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Day to fing Hymns Chrifto quafi Deo, [to CHRIST God;]" for this manifeftly implies Canticles made fin and particularly fuited to, the Chriftian Era. Indeed generally allow'd, that the Gloria Patri, the Gloria in ex fis, and probably feveral more, were in Ufe even at t Time.

If fome Nations and Churches have again confined the felves fomewhat ftrictly to the Pfalms, no one muft in gine that this is done from a Suppofition of the Unlawf ness of all newer Hymns whatfoever. For if the Lor Prayer, tho' dictated by the bleffed Founder of our o Religion, is granted on all hands not to have been giv as the fole Form of Words on that Occafion, but as a P tern for many more fuch like; much lefs can Forms of fin ing drawn up under a different Difpenfation of Religi and not fo explicitly reaching our Cafe, be look'd upon the only Melody we Chriftians ever can or dare use. removing of fuch a weak Reafon, which indeed was the Reafon with thofe Churches in this their Regulati leaves them the brighter Honour of their true one, viz Solicitude to prevent the Luxuriancies and Abuses, so har ly feparable from a Species of Writing and of Devotio which in itself was lawful enough.

There is no denying the Wifdom of this Caution.

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And I would make no farther Remark, than only to monftrate from it, that if any Body of People fhould be firous, notwithstanding, to have a Hymn-book, and to add into it a good number of Hymns in Ufe among other F low Chriftians, (in real, ecclefiaftical, established and imm morial Ufe ;) they cannot avoid, tho' very thankful for w is to be found here at home, going out of England for mor

The German Nation has always excell'd in the Article Hymns. Luther himself compofed many, and encourag the bringing of Religion much into that Channel. Fro whence it has come to pafs, that every District there has public authorized Hymn-book; ferving, to a very gre Degree, the double Purpose, both of Liturgy and found I

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ftruction in the Faith. For the more ancient Hymns espe cially, (which are always most regarded in fuch Books) are greatly helpful to maintain for ever the Chriftian Truths in the Minds of the common People, with the felf-fame Simplicity and Force, which adorned thofe worthy and golden Times when they were endited.

The Brethren therefore had the general Taste and Practice of their Nation on their Side, when publifhing lately their large German revifed Hymn-book; confifting as well of Hymns out of preceding Church-Collections of their Neighbours, as of others compofed by themselves. Which Hymnbook of theirs, afforded both the Model, and most of the German Materials to this.

Concerning the High-Dutch Language, one Obfervation is neceffary. It is indeed a living one, and spoken in a Country not very remote: This will difincline the Reader to believe, what I must nevertheless fay of it, that it has a good deal of the old Oriental Genius. As to the Brethren in particular, they have not damp'd, but rather pursued, these ingenuous Sparks they found in their Mother-Tongue. For which, no good Critic will blame them: but their Translators, it must be own'd, are hereby put to fome Difficulties, and render'd obnoxious to juft Criticism fometimes. We don't doubt however, but it is in the Compafs of the English Tongue, to afford one time or other the fully correfponding Phrafes: And indeed the Caufe of fome lefs happy, too flat or obfcure Translations hitherto, has been not only that intrinfic Obftacle now mention'd, but withal a Care to tranflate literally, carried to a needlefs Excess.

Some may think it also a needlefs Conformity to the Original, that we make ufe of double Rhymes, or a Trochaic Ending of Lines; whereas English Poetry commonly contents itself with the Iambic. It has prov'd difficult enough to procure fuch Rhymes in a Language not made for it, and it may have left fome farther Stiffnefs upon the Performance: but when the Reader confiders the Motive, it being done for the fake of the original Tunes, and has himself tafted the fo

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lemn and expreffive Harmony of thofe Tunes, he will ce tainly excufe all.

After these Preliminaries, it may be time to take a View the present Work, both in the Whole, and in its Parts.

Confidering it all together, it is a continued Series of goa ⚫ and Chriftian Sentiments, both doctrinal and practical, thro' a the Ages of the Church; and confequently a Kind of Eccl fiaftical History, with regard to the State of Piety and D votion. For tho' Poetry otherwife has not that Character yet Hymns furely ought to be fuppofed a faithful, if not th faithfulleft, Picture and Conveyance of the Heart.

The feveral Divifions, or Claffes, are as follows.

The first are Anthems out of the Bible; facred Words, th are and must be laid as the Foundation of all. There is no thing farther to be obferv'd concerning thefe, but that w have follow'd the Tranflation of the English Bible; only few times preferring the marginal Reading; and in the Pfalm taking the liberty to choose between the new Bible-Tranfla tion and the old one in the Common-prayer Book.

Thefe are follow'd by Scripture-Hymus; or Portions Scripture put into Metre, either already by others, or no by us.

As the History of former divine Oeconomies, and the fir Inftitution and facred Bafis of the Chriftian, are contain' in the preceding; now enfues a Tafte of the Spirit and De votions of the Chriftian Church, in her feveral Periods Superftructure upon that Bafis.

That whole Space of Time, from the Apoftles down, du ring which we ufually give our Predeceffors in the Miniftr the venerable Appellation of Fathers, is comprehende under the Title of Primitive Church. The Hymns of thi Clafs are not many, confidering what an Interval they fi up; but they are weighty, and taken from all the chi Branches of the Church univerfal.

The firft, fo far as appears, after the Appellation of Fa thers ceafed, that were more fpecial and confpicuous Depo fitaries of the Chriftian Truth, were the ancient Bohemian an

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Moravian Brethren. (The Waldenfes incorporated with them.) The Reader will find their Hymns no rougher than he of might have expected; and inftead of thinking them so at all, he can call them, if he please, solid and mafculine.

Next follow, according to Chronological Order, the Geran Hymns of the fixteenth Century, or thofe made about e- the Time of the Reformation. The ftrong Impreffions of Truth which reign'd in that remarkable Age, are known to every one; and fo it will be needlefs to fay any thing of the e Hymns, except in regard of the Tranflation. In that refpect it is incumbent upon us to acknowledge the confider-. able Ufe we have made (here and in fome other Parts) of the at foregoing Labours of Mr. Jacobi, and the Rev. Mr. Wesley, in the fame Kind.

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Then come (and I mention it with a peculiar Pleasure) & fome excellent old Hymns of the English Church. The Aus, thors, befide the Common-prayer Book itself, are Robert Smith, Herbert, Dr. Donne, Faithful Teate, Crafhaw, Bishop Taylor, Sir Matthew Hale, Rees Pritchard the Welch Hymnologift, &. Some of thefe, particularly Herbert, having wrote in Stanza's adapted to noTune that we know of, a Liberty has been taken fometimes fo far as to make them fingable, yet with as little Alteration as poffible of the Senfe.

Hence we pass to the Hymns, firft the German, then the English, of the feventeenth Century. The Authors of the latter (for our Readers will not think themselves fo immediately interested in the literary Hiftory of the former) are Bishop Kenn, Mr. Norris, Rawlet, Mafon, &c.

Several more German Hymns of the fame Century, are inferted in the next Divifion; together with fome Extracts of English ones of the Eighteenth, or now current Century, which indeed has been the richest in that kind of writing that Engload can ever remember. The Names here are very recent and well known, as Dr. Watts, Stennet, Davis, Erskine, Wesley, Cennick, &c.

After thefe Chriftian Breathings (indeed cotemporary with, or prior to fome of the laft) fucceed in order of Time, the

Hymns

Hymns of the Brethren in the Eighteenth Century, that is, of th present Brethren's Congregation. And fince this whole Boo was properly compiled for the Service of Perfons in Unio with that People; no one, it is hoped, will think it strange that this Divifion is fo much larger and fuller than any of th reft.

The Time from whence the prefent, or reviv'd Brethren Congregation is to be dated, is the Year 1724, when feve ral of the Defcendants of the above-mention'd ancient Bre thren in Moravia, retired on account of Religion to a Plac call'd Herrnhuth in Upper Lufatia; and, by the Divine Be nediction, and not only Bounty but Miniftry of their territo rial Lord there, became fuch a living Church, as hath ob tained (I may fay it with Modefty) in feveral refpects an un deniable Signature and Glory in Christ.

As fhe has given a free Account of herself elsewhere to a true Lovers of our Saviour's Kingdom; I fhall enter no far ther here, than the prefent Subject obliges me.

It was but natural for the Members of this Church, to ex prefs their Ideas from time to time in Hymns. I have pur pofely avoided hitherto, the endeavouring to fix the peculia or differencing Characters (amidft the noble Unity in Effer tials) of the feveral Claffes of Hymns; that fo every Reade might have the Pleasure of making this Difcovery and Com parison, and accordingly carrying on his Remarks as Church biftorian, for himself. But I am now come to a Clafs, whic I cannot help characterizing in few Words.

The Brethren's grand Topic in their Hymns, as every on may fee, is the Perfon and Propitiation of Jefus Chrift: the collect, as in the Focus of a Burning glafs, what has defcend ed to them from paft Ages, or properly from the Bible itfel upon this Head; and that it may not be evaded under t! Notion of dicta ardentia. they prefent it in a Syftem, and a ply that Syftem to Practice. They affirm our free Accep ance with God as Sinners, and thro' pure Grace; and ye the Neceffity of, and powerful Affiftances for, a most re Holiness of Life afterwards: with fuch a Warmth upon eac

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