WERE it not that the Singing-Psalms, commonly used in Churches, labour under the Pre­judice of an ill Translation, whose dress is course and homely, the Me­ter rugged and unequal, being patched up with little care, the words many of them out of use and scarce intelligible, without fancy, and sometimes, which is worse, [Page]without any sense; I cannot think that any sober devout person, would decry or sleight the singing of them in the Church: wherein tho' the common People cannot attain in this, more than in other matters, to much skill or art; yet however they seem to me to be imployed more affectionately in this, than in any other part of the Service: and considering that praising God is the most excellent part of it, by the same reason that the Apostle prefers Charity before Faith and Hope, be­cause when they cease to be of use, this remains for ever, even in Heaven it self; it may seem very reasonable to afford the people all furtherance and assistance to the [Page]better performance of that, to which they have already a laudable pro­pension.

I confess there are discourage­ments to undertake such a work and particularly that, which some others have deservedly complain'd of, viz. the ungracefulness of the Measures of our Common Tunes: which I think happens to have been the worst chosen of any Meter extant in any Language, and scarce admits, when words are fitted to them, of any Elegancy; which therefore the Excellent Poets of our own have balked, and chosen in their Translations, to use Pinda­ric's or other measures of their own fancying, wherein without being [Page]so much straitned, they had more scope for their flights and Elegan­cies. But since the people cannot be wound up to them, he that in­tends their benefit, must condescend, and take as he finds it, the Meter they are accustomed to; and fit such words to them as they can under­stand, and may conveigh naturally and easily into their minds, that pious sense which every where breaths in the Psalms of David. And perhaps this may be a harder task to do well, than he that has not try'd it would imagine: espe­cially when he must not take leave to Paraphrase largely in strains of his own, but must keep closely, tho' not to every word, yet to the sense [Page]of the Text as it lies before him.

This has been attempted I know by many, but I think not so success­fully as might have been wisht. For the most have plainly miscar­ried, by tying themselves too strict­ly, I had almost said superstitiously, to the words of the English Text, which in a Thousand places cannot be made to fall Naturally, without botching, into verse; so that there is little more of Poetry in them, than meer Rhime.

A Reverend Bishop, that saw this fault and avoided it, yet pitch­ed upon an unlucky method in his Translation, to make every first and second, every third and fourth line of a Psalm to answer and rhime to [Page]one another; whereby, in the short measures especially of eight and six feet (which is the common one) he was too much hamper'd and confi­ned, so that the words could not fall in so naturally as they ought; which appears (the better to ex­plain what I mean) even in the two first lines of the first Psalm, which in his Version are these,

Another Ingenious Gentleman since that, bestowed very commend­able pains in this work, but yet [Page](which was great pity) his Ver­sion seems to me less fitted for com­mon use than the former: For tho' sometimes he may be thought to have chosen too great bluntness and homeliness of phrase, as if intend­ing to comply with the vulgar, wit­ness such as these, for instance — Good Fellows in their Wine — Goblin of the Night — Gates of gaping Death — Created at a blast. — Potters brittle Ware. — Muttons to the Shambles sold. — Water swell his Guts, and such like; yet at other times his Phra­ses, especially his Epithets, are not to be understood by the vulgar without a Comment: such as these. Libyan Fields. — Torrid Climes. [Page]Phoenician die. — Oazy Beds. — Deaths Carnivals. — Ophir In­gots. — Aromatick Unguents, &c. Very often again (without oc­casion given by the Psalm) his phrase is too Poetical, and not be­fitting the Gravity of the Subject: for instance in such as these. — Suns. Western Inn (for his set­ing) — Wind-rockt Cradles, (for Birds Nests) — Air-fann'd Flames. — Feathered show'r — Grey feathered Morn. — Heav'ns winged Posts. — Heav'ns starry Canopy, and a great many such like.

When I observed these things, tho' at first I only intended to make a Collection of Psalms out of others, [Page]for the use of that Society to which I relate (where we are bound by the Orders of the House, upon Sun­days and Festivals and the Eves of them, to sing the Psalms to an Organ, tho' without a Quire) I altered my thoughts, and resolved to try as others had done before me, so to fit the Psalms to the common Tunes, that the vulgar might bear their part in them, and the more intelligent and skilful might not have reason to despise this part of the Service. Which design whe­ther I have performed, I must leave others to judge; only desiring when they do so, to remember that this was my end, and not to set up for a Poet.

And now to give the Reader some account of my manner of pro­ceeding herein; Because (for the reason before given) I resolved not to ty up my self strictly to the use of the words of the English Text, un­less they would fall in naturally, but rather to clear the phrases by a short Paraphrase, tho' still keeping to the sense; I therefore consulted the Criticks and other Expositors upon places of difficulty, and espe­cially the Paraphrases of the Learn­ed D^r Hammond and Amyral­dus. I have endeavoured to suit my Version to the strain of the Psalms, which are very different; some more humble and plain, best suited to Davids afflictive Com­plaints, [Page]plaints, or to those Psalms that in­struct mens manners: Others are more lofty, elegant, and poetical; as when he sets out the worlds of God, his Creation and Providence, or the perfections of the Almighty Ruler of the World; or propheti­cally describes things that relate to the Messiah. Instances of which may be seen in Psalm 23.29.45. 65.91.93.96.104.139. not to mention many others.

I foresee two Objections against my method of proceeding; which I shall briefly endeavour to satisfie. The one is, that I have left so ma­ny Psalms untranslated: the other, that I have taken at other times only some portions of Psalms, and [Page]left out many Verses in those I have translated. In Answer to both which, I think it may suffice to re­turn; That in the choice I have made, I considered and pitched up­on those Psalms or portions of them, which were most proper and of most general use to us Christians. Such are Psalms of Thanksgiving, or of Petition for mercies we all need, or that instruct us in our Duty. But I balked those whose aspect was up­on Davids personal troubles, or Is­raels particular condition, or rela­ted to the Jewish and legal Oecono­my, or are prophetical of the Na­tions they should subdue, or respect­ed their deliverances, or such as refer not to us, but by a more diffi­cult [Page]Accommodation; or where they express a temper not so sutable to the mild and gentle spirit of the Gospel, such as our Saviour repres­sed in his Disciples, not allowing imprecations of vengeance against our Enemies, but rather praying for them; especially when that pro­phetick spirit do's not now rest up­on us, that did upon David. So also such Psalms as are of very Artificial contrivance in the He­brew, the Verses beginning with the several Letters of the Alpha­bet, and the phrases with great Art varied, tho' containing the same repeated sense, which cannot be imitated so well in other Tongues, many Verses in them are [Page]left out; as among others in the 37^th Psalm; and especially in the 119^th Psalm, which therefore I have contracted into six parts: I might also add, that I have some­times omitted a few Verses that preface to a Psalm. If these rea­sons will be allowed me, then I sup­pose there will be very little found either in whole Psalms or pieces of them, that is not translated. If this satisfie not, I have only one thing further to offer, which me­thinks may. That I desire only that I may have the same favour that is granted to every Parish Clark; who in setting the Psalms, is not wont to run through them in order, nor to appoint at all times a [Page]whole one to be sung, but only such portions of them as are suitable to the occasion; or to the time allotted not for this alone, but for other services to be performed in the Con­gregation: And if I had said no more, I know not why I may not take liberty to pick and chuse por­tions of Psalms, as well as he. I have nothing more to add, unless it be fit to mention, that I have put very many of the Psalms into the Meter of the Hundred Psalm, which measure, as well as the Tune, I judge to be the best we have: but for those that may be of another mind, I have complyed so far, as to repeat the far greater number of such Psalms in the com­moner [Page]Meter: and that I know but of one only hard word, that may trouble an ordinary Reader, which he will find in the first line of the 127^th Psalm, viz. the word Architect, which signifies a Master-Builder, and I hope he will not meet with such another throughout the whole work.