attending the Temple Service, where inftrumental Mufic was conftantly made ufe of; and he never, upon any Occafion, forbid the Use of Inftruments in religious Worship, which he certainly ought to have done, had such a Method of praifing and worshipping God been inconfiftent with the Purity and Spirituality of the Gospel Difpenfati on. Nay, the New Teftament itfelf being Judge, inftrumental Mufic is fo far from being inconfiftent with the fpiritual and reasonable Service of the Gospel, that it is made use of in the more fpiritual, rational, and refined Songs and Worship of Angels.

And when he had taken the Book, the four Beafts, and four and twenty Elders, fell down before the Lamb, having every one of them Harps, and golden Vials full of Ocours, which are the Prayers of Saints. And they jung a new Song,

Bong, faying, Thou art worthy to take the Book, and to open the Seals thereof: for thou waft flain, and haft redeemed us to God by thy Blood, out of every Kindred, and Tongue, and People; and Nation; and haft made us unto our God Kings and Priefis: And we fall reign on the Earth. Rev. 5. 8, 9,

10.

And I looked, and, lo, a Lamb food on the Mount Sion, and with kim an hundred forty and four Thousand, kaving his Father's Name written in their Foreheads. And I beard a Voice. from Heaven, as the Voice of many Waters, and as the Voice of a great Thunder: And I heard the Voice of Harpers harping with their Earps: And they Jung as it were a new Song before the Throne, and before the four Beafts and the Elders: And no Man could learn that Song, but the hundred and forty and four Thoufand, which

were

avere redeemed from the Earth. Rev.

14. 1, 2, 3.

Imitating thefe fine paffages, our Milton has thus nobly reprefented thofe harmonious Beings.

"Then crown'd again, their golden Harps [they took, "Harps ever tun'd, that glitt'ring by their Side "Like Quivers hung, and with Preamble sweet "Of chatming Symphony they introduce "The facred Song, and waken Raptures high: "No one exempt, no Voice but well couldjoin "Melodious Part; fuch Concord is in Heav'n."

The Chriftians in the first Ages of the Church are full in their Recommendation of divine Harmony. Let him fing

Is any merry? PSALMS.

you

St. James. Let the Word of Chrift dwell in richly in all Wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in PSALMS, and HYMNS, and SPIRITUAL SONGS,

finging

finging with Grace in the Lord.

your

Hearts to

St. Paul to the Coloffians.

Speaking to yourselves in PSALMS and HYMNS and SPIRITUAL SONGS, finging and making Melody in your

Heart to the Lord.

St. Paul to the Ephefians.

I will fing with the Spirit, and I will fing with the Understanding also.

St. Paul to the Corinthians.

And when Chrift and his Apoftles had fung an HYMN, they went out into the Mount of Olives.

St. Matthew.

"The Chriftians used on a set "folemn Day, to meet together be"fore Sun-rifing, and to fing a<< mong themselves an HYMN to "Chrift, as God."

с

Pliny to Trajan.

This

This Evidence is abundantly fufficient to fatisfy ferious and candid Chriftians that there is no Impropriety in our making ufe of Hymns as well as Pfalms in our religious Adoration of almighty God.

t

Some gloomy Beings indeed there are, who explode all Mufic, vocal and inftrumental. What fuch Perfons mean to make of themfelves when they arrive at Heaven, where there is an eternal Hallelujah, fung in full Chorus before the Throne of God, I leave them to confider. At prefent however, Ithink the ftrong Sentiment of Shakespear, with a little Softning, is not unapplicable:

"The Man that hath no Mufie in himself, "Nor is not mov'd with Concord of fweet [Sounds, "Is fit for Treafons, Stratagems, and Spoils; "The Motions of his Spirit are dull as Night, "And his Affections dark as Erebus: "Let no fuch Man be trusted."

Various