THE SACRIFICE OF PRAISE.*-This book is modestly put forth without the sanction of any name, the compilers choosing to style themselves "A Committee of the Session of the Brick Presbyterian Church in New York." The design expressed in its title and preface is to present a selection of the best Hymns to the exclusion of a large number of the less effective. In England public taste has demanded works of this kind, in lieu of the multitudinous hymns and centos, good, bad, and indifferent, which had swelled collections there, as they had here, up to twelve or fifteen hundred. The public is beginning to see that very short hymns are a mistake as well as very long ones A congregation has no time to draw spiritual nourishment from a hymn of two or three verses, and the tendency now in England is to take a smaller number of hymns, and these more perfect in character. "Hymns, Ancient and Modern," the most popular of English hymn-books, contains 386 Hymns; Lyra Brittanica, London, 1867, 660 Hymns; The Scottish Hymnal, 1868, 200 Hymns; The Peoples' Hymnal, 1868, 600 Hymns; The United Presbyterian, 468 Hymns; The Congregational Union, 748 Hymns.

The Sacrifice of Praise, designed for private devotion as well as public worship, and containing Psalms, Hymns, and Spiritual Songs, is limited to 616 Lyrics. The principle of giving the text of the hymns, as originally written, is quite faithfully adhered to. The greatest variety of opinion has been expressed as to what constitutes a good hymn. Didactic hymns have been condemned because "if the sermon preaches, and the hymn also, the monotony of the service will occasion uneasiness." Subjective hymns have been objected to as unfit for the united worship of a congregation. Watts's lines, "When I can read my title clear," are omitted by one compiler because he thinks them "gravely wrong in doctrine," and "There is a land of pure delight," because "seriously faultly in style." The well-known hymn of Montgomery, "Prayer is the soul's sincere desire," is claimed to be inadmissible because it is merely a definition of prayer. Other critics have deemed it important to tone down the originally fervent utterances of Wesley and Heber, though far less fervent than their inspired model, the Psalms. Men in their enthusiastic devo

* The Sacrifice of Praise, Psalms, Hymns, and Spiritual Songs, designed for public worship and private devotion, with notes on the origin of Hymns. New York: Charles Scribner & Co. 1870.

tion to the true doctrine, have forgotten that in hymns, truth is necessarily presented "poetically, not dogmatically, to the adoring gaze of faith and love, not to the discriminating survey of the intellect." Some, desiring to improve on Toplady and Cowper, have recast their hymns, diminishing by a verse or two, "Rock of Ages," dropping out therefrom the idea that the blood of Christ cleanses from the guilt and power of sin, and in the hymn, "There is a fountain filled with blood," destroying the immediate effect of the antithesis in the last two verses. The full effect of the last line of each verse of Charlotte Elliott's exquisite hymn, "My God is any hour so sweet," has been destroyed by the addition of adjectives in order to suit the tune! Sir John Bowring's admirable hymn, "God is love, his mercy brightens," has been objected to as too full of aspirates and sibilants. These are samples of that variety of opinion which brings home the question whether our rule should be to prove faithful to the poet's text, or whether our hymns shall be mutilated, recast, and their appeals to the intellect and the affections be sacrificed in order to subordinate them to the tune or to the views of every new compiler.

The Committee of the Brick Church appear to have entirely disregarded such criticisms as we have referred to. Betaking themselves to the Word of God for their guidance, they have, in their preface, vindicated the bold and unqualified presentation of different aspects of the truth. They also say: "In preparing the present selection of hymns, those passages of Scripture have been kept in view which teach that the object of praise is to glorify God (Ps. 1., 23) that the understanding and spirit are to be exercised in worship (1 Cor. xiv., 15) and that Christians should teach and admonish one another in Psalms, and Hymns, and Spiritual Songs," (Col. iii., 16). A sermon preached by the Chairman of the Committee, Rev. Dr. James O. Murray (which has been published by C. Scribner & Co.) on the subject of Christian Hymnology, shows that the questions of merit on which they formed their opinions were, Is the hymn based on Scriptural truth? Does it bear the Scriptural test of ministering to the intellect and the heart, and is it lyrical?

The result of their labors, based on these principles, is a collection distinguished by literary excellence and spiritual power, which represents the various phases of Christian feeling and experience in different souls and under varying circumstances. The hymns are chiefly those of writers of celebrity, like Watts, Dodd22

VOL. XXIX.

ridge, Wesley, Toplady, Cowper, Newton, Lyte, and Heber, their names and the dates being attached to their compositions. An Index of Authors, comprising over one hundred and sixty names, from Ambrose and Anatolius, in the fourth and fifth centuries, down to the writers of our own day is added, affording evidence of research, and that the committee have gathered beside all waters in a truly catholic spirit. A Prayer, affording a good index to the state of heart with which the sacrifice of praise should be offered, precedes the Hymns. The restoration of the glowing language of the original text, together with more than one hundred lyrics not common in any American collection, and the introduction of much valuable information in the notes regarding the origin of hymns give a freshness to the book, and must cause it to be highly prized wherever used. It is admirably adapted for private use.

We have no space left to illustrate the great improvement made in the restoration of hymns, but must content ourselves by quoting No. 165, as a fair average of the newer lyrics taken by the committee:

"Not yet ye people of His grace,
Ye see your Saviour face to face;
Not yet enamored eyes ye bring
Unto the glory of your King.

"Ye follow in His steps below,
Along His thorny way ye go,
Ye stand His bitter cross beside,
Ye cling to Him, the crucified.

"Upon His grace ye banquet here:

Ye know Him true, ye feel Him near;
The balm of Ilis dear blood ye bless;
Ye wear His robe of righteousness,

“But greater shall the wonder grow,

But mightier shall the joy o'erflow;
Upon your Lord, ye yet shall gaze
And look your love and sweet amaze.

"O make me meet for joy like this!
O grant me grace to bear the blow,

To set my heart on Thee below,
No other lord or love to know.

"Then shall I set my eyes on Thee;
The King in all His beauty see,
And gazing on forevermore,
Glow with the beauty I adore.

"THOMAS H. GILL, 1859."

DR. MURRAY'S SERMON ON CHRISTIAN HYMNOLOGY.*-This excellent Discourse was preached on the occasion of the introduction of the author's Hymn Book into the public services of the Church of which he is the Pastor. The scholarship and taste of Dr. Murray are, without pretense or ostentation, and with entire subordination to the motive of edification, illustrated on every page. We know not where to find in so brief a form, so much information, and, at the same time, so much instructive thought, on the subject of Hymns, as this Discourse presents. We have room for only a brief extract relating to Congregational Singing:

"The reasons for insisting on congregational singing are few and simple, but they are incontrovertible.

1st. Only by such a service of song can we imitate the example of our Lord and his Apostles.

“2d. The best and largest part of our churches calls for it. If this part desires to sing the praise of God with its own lips, it is arbitrary and unjust to deprive it of the privilege, that the tastes of the few may be gratified by choir performances. Not only so, but if it is debarred the privilege, what becomes of the spirituality in the worship of song?

"3d. The evidence is abundant that spiritual life is evoked from our hymnology only so far as it is personally appropriated to the spiritual wants of the individual Christian.

"4th. In the times of highest and purest spiritual activity, the church of Christ has always demanded congregational singing. Revivals of religion tolerate nothing else. But we have great need to remember that congregational singing is not something which comes of itself and without effort, If,' said John Calvin, the singing is such as befits the reverence which we ought to feel when we sing before God and the angels, it is an ornament which bestows grace and dignity upon our worship; and it is an excellent method of kindling the heart, and making it burn with great ardor in prayer. But we must at all times take beed lest the ear should be more attentive to the harmony of the sound than the soul to the hidden meaning of the words.'

"So profoundly was he convinced that special pains must be taken in order to secure an effective congregational siaging, that a music teacher was secured, paid

* Christian Hymnology.-A Sermon preached in the Brick Church, New York, December 12th, 1869. By JAMES O. MURRAY, D. D., Associate Pastor. Published by request of the Session. New York: Charles Scribner & Co.

1870.

Institutes, Ch. xx.

by the State, who gave lessons three times a week to several choirs of children. They seem to have led the congregation in its service of song after a careful training for the purpose. Calvin's idea of Church music was exactly that of Israel's psalmist: Both young men and maidens, old men and children, let them praise the name of the Lord. We have need to follow closely the example of our great leader, in the cultivation of sacred song, as well as in his theology. First, the service of praise must be exalted as a part of worship. Then the fittest mediums of song-worship, in the choicest chants and hymns, should be furnished the people of God, and the tame, mediocre, insipid, prosaic rhymes on spiritual themes, falsely called psalms or hymns or spiritual songs, discarded. And then by a direct education of the people in singing these hymns to suitable tunes, the latent capacities for congregational singing in our churches should be called out. This will take time and pains, but it is well worth all it will cost. In no dim or doubtful sense will it prove true, that a revival of the spirit of Christian song is a revival of religion." pp. 39, 40, 41.

THE ANTE-NICENE LIBRARY.-Messrs. Scribner, Welford, & Co., have received two new volumes of the English Translation of the Ante-Nicene theologians,-viz. a volume containing the treatises of Cyprian, both those which are known to be genuine, and those which are questionable; also the writings of Novatian, the Octavius of Minucius Felix, etc.; and a volume comprising the Writings of Methodius, of Alexander of Alexandria, the spurious Epistles of Clement of Rome concerning Virginity, and a variety of minor treatises and fragments of other ecclesiastical writers. The entire series, of which these two volumes are a part, will have the effect to bring the Fathers of the First Period to the knowledge of many who could never resort to the original works. It is to be earnestly hoped that the enterprize will receive sufficient encouragement to induce the Scottish publishers (Messrs. Clark of Edinburgh) to give us the works of Origen entire. He is the most important of the Pre-Nicene Fathers, and his voluminous writings, if presented in an English dress, would be much more valuable than are many of the documents which enter into the volumes last issued.

SMITH'S DICTIONARY OF THE BIBLE.-The xxv.th number of Doctors Hackett and Abbot's edition of this work brings it down to, or rather into, the Article, "Samaritan Pentateuch." In typography and literary excellence we observe no falling off in the later numbers as compared with the earlier. The American edition, as we have before said, is a great improvement upon the Dictionary as originally published in England.