Bay Psalms
The Bay Psalm Book was the first book published in the Americas. This
indicates the importance of the Psalms to the Christians who settled
Massachusetts Bay. The book was published in 1640 in what is now Cambridge,
Massachusetts in a print shop now long gone, located in what is today
Harvard Square. This is about one mile from where our church is located.
The preface to the Bay Psalm Book was written by John Cotton (see Zoltán
Haraszti The Enigma of the Bay Psalm Book. University of Chicago
Press, 1956). It is an explanation and defense of the American Puritan
understanding that the Book of Psalms is God's hymnbook for the
Church. This is a belief that was shared by all Presbyterian churches until
the 19th Century. The Reformed Presbyterian Church believes the Puritans
and early Presbyterians were right, and we continue to view the Psalms as
God's gift of praise for the Church of Jesus Christ for all generations. We
are pleased to make the text of the preface of the Bay Psalm Book available
on the Web both in the original and in a rendition in Modern English. We
thank the Boston Public Library for permission to post facsimiles from the
Bay Psalm Book on our web page.
From the Preface of The Enigma of the Bay Psalm Book by Zoltán Haraszti. U of Chicago Press, 1956.
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Psalmody Today
Click on the Psalm below to download an MP3 of the congregation.
Sung using The Book of Psalms for Singing; Copyright by The Board of Education and Publication, Reformed Presbyterian Church of North America and is distributed by Crown & Covenant Publications.
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