Even Issac Watts had critics

William Romaine

Here’s an excerpt from William Romaine, a colleague of Watts, concerning the ‘new’ songs that were being written for the church in the 1700s:

Why in such a case would any man in the world take it into his head to sit down to write Hymns for the use of the church?

It is just the same as if he was to write a new Bible, not only better than the old, but so much better, that the old may be thrown aside.

What a blasphemous attempt! And yet our Hymn-mongers, inadvertently I hope, have come very near to this blasphemy: for they shut out the Psalms, introduce their own verses into the church, sing them with great delight, and as they fancy with great profit; although the whole practice be in direct opposition to the command of God, and therefore cannot possibly be accompanied with the blessing of God.

Watts wrote, of course, Joy to the World and When I Survey the Wondrous Cross.

Romaine eases up a bit from here, but it’s interesting to note that church music controversies have quite a history.

Romaine’s Essay on Psalmody posted here.

(HT:  Travis Ham, On Worship and Witness; photo cred – Wikipedia)