By a Committee appointed by the General Affembly And, by the Act of Affembly 1745, tranfmitted to The Fourth Edition Revised and corrected according to 1749. GLASGO IV: Printed for JOHN ORR, Bookfeller in the Salt- mercat. M, DCC, LX. ***************** ADVERTISEMENT T has been often and earnestly defired, by pious and devout Perfons to have our PSALMODY en-" larged, by joining with the PSALMS of David fome other Scriptural Songs; out of the New Teftament as well as the Old. The Church of Scotland had this Defign in View not long after the Revolution, and it has been at different Times under their Deliberation as appears by feveral Acts and Recommendations of General Affemblies: By Act of Affembly 1742, a Committee was appointed to collect and prepare Tranf lations and Paraphrafes of SACRED WRIT in Verfe: This Committee having made no Report, the Assembly. 1744 renewed their Appointment on them for this Purpofe, and added fome others to their Number. In Gonfequence of thefe Appointments of the Affembly," Letters were writ, in Name of this Committee, to the feveral Prefbyteries, defiring them to fend any Mate rials they could furnish for this pious Defign. Thefe Poems, which are now printed, and tranfmitted to Prefbyteries, by Act of Affembly, is partly collected from the Pious and ingenious Dr. Watts, and fome other Writers, with fuch Alterations as appeared to fit them more for the prefent Purpose; and partly jur nifhed by Minifters of this Church. The Ufe for which they were intended required Simplicity and Plainnefs of Compofition and Stile. The Committee who prepared them chiefly aimed at having the Senfe of Scripture expreffed in eafy Verfe; fuch as might be fitted to raife Devotion, might be Intelligible to all, and might rife above Contempt from Perfons of better Tafte. The General Affembly 1749 did, by their A, tranfmit thefe Tranflations and Paraphrafes to the Committee, with Inftructions to confider the Amendments which have been Offered by Prefbyteries, to admit fuch as they judge proper and material, and to caufe print a new Impreffion of the Collection so amended, in order to its being again tranfmitted to Prefbytèries: Accordingly the propofed Amendments have been carefully confidered and examined by the Committee, and many of them admitted into this new Impreffion. Tranf |