Page:The Methodist Hymn-Book Illustrated.djvu/21

Rh spirituality, the reverent tone, and the clear grasp of truth which as a whole the hymns exhibit is truly marvellous.

We now approach the question of Methodist hymn-books. In 1741 Wesley published A Collection of Psalms and Hymns, price, bound, 1s. It contained 160 pieces. After Wesley's death, Dr. Coke doubled it by adding other hymns, and the Conference of 1816 recommended it to the 'use of our congregations on the Lord's Day forenoon.' It thus came to be known as The Morning Hymn-book. It fell into disuse on the publication of the Supplement of 1831. In 1753 John Wesley issued Hymns and Spiritual Songs, intended for the use of real Christians of all Denominations. Col. iii. 9-11 (12mo, pp. viii., 124). It was printed by William Strahan, London, and sold for 1s. It is a collection from Hymns and Sacred Poems, 1739, I740, 1742. There are 84 hymns, or, counting each part separately, 114. This was the Methodist hymn-book in use from 1753 to 1780, and it continued to be used in the smaller and poorer societies long after 1780. Twenty-four editions were issued in thirty-three years. The Redemption Hymns (price 6d.) were frequently bound up with this collection. Wesley says in his preface of 1780, that when asked to prepare a new hymn-book, he replied, 'You have such a collection already (entitled Hymns and Spiritual Songs), which I extracted several years ago from a variety of hymn-books.' There was also a volume of Select Hymns, published in 1761. Wesley described it as a 'collection of those hymns which are (I think) some of the best we have published. This, therefore, I recommend preferable to all others.'

In 1780 he issued A Collection of Hymns for the Use of the People called Methodists (price 3s., sewed, 12mo, pp. xvi, 504). The preface is dated 'October 20, 1779'. Methodism had never lacked hymn-books. Wesley says, 'It may be doubted whether any religious community in the world has a greater variety of them.' The people were, in fact, 'bewildered in the immense variety.' A strong desire was felt for a cheap and portable book, with a sufficient selection of hymns for all ordinary occasions. Wesley took great pains with his task. 'It is not so large as to be either cumbersome or expensive; and it is large enough to contain such a variety of hymns as will not soon be worn threadbare. It is large enough to contain all the important truths of our most holy religion,