Donald McLaren, The Only Songs of Zion

“In singing praise to the Lord, previously prepared forms of praise are necessary. He did not leave his favored Zion destitute of set forms of praise. He did more than to command them to be prepared – he prepared them himself. If the use of them is to be discontinued, if they are now to be regarded as no longer entitled to the place they once held in the high praises that ascend from earth to heaven, – who will prepare others, and say on grounds of truth, ‘The Lord hath required this at my hands?’ There is no command to this effect given in the Bible; no direction to the ordinary ministers of the word to do this; no promise to raise up men endowed with the necessary gifts to do this. The Apostles performed no service of this kind. Nor does it appear that, by their order, new psalms, differing from those long in use at Jerusalem, were introduced into the Gentile churches. If the scripture psalms were only designed for the Old Testament times, then that department of worship, which they once beautified and enriched, would be left empty and silent; and we would be left without rule or order, not knowing what to sing. But we are not so left, nor have we lost the high privilege of singing ‘what the Holy Ghost spake,’ as we may be assured, from the fact that God gave *one*, though *only* one Book of Psalms, and has not *withdrawn* it, which is a signification of his will, that this divine Psalter should be used, – exclusively, universally, and perpetually used, in offering praise to Him.” ~ Donald McLaren, The Only Songs of Zion