Imágenes de páginas
PDF
EPUB

PREFACE.

4

W

HILE we fing the Praifes of our GOD in his Church, we are employed in that Part of Worlhip' which of all others is the neareft akin to Heaven; and it is pity that this of all others, hould be performed the worst upon Earth." The Gafpel brings us nearer to the heavenly State than all the former Difpenfations of GOD amongst Men: And in thefe laft Days of the Gofpel we are brought almoft within fight of the Kingdom of our LORD; yet we are very much unacquainted with the SONGs of the New Jerufalem, and unpractifed in the Work of Praife. To fee the dull Indifference, the negligent and the thoughtless Air, that fits upon the Faces of a whole Affem bly, while the Pfalm is on their Lips, might tempt even a charitable Obferver to fufpect the Fervency of inward Religion; and it is much to be feared, that the Minds of most of the Worfhippers are abfent or unconcerned. Pelhaps the Modes of Preaching in the best Churches, ftill want fome Degrees of Reformation; nor are the Methods of Prayer fo perfect, as,to stand in

need of no Correction or Improvement: But of all our Religious Solemnities, Pfalmody is the moft unhappily managed: That-very Action which fhould elevate us to the most delightful and divine Senfations, doth not only flatten our Devotion, but too often awakes our Regret, and touches all the Springs of Uneafiness within us.

'I have been long convinced, that one great Occafion of this Evil arifes from the Matter and Words to which we confine all our Songs. Some of them are almoft oppofite to the Spirit of the Gofpel: Many of them foreign to the State of the New Teftament, and widely different from the prefent Circumftances of Chriftians. Hence it comes to pafs, that when spiritual Affections are excited within us, and our Souls are raised a little above this Earth in the Beginning of a Pfalm, we are checked on a fudden in our Af cent toward Heaven, by fome Expreffions that are most suitable to the Days of Carnal Ordinances, and fit only to be fung in the Worldly Sanctuary. When we are just entering into an Evangelic Frame, by fome of the Glories of the Gopel prefented in the brighteft Figures of Judaifm, yet the very next Line perhaps which the Clerk parcels out unto us, hath fomething in it fo ex tremely Jewish and cloudy, that it darkens our Sight of God the SAVIOUR. Thus, by keeping too clofe to David in the House of God, the Vail of Moles is thrown over our Hearts. While we are kindling into divine Love by the Medi ations of the Loving Kindnefs of God, and the Mul

titude of his tender Mercies, within a few Verfes, fome dreadful Curfe against Men is propofed to our Lips; that GOD would adet Iniquity unto their Iniquity, nor let them come into his Righterufness, but, blot them out of the Book of the Living Plan Ixix. 26 28. which is fo contrary, to the New Commandment of loving our Enemies; and even under the Old Testament is beft accounted for, by referring it to the Spirit of Prophetic. Vengeance., Some Sentences of the Pfalmift, that are expref five of the Temper of our own Hearts, and the Circumftances of our Lives, may compofe pr Spirits to Serioufnefs, and allure us to afweetRetirement within ourfelves but we meet with. a following Line, which so peculiarly, belongs but to one. Action or Hour of the Life of Dayid, or of Afaph, that breaks off our Song in the Midst; and our Confciences are affrighted, left; we should speak a Falfhood unto Gop: Thus the Powers of our Souls are shocked on a fud den, and our Spirits ruffled, before we have, Time to reflect that this may be fung only as a Hiftory of ancient, Saints; and, perhaps, in fome Inftances, that Salvo is hardly fufficient neither: Befides, it almoft, always fpoils, the Devotion, by breaking the uniform Thread of it; For while our Lips and our Hearts run olly: fweetly together, applying the Words to, our own Cafe, there is fomething of divine Delight in it but at once, we are forced to turn off the Application abruptly, and ous Lips (peak no- ..

[ocr errors]

thing 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 Worfhip grow dull of mere Neceffity.

Many Ministers, and many private Chriftians, have long groaned under this Inconvenience, and have wifhed, rather than attempted a Reformation: At their importunate and repeated Requests, I have for fome Years paft devoted many Hours of Leisure to this Service. Far be it from my Thoughts to lay: afide the Book of Pfalms in public Worship; few can pretend fo great a Value for them as myfelf: It is the moft noble, most devotional and divine Collection of Poefy; and nothing can be fuppofed more proper to raise a pious foul to Heaven, than fome Parts of that Book; never was a Piece of Experimental Divinity fo nobly written, and fo juftly reverenced and admired: But it must be acknowledged ftill, that there are a thoufand Lines in it which were not made for a Church in our Days to affume as its own: There are alfo many Deficiencies of Light and Glory, which our Lord Jesus and his Apostles have fupplied in the Writings of the New Teftament: And with this Advantage I have compofed thefe SPIRITUAL SONGS, which are now prefented to the world. Nor is the Attempt vainglorious. or prefuming; for in refpect of clear Evangelical Knowledge, The leaft in the Kingdom of Heaven is greater than all the Jewish prophets, Matt. xi. 14.

NOW let me give a fhort Account of the following Compofures.

The greatest Part of them are fuited to the ge neral State of the Gofpel, and the most common Affairs of Chriftians: I hope there will be very few found but what may properly be used in a religious Affembly, and not one of them but may well be adapted to fome Seafons either of private or public Worship. The most frequent Tempers and Changes of our Spirit, and Con ditions of our Life, are here copied, and the Breathings of our Picty expreffed according to the Variety of our Paffions, our Love, our Fear, our Hope, our Defire, our Sorrow, our Wonder and our Joy, as they are refined into Devotion, and Act under the Influence, and Condu& of the blefied SPIRIT; all converfing with Gop the Father by the new and living Way of accels to the Throne, even the Perfon and the Mediation of our Lord JESUS CHRIST. To Him also, even to the Lamb that was flain and now lives, I have addreffed many a Song; for thus doth the Holy Scripture inftruct and teach us to worship, in the various fhort Patterns of Chriftian Plalmody defcribed in the Revelation. I have avoided the more obfcure and controverted Points of Chrif tianity, that we might all obey the Direction of the Word of GOD, and fing his Praifes with Understanding, Plalm xlvii. 7. The Contentions and diftinguishing Words of Sects and Parties are fecluded, that whole Affemblies might aflist

« AnteriorContinuar »