PREFACE.
No apology is needed for a new book on Hymnology. Some authors have difficulty in proving that there is really room for their work, but it is not so with those who write on this comparatively neglected subject. In saying this, we do not overlook the valuable articles on this subject that have appeared recently in newspapers and reviews; nor the useful labours of Montgomery, Creamer, Holland, Gadsby, Belcher, and Sir Roundell Palmer; nor the more learned works of such writers as Daniel, Archbishop Trench, Dr. Mason Neale, and Dr. Bonar; yet it remains true that this theme, which is rising into notice, and which is of practical importance because of its connection with our private and public devotion, has not yet received a thorough treatment.
This work is to be regarded only as a contribution to the subject. It is not an attempt to go over the whole field. The subject is so large that the writer found it necessary to fix some limit to his researches. He has confined himself to the authors whose psalms and hymns are contained in one of the most comprehensive and excellent of modern collections.[1] That collection was compiled by a competent committee in London, who were occupied from 1855 to 1859 in its preparation. They met frequently, and
- ↑ "The New Congregational Hymn Book."
