HYMNS AND SPIRITUAL SONGS.

In Three Books.

1.  Collected from the Scriptures.

2.  Composed on Divine Subjects.

3.  Prepared for the Lord’s Supper.

By I. Watts, D.D.

Revelation 5, 9. And they sung a new song, saying, Thou art worthy, &c. for thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us, &c.

Soliti essent (i.e.  Christiani) convenire, carmenque Christo quasi
Deo dicere.
Plin.  In Epist.

Transcriber’s Note.

There are significant differences in the numerous reprints of Isaac Watts’ “Hymns and Spiritual Songs.”  The first generation of this Project Gutenberg file was from an 1818 printing by C. Corrall of 38 Charing Cross, London.

The “Index” and the “Table of the Scriptures that are Turned into Verse” are retained, and can be found at the end of the text.  The “Table to find any Hymn by the first Line,” however, has been omitted for the following reasons:  1.  It refers to page numbers that are here expunged; and 2.  In this electronic version first lines can be easily located via searches.

There are 3 books of hymns, and numbers have been added to indicate in which of these the hymns are placed.  For example, “2:38” refers to “Book 2, Hymn Number 38,” and so on.

Throughout, modern numerals have been substituted for their Roman equivalents.

Preface.

The following extracts from the Doctor’s preface contain the substance of his plan in the three different parts into which the Hymns are divided; the whole would have exceeded the limits of a small book.

“Far be it from my thoughts to lay aside the Book of Psalms in public worship; few can pretend so great a value for them as myself:  it is the most noble, most devotional and divine collection of poesy; and nothing can be supposed more proper to raise a pious soul to heaven than some parts of that book; never was a piece of experimental divinity so nobly written, and so justly reverenced and admired.  But it must be acknowledged still, that there are a thousand lines in it which were not made for a church in our days to assume as its own.  There are also many deficiencies of light and glory which our Lord Jesus and his apostles have supplied in the writings of the New Testament:  and with this advantage I have composed these Spiritual Songs, which are now presented to the World.  Nor is the attempt vainglorious or presuming; for in respect of clear evangelical knowledge, ’The least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than all the Jewish Prophets.’  Matt. xi. 11.

“Now let me give a short account of the following composures.