awe, and fo far to keep the outward fenfes awake, as their vigilance may be of ufe to give wings to our devotion, and vigour to our minds.

Since therefore we have fo many fignal helps and advantages towards worshipping God in his fanctuary with an heavenly frame and temper of foul, let us refolve from this moment to make a due ufe of them; to repair often to the houfe of God with holy reverence and awe, and "to lift up our hearts, together with our hands," whenever we thus approach him," in the beauty of holinefs."

Which that we may all of us do, God of ❝ his infinite mercy grant," &c.

SERMON

Preached on

St. CECILIA's Day,

In the Year 1698.

The Ufefulness of Church Mufic.

PSALM 7, 80

My heart is fixed O God, my heart is fixed; I will fing, and give praise Awake up, my Glory! awake, Pfaltery and Harp! I myjelf will a wake right early

Tis the man after God's. Heart whose words

thefe are; and in them he points out to ús one of the chief methods, by which he became for Even by preparing and qualifying his own heart in the best manner that he could, for the duties of the fanctuary, and by endeavouring, when he affifted at thofe folemnities, to perform them with the utmost attention, alacrity, and Holy warmth of mind, of which he was capable He enters not on the divine praifes, till he finds

himself in fuch a pofture, as fuits with that holy employment; "My heart is fixed," fays he, "Ó God, my heart is fixed:" Then, and then only, it is time for him to go on, and fay, "I will fing, and give praife." And that he may be fure to preferve, to feed, and to improve, the good difpofition he is in, he calls to his aid thofe excellent helps to devotion, which he had fo often tried with fo good fuccefs, vocal and instrumental mufic; "Awake up, my glory," fays he, "awake, pfaltery and harp!" By his glory, he means his tongue, the moft noble organ of the body of man, efpecially when employed in celebrating the praise and glory of God. By pfaltery and harp (which alone are mentioned) we muft understand all the feveral inftruments of mufic, which were, by, his appointment, brought into the temple-worthip: And with thefe affiftances, thefe encouragements, he ventures now to undertake for himself, that he will maintain that lively erection of mind, with which he enters on the divine fervice, through out the whole course of it; that he will roufe up every faculty, affection, and power of his foul, and keep them fixed to the holy work they are about, without dftraction or wandering; I myself will awake, says he. And when he adds to all this, that he will do it right early, he intimates to us the particular time, at which fuch refolutions as these are beft executed; 'tis in the morning, the feafon of devotion, when the mind is fresh and vigorous, untired with the bufinefs of the day, and untainted with ill images and impreffions.

This I take to be the full import of those words of the devout pfalmift, which I have read to your

.....and

1

and which, I think, I may now not improperly dif courfe on under thefe propofitions: By fhewing you, o

1. First, That the great thing which recom mends our public devotions to God, is, our performing them, with an awakened, fixed and live ly attention of the mind. That therefore,

.

II. Secondly, All the pious helps and expedi ents, that conduce to this end, are to be laid hold of; particularly those which the text points out to us, that of vocal and instrumental harmony.

III. Thirdly, That the way of performing di vine fervice to the church of England, is better fitted to promote this good end [the fixing our attention, and enflaming our affections] than any other public form of devotions now practifed in the Chriftian world That it enjoys this advan tage, as in feveral other refpects, fo particular ly in relation to a folemn and decent use of Church mufic:

IV. Which three points being made out, I fhall close with a fourth; wherein I thall briefly, but” earnestly exhort you, to make your devotion exemplary in proportion to those advantages, which you above all others enjoy. :

I. First, I am to fhew you, that the great thing which recommends our public devotions to God, is, our performing them with and awakened, fixed, and lively attention of mind." S

VOL. IV.

Our

Our worthip is compofed as we orselves are, of a body and a foul: the body is the outward cere monious part; the devotion of the lips, of the hands, and of the knees, all that lies open to the fenfe and obfervation of others; but the life and foul of the duty confifts in those inward acts of adoration and love, interceffion and thanksgiving, fubmiffion and truft, whereof God and we ourfelves only are confcious. This unseen homage is that which animates and fanctifies what is vifible; and without this all the outward fhew, and form of devotion, is of no acceptance, no value; a lifelefs and an ufeless performance.

Indeed under the Jewish difpenfation a regard was had to the mere externals of religion: From a grofs and carnal people tied down to earthly expectations and fenfible objects, God was pleased in fome measure, to acccept a grofs and earnal fervice, and to hinder them by that means, from falling into downright idolatry, a mighty propenfion to they had contracted during their stay in Egypt. They were to be diftinguished and kept feparate from all other nations, by a peculiar body of rites. and ceremonies; and thefe rites and ceremonies therefore being useful to this end, derived fome value also from it; especially, being all of them fach,as had atypical reference to more vital and fub ftantial duties, and were fhadows and emblems of good things to come: The virtue of which, they by the divine appointment, did not only reprefent, but impart also to such as performed them. But this typical state being at an end, a more pure and perfect inftitution fucceeded; a more refined and fpiritual worship was fet up, in which the

mind