OF

HYMNS AND PSALMS,

FOR

PUBLIC AND PRIVATE WORSHIP.

SELECTED AND PREPARED BY

ANDREW KIPPIS, D. D. F. R. S. AND S. A. SÓ
ABRAHAM KEES, D. D. F. R. S.
THE REV. THOMAS JERVIS, AND
THE REV. THOMAS MORGAN.

THE FOURTH EDITION,

Corrected and improved.

I will sing with the Spirit, and I will sing with the Understanding also.

1 Corinth, xiv, 15.

TO WHICH IS ADDED A

SUPPLEMENTE TOTES

LONDON:
Printed by C. Stower, Paternoster Row,
FOR LONGMAN, HURST, REES, AND ORME,

PATERNOSTER ROW.

1807.

147 g. 339 .

PREFACE,

ON
N the importance of Psalmody in public

worship it is not necessary to enlarge. Every pious and well-regulated mind will be sensible of the obligations we are under to celebrate the praises of the Supreme Being, and of the edification and pleasure arising from such a devout exercise, when conducted in

a proper manner. In this sacred employment, particular care should be taken that nothing be introduced which shall clash with the sentiments, or hurt the feelings, of any sincere Christian. This is evident from the very nature of social prayer and praise, in which it is requisite that every inember of a religious assembly should be able to join; and, consequently, from which every thing of a doubtful or disputable kind

a 3

ought

ought to be removed. To the truth of these
sentiments• a full testimony has been given
by Dr. WATTS. In the preface to the
larger edition of the Psalms, he says, “ Nor
“ have I confined my expressions to any par-
“ ticular party or opinion; that in words pre-
" pared for public worship, and for the lips
6 of multitudes, there might not be a sylla-
“ble offensive to sincere Christians, whose
“ judgments may differ in the lesser matters of
" religion.” The following language is like-
wise found in the preface to the Hymns :
“ The contentious and distinguishing words
“ of sects and parties are secluded, that whole
s'assemblies may assist at the harmony, and
“ different churches join in the same wer-
“ship without offence.” That the Doctor
was not himself sufficiently attentive to con-
forni hiş practice to these declarations, has
been felt by many an upright follower of
Jesus, and is especially apparent from a num-
ber of his Hymns. In his Psalms, also, vari-
ous passages occur, which have so peculiar a
relation to the situation and circumstances
either of David in particular, or of the Jews.
in general, as not to be adapted to the
state of things.

But were all the compositions of Dr. Watts perfectly unexceptionable, or entirely conformable to the ideas of every Christian,

, still there is no necessity for our being con

present

fined to the productions of any single person. There are many hymns by different writers, which highly deserve to constitute a part of our religious services. Accordingly, several collections have been made of late years, in which the compositions of other pious authors have been introduced, besides those of. Dr. Watts. Of these collections one only has been formed in London, and the use of it has been limited to a single congregation. The generality of the Presbyterian Societies in the metropolis and its vicinity have hitherto contented themselves solely with Dr. Watts's Psalms. Of this defect we and many

Ministers have long been sensible: and, therefore, in the present work, we have endcavoured to remedy the deficiency as far as lies in our power; in doing which we have not adopted any preceding collection, but have determined to make a new.one for the use of ourselves, of our respective congregations, and of such other Christian assemblies as may approve of our labours. In this business we have been very diligent in seeking for assist

And here we must acknowledge, that our principal obligations are still due to Dr. Waits, whose praise in the churches we are so far from wishing to Jessen, that we have with pleasure given it a wider diffusion. Our obligations to him are the greater, as we have taken in the whole range of his devout poetry;

for

ance,