fhould be fown, but that the ground alfo be good, in order to fruit being brought forth unto holiness.

Mere cultivation of a bad or barren foil, and fowing good feed upon it, will not change its nature; though it may prove it, and how that it is nigh unto curfing, in that, while it drinketh in the rain which cometh oft upon it and receiveth cultivation, it fendeth forth nought but briers and thorns.

Or to change the figure; Cultivation, even when accompanied with the benign influences of the fun and the rain, will not change the nature of the feeds in a field that is fown; but it will bring them forth, and prove them, and prepare them for that end to which their nature is fuited, whether good or bad. And thus it is with refpe&t to the means used with finners, or the cultivation they receive under the gofpel. Such means are ufed with them, and fuch objects prefented, as would draw forth holy affection and its fruits, were they not of an unholy nature, or a depraved corrupt taffe. But fince they are, nothing fhort of a radical change of heart or tafte, or being "born again," will effect this, and bring them to a compliance with the gofpel. And this is agreeable to the doctrine of Chrift." We must make the tree good or its fruit will not be good. A good tree bringeth not forth corrupt fruit: neither doth a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit."

poffible for creatures to have. In rejecting the gofpel, and treading under foot the Son of God, they act out their hearts. Their ac tions are the free outflowings of their natures, which are thereby difcovered, as the nature of a tree is difcovered by its fruit. They are in themselves as confcious of freedom, in " their ungodly deeds, and hard fpeeches" againft Chrifty and his caufe, and in all their treatment of him, as they are in any of their conduct towards each oth er. And when they are treated by a fellow creature in any measure as they treat God and the divine Savior, they are ready to refent it as criminal and vile, and deferving a retribution of evil. Thus they are condemned by their own daily conduct and out of their own mouth; and might justly be cut down, immediately, as "cumberers of the ground." And God, by waiting upon them, and continuing the free and gracious offer of falvation, while they continue to harden their hearts, and turn away from it, evinces his long fuffering goodnefs, and lays a foundation for the fupport of his character, and the difplay of his mercy and juftice, in the great decifive day. Then, if not before, every excufe and falfe refuge of finners, will be fwept away-every cavilling, replying mouth will be ftopped and all the world become guilty before God.

How folemn, therefore, is the 2. The inexcufablerefs of fin- fituation of mankind in the prefent ners in rejecting the gospel. Life life! It is a probation for Eterniand Death are fet before then.ty, and every circumstance inLight has come into the world|volves eternal confequences. We and fhines around them, but they hate it, and turn from it, as it is not congenial to their natures, and choofe darknefs--the way which leads to death. This they do with all the freedom which it is

are all, either veffels of wrath fitting for deftruction, or veffels of mercy preparing for glory, Nor is there any hope refpecting thofe who are ftill impenitent, except in the fovereign mercy and grace of

the divine decrees.

God, who is able to humble and Some thoughts on the doctrine of renew their hearts, and thus carry on his own work. The Lord is indeed carrying on his work, and

will continue to carry it on, by WE conftantly find that per

fons who appear to be fuitably awakened and humbled, have ever been ready to own and profefs their belief of, and fubjection to the truth of this doctrine; although before they oppofed, and quarrelled with it: Which me thinks, ought to be confidered in favour of it; and indeed, it is difficult for me to have conceptions, which I can think to be any ways juft, of a being of infinite knowledge, power and fovereignty, without conceiving of that Being, as having fixed purposes, refpecting things pertaining to that univerfal dominion, which he doth exercife over the whole creation which he hath made.

bringing finners into his kingdom, and fealing them by his Holy Spirit, unto the day of redemption. But with refpect to any individuals who are still impenitent, we know not whether God will display his grace in their repentance and falvation, or glorify his juftice in their deftruction giving them over to hardness to eat of the fruit of their own way and be filled with their own devices. But this is certain, and a truth which ought to fink deep into the mind of every impenitent finner, that unless he is bro't to feek the Lord in earneft, and with a renewed humble heart he muft perish. A confideration of thefe things, and of the fhortness and uncertainty of life, ought to awaken and alarm the thoughtless and vain, and excite the children of God to diligence and to a careful examination of their ftate. Soon, at fartheft, the day of death will arrive, and the awful day of judgment and final retribution, when every one will receive according to the decds done in the body-the character formed while here in this life. There, he that is filthy will be filthy fill, and he that is holy will be holy fill. There will be no more facrifice for fin, nor hope, to the wicked, of deliverance from wrath. For as the gift of God to the heirs of the promife, thro' Chrift, is " eteral life," fo" the wages of fin" the proper wages which the impentent will receive, is death-eter-viii. 33. "Who shall lay any nal death." O that they were wife, that they understood this, that they would confider their latter end."

PHILOS.

But I here fpeak more particularly of the divine decrees refpecting his creature man, which if it be a feripture doctrine, and truth, is, by us to be believed and profeffed; notwithstanding difficulties which are thrown in the way. There is a great difference between managing it with neceffary prudence, as it ought to be, both by minifters, and private chriftians, and profeffedly renouncing, and difcarding it; which, if a fcripture doctrine, may not be done without much fu, and danger. Inftead of the many places in fcripture I might alledge in proof of this doctrine, 1 fhall mention only the following ones, which appear to me fufficient, for that purpose ; 1 Theff. i. 4. Knowing brethren your election of God." Rom.

66

thing to the charge of God's elect?" 2 Theff. ii. 13. "But we are bound to give thanks always unto God, for you, brethren, becaufe God hath from the beginning

chofen you unto falvation, thro' | comprehenfive idea of prayer and fanctification of the fpirit, and be-praife offered up by a worshipping

ry,

ful appearance in which we behold entertain a doubt ?—True, nor do any visible object, and by which I affect to confider it in any other even the external fplendor of the light. It is not for fpeculative arfaints in glory is reprefented; Igumentation, but for practical immean a pure and perfect white. provement, that I would hold up But it feems, that in point of com- the idea as a fubject of formal treamunicating pleafurable fenfations tife. It is from a defire that this to the mind, the combination of truth may be more deeply realized colours falls short of the harmoni- under the folemn impreffion of dieus coincidence of founds in mu-vine authority, that our obligation fic; nor can we wonder, when to the duty might be more generally we confider, that the latter is a and fenfibly felt; and the duty it method specially inftituted by God felf attended upon with ferioufnefs timfelf, to excite the holy affec- and folemnity, in the fear and love tions of his people to the fublimeft of God, with a view to his gloexercifes of devotion and praife. from a principle of obedience In this point of view, that fol- to his authority, and with a faith emn injunction of the Apoftle in the divine injunction and accepcomes very pertinently to our aid. tance of the duty. Without thefe -Be filled with the Spirit; fpeak-views, all our acts of vifible and ing to yourfelves in Pfalms, and pretended worship, however de Hymns, and Spiritual Songs, fing-voutly performed, are but will-woring and making melody in your hearts fhip; and that folema queftion from to the Lord. (Eph. v. 19, 20.) the word of God heard and reali In further pursuing this fubject, let zed by confcience, who hath reus take this paffage of infpiration for quired this at your hand, must strike our guide. In it we find full evi-us dumb in the midst of our predence of the divine inftitution of Pfalmody, or the exercise of vocal mufic in focial worship; intimations refpecting the nature and defign of the duty, with fpecial directions for the right performance of it. That Pfalmody, or the public worship of God by vocal mufic is a duty of divine inftitution, and as fuch has been practifed by the people of God in every age of the Church, is a point, I fhall now endeavour to establish. In a future number, will be confidered the manner in which the duty is to In whatever action I am now abe performed agreeably to the di-bout to engage, am I going to do it, rections of our facred guide, and the general inftructions of fcripture upon the fubject

But why attempt to establish the divine inftitution of Pfalmody, it may perhaps be afked, a point, con cerning which, the mind of every intelligent fcripture reader, cannot

fumption, and cover us with confufion and fhame.

How many duties of revealed religion are there, of the moft plain and pofitive injunction, which we formally and habitually dif charge without any fenfe of, or refpect to the divine authority!" The following questions, put home to our confciences, will help us to a conviction of the truth of this reflection, In all my conduct, do I ad from a principle of obedience to God?

becaufe God commands me to do it? This exercife would be calculated to convince us of our extreme alienation of heart from the life and fervice of God, that we hold the truth in unrighteoufnefs; and that in many, if not in all our religious duties, we have but the form with

authority of the Old, the whole book of Pfalms might be adduced.

Let

out the power of godlinefs. And I am induced to think that there is no one duty of the religious life," O come let us fing unto the in which mankind, and even chrif- Lord, let us make a joyful noife tian profeffors themselves, are fo to the rock of our falvation. effentially deficient, which they us come before his prefence with perform with fo little confcientiouf- thanksgiving, and make a joyful nefs, and fo feeble a refpect to the noife unto him with pfalms. +Serve divine authority, as the duty of the Lord with gladnefs, come befinging God's praifes in the focial fore his prefence with finging." worship of the family, and the con- And in an extacy of devotion the gregation. While our ears are Pfalmift celebrates the glorious af charmed with the mufic, how of- cenfion of our Redeemer ; + " God ten are our hearts untouched with is gone up with a fhout, the Lord the fentiment, and even frozen with the found of a trumpet. with anbelief? How ftrange, and Sing praifes to God, fing praifes: unaccountable this, if true! That Sing praifes unto our king, fing praif in that exercife of devotion the es, for God is the king of all the nearest akin to the heavenly wor-earth, fing ye praifes with underftanding.'

hip, we should be even the moft formal and dull! Muft it not be because we are in fo great meafure carnal, and deftitute of the fpirit? Because we have fo little faith in God's word, and fo little heavenly mindedness in exercife? Is it not highly neceffary therefore, that we affiduously cultivate the impref fions of known duty, and attend earnestly to this inftructive precept of Scripture, Be filled with the Spirit Speaking to yourselves in pfalms,and bymns and fpiritual fongs; finging and making melody in your hearts to the Lord. Surely our duty cannot be more explicitly enjoined, nor can we reafonably require a more certain foundation of faith.

For a more impresive conviction of truth, let it be noted that this fcripture paffage, is not a fingle folitary precept, but the fame command is often repeated in the holy feriptures buth of the Old and New-Teftament. Too numerous are they indeed to be cited at large, or even referred to. Asa fpecimen of the New-Teftament precepts, the one juit recited, may fuffice: and in reforting to the concurring

David was himself, not only an infpired prophet and teacher, but a divine poet, and an eminent mufician. He appears to have been an accomplished performer on all the various mufical inftruments then in ufe, these he tuned to the praife of his God. His pfalms were originally written in Hebrew verfe, and feverally fet to music. We find them directed to the chief mufician. They were defigned for the stated ufe of God's people in the worship of the Sanctuary. In them we find that not only the glorious perfections and marvellous works of God are celebrated, interfperfed with prophetic views of the Merliahand the Gospel Church, but that the whole fyftem of rehgious duties-experimental religion, and all the various exercises of the chriftian in his fpiritual warfare thro' life, are made the subjects of facred fong.

David, by way of eminence is ftyled the "fweet Pfalmift of Ifwael;" as he brought the art of Palmody into fyftem. He was

• Pfalm xcv. c xlvii, 5, 6, 7.