heathen nations round about the christian nations, do not now backslide and forsake their false gods and false worship; but the christian nations in Europe and America are perpetually forsaking their only living and true God, and his pure and holy worship, and running into greater vices, and errors, and delusions, than their heathen neighbors, and contracting far heavier loads of guilt than the most ignorant and basest savages on earth. And among all christians, we have undoubtedly sunk the fastest and deepest in moral degeneracy and corruption, and contracted the heaviest load of guilt. Our national vices, immoralities, and errors, have been committed against greater light and stronger restraints, than those of any other nation. Infidelity, heresy, profaneness, intemperance, prodigality, and dissipation, in this country, mark a degeneracy, and a backsliding vastly more aggravated, than the same national sins in any other part of the world. Though we are the youngest, yet we are the guiltiest of all nations. God may justly say of us, as he did of his own perpetually backsliding people. "Ah, sinful nation, a people laden with iniquity, a seed of evil-doers, children that are corrupters! they have forsaken the Lord, they have provoked the Holy One of Israel unto anger, they are gone away backward. From the sole of the foot even unto the head there is no soundness in it, but wounds, and bruises, and putrefying sores; they have not been closed, neither bound up, neither mollified with ointment." Though this be our national character and condition, yet we hold fast deceit, and choose to be deluded.

4. It appears from what has been said, that no external means nor motives will reform a backsliding people. They backslide so gradually and insensibly, and are so fond of their backslidings, and are under such a powerful influence of the great deceiver, that they will hold fast deceit, and refuse to repent, return and reform. Their perpetual backsliding is perpetually stupifying their hearts and consciences; for they feel no guilt and fear no danger. They have been in the habit of breaking over one restraint after another, and it continually becomes easier and easier to resist all means and motives to repentance and reformation. The swearer, the sabbath-breaker, the tippler, the worldling, the scoffer, the infidel, laughs at the shaking of the spear, the sword of the spirit, and all means and motives that can be used with him to bring him to repentance and reformation. The experiment has been tried, and failed of success. God tried the power of external means to reform his backsliding people, but they were ineffectual and vain. For this obstinacy God bitterly complains of them in the chapter but one before our text. They are all grievous revolters, they are brass and iron, they are all corrupters. The

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bellows are burned, the lead is consumed of the fire, the founder melteth in vain; for the wicked are not plucked away. Reprobate silver shall men call them, because the Lord hath rejected them." There never were greater means and exertions used to reform the backsliding people in America than have been, and are using at this day. But still iniquity abounds, and the love of many is waxing cold. "We know," by unhappy experience, "that in these last days perilous times are come. For men have become lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemous, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, traitors, heady, high-minded, lovers of pleasure more than lovers of God. These evil men and seducers are waxing worse and worse, deceiving and being deceived;" notwithstanding all means and motives that have been, and are still employed to arrest them in their backslidings, and bring them to repentance. They are certainly out of the reach of men and means to save them from ruin. Hence,

5. This people have abundant occasion for fasting, humiliation and prayer on this annual solemnity. Their situation is extremely critical and dangerous, and every way adapted to affect every benevolent heart. The perpetual backslidings of Israel deeply affected the pious heart of the prophet. In the next chapter to our text he cries, "O that my head were waters, and mine eyes a fountain of tears, that I might weep day and night for the slain of the daughter of my people." All the friends of God have reason this day to lie low before God, and lament their own backslidings, and bewail the great and general backslidings of this once eminently religious people. It is the imperious duty of all the Noahs, Jobs and Daniels to arise and plead with God to take his own work into his own hands, and bow the hearts of this people to himself. He is able to do it; for he has the hearts of all men in his hands, and can lay the most hardened and obstinate at the foot of his sovereignty, and make them willing to submit, repent and reform. He has done this once for this people. His car is not heavy that it cannot hear, nor is his hand shortened that it cannot save. he means to save this nation, he will reform it. maintain religion in this place, he will revive it. time for him now to work, when men make void his laws, and break over all external restraints? He has not said to the seed of Jacob, seck ye me in vain. His friends here, through the State and through the land, have great encouragement to commit themselves to God, and wait for his set time to favor Zion. And prayer is the appointed way to wait upon God. This duty devolves upon his sincere friends. Others have left off praying in this place. Instead of calling upon God, they say unto him, "Depart from us, for we desire not a knowledge of thy ways."

If

If he means to

And is it not

SERMON XXVIII.

SACRED MUSIC.

APRIL 11, 1806.

SPEAKING to yourselves in psalms, and hymns, and spiritual songs; singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord. - - EPHESIANS, V. 19.

THOUGH the art of music and all the other fine arts were first cultivated for the sake of mere amusement, yet God has been pleased to sanctify them to a more noble and pious purpose. When he set up his public worship at Jerusalem, he qualified and selected the most ingenious and skilful artificers, to build the temple, to prepare its furniture, and to perform its sacred psalmody, in the highest style of elegance and grandeur. That magnificent structure displayed all the beauties of architecture; the two cherubim, which overspread the mercy-seat, exhibited all the beauties of sculpture; the breastplate of Aaron, which contained the Urim and Thummin, was a master-piece of engraving; and the sacred songs to be sung, in ascending the steps of the sanctuary, were the perfection of poetry and music. These productions of art were employed in and about the temple, for the important purpose of attaching the people of God to his peculiar worship, and of guarding them against the idolatry of the heathen world. But ever since the middle wall of partition between Jews and Gentiles has been broken down, there is no farther occasion for exterior pomp and splendor in public worship. God now requires nothing more of his people, than to worship him in spirit and in truth, at such places and in such houses, as they judge the most proper and convenient. But poetry and music are so congenial with the spir

it of true devotion, that these are still retained under the more pure and spiritual dispensation of the gospel. Our Saviour himself joined with his disciples in singing an hymn, at the celebration of that sacred ordinance, which he instituted as a standing memorial of his sufferings and death to the end of time. The apostles followed this example, and sang praises to God on both public and private occasions. And Paul in our text exhorts the christians at Ephesus to glorify God, and gratify their own devotional feelings, by the means of sacred poetry and music. Speaking to yourselves in psalms, and hymns, and spiritual songs; singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord." This passage of scripture, which gives us the most just and accurate idea of the proper use and design of sacred music, will naturally lead our minds into a train of thoughts altogether suitable to the present occasion. It is proposed to consider,

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I. The design of music in general.

II. The design of sacred music in particular.

III. What is necessary to render sacred music the most useful in religious worship.

I. We are to consider the design of music in general. Singing is no less natural to mankind than speaking. They are naturally disposed to speak, because they wish to communicate their thoughts, and they are naturally disposed to sing, because they wish to communicate their feelings. Speaking is the natural language of the understanding, and singing is the natural language of the heart. We always use words to express our thoughts, but we do not always use words to express our feelings. These we can clearly and forcibly express by simple sounds. How often do we see this exemplified in the case of little children! Before they are capable of speaking, or even understanding a single word, they can express their joy and sorrow, their love and hatred, and all the variety of their feelings, by merely varying the tones of their voice. This language of the heart grows up with every person, and would be as commonly used as the language of the understanding, were it not restrained by the force of example, or by the sense of propriety. Accordingly we find that music has always been much more in use among those people, who have been left to follow the mere dictates of nature, than among others who have been governed by the customs and manners of civil society. It is natural to every uncultivated nation to have a music peculiar to themselves, which no foreigners can completely understand and make their own. The best English musicians have never been able to transplant the peculiar beauties of the Italian and Scotch music into Britain. This is in a great measure owing

to the intimate connection between poetry and music. All nations, in their infancy, have a poetry calculated to interest the feelings of the heart; and their music, which is adapted to their poetry, is the music of the heart, and not of the ear. Their songs are like the song of Moses at the Red Sea, and their music is like the music of the Israelites on that great and joyful occasion. Both their songs and their music were wholly designed to express their grateful feelings, or to make melody in their hearts. And this should always be the design of singing, which is the proper language of the affections. Every distinct affection of the heart has a distinct tone of the voice,* which is perfectly natural to every person in the world. And when any one sings of his own accord, he always sings to express his feelings. This is plainly suggested in the text. The apostle is not addressing the Ephesians as singers, but as men of piety, who would wish to express their holy love and gratitude to the Author of all their mercies. He supposes, that when they felt such devout affections, they would naturally speak to themselves in psalms, or hymns, or spiritual songs, and make melody in their hearts. And the apostle James seems to convey the same sentiment, when he says, "Is any merry? Let him sing psalms." Let him express his joy in the very way that nature dictates, which is always the voice of melody. But though it be the primary design of singing, to express our own feelings, yet there is another important end to be answered by it, which is, to excite similar feelings in others. Music has a natural tendency to excite the affections of those who hear it, as well as of those who perform it. And public music always has this design in view. In this respect, singing and speaking are exactly similar. We speak, to excite ideas in others, as well as to communicate our ideas to them. So the singer may have it in view, not only to express the various emotions and affections which arise in his own mind, but to raise the same emotions and affections in the minds of others. Still, however, the only proper end of singing in general is, to make melody in the heart. Let us now consider,

II. The design of sacred music in particular.

General music becomes particular, when it is applied to one particular purpose. The first purpose to which mankind naturally apply music, is to cheer and exhilarate their spirits. They are formed for social intercourse, and find a peculiar pleasure in meeting together, from time to time, to relax their minds from the cares and concerns of life, by all the means of selfenjoyment. And festival music is exactly suited to answer

*Note 1.