O F S E R P E N T S. 163 



the Pagans curing Difeafes of the Body and Mind by inftrumen- 

 tal Mufick. 



It's faid, when an evil Spirit from God was upon Satil^ 



David took a Hai-p and playd with his Hand, fo Saul was re- 



frejhed^ and was well, and the evil Spirit departed from him. 



1 Sam. xvi. 23. 



• .... AND Elifia faid to Jehoram, King of Ifrael . . . Were it 

 not that I regard the Frejence of the King of fudah, I would not look 

 towards thee, but 7iow briitg me a Minftrel. And it ca?ne to pafs 

 ivheii the Minftrel playd, that the Hand of the Lord came upon him. 



2 Kings iii. 13, — 15. 



I T is obfervable here, that the Mind of Elift:ia the Prophet 

 was very much ruffled ; now, under this Difcompofure, he calls 

 for a Minftrel, not out of Levity, but for a religious End ; and 

 that was, to compofe his Mind, and to bring it into a ferene and 

 fedate Frame, and thereby to prepare himfelf for divine Exer- 

 cifes J or perhaps, a devout Levite, well fkill'd in mufical Per- 

 formances, might play before him, and intermix with it, Pfalms 

 and fpiritual Songs, according to the Conftitutions of thofe 

 Times. 



A 9 the Prophets might indifpofe themfelves for the Spirit of 

 Prophecy, fo they were to ufe Means to difpofe themfelves for 

 the Impulfes of the Holy Spirit ; and for this End the School of 

 the Prophets was appointed, in which the Students were trained 

 up in the Science of Mifick, inflriSi Virtue, Self-denial, Contempt 

 of worldly Grandeur, Knowledge of the Law, &c. Thefe Schools 

 were Seminaries of Religion, in which the intended Guardians of 

 the Spirituality were inftrufted, and prepared to receive the ex- 

 traordinary Gifts of the Spirit. 



We read how the /W/rt/?j performed their Worftiip by dancing 

 to Songs, the Priefts of Cybelew'nh Cymbals, the Curetes with 

 Drums and Trumpets, the Romans fung Spondaic Verfes, while 

 they offer'd their Sacrifices; the mufical Sound that calm'd the 

 Paffions (confifting of Spondees principally) Ariftotle calls moral ; 

 (to diftinguifh it from the Diatonic and Phrygian) from whence 

 the Cuftom might be derived. When the Spartans went to War, 

 they march'd to the Sound of Flutes, to animate the Soldiers; 

 as is now done by Drum and Trumpet, to leflen the Terror of 

 Death. 



Y 2 THF. 



