HYMNS ANCIENT & MODERN.

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume XIII, Issue 208, 1 October 1878, Page 4

HYMNS ANCIENT & MODERN.

A proposition having been mnde o introduce "Hymns Ancient and Modern" into AH Swints 5 Church, Judge Thomas. m>blisbed ft protest against; v in pamphlet form which he caused to be circulated late' on Saturday night. This evoked a reply from the Rev J. Newih, the locumhent of the Church referred to, ou Sunday evening, the rev gentleman faking for his text Paulras 148, v. 12:— " Young men and maidens, old men and children, praise the name of the Lord." The following is an abstract of the sermon, which we publish by request? —

In directing your attention this evening to the byran hook generally known «8 " Hymns Ancient nnd Modern," I know of do more appropriate Scripture than (hnt which has been adopted as their motto by its eocspilere. We may differ, of course, as to the merit* of the book itself, or ihe desirability of introducing it ioto our church, but we must all a^mit that when we come to the House of God, among other things that we have to do, wo roust unite in lifting up our voices in prayer and praise. Not only in heart, but if possible with voice roust we loud nnd magnify His Holy Name. Not ODly in heir', lut if possible with voice, must we unite in making known our requesls unto God; and so almost universal custom seems to show that the requirements of public "worship cannot be adequately met without the psalm or hymn. There are those, it is trm 1 , who maintaio that to their thinking there is something incongruous iv the singing of what is really a prayer; but facts do not seem to prove that its impropriety and absurdity has been widely realised in any ege or any country. It would seem then that to render our services what they ought to be; and when I say what they ought to be, I am only speaking of them under one aspect, I do not of couree mean all ihey ought to be; but what they ought to be in order that every feeling becoming to public worship may be ndequately expressed in (hem, we need the best words and the beet ransic wo can agree to use. My duty as the incumbent of this church, i 3, I teke it, to do fell I can to enable jou to have the best words and the best music which the circumstances of the case will admit. It is . very far indeed from being my wish to force an unpopular or objectionable Hymn Bock upon an unwilling people, or to listen to the wishes of some of my congregation in disregard to the feelings of others ; but I do frhiok, in spite of all that has been said to the contrary, tbst there is no Hymnal which possesses so mncy advantages as Hymns Ancient and Modern. Hymns Ancient end Modern, in the opinion of aome of the wisest and best men in our Church, and, I believe, in the general popular judgment, gives ua, with the exetpiion of some half dozen hymns, which are open to objection on doctrinal grounds, on the whole, better words and better music that any other Hymnal that is published. It certainly, iv the opinion of many, gives us better words and better raueic (hnn the Hymnal hitherto used in this church. I wish to speDk tenderly of Mercei's Hymn Book, and I can quite understand that, by long association, it may have become dear io come few among you ; but as literary productions i(8 hymns are, on the whole, decidedly inferior to thOße of Hymns Ancient and Modern, their tone decidedly distasteful to many among up, and the doctrine taught in not a lew of them far irom satisfactory ; while some of the best hymns, and I believe of the best tunes in Hymns Ancient, and Modern, nre altogether wanting. I cannot myself enter into any critical examination of the music, nor is it at all ueedful that I should do so. To the best of ray belief it ia easily learnt, appropriate, and popular, The book itself is at Home more widely used than any other, and, I am happy to cay, is every year becomiog better known and appreciated ia the co!onie3. Its use, I may observe, is by no means confined to any one party in our church, it is used by the Lowest of the Low, and the Broadest of the Broad, as well as by the High Church party, under whose auspices it is said to have been compiled. The only objections that seem to he brought against the book, are . that some half - dozen hymne have a dangerous tendency, and )that the tone of the book •is distasteful. It is idle to dispute on mere matters of taste, and enough to BBy that to many among us the tone of tha book is very much the reverse of distasteful. The dangerous tendency of some of the hymns would certainly prevent our assent and consent to all and everything in the book ; but if these hymns are not used, what harm can come of them ? We cannot, after this protest egaiaet the distinctive doctrines of the Romanizing party be fairly said to be playing into their hands. A careful examination of the two or three hymns against which we protest, .will moreover convince most of ub that even these will admit of two interpretations, and unless their use were coupled with High Church teaching, ' there would be very little danger of anyone being misled by them. One* would think from the vehement declarations of a learned judge who startled us out of our beds on Saturday night with his Protestant war cry, that if we opened the book We should find tbe ff I/ady qf the Bmn M\s " reposing

between the sheets, aud greeting us at every turn with her " quips and cranks nVyd Canton wiles,'' but as a matter of fact the most objectionable of nil the hymns, equally with the expressions of Holy Scripture and the Prayer Book, admit of a figurative and symbolical interpretation. In tbe Church of England there are three recognised parties differing from one another on the most momentous questions. We are all of us, however, agreed that in the Book of Common Prayer we find an adequate expression of our doctrines; or in other words we understand the same terms in different senses. We have no fear, with evangelical teaching, of anyone being led into error by the Prayer Book, why should we have any fear of their being led into error by Hymns Ancient nnd Modern? (The use we should make of Hymns Ancient and Modern would no more accustom our people to dangerous doctrine than the use we make of Scripture and the Prayer Book. A clergyman, moreover, is as amenable to authority for using heretical hymns a3 for teaching heretical doctrine But while so many of us see so little objection to introducing Hymns Ancient and Modern into our churches, there are unfortunately others whose opinions are entitled to our highest respect even if we fail to comprehend them, who do object very strongly, and who regard such a step with the gravest apprehensions. One person of great discernment has noticed with alarm that for two or three months past the services of this Church have assumed a character calculated to lead unwary 'souls in a Romeward direction, and fears thafc the introduction of Hymns Ancient and Modern will materially assist iv this crafty design of the evil one. I respect every man's opinion, but I do not share these apprehensions. With a more intimate acquaintance with ritualistic doctrine and practice I altogether " deny ihe soft impeachment." It is possible of course to call a service in which things are done decently and in order ritualistic, just as it is possible to call a bald or a slovenly one Protestant; but to do so is to handle words deceitfully. To suggest that '"' under our present miuister and choir " tbe services are fast becoming a performance, a dumb show, is not, I fear, to put the most generous construction on our humble endeavours, for whatever may be the faults of " our cboir " they cannot be said to have been "dumb." On the contrary I have to thank them (for doing what I trust they may long continue to do) for " singing praiseß lustily unto the Lord with a good courage." However numerous his failiugs and imperfect his utterance, " our minister " has not been " dumb." but on the contrary has every Sunday, to the best of Irs strength, declared from this pulpit the glad tidings of salvation. One would think from the suggestion of a " dumb show " that, Protestant as we are, we had been elevating; the host, and genuflecting before the consecrated e!e'ments. To suggest that we are trying to " blindfold you in sacred things," to impugn our loyalty to our Church, to attempt to poison the minds of " the poor," to whom we are hoping and trying to preach the Gospel, is rather hard on a new comer in a difficult position. The desire to introduce Hymns Ancient and Modern is on one point simply a desire to introduce a better and more popular hymn-book than Mercer. It may be true to a certain degree that Hymns Ancient and Modern is s badge of the Kitualist party, though I have heard it denied ; but then so is zeal, so is earnestness, and surely if we leave what is bad we may take what is good ? It is desirable, no doubt, in all cases in which it is practicable, to avoid the appearance of evil, but, if we make it so clear that we object so strongly to all that is ritualistic in Hymns Ancient and Modern that no reasonable person can misunderstand us, what appearance of evil can remain? It is quite within our power, as we have said before, to introduce Hymns Ancient and Modern or any other hymn-book into this Church at any time we please. The last General Synod declined to deal authoritatively with the question of hymns, and the Diocesan Synod of Nelson has no law on the matter. The " Bishop's charge of 1875 '' was delivered two years before the meeting of the last General Synod, and whatever may have been the case then, there is no doubt now that " the choice of the hymnal is left to the discretion of the individual clergymen." I am not a ritualist in lawlessness any more than in doctrine or practice, and it would always be a matter of pain to me to " stand alone," as the Bishop told us in his interesting and instructive sermon on Sunday morning we "all at times have to do." Hymns Ancient and Modern, however, is already, I am fcold. used in three churches in thia diocese. If Hymns Ancient and Modern were used in this church, we still think it will be far better for our services, not merely outwardly and audibly (for this is a matter of comparatively little moment), but inwardly and spiritually. In conclusion let me warn you against being frightened by a bugbear or ruled by a crochet. Let me wars you against bigotry in all its forms — against a zeal which ia not according to knowledge or tempered with charity. Let me warn you against tithing mint and anise and cummin, and neglecting the weightier matters of the law, justice, mercy, acd faith. Whatever we may do may we do all to the glory t>f God! Whatever we do may we keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace !