William Ramsey Hemphill on uninspired hymns, Arminianism, and sectarianism

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Reformed Covenanter

Cancelled Commissioner
Now I do maintain that what Mr. C. [Thomas Smyth] here denies to be the question, is the question, in part at least. It is, whether Church shall sing “any thing and every thing, from rigid Calvinism down to blank Arminianism,” or be confined to the Psalms of David. This is the practical question; and experience has shewn that when we depart from this divine standard — the Psalms of David — there is no limit to the hymn-making business: and among the multitude of hymns that are in use there is Arminianism of the blankest kind, as well as other errors, set off too in all the charms of poetry, and rendered bewitching and ensnaring by being offered up in Christian assemblies as praise to God.

Although the Presbyterian Church may have taken order to prevent such erroneous hymns from being introduced into her collection, yet she has never, as far as my knowledge extends, adopted any measures to prevent her members from singing such hymns in other Christian assemblies. No, on the contrary, we often read glowing accounts of great revivals in which the different hymn-singing denominations have participated, and without a doubt the hymn books of the different sects are employed on such occasions — books containing a variety of sentiments — and at such times, (the conclusion is inevitable,) the mingled throng of anxious, animated worshippers, join in sweet concord, singing now “rigid Calvinism,” and again pouring forth the “blank Arminianism,” and all ascending as praise to God. ...

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