Same As It’s Always Been

“That which has been is that which will be, And that which has been done is that which will be done. So, there is nothing new under the sun.” Eccles 1:9

I thought you would like to read this quote taken from a Pastor’s sermon concerning new music being written for the church.

“There are several reason for opposing it:
One, it’s too new.
Two, it’s often worldly, even blasphemous.
The New Christian Music is not as pleasant as the more established style.
Because there are so many new songs, you can’t learn them all.
It puts too much emphasis on instrumental music rather than godly lyrics.
This new music creates disturbances making people act indecently and disorderly.
The preceding generation got along without it.
It’s a money making scheme and some of these new music upstarts are lewd and loose.”

What is this Pastor referring to? He was referring to The Father of Christian Hymnody, Isaac Watts, back in 1723.

Watts was born July 27, 1674 at Southampton, England, the eldest of nine children. His father was a Dissenter from the Anglican Church and on at least one occasion was thrown in jail for not following the Church of England. Isaac followed his father’s strongly biblical faith. Isaac was a very intelligent child who loved books and learned to read early. He began learning Latin at age four and went on to learn Greek, Hebrew, and French as well. From an early age Isaac had a propensity to rhyming, and often even his conversation was in rhyme. In 1707 he published his first edition of ‘Hymns and Spiritual Songs.’

For a few years, Watts served as an assistant and then Pastor to an Independent congregation in London. A violent and continual fever from which he never recovered, forced him to leave the pastorate. Sir Thomas Abney received Watts into his home, and Sir Thomas’ family continued to provide a home and serve as Watts’ patrons for the next 36 years!

Through naturally quick to resentment and anger, the Lord used Watts’ sufferings to produce a gentle modest, and charitable spirit. Out of his compassion, one-third of his small allowance was given to the poor. Watts’ tenderness to children can be seen reflected in his lovely Divine Songs for Children, published in 1715.

Watts’ most published book was his Psalms of David, first published in 1719. In his poetic paraphrases of the psalms, Watts adapted the psalms for use by the Church and made David speak “the language of a Christian.”

Examples of Watts’ method can be seen in his paraphrases of Psalm 72 into the hymn “Jesus Shall Reign Wher’er the Sun,” Psalm 90 into “O God, Our Help in Ages Past,” and Psalm 98 into “Joy to the World.”