important part, of the long sealed word of God; not merely as its deep and thrilling expressions of repentance, its splendid amplifications of the power and glory of God, its energy, its sublimity, its heartfelt tenderness, captivated their excited feelings; not merely for one, or all these reasons, did it cleave to their memory, and when associated to their national airs, take root, as it were, in the depth of their hearts; but it was still further endeared by temporary circumstances. Much which would have been inapplicable to the Church in a state of peace, became, or appeared to be strictly appropriate in the hour of persecution and distress. All those poems which represented the chosen people or the individual in the lowest state of oppression and misery, faithfully, and as it were prophetically, described their own condition. The hunted Hugonot, or he that was condemned under the bloody statute of the Six Articles, beheld himself in David, fleeing as a bird to the hills, or betrayed by his own familiar friend.” If, however, our Reformers fell into one

extreme, by an indiscriminate admission of the Psalms into our public worship, the Jewish Sanhedrim appear to have fallen into the opposite one, by a too fastidious rejection of many of them from their temple service. All those exquisite elegiac poems, which so pathetically express the language of the deepest sorrow, and so admirably direct the mourner to the only source of consolation, were excluded, because in their primary application they referred to David, when persecuted by an unnatural son, or under the desertion of his familiar friend; and all those inimitable expressions of a broken and contrite heart, which breathe the very spirit of every genuine penitent, were considered as not less ineligible for the Jewish sanctuary, because they were composed in reference to the peculiar sins and peculiar penitence of the inspired writer. In short, every thing, which had originally an individual or personal object in view, was excluded; and such Psalms alone were considered as appropriate for congregational worship, which celebrated the different at

tributes of the Almighty, or exhibited his general promises to the seed of Abraham.

It is presumed that both of these extremes would be easily avoided, and that the Psalms would be rendered an invaluable auxiliary to public worship, by an attention to the following suggestions:

First, It is recommended that a brief summary of the subject of each Psalm, including a general application of it to the state of the Church in every age, somewhat similar to that annexed by Bishop Mant to his metrical version, should be prefixed to every Psalm. Would not such an appendage materially enlighten the understanding, and assist the devotion of the worshipper?

Secondly, It is proposed that those expressions be omitted, which so graphically describe the actual enemies of the Psalmist, as to be rarely, if ever, applicable to any other circumstance. The 9th, 10th, and 11th verses of the following Psalm, for instance, naturally divert the attention of the worshipper from the consideration of his own state to that of the inspired writer;

whereas, were these passages omitted, the whole Psalm would be admirably adapted to the condition of the church militant to the end of time. The annexed example will illustrate both of the preceding suggestions.

PSALM V.

This Psalm is supposed to have been composed by David when he fled from Absalom, his son. It is applicable to the Son of David persecuted by rebellious Israel, and to his Church suffering tribulation in this world.

"1 Ponder my words, O Lord: consider my meditation.

2 O hearken thou unto the voice of my calling, my King, and my God for unto thee will I make my prayer.

3 My voice shalt thou hear betimes, O Lord early in the morning will I direct my prayer unto thee, and will look up.

4 For thou art the God that hast no pleasure in wickedness: neither shall any evil dwell with thee.

5 Such as be foolish shall not stand in thy sight for thou hatest all them that work vanity.

6 Thou shalt destroy them that speak leasing the Lord will abhor both the blood-thirsty and deceitful man.

7 But as for me, I will come into thine house, even upon the multitude of thy mercy and in thy fear will I worship toward thy holy temple.

8 Lead me, O Lord, in thy righteousness, because of mine enemies make thy way plain before my face.

12 And let all them that put their trust in thee rejoice they shall ever be giving of thanks, because thou defendest them; they that love thy name shall be joyful in thee;

13 For thou, Lord, wilt give thy blessing unto the righteous and with thy favourable kindness wilt thou defend him as with a shield."*

* The following are the verses which it is proposed to exclude from the Psalter used in public worship :

9 For there is no faithfulness in his mouth : their inward parts are very wickedness.