PREFACE.

ONE Hymn Book has hitherto been chiefly used for con. gregational worship in the Bible Christian Denomination. It was improved and enlarged in 1838, and again slightly altered in 1862, and at that time, as in 1838, greater changes would have been made with a view of making the collection more useful," if the editions then in circula­tion would not have been thus rendered" comparatively useless."

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It is sufficient proof of the excellence of the compilation that, notwithstanding the growth of the Connexion, the spread of education, and the changed and changing con­ditions of society during this period, no deep and wide­spread desire for a new book was expressed until quite lately. In some respects the collection was doubtless one of exceptional merit. The missionary enthusiasm of the young Church found appropriate expression in a good selection of hymns in a section under the suggestive head­ing of" Missionary Exertion," which in turn kept alive and spread the missionary spirit. But the omission of some hymns, such as" Jesus shall reign where'er the sun," from this section, and compositions of equal excellence in other sections, is simply unaccountable. The great defect of the book was its slight recognition in fact of the sentiment so tersely expressed by the Psalmist in the words aptly quoted in the Preface," It is a good thing to give thanks unto the Lord, and to sing praises unto Thy name, O Most High."

It is believed that the most wayward critic will not seriously urge that this is a fault of the present book. The aim of the Compilers has been to produce a book that will be found pre- eminently useful in the" Service of Song in the House of the Lord." Their hope and belief is that all the hymns in this Selection, except in the case of the very few hymns inserted for particular purposes, will be considered