The English hymn : its development and use in worship

Front matter

^YOFPRIIVC?^ lOGICAL SEVi\

Benson, Louis F. 1855-1930

LOUIS F. BENSON

Preface

It will be a part of our present task to show how relatively modern a practice the singing of hymns is in the Churches of our English tongue, and with what struggle they won their place. To love hymns in eighteenth century Scotland was to be accused of heresy; in England it was to be convicted of that worse thing, "enthusiasm." "I gave her privately a crown," wrote Dr. Johnson of a girl who came to the sacrament in a bed-gown, "though I saw Hart's hymns in her hand."^ What seemed memorable to that kind heart was not his act of charity, but his having surmounted on the occasion a churchman's rooted prejudice against hymns. They bore the stamp of a clamorous dissent, and it took the attrition of a protracted circulation to rub off that mark. Not till after the middle of the nineteenth century did the English Hymn win the general esteem which Germany had given to her hymns since the Reformation.

To our literary critics it bears the mark of dissent still, and they find it irksome to give to hymns the attention so cheerfully bestowed on folk-poetry, ballads and lullabies. Remembering that Cowper sometimes "reaches the simplicity of greatness," says Dr. Schelling in his study of the English Lyric,^ "we may accept . . . even the 'Olney Hymns,' though we need not read them." For Watts, whose noble hymn, "Our God, our Help in ages past," a million Englishmen are singing with voices broken by the strain of war, and for the Wesley s, whose songs might almost be said to have deflected the current of English history, the most that our critic is able to do, as he passes on his singing way, is to accord them "the respect that

^Prayers and Meditations, Easter day, 1764: Works of Johnson, Oxford, 1825, vol. ix, p. 221.

Telix E. Schelling, The English Lyric, Boston, 1913, p. 139.

V vi PREFACE

honest devotional effort (even when versified) should properly inspire." ^

We also, as best we may, shall have to consider in its natural historical connections the question of the relations to literature of an English Hymnody that has proved so virile. Indeed, the literature of power, whether a Wesley's for the upbuilding of a Kingdom or a Kipling's for the buttressing of an empire, is ever an unchartered libertine. It will sometimes preach, while it pretends to sing, and even tread on a critical canon or two as it hews its way to men's hearts.

Just now we are not defending hymns but alleging the circumstances making it inevitable that anything in the line of a serious study of the English Hymn should be so long deferred, and that our English Hymnology should lag so far behind the German. Daniel Sedgwick, a self-taught second-hand bookseller of London (1814-1879), was actually the first collector of the hymn books, and to his little shop in Sun-street, Bishopsgate, used to resort so many of the editors as cared enough for the hymns they were handling to inquire into their authorship and text. And yet in a scientific age the collection and study of old psalm and hymn books, which are the remains and record of the spiritual life of contemporaneous Christians, would seem just as rational as the collection and classification of fossil shells, which are the remains and record of the animal life of contemporaneous mollusca. "Really it has awakened," wrote a reader of one of the ensuing chapters, "the suspicion that there is no better point of view from which to study the development and the reactions of Christian belief than that offered by Hymnody. This is not strange; for after all beliefs of the first rate in influence receive and, I have the impression, always have received their best and final embodiment in poetry and especially lyric poetry."

Once begun the serious study of English Hymns has proceeded rapidly enough. In the eighth edition of the

PREFACE

Vll

Encyclopedia Britannica the whole subject of Hymns covered only two pages, which in the ninth edition expanded to eighteen. And by 1892 a considerable company of investigators made possible the publication of Dr. John Julian's A Dictionary of Hymnology; since when the sources and history of most of our hymns (though not their text) have been rescued from what in many cases was a very teasing obscurity.

In recognition of the new study, and with a venturous hope of contributing to its advancement. The Faculty of The Theological Seminary at Princeton in 1903 invited the present writer to deliver a course of lectures on the L. P. Stone Foundation upon a subject connected with Hymnology. He decided, with their approval, to go back to the very beginnings of Congregational Song in that branch of the Church with which the Seminary is allied, and to trace the origins, development and decline of the practice of singing metrical Psalm versions which became the characteristic feature of worship in the Reformed Churches of various tongues. The lectures, were delivered in February, 1907, under the title, "The Psalmody of the Reformed Churches." ^

Soon afterward an invitation came for a second course of lectures. And it seemed natural to resume the history of Congregational Song at the point where the former course had left it, and to take up the subsequent or hymn singing period in the Churches that most concern us, those that speak our English tongue. The second course was delivered in February, 1910, under the title, "The Hymnody of the English-speaking Churches." This second course of lectures was reconstructed and rewritten to a larger scale, and printed in The Princeton Theological Review in the July number of 19 10 and during the years 191 2- 191 4. Once more revised and partly rewritten in the unending struggle

'Of these the first, upon the Psalmody of the Calvinistic Reformation, was printed with additions in The Journal of The Presbyterian Historical Society for March, June, and September, 1909.

viii PREFACE

after accuracy, expanded and rounded out in an attempt to cover the entire field, they form the contents of the present volume.

The change in the title of the book from that of the lectures is made for the sake of lucidity. It implies no change in the theme, the point of view, or the method of treatment; and it is as well that these should be set forth as clearly as may be. There are of course more ways than one of treating the English Hymn historically. The most obvious is to take up the writers of hymns chronologically, to group them in periods, and to treat their lives and writings consecutively. This is to deal with Hymnody as a minor branch of lyrical poetry, and to apply to it the familiar method of the "Manual of English Literature." The method is handy and gives us a conspectus of hymn writing that for some purposes is useful. Nevertheless the fact that most hymn writers are studiously ignored in the manuals of English Literature themselves seems to suggest either that the theme is a very insignificant one or else that something is wanting in the manner of its presentation.

The truth is that if the methods of the literary historian are not misapplied to Hymnody, they are at least inadequate. A hymn may or may not happen to be literature ; in any case it is something more. Its sphere, its motive, its canons and its use are different. It belongs with the things of the spirit, in the sphere of religious experience and communion with God. Its special sphere is worship, and its fundamental relations are not literary but liturgical. Of all definitions of the Hymn that which claims least for it best defines it: — it is liturgical verse. In the daily service book of the old Latin Church the Hymniis was the versified part of the Divine Office, and our democratic ideals of worship have changed neither its definition^ nor function.

°To apply the word Hymn to some strangely interlaced passages of rhythmical prose in the service books of the Greek Church, and to the prose Te Deum and canticles of the English Prayer Book, is convenient but need not be misleading. We speak of the "prose poems" of a Carlyle w^ithout affecting the definition of poetry.

PREFACE ix

The English Hymn gains its historical significance and its present importance from its inclusion in the hymnal that is put into the hands of the people as the authorized vehicle of their common praise in our Protestant Churches. And the whole body of hymns that have been or are so included constitutes "The Hymnody of the English-speaking Churches."

This point of view is sedulously maintained in the present book, and determines its method. Hymnody is regarded as the later phase of Protestant Church Song. We shall endeavor to show how far the Hymn was from the mind of Churches given over to the custom of psalm singing, and how as that mind was turning toward hymns, they began to shape themselves out of devotional poetry on the one hand and metrical psalms on the other; how one strong will took control of the situation, fixed the definite type of the English Hymn, and engineered a movement to introduce it into public worship. We shall follow the fortunes of this movement and also study the development of the Hymn itself, as with succeeding generations fresh minds came to deal with it and new religious and literary forces and influences successively played upon it.

Our special concern is to follow down the main stream of Hymnody and of hymn singing from its springs to its present fulness. But no by-stream of Hymnody has been consciously neglected. Some of these denominational hymnodies are no more than canals cut to carry the waters of the main stream to a new territory, but others are inlets through which new springs enrich the main current. In any case they are of interest to the dwellers along their shores ; and we have set up sign-boards at the various points of junction so that readers intent to follow the main stream need not be diverted.

It will be evident that for the purposes of such a study the hymn books in actual use in the different Churches at various times become our principal sources, and that they, with the proceedings of the authoritative bodies in the

X PREFACE

several denominations and the lives and works of the hymn writers, constitute the materials which we have to handle. The recovery of, these materials, notably of the hymn books, from the litter of the past is no light task; and it is only after twenty-five years of assiduous collecting that the present writer has ventured to bring his studies to so much of a conclusion as is here attained. He can at least aver that he has dealt with his sources at first hand.

With this understanding of the importance attached to hymn books, it will seem natural that the full titles of so many of them should be run into the text as a part of the narrative rather than relegated to a "bibliography." It may be that these, together with an abundance of foot-notes, appear to be so many snags in the course of fluent reading. But to an inquiring mind foot-notes are likely to prove the better part of a book; and even the gentle reader should learn to accept them as a pledge of good faith. Many books would never have been printed had their authors felt obliged to disclose their sources and authorities. It might too be urged that foot-notes, used judiciously, serve to relieve the narrative from an ever impending dulness; and dulness is a fault which author and reader might well conspire to be rid of at any cost save the sacrifice of precision: for inaccuracy is more than a fault, it is a sin.

If the writer were more confident of having pursued a way, in part untrodden, in the spirit of wholesome scholarship, he would have liked to dedicate his book to the reverend and learned Faculty of The Theological Seminary at Princeton, whose sympathy and encouragement helped toward its undertaking and have acted as a spur to its completion.

March, ipi5.

Chapter I The Evolution Of The English Hymn Page

I. Introductory: Psalmody and Hymnody 19

1. Early Religious Lyrics in English 19

2. Congregational Song as a Church Ordinance 20

3. Psalmody and Hymnody as Rival Systems of Congrega-

tional Song 21

4. The English-speaking Peoples become Psalm Singers .... 25

II. The Hymns appended to the Metrical Psalters (1561-1635)

NOT the Nucleus of an English Hymnody 26

1. The Hymns Appended to the English Psalter 27

2. The Hymns Appended to the Scottish Psalter 32

III. The Promise of an English Hymnody by Translating the

OLD Latin Church Hymns (1538-1559) fails 37

IV. The Evolution of the English Hymn from the Metrical

Psalm 45

(i) By way of improving its literary character 46

(2) By accommodating its contents to present circumstances . 51

(3) By extending the principle of Paraphrase to other parts

of the Bible 55

V. The Evolution of the English Hymn from Devotional

Poetry 63

1. Lack of the Hymnic Motive in pre-Restoration Poets,

except Wither 63

2. The new Hymn Writing (1664-1693): the Predecessors of

Watts 68

Chapter II The Liturgical Use Of English Hymns

I. The Denominational Divisions of Church Song at the

Restoration (1660) 73

II. John Playford leads a movement to introduce Hymn

Singing in the Reestablished Church (1671-1708).. 75

III. Richard Baxter leads a movement to introduce Hymns _^^

among the Ejected Presbyterians (1661-1708) (82}

IV. The Attitude of the Separatists 91

1. The General Baptists oppose "Promiscuous Singing". ... 91

2. The Society of Friends excludes "Conjoint Singing" 94

xi xii CONTENTS

PAGE

3. Benjamin Keach introduces Hymns among the Particular

Baptists 96

4. The Independents join with the Presbyterians in intro-

ducing Hymns loi

CHAPTER HI DOCTOR WATTS' "RENOVATION OF PSALMODY" I. His Proposal of an Evangelical "System of Praise" (1707). 108 II. His Fulfilment: "Watts's Psalms and Hymns" 113

III. His Success: The Era of Watts 122

I. In England 122

1. He dominates the worship of the Independents. . . 122

2. His ascendency over the Presbyterians terminates in

a Unitarian Hymnody 130

3. His ascendency over the Baptists leads up to a

Homiletical Hymnody 142

II. In Scotland 147

1. His Influence : the "Translations and Paraphrases"

(1745-1781) 147

2. Early Scottish Hymn Singing 154

CHAPTER IV DR. WATTS' "RENOVATION OF PSALMODY" (Continued)

IV. His Success: The Era of Watts in America 161

I. The Congregationalists (1735-1834) 161

1. The Great Awakening turns the Churches to his

Evangelical "System of Praise" 161

2. An American School of Church Music 169

3. The Liberals compile "Non-Trinitarian" Hymn

II. The Presbyterians (1739-1827) 177

1. "New Side" Churches venture to sing Watts' "Im-

itations" 177

2. The Great "Psalmody Controversy" 186

3. Hymn Singing under the new (1788) "Directory

for Worship" 191

1. Their gradual Adoption of Watts' "Psalms and

Hymns" 196

2. Obstacles to Watts' Ascendency 198

(i) Their desire for denominational Hynm Books 198 (2) Their predilection for "Spiritual Songs". . . 201

V. His Influence upon the English Hymn 205

He was not "the Inventor of Hymns in our Language". . . . 205

CONTENTS xili

PAGE

But established a definite type of Congregational Hymn .... 207

Its sphere — the Common Ground of Experience 207

Its form — evolved from the Metrical Psalm 207

Its content — not the paraphrase of Scripture but an evangelical response to it 208

VI. His Influence upon Hymn Writing: the School of Watts 210

VII. His Influence upon Hymn Singing 216

He led in the establishment of Congregational Hymn Singing in the stead of Psalm Singing 216

/ CHAPTER V

'' THE HYMNODY OF THE METHODIST REVIVAL

-- I. Its Antecedents and Beginnings (1721-1738) 219 '

- - I. John Wesley aims to uplift Parochial Psalmody 219 ■ %/i^ ^

2. The Moravians reveal to him the spiritual potentiality

of the Hymn 223

3. He makes Hymn Books as a missionary, and as an asso-

ciate of Moravians 225

si II. The Methodist Hymnody (i 739-1904) 228

1. The "Movement," and Charles Wesley as its Poet 228

2. Hymn Books for "The People called Methodists" 235

III. The Methodist Singing 239

1. John Wesley as Music-master 239

2. The new Type of Congregational Song 241

■^ IV. The Part of the Wesleys in the Development of the

English Hymn 244

1. Their great enrichment of Hymnody: by writing, trans-

lating, and editing 244

2. Their Modification of the Ideal of the Hymn 247

(1) The Evangelistic Hymn T^AT^)

(2) The fervid Hymn of Individual Experience ^^2^

(3) The Churchly Hymn 251

(4) The new Poetic Standard of Hymnody 252

V. The Wesleyan Hymns in the Church at Large 255

The fervid Hymn singing does not spread into the Churches. 256

Obstacles to the Diffusion of the Hymns 256

(i) The body of the Hymns ill-adapted to general use. . . 257 (2) The "Reproach of Methodism" precludes a general

knowledge of them 257

/ CHAPTER VI

* THE HYMNODY OF THE METHODIST REVIVAL (Continued)

VI. The Moravian Hymnody 262

I. After the Breach with Wesley the Moravians develop an

eccentric Hymnody (1741-1754) 262 xiv CONTENTS

PAGE

2. Wesley repudiates it (1749) 267

3. The Normal Period of Moravian Hymnody (1789-1901). 270

VII. Deflexions of Methodist Song after Wesley's Death. . . 274

(i) The Methodist New Connexion (1796) 275

(2) Primitive Methodists (1809) 275

(3) United Methodist Free Churches (1827) 278

(4) Bible Christians (1819) 279

VIII. The Hymnody of American Methodism 280

1. Wesley's effort to control it (1784) 280

2. The Struggle between "Mr. Wesley's Hymns" and Pop-

3. A New Type: The Camp Meeting Hymn (1800) (Chris-

tians and Cumberland Presbyterians) 291

4. Efforts to reinstate and to modernize the Wesleyan

IX. Diverging Currents of American Methodist Hymnody. . . 305

(i) The Reformed Methodist Church (18 14) 305

(2) The Methodist Society (1820) 306

(3) The African Methodist Episcopal Church (18 18) 306

(4) Methodist Protestants (1830) 307

(5) Wesleyan Methodists and Free Methodists (1843) 310

(6) Review of American Methodist Hymnody 310

Appendix — (7) The United Brethren in Christ (1826- 1890) 312

(8) The Evangelical Association (1834-1877) 314

\ CHAPTER VII

■■ THE HYMNODY OF THE EVANGELICAL REVIVAL

^ I. In Whitefield's Circle (i74i-i;7o) 315

II. In Lady Huntingdon's Connexion (1764-1865) 319

III. Some By-Streams of the Hymnody (1748-1808) 325

IV. In the Church of England (1760-1819) 328

1. Introduction of Hymn Singing by the early Evangelicals

(1760-1776) 328

2. "Olney Hymns" (1779) fills out the Type of the Evan-

gelical Hymn 336

3. Movements to introduce Hymns in the main body of the

(1) The Stand-fasts 340

(2) The less extreme Conservatives 341

(3) Hymn Books for private use 342

(4) Hymn Books of the London Charities 343

(5) Hymns within the covers of the Prayer Book 345

4. The Period of Compromise: "Psalms and Hymns" in

Parish Churches (1785-1819) 349

CONTENTS XV

CHAPTER VIII - THE EVANGELICAL HYMNODY IN AMERICA

PAGE

I. Its adoption delayed by various causes 358

II. Its use by the Baptists 361

1. Its early welcome among Regular Baptists (1790-1850). . 361

2. Diverging currents of Baptist Hymnody 366

(i) Freewill Baptists (1797) 366

(3) The Mennonites 368

(4) The Church of God (1825) 369

(5) The Disciples of Christ (1827) 370

III. Making its way into Congregational and Presbyterian

Churches 372

1. The Era of Revival (1790-1832): "Village Hymns" 372

2. The Era of Compromise (1828-1857): "Psahns and

Hymns" 380

(i) Presbyterian Psalms and Hymns (1831) 380

(2) Old school Psalms and Hymns (1843) 382

(3) New school Psalms and Hymns (1843) 383

(4) Presbyterian Hymnody in the '40's 386

(5) Congregationalist Psalms and Hymns (1836-1845). 388

IV. Hymn Singing in the Protestant Episcopal Church 390

1. The Beginning of Hymn Singing (1786) 390

2. The Evangelical Period (1789-1858) 396

V. English Hymns IN the Reformed Dutch Church (1767- 1 868) 402

VI. English Hymns in the German Reformed Church (1800-

858) 408

VII. English Hymns in the Lutheran Church (1756-1859) 410

VIII. Diverse Currents of Hymnody 420

1. Early Universalist Hymns (1776-1849) 421

2. Swedenborgian Hymnody (1792- 1830) 426

CHAPTER IX

-THE HYMNODY OP THE ROMANTIC MOVEMENT

I. The Literary Hymn 435

II. Reginald Heber's Romantic Hymnal (1827) 437

III. The Literary Movement in England 443

I. In the Church of England 443

1. It is overshadowed by the Liturgical Movement. . . 443

2. A later Literary School (1862-1899) 446 xvi CONTENTS

PAGE

II. James Martineau provides Unitarians with a "Poetry

of pure Devotion" (1840) 449

III. The Baptists cHng to a Homiletical Hymnody (1827-

1879) 451

IV. The Enrichment of Congregationahst Hymnody 453

1. The Ministers of Leeds break the Watts tradition

(1853) 453

2. The Rivulet Controversy (1856) 454

3. The Advance toward Heber's Ideal: Loss and

IV. The Literary Movement in America 460

I. "Songs of the Liberal Faith" 460

1. A notable series of Hymn Books (i 830-1 864). . . . 460

2. Unitarian Hymnody (1830-1864) 468

3. Modern Tendencies (1861-1894) 47o

II. The Enrichment of Congregationalist and Presbyterian Hymnody is left to private enterprise . 473

1. Henry Ward Beecher leads the movement for Con-

gregational Singing (1851) 473

2. The Enrichment of Hymnody for Homiletical Ends

(1855-1858) 474

3. The New Type of Church Hymnal (1855) 477

4. Dr. Robinson's popular Hymnals (1862-1875). . . . 478 III. Other Denominations follow the Unitarian Lead. 480

1. "The Christian Hymn Book" (1863) 480

2. The new Universalist Hymnody (1846- 1895) 481

vl V. The Offset: The "Gospel Hymn" (1851 to date) 482

CHAPTER X THE HYMNODY OF THE OXFORD REVIVAL

I. It dominates the Church of England 493

1. The Movement to restore the "primitive" Church Hymnody (1833) 493

2. The Result: the Liturgical Hymn 497

3. Early Tractarian Hymnals: John Mason Neale (1836- 1858) 500

4. The Emergence of "Hymns Ancient and Modern" (1861) 506

5. The AngHcan Hymnody and Church Music 514

II. Oxford Influences on the Hymnody of English Dissent. . 522

1. Liturgical Ideals in Congregationalist and Baptist Worship (1861-1900) 522

2. The Presbyterians enrich Anglican Music (1866) 525

3. Catholic Apostolic Hymnody (1864) 528

4. Swedenborgian Hymnody (1790- 1880) 529

CONTENTS xvii

PAGE

III. Oxford Influences in Scotland and Ireland: Presby-

terian Hymn Singing 530

1. The Changes in United Presbyterian Hymnody( 1 848- 1 877) 530

2. The Hymnody of the Kirk falls into the hands .of the

Liturgical Party (1845-1885) 531

3. The Free Church remodels its Hymn Book (1882) 536

4. Scottish Hymn Writing 537

5. Unauthorized Hymn Singing by Irish Presbyterians (1830-

1894) 539

6. The movement for a Common Hymnal yields to Oxford

IV. Oxford Influences on American Hymnody 543

1. The Appeal of the Latin Hyirm (1840-1861) 543

2. Hymns Ancient and Modern in the Protestant Episcopal

3. The Liturgical Controversy in the German Reformed

4. The new Reformed Dutch Hymnody (i 868-1 891) 550

5. Hymns Ancient and Modern in the Presbyterian Church

(186^1895) 551

6. A new type of Congregationalist Hymnal (1887-1893) . . . 557

7. The Baptists maintain the Homiletical Type till the Cen-

tury's End 558

8. The Lutherans develop a churchly Hymnody (1863-1899). 560

9. Anglican Hymnody accommodated to the "New Church"

(1863-1911) 563

CHAPTER XI TWENTIETH CENTURY HYMNODY

I. The Influences that have moulded it 565

II. How far affected by modern evangelism 567

III. Its more exacting literary standard 567

IV. Its reversion to a motive more strictly devotional 570

V. Its Theology 574

1 . Changing religious thought makes this a Period of Revision. 574

2. The New Theology demands a new Hymnody 578

VI. The Hymnody of Social Democracy 584

Index 59^

Chapter I The Evolution Of The English Hymn I

INTRODUCTORY: PSALMODY AND HYMNODY

I. Early Religious Lyrics in English

There were English hymns long before the Reformation. Carol singing was brought over from France at a very early date, and by the Xlllth century the Norman carols began to give way to those in English, often retaining the French refrain, and introducing Latin lines taken mostly from the church service. The Carol was devoted especially to rehearsing the events of the Nativity, but it passed into spiritual lullabies and the Complaint of Mary, or of Christ, on the one hand, and into secular songs of the feasts and sports of Yule-tide on the other. Not carols only but a variety of religious and ethical songs mingled freely with those of an amorous or convivial or humorous sort, sung in the markets, ale-houses and halls, and through the country side, by the wandering minstrels, themselves often in minor orders of the Church. Beside these were the less homely hymns to Christ and the Virgin, and more or less mystical devotional verses, such as were written in the monasteries.

These early effusions must be classed as hymns, in our familiar use of that word to designate religious lyrics. But hymns, in the stricter sense of "church song" or "liturgical verse," they were not in fact or in the minds of the clerks who composed them; to whom a "Hymn" meant the stanzas appointed to be read or sung in the Office for the day, of course in the Latin language. The early religious lyrics 19 have a very real interest of their own, and are doubtless worthy of more attention than they have as yet received.^ But their connection with the English Hymnody afterwards to be developed as the Church Song of Protestantism is of the slightest. They did not furnish a foundation for that Hymnody or give any promise of its coming. The nearest approach to a bond of connection is found in the Christmas Carol, which before the Reformation was allowed to be sung in parish churches in conjunction with Christmas festivities, and which, rather by revival than survival, is making its way into Protestant Church Hymnody.

But between this modern Church Hymnody and the old religious English lyrics lies the deep chasm of the Reformation, with its breach in church order, and the fresh start on the Protestant side, under democratic ideals of worship, of a people singing songs in their own tongue. The Latin Hymn sung by the choir is the expression of the old order and ideals; the Congregational Hymn sung by the people in the vernacular is equally typical of the new.

2. Congregational Song as a Church Ordinance

The Congregational Hymn is thus distinctively the child of the Reformation, and indeed its paternity is quite commonly ascribed to Luther himself. Such ascription is not in accordance with the facts. The singing of religious songs by the people began to play its part in different localities on the continent of Europe, with the first stirring of the new life in the Western Church that culminated in the Reformation of the XVIth century. With the gathering

'Prof. F. M. Padelford's chapter on "Transition English Song Collections" in The Cambridge History of English Literature, vol. ii, 1908, was something of a novelty in such a connection. The appended bibliography includes many of the printed sources of the songs. For the Carol, see Edmondstoune Duncan, The Story of the Carol, London, 191 1 ; and Thos. Helmore in Julian's Dictionary of Hymnology, London, 2nd ed., 1907, art. "Carols," and supplement, p. 1619, of the followers of John Hus in Bohemia into congregations, popular song becomes definitely Congregational Song, A vernacular Hymnody of considerable proportions was created by the Hussites, and provided with suitable melodies. These hymns and tunes were embodied in books designed for the worshippers' hands rather than for the choir. Thus the congregational hymn-book of the modern type had its origin, and congregational singing of hymns took its place as a recognized part of the new kind of worship. ^

The foundations of Congregational Song as a church ordinance were therefore laid before the beginnings of the Reformation in Germany under Luther and in Switzerland under Calvin. Congregational Song must be regarded as the liturgical expression of principles common to Protestantism, that were embodied in Lutheranism and Calvinism alike. It is of course true that Congregational Song received a great impulse and development from Luther's hands, and that his work in establishing it claims the priority over Calvin's, upon whom Luther's success doubtless exercised marked influence. But Congregational Song cannot be rightly regarded as the distinctive possession of either system, nor can it be fairly claimed that the one reformer showed more zeal in establishing it than the other.

3. Psalmody and Hymnody as Rival Systems of Congregational Song

We have now to note and to explain the fact that while congregational singing was as much a feature of the new Protestantism in England and Scotland as in Germany, it nevertheless happened that German Protestantism proceeded at once to develop a rich German Hymnody, whereas there was no English Hymnody in any effective sense until the

'The earliest recorded hymn book of the Bohemian Brethren bears the date 1505. For their Hymnody see Edmund de Schweinitz, The History of the Church known as The Unitas Fratrum, 2nd ed., Bethlehem, Pa., 1901 ; and J. T. Mueller in Julian's Dictionary of Hymnology, art. "Bohemian Hymnody."

XVnith century. It happened so in brief because the Churches in England and Scotland in arranging for the participation of the people in the service of praise, adopted the model set up by Calvin in Geneva as over against that set up by Luther. The practical effect of this was, in a word, that both the English and Scottish Churches became psalm singers as distinguished from hymn singers. The Metrical Psalm was thus the substitute for the Hymn in England and Scotland, and became the effective obstacle to the production and use of English hymns.

To understand the ground of this supremacy of the Psalm, and the suppression of the Hymn involved in it, we must go back to the minds of the two great leaders of the Reformation, antagonistic as they were in temperament and taste and divided in many matters of principle. Their diverse points of view are nowhere more conspicuous than in their conceptions of Protestant worship ; and among other issues thus raised was one regarded by each as of great impractical importance, — What shall the people be permitted and encouraged to sing in public worship ? / In reconstructing the musical side of church worship two /proclivities of his own strongly influenced Luther. One" was his love for the old German folk-song, for social singing and for the music of the household and family. The other was his affectionate regard for the ritual of the old Church, especially the Latin hymns which for many centuries had made a part of the Daily Office. The utility of their metrical form was obvious. And the fact that hymns were free compositions, not confined to Scriptural paraphrase, constituted no objection to them in Luther's mind, but on the other hand suggested an opportunity of filling the Hymn-Form with the doctrines and inspirations of the new evangel. Luther adopted without hesitation the Metrical Hymn of human composition as a permanent element of his cultus. And he provided German hymns set to suitable tunes, and put the hymn books into the hands of the people. From the beginning, therefore,