The principles upon which this felection has been made are thefe,

That no compofition, confifting merely of ideas and propofitions, unaccompanied with sentiments, can properly be fet to mufic: Who would fing Locke's Effay, or Euclid's Elements, or a Confeffion of Faith, or an Act of Parliament?

That fentiments unconnected, or not closely connected, with devotion, fuch, for instance, as arise folely from pure picturesque description of natural scenes, are not proper fubjects of facred mufic: Let me be permitted, fince no other inftances at this moment occur to me, to exemplify this obfervation in much of the fecond and fourth ftanzas of Addison's twentythird pfalm; of Dr. Watts' hymn, beginning with, "There is a land of pure delight;" and of Mrs. Barbauld's hymn, beginning thus, Jehovah reigns, let every nation hear."

That whatever fentiments may properly be addreffed to God in plain unmeasured language, and mere articulate enunciation, may, at least, as properly be expreffed in the figurative language

guage and the regular measures of poetry; and therefore may properly be fung, provided the mufic be adapted to the ftrain of fentiment: PSALM XLVII. 7. c. 2.

That the language of a mind, piously contemplating the works, the providence, the nature or the character of God, is, to all defirable purposes, as useful, and indeed is as really and truly an act of devotion, as the language of a mind immediately addreffing itfelf to the fupreme being on fuch fubjects:

That the devout language of one mind uttered in the fame place, and at the fame time, by a number of individuals, is ftrictly and properly an act of focial worship:

That Pfalmody is not neceffarily nor properly confined to the expreffion of devout fentiments only; that it is equally natural, useful, and agreeable to the principles and practice of the facred writers, COLOSS. III. 16, to employ it for the edification and admonition of ourselves and one another, in order to engage, confirm, and animate us in the exercife and culture of all good affections, and in the practice of all

good works. Such pfalms, formed upon religious principles, and fung in concert, from religious confiderations, as under the eye of God, and in the contemplation of his prefence, constitute a very proper part of focial worship, and are not unjustly confidered as an act of duty to God, and a tribute of homage and devotion paid to him.

This compilation has been made both from original authors, and from prior collections. The original authors are principally Patrick of the Charter-Houfe, Tate and Brady, Watts, Brown, Doddridge; to which, however, might be added the names of Milton, Addison, Byrom, Steele, Pope, Barbauld, Merrick, and fome others. The collections, not to mention fome of lefs note, and fome in manufcript communicated to the compiler by his friends, are Mr. Pope's, the two Briftol Collections, the Liverpool, Dr. Enfield's, Mr. Lindfey's, and Mr. Williams'. The Selection is disposed in four books, the three firft appropriated refpectively to the three metres moft in ufe, the Long, Common, and Short Metre; and the fourth containing pfalms of other measures.`

The

The pfalms are not arranged according to their fubjects. This would have created a very unneceffary and ufelefs expence of time. The volume, confidered as a Mifcellany of Devotions, has more variety, and is more agreeable, not fo arranged. An accurate claffification of com. pofitions fo loose as poetical devotional compofitions generally are, could not have been made and an index, in which a pfalm that might be equally claimed by several fubjects is ranged under all, will ferve every purpose of any claffification that can be defired.

The order that has been obferved, with a very few exceptions, proceeding not from defign but accident, is this: The oldest authors have been taken firft; their different works in the order of their publication, fo far as that was known to the compiler, and the pieces of the fame work in the order in which the author had arranged them. This is faid with respect to the original authors that have been used. The pfalms that have been taken from prior collections follow thofe that have been taken from original authors, and have been disposed, in this felection, according to the fame principle.

It is not poffible that the productions of fo many different writers, in different periods, fhould be equally acceptable or fuitable to every individual, or to every fociety; but it is hoped that, upon the whole, the variety will be acceptable to all; and that the arrangement, which has just now been mentioned, will enable any to accommodate themfelves with fuch pfalms as their occafions may call for, of such ftile and manner as fhall be agreeable both to their general tafte, and to their accidental dif pofition.

YORK, Jan. 8, 1785.

It should be obferved, that in the printing of the following pfalms no elifions of final vowels have been made. A judicious reader never makes fuch elifions. He preferves the measure of the line, not by the fuppreffion of a final vowel, but by pronouncing two fyllables in the time of one.

After this collection had been made, it was fuggested by a friend, that it might be agree able to many if each pfalm were marked with

the