songs are no attempt was made for a long time to supply their place by sacred songs in the language of the people; but in 1563 appeared "The Whole Book of Psalms: Collected into English Metre by Thomas Sternhold, John Hopkins, and Others;" and the importance of this kind of literature as a vehicle of Christian instruction is recognized in the quaint old title-page, which announces that these "set forth, and allowed to be sung in all churches, of all the people together, before and after morning and evening prayer; and also before and after sermons, and moreover in private houses, for their godly solace and comfort; laying apart all ungodly songs and ballads, which tend only to the nourishing of vice and corrupting of youth." With all its ruggedness and old-fashioned quaintness, this version of the old translators is not destitute of a certain grandeur, as in the following stanza: "The Lord descended from above, and bowed the heavens high, And on the wings of mighty winds came flying all abroad." The Elizabethan era was unfavourable to the development of hymn writing, and thus very few of the productions of that period have been incorporated into our collections. The style of writing was too fanciful and allegorical to obtain favour with the people generally, and this species of composition remained the elegant pastime of the few rather than the vehicle of instruction for the many. In the latter half of the seventeenth century Milton led the way, in a style combining massive grandeur with polished elegance, to a more general appreciation of the value of Hymnology; and in the eighteenth and the present centuries the subject has been worthily treated by writers whose genius was quickened by true piety and a fervent desire for the promotion of what was good and holy. Such writers were Ken, the faithful-minded bishop, Cowper, the gifted poet, the fervent Watts, the earnest-hearted Wesleys, and a multitude of others. This volume of selections from the treasures of British Hymnology is offered in the sincere hope that, as the before-mentioned quaint title-page has it, these hymns may be accepted in many "private houses, for their godly solace and comfort." Subject. "To Canaan's sacred bound We haste with songs of joy." "'Tis manna to the hungry soul, And to the weary rest.” "Have I something dearer still? I resign it to Thy will." "The child leans on its mother's breast, Leaves there its cares, and is at rest." "The calm retreat, the silent shade, With prayer and praise agree." PATIENCE. "God hears thy sighs and counts thy tears, God shall lift up thy head." MORNING, "The cheerful sun makes haste to rise." "Though sin may chafe, as doth the sea Upon a rock-girt shore." . "Behold, the sun The globe whereon we tread.” The sower hid the grain.". "The joys of harvest we have known.” "When sounds of music fill the air, As homeward all their treasures bear.". "Storms are round us, hearts are quailing, Signs in heaven and earth and sea.” "There, where the fathers sleep, Must all their children dwell." |