A superbly preserved first American revision of Watts' influential Psalms and Hymns. Watts original hymns were often deeply "English," appropriating Israel's monarchical language toward the British Crown in a way that too comfortably blended Church and State for the new Americans.

Some other early American attempts at revision would attempt re-appropriate the same Psalms that had been reconfigured by Watts toward the British Crown instead to America, as the New Israel. Barlow resists this and universalizes the monarchical Psalms [rightly] toward the Church universal and the reign of the ascended Christ.

Louis Benson's classic work on early American revisions of Watts notes: 

"The first authorized [American] revision of Watts' s Psalms was made under a resolution of the General Association of Connecticut passed in June, 1784. The occasion and the method of this revision are set forth in the official certificate printed in the book itself when published :

'At a meeting of the General Association of the State of Connecticut in June last, it was thought expedient, that a number of the Psalms in Dr. Watts' s version, which are locally appropriated, should be altered and applied to the state of the Christian Church in general, and not to any particular country; and finding some attempts had been made to alter and apply those Psalms to America, or particular parts of America, tending to destroy that uniformity in the use of Psalmody, so desirable in religious assemblies; they appointed the Rev. Messrs. Timothy Pitkin, John Smally and Theodore Hinsdale, a Committee to confer with and apply to Mr. Joel Barlow, of Hartford, to make the proposed alterations.' These, together with the additions and the collection of Hymns annexed to this Edition, we have carefully examined and approved ; and we therefore recommend them to the use of the Church of Christ, for the purposes of public worship and private devotion."[Benson, The American Revisions of Watts's Psalms. 1903]

Signed Seth Betts Junior, 1788 [1765-1840] of Norwalk, Connecticut.

Barlow, Joel. Doctor Watts's Imitation of the Psalms of David. Corrected and Enlarged by Joel Barlow. to which is added a Collection of Hymns, the whole applied to the State of the Christian Church in General. Hartford. Printed by Barlow and Babcock. 1785. First edition. 348pp.

As nice a copy as it is likely possible to obtain. In original, beautifully patinated early American full calf with raised bands. All pastedowns, flyleaves, and prelims present and in a fine state. Textually as expected with some scattered handling and foxing, one small section of six leaves with very minor corner loss, apparently from a burn; a candle we would guess, quickly extinguished and with no textual loss.