CHURCH MUSIC. From the earliest ages, masić has made a part of religious wor ship. It was associated with the feasts and public celebrations of the people of Israel, and with their pilgrimage through the wilderness. But the first regular song, of which we have any account, is that of Moses on the banks of the Red Sea. It remained, however, for the sweet singer of Israel to systematize the art of music, and to adapt it to the service of the temple." The pleasures of music, simply considered, are perhaps only pleasures of sense. But they have a close connexion with those spiritual pleasures which are more than earthly. It is sacred music which sweetens the social affections-expands the soul-kindles devotion gives to grief a joy-to tears a rapture-to sighs a hopeand awakens some of the seraphic harmonies of the upper world. opposite to their own; and who, in the fulness of their love and charity, would raise the cry of persecution against all, who refuse to acknowledge them as the servants of Jesus Christ? Strange, that Paul could not consider, that others might be right as well as he! Strange, that he should presume to hurl the anathema of Heaven against every preacher, who should differ from him! Was he not apprized of the sage maxim of this era of light; that "it is of little consequence what a man believes, provided his life be good?" Could he be ignorant of the fact, with which every school-boy seems now well acquainted, that the belief and propagation of error is "no crime?" It is truly astonishing, that a man of the abilities and learning of Paul, should, after the manner of the most bigotted and superstitious of the present age, intimate, that there is one gospel, and but one; that he knew and preached that gospel," Much seed of eminent virtues," and that all who preached any other, were deservedly the objects of divine wrath. There are some ministers at the present day, who refuse to exchange with others, because they are satisfied that they preach another gospel; and whose conduct, in this respect, is known to expose them to the just reprehension of all men of candid and liberal feelings. But, unless Paul would consent to hold fellowship with those who were the objects of his imprecation, his conduct is a full justification of their 'bigotry.' O Paul! Thou wast a wise man in thy day. But if thy words express thy views and feelings, thou hadst neither the wisdom nor the catholicism of the present age! REFLECTOR. said Martin Luther, "will be found in minds which are touched with music." Such a remark is well worthy of the author of Old Hundred. The Geneva method of singing is mentioned as baving been introduced into England, about the year 1550. The whole congregation, men women and children, sang together. A writer on psalmody has this remark"Sometimes there will be at St. Paul's Cross, six thousand people singing together." There was much singing by those who were engaged in the reformation. Their zeal was measured by their singing; or rather, those who sang, were considered as friendly to the cause, and those who did not sing, as unfriendly. Their music generally, was of the grave and solemn kind, and doubtless performed with the spirit in the London Evangelical Magazine for March, is big with events, which have an important bearing on the cause of religion universally, and on the present and future happiness of the human race. We are approaching that era in the history of the world, when the blessings of civil and religious liberty will be enjoyed by all the children of men. This is the high decree of the God of heaven, and though earth and hell combine to oppose, it must and shall be accom and with the understanding also. But much of the music in our congregations is altogether of a different kind, and is also performed in a different manner. The delicate ear cannot but be offended with the light, airy tunes which are sung in many of our religious assemblies; and with the harsh, violent manner in which they are performed. Variations indeed there must be, to suit the different subjects and sentiments of the psalmody; but they should not be such as to render the music theat-plished in due time.-Yet we are rical. What may be called the old tunes, are in general to be preferred; and the old tunes as they came from the hands of the authors. Where is the justice, or the utility of altering them, and presenting them to the public in modern times, in a mutilated form? There are some writers and publishers of music, who are bound to answer this question, in a manner satisfactory to the Christian public; or let them be answerable for the confusion and perplexity, which the altered tunes produce in Singing Books,and SingingSchools. The ministers and churches of New-England; the teachers and publishers of music; musical societies and all choirs of singers, ought to use their influence,in correcting the present taste and style of singing, and introducing a set of tunes more like Old Hundred. This is a day of revivals of religion; and should not the singing in our eongregations resemble that in the days of the Protestant Reformation? Was the singing of the first Christians such, in some instances, as to draw the Gentiles into the assembly? But is not some of our singing such as almost to drive Christians out? REFORMER. SIGNS OF THE TIMES. ibid. not to expect that this great revolution will be brought about at once, and without a struggle.They must be little acquainted with the history of mankind, who flatter themselves, that Satan will quietly suffer his dominions to be invaded and overthrown, without an effort of resistance. He is at this time uniting his forces, political and ecclesiastical, into a grand confederacy against civil and religious liberty. We see emperors, kings, princes, popes, prelates, priests and Jesuits, together with the false prophet, all conspiring to stop the progress of knowledge, and the enlargement of the Messiah's kingdom among men. "He that sitteth in the heavens shall laugh; Jehovah shall have them in derision."-The events which are taking place justify these remarks. The Grand Sultan has issued a firman, forbidding the circulation of the Scriptures, and commanding all who are possessed of copies to deliver them up. The Greek ecclesiastics of the higher order are also discovering their hostility to the Bible. The bulls of the Pope, and the re-establishment of the order of the Jesuits, are unequivocal proofs of their concurrence. We are led from circumstances to believe, that the Inquisition The day we live in, says a writer will very soon be revived in Spain -that the Jesuits will be re-estab- | Lindle, whose labours, in preach. lished in France; and then willing the gospel and in the circulafollow the suppression of Bible tion of the scriptures, have been Societies, and of that noble erec-above all praise; all demonstrate tion of perhaps not less than 1500 the great and general movement, schools on the British system. The to bring back those times when the approaching dissolution of the mind, conscience, body, soul and Russian Bible Society-the dis- estate, lay prostrate at the feet of mission and persecution of their a haughty, covetous and cruel Excellencies Prince Galitzin and priesthood. What heart under M. Papof-the banishment of those the influence of Christian princiexcellent and most extraordinary ples, is not moved at such prosCatholic clergymen, Gosner and pects as these? ORDINATION AND INSTALLATIONS. dent Humphrey. 1825. Feb. 2. Ordained at Oxford, | mington, Mass. Sermon by Rev. Presi N. H. Rev. ORLANDO G. THACHER, as an Evangelist. Sermon by Rev. Mr. Blake, of Pierpont. 1825. Feb. 9. Installed, Rev. EBENEZER H. DORMAN, as pastor of the Congregational Church in Swanton, Vt. 1825. June 1. Installed, Rev. NOAH EMMERSON, as pastor of the Congregational Church in Baldwin, Me. Sermon by Rev. Reuben Emmerson of Reading, Mass. from Numbers xxvii. 16, 17. 1825. April 20. Installed, Rev. Ros- 1825. June 15. Installed. Rev. WILWELL HAWKES, as Colleague with Rev. LIAM MITCHELL, as pastor of the ConMr. Briggs, over the Church in Cum-gregational Church in Newtown, Conn. By the rivers of Babylon, there we sat Fair Zion thou wast weak, and still, Those seers rejoic'd, whose vision bright Thou, too, like them, must love his will, O! from his word submissive learn, This cheers the Christian in his flight This rear'd the tree whose leaves can Whose fruit can bless life's dreary way, O! Sovereign Power, in thy display. Erratum. In our last Number, p. 429, for PAIUENTES, read PAIDEUTES. H. THE HOPKINSIAN MAGAZINE. VOL. I.] AUGUST, 1825. [No. 20. The following Sermon was preached at the funeral of a Foreigner, who died in a fit of intoxication. It was originally communicated to the Utica Christian Repès, itory, and published in the number of that work, for March, 1823. SERMON. ROM. VI. 21. For the end of those things is death." THE things to which the apostle here refers, are the vices to which the Roman Christians were addicted, before their conversion. This appears from the preceding verses, ED. lignity; whisperers, backbiters, haters of God, despiteful, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents, without understanding, covenant breakers, without natural affection, implacable, unmerciful.' Such are some of the vices, which they practised, in common with other unsanctified men; and such are some of the things, whose end the apostle points out in our text. His words contain this alarming truth, which demands our serious consideration, on the present occasion: Sinful practices terminate in death. It is propos "God be thanked that ye were the servants of sin; but ye have obeyed from the heart that form cf doctrine which was delivered you. As ye have yielded your members servants to uncleanness, and to iniquity unto iniquity; even so now yield your members servants to righteousness unto holiness. For when ye were the servants of sin, ye were free from righteousness. What fruit had yeed to show, then in those things, whereof ye are now ashamed? For the end of those things is death." Before they embraced Christianity, the Roman converts were Pagan idolaters; and, like other heathens, were given over to vile affections, and a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient; being filled with all unrighteousness, fornication, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, debate, deceit, ma I. What sinful practices are. II. What that death is, in which they terminate,-and III. Why they terminate in that death. I. I am to show what sinful practices are. "Sin is the transgression of the law." The law of God requires the constant exercise of disinterested love. That which transgresses the law, must, therefore, be selfishness. Sin consists, essen death eternal. Temporal death is the dissolution of the connexion between the body and soul; eternal death is destruction, or endless misery, of both soul and body in hell. Moral depravity, or total sinfulness, is figuratively called spiritual death, as it is the opposite of disinterested, perfect love, which is spiritual life. Of this spiritual death, all mankind are, by nature, subjects, being dead in trespasses and sins, and children of wrath.' This kind of death is not that in which sinful practices terminate; for it always from which they flow. Sinful practices are the fruits and effects of the carnal mind, or selfish heart, in which spiritual death consists. tially, in selfish affections, desires, and designs. These compose the carnal mind, or evil heart, which all men possess by nature. Such a heart, being not only of an evil, but active nature, spontaneously manifests itself in all those ways, in which what passes in the mind of one man, is made known to others. It is natural for the sinful, selfish heart, to act itself out, by profane and impure words, by dishonest and fraudulent dealing, and by an unrestrained indulgence of the animal appetites. A selfish heart is the source of all the vices and crimes which have a name a-precedes them, and is the fountain mong men. There is no evil, hateful thing, which any one, who has such a heart, may not do, when all restraints are removed and strong temptations presented. Do sinful practices then termiHence our Lord said, "From with-nate in temporal death? That they in, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders, thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lasciviousness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness." And the apostle writes, "Now the works of the flesh (the sinful, selfish heart) are manifest; which are these; adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance,einulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like." often do, is not to be denied. All kinds of sinful practices, have a natural direct tendency to impair both the mind and the body, and to cut short the thread of human life. Vicious indulgence is the parent of innumerable diseases, which prove mortal. Sinful practices often lead to suicide, the murder of one's self; and to malicious homicide, the murder of another. Those who addict themselves, habitually, to sinful practices, do not, generally, live half so long as they would, if they, lived soberly, righteously and godly. But though such practices have a natural tendency to hasten temporal death; yet they are not always followed by it immediately. God bears long with many of the ungodly in this world. The wick These are what we mean by sinful practices. They are such actions and courses of conduct, as flow from sinful affections and passions; such as are the natural fruits and expressions of a selfish unsanctified heart, These are the things whose end is death.-Weed sometimes live, and become old. proceed to show, II. What kind of death that is, in which such sinful practices terminate. Strictly speaking, there are but two kinds of death, the first and the second, or death temporal, and Vicious sinners, of an hundred years old, though a rare and piteous sight, are sometimes seen. Temporal death, therefore, is not to be considered as the death intended in our text. Eternal death is that in which |