Communion Seasons and Tokens in Early American Presbyterianism

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What has been like a revelation to me in my research was, finding out the extensive use of Tokens in the United States. All the early Presbyterian churches appear to have used them. — Robert Shiells, The Story of the Token as Belonging to the Sacrament of the Lord's Supper (1891), p. 150

Colonial American Presbyterianism, utilizing the Westminster Directory of Presbyterian Worship until 1788, relied much on Scottish Presbyterian traditions which included both communion seasons and tokens. These important features of simple Presbyterian worship were also associated with notable revivals, including both the Great Awakening and the Second Great Awakening. “The communion seasons in Virginia, as wherever the Presbyterian Church was planted, were seasons of revival.” (Mary McWhorter Tenney, Communion Tokens: Their Origin, History, and Use (1936), p. 87). Leigh Eric Schmidt writes:

With the transplantation of Presbyterianism to the American colonies came Old World ways of organizing worship and devotion. The sacramental occasion, as one of the most prominent features of the evangelical Presbyterian tradition, was soon re-created in America. In New England, for example, enclaves of Presbyterian immigrants almost immediately staged sacramental occasions fully reminiscent of Scotland and Ulster….

In the middle colonies, where Presbyterian immigration was much heavier than in New England, sacramental occasions were proportionally larger and more pronounced. The communion seasons — prevalent, powerful, and well attended — figured prominently in the religious life of the Presbyterian immigrants throughout the region [Schmidt, Holy Fairs: Scottish Communions and American Revivals in the Early Modern Period (1989), pp. 53-54].

Julius Melton also notes this important feature of early American Presbyterian worship as well as its transatlantic nature:

One especially prominent aspect of the Presbyterian’s worship experience in the colonies was the “sacramental season.” This was the practice, inherited from Scotland, of placing the infrequent celebrations of the Lord’s Supper within a series of services — days of fasting, sermons, examination of communicants and singing for which crowds would gather from an entire region. After dwelling at length on their sins and Christ’s work of salvation, Presbyterian drew near to receive the sacrament with great awe [Melton, Presbyterian Worship in America: Changing Patterns Since 1787 (1967, 2001), p. 16].

The Great Awakening was at least in part built on the foundation of sacramental seasons of revival. This was true for the Tennents (William, Sr., William Jr., Gilbert, and John included), some of whom contributed to a famous collection of Sermons on Sacramental Occasions by Divers Ministers (1739).

Gilbert Tennent was born into a family of Scots living in Ulster, in the northeast of Ireland. By the close of the seventeenth century, Ulster had become an enclave of dissenting Presbyterians, rebels against both the English crown and the Anglican Church, who were forced by the government to settle there. These dissenters kept alive the Scottish Presbyterian tradition of field communion, or sacramental occasions, a distinctive practice that helped to maintain ties to their heritage [Kimberly Bracken Long, The Eucharistic Theology of the American Holy Fairs (2011), pp. 83-84].

Gilbert Tennent wrote in 1744 of revival that took place in his congregation at New Brunswick, New Jersey:

I may further observe, that frequently at Sacramental Seasons in New-Brunswick, there have been signal Displays of the divine Power and Presence: divers have been convinced of Sin by the Sermons then preached, some converted, and many much affected with the Love of God in JESUS CHRIST. O the sweet Meltings that I have often seen on such Occasions among many! New-Brunswick did then look like a Field the Lord had blessed: It was like a little Jerusalem, to which the scattered Tribes with eager haste repaired at Sacramental Solemnities; and there they fed on the Fatness of God’s House, and drunk of the River of his Pleasures [Thomas Prince, ed., The Christian History (1745), p. 294].

Neshaminy, Pennsylvania was the site of a sacramental occasion in June 1745 where David Brainerd assisted Charles Beatty administer the bread and the wine to “three or four thousand” in attendance which Brainerd described as a “sweet melting season.” Brainerd went on during the following year to build on this experience, along with counsel from those who commissioned his missionary labors — the Society in Scotland for the Propagation of Christian Knowledge — to host his own sacramental seasons among the Native Americans to whom he ministered.

Brainerd followed the Scottish pattern basically to the letter: Friday was “set apart for solemn Fasting and Prayer”; Saturday was given over to further preparations and exhortations; Sunday brought the Lord’s Supper and more sermons; Monday concluded “the Sacramental Solemnity” with praise, thanksgiving, and calls for sustained moral discipline….This sacramental season proved to be among the most satisfying events in Brainerd’s life; indeed, the “sweet Union, Harmony and endearing Love” he experienced there was “the most lively Emblem of the heavenly World, I had ever seen” [Schmidt, Holy Fairs, p. 55].

Brainerd spoke similarly of a sacramental occasion that he participated in at Freehold, New Jersey just a couple of months later (June 1746) which was hosted by William Tennent, Jr., describing it as “a season of comfort to the godly, and of awakening to some souls” (ibid., p. 56). These sacramental seasons are a running theme throughout his ministry, especially to the Native Americans. Yet, as Schmidt notes, “No one, as far as I know, has ever taken stock of Brainerd’s sacramental revivals and seen just how thoroughly Presbyterian in this matter he had become” (ibid., p. 235).

The first Covenanter communion in America took place at the “Junkin Tent” in Cumberland County, Pennsylvania, on August 23, 1752, and was administered by John Cuthbertson. This was also the first instance of the use of communion tokens in America. It bore the simple abbreviation “L.S.” for “Lord’s Supper” on one side only. These tokens were used to signify admittance to the Lord’s Table.

Commemorative 1752 communion token (photo by R. Andrew Myers).

In colonial Virginia, even before the arrival of Samuel Davies, a sacramental occasion was held by William Tennent, Jr. and Samuel Blair, where it was reported that “The Assembly was large, and the Novelty of the Mode of Administration did peculiarly engage their Attention….It appeared as one of the Days of Heaven to some of us; and we could hardly help wishing we could with Joshua have delayed the Revolutions of the Heavens to prolong it” [Samuel Davies, The State of Religion Among the Protestant Dissenters in Virginia (1751), p. 17]. A few years later, a paper communion token was used by Samuel Davies in Hanover County, Virginia. Note the sacramental poem written by Davies himself.

Samuel Davies’ communion token held at the William Smith Morton Library, Union Theological Seminary, Richmond Virginia (photo by R. Andrew Myers).

John Todd, John Wright, Robert Henry, John Brown and John Craig were among other Virginia Presbyterian evangelists who observed sacramental occasions and found them to be “special outpourings of the spirit” (John Wright, January 20, 1757 Letter found in John Gillies, Historical Collections (1845 ed.), p. 520). David Rice, who grew up under the ministry of Samuel Davies and John Todd, also helped to bring the practice of sacramental seasons to Kentucky.

The importance of communion gatherings in Davies's practice and Rice's conversion reveals that both men stood in the long tradition of Presbyterian sacramental seasons dating back to seventeenth-century Scotland. From the beginning, these "holy fairs" were protracted religious celebrations, sometimes attracting thousands of participants, which included not only the celebration of the sacrament but also fervent preaching. Such seasons were centers of religious renewal and revival, and the practice was continued by many Presbyterians in North America. In particular, this tradition can be traced through the family history of the Tennents, the Log College and its offshoots, the work of Samuel Davies, and Rice himself, who conducted similar communion seasons throughout his ministry. These gatherings would continue to be central to religious life on the frontier, though they would also become centers of controversy as the frontier context and new religious trends took the communion seasons in new directions [Andrew M. McGinnis, “Between Enthusiasm and Stoicism: David Rice and Moderate Revivalism in Virginia and Kentucky,” The Register of the Kentucky Historical Society, Vol. 106, No. 2 (Spring 2008), pp. 172-173].

Robert B. Davidson notes that communion seasons and tokens were part of the Kentucky Revival:

The sacramental meetings, or sacraments, as they were called, were held at long intervals, when several ministers attended and took part; tokens were distributed; a long Action Sermon preached; the tables duly fenced; a succession of tables served; a fresh minister assigned to each table, and a fresh exhortation to each company; and when the communicants were numerous, (many coming from a distance,) the services were protracted till sunset, and became extremely tedious and fatiguing [Davidson, History of the Presbyterian Church in the State of Kentucky (1847), pp. 103-104].

James McGready was a pioneer Kentucky evangelist who seemed to be most in heaven while on earth at the communion table. Hear how he speaks in “The Believer Embracing Christ”:

The believer sometimes meets with Christ and embraces him in the arms of faith when he is seated at a communion table, then by faith, he sees a mangled, bleeding, dying, rising, triumphant Jesus, heading his own table, and feasting his blood-bought children with the bread of life and the milk and honey of Canaan [McGready, The Posthumous Works of the Reverend and Pious James M’Gready (1831), pp. 134-135].

As colonial Presbyterianism became less oriented towards traditional Scottish worship and more distinctly American, communion seasons and communion tokens began to fade away from the 19th century mainline American Presbyterian experience, and even, more slowly so, from the experience of Reformed (Covenanter) and Associate Reformed Presbyterians. John M. Mason was among those who argued for more frequent communion, and in this he was followed by James W. Alexander (see The Sacrament of the Lord’s Supper [1840]), and others, until the communion season was no longer found to be the norm in the American Presbyterian experience.

THE LORD’S SUPPER. This sacrament, although celebrated infrequently, was still probably the high point in the worship experience of an Old School Presbyterian, as diaries and autobiographies of the period indicate. The high value placed upon the Communion is seen also in the effort that was made to bring about more frequency in its celebration and to separate it from the cumbersome appendages of the sacramental season. This idea had been advanced by the revisers of the Directory [of Public Worship] in 1787, but was overruled by the 1788 synod. A harbinger of change was the decision by a New York congregation of the Associate Reformed Presbytery to “discontinue the custom of observing a fast day before, and thanksgiving day after, the administration of the Lord’s Supper.” This change, which prompted much discussion in that Presbyterian denomination, had been promoted by the New York pastor John Mitchell Mason, author in 1798 of the book Letters on Frequent Communion [Melton, Presbyterian Worship in America: Changing Patterns Since 1787, pp. 39-40].

Nevertheless, to hold a communion token in one’s hands is to hearken back to that bygone era when sacramental seasons marked perhaps the pinnacle of an Old School American Presbyterian’s spiritual pilgrimage on earth. If one listens closely, one might almost hear the faint sounds of a psalm sung, “Perhaps Dundee’s wild-warbling measures rise, / Or plaintive Martyrs, worthy of the name; / Or noble Elgin beets the heavenward flame” (Robert Burns, A Cotters’ Saturday Night).

Planted on the hillside here the ‘Banner of Blue,’
And worshipped God in simple form as Presbyterians do.
Upon this very ground was heard the voice of prayer,
And ancient Psalm to solemn tune they sang. —
’Do good in thy good pleasure, Lord, unto our Zion here;
The walls of our Jerusalem establish Thou and rear.’
Thus prayer and praise were made to God,
Nor dread of any foe
Dismayed our fathers in their work
So many years ago.
— Paraphrase of William McCombs, Two Hundred Years Ago (1842) in Mary McWhorter Tenney, Communion Tokens: Their Origin, History, and Use (1936), p. 59

J.R. Miller: A Brief Remembrance

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It was said of J.R. Miller, the Presbyterian minister and devotional writer that “he kept a complete record of all the important dates in the lives of his people — birthdays, wedding anniversaries, et cetera — and he marked each of these by sending a short letter of remembrance” (J.T. Faris, The Life of Dr. J. R. Miller: "Jesus and I are Friends” [1912], p. 168).

At Log College Press, we too try to remember the important dates in the lives of “our people,” those men and women from the past whose lives and writings continue to live on and touch our readers today. Today we remember J.R. Miller who was born on this day in history, March 20, 1840.

He was born in Beaver County, Pennsylvania and raised in a Presbyterian home where he was taught Scripture, the Shorter Catechism and Matthew Henry’s Bible commentary, while family worship was practiced daily. His profession of faith was made in an Associate Presbyterian church in 1857, which became part of the United Presbyterian Church (UPCNA) a year later.

During the War Between the States he served in the U.S. Christian Commission from 1863 to 1865. He studied at Westminster College and at Allegheny Theological Seminary in Pennsylvania before entering the ministry and becoming ordained in the UPCNA in 1867. He later came to have scruples about the practice of exclusive psalmody to which his family and his church held. And thus he joined the Presbyterian Church in the United States of America (PCUSA), the denomination in which he remained for the rest of his life, just nine days after the Old and New School branches reunited in 1869.

In 1880, he began editorial work for the Presbyterian Board of Publication in Philadelphia, and he also published his first book, Week Day Religion. He would go on to write many more books, and numerous articles. He was extremely popular in his day for his devotional contributions to Christian literature. His biographer wrote in 1912 that copies of his published books had sold over 2 million copies.

Throughout his life and his careers as a pastor and an author, Miller reflected the values that were instilled in him and which were important to him. He loved the Lord Jesus Christ and as a consequence loved others well. A younger minister once asked him the secret of success in the ministry. He replied thus in a letter:

Cultivate love for Christ and then live for your work. It goes without saying that the supreme motive in every minister’s life should be the love of Christ. ‘The love of Christ strengtheneth me,’ was the keynote of St. Paul’s marvellous ministry. But this is not all. If a man is swayed by the love of Christ he must also have in his heart love for his fellow men. If I were to give you what I believe is one of the secrets of my own life, it is, that I have always loved people. I have had an intense desire all of my life to help people in every way; not merely to help them into the church, but to help them in their personal experiences, in their struggles and temptations, their quest for the best things in character. I have loved other people with an absorbing devotion. I have always felt that I should go anywhere, do any personal service, and help any individual, even the lowliest and the highest. The Master taught me this in the washing of His disciples’ feet, which showed His heart in being willing to do anything to serve His friends. If you want to have success as a winner of men, as a helper of people, as a pastor of little children, as the friend of the tempted and imperilled, you must love them and have a sincere desire to do them good (The Life of Dr. J. R. Miller: "Jesus and I are Friends,” pp. 87-88).

And this illustration speaks to the eternal truth of what Dr. Miller lived and practiced:

Love is never lost. Nothing that love does is ever forgotten. Long, long afterwards the poet found his song, from beginning to end, in the heart of a friend. Love shall find some day every song it has ever sung, sweetly treasured and singing yet in the hearts into which it was breathed. It is a pretty legend of the origin of the pearl which says that a star fell into the sea, and a shellfish, opening its mouth, received it, when the star became a pearl in the shell. The words of love’s greeting as we hurry by fall into our hearts, not to be lost, but to become pearls and to stay there forever (The Life of Dr. J. R. Miller: "Jesus and I are Friends,” pp. 204).

In his last days, while he was ill, the General Assembly of the PCUSA sent him a message of sympathy and encouragement. In fact, he himself was still working on The Book of Comfort when the end came and he entered into his eternal rest. J.R. Miller died on July 2, 1912, and was laid to rest at the West Laurel Hill Cemetery in Bala Cynwyd, Pennsylvania. A simple service was held for the occasion which included prayer, the recitation of the Twenty-Third Psalm, the singing by a soloist of “He Will Lead His Flock Like a Shepherd” from Handel’s Messiah, and the congregational singing of a favorite hymn.

Several of his books were devotionals meant to be read throughout the year. It seems fitting to conclude this brief remembrance of J.R. Miller with an extract from one of them, Dr. Miller's Year Book: A Year's Daily Readings (1895), from the very date of his birthday.

What's New at Log College Press? - January 10, 2023

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With the arrival of a New Year, we at Log College Press are continuing to expand the number of resources available to our readers. Last month, in December 2022, we added 524 new works to the site. We have close to 18,000 free works available at LCP.

This week we are highlighting some of the new free PDFs available as found on our Recent Additions and Early Access pages, two features provided to members of the Dead Presbyterians Society.

Some highlights at the Early Access page:

  • James Benjamin Green, A Harmony of the Westminster Presbyterian Standards (1951); and The Distinctive Teachings of Presbyterianism (1936, 1959);

  • John Murray (1742-1793), Jerubbaal, or Tyranny's Grove Destroyed, and the Altar of Liberty Finished: A Discourse on America's Duty and Danger, Delivered at the Presbyterian Church in Newbury-Port, December 11, 1783. On Occasion of the Public Thanksgiving for Peace (1784); and Grace and Glory: or, Heaven Given Only to Saints: a Sermon Preached at the Presbyterian Church in Newbury-Port, Jan 26, 1788, Occasioned by the Death of Mr. Ralph Cross on the 4th of that Month, Aetat 82 (1788);

  • Jonathan Parsons, Wisdom Justified of her Children: A Sermon Preached at the Publick Lecture in Boston, on Thursday, September 16, 1742 (1742); and Account of the Revival of Religion in the West Parish of Lyme in Connecticut (1744);

  • articles from The Presbyterian Standard concerning the debate between psalmody and hymnody by John Thomas Chalmers [Why the Associate Reformed Presbyterian Church Adheres to the Exclusive Use of the Inspired Psalter in the Worship of God (1900)]; and Alexander Jeffrey McKelway [Dr. Chalmers’ Failure (1900)];

  • and more by Francis James Grimké, some of which were contributed by a helpful reader: Colored Men as Professors in Colored Institutions (1885); Mr. Moody and the Color Question in the South (1886); The Defects of Our Ministry, and the Remedy (1886); The Secret of Power in the Pulpit (1887); The Pulpit in Relation to Race Elevation (1887); The Negro Will Never Acquiesce as Long as He Lives (1898); The Roosevelt-Washington Episode; or, Race Prejudice (1901); and The Second Marriage of Frederick Douglass (1934).

Some highlights at the Recent Addtiions page:

Also, be sure also to check out the quotes we have been adding at our blog for DPS members: Though Dead They Still Speak, including William M. Blackburn on a Sixth Point of Calvinism; A.A. Hodge on the Change of the Sabbath Day; John B. Adger on the Limits of Church Authority; Philip Lindsley on the Key to Improvement of Time; J.R. Miller on Consecration of Will; Thomas De Witt Talmage on the Christian Way of Measuring Life; Francis J. Grimké on How to Approach the New Year; William H. McGuffey, who argues that the Christian Religion is America's Religion; and T.V. Moore on The Oldest Seminary is the Family Fireside.

We appreciate hearing from our readers if they find matters needing correction, or if they have questions about authors or works on the site, or if they have suggestions for additions to the site. Your feedback helps the experience of other readers as well.

Meanwhile, please feel free to browse the many resources available to our readers in print and in digital format. The New Year is a great time to explore the many Presbyterian voices from the past. Thank you, as always, for your interest and support, dear friends, and we wish you all the very best in 2023!

What's New at Log College Press? - August 16, 2022

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There is always a lot going on at Log College Press. Here is a brief report to get you up to speed.

In July 2022, we added 349 new works to the site. Today we aim to highlight some of the new free PDFs available as found on our Recent Additions and Early Access pages, two features provided to members of the Dead Presbyterians Society.

Early Access:

  • In 1760, a letter authored by Gilbert Tennent and signed by seventeen other Presbyterian ministers was sent to the Archbishop of Canterbury concerning William McClanachan (1714-c. 1765), a sometime Anglican, Congregational and Presbyterian minister, which proved to be somewhat ecclesiastically messy for the writers. What is particularly interesting about the “eighteen Presbyterian ministers” who jointly signed the letter is that this is one occasion when Samuel Davies and the Tennent brother (Gilbert, Charles and William, Jr.) united in a literary production. Others who also signed include John Rodgers, Abraham Keteltas, Alexander MacWhorter, John Blair, Robert Smith, John Roan, Charles McKnight; all together at least seven alumni of the Log College signed this letter, which is now available to read on our Early Access page.

  • Speaking of the Tennents, we have added a volume by Mary A. Tennent titled Light in Darkness: The Story of William Tennent Sr. and the Log College (1971) to the William Tennent, Sr. page. It is a valuable study of the Tennent family and the Log College.

  • In the course of our research, we came across a volume of sermons once owned by Samuel Miller. Many of the individual sermons bear his handwritten signature on the title pages. Some of the sermons were delivered in connection with the May 9, 1798 fast day appointed by President John Adams (William Linn, Ashbel Green and Samuel Blair, Jr.). Also included was another separate fast day sermon preached by Nathan Strong and an 1815 thanksgiving sermon preached by James Muir (following the end of the War of the 1812).

  • We added some interesting works by John Tucker (1719-1792), including a noted 1771 election sermon and two editions (one published and one handwritten manuscript) of a 1778 sermon on the validity of Presbyterian ordination.

  • Robert R. Howison, author of a noted history of Virginia, wrote a history of the War Between the States in serial fashion which was published in the Southern Literary Messenger from 1862 to 1864. We have compiled each installment into one PDF file comprised of almost 400 pages.

  • Perhaps the most famous sermon delivered by Clarence E.N. Macartney was Come Before Winter, first preached in 1915 and then annually for many years after. We have added the 30th anniversary edition of that sermon to his page.

  • We have also recently added more sermons and letters by Samuel Davies, some of which are now at the Recent Additions page.

Recent Addtiions:

Be sure also to check out the quotes we have been adding at our blog for DPS members: Though Dead They Still Speak, including some by John Murray on the regulative principle of worship; David Rice on religious controversy; and Louis F. Benson on early Presbyterian psalmody.

As we continue to grow, please avail yourself of the many resources (both digital and in print) at Log College Press, and be sure to tell your friends about us. We hope that brushing off these old tomes will indeed enrich the 21st century church - that is our prayer. Thank you, as always, for your interest and support, dear friends.

A Plea From the Psalter Itself: W.J. Robinson

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In his introduction to Joseph W. Clokey’s David’s Harp in Song and Story (1896), William J. Robinson, who served as Moderator of the United Presbyterian Church of North America in 1899, puts forth a plea as if from the very Psalter itself.

The context had to do with a request on behalf of the UPCNA and the Reformed Presbyterian Church of North America (RPCNA) to the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church in the United States of America (PCUSA) to work jointly at developing a Psalter that all Presbyterians could employ in their praise of God.

Hear the plea from the Psalter itself as Robinson put it.

To this united committee from these three leading bodies of Christians this little work goes with its silent plea. It is sent to you that the Psalms may tell their own story. They come in no spirit of dispute; they do not propose to take issue with you on any of the questions of your Psalmody over which you conscientiously differ. At present they only plead for greater prominence in the praises of Zion. We are part of God's Inspired Word, they say to you, sent down from Heaven through the movings of the Holy Spirit that we may be sung in the praises of God's people. For more than twenty-five centuries we have been in the worship of the church, and what we have done in all these long ages, in comforting and inspiring the people of God, we are still capable of doing for the ages to come. Are you, and are your difficulties and dangers, and experiences, so different from your fathers who loved us, that you can afford to consign us to an obscure corner in your Books of Song! We claim a high place in your material of praise. Read our story and consider our plea.

Psalm Tunes by J.K. Robb

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O come, let us sing unto the LORD: let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation (Ps. 95:1).

Some of the tunes in the 1929, 1950, 1973 and 2009 editions of the psalters authorized by the Reformed Presbyterian Church of North America (RPCNA) were composed or arranged by Rev. John Knox Robb (1868-1960).

Dr. Paul D. McCracken paid the following tribute to Robb:

Dr. Robb was a man of many talents. He was an experienced carpenter, an able preacher, a wise counselor, a faithful shepherd, and a warm friend. He will long be remembered for his rare musical ability. With his mellow voice, his "absolute pitch," and his keen sense of harmony and beauty, he served the Church on Psalter Revision Committees in 1929 and again in 1950, and our present Psalter contains originals and 4 arrangements that bear his name.

The tune Syracuse by Robb is perhaps his most famous. In the two most recent psalters, Robb is credited thus:

  • The Book of Psalms For Singing (1973) - Psalm 4A (Wallace); 31G (Saints’ Praise); 46B (Hetherton); 86A (Conwell); 104B (Emsworth); 104D (Bradford); 115B (Scott); 126B (Rutherford); and 127A (Syracuse)

  • The Book of Psalms For Worship (2009) - 4A (Wallace); 86A (Conwell); 104B (Emsworth); 107H (Conwell); 112A (Hetherton); 115B (Scott); 118D (Hetherton); and 127A (Syracuse).

One may listen to these tunes here.

Sabbath Evenings with the Matthews Family

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W.D. Ralston spent time in his younger days teaching at country schools and one winter during the 1850s resided with a family which was then associated with the Associate Reformed Presbyterian Church (Ralston was then connected to the Associate Presbyterian Church). Both of these groups, which merged to form the United Presbyterian Church of North America in 1858, held to the practice of exclusive psalmody.

Ralston used this time with the Matthews Family to produce a manuscript describing their Sabbath evening discussions on the topic of psalmody which was published “over twenty years” later as Talks on Psalmody in the Matthews Family (1877). Many topics related to the issue of psalmody are covered in this fascinating volume, such as Christ in the Psalms, whether exclusive psalmody is warranted from Scripture, and the place of hymns. Presented in conversational style, the discussions that are recorded are a very close representation of those which actually occurred on Sabbath evenings in the Matthews Family.

However, this post is not so much about psalmody as it is about how Sabbath evenings were spent in general by a godly Christian family.

Family Worship.png

Ralston wrote of how their Sabbath evenings were spent, and how these conversations came about. In so doing, he highlighted an important aspect of Sabbath-keeping, which is the aim to keep the whole day holy (Ex. 20:8; WCF 21:8), including the evening hours after church services were over.

While a student, I taught several terms of public school in country districts. On the last day of October, 18—, I left my father’s house to take charge of a school some twenty miles distant. The family with whom I was to board were entire strangers. My parents were members of the Associate Presbyterian church, or the Seceder Churcher, as it was mostly called, while the family with whom I was to board belonged to the Associate Reformed Presbyterian Church. In the year 1858, these two bodies were united, and formed the United Presbyterian Church.

The winter I spent with that family was a pleasant and profitable one; and as I shall write of the persons composing the family, I will here describe them. The father, and mother, John, and Mary Matthews, were Americans by birth, and had received a good common education. The wife, before marriage, had taught school for several years. John Matthews had a remarkable memory. He seemed to remember all he read. He was not a great talker, but preferred to read, or listen to others; still when led into conversation, it was a pleasure to listen to him. He had a happy way of illustrating what he said, which was pleasing to the young. He would tell many stories and anecdotes to illustrate, and enforce what he said.

They had three children, — John thirteen, Mary twelve, and Willie nine. For their age, the children were well-informed, both in regard to religious truths, and general knowledge. When I saw how perseveringly the parents labored for their improvement, I felt they could not be otherwise.

They seldom had preaching on Sabbath-night in their church, and therefore they devoted the entire evening to the study of the Scriptures at home. Their evening work was attended to early, and as soon as the candles were lighted, their study of the Scriptures commenced. The teacher was the mother, not because she excelled her husband in knowledge, but because her teaching school had better prepared her for imparting instruction.

The first exercise was the Catechism, which all knew; but still, half of it was asked each Sabbath-evening, to keep it fresh in their memories. After that, they took up some subject previously selected. The first Sabbath-evening I was there, the subject was Zaccheus the publican; on the second, it was the destruction of Jerico. Mr. Matthews sat listening, occasionally adding a word or two, and at the close related one or more interesting stories bearing upon the object for the evening, and then the exercises were closed with the usual evening worship.

Ralston writes that one evening Mr. Matthews was led to engage in a discussion of Psalmody with a neighbor who thought hymns were to be preferred over Psalms in worship. This debate occasioned a series of family discussions related to various aspects of Psalmody which were held over many Sabbath evenings. It was while these conversations were ongoing that Ralston himself took out a notebook and jotted down notes about what was discussed. Later, at Mr. Matthews’ request, and with the childrens’ assistance, entire conversations were written down nearly verbatim, with the intent that their discussions, and Mr. Matthews’ illustrations, which were so profitable to the family, could be shared with others. It was Mr. Matthews’ wish that the manuscript which resulted from those notes be published to aid families and children in better understanding why they believed as they did with respect to Psalmody, which he viewed as a legacy bequeathed to the church at the end of his life.

Many families are weary at the end of the day, even (or especially) a Sabbath day. But there can be great fruit in the time well-spent that makes up a Sabbath evening. There is perhaps no better time to impart Biblical truth to the children, or to encourage one another, then when sweet “market day of the soul” is nearing the end, and the family is together for the purpose of worship and mutual edification. The Matthews Family experience, as recorded by Ralston, is a fascinating testimony to this precious truth.

The Keys Psalter

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Until the 1860’s, the Reformed Presbyterian Church of North America (RPCNA) employed the 1650 Scottish Metrical Psalter (SMP) in its worship. But it was felt at that time that there was a need for a revised psalter.

In 1863, the RPCNA Synod minutes show that a communication was received from William W. Keys proposing the publication of a new edition of the Psalter with music settings appropriate to each Psalm. The Psalter project had apparently been initiated in 1860 (as the Preface tells us). The proposal was referred to a committee initially made up of T.P. Stevenson, A.C. Todd, N.R. Johnston and D.H. Coulter. The Psalter — known as the Keys Psalter — was published that year, and the following year Synod minutes show that Psalter had earned the endorsement of the special committee.

So in 1864, Synod recommended the Keys Psalter, which combined words and music on the same page and modernized some of the Scottish Psalter’s words (William J. Edgar, History of the Reformed Presbyterian Church of North America, 1871-1920, p. 23).

The Committee gave its report as follows (which was adopted):

Feeling the need and importance of earnest effort for the improvement of the service of song-in our church, and the desirableness of greater uniformity in the service among our congregations; appreciating, also, from our own examination, and on the testimony of competent judges, the manifold excellencies of this work, especially its retention of time honored-melodies and generally judicious adaptations of music to the sentiments of the Psalms; and believing that the employment of this book will prove a strong support in the advocacy of Scriptural Psalmody, and also a means of extending the use of the songs of inspiration throughout the churches; therefore,

Resolved, That we recommend the use of this book in all our congregations, as well adapted for the attainment of the specified ends.

We would further recommend, in this connection, that all our sessions be urged to take measures for the improvement of the service of praise in their respective congregations, and that to this end, they encourage the formation of singing classes, and attendance upon them. D. M'Allister, Chairman.

The Keys Psalter had help from some notable names, including

  • French-American composer Leopold Meignen (1793-1873) - who served as a bandmaster in Napoleon’s army before coming to the United States, and who contributed several tunes to the Keys Psalter; and

  • James M. Willson, Keys’ pastor until 1862, when Willson left First RPC in Philadelphia to fill the chair of Theology at RPTS, who helped divide Psalms into smaller sections with assigned tunes.

The tune “Keys,” composed by Dr. Leopold Meignen, is assigned to Psalms 33 and 98.

The tune “Keys,” composed by Dr. Leopold Meignen, is assigned to Psalms 33 and 98.

Keys in his Preface spoke to what he saw as the prime benefit of this new edition of The Psalms of David.

The superiority of this book over any other Psalm-Book heretofore published consists in the music being printed along with each Psalm, or portion of Psalm, throughout the entire book.

The advantage of this is two-fold: 1st. The precentor is not compelled to hurriedly select a tune at the same time that he is searching for the Psalm which has been announced. He knows that having found the Psalm, suitable music to be sung to it is there also, and all he has to think of is to have the tune properly pitched. 2d. There is no doubt or hesitation on the part of the congregation in commencing to sing, as all know precisely what tune is to be sung, and are prepared to commence as soon as the first note is given.

In a Preface to the second edition (published a month after the first), Keys quotes an endorsement from William Blackwood:

Every congregation in the country in which the 'Old Psalms' are used, will thank the author and publisher for this beautiful and admirably designed volume. * * * The airs are selected with taste and judgment. The harmony is delightful; and the general circulation of this book in churches would unquestionably promote in a very powerful manner the extension of congregational singing of a very high order. Every Psalm, and, in many of the longer ones, the portions of them suitable for a service, are provided with a proper air; and thus the book may be used in the pew, the lecture-room, or in the family, as well as by a precentor or leader.

Keys Tune 2.jpg

The Keys Psalter is one of a series of editions approved by the RPCNA besides the old 1650 SMP, and it was followed by an 1889 split-leaf edition, and further editions in 1911, 1919, 1929, 1950, 1973 and 2009. Many of those later revisions took into account the work by Keys. For example, the tune Arlington, paired with Psalm 1, is also associated with Psalm 1 in the 1950 and 1973 editions (the former mentions the Keys Psalter in the Preface).

The Keys Psalter is an important step along the trajectory of psalmody in the RPCNA. Many editions were published in its heyday (at least 15 by 1874). Editions published in 1864 and 1865 are now available to peruse on Log College Press. We have little biographical information as of yet regarding William Wallace Keys, but we have learned when he lived (1832-1892), and where (primarily Philadelphia, although he died in Connecticut), and we take note of his arrangement of the tunes Kilmarnock and Wilson, as well as his driving passion to bring together words and music for the improvement of psalmody in the church. This was his motto, as shown on the cover of the Keys Psalter: “'I will sing with the spirit, and I will sing with the understanding also" — 1 Cor. 14:15.

I trust my efforts have been well directed and that the book may tend to the honour and glory of God, and to the delight of his people, by causing all who use it to "sing with the spirit and the understanding," and "with a loud noise skilfully." If so, then my design will be accomplished. — W.W. Keys

Presbyterians and the Revolution

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In 1876, on the centennial anniversary of America’s birth as a nation, William Pratt Breed published a volume titled Presbyterians and the Revolution, which examined the historic connection between Presbyterianism and resistance to tyranny.

As Breed notes, Calvinism has imbued a spirit of civil and ecclesiastical liberty into the freedom-loving peoples of Switzerland, France, Scotland, England, the Netherlands, and the American colonies, not to mention the Waldenses and others. Presbyterians have long stood at the forefront of the struggle for “lex rex,” or limited, just government, in opposition to tyranny both in the state and in the church. The heritage of the Scottish Covenanters and French Huguenots in this regard contributed much to the American Presbyterian witness on behalf of Biblical liberty.

Here is the Table of Contents for Breed’s work:

  1. Presbyterians and the Centennial

  2. Presbyterianism A Representative Republican Form of Government

  3. Presbyterianism Odious to Tyrants

  4. Presbyterians Spirit in Harmony With That of the Revolution

  5. The Westmoreland County Resolutions

  6. The Mecklenburg Declaration

  7. Presbyterian Zeal and Suffering

  8. Formal Action of the Presbyterian Church

  9. Declaration of Independence and Dr. John Witherspoon

  10. Organization of the Confederacy

  11. Monument to Witherspoon

Breed quotes from a classic work by Ezra H. Gillett (History of the Presbyterian Church in the United States) to show how closely allied Presbyterianism and the cause of American liberty were:

To the privations, hardships and cruelties of the war the Presbyterians were pre-eminsntly exposed. In them the very essence of rebellion was supposed to be concentrated, and by the wanton plunderings and excesses of the marauding parties they suffered severely. Their Presbyterianism was prima facie evidence of guilt. A house that had a large Bible and David's Psalms in metre in it was supposed, as a matter of course, to be tenanted by rebels. To sing "Old Rouse" was almost as criminal as to have leveled a loaded musket at a British grenadier.

Breed quotes Gillett further to list the heroic sacrifices of Presbyterian clergymen who served and suffered during the war. Among the names listed are John Rodgers, Azel Roe, Jacob Green, Henry Pattillo, David Caldwell, William Tennent III, Hugh McAden, Alexander MacWhorter and many others. We shared an honor roll of Presbyterians who served the cause of American liberty last year as well.

Breed pays special attention to the role of John Witherspoon, who was the only clergyman to sign the 1776 Declaration of Independence and the Articles of Confederation.

The Calder statue of John Witherspoon at the Presbyterian Historical Society, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (photo by R. Andrew Myers).

The Calder statue of John Witherspoon at the Presbyterian Historical Society, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (photo by R. Andrew Myers).

All of these names — their stories, their service, their sacrifices — recalled to mind by Breed, are worthy of remembrance today, just as they were in 1876. The cause of freedom, both civil and ecclesiastical, is always linked to the right honor of Christ the King, who rules the nations. The record of American Presbyterian contributions to civil liberty constitutes a noble history, though filled with flaws and inconsistencies, but that history is sometimes shrouded in mist, and is in danger of being forgotten. Presbyterians and the Revolution is book worth reading, especially on this Independence Day.

Introducing the Log College Annex

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At Log College Press, a lot has been happening. We have been growing so much lately that we have expanded beyond the main library of authors into a new Annex.

Log College Press now has an Annex to the Main Library.

Log College Press now has an Annex to the Main Library.

Some of the new authors found on the Annex include:

  • Charles Eugene Edwards (1860-1937) - He is the son of Jonathan Edwards (1817-1891), and the author of a devotional work, which has been republished in the 20th century as the Devotions and Prayers of John Calvin, its original title being Scripture Texts With Expositions and Sentence-Prayers From Calvin’s Commentaries on the Minor Prophets (1897);

  • Maria Fearing (1838-1937) - She was an African-American Presbyterian missionary from Alabama who served in the Congo for twenty years as a teacher and translator;

  • Amos Noë Freeman (1809-1893) - He was an African-American Presbyterian minister who co-authored (with Frederick Douglass and others) a famous 1853 address known as Claims of Our Common Cause;

  • Benjamin Harrison (1833-1901) - He was the 23rd President of the United States, and a Presbyterian ruling elder, who had while in office an all-Presbyterian cabinet;

  • Beverly Tucker Lacy (1819-1900) - He served as chaplain to Stonewall Jackson;

  • Cyrus Hall McCormick (1809-1884) - He was an inventor and business who did much to support the Presbyterian Church, and who endowed what is known as McCormick Theological Seminary; and

  • Poon Chew Ng (1866-1931) - He was the first Chinese-American Presbyterian to minister on the American West Coast.

Also, on the Main Library, new additions include:

We invite you not only to browse and explore the Main Library and the Annex, but also to let us know if you have suggestions for further additions to Log College Press. As we continue to grow, build and expand, we hope that Log College Press, including the new Annex, will continue to be beneficial to our readers as a resource that taps into the deep well of wisdom that is to be found in early American Presbyterianism. We are also working to publish more volumes, and we will have more to say about this very soon, DV. Meanwhile, thanks to all our readers and those who have contributed in many ways to the work that we are doing. We are grateful to you. May the Lord bless His Church!

James Harper's reasons for singing the Psalms in worship

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United Presbyterian minister and Professor of Theology at Xenia Theological Seminary James Harper (1823-1913) was the author of a commentary on the Westminster Shorter Catechism published in 1905. In addressing the matter of what praise is commanded and accepted by God in worship, he writes:

Question XL. What did God at first reveal to man for the rule of his obedience?

Q. 34. Touching the exercise of praise, what is the law?

A. That this is to be performed by the singing, or chanting, of hymns to God. Eph. 5:19; Col. 3:16; Jas. 5:13; Acts 16:25; Ps. 67:3-5; 96:1-3; 100:1, 2.

Q. 35. Has God supplied the very songs to be used in this exercise?

A. Yes. He furnished expressly for this purpose "a book of praises" to the Church in its Old Testament stage, and has never recalled that appointment, but in the New Testament Scriptures has confirmed it.*

Q. 36. What confirmation is afforded in the New Testament?

A. a. There is no annulment of the previous order, as there is in the case of the sacrificial system;

b. Our Lord and His disciples sung, as is almost universally conceded, a series of Scripture psalms at the institution of the Supper, a New Testament ordinance, thus seemingly binding them together. Matt. 26:30; Mark 14:26;

c. The directions given in Eph. 5:19 and Col. 3 16 enjoin the singing of the Psalms, to denote which exhaustively three different terms are used.

In regards to this last point, the reader may wish to take note of a paper written by Harper for the 1902 Psalm Singers’ Conference held in Belfast in which he discusses at greater length the question of what is meant by “psalms, hymns and spiritual songs” as found in Eph. 5:19 and Col. 3:16 (available to read here).

Appended to these remarks is a note which further elucidates Harper’s understanding of the place of the Psalms in worship.

Note.

If it is true, as will be more particularly shown in the exposition of the Second Commandment, that every part of our worship should have Divine appointment, the question, "What shall we sing in the worship of God," demands serious attention. By those who admit that the singing of God's praise is divinely prescribed, it is generally conceded that the compositions embodied in the Book of Psalms may properly be used in this exercise. But many who make this admission contend that uninspired compositions may also be used in the service of praise. As a matter of fact, also, those who take this view generally drop out the Psalms, and use instead in solemn worship hymns composed by uninspired and erring men.

In favor of restriction to the inspired Psalter as the matter of praise a few considerations are subjoined.

1. God gave to the Old Testament Church inspired songs for use in worship;

2. These songs were in course of time collected into one book called by Divine authority "The Book of Psalms," and forming an important and unique part of the sacred canon. Luke 20:42; Acts 1:20;

3. There is no clear evidence that God ever authorized His ancient people to use in the stated service of song any hymns but those which form the Psalter;

4. The use of this psalm-book for the purpose of praise has not been discountenanced in the New Testament;

5. On the contrary, the use of it as the "book of praises" has been in the New Testament countenanced, commended, and even commanded.

For instance, in instituting the Supper, a New Testament ordinance, our Lord with His disciples "hymned"; and it is generally agreed that in accordance with Jewish custom the hymns used were a series of psalms beginning with the 113th and ending with the 118th of the Psalter. Thus the Psalter was by Christ Himself declared to be a fit companion of the Supper;

Moreover, in Eph. 5:19 and Col. 3:16 the use of "psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs" is enjoined. These are found in the Psalter; many of the Psalms being in the ancient superscriptions styled "songs" (See Ps. 120- 134 inclusive). In the Septuagint, or Greek translation, the 72nd psalm closes thus, "The hymns of David, the son of Jesse, are ended"; and this is the translation which was, no doubt, in use among the Christians in Ephesus and Colosse,

Josephus, the Jewish historian, a contemporary of the Apostle Paul, states in his account of King David, that he composed many "hymns and songs" for purposes of worship.

Besides, the word "spiritual," prefixed in Eph. 5:19 and Col. 3:16 to the word "songs," denotes something produced by the Spirit of God, that is, inspired. Moreover, the Ephesians and Colossians are not told to make, but only to sing, to take, not make, spiritual songs for worship. It is implied that they already possessed such;

6. If in the apostolic Church other songs than those embodied in the Psalter were used in worship, the survival of them, or of some of them, might surely be expected; but none such can be found;

7. It is certain that in the early centuries of the New Testament Church the inspired Psalter was preeminently the hymn-book of Christians;

8. Heretics seem to have been the first to substitute compositions of their own;

9. The Psalter is the true union hymn-book.

In another place Harper addresses the theory that because in most cases prayers are not set but left to the wisdom of Christian prudence, saints may therefore compose or sing uninspired matter for praise in the worship of God. We not given a divine prayer book, but we are provided a divine hymn-book.

Question CVII. What doth the conclusion of the Lord's Prayer teach us?

Q. 6. Yet is not provision made in Scripture for the offering of praise to God as a distinct service?

A. Yes; we are in His Word enjoined again and again to render praise to Him; and in the compilation called "The Book of Psalms" a praise-hook, as distinguished from a prayer-hook, has been provided for our use in the exercise of praise.

Q. 7. Are there not petitions woven into the praises embodied in the Book of Psalms?

A. Yes; and in like manner praise of God is implied in our prayers; but the dominant, or characteristic, feature of the Psalms is praise, whereas the distinctive feature of the Lord's Prayer and of all prayer is petition.

Thus does Harper present a case within his exposition of the Westminster Shorter Catechism that psalmody is the divinely-mandated and only authorized matter for praise in God’s worship. In this he follows the example of perhaps the earliest American exposition of the Westminster Confession of Faith, written by Robert Annan in 1787, which also argued for the singing of inspired psalms only in worship. Not all American commentaries on the Westminster Standards affirm this position regarding the place of psalms in worship, but it is worthwhile to hear the reasons given by Harper for this historic Presbyterian practice.

W.D. Ralston: Jesus Sang Psalms

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And when they had sung an hymn, they went out into the mount of Olives (Matt. 26:30).

And he said unto them, These are the words which I spake unto you, while I was yet with you, that all things must be fulfilled, which were written in the law of Moses, and in the prophets, and in the psalms, concerning me (Luke 24:42).

It is a simple truth, but one which is often forgotten or overlooked, that Jesus in His earthly ministry sang the very Psalms that speak so clearly of Him.

William David Ralston in his Talks on Psalmody in the Matthews Family (1877) reminds us of this truth.

When Jesus was here upon earth he sang these Scripture psalms. We find him speaking of them as the Book of Psalms, and we read that he, in company with his disciples engaged in singing, and we are driven to the conclusion, that the songs they sung were these psalms of David, because we have not the least evidence that any other sacred songs were then in existence. We know that the psalms were then sung in God's worship, and we have no evidence whatever, that any other sacred songs were sung, or were in existence. In Matth. xxvi. 30, we read, "And when they had sung a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives." Expositors of the Bible tell us that this hymn was a Jewish hallel which is a portion of the psalms, namely, the cxiii and cxviii inclusive. I am clearly convinced that if our blessed Savior sung any songs when here on earth, they were the psalms, and surely we ought to prize them, because he sang them. If they were good enough for him, ought they not to be good enough for us?

William H. McMillan on The Idea of Worship

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Now what Saint Augustine says is true, that no one is able to sing things worthy of God unless he has received them from him. Wherefore, when we have looked thoroughly everywhere and searched high and low, we shall find no better songs nor more appropriate for the purpose than the Psalms of David, which the Holy Spirit made and spoke through him. And furthermore, when we sing them, we are certain that God puts the words in our mouths, as if he himself were singing in us to exalt his glory. — John Calvin, Preface to the 1542 Genevan Psalter, quoting Augustine on Psalm 35

If you are seeking a succinct, Biblical definition of worship, look no further. The first sentence of John McNaugher’s The Psalms in Worship (1907), which is a compilation of essays from the two 1905 United Presbyterian conferences on the place of Psalms in worship, is like a home run in the first at-bat.

It comes from William Harrison McMillan, who served as the 1883 moderator of the General Assembly of the United Presbyterian Church of North America (UPCNA). His essay was titled “The Idea of Worship,” and it was intended to present a general introduction to the principle of worship, as understood by Reformed Christians.

Worship is right conceptions of the character and works of God suitably expressed. It is seeing Him, and expressing our thoughts and feelings concerning Him. It is an act of the soul. There are forms of expression used in worship, but forms and words and attitudes are not in themselves worship. That is essentially an act of the soul. We are called upon to pour out our hearts to the Lord. God is a spirit, and they who worship Him must worship Him in spirit and in truth. The most reverent genuflections, the divinest strains of music, and the most devotional words are nothing and worse than nothing unless the soul of the worshiper is going out to God in them.

After explaining that worship is only acceptable to God through our Mediator, Jesus Christ — “There is but one way, and Christ is that way. There is but one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus. We must come by way of the Cross when we approach God to worship Him.” — McMillan continues:

Worship is an intelligent act. It is what we think about God that prompts it. Thought sweeps the whole field of knowledge concerning God, and from it all gathers material for worship. In Him are seen all power and majesty and dominion. Out into His infinite domain thought travels fast and far. Our solar system, with all its planets, and moons, and rings, we find, after all, to be but a mere speck in the immeasurable reaches of the kingdom of God. With souls awed and almost bewildered by the evidence of the infinite power and dominion of our King we bow and adore. We, in our conscious littleness, worship Him Who “hath measured the waters in the hollow of His hand, and meted out heaven with the span, and comprehended the dust of the earth in a measure, and weighed the mountains in scales, and the hills in a balance.”

And how the mercy of God compels us to adore Him!

…we who are guilty by nature and lost under sin find reasons for adoring, eager, and soulful worship in contemplating the mercy of God in Christ. “God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” Surely the Scriptures write the truth when they declare that the souls are dead which do not worship Him for that.

McMillan emphasizes the natural response of the worshiper to the awesome goodness and mercy of God is to sing His praises.

Hallelujah! praise Jehovah.
O my soul, Jehovah praise.
While I live I’ll praise Jehovah,
To my God sing all my days. [Ps. 146]

The Psalms indeed provide matter for praise. They are given for that very purpose.

Every true Christian is a seer. He has seen the invisible, and heard things not written down in any of the philosophies of men. He has become acquainted in some measure with God, and there are great thoughts surging through his mind, and tidal waves of religious emotion swelling within him. He must speak the praises of his Lord. But he is there met by a difficulty. His words fail him. His words cannot put into expression all, or the half, of what is in his heart to say to God. His thoughts are too big for utterance. He is conscious of the need of divine aid to speak in sufficient and right terms the great themes of his worship. It is then that he turns with deepest satisfaction to the songs which the Spirit of God has written for the people of God as the expression of their devotion to Him. There the great things of God are unfolded as only the divine penman can unfold them, and there the petitions which we need to offer, and are allowed to offer, to God with assurance of being heard are framed for us. We are told that the Spirit makes intercession for the saints with groanings which cannot be uttered. This is nowhere more true than when the believer attempts to tell God what is in his heart of love, adoration, and trust. We began with the thought that worship is right conceptions of the character and works of God suitably expressed. We find, do we not, that such conceptions are taught and adequately expressed in the Psalms of the Bible as they cannot be in any words which the pens of uninspired men have written.

These are remarks concerning the fundamental principles of worship worth contemplating. Read McMillan’s full essay here.

Those that love God will love His Church: William S. Plumer on the courts of God

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To the chief Musician upon Gittith, A Psalm for the sons of Korah. How amiable are thy tabernacles, O LORD of hosts! My soul longeth, yea, even fainteth for the courts of the LORD: my heart and my flesh crieth out for the living God. Yea, the sparrow hath found an house, and the swallow a nest for herself, where she may lay her young, even thine altars, O LORD of hosts, my King, and my God. Blessed are they that dwell in thy house: they will be still praising thee. Selah.…For a day in thy courts is better than a thousand. I had rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God, than to dwell in the tents of wickedness (Ps. 84:1-4, 10).

The LORD loveth the gates of Zion more than all the dwellings of Jacob. Glorious things are spoken of thee, O city of God. Selah. I will make mention of Rahab and Babylon to them that know me: behold Philistia, and Tyre, with Ethiopia; this man was born there. And of Zion it shall be said, This and that man was born in her: and the highest himself shall establish her. The LORD shall count, when he writeth up the people,  that  this man was born there. Selah. (Ps. 87:2-6).

These passages from the Psalms remind us that the Lord loves His Church — it is the dwelling place of His habitation and the focus of His blessing — and we ought to love and long for the Church too.

William Swan Plumer’s commentary on these Psalms gives helpful application on this point. Ps. 84:

The appointed worship of the true God has in all ages possessed great attractions for the regenerate….My heart and my flesh crieth out for the living God, q. d., my whole nature is intensely wrought up to desire not only the privilege of worship, but actual communion with God. Without God all rites, though divinely appointed, profit not….The blessings connected with a regular and devout attendance at God’s house are so many and so great that the strongest terms may well be employed to describe them. Even the visitor of the sanctuary may be blessed, but those who dwell there are sure of great and numerous mercies….If we are not pleased with the solemn worship of God, it is because we lack the true spirit of devotion, and if we lack the spirit of devotion, we have no piety, vv. 1, 4….As true piety prevails, love for the worship of God increases….If our love to God and his house were as strong as it should be, as strong as it was in the bosom of the Psalmist, we should not find it necessary to spend so much time in seeking for evidences of a renewed state, and for marks of gracious affections, V. 10. Love is its own evidence. When it commands the soul, we cannot doubt its existence. When one desires God's word more than his necessary food, when he thinks it the highest privilege to be a worshipper of God, when he joyfully resigns his all to Jehovah, then his evidences are usually comfortable.

Plumer on Ps. 87:

God ought to be publicly worshipped. He is thereby honored. We should celebrate his works. Redemption is his chief work. As such worship is honorable, so it is pleasing to God….God's worship and presence dignify any place, thing or person pertaining to his service….To the end of the world they will be mentioned with respect by the best men of each succeeding generation….If we are truly pious, we will love all that God loves; and so we will love his church, v. 2….She is our mother. She is the spouse of Christ. She is the Lamb's wife. She is all glorious within. The glories of earthly kingdoms fade away before the glories of Zion, as the light of the stars is no longer visible when the sun rises.

Do you, Christian, like the Psalmist, long for the courts of God, that is, the Church? Do you know how much the Lord loves the gates of Zion, that is, the Church? If it is your heart’s desire to commune with God among His people, not merely in the outward observance of His ordinances of public worship, but with sincere inward devotion, that is evidence of a heart that loves what God Himself delights in. As the Christian Sabbath, or the Lord’s Day, approaches, may this heart be in each of us, and may we love the Lamb’s wife, the Spouse of Christ, as He indeed loves the Church.

This is the Happy Day! - Émile Doumergue on the Church of the Psalms

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In April 1902, at Geneva, Switzerland, a lecture was given by a man described later by Lorraine Boettner as the the author of “the most exhaustive and authoritative work ever published on [John] Calvin” - Émile Doumergue. Seven years later, on the occasion of Calvin’s 400th birthday, this address on “Music in the Work of Calvin” was translated and published by B.B. Warfield. It highlights not only a tremendous appreciation on the part of Calvin for Biblical aesthetics in worship, but also how very foundational one particular aspect of the arts was to the Calvinistic branch of Christendom - the Psalter. One extract is here given, but the entire address is very much worth reading (found here).

Here we are, gentlemen, on a fine afternoon in May, 1558, on the great promenade of the students of Paris, the Pré-aux-Clercs, on the banks of the Seine. Some students are singing the Psalms, and their singing is so fine that their comrades gather and sing with them. The same scene is repeated the next day. Only, the lords of the court — Chatillon, Condé, the King of Navarre — mingle with the singers. It is a procession of seven or eight hundred people which unrolls itself, and the immense and delighted crowd listens with transport. What is it? The apparition of the Psalm, sung in chorus — “that unexpected harmony”, as Michelet puts it, “that sweet, simple and strong singing, so strong as to be heard a thousand leagues away, so sweet that everyone thought he heard in it the voice of his mother”. And while to the echoes of the Pré-aux-Clercs, there were answering the echoes of the Pré Fichaut of Bourges or of the promenades of Bordeaux, the old historian of the University of Paris, Bulee, said: “In the singing of the Psalms, the Protestants laid the foundations of their religion”; and Florimond de Raemond said: “It is from this event [the apparition of the Psalms] that the Church of Calvin may be dated” — the Church of the Psalms.
…
From that moment, the Psalms have been indissolubly bound up with the life, public and private alike, of Calvinists, and, as has been remarked, it would be possible to make a calendar, in which all the salient events of the history of French Protestantism should be recalled by a verse of a Psalm.

Here is that famous verse, for example, of Psalm 118:

This is the happy day
That God Himself did make;
Let us rejoice alway
And in it pleasure take.

Now, in describing the battle of Coutras (1587), won by Henry of Navarre, the son of Jeanne d’Albret, from the Duke de Joyeuse and the Catholic army, D’Aubigne expresses himself thus:

“Of the two artilleries, the last to come, that of Huguenots, was the first in position, and commenced to play before nine o’clock. Laverdin, seeing the damage which it did, rode towards his general and cried out, while still some distance off: ‘Sir, we are losing by waiting: we must open up.’ The response was: ‘Monsieur the Marshal speaks the truth.’ He returned at a gallop to his place, gave the word and charged.

“On the other side, the King of Navarre having had prayer offered throughout the army, some began to sing the Hundred-and-eighteenth Psalm: ‘This is the happy day.’ Many Catholics of the White-Cap cried out loudly enough to be heard: ‘S’Death! They are trembling, the poltroons; they are making confession.’ Vaux, lieutenant of Belle-garde, who had more frequently rubbed knees with these people and who alone rallied for the combat, said to the Duke: ‘Sir, when the Huguenots take this figure, they are ready to lay on with a will.’ ” And some hours later the victory was theirs.

But this same song, “This is the happy day”, has sustained the Calvinists in other combats, more dangerous, more difficult. It is heroic to cast ourselves at a gallop without fear into the midst of the battle. It is more heroic, laid on a bed of agony, to receive, calm and smiling, the assault of the last enemy which man has to conquer on this earth. Such a hero, the author whose narrative we have just read showed himself. His widow relates: “Two hours before his death, he said with a joyful countenance and a mind peaceable and content, ‘This is the happy day’.” There is something more heroic still. Listen! Far from the excitement of the combat, unsustained by the affections and care of friends, face to face with the mob howling with rage and hate, on the scaffold, at the foot of the gallows, here are the martyrs of the eighteenth century, — the Louis Rancs, the Frangois Benezets, the Frangois Rochettes,' — who, with their glorious souls, raise towards the heavens where their Saviour listens to them, the song of triumph: “This is the happy day!”

The Psalms in the heart of the Bible were at the heart of Biblical worship as envisioned and practiced by John Calvin. To join with him in singing such praise to God — oh, this is the happy day!

Songs in the Night: Joseph S. Van Dyke

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God has given us “songs in the night” (Job 35:10) to sing for our encouragement in the midst of darkness. Joseph Smith Van Dyke explains how the Scriptures, and especially the Psalms, are a great source of comfort to believers in the midst of affliction in a volume titled Be of Good Cheer.

Songs have marvelous power over human hearts. Rendering us forgetful of the miseries that environ us, they bear us on wings of hope to a celestial sphere, making us in spirit the companions of angels. Out of earth's worries up through the arches of the invisible they seem to waft us into an ecstasy of delight.

If songs are needed we may conclude that they have been given. Our Father has made provision for supplying our needs. Food needed: food furnished. Fuel needed: fuel supplied. Immortality coveted: immortality an inheritance of which even Satan cannot rob us. Rest ardently longed for: "There remaineth a rest to the people of God." Man desires wealth as the means of procuring future happiness. God enables him to lay up "enduring riches and righteousness in heaven"; and his greed for earthly possessions may be the perversion of a laudable desire. Have we, then, any reason to doubt whether God will sing songs in our nights? He can readily furnish a song. He can teach us to sing. He can produce such a measure of cheerfulness as shall prompt us to give expression to our joyousness.

Who giveth songs? God, our Maker. If the song is given by him who created the soul, who is the Master Musician, who covets its music, who proffers us the opportunity of singing "the song of Moses and the Lamb," then may we be sure that the song will soothe our hearts and inspire undying hopes.

To whom are these songs given? To all who are able to say, "God, my Maker." None are so despondent that their Maker cannot inspire the spirit which will prompt them to sing. None are so girt round by temptation that the Almighty cannot give them a song of deliverance. None have attained such heights of goodness that they do not need a song of praise to the mercy of God. Songs for all, for those of a melancholy temperament and for those of a cheerful, for those who are hopeful and for those who are despairing, for those who are on the hill-top, and for those who are in the valley.

"Songs in the night." The sweetness of a song is enhanced by the time in which it is sung. It has increased inspiration as it comes through the stillness and darkness of the night. Whispering of a time when life's shadows shall be succeeded by noonday, it awakens life, love, sympathy and hope. Songs in the night of poverty, in the night of failing health, in the night of remorse, in the night of affliction, in the night produced by the waywardness of loved ones — in every night however intense the darkness, and however numerous the clouds which produce it.

It ought to be to us a source of joy that our Father wears a title so significant, "He who giveth songs in the night"; for nights come to all, brief to some, reaching down to the grave of others. As the measure of darkness which, in the absence of the sun, comes to each is dependent upon conditions, so the amount of trial which comes to anyone is determined in measure by his surroundings. Hence, we are not fitted to estimate accurately the poignancy of the griefs that come to others' hearts. There are fountains of anguish upon which our eyes are not permitted to gaze. Some springs empty their waters through visible channels, some through invisible, some have no outlet, and their waters become bitter. One conceals his grief; another pours his tale of woe into every listening ear.

Each name and each phrase by which our Maker is designated produces its own impression on the soul. When we think of him as The First Cause, The Infinite, The Ultimate of all Ultimates, we are filled with awe. When we contemplate him as The Just and Holy One, the source of authority, the center of excellency, the fountain of goodness, the judge before whom all must appear, we are prompted to bow at his footstool and exclaim, "God be merciful to me a sinner." When we meditate upon his eternity, omnipotence, omniscience, omnipresence, immutability, we are forced to ask, "Who can understand the Almighty unto perfection?" If we pause to think of him as making provision for man's redemption, as inviting wanderers to accept forgiveness, as proffering endless joy without money and without price, gratitude is prompted to whisper in accents of prayer, "May Christ dwell in our hearts by faith; that we being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height; and to know the love of Christ which passeth knowledge." When we regard him as a companion of earth's sojourners to the beyond, as lifting up those who have fallen by the way, as reviving the faint, refreshing the weary and singing songs of joy during nights of sorrow, we are swathed in emotions which language is incapable of expressing. There is no season of perplexity, no night of grief, no period of gloom in which He is not ready to give needed comfort.

Are the burdens which poverty entails depressing the spirits? For this night God has given songs. If we were to expunge from the Bible the passages which contain comfort for the needy we should find the character of the book changed to no inconsiderable extent. Indeed, abundant is the encouragement given to this class of persons. Consequently the Gospel has won its greatest triumphs among those who were poor in the things of this world, but "rich in faith towards God." Nor need we marvel at this, for the Saviour addressed them with tenderness. Not only in the New Testament, but as well in the Old, we find messages to the poor. In the 68th Psalm we read, "Thou, O God, hast prepared of thy goodness for the poor." It cannot be said that God has not provided for the poor till it has been proved that all the possible products of the soil, judiciously distributed and savingly used, are insufficient for the maintenance of all.

In things spiritual, as well as in things temporal, God "hath provided of his goodness for the poor." In their spiritual welfare Christ was interested. To them He spoke with tenderness. In their homes He displayed His power. From them He gathered disciples. His apostles were fishermen. For the poor it is comparatively easy to realize the fact that worship is with the heart, not with costly raiment and glittering diamonds, not with gold and incense, not with ceremonies and genuflections. When the poor man hears God's voice demanding homage, he knows that the demand means, "Give me thy heart"; for he has little or nothing else to give. It is also easier for him to cultivate a spirit of dependence upon God than it is for those who have tutored themselves to rely in all things upon efforts of their own. Are we not justified then in saying that those who form the purpose of becoming religious after they have acquired wealth would do well to remember that those who are without piety in the season of poverty are likely to be destitute thereof in the day of prosperity? If he does not covet God's presence in the cottage, why should he flatter himself that he will implore the forgiveness of sin if he is permitted to reside in a mansion? He ought to find no difficulty in believing that the agriculturist at the plow, the mechanic at the bench, the lawyer at the bar, the merchant at the counter, and the housekeeper at her occupations, may not only grow in the graces of the Spirit but are especially well situated to exemplify practical Christianity.

I need do little more than remind you that in the night produced by failing health, God giveth songs. He who feeds the ravens, clothes the lilies, counts the hairs of our heads, and notes the falling of a sparrow, will furnish a song for those who find the earthly house of their tabernacle crumbling to decay. To them, the word of the apostle may have special sweetness, "We know that if our earthly house of this tabernacle were dissolved, we have a building of God, an house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens." "These light afflictions which are but for a moment shall work out for me a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory."

Those who are filled with forebodings in reference to the future of human society ought to observe the footsteps of God in the history of the world. Having done this they ought to have no difficulty in believing in human progress. The world is working upwards to a higher form of civilization. Religion is becoming more intelligent and more general. It is true, disheartenment may temporarily weigh down the soul as one gazes upon ignorance, superstition, bigotry, cruelty, duplicity and unreasonableness. We should bear in mind, however, that Christ is risen and his resurrection is a pledge of the triumph of truth. To Him The Father has said, "I will give thee the heathen for thine inheritance, and the uttermost parts of the earth for thy possession." The sea of human society may continue to heave and foam and hiss for centuries to come, but He who calmed the waters of Lake Gennesaret will quiet its billows in his own time. Wars shall cease. Idols shall crumble to dust. Superstitions shall perish. Cruelty shall give place to kindness. "The wolf shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the kid, and the calf and the young lion and the fatling together, and a little child shall lead them. They shall not hurt or destroy in all my holy mountain: for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord, as the waters cover the sea."

To such as have a night produced by a sense of personal sinfulness, our Father sings songs whose sweetness is unparalleled. In Isaiah we read, "I will pardon their iniquities:" "Come, now, let us reason together, saith the Lord: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool." So abundant in Scripture is the testimony to God's willingness to forgive sin that the penitent ought to have no difficulty in catching the notes of pardoning mercy. The Psalmist exclaims, "Bless the Lord O my soul and forget not all his benefits: who forgiveth all thine iniquities; who healeth all thy diseases; who redeemeth thy life from destruction; who crowneth thee with lovingness and tender mercies." "There is forgiveness with thee that thou mayst be feared."

I need do no more than remind you of the Saviour's song of pardoning mercy, "Come unto me all ye that labor and are heavy-laden, and I will give you rest."

In affliction — one of the departments of God's training school — the listening ear can catch a song which is fitted to produce cheerfulness and resignation. Nor will it be difficult to discover those who, taught by experience, are ready to testify, not only to the sweetness of the songs their Maker gives, but to the fact that the sweetness is enhanced by drawing near the hand that holds the rod. If burdens drive us to him, if human enmity induces us to seek divine love, if waves of adversity prompt us to rest on his bosom, we may succeed in cultivating such a measure of resignation as shall enable us to thank him for whatever He sends — most, perhaps, for the severe. Forth from the fire the tried ones come purified, chanting the songs taught them in the furnace. A mother, bending over her babe and imprinting kisses which elicit no answering smile, is heard whispering between sobs, "The Lord gave and the Lord hath taken away, blessed be the name of the Lord:" "It shall not return to me but I shall go to it." Or, in an apartment whose stillness is oppressive stands one whom we imagined no grief could unnerve. Lo! crushed in spirit, he is endeavoring to learn the song which his Father is repeating to him, "As thy day thy strength shall be:" "My grace is sufficient for thee :" "My strength is made perfect in weakness:" "These light afflictions . . . shall work out a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory:" "If ye suffer with me ye shall also reign with me." Experiences of bereavement are so common, however, and songs fitted to produce resignation are so numerous, and occasions which furnish for them avenues to the soul are so many, that I need do no more than remind you that no matter how deep the gloom of sorrow's night, our Maker can furnish comfort. Why then should man be less cheerful than the bird which in winter sings its carol though its mate lies buried in the snow and no crumb is obtainable. May we not sing with the Psalmist, "This is my comfort in my [present] affliction, that Thy word hath quickened me" — hath in past afflictions revived my spirit.

Psalms for special occasions as selected by John Craig

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Howard McKnight Wilson describes what regular Presbyterian worship looked like in the mid-18th century in the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia in his enduring and valuable study of a noteworthy historic congregation. The congregation is Tinkling Spring Presbyterian Church in Fishersville, Virginia, and the pastor to whom he refers is John Craig.

The singing of Psalms was a regular part of their worship. The book from which they sang was, of course, the same as the pastor’s copy preserved by a descendant. His Psalter might have been the only copy possessed by the gathered congregation, since the clerk lined out each verse before it was sung. His book is The Scottish Psalter about 3/4 inch thick, measuring 2 X 3 1/2 inches. It is bound in leather and has the Scottish form of his initials “I.C.” stamped in gold on both front and back. It contains the 150 Psalms of the Old Testament “IN Metre.”

Shown here is a 1763 edition of the 1650 Scottish Metrical Psalter. John Craig owned a 1729 edition published in Belfast.

Shown here is a 1763 edition of the 1650 Scottish Metrical Psalter. John Craig owned a 1729 edition published in Belfast.

Wilson continues with a note of interest that gives us an insight into the piety of this frontier Presbyterian minister.

Some of these Psalms were favorites of Mr. Craig’s and therefore may have been chosen more frequently. In his handwriting on the flyleaf of his Psalter, Mr. Craig records the following:

Ps’ms to be sung upon particular times & occasions as in ye morning Pms 3: 5: 16: 22: 144
in ye evening 4: 121: 141
for mercy after a sin Committed 51, 102
in Sickness or heaviness 1, 13, 88, 90, 91, 137, 146
when recovered 30, 32,
on ye Sabbath day 19, 9, 95
in time of joy 80, 98, 107, 145, 136
before Sermon 1, 12, 119 — 1 & 5 part
at ye communion 22, 23, 103, 111, 116, 45, 72
for spiritual solace 15, 19, 25, 46, 67, 112, 146
after wrong & disgrace received 42, 69, 70, 140, 144

Source: Howard McKnight Wilson, The Tinkling Spring, Headwater of Freedom: A Study of the Church and Her People, 1732-1952, pp. 102-103

The 4th century Church Father Athanasius once wrote:

It is possible for us, therefore, to find in the Psalter not only the reflection of our own soul's state, together with precept and example for all possible conditions, but also a fit form of words wherewith to please the Lord on each of life's occasions. (Letter to Marcellinus on the Interpretation of the Psalms)

John Craig found this to be true, and so may every Christian today in the singing of God’s Word. There is a Psalm for every condition and occasion in human life, because it is, as John Calvin says, “an anatomy of the soul,” which is, if we may say so, part of the genius of the Psalter.

The First Book Published in Kentucky was by a Presbyterian Minister - Adam Rankin

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The first book printed in the State of Kentucky (which became a state in 1792) was published on January 1, 1793 by a Pennsylvania-born (March 24, 1755) Presbyterian minister, Adam Rankin. It is titled, A Process of the Transilvania Presbytery, which refers to the presbytery covering the territory of Kentucky within the Presbyterian Church of the United States of America, established in 1786. Adam Rankin had been charged with several offenses which involved worship and doctrinal differences between him and others. This book is his account of the matter.

Rankin, Adam, A Process in the Transilvania Presbytery Title Page.jpg

In this interesting work, Rankin fired the first literary salvo in his controversy with the Presbyterian Church in the United States of America (PCUSA), specifically, the Transilvania (Transylvania) Presbytery of Kentucky, of which he was a member. The controversy led to the further publishing of 1) A Narrative of Mr. Adam Rankin's Trial by the Transylvania Presbytery (1793); and 2) Adam Rankin’s A Reply to a Narrative of Mr. Adam Rankin's Trial (1794). Here, in A Process, he lays out the particular charges that were leveled against him, along with his defense. Additional sections of the book set forth his reasons for separating from the PCUSA (he later joined the Associate Reformed Church); a digest of his positions on matters of controversy at that time between the PCUSA and the ARC, including the free offer of the gospel, terms of communion, national covenanting, marriage licenses and more; followed by “A Appendix on a late performance of the Rev. Mr. John Black of Marsh Creek, Pennsylvania,” in which Rankin sets forth satirically a “Modern Creed” which lays out the arguments of the opposition, largely regarding the place of the Psalms in worship.

One of the major issues between Rankin and the Transylvania Presbytery was his conviction that the Psalms of David alone were to be sung in public worship, to the exclusion of Isaac Watts’ imitations. A Process, in fact, constitutes one of the earliest published American defenses of exclusive psalmody. Following the January 1, 1793 publication of A Process, we have at Log College Press also a February 7, 1793 letter of encouragement from ARC minister Robert Annan to Rankin touching on this very issue.

Rankin is famous in church history for possessing difficult temperament. Here is an opportunity to read his own words in the heat of controversy to see for yourself how he expressed himself. Also available at LCP is his Dialogues, Pleasant and Interesting, Upon the All-Important Question in Church Government, What are the Legitimate Terms of Admission to Visible Church Communion? (1819). John Wilson Townsend, Kentucky in American Letters, 1784-1912, Vol. 1, p. 18 (1913), says: “His Dialogues …, is really his most important publication, but it has been greatly overlooked in the recent rush among Kentucky historical writers to list A Process as the first book published in Kentucky.”

Controversy followed Rankin even in the ARC in the form of a dispute with Robert Hamilton Bishop, which resulted in church discipline for both men. Eventually, Rankin left the ARC too, bidding his Lexington, Kentucky congregation farewell with plans to travel to Jerusalem. He died on the way in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on November 25, 1827. James Brown Scouller, A Manual of the United Presbyterian Church of North America, 1751-1881, pp. 493-494, writes:

There can be no question that Mr. Rankin was “encompassed with infirmities,” that he was sensitive, a little jealous, impulsive and strong of will, so that he soon put himself on the defensive, and always with his face to the foe, and he had the misfortune of living at a time when ecclesiastical things did not always run smoothly. On the other hand it is just as certain that he was loyal to the truth and valorous in its defence, however faulty his methods. He was of unquestioned piety, and commanded the full confidence of those among whom he lived. He possessed unusual eloquence and power in the pulpit, and often moved a whole congregation to tears.

Learning to pray through the Psalms: Francis J. Grimké

Francis James Grimké on the value of learning to pray through the Psalms:

In studying the psalms we get a pretty good idea of what prayer is. It is talking to God; telling him all about ourselves, our cares, our anxieties, our troubles, vexations, disappointments, in a word, unbosoming ourselves to him as we would to a confidential friend. We not only learn what prayer is, but also the comforting assurance that God wants us to come to him, wants us to confide in him, to roll our burdens upon him. We need never hesitate therefore about going to him at all times and under all circumstances.

This devotional thought comes from The Works of Francis J. Grimké, Vol. 3: Stray Thoughts and Meditations (p. 3), which is a real treasure. This volume is full of references to the Book of Psalms, which were both an inspiration and a comfort to Rev. Grimké, especially during a particularly reflective period of his life. If you appreciate his devotional work as well as his pastoral ministry, be sure to also check his Meditations on Preaching, available at Log College Press here.

Grimke on Preaching.jpg

Songs From the Soul: Geerhardus Vos

In 1994, when Banner of Truth republished Geerhardus Vos’ 1922 collection of sermons titled Grace and Glory, which originally contained six sermons, they added 10 more to the reprint. Sinclair Ferguson explains:

In possessing a copy of Grace and Glory the reader has in his or her hands a book of sermons which are almost as rare as they are remarkable. Not only so, but in addition to the six sermons which originally constituted the volume Grace and Glory the present edition includes a further nine sermons which Vos preached in the Chapel of Princeton Theological Seminary between 1896 and 1913, as well as an undated exposition of Ephesians 2:4-5 translated from Dutch. This additional material has been provided to the publishers by James T. Dennison, the Librarian of Westminster Theological Seminary in California and the editor of the journal Kerux, in which the bulk of has already been published. Mr. Dennison originally uncovered Vos’s personal sermon book in 1971 in the Heritage Hall Archive of Calvin Theological Seminary and transcribed the material. As heirs of his labours the publishers are also indebted to the Heritage Hall Archive of Calvin Seminary for the privilege of reproducing the material in this more permanent form.

One of those additional sermons is titled “Songs From the Soul,” based on Psalm 25:14: “The secret of the LORD is with them that fear him; and he will shew them his covenant.” In this sermon, Vos speaks to the experimental piety of the Psalter in eloquent terms (pp. 169-171).

The Psalter is of all books of the Bible that book which gives expression to the experimental side of religion. In the law and the prophetic writings, it is God who speaks to his people; but in the Psalter we listen to the saints speaking to God. Hence the Psalter has been at all times that part of Scripture to which believers have most readily turned and upon which they have chiefly depended for the nourishment of the inner religious life of the heart. I say that part of Scripture and not merely that part of the Old Testament, for even taking the Old and New Testament together the common experience of the people of God affirms that there is nothing in Holy Writ which in our most spiritual moments — when we feel ourselves nearest to God — so faithfully and naturally expresses what we think and feel in our hearts as these songs of the pious Israelites. Our Lord himself, who had a perfect religious experience and lived and walked with God in absolute adjustment of his thoughts and desires to the Father's mind and will, our Lord himself found his inner life portrayed in the Psalter and in some of the highest moments of his ministry borrowed from it the language in which his soul spoke to God, thus recognizing that a more perfect language for communion with God cannot be framed.

Undoubtedly it is in the Psalter that the specific work of inspiration which the Holy Ghost performs in inditing the Scriptures and the more general task which he carries out in sustaining, directing, stimulating and guiding the religious thoughts and aspirations of believers are most closely united. Inspiration for the disclosure of truth is not always accompanied by the subjective appropriation of the truth in a saintly experience (a Balaam and a Caiaphas were among the prophets); but nevertheless it remains the more natural and ordinary procedure of God that the instrument through which his truth is brought to man should be a mind in intimate touch with his own; a mind responsive to that personal revelation of God himself which lives and throbs in the truth. And consequently we see that the great prophets (like a Moses, an Isaiah or Jeremiah) appear at the same time as the outstanding examples of a wonderfully rich and tender religious intercourse with God. But in the Psalms we can more clearly than anywhere else observe the interaction of these two things: supernatural reception of the truth and spiritual nearness to God. Possibly the fact that in David's case the prophetic disclosures of truth that he received were so vitally connected with his own life and destiny may have something to do with the presence of this feature in the Psalms, whereas the other prophets sometimes stood more or less apart from the development of things to which their words applied. And then the prophets, of course, in many instances spoke to and for the nation collectively, whereas in the Psalter it is the individual soul which comes face to face with God.

Hence the lessons and encouragements which we obtain from other parts of the Old Testament are frequently drawn indirectly by a process of inference, for which we are not always in the right frame of mind and the proper spiritual mood. But the in Psalms, whatever our mood, whether we are exultant or downcast, vigorous or weary, penitent or believing, we can always find our hearts mirrored there. It needs no process of reasoning to make their sentiments our own. Here the language of the Bible comes to meet the very thoughts of our hearts before these can even clothe themselves in language and we recognize that we could not have expressed them better than the Spirit has here expressed them for us. At first sight, this may easily seem strange to us when we remember that the the psalmists lived under the conditions of a typical and preparatory dispensation; that on many points they saw through a glass darkly, whereas we, who live in the full light of the complete gospel, see face to face. But for the very reason that the Psalms reflect that experimental religion of the heart, which is unvarying at all times and under all circumstances, we need not greatly wonder at this. The influx of the divine light, whether more or less strong, must always produce the identical effect of joy, hope and peace in every soul to which it comes. The well at which we drink may flow more abundantly than that at which the psalmists drank, but the experience of thirst, of drinking and of satisfaction must still be the same as it was in the time of David.