Songs of Zion: What Shall the Church Sing?
Herman Hanko defends the exclusive use of Psalms in corporate worship based on the regulative principle of worship, arguing that Scripture requires congregations to sing only the Psalms. He contends that exclusive Psalmody serves as a safeguard against heresy and liturgical innovation, maintaining harmony between preaching and congregational singing. This pamphlet addresses a distinctive conviction within Protestant Reformed theology regarding the proper elements of corporate worship.
Introduction It is my conviction, expressed in this article, that the Word of God requires the exclusive use of the Psalms in the corporate worship of the church. The assumption here is the regulative principle of worship, defined in the Heidelberg Catechism (Q. & A. 96): “What doth God require in the second commandment? That we in no wise represent God by images, nor worship him in any other way than he has commanded in his word.” I shall not argue the case for the regulative principle in...