LECTURE.

Evening Star, Issue 3388, 30 December 1873, Page 2

LECTURE.

The Rev. M‘K. Frazer delivered a lecture on Hymnology, in the First Church, last evening. The attendance was only moderate ; and Mr E. B, Cargill presided. The lecturer said he did not consider that the form of praise should be stereotyped, and God never intended this. In the present days of enlightenment, was it to be said that we should observe the same forms of praise used by those who were living in an age when spiritual matters were more misty ? tiymuology in praise was no modern inno vation brought about by Dr. Watts or Wesley, but was older than denominationi*m of any kind. He regretted that there were not more of the opponents of hymnology present. In Victoria, and he supposed what he had to say would apply to New Zealand, those who opposed hymnobtgy always stayed away, and would not hear what was to be said in its favor, while they always were punctual in thiir attendance to record their votes against it. To some extent the use of In mns had caused the psalms to be pushed aside, and he could assign as a reason for this, the fact that there was no good metrical version of the psalms in existence, and people took refuge m the smooth cadences and more polished rhythm of the hymns. With reference to the version ot the psalms in use in the different churches, he thought that their admiration of that used in the Presbyterian Church was more duo to association than to any real merit it had above the others. If, as some argued none but inspired language was to be used In praise, it would hold equally good that none hut inspired language could be used in prayer. Ho bad noticed in the church in which he was then lecturing, that the majority of the congregation were silent on Sunday, and left all the singing to the choir. They seemed to prefer to praise by proxy, and sang neither psalms nor hymnr. Hiliked to hear the whole congregation sing, md produce a good body of sound. He did not see why the i salrns should be used in church to tbe exclusion of other poetic parts of Scripture, and yet this was what the opponents of hymnology desired to do. The Presbyterian worship had been called cold •,nd impassionate, appealing more to the intellect than to the emotions. The mm of hyms was a powerful aid to religion, for the hymn was remembered when the sermon was forgotten. The use of hymns led to the furtherance of Martin Luther's interests, md it might almost be said that the Ueformation sang itself into the heart of Germany. The success of Wesley might be attributed in a great measure to his prec ous hymns, which had done a great deal to rouse tngland from a state of spiritual lethargy. A book called “ Psalms and Hymns for invine Worship ” had now been introduced into the Presbyterian Church, and in this book the inspired portions were given prominence, a guarantee that they would never fall into disuse, while the others had been selected in a careful manner.