Watts, Isaac; Dwight, Timothy. The Psalms of David, Imitated in the Language of the New Testament, And applied to the Christian Worship. A new Edition, In which the Psalms omitted by Dr. Watts are versified, local passages are altered, and a number of Psalms are versified anew, in proper Metres; By Timothy Dwight, D. D. President of Yale College. At the Request of the General Association of Connecticut. To the Psalms is added, a Selection of Hymns. [Hartford, CT]: Printed for Hudson & Goodwin | From Sidney's Press, 1803. [9832]
Full brown leather, no spine title label, corners worn through with partial crack to back joint, 13 x 7 1/2 cm (5 1/8 x 2 7/8 inches). (i)-(vii), (1), (9)-284, [20] pp. Table & Index. Second title page (305), [1], (307)-475, (15) Contents and Table. Number of leaves complete with the following defects: crude sewn repair to text block, now shaken, with some detached leaves laid in (but none missing); pp. 262-268 with worming affecting some letters; leaf 367-8 clipped with some loss of letters; leaf 449-50 chipped with the piece laid in. Fair. Full leather.
"After the American Revolution, it became early the general wish of the Churches and Congregations in this country, that such passages in Doctor Watts's version of the Psalms, as were local [i.e. British], and inapplicable to our own circumstances...In making such alterations to Doctor Watts's version, as respected objects merely local, I have in some instances applied the Psalm, or the passage, to the Church at large, or to Christian nations generally; and in others, particularly, to our own country." - Advertisement.
The second title page has Hymns selected from Dr. Watts, Dr. Doddridge, and various other writers. According to the Recommendation of the Joint Committee of the General Association of Connecticut, and the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church in America. By Timothy Dwight, President of Yale-College. Printed for Hudson & Goodwin, From Sidney's Press, New-Haven. 1803.
Timothy Dwight, D.D., LL.D., (1752-1817), grandson of Jonathan Edwards, born at Northampton, MA. Dwight graduated at Yale College at the age of 17, in 1769. He served in the army during the American Revolution, as a chaplain to General Parson’s brigade. His father’s death in 1778 necessitated a return to his family home to take care of his mother, which he did by teaching school and by preaching. In 1783 he accepted a call to become the pastor of the parish of Greenfield, CT. In 1795 he was elected president of Yale College and served in this capacity until 1817. "During this period there were no less than four distinct revivals of religion at the College." - Roberts.
With a signed provenance card from the music collection of A. Merril Smoak, Jr., DWS.