DISCOURSE.

JAMES, v. 13.

IS ANY MERRY? LET HIM SING PSALMS.

THE earliest account which we have of finging, as a religious exercise, bears date with the creation of the world. It was when the morning ftars fang together, and all the fons of God fhouted for joy.* Thefe morning ftars and fons of God are unquestionably the holy angels, who tuned their voices in praife of the great Creator, when they firft beheld the new-made world. Mufic then is of heavenly origin. It came down from heaven to earth. It is not an invention of depraved man. It had exiftence before man had acquaintance with its ufe,

From the earlieft ages of the world, there is reafon to believe, that mufic has had a place in the employments of mankind. In the rude, uncultivated state of fociety, the arts and sciences were almost unknown; confequently that of mu fic was in its infancy. But here probably its influence was felt. As nations advanced in refinement, and progreffed in the ufeful arts, the ftudy of mufic did probably occupy their attention. But among rude, and civilized nations mufic has not always been used for good purposes. Like other gifts of the Creator, it has been perverted to gratify the vanity of mankind. One of its ufes has been amusement and recreation. Bands of mufic were anciently found in king's courts, This was the cafe as early as the days of David * Job xxxviii. 7.

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and Solomon. Barzillai, David's friend, refused the invitation of his king to return to Jerufalem, and pleaded, as an excufe, his incapacity for the pleasures of mufic. I am this day fourfcore years old;-can I hear any more the voice of finging-men and finging-women.'* King Solomon, speaking of the experiment which he had made in fearch of pleasure, faid, I gat me menfingers and women-fingers, and the delights of the fons of men, as mufical inftruments, and that of all forts.'t In the court of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon were heard the found of the cornet, Aute, harp, fackbut, pfaltery, dulcimer, and all kinds of mufic.' In these inftances mufic was used for amusement and recreation.

But mufic was anciently ufed in the worship of God. It formed a part of the religious fervice in the Jewish church. After the death of the good king Jofiah, it is recorded, that all the fing ing-men and finging women fpake of Jofiah in their lamentations to this day. In the time of Ezra, after the Jews had returned from their captivity at Babylon, we are told there were among them two hundred finging-men and finging-women. In Nehemiah's time we are told, they had two hundred and forty and five finging-men and finging-women. Under the adminiftration of David, mufic was greatly encouraged and improved. This good man was the fweet Pfalmift of Ifrael, He divided the fingers of the Jewish church into twenty-four orders, and arranged them in fuch a manner, that every divifion should have its part and place in the fervice affigned to it. At this time, mufic feems to have become an Occupation. We find the teacher and the fcholar, the inftructor and the learner. Afaph, Jeduthun and Heman were inftructors in the fong of the Lord. + Ecclefiaftes, ii. 8.

II. Samuel, xix. 35.

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Divine fongs, in the book of Pfalms, are ine fcribed to the chief musician.

Is any merry? Let him fing Pfalms. If the queftion and direction, in these words, were to be taken, in an unqualified fenfe, the merry heart might feel, that finging Pfalms was a good exercife. But we may be merry and not wife. We may fing Pfalms and fall fhort of the duty required in the text.

To be a good writer, a correct reader, or a skilful finger is a valuable acquifition. But it must be remembered, that the value of all acquifitions depends upon their good ufe. What are the moft fplendid talents, when mifapplied? What are the moft brilliant accomplishments, when prostituted to vile purposes? The gifts of nature, and even the gift of prophecy, when employed merely for felf-interested ends,defignates a wicked charaeBalaam was endued with prophetic gifts, but his name is enrolled among the wicked. Indeed, this is not faying enough, the more we abufe thefe gifts, talents and acquifitions which qualify us for the fublime pleasures of devotion, the more we enhance our guilt.

When it is afked, Is any merry? it cannot be fuppofed, that the apostle meant to afk, whether any was foolishly or carnally merry, but whether any was feriously and religiously fo. Levity and carnali, ty of mind are incompatible with finging Pfalms. A merry meeting, according to the ufual acceptation of the word, in modern times, would be a wicked meeting. But to be merry, in the fenfe of the apoftle, is to be neither vain nor wicked. Is any mer. ry? This is, as much as to fay, is any one pleafed with the holy character of God, or animated with a view of things divine and eternal? let him exprefs the joy of his heart, by finging Pfalms. The voice of melody is the language of nature. He who

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has religious joy will exprefs the feelings of his heart, in finging Pfalms.

To fing Pfalms is but another mode of offering prayer to God. Almoft all the fentiments contained in the Pfalms and fpiritual fongs used in public worship belong to fome part of chriftian prayer. They partake of the nature of adoration, confeffion, petition, felf-dedication or afcription of praife to the God of glory.

In entering upon a ferious confideration of the exercife of finging Pfalms, we meet with a difficulty. It is to know how to find accefs to hearts, which are pleafed with finging Pfalms, as an occafional amufement. It is always eafy to tell people how to do what they love to do. If they loved to fing Pfalms, as a devotional fervice, it would not be a difficult talk to know what to fay. Admitting that the exercife of finging Pfalms is a pleasant one; will the conclufion be correct,that we, in performing this service, act in compliance with our duty? The gofpel does not enjoin it upon us to feek our own pleasure, as an ultimate object. We are no where, in fo many words, required to eat and drink at ordinary meals; but we are exprefsly commanded, that whether we eat or drink, or whatever we do, to do all to the glory of God. It is a matter of indifference, in a moral view, whether a man eats or ab. flains from eating. Neither if we eat are we the Letter; neither if we eat not are we the worfe. But it is not a matter of indifference, whether a man has an ultimate reference to the glory of God in all his actions. It is a matter of indifference, whether a man can excel all others, in the art and practice of finging but it is not a matter of indifference, whether he perform this fervice with a fingle eye to the glory of God,

What if finging Pfalms be made a feafon of

amufement and recreation? or, if this mode of expreffion be too strong, what if a perfon fhould fing Pfalms merely for the pleasure of finging? May he not, in this cafe,be confidered as aiding in the public worship of God? A man acting from wrong motives may read the Holy Scriptures to the profit of others. A man acting from wrong motives may speak to the inftruction of others. A man acting from wrong motives may promote the devotion of ferious people by being their mouth in prayer. In the fame manner is it not poffible for one to fing Pfalms, as a mere amufement, and yet be inftrumental in the edification of fome? It may be fo; but it would not be fo, if the whole audience acted from no better motives than the finger does...

If love of pleasure be the primary object in finging Pfalms, then we have to confider, that all exercises of this kind are defigned to ftrengthen certain affections and paffions of the human mind. If fo, then it will become a question of serious moment, what paffions and affections are strengthened -good or bad ones? If thofe religious exercifes, which are calculated to nourish and ftrengthen good, are used to nourish and strengthen bad affections, is not the creature guilty of turning the grace of God into lafcivioufnefs? Any employment becomes injurious to us which only ftrengthens in us paffions which ought to be extirpated. This would not be, growing better, but worfe. It would be no fmall evil to make a good practice the occafion of hardening one's heart in fin.

Moreover, we have to confider, that an occupa tion which has amusement or pleasure only for its object,never fails to attach contempt to all concern. ed in it. Whoever, in ftudying and practifing an art, makes pleasure, not utility-amufement, not inftruc