Tinkling Spring was last Presbyterian church in the valley to adopt hymn singing

Context

The dissertation describes how Scottish Psalter traditions were deeply rooted in specific congregations. John Craig organized Tinkling Spring Presbyterian Church in Augusta County, Virginia, in 1740 and served as pastor until 1764. His personal copy of the Scottish Psalter, with handwritten notes about which Psalms to use on various occasions, survives to the present day.

Extract

Miss Lillian Kennerly Craig of Roanoke, Virginia, a great, great, great, great granddaughter of the Reverend John Craig, has today a rare volume of the Scottish Psalter used by him. Craig was pastor of Tinkling Spring Presbyterian Church in the Virginia valley from 1740-1764; therefore this was most likely the Psalter used by that congregation, and other congregations that he served in the valley.

His book is The Scottish Psalter about 3/4 inches thick, measuring 2 x 3 1/2 [inches]. It is bound in leather and has the Scottish form of his initials, “I. C.” stamped in gold on both front and back. It contains the 150 Psalms of the Old Testament “In Metre.”

Some of these Psalms were favorites of Mr. Craig’s and therefore may have been chosen more frequently. In his handwriting on the flyleaf of his Psalter, Mr. Craig records the following:

Psalms to be sung upon particular times & occessions as in ye morning Pslms 36: 16: 22: 144 in ye evening 4: 121: 141 for mercy after a Sin Committed 50; 102 in Sickness or heaviness 1, 13, 88, 90, 91, 137, 146 when recovered 30, 32 on ye Sabbath day 19, 9, 95 in time of joy 80 98 107 145 136 before Sermon 11 12, 119–1 & 5 part at ye communion 22, 23, 103, 111, 116, 45, 72 for spiritual solace 15, 19, 25, 46, 67, 112, 146 after wrong & disgrace received 42, 69, 70, 140, 144

With such a tradition it is not surprising that Tinkling Spring was the last Presbyterian church in the valley to adopt hymn singing.

Significance

This extract provides valuable documentation of how exclusive psalmody was practiced at the congregational level and how resistance persisted:

1. Material evidence: The survival of John Craig’s personal Scottish Psalter with handwritten annotations provides concrete documentation of 18th-century psalmody practice
2. Liturgical guidance: Craig’s notes reveal how Psalms were selected for specific occasions - morning, evening, communion, times of sickness, joy, disgrace, etc.
3. Generational continuity: That the book survives in family hands through multiple generations suggests the practice was valued and transmitted
4. Institutional resistance: Tinkling Spring being “the last Presbyterian church in the valley to adopt hymn singing” shows how exclusive psalmody could persist at the congregational level even as the denomination moved toward hymnody
5. Regional pattern: The Virginia valley was heavily Scotch-Irish, and this congregation exemplifies the strength of Scottish Psalter tradition in that community

This is important evidence for understanding why the transition from psalmody to hymnody was so contested - it involved not just theological principle but deeply ingrained congregational practice and material culture.