>>-'■ 7"'^' r V ;. A,**' ' i^ ■To \> ■ •».. , ,* ■ . • V ■ ' i. ^' ; ) Yl st « au>*^ ^1l^^#'^->, •■V' .^^>VC-' tit '^^■- '$->■-'. - FROM THE LIBRARY OF REV. LOUIS FITZGERALD BENSON. D. D. BEQUEATHED BY HIM TO THE LIBRARY OF PRINCETON THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY Sec ■®?^''7' (X Cy\t cL T O i J -J-Kf i tkt £ CO- U, C kt< /:U a^LS A/, r. i^oi ' I 1 THE SACRED POETRY OF THE EARLY CHRISTIAXS, Poetry and music are intimately related, and are both natural expressions of human thought and feeling. The first efrorts of rude nations towards the creation of a literature are poetical in their character. The talk of the Indian ora- tor only requires rhythmical measurement to transform it into poetry, occasionally rising into strains of genuine subli- mity. No nation was ever found without its appropriate popular songs and music, rude or refined, according to the degree of intelligence and cultivation attained : and perhaps a more powerful engine has never been employed to control the feelings and energies of a people. Hence the patriot and the demagogue have alike exhibited the attractions of their country or faction, in the stanzas of a popular song, and taught the people to sing it in the streets and by the fireside. The followers of the Lamb, and the advocates of error, have always been accustomed to condense the spirit of their sen- timents into psalms and hymns, and enjoin upon their disci- ples to sing them unceasingly in the public convocation, and in the private hours of devotion. The strains of the poetry when invested with the colouring of genius, and the tones of the music when judiciously adapted, always touch a chord, which vibrates to the soul of sensibility. There is a fascina- tion about a well performed piece of music, which even a barbarian will feel ; and there are strains of Christian psalmody, which possess power to charm the cold ear of in- 522 THE SACRED POETRY OF fidelity itself. Inmost consummate wisdom, therefore, did he, who established the religion of the Gospel, ordain poetry and music as an essential part of its services. Well he knew what was in man, and what was best adapted to make its way to the heart of man, which, like a hostile citadel, is barri- caded against all more direct and less attractive modes of ad- dress. From the Jewish synagogue, sacred music very naturally passed over into the Christian sanctuary. Our blessed Lord himself, on that memorable night, when he instituted the Sacramental memorial of his dying love, furnished the transi- tion act by concluding the solemnity with a hymn. As the first Christians were drawn from the synagogue, they natu- rally brought with them those songs of Zion, which were as- sociated with all their earliest recollections, and best feelings, and appropriated them to the services of the new dispensa- tion ; at least so far as they deemed them applicable to the circumstances and the wants of Christian worshippers. But to what extent the biblical psalms were adopted in the Chris- tian Church, and what transformations they underwent in the hands of appstles, or of Christian poets in apostolic times, we have no information. At a later period we find them in general use in the Churches, and esteemed by the fathers the most inestimable portion of their religious services. The apostolical canons contain this injunction : " Let another sing the hymns of David, and let the people repeat the conclud- ing lines."* " The presiding priest," says Dionysius Areop. " begins the sacred melody of the psalms, the whole ccclesi- * "Ere^oj TJS (sc. dvayivwrfxwv) 7ous tou AajSid -^aXXsTw u|ut,vou», xal Xaog ra ax^o(3'Ti;)(ja u-ffo^j^aXXsTw. « Not merely the singing of the psal.ms is here intended, but also the repetition of the concluding words^ (ra ax^oCTi^ta, i. e. extrema versuum, and not as the old Latin translation falsely renders it, initia versuum.") Avgusti^ Denlcwilrdig^ keiten cms dcr christHchen Archaologic. Bd. J^. p. 236. THE EARLY CHRISTIANS. > ~-j aslical choir accompanying him in (lie holy psalmody.*'* No other testimony is required to prove, that the Book of Psalms was early used in the Christian Church, and a single ex- tract will suffice to show the estimation in which it was held. " In the perusal of other books," says Athanasius, " we gen- erally think of the persons of whom they treat, we admire them, and even set them before us for imitation ; but in tlie psalms, cvevy one imagines he reads his own thoughts and emotions, and he is as much aflected by them as if they wftre his own. 1 believe also, that a man can find nothing more glorious than these psalms ; for they embrace the whole life of man, the afTeclions of his mind, and the emotions of his soul. Whether he seeks repentance and conversion, or suf- fers ill tribulation and temptation, or is und';rgoing persecu- tion, or has escaped from some ambush, or is filled with sor- row and inquietude, or has experienced any similar afflic- tion, or if he discovers that he grows in holiness, or desires to praise and glorify God, he can select a psalm suited to every occasion, and thus will find that they are written for him." We can hardly conceive it possible that the psalms of David could have been so generally adopted in the Churches, andjso highly esteemed by the best of the fathers, unless they had been introduced or sanctioned by the apos- tles, and inspired teachers. We have reason to suppose however, that thej were not exclusively used, at least, in the Gentile Churches ; for the apostle distinctly mentions psalms^ hymns, and spiritual songs^ as known and used among them. Whatever may be the precise meaning of these several terms, or the definite character of the several classes of sacred lyrics indicated by them, it seems hardly probable, that so many appellations * ^ HHX^'^ a-n'a^p^STai r^s Is^a? rwv >}.aX|ULwv jULsXw^/a^, tfuvct^oJ- ^''n'^S'^)g. De Hierarch. Eccl. c. 3. JJIE SACRED POErilV <>r would be applied to the Psalms of David, however they might be classified and arranged in the Christian psalm-book. Jerome, it is true, explains them all of different classes of poems in the psalter ; calling those pieces psalms^ which pertain to some moral theme, (ad ethicum locum pertinent,) — those hymns ^ which exhibit the power and majesty of God, and his works of wonder and grace, to which hallelujah is prefixed Or appended, — and spiritual songs are those which treat of superiour beings and the harmony of the universe. The same opinion substantially has been held also by some mo- dern writers, who suppose the 4^aX|y.oi to correspond with the t^'^/TM^i the i)/juvo< with the D^^llDtD, and the tl^al rrvsui^w Ttxai with the C^'^tP of the Old Testament psalmody. Another ancient explanation, equally probable and ingenious, may be given. " The psahn^ properly speaking, is harmoni- ously sung with an instrumental accompaniment, the psal- tery : the ode is a musical and harmonious piece, intended only for the voice ; and the hymn is an elaborate doxology, referring to the blessings we have experienced, or the evils we have committed."* Others have reduced the significa- tion to two classes, embracing only psalms and hymns ; while Le Clerc applies all the terms to one class. " Malim ergo dicere, Paulum idem tribus verbis signijicasse,^'] Still it seems more correspondent to Scriptural usage to consider the term psalms here, as meaning the Book of Psalms, as used in Luke xxiv. 44, and equivalent to B//3Xo5 s).aXfxwv, Luke XX. 42. Acts i. 20, to which the New Tes- tament writers so frequently refer for prophecies, proofs, YaXfxog fxsv xu^/w5, fxsra o'^yavixou %|^aXT7]^iK Sja/xsXwg g'xipcovou'- xilivoS Ss r) S'ffiTSTayii^svr) (5o|oXoyia, -^ xaXwv wv •JTS-rov^afASv, t^ xdlxCjv wv 8s5^axtt.iisv. Euthymii Zigabeni Prefat. in Psalmos. t Not. Ad. Hammondi N. T. IHK EAHLV CHKISTIAXS. ^'^-J and illustrations^of their facts and doctrines. The word hymn is only used in one other passage of the New Testa- ment, in which it describes the act of devotion with which our blessed Lord closed the services of the Sacramental Supper. It is not known with certainty, but commonly sup- posed, that he used the Hallel, or great song of praise, usually chanted by the Jews at the close of the paschal ser- vice, embracing the six psalms from the 11 3th to the 118th. It may be proper to remark here, that in the original of this passage (Matt. xxvi. 30, and Mark xiv. 26,) not the sub- stantive ilfxvos, but the participle of the correlative verb, CfAVTjtfavTsg is used.* The verb is also used in Acts xvi. 2j, but is equally indeiinlte, as it does not determine whether the language of these " praises" or devotions of the prisoners, was borrowed from the Scriptures, or from the compositions of their brethren, or was the effusion of their own minds, extemporaneous, or previously composed. In the absence of all positive testimony, we may conjecture, that the hi/inns spoken of were poetical versions, or illustra- tions of appropriate passages of Scripture ; and the spiri- tual songs^ religious odes composed by Christians expressiVe of the spiritual emotions and experience of believers. It cannot be deemed unreasonable to suppose, that even at this early age, as well as at later periods, men of education and '■^ Augustin has preserved a fragment of ancient poetry, which he tells us the PriscilUanists used, and held to be the hymn composed by our Lord on this occasion. As a curiosity, it may be worthy of a place here. Solvere volo, et solvi volo. Salvare volo, et salvuri volo. Generari volo, Cantare volo. Saltate cuncti ! Ornare volo et ornari volo. Verbo illusi cuncta, Et non sum illusus a toto. d2(j iilE SACRED POLiUY 01 genius, and piety, employed their talents in the composition of hymns and spiritual odes, which being approved by the apostles, were introduced into the services of the Church. It is not probable, however, that any were written under the influence of inspiration ; or they would have been pre- served with other inspired writings. That such Scriptural h^'mns were early composed and used by Christians, we have all the evidence, wdiich speci- mens of undoubted antiquity, can afford. A morning hymn besfan w^ith these words : Aoga ^v Cv)^jtfTo«g Ssw, Glory in the highest to God. y.ai irethren. The languages they used were poJished and well adapted to poe- try* they possessed more intelligence and education, and consequently, more men competent to such composition. The Hebrew Christians had probably been accustomed from childhood, to consider inspired psalms alone admissible in the worship of the sanctuary, and cherished a holy, and even a superstitious dread of every thing like innovation, or de- parture from the good old customs of their fathers. In addition to this, the language used in Palestine at that time, would have been a miserable element in which to clothe the warm effusions of devotional feeling ; though perhaps the Hebrew psalms might without much difficulty be altered to approximate so nearly to it as to be intelligible. In accor- dance with this opinion, we find the apostle James admonish- ing his Hebrew brethren in these terms, " Is any merry, let him sing psalms^^' without mentioning hymns or spiritual songs, as Paul repeatedly does when addressing Gentile Christians.* In the progress of the Church through successive ages, the * James V. 13. We are aware that the "psalms" are not defi- nitely mentioned in the original ; the verb ^aXkiru only being used, which might be applied to a hymn of recent composition as appropri- ately, as to a psalm of David. Yet as we know that the latter were o28 J'Ht SACRED rOETRY Uf character of its psalmody and music will vary with the suc- cessive changes of sentiments, manners, and institutions. Each branch of the Church too, distinguished from the rest by its peculiar language or dialect, must have its peculiar psalm-book. Hence it would become indispensable, in the founders of the Church, to prepare a system of psalmody in each of the principal seats, or centres of the Church, as Jerusalem, Antioch, Ephesus or Corinth, Rome, Alexandria. Although the Greek was then the universal or learned lan- guage, and circles might be found, and perhaps Churches formed in all these places, in which the Greek books and services might be used ; yet where the population spoke a different language, a different psalm-book would be neces- sary, even more directly necessary, in so far as the public services were concerned, than versions of the Scriptures ; for the preachers, if intelligent, might translate the portions or texts they had occasion to use from Sabbath to Sabbath, but the psalms and hymns must be put into the hands of the choir, or singing members of the Church generally. The apostles would naturally devote the requisite attention to this subject, and employ competent persons in the work, where their own engagements and qualifications did not per- mit them to perform it. Of this part of their labours, how- ever, no record has reached us. The first system of Chris- tian psalmody, like the first Gospel, was most probably prepared at Jerusalem, the mother Church, in what is called by the New Testament and early Christian writers, the He- brew language — a mixture of Hebrew and Aramaean— which was then the vernacular language of Palestine. The psalms of David may have been already in use in this dialect in the synagogue or temple service of the Jews; and if not, it would be very easy to make the requisite changes of words, and used, and have no intimation of the use of any other among Hebrew Christians, it seems more natural and just, thus to appl}^ it. THE EARLY CHRI>11ANS. J29 allcratioiiS in the forms and declensions. Still greater changes of the same kind, would transfer the psalms into the Chaldaic and Syriac languages. The Arabic, diverging farther from the parent stock, would rcfjuire more consider- able changes, but would still offer all the advantages, in faci- lity of translation, of a sister dialect. The possession of these psalms would materially facilitate the composition of new hymns, more appropriate to the character and circumstances of the Christian dispensation, and would naturally create a consciousness of the want of such an addition to their psalmody, and pave the way for its easier introduction. Thr original formation of a Christian psalm-book, and its succes- sive changes through the Oriental or Shemitish dialects, would constitute an interesting chapter in the annals of the Church; but as we have no positive information on the sub- ject, we shall not indulge conjecture, but proceed to the his- tory of succeeding ages, and gather up the fragments which the fathers have left, as far as opportunity and moans will permit. The early ecclesiastical writers devoted little attention to this subject, except when it was connected with some public events, or heretical opinions. In the Syrian Church, an oc- casion of this kind was early presented, and we are accord- ingly favoured with some interesting notices. There is good reason to believe, that the biblical psalms were introduced and used in the Syrian Church ; and the composition of new psalms and hymns was early undertaken. If the sentiments of the distinguished Ephraim are a just specimen of the pre- vailing taste, we cannot wonder that much attention should have been paid to this subject. The following eulogium on the Book of Psalms, or rather the singing of psalms, is as- cribed to Ephraim by a German writer :^ " Psalmody is the repose of the soul, the seal of peace, the bond of '* Schoene, GeschichtS'/orschungen^ Sec. T'o!. 11. p. QOO ^ y 530 THE SACRED POETRY OF friendship, the reconcihation of the divided, the covenant of peace among controvertists. Psalmody calls the angels to our assistance, protects from fear in the night, affords rest in daily labours, protection to children, honour to gray hairs, consolation to the aged, and embellishment to females. Psalmody is heard in the desert, and used in the public ser- vices ; it instructs the ignorant, and confirms the intelligent; it is the voice of the Church ; it illuminates our festivals, and awakens penitential emotions ; for it might even draw- tears from a stone." The purity of the Syrian Church was invaded at an early date by the poetical fancies and philoso- phical speculations of the Gnostics. Their doctrines were poetry, ('* Gnosis ipsa est poesis,'^) and their theologians poets ; who saw Eons forming and transforming a world of uncreated matter, the stars animated by subordinate deities, ("numina astraha,'') holy Eons creating good men, and evil ones creating wricked men, and the Holy Ghost as a mother bearing children.* Their doctrines were made popular, and widely extended by the hymns and odes of Bardesanes, and his son Harmonius, in the latter part of the second century. "Bardesanes," says Ephraim, his orthodox countryman, " composed hymns, and adapted them to music, and prepar- ed (finxit) psalms^ and ir»troduced metres, and arranged words by measure and quantity. In this w^ay he tendered his poison to the ignorant enveloped in the charms of poe- try ; for the sick refuse salutary food. He imitated David, that he might be adorned and recommended by similar hon- ours. For this purpose he composed a hundred and fifty psalms." Companies of youth gathered around him, and learned to sing his psalms and accompany them with the * Hahri's Bardesanes^ &c. p. 64. " Quis non ciaudat aurcs suas, ne audiat dicentes, Spiritum S. duas filias peperisse. — .Tesus ter- gat OS meum ! nam inquino linguam niearri; cum illoruni arcana re- lego.'' Hymni Ephraimi, Ibid. iUt KARLV OHRISIIANS. Oo . hajp. Jiiiu these psalms he infused bis mystic doctrines, and rendered thennf palatable to the taste of his countrymen, by the charms of novelty, and the embellishments of orien- tal style.* His son Harmonius cultivated the muses with still greater success, and devoted his talents to the pro- motion of the same heretical cause in which the father was engaged. Having completed his education in Greece, he was enabled to enrich the poetical language of his native country with Grecian measures and imagery ; and thus by the sweetness of his melodies, (rvj tZ-j fjLs'Xojg rt^ivji,) and the riclmess of iiis illustrations of the mysterious dogmas of Gnos- ticism, he surrounded them with no ordinary fascinations. The system took deep hold upon the hearts of the people, and was extensively propagated, and long cherished among them, " so that the Syrian Church was in danger of being overflowed with Gnostic errors through the mighty vehicle of song." About a century after the age of Bardesanes, Paul of Sa- mosata, Bishop of Antioch, who rejected the divinity and personal dignity of our Saviour, prohibited the use of the psalms sung in honour of Christ, because they were modern and unauthorised compositions,! and introduced at the Easter Festival, hymns to be sung by women, {-iaXix-^osTv s)^ sau'ov,) to his own honour. Mosheim and Augusti doubt the latter statement, although it rests on the same authority as the former, and deem it more probable, that he rejected the modern compositions to replace the Psalms of David. This opinion accords better with the reason assigned by Paul for the change ; and he would probably find less difficulty in accommodating or perverting the biblical psalms to his So- cinian opinions, than the modern hymns, composed expressly in honour of the Son of God. At a later date we find the council of Ephesus also, though probably for different rea- * Hahn.p. 31. + Eueeb. Hist. Eccl. '>^^ I'HK >ACRED FUJ-.JRi oi sons, prohibiting the use in public worship of psalms written hy private individuals, (i^jwrixous •vJ.aXfxoug'";) together with all apochryphal books ; and enjoining the use of the canonical books of the Old and New Testament alone. This was pro- bablj done on account of the errors and heresies, which had been so extensively propagated in the Churches by these attractive instruments. Chrysostom in the Greek Church, and Ephraim in the Syrian, adopted a different mode of contending with these poetically popular heresies. They attacked the adversary with his own weapons, and turned upon him all the power of poetry and eloquence, augmented by the resistless force of truth. Two hundred years after the age of Bardesanes, appeared the orthodox Ephraim, " the prophet of the Syrians," whose pious spirit was aroused by the prevalence of heretical doctrines, and the popularity of the Gnostic hymns. " As a champion of Christ, he armed himself and declared war against the host of adversaries, and especially against the errors of Bardesanes and his followers. And when he saw that all were captivated with music and singing, and the youth devoted to profane and dishonourable sports and dances, he instituted a choir of virgins, and taught them to sing odes, or hymns on sublime and spiritual subjects — on the nativity of Christ, his baptism, fasting, sufferings, resur- rection, ascension, and the other mysteries of his gracious dispensation : he also composed hymns on the martyrs, on repentance, and the state of the dead ; and induced the vir- gins of the covenant (virgnes sacrae, (Jiaxovjtftfai,*) to assem- ble in the Church on all the sacred festivals, and celebra- tions, or anniversaries of the martyrs, and Lord's days. As a father and choral leader he was always with them, and taught them musical measures, and the laws of modulation until by his efforts he secured the favour and influence of "^^ Quae virginitatem Deo voverant. Ilahn, &c. lilt. hARH CHKJ> I IA.\.>. .).,:> all tlic citizens (of Edcssa,) and confounded and dissipated the ranks of the adversaries."*' He is said to have horrow- ed the polish of his armour from the skill of his opponents, the melody of his versification from the mellifluous strai:rs of Ilarmonius. He also adopted the music or tunes of the popular heresy, and accommodated his measures to them ; and thus adorned the salutary truths of the Gospel, in all the charms which genius and taste had thrown around the dogmas of error.! I'^phraim wrote, besides many prose works, a large num- ber of hymns and odes on a great variety of subjects. AVe have before us a considerable collection,! under the name of liymns, although some of them are odes and elegies of consi- derable length. A few select stanzas may not be unaccept- able. We shall not attempt, however, to exhibit the rythmi- cal form of the verse, but merely give the sense of each line in order, without metre or poetical language, as is generally done in translating Hebrew poetry, to which the short lines and sententious expressions bear some resemblance. A funeral hymn for a deacon begins thus. Behold our brother is departed From this abode of woe : The mild light (of heaven) awaits him ; Let us pray in his departure, That his guide may be propitious. v He was exemplary in public, And chaste in private life : Tranquillity and peace He manifested to his brethren : Beatify him in the mansions above. * Acta S. Ephraimi in Assemani Bibliotheca Orien. T. 1. t Theodoret. Eccl. Hist. Lib. IV. Cap. 26. ! Hahn's Chrestomathia Syriaca, sive S. Ephraimi Carmina Selecta. 554 THE SACRED PoE'l'RY OJ His eyes were ever vigilant In his place before thee, And wept when he prayed, And confessed his sins : May they (his eyes) behold thy grace. Thou didst count him worthy to be A minister in thy sanctuary, To dispense thy body And thy blood to thy flock : Feed him with thy lambs. It may be observed as a peculiarity of this class of the Syriac ode, that each stanza concludes with a doxology, or ejaculation, (s'^upog,) generally of one line, sometimes two or three. A hymn on the mystery of the trinity, is introduced with the following stanzas, of which the whole hymn con- tains twenty-four. The standard of truth Is raised in the Scriptures ; The blind have forsaken it. And begun to shoot darts At the Lord of angels. The standard is this ; There is one only Father, Without division ; And one only Son Beyond comprehension. This standard is plain, Is exalted in light ; But opposers have shot Their arrows by night, Under cover of darkness. A large portion of Ephraim's hymns, as might have been LU^ KAfU.Y i tlRlsl L\Si expected from the circumstances under which he wrote, are controversial and doctrinal. He may properly be esteemed the author of a new hymn-book ; which was afterwards generally used in the Syrian Chu relies by all parties, the Jacobites, Nestorians, ^:c., without exception, lie thus provided a sweet and salutary antidote to the poison, which had been hereditary among them since the days of Barde- sanes and Ilarmonius ; and rendered the celebrations of the victorious martyrs truly splendid, by his appropriate odes.* Ephraim was followed by many other celebrated poets, who enriched the hymnology of their Churches, both ortho- dox and schismatic, with appropriate additions from time to time. Isaac and Balai are mentioned by Gregory Bar He- brasus, as having written many canticles in the measure of David's Psalms (ad Davidicos versiculos ;) and the Cuchitie distinguished by piety and zeal, who published many hymns; and Severus or Seviro, who translated hymns from the Greek, and prefixed to them verses, or mottos from the Psalms of David. Jacob of Edessa, and John of Damascus have also rendered their names illustrious by the composi- tion of sacred poetry ; and Narses Garbono has been denomi- nated by his countrymen, Kinnoro d^rucho, the musician of the Holy Ghost, and the poet of Christianity ; and several other names are celebrated in the ecclesiastical annals of Syria, either for the composition of sacred lyrics, or the im- provement of Church music. Sabar-Jesus, a patriarch of the ninth century, writes thus : " Jn the year of the Hegira, 220, I travelled through Aram, (Syria, including Mesopota- mia,) and every where found a deficiency of learned clergy- men, so that even in the schools of Mar Theodore, Mar Mares, and Mahuz, except a few aged priests, who still re- mained of the learned numbers of former days, none were competent even to sing the daily psalms. The same state ' Theodoret. Hist. Eccl. Lib. 4. Cap. 26. O'ib Tfit; SACKED POETRY OF of things also existed in Elam, Mesen, Persia, and Chorosari.- 1 organised the Sabbath psalmody for the whole year. Since, according to the ancient usage, the youth were in- structed in the psalms, the pentateuch, the divisions of tiie psalms, and the prophets, and when they came to the New Testament, were sent away to learn a trade ; therefore I, Sabar-Jesus, patriarch, issued a canonical decree, requiring them, after learning the psalms, and the music of the sacred services, to read the Gospels and apostolical writings througli- out, afterwards to study the texts from the Old Testament for the Sundays and festivals, and then engage in their me- chanical pursuits." Of the psalmody of the other oriental Churches little is known. Munter found two or three Chaldaic hymns in the Corsinian library at Rome, which Augusti has published.* They consist entirely of encomiums on the Ncstorian saints and patriarchs. Their age is not mentioned, but is cer- tainly not early. A specimen is here subjoined in Augusti 's Latin translation. Hymmis patrum Catholicorum Orieiitis recitandiis in cominemoratione Unhis. Hymnum dicant ecclesiae ; ecclesia superior, et eccle- sia inferior, Die Commemorationis Patrum Catholicorum Orientalium ; Patriarcharum Orthodoxorum, Theologorum refertorum'spi- ritu. Qui pugnarunt et vicerunt, et coronati sunt in agoneoperum virtu tis ; Qui pro veritate propugnarunt, et contuderunt omnes hae- reses, Inflatas a Spiritu erroris ; et dogmata perversa confuderunt, Quae disseminavit Malus in ecclesia sancta ; et plantarunt ipsi veritatem, •■' Denkwurdigkeiten, &:c. Vol TIT p. 400. THE EARLY CHKISlliVN-. '^^7 In terra intellectuum Christum amantium, et ipsos irrigave- runt, Aquis viventibus, quas spiritus flucre fut it in eorum menti- bus. luitium ordiiiis pleni ouini beatitudinc, Thaddacus et Mari ex Scptu.'l^inta. Et Jibrius indutus omni sanctitate, consanguineus semper Virginis. Et S. Mraham Capacius, qui placavit Regem Pcrsarum, Et sanavit ejus filium unigeniturn ab ipsius morbo diabolico. The last four lines are a fair specimen of ail the rest of the hyynm, being little more than a catalogue of names with brief panegyrics appended. Of doctrinal sentiment and Scriptural truth, they are as destitute as of poetic merit, and their only value consists in the information they convey respecting the character of the liturgy used on festival occa- sions, and the testimony they afford to the superstitious veneration for the worthies of former ages. If they bear not the broad seal of papal canonization, they approximate too nearly to be compatible with a Scriptural estimation and improvement of the characters and lives of departed be- lievers. The Greek psalmody demands attention next. At the time of the organization of the Christian Church, the Greek was the learned language ; and was accordingly more or less used in all civilized nations. While the Romans were ex- ercising universal dominion, the Greeks still maintained their, superiority in science and literature. The language was extensively used throughout Western Asia and Eg}'pt, though principally by the higher and educated classes. Al- though not mentioned among the dialects spoken on the day of pentecost, there can be no doubt, that the Gospel was preached in this language almost, if not quite, from the commencement of the dispensation. The first Church or- 3 z 538 THE SACRED POETRY OF ganized at Antioch was Grecian, and others in the Greek provinces of Asia Minor, and the islands of the Levant followed soon after This organization could not be com- pleted without an adequate number of psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs. The Scriptures of the Old Testament they already possessed in a standard translation made nearly three centuries before ; but the psalms as exhibited in this trans- lation could not be appropriately adapted to music without considerable transformation. Poetic form and arrangement at least, if not rhythm, would be requisite. It does not ap- pear, however, from the earlier specimens extant that they divided their psalms or hymns into regular metres or stan- zas ; and probably their music, being more of the character of chants, than of modern tunes, did not require such dis- tribution. The earher periods of the history, however, afford us little information on the subject. It might have been expected from the literary character of the Greeks, and the number of ecclesiastical writers, whose works have survived the general wreck of ancient literature, that we should be furnished with sufficient materials for a complete history of Grecian psalmody, even from the days of the apostles. But in this expectation the enquirer is painfully disappointed. Several centuries pass in review, and present only here and there occasional references to this portion of the services of the sanctuary. Some have even supposed, that, during the period of frequent persecutions between the days of the apostles and the accession of Constantine, the Christians had discarded music from the public services, for the purpose of avoiding every thing which might attract attention or betray them to their adversaries. But we pos- sess sufficient information to contradict this opinion ; and if we had none, we should not esteem it probable ; for even in this period they enjoyed many intervals of peace and prosperity, when they could worship their God and Saviour according to his own commands — commands requiring them THE tARLY CHRISTIANS. 539 to sing praises to his name, and admonish one another with psalms, and hymns, and spiritual songs. Besides, the injunctions of their ascended Lord were too important in the view of their unadulterated failh, and the language of <:acred praise too dear and congenial to their fervid hearts, to be readily relinquished. Various reasons have been as- signed for this deficiency of information ; such as, the frag- mentary character of the surviving histor>' of that period, the efforts of persecutors to destroy the manuscripts, the comparative paucity of books, and the variety of parties and sects into which the Church was divided in later ages. But the kindness of providential care has preserved as much in- telligence on this subject as would be essentially important, and this we ought to receive with grateful contentment. Pliilo, a contemporary of the apostles, is said by Nice- phorus to have testified, that the primitive Christians after the time of Christ and his apostles sang in their public wor- ship, not only the Psalms of David, and other poems from the Scriptures, but also hymns or odes composed by them- selves.* In this statement we recognise distinctly the psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs, mentioned by the apostle. In the apostolical Fathers we find such admonitions as these : " But do you also individually become a choir, that in con- cord and unanimity, receiving the tone from God in unity,! " ye may sing to the Father by Jesus Christ with one voice."! — " That a choir being formed in love, ye may sing to the Father by Christ Jesus. "§ Origen, in his eighth book * Ilaug's Alterthiimer der Christen, &c. p. 381. 1 X^ojfxa 0=ou Xa/3ovTHs fv svoTYiTi. The word x^wfxa indi- cates that delicate arrangement of the tones and semi-tones, desig- nated in modern technical language by the Chromatic scale ; called Chroma, or Colour, probably on account of being marked in the Gre- cian stave with colours different from the diatonic scale. It is pro* bably used in this place for refined, elevated melody. I S. Ignatii Epist. ad Ephesios. Basel. Ed. p. 23. * Ibid. ad. Romnnos. p. 66. 540 THE SACKED POETRY uF against Celsus, declares expressly, that the early Christians not only prayed but sang in their meetings.* The well- known testimony of Pliny, a distinguished Roman of the second century, Procurator of Bithynia, and himself a per- secutor of the Christians, proves, that during the darkest periods of their sufferings they did not neglect the songs of Zion, orlhang their harps upon the willows. When cited before the Procurator's inquisitorial court and examined, " they assured him that their only crime, or more properly, error, consisted in assembling on certain appointed days, commonly before day-light, to sing together, or alternately {vicissim^) a song to Christ, as God, and to bind them- selves by an oath not to commit any iniquity, &c."t " We testify our gratitude to Him," says Justin Martyr, " and glorify Him by songs and hymns of praise." Clement of Alexandria not only mentions vocal but instrumental music at the Sacramental feast. ** If any one is able to sing and play on the harp or lyre at the Communion, he is not liable to censure, for he imitates the righteous King of the He- brews, who was acceptable to God : the guests, however, ought to regard moderation in singing ; that only those should sing, who possess good voices, lest the euphony of the psalms should be destroyed." At a later period he declares himself opposed to the effeminate church music, because it ener- vated the mind and led to licentiousness ; a spurious refine- ment having already found its way into the music of the Church at Alexandria.^ And well might a pious Father's feelings revolt, if his ears were tormented with any thing like the light fuging and tripping airs, which have so extensively marred the devotions of the sanctuary in modern days. A hymn always closed the Sacramental services. After the prayer was ended, the priest said, Ta ayia. <7o?5 a^tor^, * llaug. p. 381. t Epist. Lib. 10. Ep. 97. t 8choene, Geschichts-forschimgon. Vol. I. •IHK KARLV CUHl.^lIAN.S. .^41 '■'Hoi) Lhingh belong to the hoU r The proplc iitiswered, "One is holy, even our I.ord Jesus Chribt." After this he exhorted the people to p;irtake of this sacred mystery, which as Cyril observes, was attended with sacred songs ; and they sung together, < described by TertuUian, an African Bishop of the second century. "We do not lie (sit) down at the table, till a prayer is oirered to God. Each one eats only what is necessary to a hungry man, and drinks what is moderate for the sober. Kach satisfies himself in so far as he is mindtul, that God should be glorified in the night. In our conversations wc imagine God hears us. When the water for washing the hands, and the lights are brought in, each one is required publicly to sing a hymn to the praise of God, either out of the holy Scriptures, or of his own composition, by w^hich it is known whether he has been temperate in drinking, "t This scene reminds us of the picture of the Church of Cor- inth, a century before, drawn by the pen of an apostle. We wonder at the rudeness, and sacrilegious irregularity of those Churches, but do we not too often ourselves, carry to the Sacramental board, feelings ahiiost as carnal and unsub- dued ? How seldom is the Gospel received in the fulness of its heavenly spirit, and the whole heart }nelded to its trans- forming influence. Flow many bear the name of Christians without any knowledge of Christ, in <* the power of his re- * Cave's Primitive Christianity. German Ed. p. 283. f It is uncertain whether TertuUian is here describing the Lord's Slipper, or the love feasts, (agapae.) o \2 IHE SACRED POETRY Ob surrection and the fellowship of his sufferings," and approach his table, and eat, and drink with his children, and go away to tlishonour his name and wound his cause by worldliness, intemperance, and other vices ! As a specimen of the ancient sacred poetry, a morning hymn, found by Bishop Usher among the Alexandrian man- uscripts, bearing the impress of considerable antiquity, may be here inserted. 'XMN02 'EO0INO2. Ka^' Ixoco't'/jv yj/xs'^av suXoy^Cw tfs, Kai a/vitfw to ovo^a tfou sig jva» '/j/xag. 'EuXoyifiTos sT xv^is 6 SfSoj twv ifUTS^uv r/jixuiv, Kai a/vSTov xai 8s§o^a(ffXSvov to ovofxa rfou s'tg Toig tt/wvac:. 'AiJ.yjv. EuXoy/jTog e/ xu^js, (5j(5a|ov //s vouff avT»(pwveus) responsive hymns into the Church of Antioch. t These statements arc reconciled, by supposing that the former refers to the Syriac, the latter to tlie Greek Church in Antioch. From this region, it gra- dually spread to the West. Chrysostom found it established in Constantinople when he settled in that capital, and Am- brose introduced it into his Church at Milan; from whence it soon extended generally through the Western Churches. Sometimes the officiating priest or priests, as choristers, sang ^ Ibid. Hoin. IX. in Epist. ad Col. — See Der heiligc Chrysosto- mils, &c. by Leander Van Ess. [Darmstadt 18^4.) + ThpodoreM Hist. Eccl. Lib. II. Cap. IP. 1 K 546 THE SACRED POETRY OF the principal part of the hymn, and left the people merelj to respond the chorus, doxology, or amen ; sometimes a choir was organized to lead, while the congregation merely uttered the responses : and in other cases, the congregation itself was divided in some way, and taught to sing alternate stanzas. The worship of the Christians described by Pliny, is supposed to have been of this character. "Carmen Christo, quasi Deo, dicere secum invicem." On any other supposition it is difficult to give a natural and consistent in- terpretation to the words. Basil the Great, of Caesarea in (-'appadocia, has given in one of his Epistles, a distinct ac- count of this species of music in his description of a noctur- nal service. " Our customs and rites are the same, which are practised in all other Churches. Daring the night, the people assemble at the house of prayer, and with sorrow, anguish, and tears confess their sins to God. At last arising from prayers, they arrange themselves for the psalmody, and now, being divided into two parts they sing alternately to each other, {6i-)(7) Siavsif^ri^svrss avTj>]>aXXou(riv aXXtiXoif,) which, at the same time, gives more force to the words, and serves to fix the attention, and prevent wandering of thoughts : then again they enjoin upon one to commence the tune, and the rest accompany him : and thus by this variety of psalm- ody intermingled with prayer they pass the night ; and at the dawn of the morning all unite with one voice and one heart iu a psalm of confession to God, and every one in his own language makes his penitential acknowledgements." Philo, it is said,* has mentioned this practice as existing, even in iiis time, among the Christians, who derived it from the Jew?. If this testimony is correct, it must have been intro- duced in the days of the apostles ; and if it had, from the days of David, and even of Moses, as some maintain, occu- pied a place in the services of the Jewish sanctuary, and * Hang's Alterthlimer der Christen, p. 379. THE EARLY CHRISTIAN?. o47 was not in itself unlawlal, or inapproprialc, we cannot deem it improbable that Hebrew Christians, who still retained all the attachment of early impressions and aasociations, should transfer this favourite mode of sacred praise to the Christian Church. " It was probably such psalms," says Schoene,* " that the Emperor Theodosius the Great used to sing with his sister, early every morning, to the praise of God in imitation of the customs of monastic life." The Christian doxology formed a part of the ordinary worship at an early period, although the precise time or manner of its introduction remains unknown. It is not dis- tinctly noticed in the annals of Christian antiquity, until the Arian controversy gave it a degree of prominence, which it had not before possessed. During the progress of this con- flict, it became the watchword of sectarianism. According to the testimony of Philostorgius, Flavian of Antioch collected an assembly of monks, and exclaimed, Ao'^a TraT^j, xai ui-ii, xa* ayi(f} rfvsCii.ari ! " Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost!" which constituted the symbol of the or- thodox faith. Cassianus informs us, that in Gaul one choris- ter sings tlie psalm, and at the close, the whole congregation rose and sang, Gloria et patri, et filio, et spiritui sancto. The Arians chanted'the varied form, A6|a iraT^/ <5»' u»ou iv ayi'^j "jrvsjjULaTj ! '* Glory to the Father through the Son in or by the Holy Ghost !" Leontius, a Bishop of Antioch, wlio en- deavoured to conceal his real sentiments, and refused to join either party, although Theodoret places him among the Arians, in chanting the doxology, uttered the words so in- distinctly, that it was impossible to ascertain whether he said xai, or 5 T I A \>. .>49 ITovrov, Xtti ittTa^ovSy xai '!friy as "jrXritffv hvS^uiv, TIavra ^woyovwv Tveiifxarog t^ l6io\j '. "0(p^a (fo(pov xri(fTr,v ttada. xr'idii i^ivi^tJsiSf Tou ^^v, Toy T5 ja^vsiv, amov ovra julovov. *H X071X11 66 fAaXitfra &i^a^ — from the parchments — then the common material of books. Hence the order was equivalent to er- quiring them to sing the words from the book lying before them, and not from memory, as they would be liable to re- rors and inaccuracies. But no description of the book or parchment however is furnished, and we are left to form our opinions from conjecture, or content ourselves without an opinion on the subject. An obscure expression of Socrates, an early historian of the Charch, has been thought to refer to this subject. The Arians had made great efforts to reU' ■^ Pertch's Kirchen Historic Cent. 4. Pt. 2. i02. 4 B 554 THE SACRED POETRV OF der their sentiments popular, by solemn processions, and singing Antiphonal, or responsive hymns, in which their plausible sentiments were garnished in all the charms of poe- try and music, (uidas dvTKpuvovS *|P05 tt^v 'A^Siavi^v 5o^av (fvvri&ivTSe.) Chrysostom, then Bishop of Constantinople, sought to coun- teract their influence, not by legislative enactments, and synodical decrees, but by investing the orthodox services with the same popular attractions. In this work he was as- sisted by a eunjich of the Imperial Court, o rfuyx^orwv roCg tots iixvodovs — " which words," says Augusti, ''if they do not im- ply the composition of hymns, must be understood of the preparation of a collection/' But this interpretation ap- pears to us doubtful. Is not C|m.vo(5oug used by dialectic vari- ation, or mistake in transcribing, instead of the more com- mon hiivujdovs ?* and if so, will not the more natural inter- pretation be — " who organized the singers" into choirs or divisions for the more attractive performance of the sacred antiphonies ? Of the Hymnology of the Latin Church nothing is knowo earlier than the days of Hilary, and Ambrose, of whose po- etical pieces a (ew authentic specimens remain. " In the mean time," says Hilary, "I have sent you the morning and evening Hymns^ that you may always remember me. But if, on account of your age, you are unable to understand the hymns and the letter, ask your mother, who desires that you should be born to God, and renewed in your moral charac- ter, to explain them. That God, who created you, may guard and keep you, here and through eternity, is my prayer, beloved daughter." Other pieces in the modern collections bear the name of this Father ; but none bear creden- tials of genuineness so satisfactory as the Morning Hymn^ beginning, Lucis largitor splendide, &c., and the Hymniis * Jones and Schneider omit uM'Vo^og entirely : u^voj^og Jones trans- lates, " hymn-sing-ing-. musical virgins:" Schneider, '• Lieder-siin- ger" — hymn-sino-er TUL EARLY CHRISTIANS. bb5 Mcrolinus'; Ad coeli clara, &c. In the department of Church music, no ancient author has acquired so much celehrity as Ambrose ; more perhaps by his introduction of the Oriental responses and alternations, than by the composition of ori- ginal hymns. The occasion and circumstances of that intro- duction, are thus related by Augustine,* the personal friend of Ambrose. " Justina, the mother of the Emperor Valenti- nian, was a zealous Arian, and for a time persecuted Ambrose and his pious flock at Milan, who guarded their holy sanc- tuary by night, prepared to yield their lives in its defence. To prevent weariness and languor during the long nights of watchtulness, psalms and hymns were sung according to the Oriental mode, (secundum morem Orientalium partium.) It has since been retained ; and now (one year after,) is imi- tated in many, yea, in almost all the Churches in other parts of the world." Throughout the Western Churches, it retained the name of Cantus Ambrosianus, and Ofliciuni Ambrosianum. He was also distinguished as a composer, and his hymns became the model of all succeeding poets, and are still used in translations in the Lutheran, if not in other Protestant Churches. He wrote, according to his own account, hymns in praise of the Holy Trinity, to defend the Catholic faith from the attacks of the Arians. His name was appended to many hymns composed in later ages, and some are still found in the Catholic Breviaries, thus unjustly as- cribed to him. The genuineness of the grand Te Deum, which was said to have been composed on occasion of the baptism of Augustine, and from which an extract has al- ready been given, has been questioned on the ground that it i& not mentioned by Augustine, nor by Possidius, the bio- grapher of Ambrose. A considerable number still extant are known to be his, though probably all have undergone more or less variation in the hands of successive revisers. Of the hymns of Prudentius, the Breviaries have adopted four- * Confessionum Liber IX* Cap. 7s 556 tHE SACRED POETRY OF teen, several of which have been highly esteemed ; espe- cially a Funeral Hynnn, which was long in common use among the Protestants in Germany, both in the original, and in a translation, beginning, " Hurt auf mit Trauren und Kla- gen.^' In the mass of Latin poetry, used in the Ecclesias- tical services of modern times, there is much that is excel- lent both in matter and manner — multas veras et pias sen- tentias, eleganti et erudita brevitate comprehensas* — but deeply imbued with superstition. Herder, overlooking all imperfections and errors, characterizes it in the following glowing language :t "An effusion of inspiration, lyrical fulness, and lofty jubi- lant strains pervade the whole in such a degree, that if we did not know the fact, we should strongly feel, that such a combination was not the work of an individual, but the col- lected treasure of nations and centuries in various climates and different situations. Christianity indeed has a higher object, than to create poets, and its first preachers were by no means endowed with the genius of poetry. Their hymns therefore made no pretensions to the elegance of classical expression, the charms of sensibility, nor indeed to any of the peculiar characteristics of the poetic art; for they were not composed for the diversion of idle hours. But who can deny that they possess power deeply to impress the heart? Those holy hymns, which have lived through centuries, and in every application are still new and entire in their influ- QY\ce — what benefactors have they been to afflicted human nature! They retired with the hermit to his cell — with the oppressed in his grief, in his want, to his grave. While singing them, he forgot his woes ; the languid sorrowful spi- rit caught an impulse that raised it into another world, to the joys of heaven. He returned to the earth invigorated, went forward, suffered, endured, exerted himself in silence * Chemnitius — Exam. Concil. Trident. &c, f Briefen zur Heforderung Humanitat. IMP KAKLV »:Hhl3ilAN.S. and overcame. What can secure such a reward, or produce such an efTect as these hymns ? Or when, sung in the sacred choir, they took deep hold of the dissipated, and envelop- ed him in thick clouds of amazement — wlien, under the gloomy dome, accompanied by the deep tones of the bell, and the penetrating notes of the organ, they announced the jiidgnient of God upon the oppressor, or the power of the Judge to the secret criminal — when they united the high and the low, and brought thetn together upon their knees, and impressed eternity upon their souls — what philosophy, what trifling songs of merriment or folly have produced such eflfects, or ever can produce them? I would not deny that even the language of the monks in the middle ages had much that was affecting of this kind. I have seen elegies and hymns in the miserable dialect of these monks, that I really knew not how to translate. They possess something so so- lemn, so devotional, or so gloomy and tenderly pensive, as to penetrate directly to the heart. Scarcely can a man be found whose heart has not been affected by the moving tones of the hymn of Prudentius — Jam nioesta quiesa, &:c., or pe- netrated with horror at the death song — Dies irae, &c., and whom many other hymns of various character, as — ^Veni re- demptor gentium — Vexilla regis prodeunt — Salvete flores jMartyrum — Pange lingua gloriosi, &lc. have not transported each into its peculiar spirit and tone, and subdued with all its ecclesiastical peculiarities into submissive acquiescence. In one we hear only the voice of the suppliant, another ad- mits the accompaniment of the harp ; in others the trumpet resounds, or the deeper organ with its thousand tones." The ancient Ilymnology is different from the modern in being more exclusively devotional. Their composers seem never to have forgotten that God was the grand object of worship, and that their praises, as well as their prayers, could only be appropriate when directly addressed to him. The primitive Church acknowledged no sacred songs but those sung to the praise of God, the glory of his perfections, the 558 THE 6ACJRED fOETRV OF kindness of his condescension, the goodness of his Provi- dential care, the work of Redemption — the glories and works of the Redeemer, the influences of the Holy Spirit, and the faith and hopes of the pious. Their psalmody, in so far as it was composed of the Biblical psalms, corresponded of course substantially with ours ; but their hymns were made more directly the expression of their feelings of reve- rence, gratitude and devotion. Hence the hymn was always deemed the most solemn act of worship. It was not the voice of an individual confessing his sins and praying for pardon, or giving thanks for mercies enjoyed; it was not the language of a minister standing in the holy place, and offering prayers and thanksgivings in the name of the Church ; but it was the Church itself uttering in sympho- nious concert the deep toned expressions of gratitude, or the ardent aspirations of prayer, awakening and expressing the strongest emotions, and the holiest affections of which the human mind is capable. It was to them, what it always ought to be, as an echo from the world of glorified spirits, and a prelibation of their glorious work — a stammering, a beginning of the " new song before the throne," in which they anticipated spending a bhssful eternity. Gregory Na- zianzen, one of the earhest and best of the Grecian Hymno- logists, expresses his views of the nature of a hymn in these terms : 'O (5' {i^vo^, an/OS i|XfJi.6Xy,^, w^ oi^cn. It is praise to utter my own emotions, And thanksgiving is reverent praise to God, And the hymn, I consider, melodious thanksgiving. Chrysostom exhibits the same exalted view of the character of the genuine hymn : ol -^^a^M-oi ^ravTa gp^outfjv, oi U upoi TtWhiv ou^av «v^^w';r»vov. " The psalms embrace all subjects, but the hymns on the contrary none merely human.'' How differ- THE KARLY CHKISTIANS. 509 ent the character of many admired pieces, whicli have found a place in our modern hymn-books ; in which there is nothing but what i? hiiman^ mere addresses to men, to saints, to sinners, exliortations to penitence, faith, or good works, without an intimation adapted to elevate the thoughts to higher and holier object.-, to God, to heaven. While the pagan hymns were addressed to their imaginary deities, *' we," says Origen,* " only sing hymns to him who is called God over all, and his only begotten Son, the Word and God ; and we celebrate the praise (ufjivoufAsv) of God and his only Begotten, even as do the sun, and moon, and stars, and all the heavenly host; for all these being a divine chorus, with the righteous among men, sing praises to God over all, and his only begotten Son.'' "And finally," says another an- cient writer,! " who does not know, that the Scriptures re- present Christ as God and man ; and all the psalms and songs composed by believing brethren from the beginning, celebrate with divine honours (u.avoGo'i ^soXoyouvTe?) Christ the Word of God." Thus were the primitive hymns enriched with the treasures of doctrinal truth ; and the faith and piety of the worshippers|nourished by them into all that vigour and elevation which enabled them to endure hardness as good soldiers of Jesus Christ, to stem the torrent of an opposing world, and seal their testimony to the truth of God with their blood and their lives. May the same spirit fill the hearts of future composers, and the same measure of faith and devotion animate the bosoms of all who sing the songs of Zion. ' Contra Celsum Lib. VIII. c. G7. t Quoted in Euseb. Hist. Eccl. Lib. V. c. 28. Tlie word fJsoXyouv- Tes as used by the primitive Christians in reference to Christ always means reckoning, or celebrating as Divine, as God. Hence ako ©foXoyi'a was used for the doctrine of the divinity of Christ; and Gregory Narzianzen was honoured with the title of 6 0;o>..oyos for his zeal and fidelity in maintaining this doctrine, EXAMINATIOX OF THE REVIEW OF THE AMERICAN EDUCATION SOCIETY. TO THE EDITORS OF THE BIBLICAL REPERTORY ; Messrs. Editors, — In the third number of the new series of your Work, dated July, 1829, 1 have met with a piece, on the General Assembly's Board of Education, and the American Education Society, which has deeply interested my feelings. Whoever the writer of that piece may be, I take the liberty to tender him my most sincere and hearty thanks for the very valuable considerations which he has suggested, at the commencement of his Strictures, respecting the present aspect of the moral and religious world, and the duties and obligations of Christians which result from it. I do most entirely concur with all his remarks, respecting the past failure of the churches to perform their duty in regard to spreading the knowledge of the Gospel abroad ; and in regard to their error in seeking, at any time, to sustain them- selves by leaning on the arm of civil power. For one, I rejoice that God has taught them so instructive lessons on this subject ; for we may now venture to hope, in this coun- try at least, that she will not again seek for help from a quarter which will never afford it; and which, if at any time it condescends to put on the appearance of aJBTordiug it, exacts more as a return for its favours, than conscience can allow, or the interests of religion permit without injury. The picture of the religious wants of our country ; the calls for pastoral labours, from thousands of places that are destitute of the word of life ; the interest which Chris- tians are taking in this subject; the importance of immedi' ately furnishing our new settlements with faithful spiritual guides ; the necessity of having these well instructed and discipUned for their great work ; and the imperious duty of all Christians, who are praying the Lord of the harvest to BIBLICAL KEPKRTORV. A JOURNAX OT aii^i^i^i^m ms^simik'^iima AND THEOLOGICAL SCIENCE^ CONDUCTED BY AN ASSOCIATION OF GENTLEMEN. -*•©•-— Vol. v.] XEW SERIES, Vol. I. PRINCETON, NEW-JERSEY. HUGH MADDEN, PRINTER. 1829. CONTENTS. FLATT'S DISSKRTATION ON THE DEITY OF CHRIST, TRANSLATED FROM THE LATIN— Section I. - 7 AN INTRODUCTORY LECTURE DELIVERED IN THE THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY AT PRINCETON, NOV. 7, 1828, by C. Hod-e 73 3 THE BIBLE A KEY TO THE PHENOMENA OF THE NATU- RAL WORLD 99 i^/ CHURCH GOVERNMENT IN PRUSSIA - - - - 121 BRIEF NOTICES OF NEW PUBLICATIONS ... 1:34 ^ FLATT'S DISSERTATION ON THE DEITY OF CHRIST, TRANSLATED FROM THE LATIN— Section II. - 159 THE MOSAIC HISTORY ACCORDANT WITH THE EXIST- ING STATE OF THINGS 1B9 HISTORY AND RELIGIOUS OPINIONS OF THE DRUSES 210 REVIEW OF FOUR DISCOURSES ON THE SACRIFICE AND PRIESTHOOD OF JESUS CHRIST, AND ON THE ATONEMENT AND REDEMPTION, by John Pye Smith, D. D. 225 /{/ WITSIUS ON THE COUNCILS OF THE HEBREWS, TRANS- LATED AND ABRIDGED 252 / / REVIEW OF THE LIFE OF ERASMUS, by Adolph MUller 267 /^ REVIEW OF A HEBREW CHRESTOIVTATHY, by Moses Stuart 294 REVIEW OF JAHN'S HISTORY OF THE HEBREW COM- MONWEALTH, translated by Calvin E. Stowe - - 307 EXAMINATION OF BROWN'S THEORY OF CAUSE AND EFFECT 326 THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY'S BOARD OF EDUCATION, AND THE AMERICAN EDUCATION SOCIETY - 344 REVIEW OF PLANS FOR THE GOVERNMENT AND LIB- ERAL INSTRUCTION OF BOYS IN LARGE NUxMBERS AS PRACTISED AT HAZELWOOD SCHOOL - 370 CHURCH MUSIC CONSIDERED IN REFERENCE TO ITS ORIGINAL DESIGN AND PRESENT STATE - 410 640 CONTENTS, ON THE SONSHIP OF CHRIST 429 REMARKS ON THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY'S CORRES- PONDENCE WITH FOREIGN CHURCHES - - 481 REVIEW OF THE DIFFICULTIES OF ROMANISM, by George Stanley Faber B. D. 500 THE SACRED POETRY OF THE EARLY CHRISTIANS 521 PROFESSOR STUART'S EXAMINATION OF THE REVIEW OF THE AMERICAN EDUCATION SOCIETY - 560 REMARKS OF THE EDITORS ON THE FOREGOING STRICTURES. 60^ f Bi^r ■-i0^ y,«:\ ' -■^^'