The Service Was Now Pretty Well Advanced, When I Observed Some
Little Stir In The Desk, The Clerk Was Busy, And They Seemed To Be
Preparing For Something New And Solemn, And I Also Perceived Several
Musical Instruments.
The clergyman now stopped, and the clerk then
said in a loud voice, "Let us sing to the praise and glory of God,
the forty-seventh psalm."
I cannot well express how affecting and edifying it seemed to me, to
hear this whole orderly and decent congregation, in this small
country church, joining together with vocal and instrumental music,
in the praise of their Maker. It was the more grateful, as having
been performed, not by mercenary musicians, but by the peaceful and
pious inhabitants of this sweet village. I can hardly figure to
myself any offering more likely to be grateful to God.
The congregation sang and prayed alternately several times, and the
tunes of the psalms were particularly lively and cheerful, though at
the same time sufficiently grave, and uncommonly interesting. I am
a warm admirer of all sacred music, and I cannot but add that that
of the Church of England is particularly calculated to raise the
heart to devotion; I own it often affected me even to tears.
The clergyman now stood up and made a short but very proper
discourse on this text: "Not all they who say, Lord, Lord! shall
enter the kingdom of heaven." His language was particularly plain,
though forcible; his arguments were no less plain, convincing, and
earnest, but contained nothing that was particularly striking.
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