This is a reproduction of a library book that was digitized by Google as part of an ongoing effort to preserve the information in books and make it universally accessible. https://books.google.com e . .,>>L.FLFLFÞ LPLF ÞÞLFÞ. ‘Il,’ 'I I >I' a“; A. 3 ill', ‘.< .. v. 'v pfiflfifl<<fl<<flflflflfl< \ u p .'a"n"'l-'\ ilddft'ſi'ii'llul. "."..l'II'-'l-ll'£ "l . V a 4 a x A' (I'- . ‘I’ .G%a.-I . ‘il’. 1:!‘ .1'l'.'.o n 44.. ..._r,_ I ,__ __.....-I- .__ . jay/i Law-arm, zzw HYMNS A N D Splntual songs. In Three B O O K S. I. collected from the Scriptures. II. Compos'd on Divine Subjects. III. Prepar'd for the; Lord's supper. By I. ÞLAWITS, D.D. The Fifteenth Editton. And they fimg a new Sang, ſayi'zg, Thou art worthy, &c. fir thou wqſt ſtain, and haſt ' redeemed us, &c. Rev. v. 9. Soliti eſſent (i. e. Chryfiam' ) convenire, car menquc Chriſto quaſi Deo dicere. Plim'u: in Epzſt. _ Printed ſorA. LONDON: WARD, T. LONGMAN; R. HETT, X C. HlTCH, J.Honcns, J.DAvu>soN, T. HARRXS, and M. Coopz'k. MDCCXLIV. ' - a 4. ' ' a U I Fh ſ a 'A o 3 . .. , 2 - f\ - . n n 'A . 'A - a un. ., . .. "in" __. ' o c . K J a \ -- . I . - - e ' p o ' M w . 7' 'a 0 ſ V 'l' A A o J '4 " 5 . ' . - I r ac' '\ ' 'c e. .\ . a . - u- an '1 o r! "A p' l p . o _ a .. .' a . - t \ w _ - on. a. - 4 > a ' ) \ ' - 'n'o on: \ 'w "a a; . a' . e r'- oa .\'. o no. I . o . o l _ .' u. u man U ' 'd 'I U I \ I a '\ ' 4 ' . A' o . t a 'n' o . T o p - A. - "\ '- z tc. ,- .. .. *""'*' - . '.. - . 'l _ 'll- " I. o'\ . t u' "- GL o ' . r ' N Al' I . p ' 'a 0. A - n '* a . '- e . r \ -\ ' ' '- 'I ". ' . > U ' r I' - I . ' V 1 ll-']'-I ' ' ' ' I I 'I I 0 i l o" $,""l. 'ill'l'l' ."'*\ I ' I" n'llzv ""A' "fie ' I a" "'o"'"f"II 'lent-"lb r." I FL'CuOLZUſn-I 'II MMMMMMWMMMaer ZMZZSRZBÞW ' THE PREFACE - = 4 je' H 'I L E we fing the Praiſes of our -*- PZH; God in his Church, we are em-, rf; ploy'd in that Part of Worſhip > - * wax. which of all others is the neareſt _ . Ul' a-kin to Heaven; and 'tis pity that; this, of all others, ſhould be perform'd the worſt upon Earth. The Goſpel brings us nearer tov the heavenly State than all the former Diſpenſa tions of God amongſt Men : And in theſe lafl: Days of the Goſpel we are brought almoſt within fight of the Kingdom of our Lord ; yet we are very much unacquainted with the songs of the New J'eruſtzlem, and unpractis'd in the Work of Praiſe. To ſee the dull Indifference, the negli gent and the thoughtleſs Air, that ſits upon the F aces of a Whole Aſſembly, while the Pſalm is on their Lips, might tempt even a charitable Ob ſerver to ſuſpect the Fervency of inward Reli gion ; and 'tis much to be fear'd, that the Minds of moſt of the Worſhippers are abſent or uncon cern'd. Perhaps the Modes of Preaching in the beſt Churches, ſtill Want ſome Degrees of Refor mation; not are the Methods of Prayer ſo per A 2 fect: iV TbePREFACE. fect, as to ſtand in need of nſio correction or'Im provement FButoſ all our Religious Solemnities, Pſhlmody is the moſt unhappily managed: That eve'r'y Action, which ſhould elevate us to the moſt delightful and divine Senſations, doth not only flat our Devotion, but too often awaken our Regretg-and-touches all the springe gf Uneaſi neſp I havſſe withirkus'. been long convinc'd, v that ſione A 'great Oc _' cafion oſ_thi$,Ev,il ariſes from, the Matter and words' to which we confine all our songs. Some Of'ſſtherni are almoſt oppoſite to the' Spirit of the Goſpelz' Many of' them foreign. to the State of the New Teſtament, and widely different from the preſent Circumſtances of Chriffians. Hence it comes t'o-paffi, that when ſpiritual Affections are _ Excited within us,'and our Souls are rais'd a littld above this Earth-in the Beginning of a Pſalm; we are check'd on a ſudden in our Aſcent toward Heaven, by ſome Exprcffions that are more ſuited to the Day's of Gar-nal ordinance-3, and fit only to be ſung in the Worldb' Sanctumy. When we are juſt entring into an Evangelick Frame, by ſome of the Glories of the Goſpel preſented in the brighteſt Figures of Judai/m, yet the very next Line perhaps which the Clerk parcels out unto us, hath ſomething in it ſo extremely j'ewzſh and "cloudy, thardarkens our Sight of God the Savi our. Thus, by keeping too cloſe to David in the' Houſe of God, the Vail of Mqſiu is thrown over' our Hearts. While we are kindling into Divine Love by the Meditations of the loving' Kindmfi afGad, and tþe Multitude of bis 'ender Merrier, * - -within ſhe-1 PRELFACE. '-v within a few Verſes ſome dreadful Curſe againſt Men is propos'd to our Lips; That God 'would add Iniquity unto then' Ihiquity, izor'Iet them come into his Righteou mſt, but blot themv out of the Book oft/Je Living, - ſal. lxix. 26, z7,.28.. which is ſo contraryto the New commandment of loving our Enemios; and even under 'the Old TeRamen-t is beſt accounted for, by referring it to the Spirit of Prophetick Vengeance. Sdine 'sentences of the Pſalmj/I, that are expreffive of the Temper of our own Hearts, and the Circumſtances oſ our Lives, may compoſe our Spirits to 'Seriouſneſsz and allure ns- to a ſweet Retireme'nt-within zour ſelves; but =we meet' with a following Line,which ſo peculiafly belonge butrto one Action or Hour of the Life of David or of ſlſaph, that breaks off our Song in themidſt; onr Conſcienc'es arenf frighted, leſt we ſhould ſpeak a Fa'lf'hood unto God : Thus the Powers of our Souls are ſhock'd on a ſudden, and our Spirits, ruffled, beTore we have Time to reflect that this may be ſu-ng only as a Hiſtory of ancient Saints ;_ and, perhaps, in ſome Inſtances, that Sal-va is hardly ſufficient nei then : Beſides,_it almoſt always ſpoils the Devm tion, by breaking theunifotm Thread of it: For While our Lips and our Heatts tun on 'ſweetly together, applying the Words to our' own Caſe, there is ſomething of Divine Delightin it; but at once we are forced to turn off the Applicashb abruptly, and our Lips ſpeak nothing but the Heart of David. Thus ourownHeartsnre asſiit were forbid the Purſuit of the Song, And then the _ A 3 ' *' mony T! A The PREFAC'E. mony and the Worſhip grow dull of meet Ne ceſſity; ' ' Many Miniſters, and many private Chriſtians, have long groan'd under this Inconvenience, and have wiſh'd,rather than attempted a Reformation: 'At their importunate and repeated Requeſts I have for ſome Years paſt devoted many Hours of Lei 'ſure to this Service. Far be it from my Thoughts ſiſhip;to lay fewafide can the pretend Book of ſo Pſalms great a in Value publick for Wor them 'as my ſelf: It is the moſt Artful, moſt Devoti onal and Divine Collection of Poeſy'; and no thing can be ſuppos'd more proper to raiſe a pious Soul to Heaven than ſome Parts of that Book 3 'never was a Piece of experimental Divinity ſo nobly Written, and ſo juſtly reverenced and ad mired : But it muſt be acknowledged ſtill, that there are a thouſand Lines in it which were not made for a Church in our Days, to aſſume as its own: There are alſo many Deficiencies of Light and Glory, which out Lord Fefiu and his A poſtles have ſupply'd in the Writings of the New Teſtament ; and with this Advantage I have compos'd theſe Spititual songs, which are now preſented to the World. Nor is the Attempt vain-glorious or preſuming ; for in reſpect of clear EvangclicalKnowledge, The lezyi in flye Kingdom ' Heaven is greater than all the Yewzſh Prap/Jets, att. xi. t t. ' Now let me give a ſhort Account of the fol lowing Compoſures. > - \ The The ſiP R E 'FACE vii The greateſt'Part of them are ſuited bothe ge neral Srate of the Goſpel, and the moſt common -Affairs of Chriſtians : I hope there will be very few found but what may properly be uſed in a religious Aſſembly," and not oneof them but may well be adapted to ſome Seaſons, either of private or of publick Worſhip. The moſt frequent Temper: and changes of our Spirit, and Condi tionsoſ our Life, are here copied,.and the Breath ings of our Piety expreſs'd according to the Va riety of our Paſiions, our Love, our Fear, our Hope, our Deſire, our Sorrow, our Wonder', 'and our Joy, as they are refined into Devotion, and act under the Influence and Conduct of the Bleſſed Spirit 5 all converſing with God the Fa ..ther by the new and living-'Way of Acceſs to the Throne, even the Perſon and the -Mediation of out Lord Yeſm Gbriſl. To him alſo, even to the Lamb that was ſtain and now lives, I have ada dreſs'd many a Song; for thus doth the Holy Scripture inſtruct and teach us to worſhip, in the various ſhort.