For 150 years English Protestants had restricted themselves to singing only the Psalms in publish worship, while poets and hymn writers wrote for private devotion. Isaac Watts was the catalyst and liberator who not only ushered hymn signing back into congregational life, but also insisted that the Psalms be sung in the light of the New Testament gospel.
This volume brings together his two most famous collections, Psalms of David Imitated in the Language of the New Testament and Hymns and Spiritual Songs, including Watts' own interpretive footnotes, his explanatory prefaces, and a small set of tunes from the era. All together, these features represent Watts' masterpieces in a way that hasn't been seen in print since his death.
"Theology is by definition not an ivory tower discipline. It is not merely a form of academic discourse. When rightly conducted, theology is the conversation of the people of God seeking to understand the Lord whom we worship. This collection of psalms and hymns from Isaac Watts powerfully demonstrates how rich Christian theology informs worship. Theology leads to doxology. Let these lyrics from Isaac Watts not only inform your mind but also affect your heart for the glorious God we have the privilege of knowing and worshipping."
R. Albert Mohler, Jr, President, The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary
"Pity the would-be theologian who remains largely ignorant of earlier exegesis and theological reflection. And pity the hymn-writer and song-writer with almost no grasp of the great heritage of psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs that have cascaded from the pens of earlier generations. Now the incalculably seminal work of Isaac Watts is being made available once again. This volume calls up memories of many Watts songs that I sang in my youth or during nine years of living in the United Kingdom. We should not think of slavishly imitating Watts, of course, but we could do a lot worse than studying and learning from his work. And some of his lyrics need to be resuscitated in new melodies."
D. A. Carson, co-founder, The Gospel Coalition
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Title
The Psalms, Hymns, and Spiritual Songs of Isaac Watts
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Author(s)
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ISBN
9780996824705
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Publisher
Other
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Audience
Adults
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Pages
641
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Published
01/01/2016