Singing theology

In one sermon by Tozer, he says something like in the old days they used to sing theology, i think this is one of those songs, so much truth packed into one song, such reverence such power.

“Now from the roaring lion’s rage,
O Lord, protect Thy Son,
Nor leave Thy darling to engage
The powers of hell alone.”

Thus did our suffering Savior pray
With mighty cries and tears;
God heard Him in that dreadful day,
And chased away His fears.

Great was the victory of His death,
His throne exalted high;
And all the kindreds of the earth
Shall worship or shall die.

A numerous offspring must arise
From His expiring groans;
They shall be reckoned in His eyes
For daughters and for sons.

The meek and humble souls shall see
His table richly spread;
And all that seek the Lord shall be
With joys immortal fed.

The isles shall know the righteousness
Of our incarnate God,
And nations yet unborn profess
Salvation in His blood.

I.Watts

Yes, this is some very good stuff. I've always been so amazed at the quality of food these men of God offered their listeners and readers. They were so soaked in the Word of God. But the thing that floors me the most (and also saddens me) is the overwhelming thought that the exceptional quality and substance as we see it today seems to have been just the common food at that time. What happened? When did the public begin settling for beef jerky and popcorn?

I suppose it began when a new school of cooks realized that's all they knew how to serve.

Well, I've got a big book in my library: The Complete Psalms and Hymns of Isaac Watts. I've always been staggered by this particular hymnwriter - in fact, he is my all-time favorite. As far as serving up impeccable cuisine, Watts is as good as it gets; you can find a delectible four-course meal in almost everyone of his songs, and often with a depth and insight into scripture that leaves you astounded. If anyone doesn't have the book, I avidly recommend getting it.

[url=http://www.amazon.com/Psalms-Hymns-Isaac-Watts-Additional/dp/1573580694]Here[/url] it is on Amazon.

My daughter in law said to me a while ago that she reckoned she and my son benefited from attending church as children where hymns were sung, because she realised they had learned much doctrine from the hymns of Wesley, Watts, and other great hymn writers. She was surprised that a good number of her friends were fairly shallow with their understanding of basic doctrine / theology.

I must say, I do enjoy the singing of a hymn with some meat and meaning, that uplifts the soul, rather than the fluffy, inane and often ‘self’ centred songs, (rather than Christ or God centred), that we tend to sing now; sometimes they have been put together with bad grammar which annoys me as a teacher. Sometimes I refuse to sing because I find the words embarrassing or pathetic! I am not saying all modern songs are bad – just some of them. I also love the Messianic songs which are often pure scripture.

Suzy

You know, it's very easy to get agitated (in a righteous way) after spending the week singing in your heart hymns to God and being edified by the anointed songs of Wesley and Watts and Hoffman, and then to come into the assembly of believers where worldy beats and shallow platitudes and love mantras are repeated over and over (and sometimes very loudly), and when this happens, you can find yourself in a most delicate situation. Expressing your chagrin to the wrong person may result in a miscontruing of your position and a misrepresntation of your true feelings. It may appear to everyone that you simply deem yourself above and beyond - spiritually speaking - others who have no qualms luxuriating in the praise and worship that you now find objectionable.

We need to understand that it is not so much the praise and worship that is objectionable to God, for I believe God accepts an offering when it is done from a clean heart and good conscience. If the hands being lifted up to Him are blood-washed clean, He will receive the sacrifice. The problem then is not the music or words (which we now find so lame); the problem, instead, is our level in God. I remember when I was just starting out in my new Christian life, I also listened to and was edified by music that now does nothing but annoy me. But God accepted my prayers and praise during those days. A classroom of third graders will do just fine with the corresponding third-grade material presented to them; put an eleventh grader in the room, however, and he will soon be be a bit uncomfortable, and then restless.

Ah, but here is the wisdom of God. God will often keep the seventh grader in a class of second graders for a dual purpose: to teach the seventh grader patience and humility, and to use him to tutor and help along his younger classmates. In time, and when he has fulfilled God's requirement for sticking around, the exit door will at last open and he will move on to the next assignment. His learning and feeding takes place not in the second grade classroom and cafeteria amidst the grape popsicles and smushed bananas and grilled cheese sandwiches; when he enters into the cafeteria, he should have already been fed and ready to [i]serve[/i].

Our righteous consternation comes from expecting a porterhouse steak alongside the popsicle - and the menu just doesn't work like that. If you want a porterhouse, you go to the steakhouse located at the feet of Christ. This, I believe, is God's purpose in keeping us in shallow meetings and amidst trite praise and worship (to us); it is to patiently, gracefully and humbly point those in lower grades to the higher grades and better foods. If we were not in the congregation of popsicle sticks, who then would point the milk-suckers to the steakhouse?

And, finally, we shouldn't be derailed by those who choose not to proceed onward. The ciriculum is God's, the timing is His; we are there on commission to serve and this is all. If He asks us to mop the floors of the cafeteria and clean the toilets in the restrooms, this is what we do, and to not demonstrate frustration or anger while we do it. Remember that God is watching, and everything is on schedule.

Brother Paul

You have a way to make it clear with pictures brother Paul, Amen to your post,

what about this one! i meen it has everything, the eternal purposes of God, his majesty , his sovereignty his love his wrath and judgment, the pressing time limit of mans life and our deep need of Christ , life and death, eternity, everything in a couple of stances(is that right word? in swedish its called verses :-) ).

Actually id like to learn to play music, guitar or piano just so i could sing these songs and play them, for myself.

Through every age, eternal God,
Thou art our rest, our safe abode;
High was Thy throne ere Heav’n was made,
Or earth Thy humble footstool laid.

Long hadst Thou reigned ere time began,
Or dust was fashioned to a man;
And long Thy kingdom shall endure
When earth and time shall be no more.

But man, weak man, is born to die,
Made up of guilt and vanity;
Thy dreadful sentence, Lord, was just,
Return, ye sinners, to your dust.

A thousand of our years amount
Scarce to a day in Thine account;
Like yesterday’s departed light,
Or the last watch of ending night.

Death, like an overflowing stream,
Sweeps us away; our life’s a dream,
An empty tale, a morning flower,
Cut down and withered in an hour.

Our age to seventy years is set;
How short the time! how frail the state!
And if to eighty we arrive,
We rather sigh and groan than live.

But O how oft Thy wrath appears,
And cuts off our expected years!
Thy wrath awakes our humble dread;
We fear the power that strikes us dead.

Teach us, O Lord, how frail is man;
And kindly lengthen out our span,
Till a wise care of piety
Fit us to die, and dwell with Thee.

Watts

Well, I've got a big book in my library: The Complete Psalms and Hymns of Isaac Watts.

Is this the same thing [url=http://www.ccel.org/ccel/watts/psalmshymns.toc.html]here[/url]

Danielle

Is this the same thing here

Yes, it is. My wife got me the book for Christmas one year. It's over 600 pages of hymn after hymn after hymn - and all of them offer real meat. Some will cause you to weep.

Does it include the music? Do you know if someone has made a recorded version of them?

Danielle

Does it include the music? Do you know if someone has made a recorded version of them?

But to answer your question, no, there is no music included in the book. It's just the words.

Here are some of them in MIDI format, with the words:

[url=http://www.cyberhymnal.org/bio/w/a/t/watts_i.htm]Watts[/url]