In 1643, the House of Commons and the Westminster Assembly, interested in establishing uniformity of worship between the churches of England and Scotland, voted to adopt Francis Rous’ version of the psalms for use throughout the kingdom, after extensive revisions of the work. The Scottish church, not satisfied with the Rous’ version, appointed a commission of four men to revise it still farther, largely to satisfy the Puritan demand for more literalness to the Hebrew original. The result of this revision was the classic Scottish Psalter of 1650, still in use in Scottish Presbyterianism and in American Covenanter Churches. The renderings are quaint and rude in spots but their faithfulness and vigor cannot be denied. It is in this form that millions of people have learned to love the psalms and all attempts to improve or modernize them have so far failed.
Unfortunately, no tunes were provided with the Scottish Psalter of 1650. This limited the singing to such tunes as precentor and people knew by heart, resulting in a long period of decline in church music in the Church of Scotland. Later editions corrected this defect. In 1929, the General Assemblies of the Church of Scotland and the United Free Church of Scotland, then entered into union, published a new edition of the Scottish Psalter, with 192 tunes.
576. Lord, Thou shalt early hear my voice
Psalm V
Scottish Psalter, 1650
Psalm 5:3, 4, 7, 11. A Prayer for Divine Aid.
A morning prayer in which the Psalmist confidently looks to God, assured of an answer. He shows a deep concern for ethical purity and sincerity in worship.
MUSIC. For comments on WARWICK see [Hymn 20].
577. Within Thy tabernacle, Lord
Psalm XV