of praise or adoration. In a larger definition, it is the rhythmical expression of any religious emotion that is true and legitimate. If it be intended for individual use, this last definition needs no limitation, If for common use, it must be an expression of emotion that is common, as well as true and legitimate. And in this latter case, it is susceptible of division into two or three sorts. It either expresses such emotion as is common to all worshippers, believers in the lowest sense; or such as is felt only by the faithful; or such as is experienced only by the saintly; yet the elements and conditions for which are in the hearts of all.

This excludes, of course, the expression of all diseased, or abnormal religious emotion. There is plenty such, as every Pastor can testify; and which his efforts have been to check, or purify, or extinguish. No Hymn, then, which is an outgrowth of the disordered and not healthy Christian experience, is fit for Common Worship. Nor is any one, which, though true, is the product of a rare idiosyncrasy. Either of these will be meaningless for many hearts, and require a bewildering effort of the imagination to adopt them. Several of the Hymns in our present collection are, perhaps, liable to this objection.

Secondly. A Hymn for Common Worship must have theological correctness. It must not be heretical, nor partizan, nor the expression of an individual theory. The truth of this is so manifest as to require no argumentation. Criticism, here, must be negative, rather than positive. All Hymns should, in this regard, undergo close scrutiny.

Thirdly. A Hymn should not only be correct in versification, but have rhythmical merit sufficient to elevate it, beyond all question, above the level of prose. This is of more importance than that the thoughts should be poetic. But the thought or feeling, whatever it be, should be treated poetically, or there is no reason why it should be versified at all. It will be found that the Hymns which have made the deepest and most permanent impression, have done so more from something taking in the rhythm, than from the thought; which, indeed, may exist in many another dress, but, clothed in this, reaches a new depth of the Christian heart. This, which is the most sen

suous, yet most spiritual part of Poetry, is most difficult, if not impossible, to analyze, to discover the ground for the delight which it produces, as is not the intellectual part. Thereby the poet produces, not the thought, but the feeling with which we enter upon his thought. It is desirable that Hymns for Common Worship should possess this merit, as generally as possible, not only not to displease the poetic taste, and the rhythmical ear, which are more widely possessed than is generally supposed, but also that they may elevate, correct, and purify the common taste in this particular.

Fourthly, a Hymn should possess, or seem to possess, that spontaneity, which is the inevitable mode of utterance of strong emotion. Hence, if it is too didactic, if burdened with too much thought, or with too recondite thought, or if expressed in the logical method, this rule is violated. Emotion does not speak in the logical method. Its law of association is rather analogical, and thus strong emotion makes any soul poetic. Emotion does not deal with out-of-the-way thoughts. Such always make any Hymn smack of the lamp. It deals, rather, with thoughts which are common, but deep; so deep, and true, as to be rarely realized. It deals with such thoughts simply as may express themselves by an involuntary utterance. It is well-known that, in all languages, Lyric Poetry only becomes captivating and popular when it has this element of spontaniety. And common people are very good judges of this merit. They will not away with Songs, or Hymns either, which put them to too much trouble of thinking. It is the perfection of art here to speak in the language of simple nature. If, however, the religious Poet can, warming and rising with his subject, clothe profound thought in the language of emotion, simplifying it thus for the common mind, he has achieved a triumph of his art.

It is evident, that none of the above requirements exclude Petition, as proper subject-matter for Hymns. The poetic mind, when kindled by religious emotion, has its own peculiar language of petition. But, inasmuch as this part of Worship seems to come under the denomination of Praise, rather than of Prayer, it would seem desirable that the larger part of our

Hymns should be acts of Praise, as indeed the best Hymns are, yet accompanied by a sufficient number of the other kind.

If all this be true, and a true Hymn is such as we have described, can our own Church do somewhat to furnish us with a sufficient collection of such ? or is it a work too arduous for her to attempt? It is, indeed, an arduous work, and not one of a month, or a year, but of years. Who would have confi dence in himself, if called upon for such a critical enterprize? Who does not know how much his own judgment is warped by his fondnesses and aversions? It is not, then, a labor fit for any one man, but for several. And such should be men, not only of theological ability and soundness, having the confidence of the Church in this respect, but men of poetic taste, at least, if not of poetic power; and especially men possessed of a fine rhythmical ear. Supposing the Church determined to make trial of this enterprize, let us offer the following suggestions, for the much or the little they may be worth.

Our present Collection of Hymns cannot be abandoned, till another as large or larger is ready to supply its place. Even many of the faulty ones, which it would be desirable to exclude, have a strong hold upon many a heart. It may be gradually withdrawn, thus: Let the General Convention find, if they can, four, five, or six such men as the above, to constitute a permanent Committee, to endure five, ten, it may be twenty years. Let them be instructed to examine, from time to time, all the Hymns of all the ages;-and from time to time to present, in small installments, such, and such only, as have had their unanimous approbation. Of course, many of the Hymns in our present Collection will be included, when revised, among those they present. Let the results of their labors, if accepted by the Convention, be put forth for immediate use. Thus, gradually, will a new body of Hymns become familiar; and when, after a term of years, they become sufficiently numerous, the old Collection, as a body, may be withdrawn, and those Hymns in it which are to be dropped altogether, will be yielded with fewer regrets.

And during this period, if we have poetic power among us, and if our faith, and joy, and love, are strong enough, it will

be prompted to utter itself in new Hymns.

They are the pro-
The course of

duct of an age of such faith, and joy, and love. events in the future is likely to be such as to shipwreck our faith altogether, or to intensify it. Judging by the fruit, the faith of the Church is deepening; and if she has to suffer, her joy will deepen and gladden. We may be on the eve of a period of strong religious emotion. There is that in the hearts of Christians now, which requires rhythmical expression as an antidote against, and triumph over, the Unbelief of the day. Oh, for another David! Show men how Christians can feel, and we have a new evidence for the glory and the truth of our Religion.

We propose now to illustrate what we have already said, by reference to the works at the head of our pages. The Collection of "Hymns, Ancient and Modern," we do not refer to; for they have not been brought before the Church in a manner to require such an examination. They deserve the attention of our Hymnodists. Neither shall we offer criticism upon the Hymns reported to the last General Convention, by the Committee appointed for that purpose. They were subjected to very severe judgment in that venerable body; and while we do not appear as their advocate as a whole, we do plead for a kind appreciation of whatever of real excellency may be found in them.

The Canons of Criticism, by which we would try all Hymns for Public Worship, are as follows, together with the corresponding faults:

3. Poetic treatment, good verse, rhyth- 3. Prosaic; bad verse; want of Melody;

The postulates, which what we shall say may tend to confirm, are;-that Hymns intended for Common Worship, should be fitted for such Worship, and not for individual use, and to gratify private tastes; that we should have only such as are of high excellence, and that there is no need of a multitude of inferior ones; that, therefore, any Hymn should undergo a severe censorship, before being allowed an equal place, (such as all our Hymns have virtually, if not legally,) beside our glorious system of Collects and Prayers, and the blessed Psalms of David.

There are many fine Hymns in the Collection in our Prayer Book; but there are many also, which are rarely or never sung; and others, too, which may be favorites of a few, but, no matter how often sung, fail to reach the general heart. All such had better be expunged. They keep down the public taste; and some of them actually corrupt the true notion of Worship: all which we hope to make apparent.

Of course, violations of our first and second Canons must be rare in any Collection which has undergone even the superficial scrutiny of sound divines. We think, however, that any Hymn, doubtful in these particulars, should be ruled out; and that our compilers have been a little careless. Take, for instance, Hymn 151, beginning,—

"Lord, my God, I long to know."

That such a Hymn is put forth for common use, takes for granted that every Christian does, or should, sometimes, find himself in such a state as to ask these questions. The subject finds that there is such a thing as self-denial in the Christian. life; that he does not perform, cheerfully, every act of obedience to his Lord; that even Prayer is sometimes burdensome; and this causes him to doubt whether he has any true love for Christ. That sinners should love at all, he half asserts, but does not believe, is impossible; for he remembers that he desires to love, and that he does find some pleasure in his Christian profession. So, to compromise the conflicting arguments, he prays that if he has not loved heretofore, he may now begin. Now, is this exhibition of momentary faithlessness, this seeming distrust in the Lord's Grace, this unhealthy despond