Sir John Finch and Sir Thomas Baines, has been elected a Foundation Fellow of that Society.

Hensley Wedgwood, Esq. M.A. of Christ College, has been clected a Fellow of that Society on the foundation of Sir John Finch and Sir Thomas Baines.

Andrew Amos, Esq. M. A. formerly Fellow of Trinity College, has been appointed to the Auditorship of that Society, vacant by the promotion of Sir James Parke to the Bench.

The Syndicate appointed to take into consideration the practice of Degrading in the University, have made the following report to the Senate:

Conceiving the practice of Degrading without any limitation to be liable to abuse, they recommend to the Senate the adoption of the following regulations:

1. That from and after the tenth day of October, 1830, no person, who has degraded, be permitted to become a Candidate for University Scholarships or any other Academical Honors during his Undergraduateship, or for Honors in the Mathematical Tripos, unless he shall previously have obtained special permission for so doing from a Syndicate hereafter to be appointed for that purpose.

2. That this Syndicate do consist of the Vice-Chancellor, the Public Orator, the Greek Professor, and the two Moderators for the time being, who shall be invested with full power to examine into the cases of applicants for permission to become candidates for Honors after they have degraded, and to grant or withhold such permission, as they may think proper.

3. That this Syndicate do meet on a certain day in October in each year, of which notice is to be given by the Vice

NOTICES TO CORRESPONDENTS.

Lay

The works mentioned by a "Staffordshire Curate," and one of those by a Subscriber," are under review. The other may possibly be examined. We thank our latter friend for the list of Preferments, and hope that the favour will be occasionally repeated.

We are always glad to hear from "B. B. P."

"J. M." has our thanks. His communication shall be attended to.

"A Clergyman and a Tory" came too late.

"W. V." has been received.

Next month we shall endeavour to meet the wishes of " W. M."

THE

CHRISTIAN

REMEMBRANCER.

APRIL, 1829.

REVIEW OF NEW PUBLICATIONS.

ART. I.-1. A Manual of Parochial Psalmody; comprising Select Portions from the Old and New Versions of the Psalms, together with Hymns for the principal Festivals, &c. of the Church of England; revised and adapted to the Service of the Church, for every Sunday, &c. throughout the year. By the Rev. THOMAS HARTWELL HORNE, M. A. London: 1829. Cadell. Price 1s. 6d. 2s. &c. (according to the binding.)

2. A Selection of the most approved Psalm and Hymn Tunes, adapted to the Manual of Parochial Psalmody, by the Rev. Thomas Hartwell Horne, M.A. The whole arranged by THOMAS HENSHAW, Organist of St. Pancras New Church. London: 1829. Cadell. 4to. Price 6s.

THE neglect of sacred poetry cannot justly be laid to the charge of the present age. There has evidently been a growing taste for it; and many productions in this department of literature have been lately given to the public which are worthy to be ranked with any compositions of a similar kind that our language has to boast. As the singing of psalms and hymns has ever formed, and, from its fitness to excite religious feelings, and to elevate the soul with the liveliest emotions of piety, ever will form a part of divine worship, it was to be expected that to this a due share of attention would be directed. Such, accordingly, has been the fact: and many attempts have been made, and various suggestions offered, for the improvement of our metrical devotion, which, in the almost unanimous opinion of all parties, requires some regulation and amendment. Among these attempts, the Manual announced above is, from its intrinsic merits, entitled to a distinguished place. The author does not aspire to the praise of original poetry; his is the less splendid, but not less useful design to compile select portions from the Old and New Versions of the Psalms, together with select hymns, and, by a careful revision, to

adapt them to the service of the Church for every Sunday and Festival throughout the year. How far his efforts have been successful we shall endeavour to show in the sequel.

The Psalms being for the most part too long, when accompanied with music, to be used entire in divine worship, it is necessary to select portions of them; and the principles by which Mr. Horne has been guided are thus stated :

As the design of this manual is, to render the singing of Psalms an interesting and edifying part of our Church Service, without having recourse to any other metrical translations than those which have received the sanction of the highest Legal and Ecclesiastical Authorities; those portions of the Old and New Versions have been principally selected, which celebrate the Praises and Perfections of God, the Works of Creation and of Providence, and the Blessings of Redemption. Where entire Psalms, or connected portions of them could not be adopted, it has frequently become necessary to disregard the order in which the verses stand in the original, and to select such passages of a Psalm as form an extract, containing a distinct and simple subject, and "conveying some acknowledgment of Christian faith or duty, some sentiment of penitence, of praise, or thanksgiving." All those passages, which are exclusively applicable to Jewish Worship, have been omitted. Slight verbal alterations, to connect passages brought together from different parts of a long Psalm, have necessarily been made: and where a sentiment has been introduced into the version of Tate and Brady, which is at variance with other parts of Scripture, such exceptionable sentiment has been corrected. To each Psalm is prefixed a short preface, pointing out its subject, and, if it be a prophetical Psalm, its spiritual application to the Messiah or Christ. These short prefaces are abridged, either from those of the late learned and pious Bishop Horne, in his Commentary on the Psalms, or from those of the Right Rev. Dr. Mant, Bishop of Down and Connor, in his recent metrical version of the Book of Psalms with notes, or from the prefaces prefixed to the Psalms, in the earlier black-letter editions of the Old Version, some of which are very judicious; although they have been very improperly omitted in the modern editions of that version.-Pp. xiii. xiv.

The short prefaces which the author has prefixed to each psalm greatly enhance the value of the work. The design of the Psalmist is briefly developed, and will contribute in no small degree to enable the worshipper, while he sings "with the spirit," to sing "with the understanding also." (1 Cor. xiv. 15.) It has been the author's aim to select such verses from each psalm as will serve, in the most prominent manner, to point out and illustrate the subject of it in correspondency with the prefixed preface. This is a point to which we attach very great importance. Since entire psalms cannot be used in singing during divine service, it is desirable to select such parts of each as may most clearly exhibit its general design and purport. Thus the extract will not only be a whole in itself, but will, in some measure, include the sum and substance of the entire psalm.

Mr. Horne's selections are taken from the Old and New Versions of the Psalms, with some verbal alterations by which, as he con

ceived, they would both be improved, and be fitted to answer more perfectly the objects of such a compilation. Neither of these versions forms an integral part of the Book of Common Prayer, nor is either sanctioned by the same authority as the Liturgy. The introduction of that by Sternhold and Hopkins was, it is true, with the sanction both of the Crown and of the Convocation; but this seems to have gone no farther than to permit, not to enjoin its use in Churches; and though a few excellent individuals pertinaciously defend its adoption, it has fallen into almost total disuse; from which fate, considering the lameness of its versification, its generally bold, prosaic, obsolete style, and its utter discordance with the fastidious taste of the present age, it is morally impossible to rescue it. The New Version by Tate and Brady was published in 1696, several years subsequent to the last revisal of the Liturgy, which was finally ratified by Act of Parliament, and received the royal assent in 1662. It is, therefore, perfectly allowable to depart from the Old and New Versions, whenever such deviation is required by the laws of sound criticism, and is calculated to further the legitimate objects of parochial psalmody. This, it is acknowledged, is a matter of extreme delicacy. It may be thought dangerous to grant such a liberty to individual judgment, inasmuch as it may open the door to a wild spirit of innovation, the progress of which it may be impossible to arrest. With this representation, to a certain extent, we readily concur. It is the part of wisdom to pause and hesitate before attempting any change in that which is sanctioned by authority, or, what is almost equivalent, by long and reverential custom. In whatever is intrusted to the guardianship or administration of men, there is danger from perverted opinion and mistaken zeal but it were unreasonable to urge this against a reformation where the reformation is evidently wanted. It is, therefore, worth while to inquire briefly into the principles by which every alteration in our metrical versions should be guided and regulated.

It may, in the first place, be laid down as a general rule, that such verbal alterations may be made, if consistent with a regard to the sense of the original, as are requisite for rendering the psalms more appropriate for congregational singing. What is intended to be used by a multitude of persons at one and the same time should not be private or particular, but general, such as is in a greater or less degree applicable to all, and in which every individual in the assembly may fairly and reasonably join. But many parts of the Psalms relate to the history and fortunes of David, to the peculiarities of the Jewish ritual, or to the especial circumstances of the Jewish nation, while others, by a slight change, may be rendered more generally applicable. Whenever this can be effected without departing too widely from the sense of the original, it is surely highly desirable, as rendering

psalmody more effective and edifying. We shall quote a few examples.

Ps. xvi. 1.-" My lot is fall'n in this blest land,

Where God is truly known;"

which is properly altered from Tate and Brady's version—“ In that blest land."

Ps. xxii. 4.-" O may the glad converted world

To God their homage pay;"

in Tate and Brady it is-" Then shall the glad," &c. v. 27. Ps. xxvi. 2, is properly substituted for Tate and Brady, v. 6. See the author's Pref. Note [A.] Ps. lxv. 2, "our humble prayer," for "my humble prayer," in Tate and Brady. Mr. Horne has adopted a similar change of number in other places. Ps. Ixviii. 1, "To God," for, "To him," in Tate and Brady, in order to render the extract consistent and entire. Ps. lxxx. 1, “Great God! our Shepherd and our Guide,” for "Israel's Shepherd, Joseph's Guide;" thus applying it to the spiritual Israel. Ps. lxxxvi. Pt. 2. v. 3—

"Redeemed by Thee from endless pain,
Redeemed from dread of hell;”

for Tate and Brady, v. 13—

"For thou hast oft redeemed my soul
From lowest depths of hell."

66

Ps. cxv. 3, "his chosen ransomed Church," for Tate and Brady— "Priests, Levites, Proselytes," which is thus made to represent the Church. Ps. cxvi. 3, "who saves the helpless," for "the harmless," in Tate and Brady, v. 5, 6, which, in a Christian sense, is inapplicable to men. Ps. cxix. Pt. 4, v. 1, shall," for "will," as no one can say that he never will go astray. Ps. cl. properly altered to suit it to a Christian congregation. For other examples we refer to Ps. iii. 1.-v. 4.-xix. Pt. 2. v. 3.-xxvii. Pt. i. v. 2.-xxviii. Pt. 2. v. 3.-xxxi. Pt. 2. v. 1.-xxxii. 1.-xxxvi. 1.-xlviii. 2.-lxii. 2.-lxvi. 2.-lxxiii. 1.-lxxxv. 1.-lxxxix. Pt. 1. v. 2. Pt. 2. v. 1.-xcvii. 2.-cxlii. 2.-clxix. 2. Besides these, and a few other alterations, some of the Psalms, which are only adapted to the circumstances of David, or of the Jewish nation, are omitted; all which changes are surely warranted by the end and object of parochial psalmody.

In the second place; such verbal alterations are admissible as serve to point out more perfectly the spiritual application of the psalm. But in order to apply this rule soberly and discreetly, it is requisite to confine it to such alterations as are not inconsistent with the sense of the original, and to such spiritual applications as are confirmed by scriptural authority. With these limitations it precludes the appre