IT may not be unnecessary if I acquaint thee with the chief design of my publish­ing these Sacred Hymns. I have three sorts of Persons in my Eye to whom I recom­mend them.

First, Such who like and ap­prove of Books in Verse which treat of Divine Things, and would gladly have a little help in order to the understanding of Metaphorical Scripture; who [Page] cannot also well spare so much Money as to purchase larger Volumes; the Folio I put forth some years ago, call'd, A Key to open Scripture Metaphors, being near Twenty Shillings price, comes into but a very few Peo­ples hands: Besides, the Im­pression will soon be gone (as far as I can gather) and 'tis not like to be reprinted any more. Now in this small Tract I can assure you is contained great part of the principal things un­der divers Metaphors opened in that Book, though they are there more largely insisted on. I do not judge all those Hymns I have taken from Metaphori­ [...]al or Tropical Scriptures, are [Page] proper to be sung; nor are they here recommended to that end, some of them being Historical, as part of Hymn 92. pag. 129, 130. and some others, containing Matter of Controversie; nor do I think those concerning Hell so suitable to be sung; yet I doubt not but they may be all of use to the Reader, all being congruous with God's Word, and according to the analogy of Faith.

The Second sort are, Parents and Masters of Families, I am perswaded, with the Blessing of God, this Book may prove of great advantage to their Chil­dren, who generally are taken with Verse, and are much ad­dicted [Page] to learn such Songs and Ballads which generally tend to corrupt Youth; and 'tis a shame to godly Christians they should suffer their Children to learn many of them; but since Sing­ing is God's Ordinance, I mean, to sing Psalms, and Hymns, and Spiritual Songs, 'tis doubtless their duty to instruct them therein, as well as to teach them to read; and by learning Sacred Hymns, they may be taken, before their Parents are aware, with the Mat­ter therein contained (as divers have, through the Blessing of God, as I have been oft inform'd, by reading that small Poem, called War with the Devil,) and some others. Youth are gene­rally [Page] inclin'd to Poetry, and as one of the Ancients excellently observes, The Holy Ghost seeing the Souls of Mankind strugling in the way of Godliness, and being in­clined to the Delights of this Life, hath mixed the power of his Do­ctrine with sweet Singing, that whilst the Soul was melted with the sweetness of the Verse, the Divine Word might the better be grafted with profit.

Now these Hymns being short, Children will soon get them by heart, as also full of varieties, and i [...] instructed to sing, they may be the more affected with the matter, and receive the greater advantage.

[Page]The Third sort are, those godly Christians who know 'tis their indispensible duty to sing Psalms and Hymns, &c. not only in their Families, but in the publick Congregation, yet do not think divers Psalms do so well suit with Christians under the Gospel, as other Sripture-Hymns do, and divers worthy Ministers of the Baptized-way, thô choice Preach­ers, and fully satisfied in sing­ing the Praises of God, yet may not have Judgment to compose Hymns, every Man having his particular Gift of God, and there­fore have desired divers Scrip­ture-Hymns and select Psalms might be published; and indeed, had I not been put upon this [Page] Work, I am perswaded I had not undertook it, or at the least not so soon.

Moreover, many Christians had rather have those Hymns we sing in our publick Assem­blies printed, that so they might the better know them, and ex­amine the matter therein con­tained, to see whether they do agree with the Word of Christ, and likewise the better sing them with understanding. And 'tis not unknown what a multitude of godly Friends have desired to have me write them out seve­ral of those Hymns that have up­on divers occasions been sung in some particular Congregations. Now to prevent that trouble, [Page] and to satisfie them, I promis'd to Print the most of those Hymns, and so have done, as they will find them in the latter part of this Tract. If any desire in such a Book to have no Hymns but such that are proper to be sung in Congregations, in the next Impression, if God spare my Life, I shall endeavour to answer their request.

Had I not wrote so lately in Justification of pre-composed Hymns taken out of God's Word, I should have spoken fully to it here. We are exhorted to sing Psalms, Hymns, and Spiritual Songs, and since we have none left in Form in the Scripture, it follows, that those who God hath gifted [Page] that way, ought to compose them; for a Hymn or Song can­not be without its Form. Cer­tainly God doth not enjoyn a Duty on us, that he hath not left sufficient Rule how to come at it, nor have we any ground to expect the extraordinary Gift any more.

Nor is there, as I have lately shewn, any more reason to ob­ject against compiling Sacred Hymns to be sung out of the Word of Christ, than there is to object against pre-compiled Ser­mons that are to be preached, though I am satisfied the Lord doth enjoyn his Churches to sing the Psalms of David, both in Eph. 5.19. Col. 3.16. we reading of [Page] no other Psalms but the Book of Psalms; so by Hymns and Spiri­tual Songs I see no reason to doubt but he intends all Sacred Hymns, &c. taken out of the holy Scripture by the help of God's Spirit. Mr. Marlow cites a Passage out of Learned Ainsworth, as if he favoured his Notion of Praising God only without Vocal Sing­ing; yet I have lately met with a Book of that worthy Man on the Psalms of David, where I find him speaking thus, These Psalms (saith he) have ever since by the Church of Israel, by Christ and his Apostles, and by the Saints in all Ages, been received and honoured as the Oracles of God, cited for Confirmation of true Religion, and sung in the publsck [Page] Assemblies (as in God's Temple) where they sung praises unto the Lord with the words of David, &c.

'Tis a hard case that any Chri­stian should object against that Duty which Christ and his Apo­stles, and the Saints in all Ages in their publick Assemblies were found in the practice of; but 'tis no easie thing to break People off of a mistaken Notion, and an old Prejudice taken up against a precious Truth of Christ. The Lord will, I hope, satisfie all his People about this heavenly Or­dinance in due time, and they shall not call it a Carnal nor a Formal thing any more, nor cry out, 'Tis as bad as Common-Prayer. I must tell them, if Common-Prayer [Page] lay under Sacred Institution in the New Testament, as Singing of Psalms and Hymns doth, I should as freely embrace that: But whereas the one is Humane, so the other is Divine, that is, ordained and commanded of God, as well as practised by Christ and his Disciples, and by the Saints in all Ages.

But not to trouble you any further, if the Lord be pleased to bless the labour and pains I have taken, give him the Glory, and let your poor Brother have a part in your Prayers, who is still