the public assemblies of the Church. With this intention, a small number of Hymns have been admitted, which, perhaps, will seldom or never be used in public, but which, it is hoped, will frequently cheer and delight the serious hour of retirement.

It has also been endeavoured to introduce Hymnns on all the principal subjects of doctrine and prac tice; so that the book might form, not only a complete Manual of Devotion, but also, in a small compass, a Body of Divinity. The great utility of this to that numerous class of sincere worshipers of the Lord, whose means do not admit of their purchasing many books, must readily be seen: and at the same time that the Work is thus adapted to improve those who have already joined themselves to the New Church in the knowledge of its doctrines, as well as in affection for them, and for the life to which they lead, it may also form a pleasing medium of introducing its pure truths to others.

In the selection of the Hymns, the sole principle regarded by the Committee has been USEFULNESS. It will be seen that great assistance has been derived from the valuable works of the two most extensive authors of Hymns on the subjects of the New Dispensation-the Rev. J. Proud, and the Rev. M. Sibly. A very considerable number of the Hymns in this collection, many of them quite new, are also the composition of other Members of the New Church in this country and in America. Those which have been introduced from other

sources, will all be found to breathe, in beautiful and energetic language, the spirit of the "New Jerusalem." Such of them as did not, originally, fully express the doctrinal sentiments of this Church, have been carefully corrected, and, where necessary, in great part re-written: and it is hoped, now that they have been studded with the gems of heavenly truth, and freed from all tarnish of error, that they will be found greatly to adorn the Collection, and give reason to rejoice, that "things new and old" have thus been dedicated to the service of the Lord. The doctrines of the New Church afford us the pleasing assurance, that many excellent persons now adore and serve the Lord Jesus Christ in the "new heaven," in the language of genuine truth, who had not the opportunity of perfectly learning that language while on earth. Of this happy number, doubtless, are the authors of many of the Hymns in the collections of various denominations of Christians, whose compositions often exhibit light drawn from the Word itself, and far superior to any which they could have derived from the doctrines of their respective churches: it is quite agreeable, then, to right order, that the productions of such persons should, like themselves, be purified, and consecrated to the worship of the one true God of heaven and earth.

The arrangement of the Hymns, it will be perceived, has been carefully made, to afford facility for reference. In the large section under the title

of REGENERATE LIFE the reader will observe, that
the Hymns are disposed in a progressive order,
commencing with the earliest state of the heavenly
life, and rising to the highest; so that a little ac-
quaintance with that section will render reference
as easy, as if the specific heads had beer. collected
in the table of contents. This, indeed, has been
done, with respect to the whole work, though
not in the order of sequence, in the alphabetical
Index of Subjects appended at the end; in which,
together with the Table of First Lines, and the
Table of Scripture Texts, which follow the General
Contents, every facility is afforded for reference and

selection.

The Committee, and all who have been engaged
in preparing this Hymn-Book, trusting that their
endeavours have been actuated by a "single eye"
to the benefit of the Lord's true Church, humbly
hope that a divine blessing has accompanied the
progress, and will crown the conclusion, of their
labours; by causing the Work to be affectionately
received by their brethren, and rendering it both
acceptable and edifying to all tastes and classes,
to the simple and the well-educated, to the devo-
tional and the intellectual.

vii

The following words not in common use, occasionally
occurring in the Work, it may be useful here to
explain them.

Esse is used to express the very being of a thing, and the

inmost ground of its existence. It is applied to the un-

fathomable nature of the Godhead, to express that which

renders all its attributes divine, and distinguishes them

from those of any finite being. The Divine Esse is dis

tinguished, in the doctrines of the New Church, from the

Divine Essence, thus: the Divine Essence is Love and

Wisdom; but the Divine Esse is Infinity and Eternity

thus Love and Wisdom, to be Divine, must have Infinity

and Eternity as their Esse, or the inmost ground of their

existence and nature.

Human is used as a substantive, in application to the

Lord Jesus Christ, to denote his Human Principle, or
Human Nature. It is more universal in its signification
than Humanity; which, however, is often applied to
express the same ideas.

Conjugial is used in reference to a real marriage-union,

instead of Conjugal, as more expressive of a union void

of all sense of constraint. The former is taken from the

Latin word Conjugialis, and the latter from the Latin

word Conjugalis: the first of which is formed from Con-

jugium, "a marriage," derived from a word which signifies

"to conjoin;" and the latter from jugum, "a yoke,"

whence conjugo, "to yoke together." Though both come

originally from jungo "to join;" yet conjugal, carrying

with it the idea of a yoke, is not so well adapted to express

that entire union which is felt by both parties as perfect

freedom.