# Puritan's Reaction to Isaac Watts



## MyersReformed (Nov 1, 2012)

I was thinking that Isaac Watts' innovations against EP must have solicited some reaction from Puritan ministers in his generation (or perhaps shortly thereafter). But I am unable to locate any such specific works. Can any of you help me in my quest?

I did find a notable short piece by John Brown of Wamphray's "Singing of Psalms, Hymns and Spiritual Songs in the Public Worship of God", From De Causa Dei contra Antisabbatarios Available in Volume 3 of the Confessional Presbyterian Journal; See here: John Brown of Wamphray: Singing of Psalms, Hymns & Spiritual Songs in Public Worship - Blogs - The PuritanBoard But I really desire to read a polemical Puritan work against the innovations of Watts and/or those after him.

Grace be with you,

Chris Myers


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## markkoller (Nov 2, 2012)

MyersReformed said:


> I was thinking that Isaac Watts' innovations against EP must have solicited some reaction from Puritan ministers in his generation (or perhaps shortly thereafter). But I am unable to locate any such specific works. Can any of you help me in my quest?
> 
> I did find a notable short piece by John Brown of Wamphray's "Singing of Psalms, Hymns and Spiritual Songs in the Public Worship of God", From De Causa Dei contra Antisabbatarios Available in Volume 3 of the Confessional Presbyterian Journal; See here: John Brown of Wamphray: Singing of Psalms, Hymns & Spiritual Songs in Public Worship - Blogs - The PuritanBoard But I really desire to read a polemical Puritan work against the innovations of Watts and/or those after him.
> 
> ...



Articles Online | Exclusive Psalmody

Books Online | Exclusive Psalmody

There are several works that deal specifically with Watts.

Hope that helps.


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## markkoller (Nov 5, 2012)

Here is one particular title:

*Plain reasons why neither Dr. Watts' Imitations of the Psalms, nor his other poems, nor any other human composition, ought to be used in the praises of the great God our Saviour [microform] but that a metre version of the book of Psalms, examined, with wise and critical care by pious and learned divines, and found by them to be as near the Hebrew metre Psalms, as the idiom of the English language would admit, ought to be used (1828)*

by Thomas Clark

found here


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## markkoller (Dec 1, 2012)

From The Devotional Use of the Psalms in Worship by Joseph Kyle, from The Psalms in Worship, ed. by John McNaugher

“If one should make fairly allowable use of the key that Jesus Himself and Matthew and John and Peter and Paul employed in their interpretation of the Psalms, he might confidently undertake to find the Christ not only in every song, but in almost every stanza, of the Psalter. In the body of His flesh men failed to recognize the Son of God; so here as He is clothed in the garments of praise the human heart in many instances is too dull and slow to apprehend His presence; but He is here for all that. On account of failure to recognize this noteworthy characteristic of the Psalter Isaac Watts, in 1719, published a volume entitled The Psalms of David Imitated in the Language of the New Testament. As if the songs of the Spirit needed to be converted from law to grace! The commendation of Dr. Watts’ work, which Theodor Christlieb writes and Philip Schaff so willingly quotes, that his psalms have an “evangelical character,” that he “substitutes everywhere gospel for law,” and that where “the Psalmist speaks of sacrifice of bullocks and oxen he introduces the sacrifice of Christ,” has little weight when it is remembered that only twenty-one Psalms sing of service or of sacrifice in legal phrase in any sense or form or significance; that only thirty verses out of twenty-four hundred and forty-two in the Book of Psalms suggest in any wise the idea of sacrifice; that four of these thirty verses refer to idolatrous sacrifices, five others speak of legal sacrifice disparagingly as in itself of little or of no avail in God’s sight, and fifteen more use the language of the temple service exactly as Peter and Paul employ it in calling to Christian service; and that of the six verses remaining, five commend the bringing of animal sacrifice in general terms that are in keeping with the worship of the temple, which nevertheless admit and even suggest a thoroughly evangelical construction, while the one solitary strain that is left, — “Bind the sacrifice with cords even unto the horns of the altar,” is found in the verse next succeeding that which became the children’s choral in the temple courts as they welcomed Jesus Christ as David’s Son and Zion’s King, “Hosanna! Blessed is He that cometh in the name of the Lord.” In such a setting what is the need that Dr. Watts or any other should write into this stanza sentiment of “evangelical character.” "

Reactions: Informative 1


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