Bourne, Hugh, 'Large Hymn Book for the use of Primitive Methodists' (1824)

Hugh Bourne’s The Small Hymn Book, published in 1821, was supplmented by The Large Hymn Book only three years later. Its emphasis remained experiential with 132 hymns devoted to ‘prayer and the fight of faith’. Many of the hymns are Bible stories set to verse, usually relating to the Old Testament. The Camp Meeting theme is still strong, and there is even a reference to God as ‘Head of Camp meetings’. Most of the hymns were written by Hugh Bourne and William Sanders, who began work as a boy on the Bourne family farm at Bemersley.

The Preface is particularly significant, as it contains Hugh Bourne’s guidelines for taking services, including the length of sermons and the piety of musicians.

You can view it as a Google book.