commandments of men.* Why are ye subject to ordinances, after the commandments and doctrines of men? Whatever show of wisdom there may be in such, the Church's Head pronounces it will worship, and dishonorable to God, as well as dangerous to us; for saith The Root and Offspring of David, the bright and morning Star; I testify unto every man that heareth the words of the prophecy of this book; If any man shall add unto these things, God shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this book: Antif any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the book of life, and out of the holy city, and from the things that are written in this book.||

These scriptures, impressively, teach the danger of encroachment on the instituted ordinances of God. From them, and other portions which speak a similar language, we learn, that, in matters of religious worship, it is not sufficient authority for a practice, that it is not expressly forbidden. The worshipper should be prepared to answer, in a satisfactory mau* Mat. 15. 9. † Col. 2. 20-22.

Rev. 22. 16. 18. 19.

ner, should God propose to him the question, Who hath required this at your hand? It will not be satisfactory to say "The Lord has not explicitly prohibited such observances."— Were this plea of justification admissible, Rome might add rites innumerable, to her already cumbrous load, and, at the bar of God, stand acquitted in her impious impositions. Jehovah's prohibitory law is express; Thou shalt not add thereto, nor diminish from it.* iOn this subject, we have more than mere verbal prohibitions. To succeeding ages, God has set up actual monuments of instruction, and of warning. The fact of Nadab and Abihu is full in point. In their character, there does not appear to have been any intentional opposition to the institutions of God, Thoughtlessly, perhaps, they brought, instead of the sacred fire from the altar, common fire from the hearth. This appears to have been a very trivial deviation from the appointed order; but it was a deviation; and God, by an alarming stroke, taught Israel that he would be sanctified in them that approached to worship him, by a punctilious regard to every part

* Deut. 12. 32.

I

of his institutions.* The death of Uzzat impresses on the mind a similar lesson. The apparent smallness of the deviation, and purity of intention, never, in the sight of God, conse crated an invasion of his prerogative; the exclusive right of settling the matter, and the forms of his own worship. Uzza was pious, and being actuated by a very laudable motive, the safety of the Ark of God, he took hold of it. But this was not required of him, and his life was forfeited by his devout temerity. God is still the same, strange fire, and the intrusion of an unhallowed hand upon his ark, are as of. fensive now, as formerly they were. His glory he will not give to another. Whether are those who use the scripture psalms, or those, who employ our multiplied hymn books, in the worship of God, most in danger in the case of psalmody, of unwarrantable innovation? Let this be a question, not of disputation, but of conscientious inquiry.

Upon no rite, institution, or truth, will the enlightened christian lay an undue weight but he will try to give each that importance which it deserves. In the present state of man, Lev. 10. 1-3. † Sam. 6. 6. 7. Isa. 42. 8.

*

forms are as necessary to the public expression of the devotions of the heart, as are the body and its members to the soul, in the actions of life. The question, then, is, shall we take forms of our own device, or, shall we be contented with what God has given? Moses was faithful in all his house. He acted according to prescription, and ventured not to add, or to diminish. The singing of the Almighty's praise, in compositions of inspiration, is an appointment of God; the doing so, in human composures, is not a divine ordinance. It has not been, it cannot, be proved to be God's institution. Hear, then, the prohibition, and apply it, Touch not, taste not, handle not.

THE ARGUMENTS EMPLOYED TO SET ASIDE THE BOOK OF PSALMS, FROM ITS PLACE IN THE PSALMODY OF THE CHURCH, ARE NOT ONLY UNSATISFACTORY, BUT

FREQUENTLY IMPIOUS. This is my fifth reason for the continued use of scripture songs. Bad arguments are presumptive proof, that the cause they subserve is not good. When a style of reasoning inconsistent with due reve. rence for the sacred writings, is uniformly adopted to recommend a measure, we ought

to doubt the propriety of that measure. For a hundred years past, have the advocates of a new psalmody spoken a language, in vindicating it, which is afflictive to hear. What say you, brethren, of the cause, intellect, and moral feeling, of those who could speak, and write, in the manner stated below? It will be recol

"Our Psalmody-doth not only flat our devotion, but too often awakens our regret, and touches all the springs of unea. siness within us. I have been long convinced, 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:-Hence it comes to pass, that when spiritual affections are excited within us, and our souls are raised a little above this earth-we are checked on a sudden in our ascent toward beaven, by some expressions that are-fit only to be sung in the worldly sanctuary When we are just entering into an evangelic frame-the-line - which the clerk parcels out unto us, hath something in it so extremely Jewish and cloudy, that it darkens our sight of God the Savior. Thus by keeping too close to David in the house of God, the vail of Moses is thrown over our hearts. While we are kindling into divine love-some dreadful curse against men is propopsed to our lips ; as Psal. 69. 26-28TM which is so contrary to the new commandment of loving our enemies.-Some sentences of the Psalmist-may compose our spirits to seriousness,--but we meet with a following line-that breaks off our song in the midst; our consciences are affrighted, lest we should speak a falsehood unto God: thus the powers of our souls are shocked on a sudden, and our spirits ruffled-it almost always spoils the devotion-Our lips speak nothing but the heart of David. Thus our hearts are, as it were, forbid the pursuit of the song, and then the harmony and the worship grow dull of necessity. Many ministers, and many private christians, have long groaned under this inconve nience-there are a thousand lines in it-the Book of Psalms... which were not made for a church in our days-I should rejice to see-David converted into a christian: but because I cannot persuade others to attempt this glorious work, I have suffered myself to be persuaded to begin it." Having fin

Wa'tts' Pref. Glasgow Ed. 1786.