The morning times., 1895-07-15

Rev. Dr. McCarty spoke on The Hymns
We Sing" at the Metropolitan NJ. z. Church
last evening, taking for text the words,
Speaking to yourselves in psalms and
hymns and spiritual songs, singing and
making melody in your heart to the Lord"
He began by referring to the struggles
through which Christianity had 10 pass
like that OF the Reformation in Germany
and in France, when u million French
Protestants were hanshed or were self
cNiled for their faith. 1t was of such stock
that Isaac Watts and Philip Dodridge,
the two great non-conformist diviues and
hymn writers were born.
Prison doors shut in many a good man
in those times for obeying God and con-
science. When Watts father lay in prison
for his religion his sorrowing and faithful
wife sat for many weary hour on the
stone steps of the prison door with her
little Isaac in her arms.
lit was a step in the onmarChing of
Providence, and that baby boy was des-
tined TO sway the millions witt his grand
hymns. Watts was born OF poetic and
musical ancestry. His father wrote verse
ana his mother could sing. The mother
used to offer copper farthings as prizes
in her school for the best poetical effu-
sions, and when Isaac was seven years old
he gained q prize for writing the couplet:
Il write not for your farthIng, but TO try
How i your farthing writers can outvie.'
SOME OLD HYMNS.
when he was very young man, about
eighteen, he found fault with the hymns
that were sung; not much wonder when
such stanzas az these were scattered through
the psalms and hymns OF the times Take
that oue-baSed on the 133d Psalm describ-
ing unity among brethren, illustrated by
the ointment OH Aaron's beard Here is
one verse:
IT'S like the precious ointment
Down Aaron's beard did go;
Down Aaron's beard it downward went
His garments skirts unto"
'In psalm OF praise to God they sang:
"Ye monsters of the bubbling deep,
Your Makers praises spout,
Up from the sands ye codlings peep,
And Wag your tails about.
That beautiful verse The race is not
always to the swift nor the battle to the
strong, they sang in this strain
The race is not forever got
By him who fastest runs,
Nor the battle by those people
Who shoot the longest guns"
MOVED TO WRITE BETTER
Not much wonder, We say, that Isaac
Watts felt moved to write better, for it
seems strange that people could have sung
such compositions III any age Of the world;
they did because they had nothing better.
Watts may be said TO have been the in
veutor of modern hymns. he gave us
such hymns as these:
=" From all that dwell below the skies
Let all on earth their voices raise 5 weet
is the work, my God, my King, Thus far
the Lord hath led me on,, Alas, aud did my
Savior bleed, etc.
A love disappointment gave us the
hymn beginning:
- How vain are all things here below
The young lady was extremely hand
some. Watts was Of an inferior build
physically, and when he offered her his
hand. she told him that though she loved
the jewel she could not admire the casket.
That hymn IS very expressive of his di.ap-
pointment when lie writes:
The fondness Of a creatures love
How strong it strikes the sense,
Thither the warm affections move,
Nor can We call them thence
Dear Savior let thy beauties be
Ny souls eternal food
And grace command my heart a way
From al created good.
WATTS DIED SINGLE.
"He lived and died a bachelor"
The historic origin Of several other Of
our familiar hymns were given, among
them: Am l a soldier Of the cross"
There is a land Of pure delight, Give
me the wings of faith TO rise" etc.
The hymns of DR.. Watts were first pub
lished in this country by DR.. Franklin in
1741 The psalms in Boston the same
year, but neither were used much until
after the revolution. But they can never
grow old, they will be sung in all languages
aud all lands until time shall be no more