"We used to sing our theology"

This was a comment made to me by a class mate.  He was mourning the loss of theological depth in worship, believing that in many churches, songs focusing on a personal experience of God have supplanted songs focusing on the nature of God.

Now, I'm a big fan of both forms of worship, both Hillsong/Vineyard and Sovereign Grace/PDI, Matt Redman and Mark Altrogge, Michael W. Smith and Augustus Toplady.  Balance is wonderful.  If all I sing is experiential -- how wonderful God is to me -- then eventually my worship is more about me than about God.  If all I sing is objective -- how wonderful God is in Himself -- then I am not glorifying God fully, since part of praising Him is treasuring Him personally.  So I seek to emphasize first how wonderful God is, then reflect as well on how wonderful He is to me.

But that's not the main point of my wandering comment this morning.  I was looking through a hymnal at home last night, and was struck by the breadth and depth of these older hymns.

You see, I love old books.  Mostly I love to read them, but I also love to have them in my hands, if possible.  My grandfather was an enthusiastic collector of old books, all old books.  Library sell-offs (and cast offs), auctions, all of these were fertile ground for harvesting more old books.  His shelves are a fascinating collection of peculiar tomes ("The Life of Man as Illustrated in a Series of Woodcuts"), pragmatic pamphlets ("The Knotts' Berry Book"), long-forgotten editions ("Best Short Stories of 1912") and a few remarkable gems ("The Atomic Age Begins").

Amongst these was a short, stout, warped and tattered volume whose title can just barely be made out amongst the cracked leather of its spine: "Methodist Hymns".  The title page is a little more readable and voluble: "Hymns for the use of the Methodist Episcopal Church, Revised Edition, New York, 1854."  Written in pencil on the front and back inner pages, in a childish scribble, is the name Martha Long.  If I remember correctly, she is my great-great aunt.  Maybe there should be another "great" in there.

Now, being hard-core Calvinist, I am in disagreement with some significant elements of old Methodism (and even more with modern Methodism), but boy! could they sing!  All of the members of this church back in Aunt Martha's days had their own copies of this hymnal.  It was clearly designed to be used both on Sundays and throughout the week.  And talk about singing your theology!  Just look at the categories of songs in this 750+ page book:

• Introduction to worship
• The Divine Perfections
• Jesus Christ
• The Holy Spirit
• Institutions of the Gospel

  The Ministry

  The Church

  The Sabbath

  Baptism

  The Lord's Supper

• Provisions and Promises of the Gospel
• The Sinner

  Depravity

  Awakening

  Inviting

  Penitential

• The Christian Life

  Justification by Faith

  Adoption and Assurance

  Sanctification

• Means of Grace

  Prayer and Intercession

  Family Devotion

  The Clost

  Reading the Scriptures

• Christian Fellowship
• Duties and Trials

  The Warfare

  Patience and Resignation

  Growth in Grace

• Humiliation

  Unfaithfulness mourned

  Backslidings lamented

• Rejoicing

  Deliverance from Trouble

  Communion with God

  Prospect of Heaven

• Special Occasions
• Time and Eternity
• Close of Worship 

And let me just share one of these hymns with you.  This is number 676.  The songs did not for the most part have titles, but summary lines, which for this one is "Riches of God's word".

The counsels of redeeming grace
    The sacred leaves unfold;
And here the Saviour's lovely face
    Our raptured eyes behold.

Here light descending from above
    Directs our doubtful feet;
Here promises of heavenly love
    Our ardent wishes meet.

Our num'rous griefs are here redresse'd,
    And all our wants supplied;
Naught we can ask to make us blest
    Is in this book denied.

For these inestimable gains,
    That so enrich the mind,
O may we search with eager pains,
    Assured that we shall find.

Amen!