being proofs that they are the proper psalmody of the Church, that they are direct and permanent vouchers to the contrary.

If there be any truth in history, any reliance to be placed on canons, statutes, and public acts of the Church, it may, without hesitancy, be affirmed, that metrified scriptures are a human invention, the effervescence of a fiery opposition to popery, unauthorized by scripture, introduced into the Church of England by her avowed adversaries, by means of provisos and cunning, during a period of civil convulsion and ecclesiastical discord, and retained merely by permits and passive toleration.

No person conversant with Church history can be ignorant of these things; but unfortunately for the psalmodie parts of public worship, no researches are less regarded than those which refer to the praises of God in his holy temple.

Whenever the inventions of men come in competition with the revelations of God, the pretence of improvement never fails to obscure the fair horizon of primitive truth and order; and scripture in a metrical or secularized form, becomes a rival to scripture in its original prosaic form, and also to all authorized translations.

Let the scripture criterion, "By their fruits ye shall know them," be fairly applied, and instantly this rivalship will vanish. The good fruits of psalmody in the words of holy scripture

have always been plenteous, and numerous are the testimonies in its favour. But where shall we find any account of the good fruits of metre psalmody, the so much extolled new way of praising God?

During a period of about 260 years, metrified scriptures have cumbered the soil of the English Church; but as no accounts have as yet been given of their producing any fruits, either to the glory of God, or to the good of men, we are at liberty to suppose, that "the time of their bearing fruit is not yet come:"-and if so, when will it come? After a variety of conversations with metre psalmodists and advocates for versified scriptures, I have not been able to ascertain that a single individual made profession, that his soul magnifies the Lord, and that his spirit rejoices in the God of his salvation, whilst he is singing these artificial forms of praise. Some have acknowledged that there was something wanting in rhyme psalmody to fan the fire of devotion, though they could not tell precisely what it was; and others have confessed that metre psalmody has in it more of recreation than of devotion, and that its principal utility consists in separating one part of the service from another.

Among the various Christians opposed to the hierarchy, metre psalmody hath always been considered the perfection of praise. Among

well informed Episcopalians, it hath always been reckoned a deformity imposed upon the fair face of liturgical worship; and in proportion as churchmen have fallen below the standard of primitive Christianity, they have fallen more and more in love with the novelty. In proportion as the excrescence hath increased, and spread over the face, its deformity hath apparently lessened; and the mole, so long and so often reflected in the speculum of rhyme, hath become, in the eyes of many of our people, superlatively beautiful, and a sure symptom of spiritual health.

Condensing all the allowances which have, at any time, been granted for using metrified psalmody, I am warranted in saying, though it be allowed to stand, as it were, at the porch, it is not permitted to advance farther;-but as to prosaic psalmody, it retains its right to its station at the chancel. For ever it hath stood near the altar," speaking and singing praises," heightening the fervors of devotion in prayer, enkindling the incense of gratitude in praise, and brightening the intellectual faculty, the bet ter to understand the scriptures.

OBJECTION IV.

"We have a sufficient quantity of praise in our churches, without chanting."

REPLY.

It is readily granted, that our morning and evening services contain a sufficient measure of prayer; for they comprehend petitions for "all those things which are requisite and necessary, as well for the body as the soul." It is also granted, "It that they contain a sufficient measure of the incense of praise, which, in the exhortation, is called "his (God's) most worthy praise."

Now, for the sake of argument, let us suppose that metrical psalms and hymns (the species of praise on which the objection is predicated) are ecclesiastical acts of praise ;-let it be asked, Where is their measure? What rubric or criterion is there for ascertaining how much, or how many of them constitute a sufficiency, or even a single act of praise? Are they not altogether fortuitous, sometimes more lines, sometimes fewer, at the discretion of the minister, or that of his clerk?

Though the periods are assigned, at which, by a rubrical permit, metre psalms and hymns are allowed to be sung; yet the measure or quantity

of them, at any time of singing, is equally indeterminate, as are the length, breadth, and thickness of an extemporary prayer. Having no measure of application, no canon nor rubric prescribing a certain portion at each time of singing, we can never ascertain whether the quantity of metrical praise is sufficient or insufficient for the occasion..

If the objector really believes that metrical psalmody is implied in the definition, "his most worthy praise," let him have the goodness to think of suitable replies to the following interrogatories.

Why are acts of prayer circumscribed by forms, when acts of praise are left to the discretion of the minister? How comes it, that acts of praise are made to depend upon the discretion of the minister, and acts of prayer upon the sanction and authority of the aggregate body of the Church, if they are duties of equal magnitude and of equal obligation? If metrical psalms and hymns be the praise implied in the definition, most worthy praise, and are left to the minister's discretion to use whatever portions of them he pleases, why is he not also left as much at liberty to use whatever prayers his discretion may select from the Family Prayers bound up with the Prayer Book ?

Every well-informed churchman knows that it is repugnant to the nature of Liturgical worship, to allow the minister's discretion so wide a