 ners, the Am;^Iekites; but when he spared the sheep and the ox- 
 en, althoujjh it was intended for a sacrifice to God, his whole 
 service wa? poluted and he became a transgressor. It may in- 
 deed be said that the cases are not paralcl, that although God 
 has allowed the P?alm& of David to be sung in the churches, he 
 has no where said, ye shall not sing any human compositions. — 
 But we contend, that the very fact that God has given us a 
 form for our praises, which he has not given us for our pray« 
 ers, is tantamount to a prohibition of every human form of 
 praise. It is enough for us to say that God has given no au- 
 thority for such innovations. 
 
 But vye further remark^ that the neglect of any institution of 
 God is contempt of his authority; and we cannot introduce bus- 
 man compositions into his praises, without setting aside at leas! 
 for a time the Psalms he has given us in his woi d. It is true^ 
 we may have a disposition to use them on some other occasion^ 
 and not to lay them aside entirely; but we do at the time des- 
 pise the word of God, v/hen we prefer the compositions of men; 
 and we do in fact despise the authority of God, when we for* 
 sake even for an hour or a day, the system which he has author*- 
 ized, and sing any other compositions in his praises. This is nr 
 restriction of cbnstian liberty. We have room enough for the 
 widest range of all our faculties in meditating upon the truths 
 of God, and the wonders of his love. This d:ivine enclosure i'^; 
 as wide as the paradise of God in the Heavens. Here there ie 
 no want of any food which a spiritual man requires; for the 
 whole fruit of the garden is ready at our hand, none of it i^- 
 prohibited; we have access to every tree that is good for food^ 
 an i pleasant to the eye, and agreeable to the taste. Why then 
 should we wander out of the bounds of this garden of God- tc 
 seek after strange fruit, which, for any thing we knov/, may be 
 the grapes of Sodom and the clusters of Gomorah. 
 
 The preceding parts of this remark are made open the sup 
 
4a Remarks. 
 
 position, that there are no perceptible errors in the human cony 
 positions which are offered up to Goii in his y^raises. But this 
 is hy no means the tact. There are perceptible errors in all 
 the numan systems ot' pj^almody which have ever been publish- 
 ed. The Ignorant and short-sia;hted m;iy not indeed he able to 
 perceive them, without having them pointed out by some one 
 who has his mind better exercised to di.-cern between o;ood and 
 evil; but in proportion as they are scrutinized, their errors be- 
 come the more perceptible; and in proportion as we exercise 
 our minds in spiritual discernment, we shall be able to perceive 
 more and more of them; and thus it will be found in the end, 
 tiiat errors have been multiplied in proportion as they have re- 
 ceded from the Psalms of Scripture; and many of them will be 
 found at length to be masses of folly and deception. We have 
 seen that the best of these human compositiof>s does in fact con- 
 tain errors in doctrine, and that those wlio use it do offer up 
 to God falsehood in their praises; we have seen that the argu- 
 ments which the author of it advances, to persuade the church- 
 es to adopt his system, are not only replete with falsehood, but 
 with blasphemy; what then are we to expect from othpr wri- 
 ters, and other compositions, when there is still less of the truth 
 and spirit of chi istianify ? Those errors may indeed be a small 
 consideration, when we read them in our closets or private re- 
 tirement; for we then can reject what we do not approve: but 
 the case is very diff^^rent when we offer those profane things as 
 a sacrifice to our lAIaker. We then adopt tlio-ie erroneous sen- 
 tirnents and mike tlietn our own. Triey become the lanp:ua<;e 
 of our hearts, and thus all our religious feelinii;^ and sentiments 
 are contaminate 1. Thus vanity and weakness and folly and 
 f ilsehood, are en<2;rafted in the hearts of the worshippers of 
 God. Itouj^lit not therefore to be a matter of surprise that 
 such worship is called an abomi'iation, and that God declares: 
 thcif are app.oplc that provoke me to an^er coiiiinnaHy toiny/are^-» 
 that sacrjjice in s^anJens an I Imrn incense on altars of />rtcA;.— 
 Theufi are a smoke in mi/ nose, a fre that burnetii all the day. 
 
 HI. We are ve;y liable to be led into errors by following the 
 example of those whom we believe to be j>^ood and holy tnrn; 
 and our partialities in favor of such characters will naturally 
 lead tis to adopt som*' of their etrors, and to d'-aw the veil of 
 charity over tho^e which we cannot a<lopt. There have beea 
 many irmd moial rharar;ters. and apparently pious and holy 
 men of al.nost every reliij;iiiu«J persuasioi», men whose hearts 
 were sincere, anl whose iLleniions, as fur a^ they kutw their 
 
REMARKS, 41 
 
 i^wa bsnrts were directe;! to the glory of their maker anrl thft 
 gool of m;ujkirul. We do not hesitate to believe that there 
 were mnuy such characters among those who sacrificed in gaf^ 
 dens and burnt incense on altars of brick. We know from the 
 history ot the times of our Lord, that some of the Pharisees 
 Were not only the most rigid morahsts, and not only attended 
 punctually to all the ordinances of religion; biit practised fast- 
 ing and prayer to an extent that is now seldom equalled, and 
 perhaps not surpassed. Where shall we now find such a char- 
 acter as the Pharisee whose devotions our Lord describes in 
 Luke XVIII. 11, 12. H ever men speak the language of the 
 heart, it is in their silent addresses at the throne of God We 
 have no reason to doubt this floan's sincerity. We cannot sup- 
 pose that he intended to offer an insult to his Maker by telling 
 him a wilful f ilsehood. His moral and religious character was 
 no doubt among the first m the age and country in which he 
 lived. If he lived in our days he would be esteemed a pious 
 and holy man, and his evam[>ie would have powerful influence. 
 It caijnot therefore be doubted that many of (he ancient idola- 
 ters were eminent for morality and for many of those virtues 
 which adorn the human character. They thought they were 
 performing their duty when they worshipped in high places and 
 io gardens, and they no doubt tolt in their hearts, as our mod- 
 ern enthusiasts feel, that they had more piety and stronger de- 
 votional affections, than those vyho regarded every ordinance 
 of God. Thus their names became celebrated for piety ami 
 holiness, and (heir errors were sanctified in the eyes of the world. 
 Men reasoned then as they do now. They had an exalted o- 
 pinion of their leaders, and they adopted their sentiments and 
 practices without much examination. Thus the delusion made 
 progres^s. multitudes were seduced from the pure worship of 
 God, and led to destruction. 
 
 Such is always the manner in which Satan deceives the world 
 by clothing himself in the robes of an angel of light. He is the 
 wisest and most experienced of all politician?; and when he hag 
 any great object to promote by the agency of man, he al»vays 
 employs those who are best calculated for his purposes. Hence 
 many of those who have been the seducers of mankind, and led 
 thousands into error, have been themselves celebrated for mor- 
 al excellence. Even Epicurus is said to have been rigid in hia 
 morals, and abstemious in the use of those sensual enjoyments ia 
 which his philosophy places the chief good for man. Nor can 
 it be doubted that men of real goodness of heart, and actuated 
 by tbQ best molives, have sometimes been the unhappy instco 
 
^ REMARKS. 
 
 '*- 
 
 ments of leading their fellov? mortals into sin. But such men 
 generally suffer in this world severe chastisements IVom the 
 br>ndofGod. Hence the instructors and the instructed have 
 strong motives to be always on their guard against the devices 
 of the evil one. We should follow no man farther than he fol- 
 lowsthe word of God We should never suffer our judgment . 
 to be inlluenced by human authority. If we reverence the au- 
 thority of God, he has promised to protect us from error, and 
 lead us into truth. Hence the apostle says to all the true dis- 
 ciples of the Lord Jesus Christ: — Ye have an unctinn frojn the 
 Holy One, and ye knoze all the thing;s. I have not ivritltn unto yoit, 
 because ye knO'<v not the truth; but because ye know if, and that no 
 lie is 0/ the truth 
 
 IV. There is no error more at variance with the spirit of 
 Christianity than that false principle of charity which tempts us 
 to think that God will be pleased with sincere worship, whether 
 it be according to his commandments or not. We naturally in- 
 dulge the hope that God will make allowance for our involunta- 
 ry errors, and we charitably wish that he may extend the same 
 allowance to others. Rut if God were to gratify such feelings, 
 he would soon lose all honor and even respect among mankind. 
 The very gospel of Jesus Christ, and the sulferings of his rio«s, 
 would soon be esteemed as an idle tale. Why should we take 
 the trouble to learn the true doctrines of the scriptures, and the 
 ordinances of God's appointment; and why should we take the 
 trouble to instruct our children in any particular doctrines and 
 modes of worship, if nothing is necessary but a sincere con- 
 science. This kind of imagination is totally opposite to the 
 real character of Jehovah. Ife is a jealous God, and even visits 
 the sins of the fathers upon the children, when they neglect his or- 
 dinances, from generation to generation. Jealousy is not an n- 
 tniablc qtiality when it is found in the human heart, because it 
 leads to revenue and many violent passions nhich we cannot 
 Control: but still it is inseperable from love, where there is any 
 reason to fear that the beloved object may transfer his affec- 
 tions. It is evident that God has great reason to be jealous of 
 U9. No church has ever continued pure for many succeeding; 
 generations. He may well say concerning us, as he said con* 
 Cerninj? the Israelites. Of old times I have broken thy yoke and 
 burst thy bonds ; and thou saidst I wi/l not transgress; luhen upon 
 every hi^h hill and under every frrccn tree thou leandrrcst playing 
 the harlot. God has a high regard for his own honor, and a 
 strong affection for fiis people; ami hence his jealousy is always 
 fKcitedb^a fvant of regardforhis aiitli9rity. Ifbe bad given 
 
REMARKS. 43 
 
 C3 no commandmenls about the manner of offering our worship 
 to hiin, nor told us what kind of worship wjuld Dc tlia most ac- 
 ceptabie; or if those commaiidiiieots were hid from us, 60 thafc 
 we had no opportunity of learning- this part of our duty; thea 
 perhaps w=" might tind some excuse in the consciousness that we 
 actend to ever^ duty according to our best judgment: but when 
 we disregard (jod's mstructions, and follow the traditions ot our 
 fathers, or what is most pleasing to ourselves^ we certainly dig 
 honor our Maker and excite his jealousy. 
 
 It is evident that the Christian world, in this age, have gener- 
 ally lost sight of this distinguishing trait in the divine character, 
 if ihis were not the case, they would never indulge the thought 
 that any kind of sincere worship vv ill be acceptable to God— 
 One man presses to his bosom the image of Jesus Christ on the 
 cross, and thinks his worship must be acceptable to God, be- 
 cause his devotional feelin-sare excited by it Another casts 
 aside the Fsalms of Scripture, because he iinds something ip 
 them 60 ''Jewish and cloudy, that it darkens bis sight of God 
 the Saviour;" — he takes up the imitation of Dr. W. and his soul 
 immediately kindles into divine love and heavenly rapture: then 
 be concludes that this kind of worship is most acceptable to God. 
 A third cannot be satisfied even with Dr. W.'s imitation, but 
 must have hymns and spiritual songs entirely of human inven* 
 tion, and is always searching after something novel, because 
 something of this kind is always needful to '• compose his spir- 
 its to seriousness, and allure him to a sweet retirement within 
 himself." A fourth cannot bear to even read those parts of 
 tht- word of God which contain the doctrine of predestination. 
 A fifth rejects the Old Testament Scriptures entirely, and 
 lavishes all his love and all his encomiums upon the gospels.-— 
 Yet all these characters would be mightily offended if they 
 were told that their devotions and their principles were an a* 
 bomination in the sight of God. AH have xiharity for one anoth- 
 er, and all please themselves with the iiope that t^eir worship 
 will be accepted! 
 
 But all these heterogenous opinions, and all the abominable 
 practices which result from them, may %e traced to that great 
 spring of error, a want of reverence for the authority of God 
 in his worship, and a paramount desire to please ourselves and 
 our neighbors in our religious opinions and practices. It w.as 
 this that induced the Israelites, in the times of old, to forsaiiC 
 the temple of God, an offer sacrifices on high places and in gar- 
 dens and groves, until God gave them up to the lusts of their 
 hearts, to follow all the abominations of tbe heathen. It PTHif 
 
this that led thf primitive christian churche«!, ia the (ir«t phce^ 
 to eat things Sftcriric<f d to idjis, and liiento j)iu with the id.)la- 
 tars in their W!)rship, It was by means of this principle, that 
 the man of sin seated himself in the lemple cf God, — that Anti- 
 christ arose into power and established iiis dofninio:) over tlie 
 christian world. From this has originated a large number of 
 the Various sects and denoniinations wivich now disfi^uie and 
 disi;race the church of God: so that if we have not, like ancient 
 Greece, our tliii ty thousand g:ods; yet we have almost as many 
 dirferent ways ofofi'erin^ up our worship to the only true God, 
 aiid ulmost as many diiieienl views of his nature and ihararter. 
 Jn fact the idolatry of the pre-enta^^e diiTtrs only from the idol- 
 atry of the earlier agres, because the one was gross and corpo- 
 real, raid the other somewhat refined and spiritual: but both o- 
 ligiaate from the same principle, and il' there is any dilference 
 in the ag^gravation, oar sin is the greater, because hgki has come 
 into the world, and men have !oi\d darLncss better ihan li^'it, be 
 cause their deeds are evil. 
 
 But although th-^ jealousy of God will not provoke him to cast 
 away his church, because his promises shall never fail; y«t ha 
 most assuredly will destroy the smuers out of it. lit will not 
 merely cut themolf from the church, but from the earth, when 
 he comes for vengeance in the latter days. The whole of tne 
 prophetic scriptures, and especially the Psalms, abouiid w.th 
 declarations to this in?port. There can be no doubt in the mind 
 of any one who has diligently investigated the prophecies, that 
 the ages whif h shall immediately precede the millenial gloiy of 
 the church, shall experience the most terrible judgments with 
 Avhirh Go<J ever visit. 'd the earth. T/iea, sa) s the prophet Dan- 
 iel, there shall be a time of trouble such as there never -xas si'hct 
 there -c^as a nation to that same time. It must also be obvious 
 that this tifhe is at hand, even at the doors. We know not wliat 
 v\'ill be the nature of the?e judgments, but we know that they 
 will fall chieflv on those with whom God is jeali>us. The dttc- 
 laration of John the Baf)tist concerning the coming: of the Ke- 
 deemer, will be fuHilled the second time. IRsfan is in his hand 
 aril he xiiill thoroughly purge hisjioor an J gather his nhcat into 
 the granary ; but he will burn the <haff nilh unquenchable Jire.-^ 
 1'his i- the time when he is about to gather ia his wheat. He 
 xvdl first enable bi> witnesses to proclaim the tiuth, in such a 
 Djann«T, that tlie minds of the world will be c.illcd to the sub- 
 ject. None shall have the excuse ufij.v(duntary ignorance. Py 
 the op^r.dion of his v\ord and s|.irit, he will, in a certain de- 
 gree, purify Lid church; he will exercioc with severe chastise- 
 
'MXf.Kb. 
 
 45 
 
 ments those of Ms people who have departed from the purity 
 Ot- iii^ wo/ahip; au;i lijtu hi will :jO!iiLiii?ace I'.u' w.rk ot eXle»- 
 uiUMU.j^ l>i3 eneuju:S. He -u^iU foiiish the zjo-rn^ and cut it short 
 in ri^i'utousness, for a skorl work -^rll iac Lord malie ujjou Ha 
 ^artii. Thus, Zton akaU ue raJeemed zi-itii judgment, and her con- 
 vtrts with 7'i^iiieou!>nt6s: aat tkc citstructi-'n uj ike irans^resnirra 
 and oj the sinntrSySh'iU Oc together; and ihi:ij I'uj/i ic^Ll'm Lurd jUuli 
 be toiisuf.ied. 
 
 V. itisagieat mistake to suppose that the Psalms of David cannot witU pro 
 priciy DC uuaiesstci " to t'le lamo that icas sL.in Uftd ncr.c lirtt, or to him wiio utN 
 ciai'tb, i din lit tHiit IkUk and wan dcudy and bctioid I aiH alloc /or etentwrt, and 
 have i.ic iccys oJ HtU and Death. Vliis is evidoutly tiie uicaiiing ol" lUe CX. 
 Psalui, whci'e Cut Failit^r is repi'csetued as sayirig lo ihi; Son, sit en iny rigitt Hand 
 muU i liiukt ituiie tatru'wb tiiyj'oot-i'ioci. \V'uf;ii liic Apostle aeciaits !ii me Xl.V' 
 J:*s<itiu, Tliij lii'^ onCf U (jiKidy isjorcotr and evcr^ ii is pi;iia that ilie auoress is aiatie 
 to Jeous Curisl as arisen and daccntleiliuto the heavens, liut tiie Cll I'aUiui, 
 WiiicU Hit Apostle quotes, is sail more lo our purpose; becau.e h snperlicjal ol>- 
 server migiil lead, and even sing this Fsaltn, and never suspcet that it was uii- 
 ilressed m Jesus Christ as tne creator and governor ol'the oiiiversft. But the A- 
 poalle applies it in sucu a manner, as io scow that the Hebrew chm-ch, both he- 
 lure and aiier the reccptiun of the gospel, had been accustuiued to apply this jPsaliu 
 to tiie .viessiah, ascomnij; to build up the wall^ of Ziou, and eitubhsh nis kui^ 
 doui over the world, if iheu this Psalm wa» addressed by llie Apostle, and kveU 
 uudcrstood by ail the pr.muive churches to beK-ng to the lunb that teas sUiin, toay 
 we iiotiufor that many others, nay -almost all tlie Psahus, are to be addressed lo 
 bim in the same manner. The design of Dr. W. ia paraphrasing, and btiiug 
 the Psalms for the worship of the New Testament, was probably to direct the 
 rumJs of chijstiau woi'sbippers to this subject, lie probably intended to poitJtout 
 the Uedeemer more clearly than he ihoughi the Psaiuiitt had done; and uiscofA- 
 posiiwns always leave the impression on the mind of an ignorant man, that the 
 viewsofklie Palmist were dcirk and obscure; and t^iat something more lumin- 
 ous than the Psalms of David is neccss-iry to cuable us to £inj UiC praises of vi-od 
 with the understanding. 
 
 This Kind of impression is very general in the Christian church at the present 
 time, dud it has sprung in a great degree from the use of Dr. W.'s composition.-4. 
 It is commonly snpposed that the Psalms of David are designed to' celebrate inc 
 praises of the Messiah to conir ; but that another system is necessary to enaoie ui 
 to sing the praises of the Messiah, as having sulFered and nsen and being now 
 seated on tiie right h;iiid of tjod- But the intelligent christian has not to leaij^j 
 that the eiaitatioo of Jesus Christ is the chief and prominent theme of the Psalms 
 of David; and it Dr. VV. and other intermeddlers, who have set up tlieir wisduni 
 against the v/isdom of God, had been altogether silent, the world would have uvt 
 been so ignorant of this part of divine revelation as tbey are at the present day. 
 \Vhy had the prmiitive christians more clearness, and more accurate knowledge 
 on this subject than we, on whom eighteen centuries have poured their inert asiug 
 light .' if Paul, or any other writer, were to attempt in this age to prove the e- 
 ternal diviuity of Jesus Christ from the Psalms, it wtuldbe necessary in the first 
 place to bring proofs to show that the Psalms were addressed to him. Hence Wij 
 way see the great danger of leaning to our own understanding, and the incalwula- 
 blc evils which have been bruugiit,and will be brought upon the church, by Dr. 
 W. and iiis co-adjutors in the same unholy cause. Ages must elapse, the present 
 efd future gcueratiouB musimlfei-tsrrible judgments^ axidmulttiutiea be debtr^'yt-, 
 
 J 
 
4'j 
 
 KEMARKS. 
 
 bt' r^;i-c men will I'-nm to reveifJicc the authority of God ia his worship, andl btf 
 iavtliib titspiscd p;irt ulhis wuiUaball ixgamiis staiiiiing in Ins clmrcli. 
 
 bill tbe prtiiinipnou of muiikiiid gcncn.ll) grows with the Oecrea^ of know! 
 e&^c. it issumttiiuesctfufidtntly asUed '• whei-c is the auihoriiy i'oT siiiijing the 
 F-alins of UaviJ lu Uie iNcw rcstiiiieut church.'' Tney caught ask sith ttic 
 SHiue piupi-jcty, " w'hjre is the authority of singing i\\e praises of God as a part 
 I'l" his v\\.! ship ;■*' 'I'hobC who ia ancieiit tirucs bacrilictu aud bur;it luceusc in 
 higb places and in garil-.'us and groves, might also have asked with the iame [»r»>- 
 I rielj, " wheje wasinc auihoriiy fur worsaippiiig Uod iu the temple at Jerusa- 
 lem .'" Tiie proof for the one i» a3 plain as ttio proof iov the o'bcr. The fict 
 ti.it the ttL-jpieoftliK Loro was ertcted in the city of Jerusalem, and that btxi 
 had thoken that place to put hi'; iiauw tkeip., v/as suflicitnt pix>of that it was the 
 dji; of ever)" man toey to Itie ti'n.ple > • oi- l:i5fcacrih.'."iuu;o th- S'lluOti came: 
 bo Lilio t!ic very faelihat God uas given the Fs.ilrrjp of David as die matter and 
 foiui of the piaiscs of his chuu:h, and the place which the) occupy in tne sacred 
 Vitl jnie, a,- being the only system of psalmody which was ever ^,i\cii oy Uie spirit 
 of iiispiraiioM, arc sutlicient arguments to con\iiJce any candid nquircr that no 
 oilur s)stcin it necessary or propei to be used. But when we are so far advan- 
 ced in christian knowledge and eAperaxfe, as to be able to apply thebt divine 
 s« uiiuicuii. to our spiritual Condition, and to ihe state of the chrisliau church, the 
 pioof tiicu becomes as clear as the gnu in the hetvcns. We ai-e then ei.ablcJ to 
 hiUcld t!it iing ia his btauty, and to exclaim wiiU the Psalmist, Out of Zion the 
 j-crjecilon rf btuvtijy God hath simud. 
 
 VI. Tn<; itudency -f human compositions iu the praifes of God is to create 
 pride and sclf-conGdence. Indeed the \ery fact of casang aside God's own ordi- 
 aaiicc, and lollowingau ordinance of man, sliov.s a kind of telf-sulficiency wtiicli 
 is not eisily reconciled with the humbh; s|)iiit of the* g'spel, and this evil principle 
 iikc uU otiiersof the same nature grows stronsier and stronger by indulgence.— 
 Hence it is not at all uncommon to liear the tblloweri of Dr. W. comparing the 
 mural character of their leader with that of the Psalmist, and then drawing the 
 conclusion in favor of human cimposiliona.- The practical errors of David, and 
 Cl;e.<pecul uiive errors of Dr. W. are set in opposition as a kind of criterion by 
 xvhicii the comi»ositious are tested, aiid they find li:tle ditficulty in deciJiug in fa- 
 vor of the latter; because his moral cliaraetcr was fair and unspotted. If there 
 was any force in this method of reasoning, it might easily be shown that the fair 
 ij.or.'l characicf of Dr. VV. can only operate to render his writuigs the more Jao- 
 gcioas: bat ihc principle is vain S:. prcsumptunus. The sacied writere were noth 
 i:ig but the organ*; or iusiruments by which the spirit of God chose to communi* 
 (ate hiS'(ruih;aiid the moral or immoral actions of David, have no more intt'i- 
 cnccouhis compositions than the pen with which he wrote them. The Psalmg 
 were wriiten by diiferent ehuiaeters. David wrote only a part of them, but 
 <Tod ia the author of tluni all. and they are fully sanctioned by the Lord Jesus 
 Ctirist. How presumptuous then is the tboufrbt that these sacred compositions 
 m%\\^ be contaminated by the practical errors of David ! 
 
 but when the abettors of human systems of psalmody find that this ground is no 
 longer tenable, they fly to another resource, which only serves to show more 
 plainly the powerful peration of the self-righteous principle. They will tell 
 yon, " it is of no importance by whom the Hymn or Psalm was made, provided 
 It expresses Uic fcclincs and sentiments of true devotion." Thus, every one net* 
 hiiiiMtfn\i as the jjdgc, and makes his own feelings and neiitiments the standard. 
 Ilesiijipuscshimself to be so well arqortinted with the Bcnptarcj, as to know 
 what kind of praise, as a'oII as wh it kind of prayers ought to be offered up to 
 fJod. But this is a dispos-sitio whirh roone ought to indulge for a moment. — 
 Our piaycrs and our praised ar<' in this respect very dissinnhir. In our prayers 
 R'i- Li;ow our owa wuiiu hiiU uufiirC8» ainl wtj have only to cousalt the word c< 
 
ilEMAKKS 
 
 4T 
 
 Ooil to learn v.heuicr Ihcyirc agreeable to hi* will: hnHn ci.r p'-.n''«<'s m'c, nrci 
 merely tne coiYiponent parts of a great botlv of worshippers, win* are .ii s j^jioseJ 
 to unite, not only their heutts but their voices^ in l^ie expresi-iou of ceitHiu tlesucs 
 and sentiments which they otlcr tip to Goil. There most therefore be asiaiKtmdl 
 for this part of devotion. But no uuinspi. ed man h:i« any ri^'!:t to claim the pit- 
 rogative of furnishing such astandard. No uninspired Rinn has a right to draw ?t 
 coi'y of his own devotional fcclingsand sentiments, and present it a"* model for 
 his ueighbor to imita'e. In fact, although a minister of tlie gospe!, or the liead of 
 a family may choose what Psalm, or what part of a Psalm l-se jiidp;'s si;ltni)le to 
 the occasion, yet he has no ri|^httoomit a line or a verse in th*' middle of a P>alm: 
 becaase by such omission, tiie sense may be altered, or som'j important i^ejifiaiont - 
 •f (Jod's word may be cast aside. U is the duty of every m^n»')fa\of the (Tr,;',rc- 
 gatinn to make the Psalmshi'^ particular study, and come prepared to join wiih 
 liis brethren ii) offering ap tbe same sacrifice of praise. I he judicatares of 
 churches have no right to decide what Psalms shall be f\m%, or Miat kind of 
 praises shall be oflered to God- Their authority goes no farfijer than to say what 
 version is the most agreeable to the original. But they ought to reflect (hat if 
 4hey ar^Uorize erroneous sentiments lo be sung in the worship of God, their sin is 
 much greater than pieaching false doctrines; and the elicets are trinch mure per- 
 nicious. If judicatories will assume an authori y which is not committed to <hem^ 
 they ought at least to reflect that they are rcsprnsible for all the e\il eor.seeuoa- 
 ces, and if they are the means of inducing the worshippers under t!)oir care, 'o jC- 
 fera polluted sacriOce to God, let them tremble at ihe consequences of their te- 
 merity The worshippers who join •> such sacrifices, are not indeed so much ri> 
 be blamed; because tiiey rely upon the wisdom and discretion of their teachers: 
 but still they are all guilty of a much greater sin than the Israelites, when they of- 
 fered the blind and Ike lame in sacr'i.fice to Goil. They wei-e no doubt actuated hy 
 a coTetous disposition. They did not like to give tlie best of their flocks ami 
 their herds to be consumed on the altar: bat here there is no such sacrifice re- 
 quired, no loss of property, no pain to be endured, we are only called to present to 
 God the olFering of praise which he has provided. Hence this boagted pnucr of 
 judging and deciding what kind of praise is agreeable to the scriptures, which eve., 
 ry one who uses human composilionsimaglnes himself to possess, will turn to hip- 
 own condemnation; for the truth is, he seldom tries to exercise this power: hut 
 blindly follows his leaders, and sings any sentiments which they think proper to- 
 adopt. 
 
 It would be a curious as well as profitable employment, for any whit hnd taU 
 ents and leisure, to trace the operations of the principle of self-righfeousncss in the 
 Christian Church, from the days of the Apostles until the present time. It would 
 always be found that before this principle ventured to assume any tangible form, 
 tt had worked silently and secretly for years, and perhaps forages, by leading the, 
 Worshippers of God to prefer the inventions of man to his institutions. It wji« 
 not for a mere punctilio that Paul contended, when he would noigive place for an, 
 tour, to certain teachers who came from Jerusalem to Antioch, and taught the 
 Gentiles thnt xtnless they should be circumcised ar\d ke?p thelmrofjyjn'p^, thnj 
 could not be saved. There was nei/her good nor evil in circumcision, if It wei-e 
 not imposed by authority and trusted in as righteousness. Paul himself cireumci- 
 aed Timothy, that he might not give otfence to the .lews. But when tl:e Ju lai- 
 ring christians attempted to impose it on the Gentiles, it was then an introductioft 
 of human inventions into the worship of God; and therefore it was resisted w/ith 
 all the authority ami all the eloquence of the chief of the Apostles. This evil in 
 the present case has only assumed a different and a more imposing form. The 
 JudaJzing teachers thought to honor Moses by imposing the Mosaic institutions oa 
 the church; the Psalm and Hymn makers of these latter days thought they were 
 doiog great honor to the Lord Jesua Christ by repeating his name^so fi-eqiiently 
 
49 F.£MARKS. 
 
 in their efTi.-ici <, but as iliey h i.' n* nuthori'y from ?iim, tnf i- LTrnpfsitiufi* ,»?f» 
 ni.-rf; atjrks Misiipi'viOijaliyn, aiidaie ihcreibre calculaltd to foster the principle 
 rf stlf-nshU'onsrjfss. 
 
 'k^lt ihiy U«ve a?9iimcd a trrir melons responsibility. E'^fry minister vrbo «- 
 se^ ii'irtjan c(>ntpo«;itions}3 rc'spoTisihle fir the truth of eveiy sciitiTnont which hp 
 rc;]ds 'ohi'ico.itrn'.iiatioii as the sii')jcct of their praises: and tltose judicatories wl^flf 
 have auihoiiztU the system of Dr. W. or any other human system, are n'sponsi<* 
 ble for t!ie tmthnfnll the seiitiments contained in it. Now it is well known, 
 and even adni*ttPii bv mmy r-moiij: thenisclvtw, that there iire errors in all these 
 sy.tenns. How thfii tiarc they suicMtm siich sentiments by their authority ? — 
 Truly there must be ^n luvful reckoning wh» a IJod chilis them to account-not on- 
 \y Aw the mischief they have occa-^ioned in the church; but fur the souls, who by 
 tiitir nicring, have been led to ruin. 
 
 Vjl. There is no s'lbjeet dearer to the henrt of every true ch^isfinn than the 
 union of the ehjirches of Christ. He desires and lonqrs for that period rrlien the 
 yvutchuien af hruel shall Lift ttp thinr rnicey and ir'ith thiir voices ii:!g to^rther. — 
 Such a desire is insepcrable from tnie Clinsllarijly, and is In fact one of the ero- 
 cps of (rod's Holy Spirit. ^Idd to ijoifr rirtve hvcthe^Iy hinL^ne^^. No iHiristian 
 tlifrefore c^n voluntarily throw an obstriieiion in the wny of the union of tho 
 rh'jrehf s. If he has even offended his ne iplibor, be hastens to remove the offence, 
 that the l>rofl.ier!y feelings may apain be restoretl. This d'sire has happily been 
 l^rowins: amonjj the churches in these latter years. All fliat embrace the funda- 
 ir.enfal principles of Christianity, have for some years been drawing: nearer and 
 tiearer to e-ioh other in the exercise of chri'jtian love. We may learn from this, 
 as well as from many oiher si:rns of the times, that the period is drawinc; near 
 'whf'n the jarrinj; jan'j;iii'e: parties in the church of Christ v, ill excliau^e their on- 
 p;ry controversies for (he atfectionttte salutations of brotlierly kindness; and march 
 ill solid column against the enemies of truth* But it must he evident that thi?' 
 blessed union never can be eftecte<l, unless it be mutually aj^reed, that the Psaloia 
 of Scripture shall be exclusively used in every asscmbiy of the worshippers of (Jod. 
 7t never can be attained by the use of human inventions so lonj; as the witncsseft 
 far the truth reciain upon the earth. "We must ='peak the truth, and so lone: J"* 
 cien cheri'lj thc^e errors, the trutli will create divi<iions. This is not one of the 
 small trillino: causes ofdivisicui which might be thrown into the shade and for- 
 {rntten. We cannot join in that worship which we believe t« be a species of idola- 
 try. Wc inust testify a8;ainsl it. There are hundieds und thou-^nnds at this ino- " 
 mentwho would choose to suli'er mairyrdom in the flames, rtither than Iclth'Mr 
 Toicrts be hertrd in (be use of fonj^s whicli (lod has not auihoiiztd- It must also 
 be obvious (hut in proportion as the sibject shall be better imderstood, their num- 
 bers will eoiv'tantiy inerea-c. It was only by keeping the world in ic^norance tht^t 
 t^c friends of lii'man Psalmody have had so much success anionp mankind. It 
 "ras by t!:c suppre««sion of the preface of Dr. W. and callin-.; his •« imitati^v^' hv 
 (he nanjeof " vkusiov,"' that they were enabled to introduce his contpositions so 
 «?<»nerally ir.'o the churches in this part of the world. But the evil ell'ects of this 
 Kind of conduct ha\e now bi'^uu to appear. The christian world are heirinnin;; 
 to see their folly. The frietuls of truth will soon be convinced, and will haeftn 
 M remove tlic ol'struclians \^hich have been thrown in the way of Christiafl }»fu^