sacredness attaches to the most worthless relics in the eyes of the devotee, who believes them to have belonged to some saint or martyr, or in the eyes of the antiquary, who doats upon all things that are old! It is not surprising then, that the merest doggrel should acquire from time and sacred associations, a similar power independent of its intrinsic qualities. Sternhold and Hopkins have now fallen into general contempt; and whatever merit may be due to their pious and well-meant efforts, it is quite absurd to claim for their compositions the slightest degree of metrical skill or beauty of language. Yet, how tenaciously has the use of their antiquated version been adhered to in the Church of England; and how much ingenuity has been displayed in detecting an accidental propriety or an imaginary beauty in some detached line of this venerable doggrel! For instance, we have seen cited as a fine passage the following stanza, the first line of which contains the palpable blunder of making cherubs differ from cherubim, which is but the Hebrew plural, and adding to this plural termination, the Saxon s.

'On cherubs and on cherubim

Full royally he rode,

And on the wings of mighty winds

Came flying all abroad.'

The next verse but one to this exhibits a fair specimen of this ancient metrical version.

'At his bright presence did thick clouds

In haste away retire;

And in the stead thereof did come

Hail-stones and coals of fire.
The fiery darts and thunderbolts
Disperse them here and there;
And with his frequent lightnings he
Doth put them in great fear.'

Take again the Scotch Psalms, which still maintain, in the Church of Scotland, their prescriptive sanctity. Bald, coarse, and often ludicrous, the rhythm to a Southron ear utterly intolerable, yet does this version sound, to the pious member of the kirk, as musical as the bagpipe of his native hills; and Dr. Watts is poor and unmelodious, in comparison with this solemn travestie of the inspired psalmist. With how much jealousy have any improvements upon our psalmody been viewed! Tate and Brady, though honoured with the royal sanction, have had as much opposition to encounter as had the evangelical nonconformist to whom the reform of our psalmody is chiefly to be ascribed. Philip Henry, who is recorded to have sung David's psalms throughout, ' in order', sometimes used the old translation, but generally Mr.

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Barton's *. This version we do not possess; but we have some specimens both of Barton's Centuries' and Barton's Hymns', in a small "Collection of Psalms, Hymns, and Spiritual Songs, fitted for Morning and Evening Worship in a Private Family, by Samuel Bury, Minister of the Gospel", which seems to have acquired popularity. Our copy is of the fourth edition, 1724. It may not be uninteresting to our readers, to know the authors to whom Mr. Bury was indebted for his materials, as the list probably includes most of the hymn-books of the day that were in general estimation. The explanation of the initials gives us the following titles: Barton's Centuries: Barton's Hymns: Boise's Sacramental Hymns: Crashaw's Sacred Poems: Clark's Annotations: Darrington's Hymns: Divine Hymns: Daniel Burgess: Foxton's Hymns: Guide to Glory: Herbert: Milbourn's Version of the Psalms: Patrick: Penitential Cries: Richard Baxter: Scotch Psalms: Songs of Praise: Tate and Brady: Vincent's Sacramental Hymns: Woodroof's Paraphrase. The Collection itself is worth little, being, for the most part, made up of patchwork extracts from the compositions of the different authors. The following specimen of Barton's hymns is curious, as being in part a version of the language of the Church service.

O God, the Saviour of all men,
And most especially of them

That faithfully believe in Thee!
Who hast preserv'd us all times past,
And wilt preserve us to the last,

As still our trust and hope shall be.
Order our steps in thy good word,
And let not sin reign in us, Lord,
But keep us ever in thy love;
And let thy counsels be our guide
Till thou receive us to abide

In glory with thy saints above,
'Lord, save thy Church in every age,
Govern and bless thine heritage,

And lift them up for evermore.

We daily magnify thy name,

Most high, most holy, and the same,
World without end for evermore.'

* In Burton's Parliamentary Diary (Vol. I. p. 349.) mention is made of a report being presented (Jan. 1656-7) by the ministers appointed to consider which version of the psalms was fittest to be publicly used. Their return was, that Mr. Rous's version was the best, both as to agreeing with the original, and better metre; and that Mr.

-'s (probably Barton's) version was a good one too.' Mr. Rous was Provost of Eton College, and M.P. for Cornwall.

There is a version of Job xix. 25-27, from the same author.

'I know that my Redeemer lives,

I know he lives alway;
And shall appear and stand

up

On earth at judgment-day:

here

And tho' my skin, and next to that,
My body turns to dust,

Yet, in my flesh, restored afresh,
I shall see God, I trust.

Whom I shall perfectly behold,

When I from dust recover,

Not otherwise, but with these eyes,

Myself, and not another.'

Here is one more specimen of this once admired and popular

versifier.

Ho! all that thirst and pine;

Come to the waters here;

And

ye that have no coin,

Come buy and eat good cheer:
Come, buy, I say,

Buy milk and wine,
Without your coin,

Without your pay!

Incline your ear and hear;

Come, and your soul shall live.

To all that will come near,

Will I this covenant give.
My laws will I

Put in their hearts
And inward parts
Effectually.'

The best hymns in this volume are, beyond comparison, taken from the "Songs of Praise", which Mr. Montgomery, in his "Christian Poet", justly characterizes as the compositions of an author holding a middle rank between Quarles and Watts, his talent being equally poised between both." Watts, the Wesleys, and even Pope, appear to have borrowed lines and phrases from this unknown author; and that such writings should be now almost forgotten, Mr. M. remarks, is little creditable to 'the admirers of sacred literature.' The following, from the 'Guide to Glory', has a 'smack' of the olden time.

Better is love that's from above,
Than all things that are here:
"Tis better far than all we are ;
Our lives are not so dear.

'The love of man, get it who can,
Doth always ebb and flow:

But God's doth last and never waste,
As his dear children know.

Thy love, Lord, let on me be set;
Thy kindness is the thing
That I desire and still admire:

Thou art my God and King.

Thy love is free: Lord, give it me;
Thy favour to me shew,

O Lord, that I continually

Thy faithfulness may know.
[To God above, the God of Love,

The Father, Spirit, and Son,
All glory be eternally,

As was and now is done.']

The last stanza, marked anonymous, is probably supplied by the Editor, who has, by the way, taken many liberties with the authors he has used.

Such were the psalms and hymns and spiritual songs of the seventeenth century; and the genius of Watts, as well as the eminent service he rendered to the Christian Church, can be justly appreciated only by those who compare his performances with those of his predecessors, which his success has served to consign to oblivion. His accommodation of the Psalms of David to the spirit of Christian worship, was in itself an innovation as bold as it was happy; but this distinguishing excellence of his version has itself been regarded as an offence and long after ' other denominations had enjoyed in Dr. Watts's version the true savour and spirit of the psalter', its evangelical use proscribed to the members of the Established Church, who were confined in their psalmody to the old and new versions.'* Dr. Watts, says Mr. Montgomery, may almost be called the 'inventor of hymns in our language; for he so far departed from all precedent, that few of his compositions resemble those of his forerunners; while he so far established a precedent to all his

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was

* See Advertisement prefixed to "Three Hundred and Fifty Portions of the Psalms." The strength of ecclesiastical prejudice was never, perhaps, more conspicuous, than in Bishop Horne's avoiding all use and even mention of Dr. Watts's version, preferring the insipid verbiage of Merrick. Not less discreditable was Mr. Romaine's violent dislike of Watts.

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successors, that none have departed from it otherwise than according to the peculiar turn of mind in the writer, and the style of expressing Christian truths employed by the denomination to ' which he belonged. Dr. Watts himself, though a conscientious Dissenter, is so entirely catholic in his hymns, that it cannot be 'discovered from any of these, that he belonged to any particular sect. Hence, happily for his fame, or rather happily for the 'Church of Christ, portions of his psalms and hymns have been "adopted in most places of worship where congregational singing prevails. Every Sabbath, in every region of the earth where his native tongue is spoken, thousands and tens of thousands ' of voices are sending the sacrifice of prayer and praise unto God, in the strains which he prepared for them a century ago.'* Thus,

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varying sects, in common hymns, avow
Their harmony of creed:

From age to age, from church to church sent on,
The songs of Zion are in unison.'

Next to Dr. Watts, as a hymn-writer, Mr. Montgomery very properly places Charles Wesley. We know not why any considerations of delicacy should hinder our doing justice to a living author, by placing Mr. Montgomery himself third; for, in this department, he must rank above Cowper. Doddridge, Toplady, Mrs. Steele, Newton, Hart, Cennick, Fawcett, Beddome, and Kelly, may be enumerated as having furnished the bulk of the hymns which compose the numberless selections, auxiliary or supplementary to Dr. Watts: but, admirable as is the spirit of piety which animates them, they are scarcely indebted for their popularity, in any degree, to the graces of poetry, one or two fortunate specimens excepted. In his own peculiar walk, Watts still stands almost alone †. This is surely no slight proof, either of his genius, or of the peculiar adaptation of his compositions to the purposes of public worship. The latter is, indeed, a marked characteristic of his psalms and hymns. He is eminently the poet of the sanctuary. In hymns of an experimental cast, he is deficient. For these, we turn to the hymns of the Wesleys, the Olney Hymns, and to some of an inferior order which owe their popularity to this feature. Again, the missionary spirit had not been poured out upon the churches,-Protestants had not been awaked to a sense of their highest duty as the conservators of the

* Christian Psalmist. Introd. Essay, p. xx.

+ We mean especially in his psalms. Mr. Montgomery is the only exception, though Mr. Lyte's "Spirit of the Psalms" has great merit. The version of the late Rev. Mr. Goode has the merit of being not less evangelical and more literal than Watts, but this is all that we can say in its favour.