Helps for would be Psalm-Singing

It is clear that the Church of Jesus Christ must sing the Songs of Zion, which are the holy psalms. The Reformers were in agreement on this: Luther loved the psalms and retained psalm-singing in the German Mass; Calvin loved the psalms and he recruited a French poet named Clement Marot to put many of the psalms in meter for congregational singing; Anglicans loved the psalms and sang them exclusively well into the 18th century; and the Puritans loved the psalms and sang them exclusively. In fact, the first book published in Colonial America was the Bay Psalm Book.

When Baptists came on the scene in the 17th century, there was debate regarding the propriety of singing in the worship of God. General Baptists in England (and in America)believed that NT gave no warrant for singing in the public worship. Particular Baptists were the ones to begin singing, but there was disagreement regarding what to sing: were they to sing the biblical psalms, or was there warrant to compose their own hymns to sing? Some Baptists did sing the psalms, as reported by Terry Johnson in his marvelous essay, "Why the Psalms." So important was this issue of singing that the writers of the Philadelphia Baptist Confession of 1742 added an article called, "On the Singing of Psalms." Thank Calvinistic Baptists for recognizing that NT does warrant praise in the public worship of God.

As may be obvious, Baptists did include hymns of human composition in their service of praise. The 1689 London Confession actually differs from the Westminster Confession on this note. In chapter 22, article five, the Baptist writers stated "psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs" are to be sung. The Westminster divines, however, write in chapter 21, article that only "psalms" are to be sung. Also the Westminster Directory of Worship indicates that psalms are to be sung only. The Westminster Standards allow only psalms to be sung, but the Baptists theoretically allow humanly composed hymns and spiritual songs. (The meaning of hymns and spiritual songs are up for debate). It is interesting that hymns of human composition totally replaced the psalms within a few generations among Baptists.

Besides all of this, Baptists must sing psalms. How to get started? First, make psalm-singing a priority in the service of song. This means adding a Psalter for congregational singing. There are three psalters I suggest: one, Trinity Psalter, which published a words-only thin psalter that is good for churches used to singing hymns because the suggested tunes will be familiar; second, the Psalter-Hymnal of the Christian Reformed Church, which has all 150 psalms in the front of the book with good scripture songs that are mostly psalms; and third, The Psalter used by more conservative Dutch Reformed communions and published by Eerdmans.

I suggest singing one psalm per service (or portions of longer psalms) to begin with. Use a setting with a familiar tune. For example, in Trinity Psalter Psalm 3 is set to the tune of "Amazing Grace." Eventually, I suggest singing two psalms, or two portions of psalms during the service of song. Since the psalms are the inspired word of God, it makes sense to sing what is perfect, true, full of heavenly wisdom, and that reveals our God and his Christ more than the best uninspired words of man.

Can we improve upon what the Holy Spirit has given? Calvin, in his Preface to the Psalter, wrote:

What is there now to do? It is to have songs not only honest, but also holy, which will be like spurs to incite us to pray to and praise God, and to meditate upon his works in order to love, fear, honor and glorify him. Moreover, that which St. Augustine has said is true, that no one is able to sing things worthy of God except that which he has received from him. Therefore, when we have looked thoroughly, and searched here and there, we shall not find better songs nor more fitting for the purpose, than the Psalms of David, which the Holy Spirit spoke and made through him.