INTRODUCTION.
As the Four Evangelists lay down the foundation of our holy religion,

in the bistory and life of our blessed Saviour, its great Author; lo,
the ApostolICA. Epistles open up the nystery of his death and re-
surrection. The Four Gospels how us how the foundation of the
Christian churcis was laid; the Acts of the Apostles point out how
the superstructure began to be raised, both amongst Jews and Gentiles:
and the Apostolical Epistles contain a clear and compendious system
of the great and important doctrines of the gospel, in order to edify,

comfort, and build up the church. The Apostles were endowed with a wonderful effusion of the Holy Spirit,

and were under his infallible influence and guidance, both in preaching the gospel, and writing their Epistles; and all of them declare, that wisat they wrote was from God: and they being all men of undoubted probity, we may well credit them on this point. The fundamental articles of the Christian faith, being more fully discussed in these Epiftles than elsewhere, tend mightily to influence practical godlinels, out of a principle of divine love, a good conscience, and

faith unfeigned; and also to produce evangelical obedience. It is none of the least designs of the Christian institutes, to excite men

unto, and engage them in, all the instances and acts of sincere love, and fervent devotion towards God: and accordingly we find in them abundance of very suitable matter both for instruction, meditation, prayer, and prais:. When the different Epistles are carefully looked into, and examined with any degree of atiention, we find there are interspersed many divine odes and lacrcd doxologies; and these lay foundation for selecting the following Songs.

S.

S O N G 1.
Ruin by Sin, Relief by Christ. Rom. v. 12. 21.
Ver. OUR two first parents happy food,
.

Till, ,
They lost their garden, and their God,

And kill'd their unborn race.
Thus (prung the plague froni Adam's bow'r,

And ruin spread abroad;
O curfed fin ! that in one hour,

Spoil'd fix days work of God.

Ver. Tremble, O finner! mourn for grief,

That such a foe's within :
Fly, fly, to Christ for quick relief,
And let him kill your fin.

S O N G II.
Tbe Believer's S.curity in Christ: or, the Ground

of Fritb's Assurance about tbe Believer's unchange-
able bappy State.

Rom. viii. 33,---39.. 33 WH

HO fhall to th'elect's charge ought lay,

Since God hath justify'd ? 34 Who shall condemn by any way,

Since Christ the Surety died ?
Who can adjudge their fouls to hell,

Since he, who in their stead
Has suffer'd, seal'd their bliss so well,

By rising from the dead?
Yea, now he lives and fits above,

Still interceding there.
35 What can divide us from his love,

Or tempt us to despair ?
Shall perfecution, or disiress,

A separation make?
Shall famine, sword, or nakedness,

Love's bond afunder break ?
37 Nay, lo! in all these things our Shield,

Our Lover goes before,
To make us ev'n upon the field

Both conquerors, and more.
38 I'm sure no death nor life of ours,

Nor angels troublefone;
Nor principalities, nor pow'rs,

Things present, nor to conie ;
39 Nor height, nor depth, nor any mode

Of creatures might beside,
Can separate our fouls from God,

Nor from his love divide.
His love is fix'd in Jesus so,

Where we have such a part,
Not all that earth and hell can do

Shall pluck us from his heart.

SONG III. .

The unsearchable Deptb of divine Wisdom and Sove

reignty, in ibe Rejection of the Jews and tbe Cal

ling of the GENTIILS. Rom. xi. 33,-36. Ver. O DEPTH of wisdom, riches rare

.
33 Of grace and mercy free!
[That Gentile nations now should share

The Jews felicity :
And that till Jews, through grace, repent,

Their present dismal fall,
Should thus be made subfervient

To Gentiles happy call!]
O depth of riches all divine !

O fathomless abyss !
Wisdom and knowledge here combine,

God's work alone is this.
Hyw searchless are his judginents just!

H w traceless are his ways !
[With sweet and awful wonder must

Both men and angels gaze.]
34 For, who hath known Jehovah's mind ?

What angel or what man,
With him in privy counsel join'd

Their help to form the plan!
35 Or, who hath e'er oblig'd him yet,

By gifts, and dare upbraid,
As having on him claims of debt

And favours unrepaid ?
36 For all things of him as the source,

And through him as the guide,
And to him as the end, by course,

Still are, and shall abide.
To whom for stores of grace so free,

Dealt in a fov’reign way,
And praise and glory render'd be

From henceforth and for ay,

THE

SONG IV.
Tbe Apofile Paul's Doxology for ibe Revelation of

Christ by the Gospel: or, a Song of Praise to be

Power and Wisdom of God. Rom. xvi. 25,26,27. Ver. The

power and wisdom of our God, 25

Becomes our praises well;
For these, to save us, did explode

The pow'r and wit of hell.
Now to the God of pow'r, that can

Confirm and flablish you,
According to the gospel-plan,

Expos'd to open view :
Chrilt preached, making light to shine,

That clearly shows to man,
The mystery of grace divine,

Kept hid since time began:
26 But now by scripture lamps in hand,

Made manifest abroad;
And publish'd by express command

Of the eternal God :
That nations all may know and trace

The new and living path,
By yielding to the word of grace,

,
Th' obedience of faith.
27 To God, the only wise, alone

Be praise and glory then,
Through Jesus, his anointed one,
For evermore, Amen.
SONG v.

V.
Tbe Glory of God in Christ.

1 Cor. i. 24. Psalm 1xxxv. 10.
ALL

LL nature spreads, with open blaze,

Her Maker's name abroad;
And ev'ry work of his, displays

The pow'r and skill of God.
But in the grace that rescu'd man,

His brightest glory Nines;
Here, on the cross 'tis faireft drawn,

In precious bloody lines.

Here his whole name appears complete ;

And who can guess or prove, Which of the letters best are writ,

The wisdom, pow'r, or love ? Justice and mercy,

truth and

grace,
In all their sweetest charms,
Here met, and join'd their kind embrace,
With everlatting arnus.

SONG VI.
Christ's Fourfold Name, fuited to sbe finner's Need.

1 Cor. i. 30. GOD's knowledge, favour, image, bliss,

Men by the fall have lost; But Jesus the restorer is

Of all these, to his coft.
Sad evils, positive, with all

Our loss of God attend;
Great ignorance, guilt, filth and thrall;

Which he alone can mend.
His name hath attributes engray'd

Molt curiously within,
By which we may be fully sav'd

From ev'ry ill in fin.
Of God, he is made wisdom meet,

Sin's folly to expose :
Made also righteousness complete,

Sin's chain of guilt to loose :
Sanctification, down to cast

Sin's reigning, flaining pow'r:
Redemption full, that shall at last

Its bitter brood devour.
How dark and heavy is the night

That hangs upon our eyes,
Tihl Christ, our wisdom and our light,

Doth o'er our fouls arise ?
Our guilty spirits are afraid

To meet the wrath of Heav'n, Till in his righteousness array'd,

We see our fins forgiv'n.