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:
Goostly psalmes and spirituall songes
Drawen out of the holy Scripture, for the co[m]forte and consolacyon of soch as love to rejoyse in God and his Worde.
Psal. c. xlvi.
‘O prayse the Lorde, for it is a good thinge to synge prayses unto oure God.’
Collo.