ARP occupied 'higher ground on the psalmody question' than even the Church of Scotland or Secession Church

Context

This passage appears in Lathan’s discussion of the origins of the ARP’s psalmody standards. He has just described the 1773 Marshall sermon and the internal debates during the formulation of the ARP Confession of Faith. He then explains how the American ARP adopted a stricter psalmody position than their Scottish parent bodies.

Extract

It is a fact well attested, that the Associate Reformed Church has always occupied higher ground on the psalmody question than either the National Church of Scotland or the Secession Church of Scotland. While both these adopted the psalms of David as proper to be used in singing praise to God, they did not forbid the use of paraphrases or hymns. This was the ground taken by some of those who originally constituted the Associate Reformed Church. How many there were who entertained this opinion it is impossible now to learn. There were others who entertained views on the psalmody question higher than their fathers.

[The Scotch Confession section on psalmody is quoted]

This section “on singing of psalms” the fathers of the Associate Reformed Church remodeled, as the reader will readily discover. The Section in the Associate Reformed Confession of Faith takes higher ground than the same section in the Scotch Confession; but it is to be doubted whether it is as high as the uniform practice in strict Associate Reformed congregations has ever been.

Significance

This extract reveals the ARP’s distinctive theological development on psalmody:

1. American innovation toward strictness: Far from being mere traditionalism, American exclusive psalmody was actually stricter than Scottish practice—the ARP took “higher ground” than their mother churches.

2. Internal debate during formation: Some founding ARP members wanted the Scottish position (allowing paraphrases), while “others entertained views on the psalmody question higher than their fathers”—showing that strict exclusive psalmody was a deliberate choice, not inherited inertia.

3. Practice exceeding standards: Lathan notes that “strict Associate Reformed congregations” practiced even beyond what the Confession required—indicating grassroots commitment to exclusive psalmody.

4. Explains Rankin’s destination: This helps explain why the ARP was an attractive destination for Rankin and others opposed to Watts—the ARP had deliberately positioned itself as the strictest Reformed body on psalmody.