consumed in the very act of casting them into the flames an awful proof of the danger of opposing the cause or the people of God. Not even the garments of these triumphant confessors were singed; nothing was consumed in the furnace except their bonds. They became more free than they were before they were thrown into the flame; and in like manner the Christian, in the present day, who resolutely bears the cruss of his Redeemer, often finds that the more he is persecuted for righteousness' sake, the more he enjoys freedom and happiness in his own mind. His shackles are consumed in the fire,

and he is frequently rendered more bold and persevering in the cause of God, by the very efforts which are made to overcome his constancy. His example, then, becomes of great benefit to the souls of other men; as even Nebuchadnezzar himself was obliged to do homage to the Lord God of hosts, "who alone could deliver after such a sort." If, then, we value our own souls, if we value the souls of our fellow-creatures, if we value the cause of Him who deserves all our love and gratitude, let us be steadfast, unmovable, and always abounding in the work of the Lord.

S. E.

For the Christian Observer. ON THE ADMISSION OF METRICAL HYMNS INTO CHURCHES.

ABOUT thirty years ago, a small selection of portions of the Psalms from various versions was substituted for the Old and New Versions, in several parish churches in the neighbourhood from which I write. This selection being generally considered too scanty, and a supplement being called for, the well known and highly revered clergyman who formed the original selection recommended that the Sup plement should consist wholly of hymns; and his recommendation was adopted. But an objection was urged against admitting hymns into our churches, on the supposition that the Church of England has authorised only the two metrical versions of Psalms, the one by Sternhold and Hopkins, the other by Tate and Brady. The same objection, it is believed, is urged in other parts of the king dom, and it may not be foreign to the design of the Christian Observer, to consider briefly the sanction for metrical hymns, and the expediency of introducing them

into parochial worship. Let us then inquire, what is the order of church music prescribed by our Establishment, and what is the authority of the Old and New Versions?

It was the object of the English Reformers, in the times of Henry the Eighth and Edward the Sixth, to restore the Liturgy to the pure simplicity of the first ages of the church. Whilst, therefore, they stripped the choral parts of the service of hymns to the virgin and to saints, they retained several others composed by the fathers. That noble hymn, the Te Deum, attributed to St. Ambrose, Bishop of Milan in the fourth century, was inserted in the daily service. The Trisagion or Sanctus, the Gloria in Excelsis, and Gloria Patri, (ancient hymns used at least as early as the fourth century), were retained: together with the Magnificat, Nunc Dimittis, and other passages from the Bible, which had long formed a part of the choral church service. Our Reformers divided the Psalter into portions, in order that the whole might be used agreeably to the ancient practice of the Latin and Greek

too great a latitude of interpretation. The authorised translation of the Bible seems rather to be intended; and accordingly, with only one or two exceptions, the portions used for anthems in cathedrals have always been taken either from the Prayer-book or the Bible.

The antiphonal or alternate manner of chanting, used in the Christian church so early as the first century, and evidently derived from the service of the ancient Jewish temple, was also continued.

In conformity with what has been now stated, it will be found, that the Book of Common Prayer, which contains the authorised formularies of the Church of England, and is the only work prescribed by Act of Parliament, contains no Psalms, except the prose Psalter, pointed with colons, to be sung or chanted in churches; and no Hymns, except the Te Deum, &c. which occur in the course of the services.

Anthems are indeed permitted to be sung, as appears by the Rubric, after the third collect at Morning and Evening Prayer; and these are not restricted to be taken from the Prayer-book; for under the authority of the following clause in the act of 2d and 3d Edward VI. they may be also "taken out of the Bible." "Provided that it shall be lawful for all men as well in churches, chapels, or other places, to use openly any Psalms or Prayer taken out of the Bible at any due time, not letting or omitting thereby the service, or any part thereof, mentioned in the said book." Some writers understand this clause as intended to allow the turning the Psalms into metre for the use of the Church; but it may well

On the accession of Queen Elizabeth, in 1558, the reformed liturgy, which had been prohibited by her predecessor, was restored; the Acts of Parliament prescribing it were revived, and church music was placed in the state in which it had stood at the demise of King Edward the Sixth.

It must be admitted, that (as Rabanus Maurus, quoted by Hooker, in allusion to the singing in the primitive ages, observes)," at first the church in this exercise was more simple and plain than we are; and their singing was little more than only a melodious kind of pronunciation." But even at an early period, there is sufficient evidence of the introduction of an elaborate and less intelligible style of music. St. Jerome complains, that theatrical notes and songs were heard in the church, and the house of God was turned into a stage. St. Augus tine was sometimes disposed to wish that all "nice singing" of David's Psalms were removed from his and the church's hearing. With a view probably, to remedy this evil, a Synod held by Cuthbert, Archbishop of Canterbury, in the year 747, decreed, that "the singing should be in a simple and modest voice, and should not confound or dislocate the distinction of the words, by a pronunciation like that of tragedians, but should follow a plain song and holy melody."-In the sixteenth century, we find Erasmus inveighing against " a cumbersome and theatrical music in our churches; a confused and disorderly chattering of some words ";" and the thirty-two com

*The objection now usually made against the introduction of the cathedral

missioners appointed by King Edward the Sixth recommended that "the quavering operose music which is called figured, should be wholly laid aside."

The English Protestants who had taken refuge on the continent during the persecutions in Queen Mary's reign, and had resided chiefly at Geneva and Frankfort, had imbibed, or rather, perhaps, had strengthened, their preference for plain congregational singing. This singing had distinguished the first dawnings of the Reformation. It had been used by the Albigenses in the twelfth and thirteenth centuries, by the Wickliffites in the fourteenth, by John Huss and his followers in the fifteenth, and was now revived by the followers of Luther and Calvin in the sixteenth century. At Ulm" a fine new Hymn Book" had been published by the United Brethren in 1538.

Upon the return of the exiles at Queen Elizabeth's accession, an attempt was made to substitute this metrical singing in the place of church music, or, as it is now call ed, cathedral music.

Mr. Warton attributes the introduction of the new Psalmody to some "who favoured the discipline of Geneva, and who wished to chant into parish churches, is, that it occasions a "confused and disorderly chattering" of some words. This, however, is not the fault of the chant itself, but is owing to the manner in which it is usually practised. As nothing is easier of attainment, so nothing

can be more intelligible, than cathedral chanting, when deliberately performed; and though the Psalms for the daily service are generally too long to admit of this, yet in some parish churches, the congregation joins in chanting the Venite Exultemus, the Te Deum, and Jubilate, the Magnificat, (or the Cantate Domino), and the Nunc Dimittis (or the Deus Misereatur), with a happy and a devotional effect.

*Whyttingham, Dean of Durham, had a principal hand in the Old Version. He had been ordained by Calvin during his exile; and had succeeded Knox the Scotch Reformer, in the superintend

abolish, not only the choral mode of worship in general, but more particularly to suppress the Te Deum, Benedictus, Magnificat, Jubilate, Nunc Dimittis, and the rest of the liturgic hymns, which were supposed to be contaminated by their long and ancient connection with the Roman Missal, or at least, in their prosaic form, to be unsuitable to the new system of worship."

It was no difficult task to prevail with the people to prefer the plain Psalmody, in which they found it easy to join, to that intricate music which was too refined and scientific for their taste and comprehension. Congregational singing gradually found its way into the parish churches; and Queen Elizabeth was induced, though reluctantly, to comply, in some degree, with the popular feeling. Accordingly, in her injunctions to the clergy in the year 1559, after directing that "there be a modest and distinct song used in all parts of the common prayers of the church," it is added, nevertheless, for the comforting of such as delight in music, it may be permitted, that in the beginning or in the end of common prayer, either at morning or evening, there may be sung an hymn*, or such like song, to the praise of Almighty God."

"Yet

In September of the same year, as we are informed by Strype, "began the true morning prayer at St. Antholin's, London, the bell beginning to ring at five; when a Psalm was sung after the Geneva ance of the congregation at Geneva. It was on his return from exile that he was promoted to the Deanery of Durham. He not only assisted in rendering the Psalms into metre, but versified also the Decalogue, the Apostolic, Nicene, and Athanasian Creeds, the Lord's Prayer, the Benedictus, Te Deum, and other metrica hymns, which are annexed to the old version.

* As the word Psalms is often used in a general sense as comprehending metrical Hymns,so here Hymns must be considered as comprising metrical Psalms.

fashion; all the congregation, men, women, and boys singing together." The following year, 1560, Bishop Jewell* remarks, that a "change now appears more visible among the people, which nothing promotes more than the inviting them to sing Psalms. This was begun in one church in London, and did soon spread itself not only through the city, but in the neighbouring places. Sometimes at Paul's Cross, there will be six thousand people singing together." Bishop Burnet observes, that the Psalms translated into metre were much sung by all who loved the Reformation; and it was a sign by which men's affections to that work were measured, whether they used to sing these or not.

Portions of the book of Psalms had been rendered into metre in the reign of Edward the Sixth; but it was not until 1562, that the Old Version was completed, and was published entire under the title of The whole Booke of Psalmes collected into English Metre by T. Sternhold, J. Hopkins, and others, conferred with the Ebrue, with apt Notes to sing them withal." An attempt was made in the Convocation, held the same year (1562), to put down church music altogether. It was proposed, "that the Psalms may be sung distinctly by the whole congregation, and that all curious singing and playing of the organs may be laid aside," "whereby," says Strype, "we may perceive how much biassed these divines were, most of whom seem to have been exiles, towards those platforms which were received in the reformed churches where they had a little before sojourned.' The ancient custom of antiphonal or alternate singing, was condemned, as "tossing about the Psalms from side to side." A motion to

* This eminent champion of the Reformation was promoted to the bishopric of Salisbury, on his return from exile. His wish for the abolition of all ceremonies appears in his letters to Peter Martyr, written about this period.

prohibit organs was negatived by a majority of only one vote *; and though choral singing was not expressly prohibited, yet from this period it appears to have been disused in parish churches.

In one of the Homilies, in the second book, which was set forth by the same Convocation, there occurs the following passage, alluding to chanting and organs.

"A woman said to her neighbour, Alas, Gossip! what shall we now do at church, since all the saints are taken away; since all the goodly sights we were wont to have,

are gone;

since we cannot hear the like piping, singing, chanting, and playing upon the organs, that we could before?' But, dearly beloved, we ought greatly to rejoice and give God thanks, that our churches are delivered out of all those things which displeased God so sore, and filthily defiled his holy house, and his place of prayer."

The practice of congregational metrical singing, therefore, though it cannot claim the authority of any positive enactment, yet is co-eval in its origin with the Reformation; and by its facility of attainment has powerfully recommended itself to popular and general use. The practice is indeed now so firmly established, that it would be vain to attempt its abolition; and it is therefore desirable to promote its improvement and regulation.

What has been stated, will in part have answered the proposed inquiry as to the authority for the

* Of the members present, there was a majority of eight against the organ; but the proxies turned the scale. In Scotland, about the same period, church music and the use of the organ were totally abolished; and the prejudices of the Kirk still continue, I believe, unabated. So lately as in 1807, upon an attempt to introduce an organ into a church in Glasgow, the Presbytery declared their determination" to avert so dire a calamity from our church and our country, to crush in the bud so scanda lous a prostitution of sacred things."