Psalm-singing

Henry Cooke (1788-1868)

The most celebrated hymns of uninspired men are like Job’s friends, “miserable comforters” (Job 16:2), when compared with the experience of Christ in the day of humiliation, of which the Book of Psalms is the true prophetic picture. While I set not up my convictions as a rule or measure of the conscience of others, I cannot fail to pity those who can find, as they assert, so little of Christ in the inspired psalmody of the Bible that they must seek and employ an uninspired psalmody as exhibiting Him more fully. Our Lord Himself found Himself in the Psalms, and thereby “opened the understanding of His disciples that they should understand the Scriptures.” (Luke 24:45) Surely what was the clearest light to their eyes ought to be light to ours. And truly I believe there is one view of Christ–and that not the least important to the tried and troubled believer–that can be discovered only in the Book of Psalms–I mean His inward life. No eye-witness of the outward man, though an inspired evangelist, could penetrate the heart. But the Spirit who searcheth the deep things of God has in the Psalms laid open the inmost thoughts, sorrows, and conflicts of our Lord. The Evangelists faithfully and intelligently depict the sinless man; the Psalms alone lay open the heart of the “man of sorrows.” (Isa. 53:3) The most pious productions of uninspired men are a shallow stream; the Psalms are unfathomable and shoreless ocean.

I was long in favour of paraphrases and hymns of human composure in the worship of God; but now I have learnt that nothing will do for a sinking soul in a dying hour but the Psalms of David.

(From: Unknown)

Jonathan Edwards (1703-1758)

Another thing God did towards this work at that time was His inspiring David to show forth Christ and His redemption in Divine songs, which should be for the use of the Church in public worship throughout all ages. This was also a glorious advancement of the office of redemption, as God hereby gave His Church a book of divine songs for their use in that part of their public worship–viz., singing His praises throughout all ages to the end of the world. It is manifest the Book of Psalms was given of God for this end. David is called the “sweet Psalmist of Israel” (2 Sam. 23:1), because he penned Psalms for the use of the Church of Israel; and we find the same are appointed in the New Testament to be made use of in their worship: “Speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs” (Eph. 5:19).

(From: “Works”)

William Romaine (1714-1795)

We know from very clear testimony that the psalms were sung in the temple until its final destruction. We are certain that Christ made use of the psalms. His apostles followed his example. The churches of Corinth, and Ephesus, and Colosse, made the singing of psalms part of their public worship. Such of the twelve tribes as were scattered abroad, being persecuted for Christ’s sake, did sing psalms when they were in a happy frame; for they were commanded to do it by the apostle James. The church history affords abundant evidence of the use of psalms in every country converted to the faith, and of their being sung in the church as a part of public worship. This has been the case in every age, without any interruption. The primitive Christians sung in all their church meetings. Eusebius says, in the second century, they sung psalms in praise of Christ and his deity. In the time of Justin Martyr, instrumental music being now abolished, he highly commends singing with the voice, “because,” says he, “psalms, with organs and cymbals, are fitter to please children than to instruct the Church.” In the third century we hear much of psalm-singing. Arius was complained of as a perverter of this ordinance. St. Augustine makes it a high crime in certain heretics that they sung hymns composed by human wit.

The sense in which the Church of Christ understood this subject has been till late years always one and uniform: now we leave the ancient beaten path. But why?–have we found a better? How came we to be wiser than the prophets? than Christ? than His apostles? then the whole Church of God? They, with one consent, have sung psalms in every age. Here I leave the reader to his own reflections. There is one plain inference to be made from hence, none can easily mistake it. May he see it in his judgment, and follow it in his practice!

“What!” say some, “it is unlawful to sing human compositions in the Church? How can that be? Why, they sing them at such a place, and such a place; great men and good men, aye, and lively ministers, too, sing them. Will you set up your judgment against theirs?” It is an odious thing to speak of one’s self, except it be to magnify the grace of God. What is my private judgment? I set it up against nobody in indifferent things. I wish to yield to every man’s infirmity, for I want the same indulgence myself. But in the present case, the Scripture, which is the only rule of judgment, has not left the matter indifferent. God has given us a large collection of hymns, and has commanded them to be sung in the Church, and has promised His blessing to the singing of them. No respect here must be paid to names or authorities, though they be the greatest of earth, because no one can dispense with the command of God, and no one, by his wit, can compose hymns to be compared to the Psalms of God. I want a name for that man who should pretend he could make better hymns that the Holy Ghost. His collection is large enough, it wants no addition. It is perfect as its Author, and not capable of any improvement. Why, in such a case, would any man in the world take it into his head to sit down and write hymns for the use of the Church? Is it not the same as if he were to write a new Bible, not only better than the old, but so much better that the old may be thrown aside? What a blasphemous attempt! and yet our hymnmongers, inadvertently, I hope, have come very near to this blasphemy, for they shut out the Psalms, introduce their own verses into the Church, sing them great delight, and, as they fancy, with great profit, although the whole practice be in direct opposition to the command of God, and therefore cannot possibly be accompanied with the blessing of God.

(From: “Works”)