It is the very basis of our anthems, and what are technically called "services;" yet these have their basis in a law of nature. Few, however little they may understand of music (as myself), can have heard Handel's anthem, dwelling tenderly on the few simple words, "Lord, we trust alone in Thee," or that which closes with "God shall give His people the blessing of peace," or that, "Enter not into judgment with Thy servant O Lord, for in Thy sight shall no man living be justified," or, in a different style, the thrilling anthem which closes with "The fear of the Lord, that is wisdom, and to depart from evil, that is understanding;" or, again, that swelling burst of praise, "We thank Thee, we thank Thee, we thank Thee, and bless Thy Glorious Name;" -none can, I think, have listened to them without feeling how touching, or soothing, or devotional, or penetrating an effect the varied repetition, again and again, of the same words of Holy Scripture may have. The memory of the cadence, as of a soul passing into everlasting peace, “peace, peace,” dwells in the mind whenever the words occur; and the words, " In Thee Alone," "We trust Alone in Thee," furnish one deep varied rest and repose in God Himself, in God Alone. Thus, from the simple utterance of childhood to the deepest knowledge of the mystery of sound, whereby it moves the inmost soul, there is one principle of the power excited over the mind by the earnest repetition of the same simple words.

For the sake of illustration, I will set down the words as they are actually sung. It is the character of the music of all the cathedral or mother churches in our Church. If it did not have an effect in raising the soul to God, elaborate music in God's house would be profane. Yet this has been the fruit of the study of devout minds; and it has a powerful effect upon devout minds. No idea of the effect of varied voices, of the rising and falling of the sounds, the fulness of a chorus, or the tenderness of a single voice, can of course be given, except by the ear itself. I would here only set before the mind, the repetition of the same devotional words as an acknowledged principle in our Church. Some might be able to conceive the deep pathos.

"O Lord, we trust alone in Thee, alone in Thee, alone, alone in Thee we trust, in Thee O Lord, in Thee O Lord, O Lord we trust in Thee alone."

This is so sung by one voice, and then repeated with full chorus.

"Enter not into judgment with Thy servant O Lord, for in Thy sight, for in Thy sight, for in Thy sight shall no man living be justified, for in Thy sight, for in Thy sight shall no man living be justified." (Three times.)

Chorus:

4

"Now therefore, our God, we thank Thee, we thank Thee, we thank Thee, O God; we thank Thee and praise Thy glorious Name, we thank Thee and praise Thy Name, and praise Thy

This is copied from the anthem, as written; as sung, the words " we thank Thee " are repeated yet more frequently.

Name, and praise Thy Name, we thank Thee, we thank Thee and praise Thy glorious Name, we thank Thee, we thank Thee, we thank Thee and praise Thy glorious Name, Thy glorious Name, we thank Thee, we thank Thee O God, we thank Thee, we thank Thee O God, and praise Thy glorious Name."

"I will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever, for ever, for ever, for ever, for ever and ever, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever, for ever and ever, for ever and ever, for ever and ever, for ever and ever, and I will dwell in the house for ever, for ever, for ever and ever, for ever, for ever and ever."

"The Lord shall give strength unto His people, the Lord shall give strength unto His people: the Lord shall give His people the blessing of peace, peace. (Five Hallelujahs in Chorus.) The Lord shall give His people the blessing of peace, peace, peace, the Lord shall give His people the blessing of peace, peace, peace, the blessing of peace."

"O put your trust in God, O put your trust in God, O put your trust in God alway, alway, ye people; pour out your hearts before Him, pour out your hearts before Him, pour out your hearts before Him, for God is our hope, God is our hope, God is our hope, is our hope." (Twenty-eight Hallelujahs.)

The same law reappears in the simplest tunes of our village Psalmody, in which the last line or couplet is repeated, on no other principle than that the mind dwells with pleasure on the last line of the praise of God. It is a sort of echo, which the soul does not willingly part with. And I have thought that I have observed, even in the most untaught village choirs, that there was perhaps especial feeling expressed in these sounds of praise, thus taken up, and anew repeated to God.

But it may be said that this is artificial, and that prayer to God should be wholly natural. This is an

abuse of the word "artificial." For what proceeds upon certain known laws of nature, or is regulated by certain principles, is not therefore, in a bad sense, artificial. The intricate rules of Greek metre are, in one sense, artificial. They are, unless analysed, perceived, in fact, only in that, when broken, the harmony is less perfect. The war-song of Tyrtæus was not less, it was more, effective, because in an artificial measure. The word of God has distinct rules of its own. What could seem more artificial than an alphabetic Psalm, i. e. a Psalm in which the successive verses began with the successive letters of the alphabet? What could seem more artificial, if we were not accustomed to it in God's word, than a Psalm, divided into portions, all the verses in each of which portions should begin with the same letter, and in which (as a rule) the word "Thy" should occur in almost every verse, and there should in every verse be some word to designate the law, will, revelation of Almighty God? It might serve to illustrate this artificialness, that, under one letter, there is a sort of stanza, distinct in itself in a manner, yet in which each of the eight verses, (the first also,) of necessity, begins with the word "and," because two other words only begin with the letter required. These would seem "very artificial,” hard

5 of the other stanzas of eight verses in Ps. cxix., in two, seven verses begin with the same preposition; in a third, six; in a fourth, the initial letter is furnished in seven cases by the use of a conjugation which begins with it; in a fifth, six times by the

laws under which a Psalm was to be formed. In any other book but Holy Scripture, people would say, "What a stiff, capricious law this! how unnatural to tie down the mind to begin with a certain letter! how can the soul pour itself out freely under such restrictions as these?" And yet, under such restrictions, have been written some of the tenderest, deepest words of mourning, of instruction, of praise.

If any were bid to select a book of tender sympathy, uttering the deepest feeling of sacred sorrow, he could not but select the Lamentations of Jeremiah. It is the voice of God Himself teaching us how to grieve. Yet its four first chapters are alphabetic, and that in such order, that in the three first chapters under each letter there are three sentences, and in the third chapter each of the three sentences begins with the same letter. The three first verses are arranged under a; the three next under b; and This rule as to the letters few translators have been able to retain; but the peculiar rhythm of the triplets, unusual in Hebrew, has aided, no doubt, by its equable, gentle flow, the plaintiveness of the words ".

so on.

Besides the Lamentations and the last chapter of

use of the feminine future; in a sixth, five times by the masculine future; in a seventh, the same word is repeated five times; and four times in an eighth; and the same root four times in a ninth. Yet under such laws was that Psalm written, of such wonderful depth, and its several parts so marvellously knit together.

"This is noticed by Bishop Lowth, de Poesi Hebr. Præl. 22.