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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A44281	Gospel musick, or, The singing of Davids psalms, &c. in the publick congregations, or private families asserted, and vindicated, against a printed pamphlet, entitled, Certain reasons by way of confutation of singing psalms in the letter, objections sent in, in writing, scruples of some tender consciences by thy loving brother, N.H., D.D., M.M.S. ; vnto which is added, the iudgement of our worthy brethren of New-England touching singing of psalms, as it is learnedly and gravely set forth in their preface to the Singing psalms, by them translated into metre.	Homes, Nathanael, 1599-1678.	1644 (1644)	Wing H2567; ESTC R13654	26,991	33

say what is the meaning of all these titles of the Psalms if not left to the Churches to sing 2 Answ If onely they must sing that can speak as they 2 Pet. 1. last then none must sing For prophesie is ceased Apostles and extraordinarie men cease 3 Answ Either the Churches must sing these spirituall Psalms and Songs composed in Scripture or else some of their own composing or none Not none for it is an ordinance enjoyned in the New Testament as you have heard fully proved If you sing those of your own composing they are rather invented by men and imposed by men then the Psalms of David c. turned into English meeter For in this we sing for matter and words as neer as may be onely that which was invented and imposed by the holy Ghost 3. sort of Objections are from the translation of Davids Psalms into English meeter This is an objection of a later stamp then the Certain Reasons Some say that that translation is full of corruptions Others speak more grosly that it hath many lyes in it Answ We stand not here to justifie corrupt translations Nor on the other side may others talk of lyes in them till they know what a lye is Every speaking an untruth by mistake is not a lye but a lye is to speak false and to know it and yet vent it to the deceiving of the hearer Mentiri est contra mentem ire said August To lye is to speak against ones conscience And Mendacem est falsa vocis significatio cum intentione fallendi Aug. lib. de mendacium To lye is to utter a falshood with an intent to deceive Dare any say that Mr. Sternhold and Mr. Hopkins c. that translated Davids Psalms into English meeter did wilfully mistake with an intent to deceive the Churches Could they have done it and other learned men never find them out in their studie to deceive As for corruptions in translating it should seem their endeavour was to avoid them as much as they could much more lying For the Title of the singing Psalms saith that their translation was conferred with the Hebrew Durst this title be so long printed if for the generall it had not been true Would the Churches and Martyrs have so long used them if in some good measure they had not been faithfully done What can there be done of men but still it will appear as done by men namely imperfect All translations that ever were of the Bible in any language either of the Schools as Greek and Latin or of Nations have many mistake therefore shall we read none of them The Churches knew there were many faults in the old English Translation of our Bibles did they therefore ill to read it till they had a better So hath the last and best English Translations some mistakes known to the Churches therefore shall we not use it till we have a more exact Do we ever look for perfection before the great restitution of all things If any do translate as neer as they can and to the sence the holy Ghost accepts of it The Greek Translation is full of mistakes yet the Apostles alledgeth that oft in the New Testament where they translate neer the sence though they misse in the phrase The very Hebrew text it self of the Old Testament hath 800 diverse readings And sometimes the holy Ghost in the New Testament takes the one sometimes the other sometimes both There is one mistake a grosse one in all the Jews Bibles Psal 22.16 where they put 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 kaari As a Lyon for 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 kaaru for to pierce which the holy Ghost corrects Matth. 27.35 And in the New Testament in Greek there are above a thousand diverse readings Shall we therefore cast away the whole Bible Oft writing and printing will cause mistakes in any books God hath promised indeed to keep his word to an iota to a tittle But not in this or that particular individuall Copie or Translation But in specie among all we shall find all the truth So for men God doth not reveal all minuts of truth to every man but to all his Churches in generall of Jews and Gentiles that we may not be perfect the one without the other Now then what will the Objectors do if they will compose Psalms of their own heads must not they follow those Translations they understand If so that they do will not be perfect I speak not all this as if against a better Translation of the Psalms into English Meeter I do with the reformed Churches earnestly desire it But I would not have an Ordinance laid aside with scandall to the Brethren because we cannot have it in perfection 4. sort of Objections is touching our warrant to sing Davids Psalms in English Meeter 1. Obj. Whether that be not against it 1 Cor. 14.26 How is it then brethren when ye come together every one of you hath a Psalm hath a doctrine hath a tongue hath a revelation hath an interpretation Let all things be done to edifying Answ Touching warrant in generall we have anticipated our answer here all along a fore As for that place 1 Cor. 14.26 we cannot conceive the Apostle more to forbid Psalms then doctrines interpretations c. which no rationall man will think to be forbidden The scope of the Apostle is evidently manifest to be onely to admonish them to do all things in order and to edification So the close of the verse and v. 27.29.30.31 Q. But doth not this place hold out to us that one onely in the Congregation should sing and all the Congregation silently attend Anws * Vid. Aretium vetus Ecclesia non uni omnia imponebat sed alius legebat alius interpretabatur alius addebat suum judicium alius preces habebat alius canebat c. Aret. in 1 Cor. 14.26 If we suppose that this place should intimate that sometimes a godly brother upon some speciall occasions having composed a spirituall song the congregation hath given leave to him to sing it in the Congregation whiles they silently attended as at other times to a Sermon or the publick prayer yet this cannot inferre that alwayes it should be so or that the Congregation might not sing together for the texts alledged in the 1. Head the ground of singing clearly evince that Churches did and may sing even all the Congregation altogether 2 Obj. Touching warrant is How we can sing those Psalms that are historicall that belonged to other times and men And how we can sing those that contain divine direfull imprecations Ans We may saith Doctor Ames sing those historicall ones by meditating as we sing to draw thence consolation and confidence according to Rom. 15.4 And we must to that end take upon us the person either of those that composed them or of them of whom they were composed that we may think what is said by them or touching them is

prayers c. For Hieron and Augustine it makes no matter which we put first though in age we know Hieron was ancienter then Augustine we look to the order of times when men likely might write those things we quote yet that men may not mistakingly think we mistook we put Augustine first as younger in age Augustine 385. who was made Professor of Rhetorick and heard Ambrose as Bucholcerus saith about 385. after writing divers bookes Aug. lib. de Catechizandis rudibus Retractat lib. 2. cap. 11. commends the Churches in Egypt for their sweet ejaculatory singings saying that not voyces but devotions ascend up to Gods eares Adding that he would have their publick singings to be such as that all the people might understandingly say Amen He wrote also a booke as we have said against Hilarius in the behalfe of singing Hieronymus made a Presbyter at 20 years of age about A.D. 353. 353. so Helvicus and wrote his Catalogue of Illustrious men about An. Dom. 392. Canon Non mediocr distinct 5. so Bucholcerus finds fault that in his time they sang no more reverently And he is cited to say Better it is to sing five Psalmes with purity serenity and spirituall cheerfulnesse of heart then all the Psalter with distractions of heart Ambrose made Episc Mediol 369. about 369. yeares after Christ as Bucholc affirms Lib. 9. Confessionum is said by Augustine to have zealously put on the Westerne Churches in singing of Hymnes and Psalms Among whom the Roman Church was then eminent Basil the great 365. a learned pious man mightily commends the singing of Psalmes as we shall heare afterwards in the usefulnesse of it and therefore no doubt it was the custome of the Greek Churches in his time who flourished about 365. yeares 365. after Christ So he in his Com. in Gr. upon the Psalms Athanasius advanced singing in the Greeke Church of Alexandria who flourished about the yeare 325. viz. then made Episcop eo loci which Augustine commends and Gregory in imitats 325. in the Latin Church Tertullian who flourished neerer the Apostles times saith 194. that the Christians after their Love-feasts as Jude calls them Apologet. cap. 19. Jude 12.98 Tertullian useth the same word were wont to sing out of the holy Scriptures Eusebius tells us that Plinie the second about Anno 98. wrote an Epistle to Trajan the Emperour In the time of the Apostles This Epist of Plin. is extant in Euseb in hist Eccles lib. 3. cap. 33. Euseb Hist Eccles lib. 2. cap. 17. that the Christians being gathered together before day were wont to sing together Hymnes and praises to Christ as to a God And the same Eusebius testifies that Philo Judaeus did testifie the same of the Christians singing which Philo Judaeus did as Eusebius affirmeth live in the time of some of the Apostles And assures us also that the said Plinie and Trajan lived in the time of the Apostle John who died not till about 100. yeares after Christ And thus I have brought the practice of the Churches in singing of Psalmes up to the Apostles times by the writings of the most godly and learned men of former ages whose judgments you have heard approving the goodnesse of the practice as well as their Histories affirming the truth of the fact Upon which Zanchie boldly affirmes that singing was an Apostolicall institution And no wonder he should be bold in this when the text of Scriptures we laid down at first are so evident from which no doubt the Churches took their warrant 4. The necessarinesse of Singing with other Ordinances The Churches well knew that some ordinances are maimed without the connexion of this Gospel Musick with them if we follow the Scriptures and example of Christ and the Apostles How doe we celebrate a day of praise for deliverance according to the Scriptures unlesse we have Psalmes and Hymnes of praise as Moses had Exod. 15. Deborah had Judg. 5. David had 2 Sam. 22.2 See also Junius on Judg. 5.2 which Psalmes all Israel sang Exod. 15.1 Psal 18. How doe we receive the communion after the example of Christ which we justly urge for sitting at the Communion if after the administration thereof we doe not sing an Hymne or Psalme When are we Christian-like merry if not for receivall of mercies from the hand of God And how are we merry according to the prescript of Scriptures Jam. 5. if we sing not Saints glory in tribulation oft-times Rom. 5.2 so that Paul and Silas sing Psalmes in the prison yea in the stocks What kind of Christians then are we that will not sing at all Season no duties with singing Whereas the Churches in the primitive times in the ten persecutions sugared and sweetned their meetings and duties with singing of Psalmes afore they parted as we heard before The truth is devout singing of Psalmes is a savourie sauce to relish every condition and ordinance that is an iterated ordinance For Baptisme after once administration is never to be repeated Before Sermon the Churches sing to quicken their hearts to prayer After the communion they sing to raise them up in praise Yea I may say this spirituall sauce is meat it selfe In singing we pray we praise we confesse we petition we exhort we meditate we beleeve we joy we mourn Singing is praising Ephes 5.19.20 Speaking to your selves in Psalmes and giving thankes alwayes It is joying In the same place Making melody in your hearts Psal 38. ritle or first vers So in Hebr. So Gr. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 It is meditating In the same place Speaking to your selves As David entitles one of his Psalmes A Psalme to bring to remembrance It is teaching Exhorting and admonisting our owne souls Coloss 3.16 Teaching and admonishing your selves in Psalms c. It is mourning See Davids many Penitentiall Psalms And that 102. Psalme whose title or first verse so in the Hebrew is A prayer of the afflicted when he is over-whelmed and poureth out his complaint before the Lord. When we will be merry in the Lord we must sing Jam. 5.13 But he doth not say but that when we are sad before the Lord we may sing as the Saints have done as we see in the instances we have given To which adde the sad song of the Lamentations of Jeremiah for the afflictions of the Church and made in curious meetre with great varietie as they that know the Hebrew can see which the Jewes sung for many yeares 2 Chron. 35.24 25. And all Judah and Jerusalem mourned for Josiah for his death was the beginning of the ruine of the Church and Jeremiah lamented for Josiah For 22 yeares at least till the captivity in Zedechia his time and all the singing men and singing women spake of Josiah in their lamentations to this day and made them an ordinance in Israel and behold they are written in the Lamentations By that we have said of mourning in