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A53656 An answer to the rector of Bury's letter to his friend wherein is shewed that has effectually, tho' unwllingly acquitted the dissenters from his malicious charge of their being corrupters of the Word of God, that his attempts against the titles of the Psalms and Hebrew Bibles are feeble and inconsistent / by James Owen. Owen, James, 1654-1706. 1699 (1699) Wing O705; ESTC R38158 19,581 26

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Obscurum per Obscurius All are not so and those that are obscure to us might be otherwise to the old Hebrews Greg. Nyssen observed as the Rector adds that there was not an entire Agreement between the Christians and the Jews about the Titles which Mr. O. has declin'd to Answer to P. 3. You see tho' the Rector cannot Answer my Arguments nor defend his own he studies every little Advantage I told him I had not Greg by me tho' I see nothing in him as he represents him that makes against my Argument There is not an entire Agreement between the Greek Bible which was in the Hands of the Christians and the Hebrew Bible to this day in many more things than the Titles of the Psalms and yet we receive the Hebrew Bible as Divinely inspir'd and so we do the Titles of the Psalms But if the Rector cannot defend his old Arguments he hath found out a new one which is this The Titles of the several Books of Scripture are not Canonical and the Titles of the Psalms must run the same fate P. 3 4 5. And why so good Sir 1. The Titles of the Books of Scripture are acknowledg'd to be human Additions I never met with any Author Jewish or Christian that affirms them to be Canonical but the Titles of the Psalms are reputed Canonical by the Christian and Jewish Doctors and commented upon by them as such whereas they rarely take notice of the Titles of the Books of Scripture except it be now and then to tell us that they bear such Titles 2. The Titles of the Books of the old Testament in our Hebrew Bibles are put by themselves as distinct from the rest of the Books and are made the running Titles in the top of the Leaves But the Titles of the Psalms are made part of the Psalms themselves in all our Hebrew Bibles in which the Title if there be any to the Psalm is always the first Verse 3. All the Books of the Bible have Titles but so have not all the Psalms If they had been human Additions it had been as easie to have given a Title to each Psalm as to each Book of the Bible but the ancient Jews who durst not add to the Word of God would not prefix Titles to those Psalms which originally had none The Books of the Prophets as he goes on are thus entitled the Book of the Prophet Isaiah c. I cannot think the Inspir'd Prophets set these Titles on the head of their Books Here the Rector thinks aright for the Title he mentions is to be found only in the English Translation the Hebrew and Greek Bibles which he had not diligence enough to consult have no more than Isaiah He nibbles at a concession of Mine that it was a prevailing Opinion that all the Psalms were pen'd by David what then demands he will become of the Title of the 90. Psalm P. 5. I obviated this Query in the very next Line out of Theodoret who says David wrote it but adapted it to Moses I told the Rector that I presum'd the Titles were left out of the Liturgy Psalms because they were design'd to be Sung Vind. P. 53. 'T is my very Plea in Defence of the Church of England * Letter Page 6. saith he But you must thank me for it Mr. Rector for you thought of no such Plea in your Sermon but call on the Dissenters to prefix the Titles to the Singing Psalms if they be part of Scripture I objected that in the Parish Churches the Psalms that want Titles are read True saith the Rector 't is the fault of some the crime of others the unhappiness of others who cannot prevail with their People to bear a part in the rehaersing of them for the order of the Church is that they be said or sung said that is at least repeated alternatim by Minister and People which is a Species of singing P. 6. If the order be say or sing First how can it be a Fault a Crime to say the Psalms and not to sing them the Rubric allows both and therefore both are lawful No wonder the Rector charges us with Crimes he cannot prove since he doth so by his own Brethren he makes 'em Criminals for doing what the Rubric bids 'em do Secondly I thought saying and singing being mention'd disjunctively were different things but with the Rector saying is a Species of singing Does not this Man Ridicule the Rubric of the Church by makeing it speak Non-sense say or sing that is according to the Rector's Exposition sing or say This looks like defaming the Common-Prayer for which I remit him to the Censure of his Ordinary Thirdly I never yet cou'd see any Rubric or Canon for reading the Psalms alternatim Authors make mention of alternate singing which was us'd with great variety in ancient Times * Epist 36. Basil saith the Congregation was divided into two Parts and sung alternately one to another † Chr. 1 Cor. 14. Hom. 36. ad finem Chrysostom seems to allow the People no part in singing but the ecchoing out of the last Word of the Verse 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 He that singeth singeth alone and all the rest Eccho forth the last Words And it may be this is the meaning of the Council of Laodicea Can. 15. Wherein they forbid all singing in the Church except by the Regular Singers Gregory the Great forbids any to sing in the Church but the Inferior Orders as the Sub-Deacons c. Lib. 4. c. 88. Perhaps he had an Eye to this Canon Dionysius who goes under the Name of the Areopagite says that the Bishop with the whole Ecclesiastical Order sing the Sacred Hymns Eccles Hierarch c. 3. It seems the People were wholly excluded from the Publick Praises The way of singing alternately is very ancient some derive it from Moses and Miriam Exod. 15.21 And Miriam answered them c. But it is uncertain how Miriam and the Women of Israel sung whether they sung in their Dances the very same Words that Moses and the Men of Israel sung or whether they sung the first Verse of Moses's Song by way of Intercalation as the Burden of that Song and it may be 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 answer'd signifies no more than she said in which Sense the Word Answer is us'd in the New Testament Matth. 11.25 But it s evident here that it was different from the Manner of reading the Psalms with us for Miriam and the Women sung the first Verse of Moses Song and with us the Minister reads the first Verse of the Psalm which the People neither Read nor Sing It should seem by Josephus that the Levites only sung in the Temple at Jerusalem * Antiq. Judaic XX. 8. The Essenes as Philo affirms had one chief Singer who sung alone until he came to the last Words then all the People join'd with him ‖ Euseb Hist II. 16. Edit Christ Philo de vitâ Contempl.