in the same manner twelve, besides the previous two, have been taken from the series, then too little known, of Bishop Heber. Four from Milman, and two more from Grant might also have escaped attention at that time, though already public. Eight extracted from the sacred poetry of Keble; nine from that of Lyte; five from that of our own Croswell; three from Brydges, a glowing writer of the Romish communion; six from Kelly; three from Bonar; three from Conder; three from Edmeston ; two from Bishop Doane; two from Baptist Noel; one from Bowring; many bearing names less known; and almost all of more than fifty which are anonymous, could probably never have come under notice if they even existed thirty years since. Five simple Moravian Hymns are drawn from sources which certainly were not then consulted. Forty translations of Latin Hymns are almost all of recent publication. Sixteen from the German are equally recent. Thus is the present collection made up; and such are its relations to that which forms our established Book of Hymns. The principles and grounds of selection could be no other than scriptural truth, devout feeling, ecclesiastical solemnity, poetic beauty, popular estimation, and adaptation to musical harmony. It is a necessity, of course, that there should be frequent curtailments. In the delicate task of change for the sake of emendation, little has been attempted beyond a compliance with the rules of rhyme, rhythm, and grammatical, rhetorical, and doctrinal correctness. The original text has been followed, wherever a deviation was not more than justified. But a Hymn for the use of the Church of Christ is not a literary production, in which the reputation of the author is to be chiefly regarded. The work of preparing a volume like this must needs be delightful, but also not a little laborious. Many hours of solitary study, and not a few days of protracted conference, have been given to results which will only be apparent, if at all, in the absence of certain faults and blemishes. The greatness of the end, if it could indeed be reached, was almost beyond exaggeration; to furnish harmonious words to the devotion of hearts united in the communion of the saints. For this it was necessary that personal preferences should be yielded; that earthly divisions should be forgotten; and that those strains should command the ear and heart, which in every part of our land, in every congregation of our Church, in every order of minds to which the faith once delivered to the saints is dear, might be the chosen utterance of humble and intelligent piety. It cannot be too much to hope and believe, that a collection so large as this, and made on these principles, must, together with the Prayer-book collection, embrace almost all the choicest metrical Hymns in our language. Some may have been included, which the judgment of other compilers would have rejected; but it is scarcely possible that many should be absent which would have been secure of general approval. The persons who have undertaken the labour involved in the preparation of this book, and who must be responsible for the execution, are the Right Rev. Bishop Burgess, of Maine; the Rev. Dr. Muhlenberg, of New York; the Rev. Dr. Howe, of Pennsylvania; the Rev. Dr. Coxe, of Maryland; and Professor Wharton, of Kenyon College. They have been materially aided by the counsel and help of the Right Rev. Bishops Potter and Bowman, of Pennsylvania, the Rev. Dr. Andrews, of Virginia, and the Rev. John F. Young, of New York. The book is now commended to the blessing of GOD, the FATHER, the SON, and the HOLY GHOST; whose praises it would utter in every line. MAY, 1860. THE HOLY SCRIPTURES. HYMN 1. L. M. TH HE heavens declare Thy glory, Lord; 2 The rolling sun, the changing light, And nights and days Thy power confess; But the blest volume Thou hast writ, Reveals Thy justice and Thy grace. 3 Sun, moon, and stars, convey Thy praise Round the whole earth, and never stand; So when thy truth began its race, It touch'd and glanced on every land. 4 Thy noblest wonders here we view HYMN 2. L. M. THE starry firmament on high, 2 The hopes that holy word supplies, 3 Almighty Lord! the sun shall fail, 4 But fixed for everlasting years, HYMN 3. C. M. W Majestic, like the sun, THAT glory gilds the sacred page! It gives a light to every age; It gives, but borrows none. 2 The power that gave it still supplies |