gave place to the abomination of desolation.' No wreck, no fragment of those superb edifices has escaped the total ruin; but the more lasting, the imperishable hymns, have survived, and will survive, till the end of time, to animate and exalt the devotion of all successive ages. For deeds do die, however nobly done, And thoughts of men do in themselves decay, Nor may with stormy showers be washt away. 6 Yet it does not appear that the Psalms, indiscriminately taken, formed a part of the temple service. The Psalter was the great general collection of Hebrew devotional poetry, not the hymnbook of the temple or the synagogue. This distinction appears to us of great importance; nor will it be uninteresting or unprofitable to inquire which of these hymns were considered by the Jews as most appropriate for their congregational worship. The ordinary psalms, which were constantly sung, were these on the first day of the week, the 24th psalm, The earth is the Lord's, and the fullness thereof;' on the second, the 48th, Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised in the city of God;' on the third, the 82nd, God standeth in the congregation of the mighty ;' on the fourth, the 94th, O Lord God, to whom vengeance belongeth;' on the fifth, the 81st, Sing aloud unto God, our strength;' on the sixth, the 93rd, the Lord reigneth, he is clothed with majesty;' on the Sabbath, the 92nd, which is entitled a psalm for the Sabbath day, 'It is a good thing to give thanks unto the Lord.' At the additional sacrifice on the Sabbath, they sang one-sixth portion of the Song of Moses, Deut. xxxii.; and at the evening sacrifice, the Song of Moses, Exod. xv. Besides these regular psalms, the Jews had their proper psalms for their different festivals. On the 1st day of the year, the Feast of Trumpets, the 81st; at the evening sacrifice, the 29th. At the Feast of Tabernacles, the first day, the 105th, ‘O give thanks unto the Lord;' the second, the 29th, Give unto the Lord, O ye mighty;' the third, 50th, at, or more probably to, v. 16, The mighty God, even the Lord, hath spoken;' the fourth, 94th, v. 16; the fifth, 95th, v. 8; the sixth, 80th, v. 6; the seventh, 82nd, v. 5.* Besides Lightfoot, to whom we are indebted for much of our information, has quoted from the Gemara some curious and fanciful reasons for this selection. 'On the first day of the week, they sang "The earth is the Lord's, and the fullness thereof," because on the first day of the week of creation, God possessed the world, and gave it in possession, and ruled in it. On the second day of the week, they sang, Great is the Lord, and greatly Besides all these, they had their greater and lesser Hallel. The common or lesser Hallel, called, likewise, the Egyptian, was sung on all great occasions, especially at the Passover, and is supposed to have been that used by our Lord and his apostles, Matt. xxvi., 30. It consisted of the six short psalms from the 113th to the 118th. It is uncertain what psalms composed the greater Hallel. The temple choir contained never less than twelve singers, and each psalm was divided into three parts, and at every pause of the voices and musical instruments, the trumpets sounded, and the people worshipped. We have thought it worth while to notice this last circumstance, though not strictly relevant; but if our readers, who may be interested in the question, will take the trouble of consulting the above-mentioned psalms, they will find that they are all general and congregational, not personal and individual. They speak the gratitude or the adoration of an assembled nation, not the private and peculiar feelings of some single devout worshipper, whose expressions naturally abound in temporary allusions to his own present peculiar circumstances. Their reverence for the name and prophetic character of David did not lead them to introduce into their public worship those exquisite elegiac poems, which he composed when under persecution by his rebellious son, or when deserted by his own familiar friend, or stricken by remorse at the enormity of those crimes for which he entreated the forgiveness of his God. Many, doubtless, in their private devotions, during seasons of sorrow and humiliation, recurred to the inspired writings, and addressed their Maker in the burning and thrilling language of their great national poets. But the public service of the temple was, as it were, the voice of the whole people, and nothing was appropriate there but what all could share in common, the general goodness and mercy of the Almighty to the race of Israel; the glorious promises of favour and protection to all the seed of Abraham. It is by no means certain at what period the Christian church introduced the whole Psalter into her services. The expression of St. Paul, to which we have before alluded, each one hath a psalm,' 1 Cor. xiv. 26, seems to imply selection. The laborious greatly to be praised," for on that day the Lord divided his works, the waters, and reigned over them. On the third day, they sang the psalm "God standeth in the congregation of the mighty," because on that day the earth appeared, on which is judging and judges; and by his wisdom he discovered the earth, and established the world by his understanding. On the fourth, they sang the psalm, "O Lord God, to whom vengeance belongeth," because on the fourth day he made the sun, moon, and stars; and will be avenged on them that worship them. On the fifth, "Sing aloud unto God, our strength," because of the variety of creatures that were made that day, to praise his name. On the sixth, the psalm, "The Lord reigneth, he is clothed with majesty," because on the sixth day, God finished his works, made man, who understands the glory of the Creator; and the Lord ruled over all his works.'-Lightfoot, Temple Service. Bingham, Bingham, after having enumerated certain psalms, which were appropriated to particular services, as the 73d, called the morning, and the 141st, the evening psalm, proceeds thus: The other psalms were sung, in the ordinary course of reading, from end to end, in the same order as they lay in the book, without being appropriated to any times, or lessons, or days, except more particular psalms, which were appointed as proper for each canonical hour.' Antiquities, Book xiv. c. 1. s. 5. The reason, however, is obvious; the inspired and prophetic, as well as the devotional character of this part of the holy writings. The public services, when books were scarce and dear, and those who could read probably far from numerous, were the only means by which the Christian doctrines could be made known. The Psalter, therefore, like the rest of the scripture which was distributed into lessons, was recited from beginning to end. The manner of recitation only was different. The practice of the churches varied exceedingly as to the degree of musical intonation which was admitted. Sometimes the psalms, in the words of our Rubric, were said,' sometimessung.' According to the Institutes of Cassian, in some places one person arose in the midst, and repeated the psalm, the others listening in silence. Absque eo, qui dicturus in medium psalmos surrexerit, cuncti sedilibus humillimis insidentes, ad vocem psallentis omni cordis intentione dependent.'Cass. Instit.ii. 12. In Alexandria, by order of Athanasius, as St. Augustine informs us, the psalms were repeated with the slightest possible inflection of voice, scarcely so musical as our cathedral chaunting, 'tam modico flexu vocis faciebat sonare lectorem psalmi, ut pronuncianti vicinior esset quam canenti.'-August. Conf. x. 33.* Gradually, however, the body of worshippers were excluded from joining in the service, and the psalmody was assigned to a particular order in the church. The voice of the multitude, as they took up their responses, which St. Ambrose † compares to that of The worthy father was in great perplexity between his fear of indulging too much in the carnal delight of music, and his recollection, that his devotional feelings had been most powerfully excited by the influence of religious song. Cum reminiscor lachrymas meas, quas fudi ad cantus ecclesiæ tuæ, in primordiis recuperatæ fidei meæ : et nunc ipsum, cum moveor non cantu sed rebus quæ cantantur, cum liquidà voce et convenientissima modulatione cantantur: magnam instituti hujus utilitatem rursus agnosco. Ita fluctuo inter periculum voluptatis et experimentum salubritatis: magisque adducor, non quidem irretractabilem sententiam proferens, cantandi consuetudinem approbare in ecclesiâ: ut per oblectamenta aurium, infirmior animus in affectum pietatis assurgat.' Perhaps his pious horror of more ornamented psalmody might be in some degree heightened from its being the practice of his adversaries, the heretical Donatists, who seem to have been possessed with something of the spirit of the early Methodists or Moravians. 'Donatista nos reprehendant, quod sobrie psallimus in ecclesiâ diurna cantica Prophetarum, cum ipsi ebrietates suas ad canticum psalmorum humano ingenio compositorum, quasi tubas exnortationis inflamment.' + 'Responsoriis psalmorum, cantu virorum, mulierum, virginum, parvulorum, consonans undarum fragor resultat.'- Hexam. 1. iii., c. 5. many many waters, gave place universally to the antiphonal manner of singing, in which one half of the choir repeated verse for verse after the other. Bingham is of opinion, and is probably right, (for many of the practices of the church which ended in the greatest abuses, were begun with the most pious and praiseworthy motives,) that the order of singers was first introduced with a design to retrieve and improve the ancient (the general) psalmody, and not to abolish or destroy it.' Their title of inßoxes would nearly answer to that of leaders, who are sometimes employed to great advantage in the simplest congregational psalmody. However that may be, the antiphonal service soon became the exclusive property of the regular singers: it began in the East, prevailed in all the Greek churches, (it may be worth observing, that it bears a remarkable likeness to the strophe and anti-strophe of the Greek lyric and dramatic chorus,) was received at Milan in the days of Ambrose, and finally spread throughout the west. How, indeed, could it be rejected, when it had received the authority of a reported vision of the blessed Ignatius, who was said to have heard the angels singing in the antiphonal manner the praises of the Holy Trinity? Socr. Hist. Eccl. vi. c. 8. As the music gradually became more scientific and artificial, and the language of all the public services ceased to be that of the people, the congregation were effectually excluded from any participation in this, as in every other part of the liturgy. If, indeed, the devotion of a whole people could be delegated to a few, the activity and zeal of the monastic clergy might have made up for the silence of the laity. The monasteries were schools of devotional music, and many times during the day the voices of the choir were heard swelling from the neighbouring abbey, over some wide-watered shore.' The labourer as he woke with the sun to his accustomed toil; or as, in southern climates, he reposed from the heat of the burning noon; or as he lingered weary on his return at evening to his dwelling; the traveller at midnight-all were reminded of the Heavenly Father and Redeemer, by the solemn strain of the organ from the commanding minster, or the sweeter and gentler voices which pealed from the chapel of the convent. Doubtless, the exquisite beauty of these services must have won many to worship, in ignorance perhaps, but still in humble sincerity. Though their understandings did not comprehend the words, yet their hearts felt the purport of those exalting or pathetic harmonies. We, who are, perhaps, the most unmusical nation in the world, and too many of us not disposed to judge candidly of the religion of the dark ages, cannot estimate fairly the real devotional effects of the old church music: it did not, it is true, impart religious knowledge, but did it not awaken and exalt religious affections? did it not excite multitudes to join in its hallelujahs, who would otherwise have been almost without God in the world? The great principle of the Reformation was to make religious worship as well as religious responsibility strictly personal. The people, therefore, were to sing, as well as to believe and pray, 'not with the heart only, but with the understanding also.' But the old church music was far too difficult and complicated to become popular, and had this been otherwise, it could not readily be divorced from the Latin service, and adapted to the vernacular translations of the psalms. In order to accord with one simple tune, the psalm or the hymn must conform to one regular rhythm, and hence the imperious necessity of metrical versions. Luther himself felt, and could supply the want in his own country; and wherever the reformation spread, the psalms were translated, with better or worse success, into regular rhyme. Every thing conspired to endear the Book of Psalms to the early reformers: not merely as it formed a part, and a most important part, of the longsealed word of God; not merely as its deep and thrilling expressions of repentance, its splendid amplifications of the power and glory of God, its energy, its sublimity, its heartfelt tenderness, captivated their excited feelings; not merely for one or all these reasons did it cleave to their memory, and when associated to their national airs, take root, as it were, in the depth of their hearts; but it was still further endeared by temporary circumstances. Much which would have been inapplicable to the church in a state of peace, became or appeared to be strictly appropriate in the hour of persecution and distress. All those poems which represented the chosen people, or the individual in the lowest state of oppression and misery, faithfully and as it were prophetically described their own condition. The hunted Hugonot, or he that was condemned under the bloody statute of the Six Articles, beheld himself in David fleeing as a bird to the hills, or betrayed by his own familiar friend. This indiscriminate appropriation of the sacred language had its good-and its evil. supported the holiest and the humblest in his hour of trial; the martyr sang the psalm as he went to the stake; and the prison, like that of Paul and Silas, echoed with the earnest glorification of God, till, perhaps, its tenants almost expected to find their bonds loosed and the prison-doors opened, by the immediate intervention of the Almighty. But it likewise too frequently authorised the violent fanatic to denounce his enemies with all the awful imprecations which are employed against the enemies of God; and by the self-appropriation of all that related to the chosen people, encouraged the presumptuous in the confidence of their personal election. If the psalms were often sung in the It |