Hymns and Spiritual Songs

“Singing the praises of God, as a religious duty—this may be done in a private manner, by a person singly and alone (Js 5:13), and between two or more; so Paul and Silas sang aloud praises to God in the prison (Acts 16:25), and in the family, between a man and his wife, with his children and servants. Singing the praises of God has always been a branch of natural or revealed religion, in all ages and periods of time, and ever will be. That the churches of Christ under the gospel dispensation were to sing, is evident from express precepts and directions given to gospel churches concerning it (Eph. 5:19; Col. 3:16). Inasmuch as the “word of God” and Christ in general furnishes out matter for singing his praises, I deny not, but that such hymns and spiritual songs, composed by good men, uninspired, may be made use of; provided care is taken that they be agreeable to the sacred writings, and to the analogy of faith, and are expressed as much as may be in scripture language.”—John Gill, “A Body Of Practical Divinity”

THE TRIUNE JEHOVAH
SALVATION AND SOVEREIGN GRACE
GRACIOUS COVENANT AND ELECTION
REDEMPTION AND REGENERATION
INCARNATION AND RETURN
STRANGERS AND PILGRIMS
TRIALS AND TRIBULATIONS
FRUIT OF THE SPIRIT
DEATH AND HEAVEN
THE CHURCH

  • • Redemption and Regeneration,  John Kent

    There Is A Period Known To God

    Hebrews 13:20,21: "Now the God of peace, that brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the everlasting covenant, make you perfect in every good work to do his will, working in you that which is wellpleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ; to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen." 1 Peter 2:24,25: "Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed. For ye were as sheep going astray; but are now returned unto the Shepherd and Bishop of your souls." Isaiah 53:1-12: "Who hath believed our report? and to whom is…

  • • The TriUne Jehovah,  Samuel Medley

    Great God, Before Thy Throne

    Psalm 65:1-13: "Praise waiteth for thee, O God, in Sion: and unto thee shall the vow be performed. O thou that hearest prayer, unto thee shall all flesh come. Iniquities prevail against me: as for our transgressions, thou shalt purge them away. Blessed is the man whom thou choosest, and causest to approach unto thee, that he may dwell in thy courts: we shall be satisfied with the goodness of thy house, even of thy holy temple. By terrible things in righteousness wilt thou answer us, O God of our salvation; who art the confidence of all the ends of the earth, and of them that are afar off upon the sea: which by his strength setteth fast the mountains; being girded with power: which…

  • • Fruit of the Spirit,  Isaac Watt's Hymns

    How Oft Have Sin And Satan Strove

    Hebrews 6:17-19: "Wherein God, willing more abundantly to shew unto the heirs of promise the immutability of his counsel, confirmed it by an oath: that by two immutable things, in which it was impossible for God to lie, we might have a strong consolation, who have fled for refuge to lay hold upon the hope set before us: which hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and stedfast, and which entereth into that within the veil;" Isaiah 54:8: "In a little wrath I hid my face from thee for a moment; but with everlasting kindness will I have mercy on thee, saith the Lord thy Redeemer."

  • • Trials and Tribulations,  Samuel Medley

    Too Good To Be Unkind

    Exodus 34:1-9: "And the Lord said unto Moses, Hew thee two tables of stone like unto the first: and I will write upon these tables the words that were in the first tables, which thou brakest. And be ready in the morning, and come up in the morning unto mount Sinai, and present thyself there to me in the top of the mount. And no man shall come up with thee, neither let any man be seen throughout all the mount; neither let the flocks nor herds feed before that mount. And he hewed two tables of stone like unto the first; and Moses rose up early in the morning, and went up unto mount Sinai, as the Lord had commanded him, and took in…

  • • Fruit of the Spirit,  Anne Steele

    And Can My Heart Aspire So High

    Isaiah 64:8: "But now, O Lord, thou art our father; we are the clay, and thou our potter; and we all are the work of thy hand." Hebrews 12:5-13: "And ye have forgotten the exhortation which speaketh unto you as unto children, My son, despise not thou the chastening of the Lord, nor faint when thou art rebuked of him: for whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth. If ye endure chastening, God dealeth with you as with sons; for what son is he whom the father chasteneth not? But if ye be without chastisement, whereof all are partakers, then are ye bastards, and not sons. Furthermore we have had fathers of our flesh which corrected us, and we…