290 M U S 
Obed-edom, lie gathered all Ifrael together, to bring up 
the ark of the Lord unto the place which he had pre¬ 
pared for it: “ And he fpake to the chief of the Levites 
to appoint their brethren to be the fingers with inftru- 
ments of mulic, pfalteries and harps and cymbals, found¬ 
ing by lifting up the voice with joy. And the priefts did 
blow with the trumpets before the ark of God. And 
David was clothed with a robe of tine linen ; and all the 
Levites that bare the ark, and the fingers, and Chenaniah 
the matter of the fong, gave thanks unto the Lord.” 
1 Chron. xv. xvi. 
If we believe Jofephus, “ Solomon caufed two hundred 
thoufand trumpets to be made for the fervice of the dedi¬ 
cation of the temple, betides four hundred thoufand 
mulical infrruments, as harps, pfalteries, and the like, 
which were made of a mixed metal, between gold and 
filver, to accompany the voices.” Jofeplms, book viii. ch. i. 
As the above numbers appear to furpafs every idea of 
fneafure and of calculation, Mr. Eaftcott (from whofe 
Sketches much of this feftion is extracted) adds the fol¬ 
lowing remarks in his Supplement. Firlt, we fhould re¬ 
coiled!, that God bleffed Solomon not only with wifdom, 
but riches alfo, furpaffmg every monarch before or after 
him. The influx of gqld into his dominions was fo great, 
(2 Chron. ix. 13.) that filver was reckoned of no value 
during bis reign. (1 Kings x. 21.) And, as every efti- 
mable object receives its value according to its plenty or 
fcarcity, in a reign like Solomon’s, articles which at other 
times are univerfally efteemed are then regarded as nought. 
To gratify the wifli and intoxicate the eye, were the prin¬ 
ciples which pervaded his fyftem : his treafures, maga¬ 
zines, &c. were objects more for public exhibition than 
utility ; and were conflantly increafing by the grand 
tributes daily prefented to him by the admiring princes 
of the Eaft, who, with the queen of Sheba, came to hear his 
wifdom, and view the magnificence of the temple, and 
his palaces, and the profufion, but beautiful order, of his 
houfehold, treafury, and magazines ; among which the 
magazine which contained his mufical inllruments we 
have reafon to think made a very confiderable figure. It 
fhould be obferved alfo, that the Levites, who were all 
muficians, were in number 38,000 ; and that fcholars, 
very numerous, muft have been always in training to fuc- 
ceed them when (at fifty years of age) they were difmiffed. 
And it is prefumed, moreover, that a referve of inftru- 
ments, in perfect order, was always ready at hand, for 
the particular ufe of the fabbath and holidays 3 and, al¬ 
though ftringed inllruments are always liable to be out 
of order, yet they were not permittedjto be repaired, or 
even a firing put on or mended, on thofe days, as all ma¬ 
nual labour is then flridlly forbidden by law. 
Jofephus remarks that thefe inllruments “ were made 
of a compofition between gold and filver.” But he was 
too well acquainted with fcripture to have inferted fuch 
a millake. I fhould rather fuppofe (fays Mr. Eaftcott) an 
overfight in tranfcribing our author, which we may eafily 
correct, by fuppofing he wrote, that “ the firings or 
wires of thefe inllruments, were made of a compofition 
between gold and filver,” which, when compounded and 
rendered elaftic, produced founds the moll melodious for 
accompanying the voice; or probably thefe inllruments 
were inlaid or ornamented with a metal of this kind. 
The reign of Solomon, fo long, fo pacific, and fo glo¬ 
rious to the Hebrews, may be regarded as the Auguftan 
age of that people ; whofe profperity, during this period, 
not only enabled them to cultivate arts and fciences 
among themfelves, but ftimulated foreigners to vifit and 
aflift them. And, as we find that the Romans, during 
the time of Augullus and his fucceflors, were indebted 
to the Greeks for a great part of their knowledge in the 
polite arts, fo the Hebrews, under Solomon’s government, 
had afliftance from Egypt and from Tyre. Riches and re¬ 
nown never fail to attrafil talents into a country from 
neighbouring kingdoms. As tomufic and poetry, which 
were put upon fo refpe&able a footing in the former 
I c. 
reign, they feem to have had their (hare of attention in 
this, particularly in the fervice of the temple. 
It is the opinion of many expounders and commenta¬ 
tors of the facred writings, that Solomon was author of 
fome of the Pfalms that are attributed to David. Of this 
we are certain, that he was no lefs fond of poetry than his 
father. In the firil of Kings, iv. and xxv. we are told 
that he fpahe three thoufand proverbs; and his Jongs were 
a tlwujiind and five. But whether, like the royal plklmilt, 
he was a practical mufician, does not appear in the records 
of his reign. However, in Ecclefiaftes, ii. 8. we' find mulic 
mentioned by this voluptuous prince among the vain lux¬ 
uries and vexations of fpirit, with which he found him- 
feIf fatiated : “ I gat me men-fingers and wome'n-Jlngers, 
and the delights of the Jons of men, as mufical ivfiraments, 
and that of all forts which is all that can be gathered on 
the l'ubje£l of mulic during this'fplendid reign. 
A century paffed from the dedication of the temple, 
without the mention of any thing remarkable in Scripture 
concerning the mufic of the Hebrews, except the paffage 
already cited, where Eliftia calls for a minftrel to awaken 
infpiration, previous to his prophelying. 
In the year 896 B. C. the fingers are faid to have con¬ 
tributed greatly towards obtaining a Angular advantage 
in favour of Jehofhaphat, over the Ammonites and Moa¬ 
bites. The muficians, following the camp in the fame order 
as they ferved in the temple, marched as a vanguard in 
the field with their inllruments; “ And the Levites of 
the children of the Kohathites, and the children of the 
Korahites, flood up to praife the Lord God of Ifrael with 
a loud voice on high. And, when Jeholhaphat had con- 
fulted with the people, he appointed fingers unto the Lord, 
and thatlhould praife the beauty of holinefs as they went 
out before the army, and to fay, Praife the Lord, for his 
mercy endureth for ever. And, when they began to fing, 
and to praife, the Lord fet ambuftiments againft the chil¬ 
dren of Ammon, Moab, and Mount Seir, which were 
come againft Judah, and they were fmitten.” 2 Chron xx. 
19-22. 
The Hebrews frequently attributed their fuccefs in bat¬ 
tle to the animation given the troops by the trumpets, 
which were always blown by priefts and levites, whom 
the people highly reverenced, and regarded as infpired 
perfons. It was, in like manner, the part of the ancient 
Gallic, German, and Britilh, druids, who were not only 
priefts, but muficians, to animate their countrymen to 
the fight. 
Thus far we have only had to fpeak of the cultivation 
and improvement of mufic among the Hebrews ; we have 
little more to add, except what will indicate its neglefl 
and decline. But few memorials remain concerning it, 
from the victory obtained by Abijah, till the captivity 
and deftrufilion of Jerufalem and the temple, by the Baby¬ 
lonians, in the reign of Jehoiakim. Before this period, 
mufic, and other facred rites, had been frequently much 
corrupted, during the wars, and by intercourfe with fo¬ 
reign nations ; and, at every attempt to reftore them to 
their former purity and fplendour, we find the number of 
thofe employed in the fervice of the temple diminished, 
and their efforts more feeble and ineffefitual. At the re- 
ftoration of the royal family, after the crown had been 
ufurped by Athaliah, we are told that “ the pnnces and 
the trumpets food by the king ; and all the people of the land 
rejoiced, and founded with trumpets; alfo the fingers with in- 
Jlruments of mufic, and fuch as taught to fing praife. And 
Jehoiada, during the minority of Joafti, appointed the offices 
with rejoicing, as it was ordained by David. B.C. 878. And 
in this reign we find that the fingers, the fons of Afaph, were 
reftored to their places. 2 Chron. xxiii. 13-18. 
Thefe continued, however, but a Ihort time in the mi- 
niftry, before they were driven out, and the king and 
people became profelytes to another form of worftiip. 
(2 Chron. xxiv. 18.) But, after various revolutions both 
in religion and government, a powerful attempt was made, 
during the reign of Hezekiah, about 72.6 years B.C. to 
reftore 
