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FROM THE LIBRARY OF
REV. LOUIS FITZGERALD BENSON. D. D.
BEQUEATHED BY HIM TO
THE LIBRARY OF
PRINCETON THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY
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E V A N G E L I C A L
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> 17
NO. LXI.
J A N U A R Y , 18 6 5,
y ARTICLE IIL
LUTHERAN HYMNOLOGY.
By Rev. Frederic M. Bird, A.M., Philadelphia.
The present article proposes to deal neither with the
abundant treasures of original German hynmology, nor
■with the narrow field occupied by such sacred verses as indi-
viduals of our communion mav have written in the English
language. The former subject would require a volume, the
latter would scarcely admit a paragraph. Our business is
with such Hymn Books as the Church, or her members have
published "for the use. edification, and comfort" of such of
the flock as are American born, or thoroughly anglicized.
Of these English hymnals there are, or have been, more
than people in general are aware, and of them in succession
we shall aim to give accounts as fair and full as they may
deserve, or the readers of the Quarterly desire.
The City of New York took the lead in this business.
Comparing the present with the past, it is not encouraging
to know that the Lutheran Church or churches in that city
were wealthy, active, and liberal enough to publish for them-
selves successively, between the years 1795 and 1806, three
English hymn books. Of these volumes, which are all in-
teresting and important to the lover of our Church litera-
ture and history, the two earlier are very scarce, and the
last by no means common. Dr. Reynolds, writing on this
subject in the Review for October, 1859, devoted three pages
24 Lutheran Hymnology.
to the first of these compilations, but was unacquainted with
its successors. The present writer has them all buddy before
him, and aims to set their spirit, at least, before his readers.
Dr. Kunzes Hymn Boole. 1796. 240 Jli/rnns.
The title page reads : "A Hymn and Prayer Book : For
the Use of such Lutheran Churches, as use the English Lan-
guage. Collected by John C. Kunze, D. D., Senior of the
Lutheran Clergy in the State of New York. Coll. 3: 16,
Teaching and admonishing one another in Psalms. New
York: Printed and sold by Hurtin & Commardinger, No.
450, Pearl Street, [with privilege of copy-right,] 17'. ! 5."
The book, (also its two successors,) is a very little larger
than the common edition of the well-known collection of the
New York Synod, (of which we shall speak hereafter,) and
is printed with about the same sized type. The Preface cov-
ers three pages, and contains some interesting historical mat-
ter. 800 pages are occupied with the hymns, and 163 by
the Liturgical and other prose matter, containing the Litur-
gy, the Epistles and Gospels for the year, Luther's Shorter
Catechism, "Fundamental Questions," "The Order of Salva-
tion," "The Christian Duties," (these three cover 13 pages.)
A short account of the Christian Religion ; a short account
of the Lutheran Church; the seven Penitential Psalms, and
some forms of Prayer. Much of this matter merits descrip-
tion, if only for its antiquity and curiousness ; but this is not
the place to present it. We return to our hymns, which are
arranged as follows : (I copy from the table of contents.)
1. On Advent and Christmas, hymn 1 ; 2. New Year, 16 ;
8. Lent, 22; 4. Easter, 46; 5. Ascension, 51; 6. Whit
Sunday, 54 ; 7. Trinity, 59; 8. Creation and Providence, 63 ;
9. Redemption, 72 ; 10. Justifying Faith, 88 ; 11. Word of
Cod, 121; 12. Catechisation, 123; 13. Baptism, 126; 14.
Lord's Supper, 128 ; 15. Sanctiflcation, 141 ; 16. Praise of
Cod, 172 ; 17. Morning, 190; 18. Evening, 193 ; 19. Com-
plaints and Consolation, 201; 20. Prayer and Intercession,
207 ; 21. Funeral Occasions, 210 ; 22. Different Matter in
an Appendix, 221.
Next, for the origin of these hymns. The Preface says :
"Most all of the hymns are translations from the German,
and were used before in their churches. All except those
in the appendix are taken from printed books, particularly
the German Psalmody, printed in London and re-printed in
New York, by II. Gaine, 1756, with which many serious
Lutheran Ilymnology . 25
English persons have been greatly delighted ; and from an
excellent collection of the Moravian Brethren, printed in
London, 1789. In the appendix only I have taken the lib-
erty to add a few of ray own, and of the Rev. Messrs. Ernst's
and Strebeck's, both translations and original composi-
tions." Of the twenty separate productions \u this "Appen-
dix," six have the initial of Dr. Kunze, five, of his assistant
Strebeck, and four, of Ernst ; No. 238 is the "Litteny," in
prose ; 240 is "Watts' Cradle Hymn ; 239 "The Golden
Alphabet;" happily anonymous, while two metrical mongrels
which may be called by courtesy hymns bear no initial, but
exhibit the same peculiar style of grammar and rhetoric by
which this Teutonic trio distinguished themselves in the
neighboring pieces. Of the literary character of these com-
positions we shall speak below.
Of the 220. hy runs in the body of the book, 70 appear to
be of English origin. Watts supplies 13, Charles Wesley 7,
Newton 4, Hart 3, Cowper 2, Kerr 2, Hammond 2, Dodd-
ridge, Steele, Toplady, Mason, Wesley, Si\, Erskine, Mrs.
Palmer, and Langford, each one, and 11 are anonymous^
(This is our own computation ; author's names are nowhere
indicated, except in the appendix with the few hymns mark-
ed K. S., and E.) And 13 more, which are found in the
Moravian Collection of 1789, appear to be of English Mora-
vian origin.
The remaining 150 hymns are translated from the Ger-
man : three of them by John Wesley, the rest by anonymous
Moravian writers. 75 are taken from the aforementioned
book of 1789 : the rest are doubtless all from the Psalmodia
Germanica, published in 1756 and earlier. Of that curious
and important work the present writer, unfortunately neither
possesses nor has seen a copy : he is thus unable to verify
the origin of nearly one-third of Dr. Kunze's hymns. But
it seems probable that Dr. Kunze neither owned, nor used to
any extent, any other English hymnals than the two men-
tioned ; for must of the purely English hymns, Watts', Wes-
ley's, and the rest, are found in the Moravian book of 1789.
We are safe, therefore, in fathering the seventy-odd hymns,
not otherwise accounted for, upon the Psalmodia Germanica,
of which 'J. C. Jacobi was the chief translator.
The Psalmodia Germanica is supposed by Dr. Reynolds to
have been a Lutheran rather than a Moravian work. In
that case the translations in Dr. Kunze's book are derived m
Vol. XVI, No. 61. 4
26 Lutheran 1 1 limnology .
equal parts from Lutheran and Moravian sources. But very
many of the English Moravian renderings are made from
Lutheran sources, especially Gerhardt ; so that (what has
occured in no subsequent English hymnal,) more than half
the contents are of Lutheran origin.
The literary merit of these contents, of course, varies
greatly. Some few verses are excellent, more are respecta-
ble, most are indifferent and negative, while several are bet-
ter adapted to kindle mirth than devotion. The original
English hymns, for the most part, are neither the best, nor the
worst of their kind. Of the translated lyrics, perhaps half
are in the irregular German metres, not easily singable out
of their native tongue : the rest are L. M., C. M., and
other familiar measures. The opening verses of the volume,
ami many afterwards, go smoothly enough to have been ac-
ceptable, 70 years ago :
Nuw the Saviour comes indeed, To the wonder of mankind,
Of the virgin mother's seed, By the Lord himself designed.
Not a few of the hymns flow with a strong, if rough, cur-
rent, and begin with most vigorous and startling bursts of
sense and sound, thus No. 54 :
"Retake thy own possesion, Thou glorious guest of hearts 1"
Hymn 128:
"Trim thy lamp, soul betrothed !"
Hymn 142:
Stormsand winds may blowandbatter Deem these trials no great matter,
Nay life's vessel overwhelm : For our Saviour guides the helm.''
Hymn 98:
How bright appears the morning star,
With grace and truth beyond com- The royal root of Jesse !"
pare,
Several of our noblest and most famous German hymns
are rendered with some appreciation and force ; though we
can do better by them now. Here is the first verse from :
"EM feste Bury :''
"God is our refuge in distress, Th' infernal enemy,
Our strong defence and armor, Look ! how enraged is he I
He's present, when we're comfortless, He now exerts his force
In btorms He is our harbor : To stop the gospel-course ;
Who can withstand this tyrant?"
Lutheran Hymnology. 27
And from the not less glorious :
"Befii'hl du deine Wege :"
"Commit thy ways iind goings, Iiu makes the times and seasons,
And all that grieves thy soul, Revolve from year to year,
To Him whose wisest doings, And knows ways, means, and seasons,
Rule all without control. When help shall best appear."
And from that unequalled Passion-hymn :
" Haupt, volt BluL und Wunden :"
"0 Head so full of bruises, When I thy toil and passion,
So full of pain and scorn, Can in some measure trace!
Midst other sore abuses, * * * * *
Mocked with a crown of thorn ! Ah, then, though I be dying,
Midst sickness, grief and pain,
what a consolation ; ' I shall, on thee relying,
Doth in my heart take place. Eternal life obtain."
One or two of these translations of particular hymns havo
never yet been surpassed, and are almost, or quite worthy to
be used at this day. Witness this from Angelus :
•\Liebe die du mich zum Bilde :"
•'Lord thine image Thou hast lentme, Full redemption from above.
In thy never-fading love; Sacred Love, I long to be
1 was fall'n: but Thou hast sent me Thine to all eternity."
And the following, of Zinzendorf :
"Welcome among thy flock of grace Who owns the doctrine of thy cross
With joyful acclamation ; To be her sole foundation.
Thou whom our Shepherd we confess, Accept from every one of us
Come, feed thy congregation. The deepest adoration.''
And from a judgment-hymn by Ringwalt, the last verse:
u Es ist gewisslich eine Zeit ."
"0 Jesu, shorten thy delay, come, Lord, our Judge and
And hasten thy salvation. King!
That we may see that glorious day Come, change onr mournful notes,
Produce a new creation. to sing
Thy praise forever. Amen."
This is one side of the shield : there are enough examples
of the other. Thus hymn 71 :
"Why should I continue grieving? Ha' n't I still Christ my hill," etc.
Likewise hymn 68 :
"Jehovah, thy wise government, Is found to he most excellent.
And its administration, On due consideration"
28 Lutheran Hymnology.
But the most remarkable models of English metrical com-
position which the book affords, are the originals in the Ap-
pendix. Dr. Reynolds, in his article five years ago. gave
three of these, and the printer succeeded in making them
worse than they are in the volume. One sample will suffice
now. The following stupendous production stands No. 222,
is headed "A Church Hymn," and tailed "K." It runs
through 12 verses :
4. "We called thy bride drawn to thy And at heaven's gate antieipata
.sight t of holy Zion.
King, by thy ointment's savor, 11. Thy sceptre's top it" touched, will
Lay at thy feet, and pray, to meet snip
A glimpse of kindly fav > . The torrent of wild notions,
7. Lord it is gain here !o remain, And hearts of stone will melt
Thesepews and own
Brooks for the hail, ni is for the The fruit of joined devoti ms.
bird, 12. We mingle here with tears our
Rocks for the frightened a cheer,
9. 1 shut my ears to worldly e.ires Yet candidates of glory,
And to the roaring lion, Unmixt will be our psalmody
In realms not transitory..'
Whoever will studiously examine the above, will eventu-
ally discover, that it is not such nonsense as it seems, and
that there is even some poetry in if. But the light of the
ideas (which are not bad) is certainly hid under a bushel of
bad English.
A few remarks on the general character of Dr. Kunze's
volume will finish this the most difficult section of our subject.
The book, as might be expected from the above statement of
the sources whence its contents are drawn, bears not a little
resemblance to the Moravian hymnals. Those curious col-
lections, from first to last, have the same character anil tone :
and it is an open question whether" the present manual of the
United Brethren is an improvement on their immense and
famous tome of 1745. It has commonly been the 1'ite of our
English hymnbooks in this country to be rather something
else than Lutheran. Just as the New York collection was
supposed to be a cross between high Arianism, and a mild
loose form of cosmopolite old-style orthodoxy, and as the va-
rious editions of the General Synod have presented an agree-
able mixture, in varying proportions, of Methodism and .\ en-
School Prcsbyterianism, relieved by a gentle tincture of our
own faith, so it was the luck of Dr. Kunze's product to
■ Lutheran Hymnology. 29
conic into the world with an evident Moravian flavor. The
metres, the grammar, the style, the tone of thought and feel-
ing, all have a smack of Unitas Fratrum. The visible and
tangible blood of Christ does not flow through the book so
palpably, as in those from which it is compiled, but there is
more of it on the surface than we usually find in non-Mora-
vian volumes. "Besprinkle with thy blood my heart :" "0
tell me often of each wound :" "The enjoyment of Christ's
flesh and blood :" lines like these are frequent. Yet to the
manner and extent of this, exception can be taken on the
score of taste only, not of doctrine. The more serious ex-
travagances of the Moravians are pruned away ; the carnal-
izing of sacred things, so frequent among them, is carefully
avoided; an.d the matter and spirit of the book are Lutheran.
The arrangement is, in the main, good. The Church itself is
not brought forward as it should be, but the great Festivals
are worthily emphasized, and Baptism and Catechisation
(which together may include the head of Confirmation), with
the Lord's Supper, are made prominent. "Justifying Faith"
is the nearest approach which has yet been made, so far as
we know, in any English Hymn Book, to the ideal title,
"Faith and Justification :" and this and "Sanctification"
between them, give a much more scriptural, cliurchly, and
convenient order than the awkward lumbering length, to
which our modern books are so much attached, of promiscu-
ous "Christian Experience." Taken all in all, Dr. Kunze's
work is not the least creditable which the Lutheran Church
in America has brought forth. The Tennessee and Ohio
books may be more positively churchly, (for its prevailing-
tone is subjective and mildly pietistic,) but we doubt if they
are much better, in general. And if we allow for the remote
time and the peculiar circumstances, remembering that the
book was gotten up by one or two isolated German clergymen
just beginning to use English, and necessarily unacquainted,.
to any considerable extent, either with the language or its
hymnology, we shall see that good Dr. Kunze did his work
better, in proportion to his abilities and oportunities, than
most who have followed him. His book may be faulty, but
the authors of none of the English Lutheran hymnbooks now
in use, have a right to be complacent over its defects. When
we shall have a Hymnal, at once, as sound in doctrine and
spirit as this, which at the same time corresponds to, and
bears evidence of, the immense advances that have been, or
30 Lutheran Uymnology. ■
might have been made, in taste and knowlenge, since 1795
Ave shall then be justified in criticising the first English Lu-
theran Hymn Book. Meantime we may remember, that all
things have small beginnings : and that the venerated man
who laid this corner-stone of an edifice, destined to be long
in the building, straggling in its shape, and vastly various in
the fitness, use. and beauty of its numerous chambers did it
m love and loyalty, though somewhat in the dark.
i 'oll&etion, 1797. 299 Hymns.
Size and appearance similar to the last : it is labelled on
the back, -Hymns and Liturgy." Title : "A collection of
Evangelical Hymns, made from different authors and collec-
tions, for the English Lutheran Church, in New York : By
George Strebeck : and when they had sung an hymn they
went out into the Mount of Olives, Mat. 26 : 30. New York •
Printed by John Tiebout, (Horner's Head). No. 3,38, Pearl
street, 1797." The preface, or advertisement, co'vers a
page and a quarter, and is signed September, 1797. It
says, "As this small collection of hymns is published for the
use of my own congregation, and by its particular request.
it needs no apology. The unsuitableness of the metres of our
English Lutheran Hymn Book, published in 1795, * * *
made it peculiarly necessary to provide another collection for
the use of the English Lutheran Church. In the present
collection, I have endeavered to retain as many of the hymns,
. published in the former, as could well be done. AH those
have this mark * prefixed to them ; for the rest lam indebt-
ed to various authors, and collections of reputation. I hope
none will be so bigoted to mere name as to censure us for
making selections from authors who are not of our own pro-
fession in religion; and who, perhaps, on some points differ
from us in sentiment," etc. The hymns and index cover
263 pages ; with them are bound up "The Liturgy, Gospels,
and Epistles, of the English Lutheran Church of' New York;
to which is added, the Augustan Confession of Faith. New
York (as before), 1797." This covers 130 pages.
Here is "A table of contents. I. The Nativity of Christ
from, page 1-20. II. New Year, 21-22. .III. Christ's
sufferings and death, 29-51. IV. Easter ; or the resurrec-
tion, 51-60. V. Ascension, 60-64. VI. Whitsunday, or
the Holy Spirit, (1 keep the book's lettering as to capitals
or not,; 65-74. VII. Trinity Sunday, 74-80. VIII. Cri
Lutheran Ihjmnology. SI
tion, 81-89. IX. Divine Providence, 90-100. X. Redemp-
tion, lOO-llOi XI. Repentance, 110-126. XII. Faith,
126-137. XIII. Sanctification, 137-146. XIV. Means
of Grace ; 1 The Scriptures, 146-162 : 2 Baptism, 162-165 :
3 The Lord's Supper, 165-179 : 4 Prayer, 179-199. XV.
Praise, 200-207. XVI. Death, 207-220. XVII. Judg-
ment, 221-229. XVIII. 1 Heaven, 230-234: 2 Hell,
235-236. XIX. 1 Morning, 236-239: 2 Evening, 239-241.
XX. Miscellaneous subjects, 241--254.
Here is a falling off in doctrine and churchliness at the
very start. The precious season of Advent is passed by,
our preparation for Christ is neglected, and his coming taken
as a matter of course, in the simple acknowledgment of his
nativity. And presently appears the common and pernicious
error of confounding the full and proper Means of Grace
with such things as are, or may be means to grace. The
Word and Sacraments, which are God's means toward men,
are put on the same footing with Prayer, which is our means
towards him. Of course this mixture and leveling of causes
with .results, of divine with human, though popular enough
even in the Church, is totally inconsistent with the Lutheran
doctrine. Mr. Strebeck had been one of Dr. Kunze's assis-
tants, had some hand, it will be remembered, in making the
hymnbook which his own in part supplanted. But he seems,
in these two years intervening, to have taken (doubtless un-
consciously) several steps towards what then happily had
not yet a local habitation and a name — American Lutheran-
ism. He afterwards, with his congregation and church pro-
perty, went over to the Episcopalians.
Of the hymns, 299 in number, 48 only are taken from Dr.
Kunze's book ; and of these but ten, with three others by
John Wesley, are translated from the German. This is a
great and sudden change ; but it is in human nature to pass
violently from one extreme to another. The contents of the
first book were two-thirds of German origin : in the second,
published but two years later, Fatherland was allowed to
publish but one-twenty-third. Of the English hymns, Watts
has supplied 82 ; Charles Wesley 45 ; Newton 18 ; Dodd-
ridge 17 ; Cowper 11; Steele 11 ; the Stennets 8 ; Beddome
7 ; Hart 5 ; Fawcet, Medley, Davies, and Burnhaw 3 each ;
Addison, Mason, Toplady, Gibbons, Stocker, Swain, Turner,
2 each ; and authors various and anonymous the remainder.
The book, thus constituted, has no special character of its-
Lutheran Hymnology,
own. and presents no further claim's on our attention ; unless
in introducing four doxologies, where Dr. rCunze had none,
in affixing the authors names to nearly half the hymns, and
in containing, entire and unaltered, John Wesley's noble
translation of .' : Its literary merit
is passaWe, for that day, even Some 80 of the hymns
are such as a severe, and as many more such as an ordina-
ry, taste would retain. As far as it goes, it is for its date a
respectable production ; and we know a number of standard
collections in use now. that are not much better.
Willistoris Collection. 1806. 437 Hymns.
It is now our pleasant duty to describe a hook of decided
character and considerable merit. Its page is a thought lar-
ger than the last, and better printed, the label on the back is
the same, "Hymns and Liturgy." Title : "A Choice Selec-
tion of Evangelical Hymns, from various Authors ; for the
use of the English Evangelical Lutheran Church in New
York. By Ralph Williston. I will sing with the Spirit,
and I will sing with the understanding also 1 Cor. 14: 15.
New York: Printed and sold by J. C. Totten, No'. 155
Chatham Street, 1806." The book is copy-righted; this oc-
cupies the page succeeding the Title. The next is filled by
an official statement signed '"John C. Kurize, Senior of the
Lutheran Clergy in the State of New York, N. Y., Feb. 20,
1806," beginning : "The Evangelical Lutheran Ministry of
this State having entered a resolution some years ago, That
a new edition of the English Lutheran Hymn-Book should
be procured^ and having left the selection of the Hymns to
the members of their body residing in the city of New York,
this collection is now offered," etc., and ending: 'T have ex-
amined and read every one of the Hymns now offered, before
their being struck off, and can assure my fellow-worshippers,
that none is found among them dissonant to our doctrine, or
incompatible with the spirit of genuine godliness." From
this it appears that the book before us is a properly author-
ized Church collection, whereas Strebeck's was a private af-
fair, for the use merely of his own congregation. On the
third page from the Title appears the compiler's "advertise-
ment." It is not pretended, that a Hymn will be found here
adapted to every religious subject, yet it is hoped there will
be no important deficiency. No doctrine, it is believed, will
be found in this selection, which is not accordant with the
doctrines taught in our Church. A new edition, or a new
Lutheran Hymnalogy . 33
compilation, became indispensably necessary, there not be-
ing a single copy to be had of the former collection ; and the
obvious deficiency of the former collection determined us to
make a new compilation.'" The hymns and index occupy
319 pages, to which are in some copies added, as in Strebeck,
in 100 pages more, "The Liturgy, Gospels and Epistles of
the English Evangelical Lutheran Church in New York."
The arrangement is more minute and somewhat more logi-
cal than Strebeck's, but not more Churchly. Contents : I.
The Being and Perfections of God, page 1 ; II. The Char-
acter, Actions, Sufferings and Glory of Christ: 1 Nativity,
p. 13; 2, Officers, 26; 3 Passion, 36; 4 Resurrection, 61 ;
5 Ascension, 67 ; 6 Glory, 71 ; 7 Advocacy, 76. III. In-
fluences of the Spirit of God :, 1 Whitsunday, 81 ; 2 Trinity,
95, (this is a curious coupling.) IV. 1 Creation, 102; 2
Providence, 108. V. The Fall and Temptation of Man,
122. VI. The Scriptures, Doctrines and Imitations of the
Scriptures: 1 The Scriptures, 126; 2 Doctrinal, 133; 3 In-
viting, 145. VII. The Christian's Character and Graces :
1 Awakening, 152; 2 Penitential, 158 ; 3 Supplication and
Prayer, 173; 4 Faith, 196; 5 Hope, 203; 6 Love, 207;
7 Sanctifieation, 217 ; 8 Joy and Praise, 224. VIII. The
Christian's Blessings, Sufferings, Danger and Safety, 233.
IX. Christian Worship: 1 Private, 245; 2 Public, 247.
X. Pastoral, 260. XI. Ordinances : 1 Baptism, 267 ; 2
Eucharistic, 269. ~K.II. Times, Seasons and Places : 1 Morn-
ing, 273 : 2 Evening, 275 ; 3 Birthday, 278 ; 4 Youth, 280 •
5 New Year. 280 ; 6 Seasons, 286 ; 7 Particular Providen-
ces, 290 ; 8 Death, 293 ; 9 Resurrection, 299 ; 10 Judgment,
301 ; 11 Heaven, 304.
This arrangement, it will be seen at once, though in no-
respect positively offensive, is, like its predecessors, and in-
creasingly so, deficient, weak, negative where it should be
positive. The whole plan and temper of the work, indeed,
are Presbyterian, Methodist, cosmopolite English, Broad
Church, anything else, as much as Lutheran. The author-
ship of the hymns shows this. The German matter, so large-
ly used by Dr. Kunze, is almost entirely thrown aside.
There are eight translations by John Wesley, with the origin
of four of which Williston was doubtless unacquainted, and
which, we need hardly say, are all vigorous and graceful En-
glish poems : and at the end of the Passion hymns are put
seven, transferred from Kunze's volume. These last are re-
Vol. XVI. No. 61. 5
34 Lutheran Hymnology.
mark able for force and feeling, but in rough and unsingable
measures : "0 head so full of bruises," being the only one
of them which an ordinary English congregation could sing
now. Of these fifteen hymns, the origin of four only, and
they from John Wesley, is indicate], while over two original
compositions of Charles Wesley, the same title "[From the
German.]" is placed. For the rest, Watts gives 188 hymns,
Charles Wesley 11*2, Steele 17, Doddridge 14, the Stennetts
8, Cowper 7, Newton 5, Addison 4, Hart 4. Beddome 4,
Faweett 3, Browne 3, Davies 3, Tate, Mason, Dwight, Gib-
bons, Needham, and S. Wesley, Jr., each 2, and the rest a.e
various or anonymous. The compiler made no attempt to
give the authors' names.
Mr. Wiliiston was a man of fine taste; and his book pos-
sessed, for that day, very unusual literary merit. There is
nothing childish, vulgar, or absurd in it, as is so frequently
the case with books so old : a modern style and feeling are
evident. Almost all its contents are still found in the stand-
ard hymnals of respectable religious bodies. A few of them,
chiefly from Watts, may be regarded as not quite fitting with
the idea and objects of a hymn for public worship, nor likely
to result in edification ; but these most objectionable parts of
the collection still have place in many modern manuals. Ta-
ken in all, Williston's book will endure comparison, so far as
it goes, with almost any of those now used ; which, to be
sore, is no great praise,. At the time, it was doubtless su-
perior to anything else printed in America, and was perhaps
hardly surpassed in England, except by that wonderful pro-
duction, John Wesley's great Hymn Book "for ' the use of
the people called Methodists." From that liberal source
Wiliiston drew largely ; and he must also have possessed
one or more of the comparatively rare original volumes from
which that was compiled ; for his book contains several Wes-
leyan hymns which were then, as now, out of print generally
and forgotten. Wherever Charles Wesley's lyrics are, there
will be as much vigor and grace as has yet been put into
Christian poetry. His brother's verses, comparatively few in
number, are nearly equal to Charles' best: and 120 Wesley-
an hymns, in a volume containing but 437, necessarily give it
tone, force, and vitality. We do not sanction the doctrine
of the book by saying that its poetic and devotional charac-
ter is high ; and 120 Wesleyan hymns, as loosely chosen as
■was to be expected at that day and from Mr. Williston's po-
sition, necessarily infuse more or less of a spirit which is any-
Lutheran Hymnology . 35
thing but Lutheran. (When non-Methodists, since that time,
have taken from the Wesleyan poetry to an extent at all pro-
portionate to its merits, their selections have not commonly
been much more careful or appropriate.) But Williston's
Hymn Book is the most praiseworthy, in literary and poetic
merit, which has yet been issued by the Lutheran Church,
and it is deeply to be lamented, that in the labors of his suc-
cessors, his own were so almost utterly disregarded.
It seems to have been the fashion, among these early hym-
nals, for each compiler to ignore, as near as might be, what
had been done before him. If the getters-up of the official
New York collection had been content to build on the basis
of Williston, keeping what was good in him, rejecting what
was objectionable, and adding what appeared desirable, a vol-
ume might have been produced which would have met the
wants of the great bulk of English Lutheran churches for
many years, and been vastly superior to anything which we
have now. For Williston had unconsciously hit upon the
first requisite of a good English hymn book ; the presence of
Watts and Wesley in nearly equal proportions. This is a se-
cret which was partially understood sixty years ago, but has
been unhappily forgotten since. The collections that appear-
ed through the closing years of the last century and at the
beginning of this, have generally a much larger infusion of
W 7 esley than happens in later days, and the consequence is
a spice, and a definiteness, vim and life, that are unknown to
our languid and rambling piles of verse. Wesley and Watts
are, and will doubtless always remain, par excellence the
hymnists of the English tongue. Their provinces are differ-
ent, and they seldom cover the same ground ; never with the
same material or in the same manner. As poets there is no
comparison between them, as purveyors to the wants of pub-
lic worship they are nearly equal. Watts is the more prac-
tical and popular, Wesley the more cultivated, graceful, and
profound, also the more fiery, inspired and inspiring. The}''
are needed to complete each other; two sides of the shield,
old and new school ; and truth and value in each. The Pres-
byterian gives the hymns of praise and worship, of outward
duty and service, the objective side of Christianity ; the
Methodist deals with repentance, faith, consecration, and in-
ward sanctity ; the whole range of hidden life and experience,
more or less personal and subjective. Can we dispense with,
or undervalue either ? Each of these two gifted and holy
men has done his work better than any other ; can we, in
3° Lutheran Bymnology.
justice to them and to ourselves, throw either in the shade ?
Moreover, it is commonly forgotten that Charles Wesley
with all his Methodism, was a strenuous and zealous church-
man ; his views of the Church, the Sacraments, the Festi-
vals, were nearer ours than those of any other EnHish hymn-
ist of eminence ; and his verses, more or less often, express
these views worthily and nobly. All the Calvinistic hymn
books in this country have Watts in enormous hulk 'and
shave down Wesley to shameful littleness. Our own compi-
lations all in the same way, though not quite to the same ex-
tent. Williston's was the solitary and noble exception ■ that
discerning man established a precedent, which the Church to
her own infinite loss, has lacked the knowledge, or wit or
grace, to keep and follow. When a hymn book that shall
worthily represent both our Lutheran truth and the riches of
English hymology shall appear, it will be much nearer in
respect to Williston's than to any other of the many compi-
lations which, for want of better, the Lutheran Church 'in
America has used, and is usinff.
The New York Synod's Rymn Book. 1814. 520 hymns.
But Williston's successors did not see matters in this light
Six years after his hook was published, the New York Synod
had a local habitation and a name, and the tide of Rationalism
had swept into it with considerable power. Our business hen
is not to be philosophical, pathetic, censorious, or apologetie
about the facts, but simply to state them ; "only this and
nothing more." If anybody is hurt, it is not our" fault; we
did not make the facts, and we are not responsible for them.
If we, Lutheran clergymen of the present day, had lived at
that time and under those influences, probably we should
have been as the fathers in New York were, or possibly we
might not. Bat this is neither here nor there. So it was
and the chronicler, who in his straight course comes against
the facts, has nothing to do but state them dispassionately in
their various bearings and results, so far as these concern' his
work and his end. We may suppose that the representative
men of that day, who made the New York Hymn Book with-
out being specially tied down to Lutheran' doctrine, or re-
markably attached to Lutheran forms, r profound ly impreg-
nated with Lutheran spirit, had a sort of instinctive and in-
herited attachment to the Lutheran Church as such ■ and
that they were equally displeased with Mr. Willislon's evan-
gelical creed and temper, and with his apostasy (as they mav
Lutheran Hymnology '. 37
have considered it) to the Church of Christ under another
name. At any rate, they practicslly ignored him and his
hook; and refer to him and his predecessors only in one slight
and sweeping clause of their Preface. a This (the compila-
tion of an English Hymn Book) has indeed already been at-
tempted by several individuals. But as the selections, pub-
lished by them, evidently admit of great improvement, an-
other was ordered to be prepared by a Committee appointed
for that purpose by the Lutheran Synod of the State of New
York, convened at Rhinebeck in September, A. D., 1812. ''
This Preface is signed by Dr. Quitman, President, and Dr.
Wackerhagen, Secretary, of the Synod : it is not stated who
composed the Committee, and as the Minutes of Synod were
not printed, prior to 1820, it is now difficult, if not impossible,
to ascertain who were the compilers of the book. It has
been generally understood that Dr. Mayer ''was to a very
great extent, if not altogether its author ; and the fact of
his being the only English scholar belonging to the Synod at
that time, is a strong corroboration." So writes Dr. Pohl-
man, now and, for many years, President of the New York
Synod. We are inclined to think, however, that Dr. Quit-
man, who was the intellectual giant of that time and region,
whose influence over New York Lutheranism during the first
quarter of this century was commanding, exercised more or
less modifying and expurgating power, either during the com-
pilation, or before it went to press. Dr. Quitman's humani-
tarianism is commonly supposed to have been stronger than
Dr. Mayer is ever likely to have been flavored with, even in
his earliest days.
Be this as it may, the book is before us. As every Luth-
eran minister, who knows or cares anything about our hymn-
ology, is likely to possess and be familiar with this collection,
the minute description which we gave of its rare and gener-
ally unknown predecessors would be needless here. We have
therefore only to state the main facts about the book, and
enter into such criticism of it as may seem desirable.
But two varieties in form were ever published : the 18 mo.
printed in New York and Philadelphia, from 1814 to the
present day, and commonly used : and the 2-1 mo. put forth
in Germantown, by M. Billmeyer. This edition was exten-
sively circulated at first, but went out of print many years
ago. The paging in the two is different : the large style
having 350 pages of Hymns and 1,3 of Index, with 153 of
Liturgy and Prayers : and the small one 293, 13 and 116
38 Lutheran Bymnology.
respectively. The collection speedily came into oeneral use
among the English churches, of Pennsylvania, as well as
New York, and kept its hold for many years. With the
Supplement (to be described hereafter,) it is still used in
Albany, New York city, Easton, Reading, in half a dozen
country churches in New York and New Jersey, and per-
haps in a few more in Pennsylvania.
It is the common luck of 'things and people to be either
under-rated or over-praised: the New York Collection has
doubtless met both fates. R ymn Books, lik'e human beings
are apt to be at once good and evil ; and this production had'
great merits and great faults. Let us begin with the bright
side. B
Its arrangement is most lucid and admirable. A clear,
strong, sound head presided over this part, as can readily be
seen. The subjects follow and flow into each other, it. an
order, logical and natural; with nothing but. the general
Table, it is far easier to find what one wants here, than in
the Genera] Synod's book, with its extensive and minute In-
dex of special subjects added. First come, as by right they
must, Praise and Thanksgiving; then the Divine Nature,
Works and Providence; then the Church Year in part in-
dicated nearly as in Williston, by Christ's Mission and 'Na-
tivity, Office and Mediation, Example, Sufferings and Death
Resurrection and Glory. Then the great omission of the
preceding books is remedied by "The Kingdom and Church
of Christ," Then comes that left-handed expression of the
Pentecostal season, as in Wiiliston, "The Influence of God's
Holy Spirit." Trinity, of course, is omitted. Then the
Scriptures. Then Prayer, acknowledgement of sin, re-
pentance and conversion. Then the privileges, attributes
and fruits of the new life. Here Christian Experience is
thrown into the background, and the Christian Character and
Life brought prominently forward. Part of this would be
very right ; but they carried it too far. -Duties of Piety
Personal Duties, Social Duties," are dwelt upon perhaps too
much, and the inevitable human heart, in its various stages
of discipline under divine grace, acknowledged too little.
The General Synod runs wildly to the other extreme, ignor-
ing duty, minutely emphasing all the emotional condi-
tions, methodistically deifying Experience, and seeming
scarcely to believe in Life and Character. In media Veritas.
Whoever would pilot the Church to the haven of a true and
right Hymnology, must steer between Scylla and Charybdis.
Lutheran Hymnology . ''I
Then the book finishes up with Public Worship, the Sacra-
ments, Particular Occasions, the Troubles of Life, and Last
Things.
The only faults of this arrangement are those indicated,
and that '"Faith" is most loosely and incorrectly represented.
Here as in all other books, Lutheran and other, with scarcely
an exception, (though not so gross!}'' here, :is in many,) the
saving, justifying act of belief is confounded with the general
Trust to be exercised through life; and that which ought to
occupy several exterior subdivisions of the volume is crowd-
ed into one small chapter. By remedying these defects, ar-
rano-inn; the Order of Salvation and the Christian Life ac-
cording to Lutheran doctrine and spirit, and making the
Church-Year stand out more clearly and positively, the ar-
rangement would become nearly perfect; and the future
Hymnals of the Church, if they are to te worthy the name,
must build after the general structure of the New York col-
lection.
Another point of great importance in a Hymn Book is it3
adaptedness to the needs and uses of public worship. In this
respect the New Y'ork book, as far it goes and within its
limits, is good. It is the last, if not the only English Luth-
eran collection which does all it undertook to do, and is all it
aimed to be. What its compilers thought fit that it should
contain, is here contained ; what they believed in expressing,
is here expressed. There is a definiteness, a clearness about
it : the book is of its kind a success. It may be faulty and
deficient in our eyes or mind, but it suited the wants of
that day. What its authors had considered right and aimed
at, it became or accomplished : and they and those who
thought with them had cause to be contented. Thus there is
a certain fitness to practical uses in the book. It doubtless
entirely satisfied the ministers and people of those early
days, and those who come to use it now, generally form, in
course of time, a higher regard for it than they had at first.
It is, always within its scope, an admirable book to fit one's
services and sermons from : there is a minuteness and precise-
ness about it, which helps one wonderfully to find what one
wants. Of Passion and Atonement hymns there is a lack
indeed : you are kept within a certain range : but within
that you are amply provided. In the General Synod's book
all is loose, and generalizing; if you want a hymn which
illustrates a special phase of Trust, Love, Consecration,
Sanctification, or one on such an obscure subject as Humility
40
Lutheran Hymnology.
or Benevolence, you have to plod through nearly the whole
thousand, and then the chances are, three to one, that you
will not find it; but in the New York, if what you want
comes within the scope and plan of the book— -you turn to
the place, look over a dozen or two hymns perhaps, and there
it is. For the sober worship of God's house on the Lord's
day, this production, with all its deficiencies-— and we have
no disposition to deny these— is perhaps the best we have.
As to distinctive literary merit, it has been generally al-
lowed much praise. For that day— a lull half ce°ntury ago—
it deserves much : though its excellencies here are largely
negative. Like Williston's, it contains little or nothing that
is contemptible; almost all its contents are decorous, proper,
orderly. But after Williston's, we sadly miss the force and
lire, the brilliant grace, the life and earnestness, of the large
Wesleyan component. The book before us is entirely old
school, its authors could not tolerate Methodism, they did
not believe in emotion and enthusiasm to any considerable
extent, religion must be quiet, well-behaved, gentle, dignified
and solemn, and their hymns must be toned down to that
standard. Now the finest hymns in the language happen to
be of just that sort which they did not care about, or did not
approve of, and when a Collection, on any score of princi-
ple, taste or feeling, throws out such material as -Rock of
Ages," "Jesus, Lover of my soul," and "There is a foun-
tain," it deprives itself of the most elegant and forcible sa-
cred poems which have been written. The heart of the
Church has taken hold of just these subjects: the positive
Divinity of Jesus; the unqualified Atonement of his blood;
the possible union, consequent hereupon, between man and
Cod ; and the ideal duties and privileges of the new life.
The best sacred poetry, whether it be objective or subjective,
dealing either with the outward facts, or the inward ex-
perience, of religion, is necessarily ardent, intense, often pas-
sionate, sometimes rapturous. The authors of the New
York collection did not believe in this kind, and that belief
or unbelief inevitably prevented their book from possessing
the highest literary, as the highest devotional, excellence!
Yet within the limits which their principles prescribed, they
did their work remarkably well. Of its kind, the book is as
good as could well be put together at that day ; far better,
in its scope, than most that have a larger scope. The sacred
muse does not grovel here, as we are so often pained to see
her do in more modern manuals; she may not reach the
Lutheran Hymnology. 41
same heights of inspiration with the more distinctively evan-
gelical sisters, but she does not sink to the degraded depths
in which they sometimes repose ; she may prune Dr. Watts
of a noble verse like
"Was it for crimes that I had done, He groaned upon the tree ?"
and forbid him on her premises to
"Survey the wondrous cross, On which the Prince of Glory died ;"
but neither does she allow him to meditate
*'My heart how dreadful hard it is ! Heavy and cold within my breast,
How heavy here it lies ! Just like a rock of ice."
The book belongs entirely to the old school of hymnology
and of piety. Watts gwes it the best part of two hundred
learns ; Doddridge, some seventy or eighty ; Anne Steele
near fifty ; the Stennets, Gibbons, Noedham, Browne, Thom-
as Scott. Beddome, and writers of that sort are extensively
represented ; while Charles Wesley is reduced to a beggarly
compliment ; and his few followers gain scanty and suspicious
admission. Yet there are one or two happy exceptions ; in
several of John Wesley's German hymns, whose exquisite
and noble beauty forced for them a passage. Besides "Give
to the winds thy fears," which, being about Providence mere-
ly, might come in easily enough, we find three verses of a
very sweet, decidedly inward and somewhat pietistic produc-
tion of Terstugen, "Thou hidden love of God ;" five of that
noble hymn of uncertain origin, "0 Thou to whose all-search-
ing sight ;" and four of Rothe's sublime song, '"Now I have
found the ground wherein." The General Synod's book,
which seems to have been principled against printing any-
thing from the German in a form fit to sing, of course omit-
ed these. It is not the most creditable among the minor
features of that compilation, that having this magnificent
version to its hand, it substituted the spiritless imitation of
Dr. Mills.
Though we have endeavored to be systematic, and to reserve
the doctrine of the book to a place by itself, it has inevita-
bly been touched upon, in the above remarks. Dr. Rey-
nolds' criticisms on this subject, in the Review for October,
1859, are tolerably correct. He says, in substance, (page
190) that the essential doctrines of orthodox Christianity do
find expression here, and that the New York collection con-
tains hymns and verses which are inconsistent with Arianism,
Vol. XVI, No. 61. 6
42 Lutheran Hymnology.
Socinianism, or any other heresy. Had this never been as-
serted before, we could easily prove it. Not only is Christ
worthily praised, and at least impliedly worshipped, in such
hymns as 94, 99, 114, 143, but his Divinity is positively
stated, here and there. Witness hymn 107, v. 3 : '"He rises
ami appears a God :" loT, v. 3 : "The rising God forsakes
the tomb :" 172, v. 1 : "Your God and King adore."
The Atonement is indicated in hymns 119, 120, 144, and
in lines like these :
"Eternal life to all mankind Thou hast in Jesus given :"
"He died that we might live :" "Thou hast redeemed our souls with
blood."
The creed and life of Christianity are here ; but less is
made of them than might and ought to be ; and these most
important points, though not ignored or denied, are, as Dr.
Reynolds says, thrown into the background and the shade ;
the compilers seem not to have emphasized these, though
they believed them ; a horror of systematic divinity and of
clear strong statement appears to have prevailed ; anything
like technical terms and formulas were dreaded ; a broad
church manual was seemingly designed, in which there should
be nothing to offend professed believers of whatsoever type,
and through which young people and outsiders might be
mildly broken in to Christianity, by considerable exercise in
natural religion. Thus the matters which all people who be-
lieve anything, are agreed upon, truths which Jews knew,
and respectable heathen had some idea of, are here made
prominent. General worship, the Divine Attributes, Provi-
dence, &c, are represented very fully. God in nature, in
history, in our daily life, is set forth ; and the duties of gra-
titude, trust, and obedience, "our reasonable service," insis-
ts 1 on. Now all this is very well, and not to be despised.
We are sometimes apt to forget or undervalue the light of
Nature in the brighter blaze of Revelation ; whereas God is
equally the Author of both, and intended both to be thank-
fully used by us. We cannot sing or preach exclusively
about Jesus, the Atonement, and a living Faith, vastly im-
portant and edifying as these subjects are. Some of us, pos-
sibly, run to this extreme ; the New York book fell into the
other. It is not easy to pardon the absence of "Rock of
Ages," "There is a fountain," and "When I survey the won-
drous cross ;" nor to be content that the person and work of
Christ, in all their phases, should be represented by but
Lutheran Hymnology. 43
eighty-one hymns, half of them very languid, dreary, and
lifeless ; nor to sing at the Holy Communion, such as :
"Around the patriot's bust ye Him ye exalt in swelling song."
throng; (Hymn 389.)
And yet this sample of sacred poesy is in the General
Synod's book too !
As a natural result of the plan stated above, large promi-
nence was given to the works, principles, and sentiments
which were supposed to characterize the Christian. We
might expect a humanistic tone here ; and a few of the pie-
ces do savor more of the pride of nature than of the humili-
ty of Grace. Witness this astonishing production :
"The man whose firm and equal His calm, undaunted, manly breast,
mind Of virtue, honor, truth possest,
To solid glory is inclined, Will stem the torrent of the age,
Determined will his path pursue, And fearless tread this mortal
And keep the God-like prize in view. stage."
The idea of singing that in church, as a hymn of praise to
Almighty God, is somewhat stupendous. We are happy to
be able, for once, to mention a fact which reflects credit on
the General Synod's Collection. Strange as it may appear,
this surprising effusion is not in it. A number more of these
social and personal duty hymns do well enough to read at
home, but are scarcely fit for the worship of the sanctuary.
"If solid happiness we prize," (beginning in the original,
"Dear Chloe, while the busy crowd;") is a famous and admir-
able moral poem, but not remarkably Christian ; and good
Dr. Cotton, who wrote it, a pious man and a hymnist, had no
idea of offering it to be sung in church. "Daughters of
pity, tune the lay," is a singular beginning for a hymn ; and
"absurd and vain attempt, to bind with iron chains the free-
born mind," might afford consolation to the persecuted Bri-
tish dissenters of old, but is scarcely appropriate in Amer-
ica, where nobody proposes to bind us.
It requires no vast stretch of magnanimity to make allow-
ances for the faults of the New York Collection. Every age
has its peculiar tone and temper, and exhibits its own phases
of character and influence, in matters political, social, litera-
ry, religious, and what not. Half a century ago, English
Hymnology was a comparatively recent, loose, and unfounded
thing ; we have seen more than one decidedly orthodox and
distinctively evangelical collection of that day, which yet
contains matter as humanitarian in statement and spirit as
" Lutheran Hymnology.
one can easily find. And if the book before us be not quite
so distinctively evangelical or decidedly orthodox as we
could wish, let us think of its Christian authors with some-
thing of that charity which we are taught to exercise toward
the heathen ; remembering that if we had been in their
place, under their surroundings, we might have done worse
Montis more than doubtful whether their successors in pro-
portion to their lights, opportunities and conviction's, have
done at all so well.
Supplement to New York Collection, 1884. 180 Hymns.
Of the Committee (appointed September, 1833,) who pre-
pared this, Dr. Mayer was the Chairman ; and he. either
alone, or chiefly did the work. About half the hymns are
such as had either appeared, or become known since 1814
being from Montgomery, Heber, Bowring, Kelly, the Spirit
ot the Psalms (British), the American Episcopal Collection
and similar, then recent, sources. Dr. Reynolds says, "there
is, perhaps, more unction and a higher tone of literary com-
position in these additional hymns," "but without making
any material change in the spirit" of the book. This is
hardly up to the truth. The doctrine of the volume may
not indeed be changed thereby, but its spirit is very consid-
erably modified and improved. The new hymns, above men-
tioned, are, very many of them, high in devotional charac-
ter. It is scarcely necessary to say that Montgomerv, while
he belongs to, and leads the last or composite class of English
hymnology, was largely formed by, and deeply in svmpathy
with, the new Wesleyan school ; or that positive orthodoxy
and warm feeling are essential characteristics of that school,
and of its true disciples. So much for the character of
a large proportion of the more modern among the
additional hymns, and of the older hymns thus added,
many are new-school in source and character. A few of
Chades Wesley's best are taken ; and Cowper, Newton,
Cennick, Williams, Seagrave, contribute noble Methodist
lyrics (so they may be called, since these men lived and
wrote in strong sympathy with the great Wesleyan revival),
which had been overlooked or rejected in 1814. A glance
at such hymns as 579, 581, 583, 584, 593, 601, 614, 616
623, 629, 630, 631, 634, 635, 639, 688, 692, will show what
an advance has been gained in spirit, tone, temper, what en-
larged scope of view and belief, what greater depth and
earnestness of Christian feeling, on the old collection. There
Lutheran Hgmnology. 45
are, comparatively and positively, few hymns here of the
sort so numerous among the 520 of 1814 : productions in
dull, decorous Long Metre, laboriously undoctrinal, and most
moderately devotional ; verses such as Butcher. Jervis, Scott
and Needham, whole or half Arians, and exceedingly quiet
independents, used to write. One or two pieces, as 541, 543,
547, 552, celebrate the Redeemer somewhat unworthily,
considering the numbers of really fine Advent, Passion, and
Jesus hymns, which the language does and did then afford ;
and as many, like 536, 537, 585, 607, moralize over provi-
dence, virtue, and such half-natural matters, in a tone that
reminds one of the old book, but these are the exceptions.
There is one effusion, however, to which we think we are jus-
tified in indulging a peculiar aversion: No. 594, headed
"Efficacy of Repentance." The first two verses are founded
on Isaiah 1 : 19, and promise the pardon of sin : and then
follows this surprising statement :
il By penitence and prayer, Bathed in the hallowed dews
The wondrous change is wrought ; Of deep compunction 's tears,
They soothe the pangs of dark de- The sold her health and strength re-
spair, news,
And heal the wounded thought, And meet for Heaven appears."
Does it, indeed ? Not much, in our opinion, or in that of
any New Testament writer with whom we are acquainted.
The man who wrote the above meant the heresy which it ex-
presses ; but it is hardly necessary to say, that neither Dr.
Mayer, nor any other, who is likely to have been engaged
with him on this Supplement, believed that sort of doctrine.
The thing must have been admitted by mere carelessness, the
compiler — as should not, but often does happen — not looking
below the surface, to discern the real character and latent
faults of the matter with which he had to deal.
Two hymns from the German are found in this supplement :
No. 582, being a fragment from John Wesley's rendering,
"Jesus, thy boundless love to me," of Gerhardt's fatuous
love-hymn : and 569, altered from part of Toplady's varia-
tion of J. C. Jacobi's version of "0 du allerduste Freude."
Both fine lyrics.
The literary merit of this supplement is much above that
of the earlier part. A collection which, put together thirty
years ago, has three-fourths of its contents fully up to the
standard or average of respectable hymn books of this day,
and half of them worthy of retention by a severe and educa-
46 Diiilary Piety in the Ministry.
ted taste, deserves considerable praise. Taken all in all, it
is a successful, creditable, and useful work; and this, almost
the only printed memorial which Dr. Mayer left, is not un-
worthy of his honored name, of his pure and lofty character,
nor of his long, laborious, faithful, and believing life.
[To he continued.)
ARTICLE IV.
EXEMPLARY PIETY IN THE MINISTRY.*
By Rev. Milton Valentine, A. M., Heading, Pa.
The Address by Paul to Timothy, (1 Tim. 4: 12,) indi-
cates that he had been deeply impressed with the relations of
the minister's own life to the proper accomplishment of his
official work. He was convinced of the prime importance of
exemplary holiness, in this sacred position. Possibly his
mind reverted to the sad blight on religion in the case of the
scribes and Pharisees, who, sitting in Moses' seat in the Jew-
ish Church, "said, and did not." Perhaps the brief experi-
ence of the Christian Church had already developed this ne-
cessity. Probably it was plain on general principles, apart
from experience, — flashing out before the mind as a self-evi-
dent truth. Certain, at any rate, is it, that he was led by
the Holy Ghost, to give this- direct and standing charge on
the subject. Turning aside from the large field of doctrinal
discussion in reference to the ministerial office, we wish to
occupy our thoughts at this time with a more practical medi-
tation on the Duty of Exemplary Piety in the Ministry.
It might seem superfluous to speak of this duty. All who
are in the ministry, and all accepted candidates for it, are
presumed fully to understand it. Doubtless they do. Not
for "instruction," may it be needed, but for "admonition."
It is profitable, often to renew our impression of its impor-
tance, and by fixing it afresh in our minds, quicken our en-
deavors after a purer blamelessness and perfection of charac-
' ;; ' Delivered by appointment of the Bast Pennsylvania Synod at its
last meeting, and published in the Review by the unauiinuus request of
the Synod.
Lutheran Eymnology. 193
THE
E V A X G E LICAL
QUARTERLY REVIEW.
NO. LXIL
APRIL. 1365
ARTICLE IV.
LUTHERAN HYMNOLO&Y.
By Rev. Frederic M. Bird, A. M., Philadelphia, Pa.
Ix the January number of the Quarterly, we gave such
account as seemed fit of the various English hymnals prepar-
ed and published in the State or by the Synod of Xew York.
Vol. XVI, No. 62. 25
194 Lutheran Eymnology.
Wo are now to present such compilations as other ecclesiasti-
cal bodies, or individuals of our communion, have at any time
put forth. And we shall do this as nearly in chronological
order as the natural groupings and relationships of the books
will permit.
Maryland Selection, 1822, 314 Hymns.
Probably not one of our readers will know, at first sight,
what this heading means: and we doubt if ten of them have
either seen or heard of the book until now. Its title, indeed,
to a place in this article is questionable, for the word "Lu-
theran" is found neither within its covers nor on its back.
But of that presently.
The title page reads : "The Pocket Selection of Hymns, for
the use of Evangelical Churches, and Religious Assemblies,
in the United States. Being a Collection from the Best Au-
thors. First Edition. Frederick County, Md. Printed
and Published by Matthias Bartgis, at Pleasant Dale Paper
Mill, 1822." Overleaf is the Copyright, regularly taken
out) and signed by "Philip Moore, Clerk of the District of
Maryland." Then comes the preface, which we give entire,
because it combines the virtue of brevity with a rare measure
of bad grammar and impudent mendacity. (We give the
commas verbatim : and regret to state that a similar usage
appears to be gaining ground among the printers of this
day.) ''The following Hymns, from various hymn-books,
which are approved of by Protestants generally. Great care
has been taken, to select such, as are practical. And, al-
though this little volume has been compiled, for the use of
families, private religious meetings, and Sunday Schools prin-
cipally, yet several denominations using them during public
worship, they may be of general utility to Christians. — It is
unnecessary to add anything more, for a perusal of the
hymns, will convince the attentive reader, that they coincide
perfectly with the spirit of the Gospel." A more palpable
collocation of lies we have never seen in print. This is the
"First Edition ;" how then could "several denominations"
be already "using them," if by them is meant "this little
volume" ? — The cool assumption in the last sentence sounds
greatly like the Unitarians of a former day, who were always
insisting that their system was simple, pure, catholic Chris-
tianity, and that any believer, of whatever shade, must per-
force be satisfied with what suited them. As for the hymns
"coinciding perfectly with the spirit of the Gospel," their
Lutheran Hyrnnology. 195
^prevailing tone is low Arian, and their general level very
fiat, bare, and lifeless. And so far from being "selected
from various hymn-books," there is not a verse or a line in
this virtuous volume that is not taken, bodily and literally,
from the New York book of 1814. The whole thing is a
stupendous piece of literary piracy. Nothing is changed ex-
cept the order of the hymns, and that only enough to thinly
cloak the cheat. The subjects (of which there is no separate
index ) runs thus : I. Attributes of God, hymn 1 ; II
Yvorks and Providence of God, 18 ; III. The Scripture, 32 ;
IV. Praise and Thanksgiving, 41 ; V. Mission and Nativity
of Christ, 51 ; VI. Office and Mediation of Christ, 56 ;
VII. Example of Christ, 66; VIII. Suffering and Death
of Christ, 70 ; IX. Resurrection of Christ, 81 ; X. Holy
Spirit, 87; XL Prayer, 98; XII. Danger and Misery of
Sin, 105; XIII. Conversion, 115; XIV. The Christian
Character, 124; XV. Joy and Felicity of True Christians,
134; XVi. Faith and Duties of Piety, 144; XVII. Per-
sonal and Social Duties, 164; XVIII. Public Worship, 189;
XIX. Baptism, 207; XX. Lord's Supper, 210 ; XXL
Morning, 220 ; XXII. Evening, 226 ; XXIII. New Year,
229; XXIV. National Blessings and Afflictions, 232 ;
XXV. For a Congregation, 243 ; XXVI. Sickness and Re-
covery, 248; XXVII. Troubles of Life, 255; XXVIII.
For the l T oung and Old, 265; XXIX. Death, 271; XXX.
Resurrection, 295 ; XXXI. Judgment and End of the
World, 298; XXXII. Heaven, 304. This arrangement, it
will be seen, is almost identical with that of the New York
Collection.: in several instances Heads are transposed: in one
or two they are lumped together ; the Church is left out in
the cold, and the word Repentance is omitted : these, with a
few verbal alterations, make the whole difference. The same
hymns in each book stand under the same subject, with no
other change than may be produced by typographical errors.
Thus No. 1 in this Maryland affair is No. 32 in the New
York book ; 2 corresponds to 33, &c.
It is possible, and easy, to make a very dull and tame book
from the New York one. The unknown and unhonored
patcher-up of this thing before us seems to have aimed at
this laudable result ; he certainly attained it. The Trochaic
and other Peculiar Measures, which give variety and life to a
hymn-book, are carefully excluded from this : it contains
nothing but L. M., C. M., S. M. and one sample of L. M. C.
lines. The few hymns like "One there is above all others,"
196 Lutheran Hymnology.
"Join all the glorious names," "Now begin the heavenly
theme," "Christ the Lord is risen to-day," which form the
chief redeeming feature of the collection of 1814, find no
place here. Thus in doctrine, devotion, and poetry, it sinks
a grade or two below its parent. A thing at once stolen and
spoiled is detestable and unpardonable, before gods and men.
One curious feature remains to be noticed. Six hymns, as
arranged here, are double; that is, two lyricr-, successive or
not, in the New York book will be joined under one number
in this, without regard to their sense or spirit, beginning or
end. Thus No. 262 begins with No. 466 in New York :
"Weary of these low scenes of night," which rhymes by
alternate lines ; and at verse 5 takes up No. 468 of New
York, a hymn of very different strain, rhyming by couplets,
"My God, ray hope ! if Thou art mine." Thus the 314
hymns of this piratical volume correspond to 320 of the 520
in the New York collection.
We know nothing about the origin or history of this book ;
who got it up, where and how it was used, whether its shame-
less fraud was ever exposed, whether a second edition was
ever printed, or anything more than appears from the book
itself. We have seen and heard of but two copies, which
are identical ; one belonging to the writer, the other in the
collection of that veteran hymnologist, David Creamer, Esq.,
of Baltimore. The book occupies 256 pages, is half an inch
shorter than the recent editions of the New York collection,
and about half as thick : it is printed on coarse dark paper,
not saying much for the merits of "Pleasant Dale Paper
Mills," but suggestive in our day, of Dixie: and is neatly
bound in boards and half sheep, labelled simply "Hymns."
And so ends our account, perhaps too lengthy, of a produc-
tion only valuable as presenting probably the most remarka-
ble mixture extant of doctrinal negativeness, devotional
deadness, and moral dishonesty. May we never have such
another.
Tennessee Hymn Book. First Edition, 1815-16.
Our efforts to beg, buy, or borrow a copy of this scarce
volume have been in vain; and we are not disposed to illu-
minate the Church with a minute account of what we have
never seen. These facts appear; that it was prepared by
Rev. Paul Henkel, and that many, probably the large major-
ity, of its contents were from his own pen. We fancy
that the following criticism, passed by an eminent English
Lutheran Hymnology. 197
authority, Dr. Neale of Sackville College, on one of the ear-
liest Christian poems, the Instructiones of Commodianus,
would apply here : "Nothing, in the way of poetry, can be
more utterly worthless; but there are a few allusions which
render it valuable to the Christian antiquary, and a vein of
pious simplicity pervades the whole."
Tennessee Hymn Booh. Second Edition, 1838, 679
Hymns.
We have never seen this Second Edition ; but the third,
1850, is before us, with a Preface dated 1838. The two
were identical, except five hymns added, and ''a few ortho-
graphical changes," in the later, and on the basis of this
general identity between the two, we shall proceed to notice
the book, as if it were bodily, as it is substantially before us-
The title was, we suppose, mainly the same with that of
the subsequent editions, which we give below. The Preface,
which is signed "Ambrose Henkel, Neiumarket, Shenan-
doah Co. Va., August 15th, 1838," gives such information
as we have concerning the relation of this to the old edition.
"This work is not an entire new and independent publication;
but * * the principal matter of its contents has been in
reputable demand for a considerable length of time in the
Church ; contained in the hymn book published in the years
of 1815 and 16, compiled by my father, the late Rev. Paul
Henkel, entitled "Church Hymn Book," etc.; which work
contains a considerable portion of hymns composed by the
deceased himself; and marked thus J throughout the work.
As its contents are purely evangelical, and as the hymns ap-
portioned to the Gospels and Epistles were much admired
for their simplicity and strict accordance with their respective
texts, connected with many other desirable qualities, it gained
an extensive circulation. But, whatever encomiums that
work deserves, it is now unobtainable: that edition being
totally consumed by its many and extensive sales. It was
therefore resolved by the Evangelical Lutheran Tennessee
Synod, to devolve it upon me to make the present publica-
tion. This, though it varies in some respects from that work,
is founded upon the same basis, and comprises essentially
the same matter. Many additional hymns are selected from
other authors : so that the attentive reader will now find two
or more hymns for every text throughout the ecclesiastical
year. He will also perceive, that this edition contains hymns
.on occasions which the former editions did not comprise.
198 Lutheran Hymnology.
Hymns not so well approved, were set aside, and others con-
sidered preferable, were substituted. Those that were
deficient in point of language or in grammatical construction,
are corrected. Watts' psalms are not retained entire and in
the same order:" etc.
The Table of Contents occupies above three pages. Pub-
lic Worship has hymns 1 to 16 ; For the Gospels and Epis-
tles (separately indicated as far as Trinity Sunday,) 17 to
308, nearly half the volume; The Word of God, 309; Be-
ing and Perfection of God, 317; Works of God, 329;
Providence of God, 337 ; Praise to God, 344; The Trinity,
356; Christ, 359; Holy Spirit, 387; The Law of God,
391; Fall and Depravity of Man, 398; The Gospel or Sal-
vation through Jesus Christ, 403 : Faith, 413 ; Repentance,
422 ; Justification, 431 ; Sanctification, 436 ; Prayer, 441 ;
Christian Experience, 448; Baptism, 471; Catechising,
484 ; Confirmation, 496 ; Confession of Sin, 499 ; The
Lord's Supper, 503; Ordination, 517; Dedicating of a
Church, 523; Synod, 528; Table Hymns, 536; Morning
Hymns, 543 ; Evening Hymns, 555 ; Sickness, 568 ; Death,
588 ; Resurrection, 308 ; General Judgment, 612 ; Heaven
and Future Happiness, 618 ; Hell and Future Punishment,
625; Angels, 628; Civil Government, 631; Journeying
Hymns, 645 ; Afflictions, 650 ; The Seasons, 658 ; The
Stages of Life, Q66 ; Doxologies, 671 to 679. Under some
of these heads are minute and curious subdivisions ; thus
under ''Civil Goverment," "For those who are imprisoned,
For those who are to be executed, An officer or soldier leav-
ing home, For an officer in camp, For a soldier in camp,
Thanksgiving for a safe return from camp." The head "Table
Hymns," is noticeable. The "vein of pious simplicity" is
apparent in these.
For the authorship, Paul Henkel appears to contribute
303, seven are signed D. H., three S. A. H., and one C. 11.
One or two anonymous pieces may also be original. The rest
are drawn from common sources: the compiler seeming to
have especially possessed and used a copy of Watts, of Net-
tleton's Village Hymns, and of llippon's Collection. Not
very Churchly or Lutheran sources, but as good no doubt as
were within his reach. Dr. Watts gives 161 hymns, C. Wes-
ley 25, Doddridge 25, Steele 15, Newton 11, Beddorae 8,
Cowper 7, S. Stennet 7, Tate and Brady 5, Simon Brown 4,
Hart, Fawcett, Collyer, Hyde, each 3, Addison, Cennick,
Medley, Toplady, Kelly, Gibbons, Needham, each 2, while
Lutheran Eymnology. 1W
the rest are various or anonymous. (This is our own compu-
tation ; the authors of the originals only are indicated.)
As to the character and merits of the book, perhaps the
less we say the better. It never was used, we imagine, out-
side the narrow limits of the body for which it was prepared;
nor did it ever exert the least perceptible influence on any"
other book or body : hence there is no occasion for such
close and full criticism as it is our duty to employ with hym-
nals which have been, are, or might be recognized and used
in any sense by the Church at large. The original author
of the Tennessee book was eminent for his ardent, active,
and self-denying love to the Church of his fathers. With
every disposition to appreciate his motives and look kindly
on his work, it is not possible to regard the latter as in any
sense a success. It might meet the wants of a small, isolat-
ed, and somewhat narrow communion, with little culture and
no aesthetic requirement, but it could not possibly do more,
James Montgomery and Josiah Conder have published hymn
books, with a large proportion (though by no means so large
as Mr. Henkel's) of their own matter ; but even that hardly
succeeded ; and Mr. Henkel was not Conder or Montgomery.
His productions might possibly edify a converted backwoods-
man or a slave of the Uncle Tom type, — though we think
this would be more readily done by the Campmeeting lyrics
to which Hardshell Baptists and sometimes Methodists great-
ly do incline, — but they never could come into anything like
recognized use, among civilized people, in this nineteenth
century. Nor are the selections of the Tennessee book at
all the best which the language affords. The fact is, true
churchliness is a thing graceful, cultivated, liberal, large, en-
lightened, attractive ; and, not as too many suppose, a
narrow, old-timey thing of fossils and forms. The misery
and mischief has been, that those who had the truth have
so seldom been able to represent it worthily. The few En-
glish hymnals which have proceeded from distinctively
churchly portions of our communion in America are but
poorly adapted to serve the cause which created them, or to
illustrate and extend the faith in which they were put forth.
If the Lutheran Church is ever to be more nearly united
than now, in sound belief and just practice, one essential
means to that great end must be a Hymnal vastly better, in
matter, style and spirit, than anything we have had yet.
The principle of arranging hymns for the successive Sun-
days of the whole Christian Year, on which so large a part
200 Lutheran Hymnology.
of the book before us is constructed, Ints been tried several
times, usually within the Church of England, and never
with success. Such a division, if standard hymns are used,
must be too arbitrary to be reasonable or convenient ; and
hymns made to order are vastly worse than none at all. The
whole plan savors too much of foregoing the liberty of the
spirit, and submitting to the bondage of the letter. Ilenk-
el's verses on the Gospels and Epistles are mostly mere hor-
tatory or didactic paraphrases, with almost nothing lyrical,
still less hymnic, about them, and usually on a dead level*
One sample is enough. For Septuagesima, Matt. 20 : 1 — 6.
First verse:
In parables the Lord doth show How to perforin their duty well,
What gospel ministers must do — We find here in this parable.
Tenth and last verse:
They teach, admonish, and reprove, They act with fervency and zeal,
And all they do is out of love: And God rewards their labors well.
The practice of singing that sort of stuff Sunday after
Sunday, under pretence of praising God, we should consider
decidedly insane, and somewhat impious. However, that is
the Tennessee Synod's affair, not ours. But some of his
pieces are better than this. Especially No. 35, which is from
a fine Advent Hymn of Gerhardt :
"Immanuel ; we sing thy praise, We worship Thee with one accord,
Thou Prince of life ! Thou Spring Thou virgin's Sou I Thou Lord of
of grace ! lords !
It is a pity that nothing marks such hymns as Mr. Henkel
may have translated from the German. There may be a
number, (though hardly a large number:) but we have recog-
nized only one or two, and to identify others would require
more time and trouble than the book deserves.
Tennessee Hymn Book. Third Edition. 1850.
Contains four additional hymns, numbered 41 A, 151 A,
354 A, 627 A, & 520 A. The first four have the initials J.
S.,'and are translations from the German ; one of them a ren-
dering of Luther's Christmas carol, another of "Jesus meine
Zuversicht." They are considerably better than Mr. Henk-
el's originals, and about as good as the translated hymns in
the General Synod's Collection. The other has Mr. Ilenk-
el's mark. We promised above to give the Title Page ;
Lutheran Hymnology. 201
'"Church Hymn Book : consisting of Hymns and Psalms,
original and selected ; adapted to Public Worship, and many
other occasions. By the Rev. Paul Henkel. Published by
order of the Evangelical Lutheran Tennessee Synod. Third
Edition Enlarged and Improved. Newmarket: Solomon
D. Henkel & Brothers — Joseph Fink & Sons, Mountain Val-
ley, near Harrisonburg, Va., Printers & Binders. 1850."
24mo. pp. XIV, 546.
Tennessee Hymn Boole. Fourth Edition. 1857.
Differs from the last only in having 46 new hymns scat-
tered through the book, and marked A. B. 0., &c, leaving
the numbers of the old hymns untouched. The hymns here
added are mostly well known and respectable, and are an im-
provement to the book. 402 A, is by Rev. M. Loy, and is
taken from the Ohio book. Of the remaining 45, nine are
from Watts, four each from Steele and Newton, and the rest
from single or unknown authors. This edition has 576 pages,
and, like its predecessors, is about equal in size to the 24mo
issue of the General Synod.
General Synod's Book. Old Edition, 1828, 766 Bymns.
We shall notice this work under its own head no further
than as it differs from the present Edition ; proposing to ex-
tend and unite our remarks upon that as a whole. The Title
and Preface are the same, except that the latter in the old
book, contains this paragraph, afterward omitted : "As the
New York Hymn Book is in the possession of many of our
churches, it was thought proper to add to all the hymns taken
from it the number which they bear in that collection : and
as the number of such hymns in all the principal divisions of
that book is very considerable, it will be found that both
books can be used together without inconvenience." And
after the signatures and date, comes a certificate from the
President and Secretary of the General Synod, D. Kurtz,
D. D., and D. F. Schaeffer, "that this Hymn Book is pub-
lished under the sanction of the General Synod of the Ev.
Lutheran Church in the U. S., and in conformity to the
resolution of said body, passed October the 27th, 1827."
The table of Contents is substantially the same, except that
there are many subdivisions here, occupying four full pages.
Thus "XV. Christian Experience" contains "1. The Con-
vert entertaining a hope of pardon ; and the happiness of
Vol. XVI. No. 62. 26
202 Lutheran Hymnology.
the Christian. 2. Communion with Christ and love to Ilim
3. Doubts and fears. 4. Spiritual Declension. 5. Backslider
returning. 6. Sanctification and Christian graces. 7. The
Christian life figuratively described as Taking up the Cross,
A Pilgrimage, A Voyage, Scene of troubles, A Warfare, A
Desert, S-. Christian assurance and confidence in God. 9.
Christian in the prospect of death." Foolish as much of
this is, it is probably better than to have six or eight score
of lyrics lumped together, — as is done in the present General
Synod's book, — under one sweeping title which may mean
anything, everything, or nothing, and without the slightest
attempt to classify or divide.
We notice 44 hymns in this book, and there may be sev-
eral more, which were omitted when the book was revised.
Most of them, we can cheerfully say, were admirably adapted
to be thrown away, and exceedingly useless for any other
purpose. Among them (No. 726) is a pleasing product of
Dr. Watts' genius, devoted apparently to the celebration of
"abominable fiends," and beginning
"My thoughts on awful subject roll, Damnation and the dead (!)"
And another elegant effusion (411), by the same respected
but not infallible writer :
'My heart, how dreadful hard it is ! Heavy and cold within my breast,
How heavy here it lies I Just like a rock of ice I"
No. 220, by Henry Kirke White, has often drawn amazed
and bewildered attention. Pretty enough as a poem, it is a
sample of the sublime absurdity of putting a thing into a
hymn book simply because its author was a good man, and
wrote some other things, which are hymns.
"What is this passing scene? And all things fade away:
A peevish April day: Man (soon discussed)
A little sun, a little rain, Yields up his trust,
And then night sweeps along the And all his hopes and fears lie with
plain, him in the dust !' ;
And so on. We do not see why the compilers did not also
insert "Lilly Dale" and "Auld Robin Gray," which are
quite as pathetic, nearly as sacred, and about as hymnic in
character.
But we have more serious fault to find with No. 184 and
356. It was bad enough for Charles Wesley to write these;
it is infinitely worse for members of a Church which holds the
Lutheran Hymnology. 203
truth, and ha9 no occasion or temptation to resort to such
forms of error, to drag them into use. In matter, spirit,
style, doctrine, tone, tendency, they are the most distinctive-
ly and objectionably methodistic poems which the Methodist
poet ever penned. The first purports to be a hymn of invi-
tation, and offers certain inducements, Christ's "proffered
benefits," "the plenitude of gospel grace," which are sup-
posed to be as follows :
-2. "A pardon written with his blood, 4 The guiltless shame, the sweet
The favor and the peace of God ; distress,
The seeing eye, the feeling sense, The unutterable tenderness:
The trembling joys of penitence: The genuine, meek humility;
The wonder, "Why such love to
me ?"
3. The godly fear, the pleasing 5 The o'erwhelming power of sav.
smart, ing grace
The meltings of a broken heart: The sight that veils the seraph's
The tears that tell your sins for- face,
given.; The speechless awe that dares not
The sighs that waft your souls to move,
heaven; And all the silent heaven of love !"
These rhapsodies and ecstasies, these meltings and tremblings,
these unutterable tendernesses and sweet distresses, may be
very delightful ; but as for there being anything specially sa-
cred or divine about them, that idea is exploded ; or, at least,
■ought to be. The truth is with the churchly writer :
"Faith's meanest deed more favor Than brightest transports, choicest
bears, prayers,
Where heart and wills are weighed! That bloom their hour and fade.
Nor is this sort of thing objectionable only on theoretic
grounds, as a matter of abstract truth or error. When we
are taught, as in the seeond verse quoted, that tears and
sighs are means of grace, that our private emotional gym-
nastics may take the place of, or cooperate with, the eternal
merits and untold agonies of our blessed Lord, — then the
way is open before us to the worst forms of fanaticism, and
to any degree of Pharisaic self-delusion. We may not get
there indeed ; we may not go so far ; but the fault is not
with the road, nor with those who lead us on it. — The other
hymn is worse yet, if possible, being a cool, explicit, straight-
forward statement of that pernicious heresy, the doctrine, as
204 Lutheran Hymnology.
it has fitly enough been called, of "Justification by Sensa-
tion." It tells its own story :
"How can a sinner know Wc who in Christ believe
His sins on earth forgiven? That he for us hath died,
How can my gracious Saviour show We all his unknown peace receive,.
My name inscribed in heaven? And feel his blood applied!
What we have felt and seen Exults our rising soul,
With confidence we tell ; Delivered of her load,
And publish to the sons of men And swells unutterably full
The signs infallible. Of glory and of God."
We opine that a frail human heart — especially if it be so
"unutterably full" — is more likely to "swell" with pride and
vain self-conceit, than with the fruit of the Spirit, which
among other things is gentleness, meekness, temperance ; and
that a man who erects his hope on the "infallible" basis of fluc-
tuating moods and sensations, is likely to find it a house built
upon the sand. Charles Wesley, and some of his converts,
were men of such earnest faith and exalted holiness, that
they might be able to hold, in theory, a vital and pestilent
error, without having the spiritual life poisoned or under-
mined thereby; but to teach the masses that their feelings
are infallible is a most dangerous experiment, and liable to
ruin as many souls as the truth, which may be mixed up
with such false teaching, will save. Our Methodist brethren
have a right to believe and sing what they like ; but we do
object to anybody's palming off this sort of heresy upon us,
in an official book of the Churh, as Lutheran doctrine. We
ought perhaps to say, that the first of these two hymns has
found its way into one Episcopal collection, (very low Church
of course,) and into another which is nominally Arian. But
the fact that others have committed an offence does not justi-
fy us in committing it too.
We should be guilty of a sad sin of omission if we did not
notice what is in some respects the most astounding produc-
tion we know in this — or any other — book : No. 463. Wo
never saw it elsewhere, and know not who wrote it ; proba-
bly some otherwise mute, and altogether inglorious, Milton.
By way of guide to the blind, and help towards the other-
wise unfathomable meaning, it has the heading, "Conflict
between sin and holiness:"
Lutheran Eymnology. 205
''When heaven does grant at certain Then do I dream my sinful brood
times, Is drown'd in the wide main
Amidst a pow'rful gale. Of crystal tears a crimson bloody
Sweet liberty to moan my crimes, And ne'er will live again/'
And wand'rings to bewail —
The usual effect of this lyric upon our faculties is speechless
amazement and admiration ; but we will endeavor to throw
off the spell, and analyze the teachings of these "powerful"
verses. In the first place we find that Repentance is a
pleasing and luxurious exercise ; "sweet liberty." Secondly,
that this attractive indulgence is not always to be had : you
cannot repent when you will, but only "at certain times."
Thirdly, the surroundings must be favorable ; it must be
"amidst a powerful gale." If the weather be calm, you can
neither do the works, nor enjoy the delightful sensations,
which belong to true penitence. Such is the doxy of the
first verse. Now when these necessary elements are all pro-
vided, — -when Heaven has granted the certain times, the
powerful gale, and the sweet liberty, — what next? What
comes of such grand preparation ? Then the narrator, — we
know not whether to call him subject, patient, or medium, — -
dreams. And what does he dream? That his sins are a
litter, cruelly doomed, "ah, alas !" to a watery grave, and
actually enduring that untimely and unmerited extinction.
(It is not quite a watery grave either ; his metaphor is mixed
a little ; but none the worse for that.) And having thus
effectually "drowned" them in the first three-quarters of his
second verse, the poet condescends to the requirements of
metre, and obligingly informs us, in the remaining line, that
they "ne'er will live again." Having exhausted himself by
this surprising figure of speech, he after this says what he
has to say — such as it is — in plain language.
"I get my foes beneath my feet, But ah, alas! th' ensuing hour
I bruise the serpent's head ; My passions rise and swell :
I hope the victory is complete, They rage and reinforce their pow'r
A;id all my lusts are dead. With new recruits from hell."
Of course they do. What else can be expected, when a man
puts his sensations on the throne of God, and looks to frames
and feelings for Justification and Sanctification, instead of
the blessed Trinity? And this is the sort of religion which
some would substitute for the faith of the Confessions and of
.the Fathers ! We fancy that the whole system, in its prac-
20G Lutheran Hymnology.
tical workings, is apt to end, as this sample of a spiritual
eong so fitly does, "with new recruits from hell." From
8ucli heresy, whether sung, prayed, preached, or published,
may the Lord deliver his Church.
General Synod's Enlarged Edition, 18-41, 965 Hymns.
If any one wishes to know who was responsible for this,
we suppose he can ascertain from the Minutes of the Gener-
al Synod. It was the Hymn Book Committee : and of that
Committee Dr. Schmucker's name appears as Chairman.
Beyond this we are in blissful and contented ignorance. For
when we cannot praise, and must not be silent, we gladly
escape alike the temptation and the appearance of being per-
sonal. Very good men sometimes do very bad deeds : our
business is with the deeds, not the men.
Sundry minor improvements were here made in the old
book, and two hymns, Nos. 220 and 251, were displaced by
others. The first of these is "What is this passing scene ?"
above referred to : it is here substituted by Watts' tame and
characterless paraphrase of part of the 49th Psalm. The
other is a lamentation of good Joseph Hart, of more reputa-
tion than merit ; it had been repeated in No. 253, and here
yields to a poem on the same subject, but in vastly different
style. It would have been as well if the Editors had used
their power in omitting a few more, like 749, and 341.
"I'm bound for New Jerusalem ;" *****
"Lord, and am I yet alive, Tell it unto sinners, tell,
Not in torrents, not in hell I I am, I am out of hell !"
*****
But such cruel mutilations of the book's truth and beauty
were by no means part of their plan. And so all that we
have hero to comment on is the Appendix of 199 hymns.
It is difficult to understand the principle on which this
Selection was made. The lowest taste and judgment seem
to prevail ; a reckless inconsistency, in doctrine, temper,
style, and spirit, runs riot : Low Church and Broad Church,
are mixed into an agreeable compound, presenting some of
the worst qualities of both, with not much of the redeeming
features of either. Such genuine hymns as Alexander's ren-
dering of "0 Haupt voll blut und wunden" and Sir Robert
Grant's "solemn Litany" are put in company with rollicking
camp-meeting melodies : from one page we sing: "All hail
Lutheran Hymnology. 20T
the power of Jesus' name," and on the next we are invited
to join in this :
''Saw ye m y Savionr — Saw ye my Saviour — Saw ye my Savionrand God?''
The original of which is, we think, better of its kind, and
certainly more consistent with its subject, than the above
parody :
"Saw ye my wee thing ? Saw ye my ain thing ?
Saw ve my true love down on yon lea ?"
There are a number of lyrics addressed to '"Wandering
pilgrims, mourning Christians,
Weak and tempted lambs of Christ."
And one considerately inquires :
"Mourner is thy case distressing?"
Well might the Ohio compilers (1845) complain of "the
strange bias of many hymns in the book." Several more,
though of a higher order, are hardly more adapted to the
purposes of public worship, being mere sentimental songs on
sacred subjects. Thus 804, "0 turn ye, turn ye, for why
will ye die ?" and 803,
''When the harvest is past, and the When the beams cease to break of
summer is gone, the sweet Sabbath morn,
And sermons and prayers shall And Jesus invites thee no more, ,r
be o'er ; Banner,
The Evangelical Quarterly Review. This periodical is published in
Gettysburg and devoted to the exposition and defence cf the doctrines
of the Evangelical Lutheran Church. The April number before us is
very interesting. The articles entitled "The Hand of God in the War,"
"Politics and the Pulpit," and the "United States Christian Commis-
sion," are exceedingly able and satisfactory articles, and we are sorry
that their length forbids their transfer to our columns. — Juniata Senti-
nel*
CONTENTS OF NO. LXIV.
Article. Page.
L Church Music, 455
By Rev. M. Valentine, A. M., Reading, Pa.
II. Reminiscenses op Deceased Lutheran Min-
isters, 470
III. Natural Theology,.... 480
By Henry Ziegler, D. D., Selinsgrove, Pa.
IV. True Greatness,o 500
By H. L. Baugher, D. D., President of Pennsylvania College.
V. The Cross, 508
By Rev. E. W. Hutter, A. M., Philadelphia.
VI. Marriage — Translated erom Zeller's Bib-
LISCHES WoRTERBUCH, 526
By Prof. Charles F. Schaeffer, D. D., Philadelphia.
VII. Inauguration Addresss — Address 550
By A. H. Lochman, D. D., York, Pa.
" Inauguration Addresses' — Address 557
By J. A. Brown, D. D., Gettysburg, Pa.
VIII. Pilate's Question,.. 577
By Levi Sternberg, D. D., Hartwick Seminary, N. Y.
IX. "The Laborers are Few," 589
By Rev. S. A. Holman, A. M., Altoona, Pa.
X. Notices of New Publications 599
The Evangelical Quarterly Review for July contains: The Evan-
:al Doctrine of Ordination, by Prof. Loy; Lutheran Hymnology,
by Rev. F. M. Bird ; The Sabbath a Delight, by Rev. Dr. Seiss ; Minis-
tera of '.he Gospel, the Moral Watchmen of Nations, by Rev. Dr. Con-
rad ; "Know Thyself," Personally and Nationally Considered, by lion.
1 Iward McPheraon; Abraham Lincoln; Installation Addresses, the
rge, by Rev. B. M. Sehmucker, and the Reply by Rev. Dr. C. P.
Krauth, Jr. Several of the articles are characterized by high literary
excellence, and we shall endeavor to tind room lor extracts. — New York
!< list.
This Quarterly is published at Gettysburg under Ihe auspices of the
Evangelical Lutheran Church, and is edited by Professor Stoever. The
July number contains eight articles, including the usual notices of re-
cent publications. Whilst the greater portion of the articles are denom-
inational, there is still food, also, for the outside reader. — German Re-
formed Messenger.
This is au excellent number. The article on "Hymnology" is as full
of interestyas its predecessors. Dr. Seiss on the "Sabbath" puts forth
his usual power and eloquence. Dr. Conrad handles his subject, "Min-
isters ol the Gospel, the Moral Watchmen of the Nations," like a mas-
ter. Mr. McPherson's article is original, ingenious and striking. The
article on "Abraham Lincoln" is a most valuable contribution. — Luth-
eran Observer.
The July No. of this Quarterly has reached us with its customary
promptness. The number is an interesting one, and although from the
plan of the work, our ministers could not expect to agree with all that
it offers, we do not see how they can well get along without it. — Luther-
an Standard.
The Evangelical Quarterly Review, (July,) opens with an able and
learned article by Professor Loy on the Lutheran Doctrine of Ordina-
tion. The second article closes Mr. Bird's wholly unique and masterly
discussion of Lutheran Hymnology. Dr. Seiss presents the Sabbath as
a Delight, in a very admirable and practical manner. Dr. Conrad ex-
hibits "Ministers of the Gospel, as the Moral Watchmen of Nations.
The Hon. Edward McPherson with his characteristic philosophical
thoughtfulness considers the proposition "Know Thyself," in its appli-
cation to persons and nations. The main contribution of the Editor,
Professor Stoever, to the number is a full and appreciative exhibition of
the life, services and character of our noble and lamented President.
The seventh article embraces the Charge of Rev. B. M. Sehmucker and
the Reply made to it at the Installation of the Professors, October 4th,
1864. — Lutheran & Missionary.
The Evangelical. Quarterly Review for July is already out. The pre-
sent number seems to be better than any proceeding it. Hon. Edward
McPherson, contributes "Know Thyself," written in the author's usual
vigorous style. It is worth a careful perusal. The article on Abraham
Lincoln, by Prof. Stoever, runs through twenty-two pages, and is a just
tribute to our martyr-President. It is interesting throughout and can
be read with much profit. — Gettysburg Star.
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