The Exclusive Claims of David's Psalms (1855) by William Sommerville is available online here.

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Andrew

It has not turned out the best on Google, but I am sure what you can read is good stuff.

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Daniel Ritchie
Saintfield, Northern Ireland - Queen's University, Belfast:History/Politics
Member of Dromara Reformed Presbyterian Church of Ireland (Covenanter)

Actually, its not too bad, just a couple of warped pages at the start. He seems to have an interesting chapter entitled "No Second Collection" - this is the main problem for the proponents of uninspired hymns. If the divine psalter is insufficient for NT praise, then why is there not an additional collection of inspired songs in the NT.

If anything it is the endless collection of uninspired hymnbooks that are insufficient. After all, how many man-made hymns have you ever seen which call for the offspring of the wicked to be dashed against the stones? Not many.

Pages 181-183 include commendations of the 1650 Scottish metrical psalter. One notable comment is by Robert Murray McCheyne (p. 183):

You act as if there aren't people on this forum who hold to the non-EP view. No one has said that the Psalter is "insufficient" (a term you've stolen from the doctrine of Scripture and misapplied to your Psalter-only view) -- the non-EP argument is that we aren't required by Scripture to be limited to the Psalter. If you're going to do drive-by shooting remarks like this ("main problem," eh?), at least make them true to your opponents' view.
If every hymn written included dashing the offspring of the wicked against stones, would that satisfy you?

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Casey, Chicagoland, OPC

Well if you have to sing man-made hymns, then you are saying that the Psalter is insufficient as a hymn book for God's church. Consequently, you are saying that the portion of Scripture given as a book of praise is not sufficient. Thus it is a denial of the sufficiency of Scripture for NT singing. Why can't we just be satisfied with what God has provided for His praise?

No, since they are not authorized in Scripture. Anyway, I have yet to see any uninspired hymns that speak of God's judgments against the wicked. In comparison however, the Psalter is perfectly balanced.

I don't accept the way you've framed the discussion. The term "sufficiency" refers to Scripture as a whole, not to the Psalms in particular. You're stealing a legitimate theological concept and applying it to an illegitimate situation. The doctrine of the sufficiency of Scripture is derived from Scripture, which itself says that Scripture as a whole supplies all that is needed for faith and life. Scripture nowhere says the Psalter as the Psalter is sufficient "as a hymn book," and if you know of such a verse, please show me.
If it wouldn't satisfy you, then why did you say it?
But, if any did, it wouldn't make a difference to you anyway -- right?
Where does the Scripture say that the Psalter is "perfectly balanced"?

Casey

I think we will leave it there as we are obviously not going to agree. I believe that the sufficiency of Scripture has a broader application than what you are implying, and that since the Psalter is God's own hymnbook it is sufficient for our praise. Moreover, since the Psalter is breathed out by, God then it must be perfectly balanced.