A CHURCH HYMN BOOK, COMPILED BY THREE CLERGYMEN. "Enter into His gates with thanksgiving, and into His courts with LONDON: WERTHEIM AND MACINTOSH, 24, PATERNOSTER ROW. LEEDS: THOMAS HARRISON. 147. d. 150. PREFACE. The Hymns following have been selected from all manner of sources; and have been arranged, and in some instances altered, in such a manner as seemed most likely to illustrate and enforce the teaching of the Church throughout the year. The Compilers have been exceedingly afraid of singing, or recommending others to sing, to the praise and glory of God, any thing untrue. They have endeavoured therefore to avoid whatever seemed inconsistent with Holy Scripture, or with the authorized interpretations of Scripture contained in the Creeds of the Universal Church and other Formularies of the Church of England. Particularly they have been on their guard against the besetting fault of popular Hymns ;-the fault, namely, of attributing to the present state of the Church on earth or in paradise, the promised future glories of the resurrection state at Christ's appearing and kingdom. These Hymns are not intended to rival, much less to supersede the Psalms and Hymns already appointed to be said or sung in the Daily Service. No other Hymns can equal the Psalms and Hymns of Holy Scripture in spirituality, in depth and fulness of meaning, or in beauty, tenderness, and majesty of expression. They that love not the Psalms have not learned the mind of Christ. Yet the Psalms have not been hitherto, and perhaps never will be, worthily translated into English metre. Nor perhaps is this to be lamented, seeing that we use them already in a singable form, in good masculine English, untrammelled by the necessities of rhyme and metre, and uncorrupted. Some of the Hymns following, however, are the result of attempts at making the Psalms into metre; and, for the accommodation of those who would like a larger number, a further selection from various Versions may be had, bound up with this Hymn Book. Many of them are perhaps beautiful Hymns, but they are not "the Psalms." That those who use the Hymns in this book, may be edified thereby in Christian Faith and Hope and Love, is the earnest prayer of the Compilers. * See note on the last page. |