“Every formula which expresses a law of nature is a hymn of praise to God.”

“The will of God, to which the law gives expression, is that men should defeat their enemies by loving them.”

“It is natural to speak of hymns as "poems," indiscriminately, for they have the same structure. But a hymn is not necessarily a poem, while a poem that can be sung as a hymn is something more than a poem. Imagination makes poems; devotion makes hymns. There can be poetry without emotion, but a hymn never. A poem may argue; a hymn must not. In short to be a hymn, what is written must express spiritual feelings and desires. The music of faith, hope and charity will be somewhere in its strain.”

“Before God and high heaven, is there a law for one man which is not a law for every other man?”

“Here love begins to render the prose of Life into hymns and canticles of praise”

“In the old law, God was praised both with musical instruments, and human voices. But the church does not use musical instruments to praise God, lest she should seem to judaize.”