exclusive of singing. But the rubric uses the words sung or said, and the practice of the original reformers, with that of their descendants, affords the best interpretation of its meaning. In the English cathedrals and collegiate churches, the psalms and hymns of public worship are neither sung exclusively of saying, nor said exclusively of singing; for the first part of each versicle is said with an unmeasured and almost monotonous intonation of voice, and the remainder is sung with a varied and measured flexion of voice. Thus the psalms and hymns being partly said and partly sung, are verily sung and said at the same time.* It hath been said, that in virtue of the disjunctive conjunction or standing between the words sung or said, it is left to the option and taste of every congregation either to sing or to say the psalms and hymns of our holy offices. Cathedral practice is directly the reverse of this last interpretation: and where shall we expect to find the spirit and intent of the rubrics better preserved, than in the maternal seats of the Church? A construction, founded upon the hypothesis, 2 Chr. xx. 21. He appointed singers to praise the Beauty of holiness, and to say, &c. Ps. cxlv. 21. My mouth shall speak the praise of the Lord, &c. Ephes. v. 19. Speaking and singing, &c. Ps. xxvii. 6. I will sing and speak praises unto the Lord. that the particle or is always discriminative, and therefore indubitably gives a choice of saying or of singing, will no doubt be advocated by all persons who wish to avail themselves of every plea for indulgence and ease in the service of Almighty God, and who care but little for having his "most worthy praise" celebrated in the most appropriate and majestic manner that circumstances permit. Let such persons but consider how ill this lukewarmness accords with the numerous scripture texts expressive of our obligation not only to speak, but to sing the praises of our gracious Benefactor, and they will see that no interpretation of a rubric can contravene the authority of a divine sanction for singing the "most worthy praises" of the Almighty King. A third interpretation of the rubric meets the various exigencies of the Church, and renders it canonical to say the psalmodic parts of public worship, whenever the iron-hand of persecution oppresses the faithful, and " tunes their harp to mourning, and their organ to the voice of them that weep." Under this interpretation, the English Episcopalians, during the eleven years of the suppression of Episcopacy, and proscription of the Prayer Book, said the psalms and hymns of the offices of religion; and upon the same principle, and in the same manner, did the Episcopalians in Scotland perform their psalmody, during the long protracted season of the abomination of desolation," which trampled them in the dust. In the days of her prosperity, the Church sings and rejoices; but in the days of her adversity, she is sad, and her voice is scarcely heard. Although she lifteth not up her voice, when banished from the sanctuary, yet she counteth it all joy to partake with her Lord in his sufferings, in hope to partake with him in his glory. If the framers of the rubrics had not given a decided preference to the usage of singing the appointed psalms and hymns of public worship, to that of saying or reading them; to what purpose does the minister pray before the doxology which ushers in the psalms of Morning and Evening service, O Lord, open thou our lips ;" and the people respond, " And our mouth shall show forth thy praise?" What is the end in view, when the minister addresses the people, saying, "Praise ye the Lord;" and they acclaim, "The Lord's name be praised;" unless his address and their acclamation are to be verified in spirit and in truth? That the objection is without foundation, is further evident from a consideration of the second of the enumerated ends of assembling for public worship; namely, " to set forth his (God's) most worthy praise." Here the adjective is in the superlative degree. And why? Because, at the time that this exhortation was composed, a rivalship was set on foot between the newly invented metre and the ancient prosaic psalmody of the church.* To get clear of the dispute in the most prudential manner, it was thought advisable to testify a superior approbation of the prosaic psalmody, by the expression "most worthy praise," without taking any notice of the metre psalms, which were deemed a very questionable species of praise.† The expression most worthy praise" is definite, and indicates that the appointed psalms and hymns of the offices in the Prayer Book are the only acts of vocal psalmody included in the definition. The circumstance of the metre psalms and hymns being bound-up with the Prayer Book, no more constitutes them a component part of that book, than their being bound up with the Bible would make them a part of the sacred volume. On the same principle also, the "Family Prayers, and the Articles," though bound up with the American Prayer Book, cannot any more be considered component parts of it, than the "Companion to the Altar" a component part of the English Liturgy, because associated with it in the same binding. * In the first Prayer Book of Edward VI. printed in 1548, the service began with the Lord's Prayer. In the second Book of Edward, which was edited in 1551, the sentences, the exhortation, the confession, and the absolution were prefixed; and in 1661 the general thanksgiving was added. See the Savoy Conferences, and Dr. Biss' Beauty of Holiness. C The rubrics before the metre psalms and hymns, allow them to be sung at certain points of division between the offices; but no where allow of their being ingrafted into any of them, unless we consider the rubric after the consecration prayer, and that before Gloria in Excelsis in the communion office, capable of effecting such engraftment. Verily metre psalms and metre hymns cannot be ingrafted into any of the offices of our religion, without violating the profession which is made in the preface to our Prayer Book: "This Church is far from intending to depart from the Church of England, in any essential point of doctrine, discipline, or worship; or further than local circumstances require." There is one remarkable instance of a rubric's countenancing the old rivalship between metre psalmody and chanting. In the communion office, a rubric orders, "Then shall be said or sung, all standing, Gloria in Excelsis, or some proper Hymn from the Selection." By means of this rubric, and of another before Gloria in Excelsis in the Morning Prayer, a minister may, without incurring ecclesiastical censure, expel Gloria in Excelsis from the public service, during the whole period of his incumbency. Another instance of rivalship between the metre and prose psalms virtually arises out of a collusion between the rubric before the ten selec |