32 PREFACE. titudes, there might not be a syllable offensive to sincere Christians, whose judgments may differ in the lesser matters of religion. Where the psalmist uses sharp invectives against his personal enemies, I have endeavoured to turn the edge of them against our spiritual adversaries, sin, satan, and temptation. Where the flights of his faith and love 'are sublime, I have often sunk the expressions within the reach of an ordinary Christian : Where the words imply some peculiar wants or distresses, joys or blessings, 1 have used words of greater latitude and comprehension, suited to the general circumstances of men. Where the original runs in the form of prophecy concerning Christ and his salvation, I have given an historical turn to the sense : There is no neces- sity that we should always sing in the obscure and doubtful style ofprediction, when the things foretold are brought into open light by a full accomplishment. Where the writers of the New Testament have cited or alluded to any part of the psalms, I have often indulged the liberty of paraphrase, according to the words of Christ, or his apostles. And surely this may be esteemed the word of Gal still, though borrowed from several parts of the holy scripture. Where the psalmist describes religion by the fearofGod, I have often joined faith and love to it : Where he speaks of the pardon of sin, through the mercies of God, 1 have added the blood or merits of a Saviour : Wherehe talks of sacrificing goats or bullocks, 1 rather choose to mention the sacrifice of Christ, the Lamb of God : When he attends the ark with shouting into Zion, I sing the ascension of my Saviour into heaven, or his presence in his church on earth ; where he promises abundance of wealth, honour, and long life, I have changed some of these typical blessings for grace, glory, án1 life eternal, which are brought to light by the gospel, and promised in the New Testament: And I am fully satisfied, that more honour is done to our blessed Saviour, by speaking his name, his graces, and actions, in his own language, according to the brighter discoveries he bath now made, than by going back again to the Jewish tormof worship, and the language of types and figures. All men will confess this is just and necessary in preaching and praying; and I cannot find a reason why we should not sing praises also in a manner agree. able to the present and more glorious dispensation. No man can be persuaded, that to read a sermon of the royal preacher out of the book of Ecclesiastes, or a prayer out of Ezra or Daniel, is so edifying to a christian church, though they were inspired, as a well composed prayer or sermon delivered in the usual language of the gospel of Christ. And why shonld the very words of the sweet- singer of Israel be esteemed so necessary to christian psalmody, and the Jewish style so much preferable to the evangelical, in our religious songs of praise ? Now since it appears as plain, that the Hebrew psalter is very improper to be the precise matter and style of our songs in a christian church ; and since there is very good reason to believe that it is left us, not only as a most valuable part of the word of God, for our faith and practice, but as an admira- ble and divine pattern of spiritual songs and hymns under the gospel ; I have chosen rather to imitate than to translate ; and thus to compose a psalm-hook for Christians after the manner of the Jewish psalter. If I could be persuaded, that nothing ought to be sung in worship, but what was of immediate inspiration from God, surely l would recommend anthems only ; namely, the psalmsthemselves, as we read them in the bible, set to music as they are sung by the choristers in our cathedral churches : for these are nearest to the words of inspiration, and we mast depart far from those words, if we turn them into rhyme and metre of any sort. Aud upon the toot of this argument, even the Scotch version, which has been so much commended for its approach to the original, would be unlawful, as well as others. »ut since I believe that any divine sentence, or christian verse, agrees.
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy OTcyMjk=