s, we will not hide them from their Children,
shewing to the Generation to come the Praises of the_ Lord. So he
relates the Converse and Covenant of God with _Abraham_, _Isaac_ and
_Israel_, as a Narration of former Providences and Experiences, Psal.
105. 8, 9, 10, &c. So in the Virgin _Mary_'s Song, and the Song of
_Zecharia_. And I know not any thing can be objected here, but that a
Prophet perhaps in some instances may assume the Words of _Christ_ or
the Saints in following Ages; but it should be observed that this is
almost always in such Respects wherein Persons or Circumstances present
were typical of what is future, and so their Cases become parallel.

By these Considerations we are easily led into the true Method of
translating ancient Songs into Christian Worship. Psalms that are
purely Doctrinal, or meerly Historical, are Subjects for our
Meditation, and may be translated for our present Use with no
Variation, if it were possible; and in general, all those Songs of
Scripture which the Saints of following Ages may assume for their own:
Such are the 1st, the 8th, the 19th, and many others. Some Psalms may
be apply'd to our Use by the Alteration of a Pronoun, putting {246}
_They_ in the place of We, and changing some Expressions which are not
suited to our Case into a Narration or Rehearsal of God's Dealings with
others: There are other Divine Songs which cannot properly be
accommodated to our Use, and much less be assum'd as our own without
very great Alterations, (_viz_.) such as are filled with some very
particular Troubles or Enemies of a Person, some Places of Journeying
or Residence, some uncommon Circumstances of a Society, to which there
is scarce any thing parallel in our Day or Case: Such are many of the
Songs of _David_, whose Persecutions and Deliverances were very
extraordinary: Again, such as express the Worship paid unto God by
carnal Ordinances and Utensils of the Tabernacle and Temple. Now if
these be converted into Christian Songs in our Nation, I think the
Names of _Ammon_ and _Moab_ may be as properly chang'd into the Names
of the chief Enemies of the Gospel, so far as may be without publick
Offence: _Judah_ and _Israel_ may be called _England_ and _Scotland_,
and the Land of _Canaan_ may be translated into _Great Britain_; The
cloudy and typical Expressions of the legal Dispensation should be
turned into Evangelical Language, according to the Explications of the
New Testament: And when a Chri