American citizen. [volume] (Butler, Butler County, Pa.) 1863-1872, 1867-05-08
For the Citizen


ancient bsdSte III IHiSluS pou'
acknowledge my inab lity to answer 50
able an article but ior the sake of bring
ing this important sui ject before the pub
lie, | offer few remarks think the
| time has fully arrived when, for the sake
of the different Branches of the Protes-
tant Christian Church, now so lamen.a-
bly, divid ed, this, and other all impor-
tant duties OF our holy religion, should
be prayerfuily, calmly, and meekly sub
mitted to the public, so that all may in
due time sce eye to eye, aud with the
voice together sing. The words of God
to his people are Come let us reason
together" Why shtuld not we follow
His example? 1t is hard for fallen crea-
lures to do SO without biting and devour-
ing each other. Now let Us impartially
take view of this grand subject The
author of the structures on Mr.. William
Alien (Rev. ". IT, Tibbles.) asks =
Where is it affirmed in the Scriptures
that God has prepared manual Of praise
for his followers, and commanded them to
use this manual and this alone p We
are commanded to Sing praise to God
in the words of David, and Of Asaph the
seer" I'd Chron. xxx, 30, Iu the ab
sence Of any other manual handed down
to u, by cur ayiJur, through his Apos>
ties and their successors, we would nat>
urally draw the inference that they used
the songs indited by the Holy SPIRIT
What hymn did our Saviour sing on the
mount? | would conclude it to be one
Of the Divine hymns, perhaps the 22d,
which so beautifully describes his suffers
ings and death, as also very many others
do. If our much respected author is SO
much opposed to Rou.es Version, Gas il
is termed by too many,) why not chant
the prose version as did the Jews oil old D.,
and as | doubt not our Saviour and tho
Apostolic Church also did, bu. only let
him sing inspired psalms. AS for its be.
ing Rouse's, or any other human version,
it is entirely a false impression which
Satan, the author Of all evil, is still al
lowed to present before the minds Of
thousands. 1t is no more 8ousa's version
than the prose translation is the work Of
any one man who vas engaged in tha,
translation. This work was revised un
der the supervision of the General rs
sembIy of the church of Scotland (from
which uninspired psalmody singers have
| descended, ) bearing the following title .
HThe Psalms of David in metre, rans>
iatcd aud diligently compared with the
original text" The conclusion ls obvious
to every intelligent mind therefore, that
they are no version at all, but transla-
ton from the original Hebrew of tho in
spired word of God, as much bind
upon the church Of Christ to use them
in his praise "a they ever were. Ia an
wer to the writer's trouble in reference
to the text quoted from Ephosians, does
he not know Che is a Hebrew scholar)
that the title to some Of tbs psalms
means a song to others a hymn, and 9th
ers a psalm.
Again he asks: Where can it be
found ia the Bible hat GOD commands
to sing in His worship nothing but in
spired ords. Has lie commanded us to
offer any thing uninspired in his praise
Men may, and do err, aud therefore their
songs will be like themselves full Of or
rors; but the Bible psalms cannot be SO
because the Divine author cannot err -
Vial i, II " Cursed be the deceiver who
hath in his flock male and sacrifceth
to the Lord a corrupt thing"
Again "Is Rcu.e's version Of Dnyid's
Psalms any more Inspired than others nam
ed" | answer no, and, a, | hare shown
before TIM it no version TT all, but trans
Dation leave this to the reader to ponder
for himself.
Again: " Why not bring down circumcs-
ion, and other ancient rites ami rem nics?
The church. under the old dispensaton, IVES
Only administered life, emily from what it
nowis. The church is one in all ages; praise
was no type or ceremony, and therefore can
not be dispensed with lin Gods songs, as
you have it in the cxxxyiith Psalm,l under
the new dispcnsation God is the same
through all ages, and for t6at reason re-
quires the same praise.
Again "Can man who confines bis
singing to psalms alone, ever 81. & praise to
the Father for having given his Son 10 die
for him ?" A tonishing! The writer, surely,
never studies the meaning of those beautiful
songs that Il almost saidl every verse is
Christ. | think if he would study them
more he would, like the apostles, quote and
understand them more fully. If all would
study and sing them, more than is now
done, it would undoubtedly have the ten
de cy to love that Saviour whom hey o
plainly present before our view on every
page. Christ is the leader Ia all those d..
vine songs On, let US listen to His voice,