Revelation.

"I have aimed at ease of numbers, and smoothness of sound, and
endeavoured to make the sense plain and obvious. If the verse
appears so gentle and flowing as to incur the censure of feebleness,
I may honestly affirm, that sometimes it cost me labour to make
it so.

"In the first part I have borrowed the sense and much of the form
of the song from some particular portions of scripture, and have
paraphrased most of the doxologies in the New Testament, that
contain any thing in them peculiarly evangelical: and many parts
of the Old Testament also, that have a reference to the times of
the Messiah.

"The second part consists of hymns whose form is mere human
composure; but I hope the sense and materials will always appear
divine. I might have brought some text or other, and applied it
to the margin of every verse, if this method had been as useful
as it was easy. If there be any poems in the book that are capable
of giving delight to persons of a more refined taste and polite
education, perhaps they may be found in this part; but except they
lay aside the humour of criticism, and enter into a devout frame,
every ode here already despairs of pleasing.

"I have prepared the third part only for the celebration of the
Lord's Supper, that, in imitation of our blessed Saviour, we may
sing an hymn after we have partaken of the Bread and Wine."