Hymn advocates aren't always good hymn writers

Benjamin Keach, a Baptist pastor in the late 17th century, is often credited as the first Englishman to provide a well-developed defense of the recovery¹ of hymn singing (instead of exclusive Psalm singing). His advocacy paved the way for Isaac Watts, Charles Wesley, and other significant English hymn writers.

Just because you are a successful advocate of hymn singing, however, doesn’t necessarily mean that you can do the task yourself. Keach wrote and published many hymns, but most of them were just awful. Here is one example that I thought would provide some levity at the end of the week:

Our wounds do stink and are corrupt,
Hard swelling do we see;
We want a little ointment, Lord,
Let us more humble be.
Repentance like a bucket is
To pump the water out;
For leaky is our ship, alas
Which makes us look about.

© 2010, Scott Aniol. All rights reserved.

Scott Aniol

Scott Aniol holds a bachelor's degree in church music from Bob Jones University (Greenville, SC), a master's degree in musicology from Northern Illinois University (DeKalb, IL), and has studied theology at Central Baptist Theological Seminary (Plymouth, MN) and Detroit Baptist Theological Seminary. He was ordained to to the gospel ministry by First Baptist Church (Rockford, IL) in April of 2004. As the executive director of Religious Affections Ministries, Scott speaks on the subjects of music and worship at various churches and conferences. His most recent speaking engagements include the Preserving the Truth Conference, Central Seminary’s Foundations Conference, International Baptist College, and Bob Jones Seminary. Click here to read and/or listen to important talks from Scott Aniol. Curriculum vitae

Endnotes:

1. Note that I say “recovery,” because the singing of hymns of “human composure” (rather than just inspired Psalmody) has precedence dating back to the early church and Lutheran traditions; it had simply been lost in favor of exclusive Psalm singing in Reformed and Anglican traditions. [↩]

Related posts:

1. A Good Friday devotion
2. The Anatomy of a Hymn
3. New Hymn: Praise Our Savior, Jesus Christ
4. Recording of Hymn Singing
5. New Hymn from Dan Forrest – "Change Your Church, O God"