A Discourse on Psalmody: In Which It Is Clearly Shewn, That It Is the Duty of Christians to Take the Principal Subjects and Occasions of Their Psalms, Hymns, and Spiritual Songs from the Gospel of Christ
Notes
A pro-hymn treatise published in Philadelphia in 1794 by James Latta, “Minister of the Gospel at Chesnut-Level.” The work directly responds to Rev. John Anderson’s exclusive psalmody tract “Two Discourses on Psalmody” and defends the Synod of New-York and Philadelphia’s adoption of Watts’s hymns.
Latta advances several key arguments:
- The “word of Christ” in Colossians 3:16 refers to the Gospel, not the Psalms of David
- Early Christians sang hymns about Christ for the first three centuries before the Psalms of David were introduced
- If only “inspired” compositions can be used in worship, the same would apply to prayers and sermons
- The Arians opposed gospel hymns because they paid divine honors to Christ
This is a significant counter-document to Rankin’s exclusive psalmody position, written the year after Rankin’s “Process in the Transilvania Presbytery.”
People
- James Latta - Author
- John Anderson - The “author” being refuted
- [[Isaac Watts]] - Defended
Institutions
- Synod of New-York and Philadelphia - Defended for adopting Watts’s hymns
- Church of Scotland - Cited as having approved enlargement of psalmody
- Baptist Church - Cited as using Watts
- Episcopal Church - Cited as not confined to David’s Psalms
Extracts
- [[extract-latta-defense-synod-watts]]
- [[extract-latta-innovation-charge]]
- [[extract-latta-inspired-prayers-argument]]
- [[extract-latta-arians-hymns]]
- [[extract-latta-defiant-conclusion]]
- [[extract-latta-heavenly-hymns]]
Document Structure
- Total pages: 146 (including preface)
- Overall quality: ocr_good (18th-century long-s typography)
- Publisher: William W. Woodward, Philadelphia