Members only: Goostly Psalms and Spir­i­tual Songs

Seeing then that (as the prophet David in Psalm 148 sayeth) it is so good and pleasant a thing to praise the Lord & so expedient for us to be thankful, therefore to give our youth of England some occasion to change their foul and corruptabilities into sweeet songs and spiritual hymns of God’s honour and for their own consolation in him, I have here (good reader) set out certain comfortable songs grounded on God’s word, and taken some out of the holy scripture (and) especially out of the Psalms of David, at whom would God that our Musicians would learn to make their songs: and that they which are disposed to be merry, would in their youth follow the counsel (See Coll.3) of St Paul and St James, (and not James.5) to pass their time in naughty songs of fleshly love and wantonness, but with singing of Psalmes and such songes as edify, & corrupt not men’s conversation.

Miles Coverdale, introduced his Goostly psalmes and spirituall songes to his readers with the following text:

MYLES COVERDALE UNTO THE CHRISTEN READER

It greveth me (most deare Reader) wha[n] I consydre the unthankfulnesse of men, not withstondynge the great abundaunt mercy and kyndnesse of almighty God, whiche so plenteously is heaped upon us on every syde. For though Christe oure Savioure goeth now Aboute from place to place, as dilige[n]tly as ever he dyd, teachynge in every countre, and preachynge the Gospell of the kyngdome, healyng al maner of sicknesses and diseases both of body and concience amonge the people: yet is the unthankfulnesse of the worlde so great, that where ten are clensed, and have remission of theyr synnes, there is scarse one that co[m]meth agayne un-to Christ, & sayeth: Lorde gramercy, As the poore Samaritane dyd in the gospel of Luke which whan he sawe that he was clensed, turned backagayne, and with a loude voyce praysed God, & fell downe upon his face at Christes fete, & gavehym thankes.