Psalter (437)
The Psalter as Used For Public Worship in the PRCA
The complete 1912 Psalter of the United Presbyterian Church is available on Google books.
The Psalms, being the spiritual biography of the child of God, speak to every situation in which the Christian might find himself or herself. Such is also true, then, of the words of The Psalter found below. Much profit can be gained simply by reading and contemplating these lines. They instruct and teach us, warn and exhort us, and comfort and cheer us. They contain our confessions of dependence upon God, and our prayers to Him that He bless us. They are of great value and benefit, for they bring God to us, and us to God. With these thoughts in mind I have undertaken this project, and with its completion I thank God for the heritage of Psalm singing, and for His saving revelation of Himself in Jesus Christ, through the means of His inspired and written Word. SOLI DEO GLORIA.
"O come, let us sing unto the LORD: let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation. Let us come before his presence with thanksgiving, and make a joyful noise unto him with psalms" (Psalm 95:1,2).
"And he (Christ) said unto them, These are the words which I spake unto you, while I was yet with you, that all things must be fulfilled, which were written in the law of Moses, and in the prophets, and in the psalms, concerning me" (Luke 24:44).
"...Be filled with the Spirit; Speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord; Giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ" (Ephesians 5:18b-20).
"Is any among you afflicted? let him pray. Is any merry? let him sing psalms" (James 5:13).
Psalm singing has been an essential part of Reformed Worship since the time of the great Reformation of the 16th century, and every true reformation of the church since then has seen a return to the singing of the Old Testament Psalter (book of Psalms). With thanks to God we are also seeing a renewed interest in Psalm-singing in our day even while many churches have long-departed from this God-honoring and Christ-centered practice.
The following is an ongoing project to place the entire Psalter on the internet with hopes that it will increase the interest in Psalm Singing in worship, which can serve as a means to unify the Church of Jesus Christ. This version of the Psalter was published in 1927 and is currently being used in the worship services of the Protestant Reformed Churches in America (PRCA). The piano accompaniment is from "The Psalter-Accompaniment for Singing", produced by Deborah A. Benson, with pianist: Mary A. Haak. Many of these Psalter numbers have been recorded by the Protestant Reformed Psalm Singing Choir under "Fitting Praises" which are also on this website. You can hear these renditions by going to the appropriate "Fitting Praises" link.