their possessors. It also belongs to a different class of literary labours,— a class which readily admits of joint-stock authorship, and in which the independent contributions of any number of individuals may be as sociated, for the illustrations of a connected series of subjects. These Hymns, however, (as we have seen already,) were written by two persons only,— living miracles of divine grace,— to perpetuate the remembrance of their fellowship in the bonds of the Gospel, to show what great things the Lord had done for them, and thereby to edify the church of Christ in the neighbourhood where they dwelt. This, and much more, has been effected: the collection has become a standard-book, of its kind, among devout readers of every evangelical denomination. Such a miscellany, with no other means of recommendation than its own intrinsic worth, cannot have been a work of ordinary character, however humble its claims, and unpretending its execution. Many a superficial book has obtained, but not one in the annals of literature ever kept popular favour for half a century, or even half that term. Public opinion is often mistaken before it is formed, but when formed, it is not less infallible and irreversible than human judgment can be when there is neither necessity nor inducement to continue in error. By the decision of posterity— for the present generation is posterity to the authors— this volume may now safely abide, whatever imperfections or offences against good taste may be found in its numerous and very unequal compositions.
Newton's portion of the work is by far the largest, and it is no disparagement to his memory to say, that this might be considerably reduced with advantage to the remainder, though it would be a bold hand, and ought to be a delicate one, that should presume to
