be of fome importance to understand upon what ground it was, that circumcifion was administered to Abraham's household. When God first inftituted a feal of his new and gracious covenant, and gave an exprefs command that it fhould be administered to all the males of Abraham's family, it would be reasonable to fuppofe, that the conditions upon which it was to be applied were fuch as God defigned should be obferved, in his church, in all future ages. As this was the original inftitution of a feal, and was defigned, not only to diftinguish and feparate the family of God from all others, but to initiate and introduce into it; it is reasonable to fuppofe, that the pofterity of Abraham would follow his example in its administration. Not only fo, but it will be hard to admit, that the terms upon which God originally directed any to be circumcifed, were different from those upon which he afterwards required the feal of circumcifion to be applied. were circumcifed only on Abraham's account, without any regard to their own perfonal qualifications, is, at least apparently, inconfiftent with the directions afterwards given, by the God of Abraham, refpecting the administration of the feal of the covenant of grace. Juft before his afcenfion, Chrift directed his Apoftles, Matt. xxviii. 19, "Go teach, (disciple) all nations, baptizing them". Under the Chriftian difpenfation, baptism takes place of circumcifion, and is a feal of the fame covenant of promife-the fame righteousness of faith. But if the Apostles of our Lord were not to adminifter this feal to thofe, to whom they preached, until they were difcipled and appeared to embrace the Chriftian faith; there needs fome caution in admitting the fuppofition, that, by the exprefs command of God, it was to be administered to adults, under the former difpenfation, without any regard to their perfonal characters and merely because they were fervants to one, who It seems generally to have been was himself a believer. Abraregarded as a clear cafe, that the ham's household was made up of men of Abraham's houfehold, men of various ages. Before the though of various and different inftitution of circumcifion, he had ages, and many of them as capa- upwards of three hundred trained ble of judging and acting for them- fervants, who were born in his own felves, in matters of a religious house. These were as capable of nature, as Abraham himself, were, embracing the faith of Abraham, neverthelefs, circumcifed, not in as the Gentiles were, of embratestimony of their own faith, but cing the Christian faith, when the of Abraham's Confequently, Apoftles were commiffioned to that they, none of them, received preach to them, and baptize. circumcifion as a feal of the right-And as the Christian baptifm is no eoufnefs of their own, but of his more a feal of the righteousness of faith. The following confidera-faith, than circumcifion was, untions may be fufficient to render it der the former difpenfation, it is doubtful whether the adults in Abra-hardly admiffible that the latter, by ham's family, and men far advan-express direction of the Head of ced in life, were circumcifed, not the church, was heretofore to be on their own but on Abraham's administered to adults, without any account, viz. regard to perfonal character; when faith in the promise is now made : 1. The fuppofition that they the condition of its being adminif- | former difpenfation, as members tered to thofe, to whom the gof- of the vifible family of God pel is preached. It is true, we the uncircumcifed as ftrangers and have but few materials from which aliens. So it is now in regard of to collect the moral characters, and those who are baptized according judge, directly, of the perfonal to the directions of the word of piety of Abraham's fervants. We God; and, thofe who remain unare, nevertheless, not left perfectly baptized. The circumcifed not onin the dark with regard to the fub- ly might, but were required to eat ject. Abraham's eldeft fervant, the paffover, under the former difwho was fent to take a wife to penfation: But this was forbidden Ifaac, appears to have been emi- to the uncircumcised. So none, nently pious. And God had, be- but they who are baptized may parfore, faid, Gen. xviii. 19. "I take of the Christian paffover; all know Abraham that he will com- others are to be excluded from it. mand his children, and his houfe- Thefe confiderations feem fufficient hold after him, and they fhall keep to fupport the opinion which has the way of the Lord to do juftice generally been entertained, that, and judgment." This is a di- with the inftitution of circumcifvine teftimony to the fidelity of ion, God fet up a church in the Abraham. It feems that, on tri- family of Abraham. God had a al, God had found him faithful. church in the world, before this; Hence there is great reason to fup- but its members, scattered here and pofe, that Abraham had been a there, were not formed into a difpainful and faithful instructor of tinct fociety, or collected into a his household, taught them the particular family; nor were they true religion, and labored to form diftinguished from the rest of the his whole family to the knowledge world, by any fpecial, vifible and love of God. marks. But now God was fetting up a church, to live and be perpet uated to the end of time, which was to be diftinguished, by an external, vifible mark, from the rest of mankind: And this mark, the feal of a gracious promife of his mercy and favor; and, that this church fhould never be forfaken or caft off, but fhould live and flourish to the latest generations. 2. It appears that God was now collecting and forming a church, in the family of Abraham, to be diftinguished from all other people, as well by a particular, visible mark, or badge, as by larger and more explicit promises than had been before made. This mark God ftiles his covenant in their flefh. This was a feal, on his part, of his covenant of promife. And this, from that time forward, until the introduction of the Christian difpenfation, was initiating; and was the only door into the vifible church. And the feal of the fame covenant of promife, ever fince the afcenfion of Chrift, has been equally initiating into the vifible family of God; and, will remain fo, to the end of time. The circumcifed were confidered, under the This church is God's familyGod's own household, in the midft of which he will ever dwell-sealing to its members the gracious promife, that he will be their God. On this church God has had his heart from eternity. For this the world was made: And for this, the Lord of glory died, and now lives, and will live and reign till her laft enemy fhall be destroyed. The church, erected in the family of Abraham, and diftinguished by | petuated in all ages, and into which none, to whom the Apof tles were fent to preach, were to be admitted by baptifm, but fuch as were vifibly believers. the feal of God's gracious covenant and promife, is the fame church of the living God, which still exifts, though under a different difpenfation; and is diftinguished from the rest of the world by an outward, though different, feal of the fame gracious covenant and promife, which was made and fealed to the father of the faithful. Thefe confiderations would naturally lead us to fuppofe that, when God himself began a church, to be distinguished in all future ages from the rest of mankind, he would form it agreeably to the pattern, which, when afterwards manifeft in flesh, he gave to his apoftles, of a Chriftian church.-— That, in the formation of this church, the Lord himself would obferve the fame rules, which he required his apoftles to obferve in erecting churches.-And, that he would admit none into it by circumcifion, but fuch as his apoftles might, afterwards, admit by baptifm. But if we fuppofe that circumcifion was adminiftered to Abraham's adult fervants, without any regard to their perfonal characters, and only on account of the faith of their malter, Abraham; we fhall here behold a church, formed immediately by God himself, without one pious perfou in it, or, at leaft, without piety being infifted on, or a vifibility of it being even fought in one member of it, excepting merely the mafter of the family. This hypothefis being admitted, how extremely different will the plan appear, upon which the holy God himfelf formed a church, from that upon which he, afterwards, directed his fervants, who acted under him, to form churches for him. And this the church, too, which was to be per That God himself should direct and require Abraham to fet the feat of the righteousness of faith on adults, without any regard to their perfonal moral characters-that he fhould, in the first instance, direct the church, with whom he faid he would dwell, and to whom he promised to be a Father and a God, to be compofed of members destitute of visible marks of piety toward him ;-that this fhould be the visible church redeemed from among men, and formed to fhow. forth the praises of him, who hath called them to glory and virtue ; and, that, afterwards, he should direct peculiar care to be ufed rerefpecting the materials of which his houfe is to be builded, and require the evidence of discipleship to be given, before the initiating feal into his houte and family might be administered; are fuppontions, which are inadmiffible, without clear and full evidence to support, them. Befides, it is worthy of enquiry, whether it be correfpondent with God's fual manner of dealing with men in matters of religion, and agreeable to that grace, wherein he hath abounded toward us in all wifdom and prudence, to fuppofe that he fhould require Abraham to exercise the authority of a mafter in compelling men to fubmit to a religious rite-a facred feal of God's new and gracious covenant; and, on the other hand, whether it correfpond with the character of Abraham, and the teftimony which God himself gave of him, that he would command his children and his household after him, to fuppofe that he should compel men far ad vanced in life to receive the infti- | The defign of all which was, not tuted diftinguishing mark of being in covenant with the holy God, without previously inftructing them into the facred nature and defign of the inftitution; or, when thus inftructed, on their rejecting the covenant, of which circumcifion was the seal, that he should proceed to adminifter it to them.These confiderations alone, afide from what has been before urged, furnish apparently plaufible objections against the opinion, that the adult fervants of Abraham's household were circumcifed on account of his faith, without any regard to their own personal characters. On the duty and importance of So. cial Worship. Particularly in the exercise of Pfalmody. (Continued from p. 17. Be filled with the Spirit; Be filled with the Spirit; Speaking to yourselves in Pfalms, and Hymns and Spiritual Songs; finging and making melody in you heart to the Lord. Paul to the Ephefians, v. 19, 20. HAT public worship, in fome form, is a duty of perpetual obligation on men, is generally admitted; and its important relation to the interefts of human fociety, is felt, and rarely denied even by infidels. That Pfalmody in particular, or the exercife of vocal music in the public worship of God is a duty of divine inftitution, and as fuch has been practifed by the people of God in every age of the church, has been confidered in my fecond number, and the apoftolic injunction at the head of this, together with various paffages from the Old Teftament Scriptures adduced in establishment of the point. VOL. II. No. 2. H fo much to convince the doubtful, as to excite the serious attention of the inconfiderate, and imprefs the influence of divine authority as a matter of the utmost importance to a right and acceptable performance of the duty-for, "whatfoever is not of faith, is fin." The particular manner, both as to outward act and moral temper with which the duty is to be performed, yet remains to be confidered; and this is the propofed fubject of enquiry in the present number. As the fubject presents itself in a twofold view, viz. external and internal, this method of treating it is accordingly fuggested. And as to the firft, we may obferve, that reafon and common sense, as well as the concurring authority of Scripture, point out the propriety, yea, the duty of qualifying ourfelves in the knowledge both of the theory and the practice of the mufical art, that we may join in that cifes of God's houfe may be perpart of worship, fo that the exerformed decently and in order. To disconnect, or difcard this principle from our idea of the duty, would manifest an extreme degree of stupidity, and of disrespect for a divine institution. As a general rule, perhaps it would go as far to difprove a heart of piety, as an ear for mufic. Ill-timed finging, or a medley of an hundred jarring difcordant founds poured upon the ear at once, must have such a dif agreeable effect, as will tend rather to extinguish than excite devotion. This idea then, that we must fo fing as to make melody to the ear, must be taken as a given firft principle. Voluntary penance enters not into religious worship, and the effect of difcordant founds is fimply the fenfation of diftrefs and horror. As I am now treating upon the | external part of the duty, permit me to defcend still more minutely upon matters of form; for whatever is connected in point of propriety with this fubject cannot be viewed as unimportant. In the In the exercise of this, as well as every other art of worship, we should obferve a decent, folemn and regalar deportment-not indulge in postures of floth, of apparent inattention and indifference-in no indecent, light and trivial gestures. Our eyes fhould be upon pfalm books-not an unneceffary whifper fhould efcape from our lips, and never a fmile of levity appear upon our faces. Our articulation fhould be clear, our pronunciation distinct, our emphafis correct and natural as in reading or Speaking. our If we feel, as we ever fhould feel in this duty, that it is a folemn act in which we are engaged; and that we are addreffing our homage to the all-prefent, omnifcient God, our outward deportment will be conformable. The choice of tunes belongs to each worshipping affembly, or to the leading choir of fingers, who act in behalf of the whole in making this felection. I would however humbly suggest the expediency of not indulging to the extreme a tafte for novelty, or a predilection for new tunes, in exclufion of all fuch as are generally known, and in which the older part of the congregation can unite their voices; and for the fame end, that is, to make the worship as general, and as generally edifying as may be, that fuging mufic, and mufical repetitions without very evident propriety, be but fparingly ufed. A want of due folemnity and ferioufnefs in much of the modern church mufic now in ufe, is felt and re gretted by many people of serious minds, and correct mufical tafte. There is furely a certain fitness and propriety to be attended to in this matter, or we are at once expofed to very unbecoming extremes. There is nothing facred in founds, it will perhaps be replied; and it is as readily granted; but that there is not fomething in certain tranfitions and modifications of founds lefs calculated than others, to excite seriousness and devotion, and therefore not fo proper to be used in the folemn exercife of divine worfhip, furely cannot be pretended. And that flighty, unforious airs of mufic form the beft medium of our communion with heav en, and the most suitable in which to addrefs our direct and folemn homage to the King eternal in the temple of the living God, will not be conceded. But the great and effential requifite of the duty is still to be confidered and applied; without which the utmost attention to outward form, will be as unavailing as a tinkling cymbal, and as deftitute of true worship. We must not indulge fo grofs an idea as that the Moft High is capable of being pleased with founds-it is a meek and quiet spirit alone that is of worth in his fight. "The Lord taketh pleasure in them that fear him, in thofe that hope in his mercy." It is the melody of the heart only that afcends with acceptance and makes mufic in the ear of God. This end, our music is defigned as a mean to effect-in tranquillizing the paffions-fitting the affections to a fpirit of devotion, and preparing the heart, thro' the aid of divine grace, for the perception and enjoyment of moral beauty. The firft and fundamental direction, the Apostle gives for the per |