"Give 'Em Watts, Boys!"

“The Battle of Springfield” - June 23rd, 1780
Six-thousand British troops invaded New Jersey with full force. The opposing American forces were outnumbered 5 to 1. The British slowly pushed the Americans back, deeper into Springfield, New Jersey. Despite being pushed back the American defense was holding and the British were taking a beating. But during the battle the American troops ran out of wading for their muskets. This would have likely been their downfall had it not been for the quick thinking of Rev. James Caldwell. Caldwell and his men fell back to a Presbyterian church and Caldwell ran inside gathering all the hymnals he could find—which were at that time Isaac Watts’ editions—and began flinging them to the men, yelling as he did so, “Give ‘em Watts, boys! Put Watts into ‘em!” and instructing them to “fill the British with doctrine from the hymnals.” The battle waged on and the British eventually retreated and never invaded New Jersey again.

"Give 'Em Watts, Boys!"
Two things pop out at me when I read that story. The first is that it is such a good story it is almost unbelievable. It seems like it comes directly from a Hollywood script. But the story is true and very well documented. In fact the phrase “Give ‘em Watts, boys!” has lived on as a motto in that region.

The second thing that hits me is how that motto could (and should) be used today in the church. I want to revitalize it and give it new meaning. I want to use it as a new battle cry, but this time instead of using it to inspire men to pump Red Coats full of lead I want it to inspire men to use and continue using the great hymns of our faith. I have yet to encounter any songwriter or lyricist who can capture the gospel in poetic English the way in which Watts, Wesley, Newton and other hymn writing giants have done. This is not to say that we should only sing Watts and those like him (though we would hardly be at a disadvantage if we did), but rather we should not abandon the songs and hymns these men have given to us. I am all for writing new music and new words. Every generation should do it! But I am not for discarding that which has come before us, as is the unfortunate habit (or is it philosophy?) of many churches. I am convinced that a church’s theology is more likely determined by the songs they sing rather than their written statement of faith. And at a time when many churches are considered trite or flippant or even weak, a little Watts could serve as a shot in the arm, maybe even a catalyst for change.



If I had a group of worship leaders, pastors or any manner of church leaders before me, I would encourage them to either bring back or continue steadfastly using the old hymns for their congregations. I would bark at them like a General, “Load ‘em up with Wesley!” “Put Newton into ‘em!” “Give ‘em Watts, Boys! Give ‘em Watts!”

Worship Leaders: Imitate William Gadsby and Charles Spurgeon

"Remember your leaders, those who spoke to you the word of God. Consider the outcome of their way of life, and imitate their faith." -Hebrews 13:7

In the time span of over 50 years two hymnbooks were published in the 19th century. William Gadsby published his hymnbook, now known as Gadsby’s Hymns, in 1814 (and later in 1838) and Charles Spurgeon published his hymnbook, known as Our Own Hymn-book, in 1866. Both men compiled these hymnbooks in a very comparable fashion and I think it is worth our time to find out why and imitate their example.

While both men have many admirable qualities that would be beneficial for Christians to study and emulate, I want to focus on the strikingly similar pastoral concern that both men had for their congregations concerning the worship of God through singing. From reading the preface of each hymnbook we discover the reasons why Gadsby and Spurgeon made the effort to compile their hymnbooks in the first place. I want to take a look at what reasons both of these men gave in their own words and see how we might benefit as worship leaders by imitating these two great men of faith.

Gadsby’s Reasons

When Gadsby became the pastor of his church they had already been established in singing hymns from Watts, Hart, and from Rippon’s Selection. He writes, “Though some of these hymns are big with the important truths of God, there are others…which give as legal a sound as if they had been forged at a certain foundry. This was one reason which induced me to publish a selection. Another was, we had three editions of Hart’s Hymns amongst us, either differently arranged or differently paged; so that when any of those hymns were given out, one part of the congregation was unable to find them. These circumstances, together with a desire in my own breast and the express wish of others to have a selection of hymns in one book free from Arminianism, and sound in the faith, that the church might be edified and God glorified, were what induced me to attempt this work.”

(For Gadsby's Preface click here)



Spurgeon’s Reasons

Spurgeon wrote a bit more about why he felt it necessary to compile a hymnbook but we can gather his primary motives through the following excerpts:

“Our congregation has long used two hymn-books [Watts and Rippon]…and we should most probably have been very well content with those books had it not been for difficulties connected with the remarkably complex arrangement of their content. To strangers it was no small task to discover the hymn selected for singing; for, in the first place, there were two books, which was in itself an evil; but the matter was made far worse by the fact that these two volumes were each a puzzle to the uninstructed…We felt that such ought not to be the state of our service of song.”

“None of the collections already published are exactly what our congregation needs, or we would have cheerfully adopted one of them…Our congregation has distinctive features which are not suited to every compilation, not indeed by any known to us.”

“Subjects frequently passed over or pushed into a corner are here made conspicuously the themes of song; such, for instance, as the great doctrines of sovereign grace, the personal Advent of our Lord, and especially the sweetness of present communion with Him.”
(For Spurgeon’s Preface click here)

Concern for Order, Unity and Intelligibility

Both men laud the efforts of the likes of Dr. Watts’ and Dr. Rippon’s collections but they understood that the way in which their congregations used these wonderful resources hindered worship greatly. The collections were contained in multiple volumes and editions which lead to endless page-flipping and book switching after every song. Various editions of the same hymnbook would produce confusion as to which hymn number the congregation was going to be singing and certain verses might be laid out in a different order or omitted altogether.

The lack of a uniform means of presenting songs no doubt led to an improperly ordered service. The lack of participation due to these reasons led to disunity. Both of which led to unintelligibility of praises. Spurgeon writes, “The providence of God brings very many new hearers within the walls of our place of worship, and many a time we have marked their futile researches, and pitied the looks of despair with which they have given up all hope of finding the hymns, and so of joining intelligently in our words of praise.”

These men saw a problem and out of their concern for congregational order, unity and intelligibility they produced a hymnbook which accomplished all three. Not only did this solution edify the church, but it also broke down unnecessary barriers to unbelievers who might visit.

Concern for Sound Doctrine

It is apparent that both men had a deep concern for their congregations to have a steady diet of sound doctrine in their hymns. Gadsby introduces his hymnbook with Psalm 47:7 “sing ye praises with understanding.” Both men were aware of the educational impact of hymns and sought to squelch shoddy theology and emphasize that which is good. Spurgeon made it a priority to not only include doctrinal songs but to highlight them and push them to the forefront of congregational singing. Gadsby, a true Strict Baptist of his time and a man of stronger backbone than most today, found it necessary to not only emphasize sound doctrine, but to make sure his collection was devoid of Arminian theology. Here both men are truly acting like Shepherds for their congregation; guarding, tending and feeding all at the same time.

Concern for Their Flock
Ultimately these men cared greatly and deeply for their congregations. They wanted to see the praises of God sung orderly, with unity and intelligibility, through sound doctrine “that the church might be edified and God glorified.” And while I am sure that these men loved the Church universal, it is abundantly apparent that they loved their local congregations very, very deeply. The hymnbooks that they produced for their churches are landmarks of this love. That Spurgeon’s compilation became known as Our Own Hymn-book is evidence enough that the local church was the primary focus of the project.

Gadsby and Spurgeon knew their congregations intimately enough to recognize that they couldn’t just copy or mimic another congregation. They needed to produce something specifically for their people. Spurgeon recognized that his congregation’s “distinctive features [were] not suited to every compilation.” Gadsby gave ear to the “express wish of others” concerning content for the hymnal.

Another indication of the love and concern these men had for their flock is the fact that they composed hymns for them. Gadsby composed and included over 150 hymns in his compilation. Spurgeon composed several himself and tells us why. “The editor [Spurgeon] has inserted with great diffidence a very few of his own composition, chiefly among the Psalms, and his only apology for so doing is the fact that of certain difficult Psalms he could find no version at all fitted for singing, and was therefore driven to turn them into verse himself.” Spurgeon knew what his congregation needed and he supplied it, however hesitantly, out of love.

An additional point we should consider is the way in which both men seem to be plainly aware of Christian Pop-culture’s influence on their congregational music. In deciding how to shape his hymnbook Charles Spurgeon writes,

“We have not cast about for models suggesting by the transient fancy of the hour, but we have followed the indications given us in the word of God and the long established usage of the universal church; desiring to be obedient to the sacred precept, “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom: teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord.”

And Gadsby takes aim at Watts and Rippon’s work, saying that some of their hymns “give as legal a sound as if they had been forged at a certain foundry.” The imagery he offers is that these popular songs, which are gospel-less, are being pumped out of the same mold (sound familiar?). Neither Spurgeon nor Gadsby attempted to copy Christian pop-culture but instead “followed the indications given us in the word of God.” And this was done out of a love for their church.

What This Means for Us

There is much we can learn from William Gadsby and Charles Spurgeon and their compilation of hymns for their congregations. Though we could spend hours discussing ways in which we could imitate these men (and I hope this does spur more discussion!), I want to look at three concerns they had that we would be wise to imitate in our ministries.

1) Imitate their concern for order, unity and intelligibility in worship. What is it that hinders any of these aspects as it relates to your congregational worship service? What are you going to do to remove those hindrances? Is it a visual issue? A sound system issue? A leadership issue? Whatever the case, I encourage you to read through 1 Corinthians 14 and prayerfully consider those things that hinder orderly, united, intelligible worship.

2) Imitate their concern for sound doctrine. Don’t just throw in a song every now and then because it has a lot of doctrine. I encourage you to make doctrinal songs a priority in your congregational singing! Emphasize theology! The more you know about God the more you will love God! Spurgeon puts it this way, “Oh, if you knew Him better, you would fly to Him!” Ask God which aspects of the worship service have overlooked or shoved specific doctrine into the corner.

3) Imitate their concern for the local church. The motive of all of this reforming was a deep love for the church. Both men wanted their hymnals to be of service to their local churches specifically. Any blessings that the hymnbooks might have outside of their local congregations were simply afterthoughts. Do you love your church enough to attend to their needs, guided by Scripture or are you trying to shoe-horn in the latest popular worship fad? Are you depending solely on a Worship Industry to direct your worship planning or do you have one ear to Scripture and the other to the congregation? Pray that God would increase your love for your local church. Ask God to reveal to you the “distinctive features” of your congregation and then seek to find the best and most biblical way to serve them.

I mentioned before, these men like Shepherds did their best to guard, tend and feed their flocks. The hymnbooks they produced sought to accomplish just that. This is the duty of all those who lead and minister the congregation. As a worship leader you have the privilege and responsibility to care for your people when selecting and leading songs and when you plan (in whatever capacity) the worship service. Take time to meditate on passages such as John 21:15-19, and the books 1 & 2 Timothy and Titus. Imitate great men of faith like William Gadsby and Charles Spurgeon and shepherd the flock with similar concern.

Learn More:
Purchase a copy of Gadsby's Hymns and Our Own Hymn-book from Grace and Truth Books
More info as well as some sermons and letters from William Gadsby
Tons of great info and more about Spurgeon can be found at The Spurgeon Archive
Also, I highly recommend checking out Red Mountain Music. They have done an excellent job of re-tuning a few of Gadsby's Hymns.

Worship Leaders: Imitate John Newton

"Remember your leaders, those who spoke to you the word of God. Consider the outcome of their way of life, and imitate their faith." -Hebrews 13:7

Every now and then I run across a little gem of a quote that hits me like a freight train. (Like this one I posted a while back from Martin Luther.) Not to long ago I ran across one of these great quotes from John Newton, best known for his hymn “Amazing Grace”. John Newton and William Cowper (pronounced Cooper) collaborated with each other to compose an entire hymnbook in 1779 called Olney Hymns. (get the pdf here) And in the Preface to the hymnbook John Newton wrote this, concerning his hymn writing ability:

"If the LORD whom I serve, has been pleased to favor me with that mediocrity of talent, which may qualify me for usefulness to the weak and the poor of his flock, without quite disgusting persons of superior discernment, I have reason to be satisfied."

When I first read that sentence I was struck at how applicable it was to the characteristics of a worship leader. In fact, it is applicable to anyone who leads worship; be they pastors, musicians, songwriters, even for those who read Scripture or lead in prayer.

This sentence is so loaded that I want to break it up and take it piece by piece in hopes that we might discover helpful truths and advice that might impact those of us who participate in leading worship.

“If the LORD whom I serve…”
First and foremost, we must recognize that we are to be fully subservient and submitted to God. But, as ministers, we are also servants to God’s people. This is the distinction; we are to serve the people of God as a servant would serve the guests of a King. There can be no question as to who is in control of the servant. The servant serves the guests but is obedient to the King. So to, in the worship of God, we must not bow to the whim of the people, nor should we seek their praise. God has the final say about worship. It is God we submit to, not man.

“…has been pleased to favor me with that mediocrity of talent…”
Your talents, at whatever skill level, have been given to you by God, because God was pleased to give them to you. The mere thought of that should inspire us to increase our use of them! It also should keep us humble. When we recognize that our abilities have been given to us by the Creator, pride falls away and thankfulness, humility, and dependence rush in to take its place.

We should also notice that Newton calls his talent “mediocrity”. Now I don’t claim to know Newton’s intentions but I would venture to guess that; 1) this isn’t an accusation against God for shortchanging him on talent and 2) he truly recognizes his own limits and weakness in light of other hymn writers (such as Isaac Watts, according to the Preface) and that he not only understands his weakness, but (as we shall see) he is content that God would use that weakness for His purposes.

“…which may qualify me…”
Why are you qualified to lead worship? As we have seen, it is because the Lord has been pleased to favor you with particular abilities, even in (and some might say, especially in) your weakness. The truth that we keep coming across so far is that nothing originates with us. How humbling! It all comes from God. I personally, take great comfort in knowing that it is God Almighty who has lead me and gifted me by His sovereignty that I might be qualified for usefulness in His service.

“…for usefulness to the weak and poor of his flock…”
‘Usefulness’ is a huge word here. God has gifted many people with talents, but how many people are useful in the kingdom of God? If the King has ordered his chef to cook a meal for his guests, but instead the chef uses his skills to make food only to impress and feed himself, or his friends or fellow servants, of what use is he to the King or to the King’s guests? He is of no use.

So we see here that God has gifted you in a particular way to lead worship. Perhaps it is a practical ability such as playing an instrument, or speaking clearly. Perhaps it is a spiritual ability such as preaching or discernment in song selection. Perhaps it is a mixture of practical and spiritual (as I suspect is the case for many ministers). But the important thing to consider is whether or not your gift from God is being used for a useful purpose in serving the people of God. Don’t squander your God-given usefulness!

But Newton reminds us that God has made us useful to the weakest and poorest of His flock. This is where it becomes easier for the most talented to fail.

“For consider your calling, brothers: not many of you were wise according to worldly standards, not many were powerful, not many were of noble birth. But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong; God chose what is low and despised in the world, even things that are not, to bring to nothing things that are, so that no human being might boast in the presence of God.” (1 Corinthians 1:26-29)

God chooses that which is weak to glorify Himself. So it comes as no surprise that the vast majority of church leaders and musicians possess (alongside Newton) “that mediocrity of talent”. John Piper reminds us that we who serve are not professionals. It would be faulty, however, to assume that God cannot or will not use those who are immensely talented. Newton speculated in his Preface, “The late Dr. Watts, might, as a poet, have a right to say, That it cost him some labor to restrain his fire, and to accommodate himself to the capacities of common readers. But it would not become me to make such a declaration. It behoved me to do my best.” What Newton is saying, is that Isaac Watts was so skilled in his composition of hymns that he had to “labor” for his ‘usefulness’. Where Newton strived to be his best, Watts did his best not to do his best! Why? So that he might be useful to the lowest in the flock, or in this case “the capacities of the common readers”! That is a beautiful picture of what the heart of a worship leader should look like!

“…without quite disgusting persons of superior discernment…”
It would be wrong to assume that our congregation is made up entirely of those who are weak and poor (in whatever capacity). The lame and the blind followed Christ, but so did Joseph of Arimathea. In fact, “persons of superior discernment” will most likely include those of us who actually lead worship and minister. By that I mean, those who lead worship will, more often than not, be more acutely aware of things like: how the liturgy progresses, how the content of a song is used, the quality of musical skill, etc. So be aware of those in your congregation who understand and appreciate truth and beauty in quite a different fashion than those who might, honestly, not care at all.

It is interesting to note that while Isaac Watts labored to restrain his talents in order to be useful to the least, Newton labored to “do my best” in order to be useful to “persons of superior discernment.” In both cases these men took what God gave them and made it useful for the Kingdom.

“…I have reason to be satisfied."
John Newton knew that his talents—however average—were from God. He knew that he was no Isaac Watts, yet God still qualified him to be useful and he glorified God by saying “I have reason to be satisfied.” In this quote, Newton was essentially saying, “If God is pleased to do it; I’m satisfied.” So Newton echoes Job who says “The Lord gives and the Lord takes away. Blessed be the name of the Lord.” and anticipates John Piper who says, “God is most glorified when we are most satisfied in Him.”

When your usefulness is squandered then it is difficult, if not impossible, to be satisfied in your ministry. It seems to me—at least from where I stand—that many of today’s Pastors and Worship Leaders are not satisfied in their ministry. Why else would church leaders rush with a zombie-like hunger for everything that is ‘new’ and ‘innovative’? The Unsatisfied Mentality has become so pervasive in the North American Church that it isn’t even recognized as a problem. In fact it has become the norm. “What’s the next big thing that can really ramp up our worship service? Why not do things like the big church down the street? What can we do to draw in the crowd? Why not serve at another church where my talents are ‘recognized’?” All of these questions stem, in one way or another, from a lack of satisfaction.

The danger in not being satisfied is that you try to find satisfaction in everything else. This is how worship becomes performance music and preaching becomes pop psychology. There is a shadow of satisfaction in both because an itch is scratched, like crowds of people start coming. They come because the music is hip and bring their friends because the preacher doesn’t talk about hell. But that kind of satisfaction is fleeting and new and different things come rushing in to fill it up. It might be money or a new building or a certain status in the community. It could be pursuing a book—or record—deal. Maybe the leaders start to resent their congregation for ‘holding them back’. Then a church splits or a pastor has a ‘moral failure’ and people are scratching their heads asking “How did this happen?” The consequences of an unsatisfied mentality in ministry are numerous, but the examples above provide an easy track to follow.

Satisfaction in ministry is crucial. Paul said, “I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content.” (Phil. 4:11). That means you really can be satisfied (and give God the most glory!) whether you serve in a church of 50 or 5000, because it is God who has enabled you and qualified you and has given you particular abilities so that you may be useful to His flock!

Isaac Watts: 335 Years Old Today

Isaac Watts has been named The Father of English Hymnody. God has given His church a gift in the life and works of Isaac Watts. He penned a numerous amount of hymns in a time when songs of "human composition" were extremely unpopular. Watts understood sound doxology and his hymns relfect it.

Read the words of Isaac Watts in this hymn based on Romans 3:27, and below I have listed some links for you to dig further into the life and works of Isaac Watts.

No more, my God, I boast no more
Of all the duties I have done;
I quit the hopes I held before,
To trust the merits of Thy Son

Now, for the love I bear His name,
What was my gain I count my loss;
My former pride I call my shame,
And nail my glory to His cross.

Yes, and I must and will esteem
All things but loss for Jesus’ sake;
O may my soul be found in Him,
And of His righteousness partake!

The best obedience of my hands
Dares not appear before Thy throne;
But faith can answer Thy demands,
By pleading what my Lord has done

Here are a couple of Google Books you can read in full:
The Psalms and hymns of Isaac Watts
The Psalms of David

Here is a short video biography:
The Rebel's Guide to Joy Isaac Watts
Here's the always helpful Wikipedia entry and a bio from cyberhymnal with a list of over 500 of his songs, many you can read and hear:
Wikipedia entry - Isaac Watts
Cyberhymnal bio. and songs - Isaac Watts

From (and For) the Mouths of Babes

A few Sunday’s back I led the congregation in the songs “A Mighty Fortress is Our God” by Martin Luther and “I Sing the Mighty Power of God” by Isaac Watts. The primary reason I chose these songs is a bit obvious by their titles; the Mightiness of God. Not only do the lyrics express the Mightiness of God, but the music enhances that idea with their majestic yet militaristic tunes. But as I was driving home from Springfield the night before, reflecting on the songs that would be sung the following morning, I felt I needed to explain the meaning of the words ‘bulwark’ and ‘Sabaoth’. After all, the song is almost 500 years old. But then I remembered who the intended audience was for both of these songs; children. I was struck by the thought so much so that I mentioned it Sunday morning and on a rather off-handed remark I asked that if these songs are the ‘high water-mark’ in congregational singing today and yet they were originally intended for children, what does that say about us today? I am still pondering that question and I am not exactly sure if my conclusions are solid. When I ask “what does that say about us today,” I believe it leaves us with a couple of challenges.

First, how do these songs compare to our children’s songs today? I don’t want to criticize the intention of those who compose our modern day children’s songs because I believe that many are very instructive in their simplicity for the very young. But unfortunately most children’s songs for today are only appropriate for ages 0-4. Such as “The B-I-B-L-E” and “Zacchaeus Was a Wee Little Man”. They fall in line with other nursery songs such as “The Ittsy Bittsy Spider”. The resources today for children’s music are a little better than wretched. The CD’s you find at your local Christian bookstore are horrendous. First you have the nice lady who probably taught kindergarten singing all her songs in a goofy baby-talk voice. This works for babies and dead people. Second you have the lullaby edition that contains dreamy, sleepwalky, instrumental hymns that only adults (who grew up in the church) know. The only purpose for these are to soothe your baby to sleep. And last but not least it is the top 25 “hot” worship songs from CCLI sung by 12 over-enthusiastic kids. Let’s just say that if this album came with two CDs, you now have an extra Frisbee in case the first CD goes into the neighbors’ yard. Obviously, there is a glaring hole in the quality of children’s music in the church today. Why do we have to dumb down our children’s music? Children learn at an incredible rate. They are sponges that soak up everything around them. If they are exposed early on to the truth then they can only grow from there. I’m not saying we need to get rid of all our modern children’s music, but let’s expand it, and improve it vastly! How would the church look today if the past generation of children grew up on songs like “A Mighty Fortress is Our God” rather than nursery songs until they entered youth group?

The next thing I notice is that though these hymns began as songs meant for children, they stood the test of time by matching beautiful truth with beautiful music. Obviously, ours is not the first generation to use these songs for congregational singing. They have been sung for hundreds of years. What that means for us (the church) is that we (the church, not the music industry) should be striving to produce similar music. Not similar in sound or style, but similar in substance and quality, musically and lyrically. Sometimes I wonder if the “worship” music industry is more of a curse than it is a blessing. If the blessing is the abundance of resources then the curse is that most of the resources are just pumped out for cash with little consideration for the local church. The reason I bring up the “worship” music industry is because there is such a stark contrast in the production of “modern worship” songs compared to the songs produced by Luther and Watts. Why did Luther and Watts produce these songs? Because they cared for the children in their congregations enough to instruct them in the truth. Why does the “worship” music industry produce new music? Yikes. That one is harder to answer because it not very clear that the local congregation is who they are writing for. I don’t think Isaac Watts would be comfortable referring to himself as a ‘worship artist’ and I have a hard time imagining Martin Luther being interviewed by CCM magazine and saying something like, “I was just sitting there with my lute and God just gave me this song. It was, like, the Spirit was totally there.” Get my point? These guys wrote for the church. They didn’t make an album and sell it. They didn’t go on tour to promote their songs. They saw a need and filled it and God blessed it. I wonder what would happen if poets and musicians invested themselves in theology and the local church? Or if theologians and pastors would take time to write some poetry? What if they teamed up to produce music for their local congregation, not to sell a CD, or to make a name for themselves, but to serve the church?

Side Note: I am not saying that a pursuit in the “worship” music industry is bad. But what I am saying is that it is very different to how the church has historically found her voice musically. It is hard for me to believe that the “worship” industry, modeled around popular music’s industry, is in the business of serving the church. Now, if we are talking about artists and musicians who are Christians creating music and art based upon Christ I have no problem with that! God is glorified through that vocation. The problem starts when the (usually highly subjective) art or music is mistaken for congregational worship songs. I know that every now and then, one slips through the cracks and winds up being a great congregational worship song, but in the end the “worship” industry is out to make money (and there’s nothing wrong with that in and of itself) and serving the church is secondary, if it is even a goal at all.

[In the future I’ll be posting more about the difference between today’s Christian songs, like the ones heard on the radio, and Congregational songs]