obvious. If the verse appears fo gentle and flowing as to incur the cenfure of feeblenefs, I may honeftly affirm that fometimes it cost me labour to make it fo: fome of the beauties of pocfy are neglected, and fome wilfully defaced. I have thrown out the lines that were too fonorous, and have given an allay to the verfe, left a more exalted turn of thought or language fhould darken or disturb the devotion of the weakest fouls. But hence it comes to pafs that I have been forced to lay afide many Hymns after they were finifhed, and utterly exclude them from this volume, becaufe of the bolder figures of speech that crowded themselves into the verse, and a more unconfined variety of number, which I could not easily restrain.

Thefe, with many other divine and moral compofures, are now printed in a fecond edition of the poems entitled Hora Lyrice; for as in that book I have endeavoured to please and profit the politer part of mankind without offending the plainer fort of Chriftians, fo in this it has been my labour to promote the pious entertainments of fouls truly ferious, even of the meanest capacity, and at the fame time if poffible not to give difguft to perfons of richer fenfe and nicer education; and I hope in the prefent volume this end will appear to be pursued with much greater happiness than in the first impreffion of it, though the world affures me the former has not much reafon to complain.

The whole is divided into Three Books.

In the first I have borrowed the fense and much of the form of the fong from fonie particular portions of fcripture, and have paraphrased mofl of the doxologics in The New Teftament that contain any thing in them peculiarly evangelical, and many parts of The Old Teftament alfo that have a reference to the times of the Meffiah. In thefe I expect to be often cenfured for a too religious obfervance of the words of fcripture, whereby the verfe is weakened and debafed according to the judgment of the criticks; but as my whole defign was to aid the devotion of Chriftians, fo more efpecially in this part; and I am fatisfied I fhall hereby attain two ends, namely, affift the worship of all ferious minds, to whom the expreffions of fcripture are ever dear and delightful, and gratify the taste and inclination of thofe who think nothing must be fung unto God but the tranflations of his own word. Yet you will always find in this paraphrafe dark expreffions enlightened, and the Levitical ceremonies and Hebrew forms of Speech changed into the worthip of the gofpel, and explained in the language of our time and nation; and what would not bear fuch an alteration is omitted and laid afide. After this manner fhould I rejoice to fee a good part of the book of Pfalms fitted for the ufe of our churches, and David converted into a Christian: but becaufe I cannot perfuade others

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to attempt this glorious work, I have suffered myself to be perfuaded to begin it, and have through divine goodnefs already proceeded half way through.

The fecond part coufifts of Hymns whofe form is of mere human compofure; but I hope the fenfe and materials will always appear divine, I might have brought fome text or other and applied it to the margin of every verse, if this method had been as ufeful as it was eafy. If there be any poems in the book that are capable of giving delight to perfons of a more refined tafte and polite education, perhaps they may be found in this part; but except they lay afide the humour of criticism, and enter into a devout frame, every ode here already despairs of pleasing. I confefs myself to have been too often tempted away from the more fpiritual defigns i propofed by fome gay and flowery expreffions that gratified the fancy; the bright images too often prevailed above the fire of divine affection, and the light exceeded the heat; yet I hope in many of them the reader will find that devotion dictated the fong, and the head and hand were nothing but interpreters and fecretaries to the heart; nor is the magnificence or boldness of the figures comparable to that divine licence which is found in the eighteenth and fixty-eighth Pfalms, feveral chapters of Job, and other poetical parts of fcripture and in this refpect I may hope to escape the reproof of thofe who pay a facred reverence to The Holy Bible.

Volume 111.

B

I have prepared the third part only for the cele bration of The Lord's Supper, that in imitation of our bleffed Saviour we might fing an hymn after we have partaken of the bread and wine. Here you will find fome paraphrafes of fcripture and fome other compofitions. There are above an hundred hymns in the two former parts that may very properly be used in this ordinance, and fometimes perhaps appear more fuitable than any of thefe laft; but there are expreffions generally ufed in these which confine them only to the table of the Lord, and therefore I have distinguished and fet them by themselves.

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If the Lord who inhabits the praises of Ifrael fhall refufe to fmile upon this attempt for the reformation of pfalmody amongst the churches, yet I humbly hope that his bleffed Spirit will make these compofures ufeful to private Chriftians; and if they may but attain the honour of being efteemed pious meditations to allift the devout and the retired foul in the exercises of love, faith, and joy, it will be a valuable compensation of my labours, my heart fhall rejoice at the notice of it, and my God fhall receive the glory. This was my hope and vow in the first publication, and it is now my duty to acknowledge to him with thankfulness how ufeful he has made these Compofitions already to the comfort and edification of focieties and of private perfons; and upon the fame grounds I have a better

profpect and a bigger hope of much more fervice to the church by the large improvements of this edition, if the Lord who dwells in Sion fhall favour it with his continued bleffing.

Note, "In all the longer hymns, and in fome of the faorter, there are feveral flanzas included in crotchets thus [], which stanzas may be left out in finging without disturbing the fenfe. Those parts are "alfo included in fuch crotchets which contain words

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too poetical for meaner understandings, or too par"ticular for whole congregations, to fing. But after "all it is best in publick pfalmody for the minister to "chufe the particular parts and verses of the pfalm or 'hymn that is to be fung, rather than leave it to the 'judgment or cafual determination of him that leads "the tune."

Note," Since the fixth edition of this book the Au"thor has finished what he had fo long promifed, "viz. The Pfalms of David imitated in the language "of The New Testament, which the world feems to "have received with approbation, by the fale of fome "thousands in a year's time. It is prefumed that that "book, in conjunction with this, may appear to be "fuch a fufficient provifion for pfalmody as to an"fwer most occafions of the Christian life; and if an