8. Myrrh Aloes and Cussias _smell_
all of thy garments _had_
Out of the yvory pallaces
whereby they made thee glad:
9. Amongst thine honourable maids
kings daughters present were
The Queen is set at thy right hand
in fine gold of Ophir.
But his most frequent mention of the "new psalm-book" is in his "Humbell
acknowledgement" made to God of the "great comfort and merciful kindness
received through singing of His Psalmes;" and the pages of the diary bear
ample testimony that whatever the book may appear to us now, it was to the
early colonists the very Word of God.
As years passed on, however, and singing-schools multiplied, it became much
desired, and even imperative that there should be a better style and manner
of singing, and open dissatisfaction arose with "The Bay Psalm-Book;" the
younger members of the congregations wished to adopt the new and smoother
versions of Tate and Brady, and of Watts. Petitions were frequently made in
the churches to abolish the century-used book. Here is an opening sentence
of one church-letter which is still in existence; it was presented to the
ministers and elders of the Roxbury church September 11th, 1737, and was
signed by many of the church members:--
"The New England Version of Psalms however useful it may formerly have
been, has now become through the natural variableness of Language, not only
very uncouth but in many Places unintelligible; whereby the mind instead
of being Raised and spirited in Singing The Praises of Almighty God and
thereby being prepared to Attend to other Parts of Divine Service is Damped
and made Spiritless in the Performance of the Duty at least such is the
Tendency of the use of that Version," etc.
Pages:
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