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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A92933	A Serious answer to a late book stiled, A reply to Mr. Robert Steed's epistle concerning singing wherein the chief scriptures and arguments are examined, and the weakness thereof shewed : together with an answer to the several reflections, and false charges, against both churches and persons, recommended to the elders, ministers, and members of baptized churches.	Kiffin, William, 1616-1701.; Steed, Robert, of Dartmouth.; Barrett, George.; E. M. (Edward Man)	1692 (1692)	Wing S2607; ESTC R42860	36,728	64

Reflections we shall endeavour as the Lord shall enable us to manifest the Weakness of the main Pillars of their Assertion concerning the Singing before mention'd For we shall not spend our time to answer every Particular in that Treatise the Weakness whereof is most evident to any that will but take any serious notice of it it would be very tiresom and altogether needless First then we shall enquire whether Singing to the Praise of God according to the Expression of it in the Holy Scriptures be to be restrained or is only meant of declaring those Praises by a Musical Melodious tunable Voice To which we answer That Singing or Uttering the Praise of God are convertible Terms according to the Language of the Holy Scriptures As for instance Cant. 2.12 The time of the singing of Birds is come c. that as able Interpreters tell us is meant that a Rejoicing or Praising-time is come Deut. 32.44 And Moses spake all the words of that Song unto the People and in v. 43. it 's said Rejoice O ye Nations with his People which is elsewhere called Singing and sometimes Shouting Doubtless there was never a greater Song of Praise uttered to the Honour of Christ than that Luk. 19.37 38. when the Disciples rejoiced and praised God for all the mighty Works which they had seen Saying not Singing Blessed be he that cometh in the Name of the Lord Peace in Heaven and Glory in the Highest That Musick uttered by them with their Voices made more Melody than any composed Songs that can be sung in Metre And as Mr. Caryl tells us upon that Scripture It was Musick the Pharisees did not like but would have them rebuked for so doing Obj. It is indeed frequently and earnestly pleaded by the Authors of that Book That Singing or Song bears that Acceptation of a Musical Melody with the Voice amongst all Mankind Answ To which we answer That if it hath pleased the Spirit of the Lord in the Holy Scriptures to make use of those words in another sense what have we to say to it or dare any that are truly pious to contradict it That Singing is in the Old Testament as well as in the New used in a Metaphorical Sense is apparent As where Singing to the Praise of God is ascribed to inanimate Creatures as well as to others See Psal 65.13 Isa 49.13 Jer. 12. So Job 38.7 if we take the Morning-Stars for the Angels as some do they need not the faculty of Speech or as others take the words for the whole Creation in their respective Kinds then the word Sing must be taken figuratively even for their Praising their Great Creator by ways sutable to their several Natures however a Supposition to the contrary would be highly ridiculous So in like manner in the New Testament as for instance 1 Cor. 14.15 where it appears that Singing and giving of Thanks be convertible Terms But especially we desire it may be considered seriously what may be the meaning of the Mind of God in that Scripture Heb. 2.12 I will declare thy Name unto my Brethren in the midst of the Congregation will I sing Praise to thee This Text was a Prophecy of Christ our Saviour quoted from Psal 22.22 For the opening of which we shall repeat the Exposition that the excellent Person Dr. Owen gives of it as followeth First What Christ will moreover do He will sing Praises unto God And Secondly Where he will do it In the midst of the Congregation The Expression of both these is accommodated to the Declaration of God's Name and and Praising of him in the Temple The singing of Hymns of Praise unto God in the great Congregation was then a principal part of his Worship And in the first Expression two Things are observable 1. What Christ undertakes to do that is to praise God Now this is only Exegetical of what went before He would praise God by declaring his Name There is no way whereby the Praise of God may be celebrated like that of declaring his Grace Goodness and Love unto Men c. 2. The Chearfulness and Alacrity of the Spirit of Christ in this Work he would do it as with Joy and Singing with such a frame of Heart as was required in them who were to sing the Praises of God in the great Assemblies in the Temple 3. Where would he do this 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in the midst of the Congregation the great Congregation as he calls it v. 25. 〈◊〉 is the great Assembly of the People in the Temple And this was a Type of the whole Church of the Elect under the New Testament The Lord Christ in his own Person by his Spirit in his Apostles and his Word by all his Messengers unto the end of the World setting forth the Love Grace Goodness and Mercy of God in him the Mediator sets forth the Praise of God in the midst of the Congregation I shall only add that whereas singing of Hymns unto God was an especial part of the instituted Worship under the Old Testament to whose Use these Expressions are accommodated it is evident that the Lord Christ hath eminently set forth this Praise of God in his Institution of Worship under the New Testament wherein God will ever be glorified and praised This was that which the Lord Christ engaged to do upon the Issue of his Sufferings and we may propose it unto our Example and Instruction Thus Dr. Owen on that Text Pag. 256. And again on the same Text Pag. 258. Moreover the Lord Christ by declaring that he will set forth the Praise of God in the Church manifests what is the Duty of the Church it self namely to praise God for the Work of his Love and Grace in our Redemption by Christ Jesus This he promiseth to go before them in and what he leads them unto is by them to be persisted in This is indeed the very end of gathering the Church and of all the Duties that are performed therein and thereby The Church is called unto the Glory of the Grace of God Eph. 1.6 that it may be set forth in them and by them This is the end of the Institution of all Ordinances of Worship in the Church Eph. 3.8 9 10. and in them they set forth the Praises of God unto Men and Angels this is the Tendency of Prayer the Work of Faith and the Fruit of Obedience It is a fond Imagination which some have fallen upon that God is not praised in the Church for the Work of Redemption unless it be done by Words and Hymns particularly expressing it All Praying all Preaching all Administration of Ordinances all our Faith all our Obedience if ordered aright are nothing but giving Glory to God for his Love and Grace in Christ Jesus in a due and acceptable manner And this is that which ought to be in our Design in all our Worship of God especially in what we perform in the Church To set forth his Praise to

Churches So we do as boldly in the fear of the Lord declare that the Way of common Singing which they contend for is after the Rudiments of the World after the Traditions of Men but not after Christ It is their lawless Liberty they take thus to accuse and represent us without cause in this Epistle and the like that hath necessitated us for Truth 's sake that 〈◊〉 may not suffer by such false Reports to declare ●uch things concerning some of them which otherwise we should have buried in oblivion But it was not enough it seems that we should be thus scandalously represented by Mr. Wh. in the Epistle that did not give a sufficient vent to their Indignation when we look into the Book where we might expect nothing but Answers to his Arguments there also as we said before we must be exercised with the reading their needless causeless Reflections on Mr. Steed and with their most false slandering of the Baptized Churches in their first gathering We shall say little to their taunting Reflections against him or their imperious treating of him in their Answer to him Only whereas they impertinently say that Mr. Knowles preach'd up the Singing they plead for in the Forenoon and that he preach'd against it in the Afternoon We upon enquiry of the Members of that Church that were present at that time in the Assembly find it to be utterly false a meer Invention put into the Head of some unwary Person to vent which Mr. Wh. and Mr. Keach greedily take up to proclaim without Modesty Sobriety or Verity on which we may with great cause use their own exclaiming Expression Sad Case But it is not with Mr. Steed only that they thus deal but they exhibit a very grievous and a very false Charge against those of the same Profession that were more ancient in it than the Authors of this Reply who vent this Scandal or any of those that by their Epistle have commended the same When those ancient Brethren were convinced of their duty That Believers upon Confession of their Faith were the only Subjects of Baptism and accordingly sate down together in Communion as a Congregation or Church of Christ and many in the Nation began to enquire into the truth thereof they met with many harsh Censures and false Charges cast upon them to make the Truth of Christ contemptible viz. That they were corrupt in the Doctrines of the Gospel That they denied Subjection to Magistates that they held that to maintain Ministers was Antichristian c. They to clear themselves and to take off those false Charges did think it their duty to publish to the Nation a Confession of their Faith which when drawn up was read in the Churches being then seven in number and consented to by all the Members not one dissenting and subscribed by two of each Church in the name of the rest Which Confession of Faith was five times printed in that year 1644 and from that to the year 1651 without the least alteration of any one Article of what was first printed which Confession gave such general Satisfaction to most Christians of all sorts of differing Perswasions from us that it took off from many that Prejudice and Offence that was formerly taken by them against our Profession What the Judgment of those Churches 〈◊〉 their first Constitution was concerning the Maintenance of Ministers may be seen in the 38th Article in these words We do believe that the du● Maintenance of Ministers should be the free and voluntary Communication of the Church That according to Christ's Ordinance they that preach the Gospel should live on the Gospel c. And accordly they did then and we have ever since made it our Practice as a Duty required of all the Members of the Church that are able to give True it ●s that our Churches since the first have not been filled with many of them that have the Riches of this World the Poor receive the Gospel But this we can say with comfort and appeal to the Lord herein That according to our Abilities we have given to the Maintenance of our Ministers nor have any had any just cause to complain to the contrary that we know of although it hath been and is our trouble that we have not been able to make so great a Provision for them as we desire Herein we would be understood in this that we now assert concerning the Churches that we mean principally as they were in the beginning And we do find to our great Grief that which was then falsly charg'd upon us by those that did not know us is now as falsly with a far greater Aggravation of their Sin charg'd upon us by some of us who might have satisfied themselves had they perused our Confession of Faith But either they were willingly ignorant or negligent in enquiring but resolv'd to calumniate and therefore in the 9th Page of the said Book they charge us with the same things in these words It is a Question whether the said Baptized Churches in those times did not as unanimously conclude and declare too that for a Gospel-Ministry to have a yearly Allowance or a competent Maintenance was a humane Invention or Anti-christian We speak say they in part upon our own Knowledg and by good Information we have had from others To this Charge we answer That nothing can be more falsly asserted or more slanderously uttered For if this their Charge have the least shadow of Truth against the Baptized Churches in their first beginning here in England they must needs be the grossest fort of Hypocrites in professing the contrary by their Profession of Faith and yet believing and practising quite otherwise to what they solemnly professed as their Faith in that matter And we believe they cannot give one true Instance that any Church of the Baptists that are sound in the Faith ever did in the least conclude or declare against a competent Maintenance for a Gospel-Ministry as a humane Invention or Anti-christian since those times To conclude as to this matter concerning their unworthy Reflections and false Accusations tho we might instance in mo●● 〈◊〉 one sort or other in that Book we must declare that we do wonder that any Persons professing Piety would commend that Book as a sober Discourse ●●●●out any Limitation or Exception against 〈◊〉 gross and fulsom Slanders which with so much Confidence are delivered whatever their Judgments be concerning the Controversy about Singing Moreover We hope the Baptized Churches their Elders Ministers and Members do hereby at least see great cause to suspect and to be very cautious in believing that Spirit that would perswade them to the way of common or popular Singing which would make way for its Entertainment by such notorious Falshoods and abominable Slanders which were certainly devised by the Father of Lies thereby to offend or stumble the Weak tho otherwise honest and well-meaning Having now answered to some of their unrighteous and scandalous

Scripture because they are resolv'd not to entertain it Obj. But they again cavilingly object Can this be proved by any other place of Scripture if not say they it must be rejected Answ To which we reply That the Lord is here pleased to give a most plain Direction how a Psalm is to be brought forth or sung in a Gospel-Church not by a composed Form but by special Gift and not by the whole Assembly lifting up their Voices in consort but by one who hath received such a Gift And this being so evidently declared should we not rest satisfied with it Shall we question the Truth of a Divine Oracle because but once mention'd though it be never so plainly delivered Our Lord Jesus is but once called a Surety Shall we therefore question or deny the Truth of it as the Socinians do Heb. 7.22 Surely on this Ground the Hebrews might have rejected the Apostle's Proof of the Being and Excellency of the Priestly Office of our Lord and Saviour that he was a High-Priest after the Order of Melchizedeck because it was but once mention'd in the Old Testament Psal 110.4 Thus having we hope evidently proved that the musical tunable Singing of a composed Form by a whole Assembly with Voices in consort is no Ordinance of our Lord Jesus We shall now examine the Scriptures they earnestly urge to justify their Practice Q. 3. Whether those Scriptures Eph. 5.19 ●ol 3.16 do command or justify that kind of Singing in the Church of Christ which they plead for In answer to this Enquiry it being that on which Mr. Keach and Mr. Whinnel do bottom their Assertion for the introducing the common and popular Way of Singing into the Baptized Churches We shall first premise some Considerations which we desire may be seriously pondered First That those Scriptures supposing they intend a Direction for publick Worship in the Church which we do not grant on the Reason hereafter to be mention'd do plainly testify against the admitting of the Profane the Ignorant and the Unconverted to sing in the solemn Assembly of the Church of Christ forasmuch as they are to be sung for the Teaching and Admonition of others Did the Lord Jesus ever appoint the Ignorant Profane or Unbelievers to be Teachers in or Admonishers of his Church according to his New-Testament-Dispensation Can there be the least shadow of Proof produced for it Certainly as it was then told them in that Epistle of Mr. Steed's which they pretend to answer that he never appointed any to administer Teaching and Admonition to his Church but such as are orderly added to it and are qualified by the Gifts of the Holy Spirit being solemnly allowed or orderly called to such an holy Exercise this being such a Truth which they could not nor did they dare directly to gainsay How grosly do they endeavour to evade it by saying that they are allowed to worship God which is as much as to say to attend on the Worship of God in the Church Now we appeal to their own Consciences whether there be not a great difference between being at or attending on it as them that do worship God and administring Teaching and Admonition to the Church Which if the singing of the Psalms and Hymns c. here mention'd are for that end and use as it 's evident from these Scriptures they are then such Persons are plainly excluded from any such solemn Exercise in the Church if the meaning of it be for a Direction● for the publick Worship of God in the Church as they would insinuate Moreover that it plainly excludes such from that kind of Singing in the Church is most evident inasmuch as it is expresly declared that the Singing there spoken of is to be brought forth from the Word dwelling richly in them Col. 3.16 and from being fill'd with the Spirit Eph. 5.19 Now are Unbelievers c. capable of being so qualifi'd in any degree Indeed in their Way of Singing by a compos'd Form there needs no more than the reading or hearing a Psalm or Song read to them and then they are sufficiently furnish'd for it be they never so ignorant profane or unbelieving In answer to which they say they detest such a Singing But why then do they plead for the Singing of such before mention'd who can sing no otherwise but in a carnal formal Manner Can they in truth say they detest that they allow and openly practise and vehemently contend for Secondly These Scriptures if they be as they say to direct the Church in its publick Worship do also plainly exclude the Women from singing in the Church They are expresly forbidden to teach or admonish in the Church but are commanded to be in silence without any exception that they may teach by Singing but not by an ordinary Speaking as we have before declared Thirdly In like manner if it be meant as aforesaid those Psalms and Hymns c. there mention'd are not intended to direct the Churches to sing David's Psalms or any other Psalms recorded in the Scriptures for then certainly our Lord Jesus would have caused them to have been translated into Greek Verse or Meeter for the use of the Churches in those times and as a Pattern for time to come But none ever did or can assert any such thing neither is that Saying of theirs of any weight whereby they would seem to prove that because the word Psalm c. is there mention'd that it must needs be meant of those called the Psalms of David c. because say they God hath given us a Psalm-Book but not a Prayer-Book an Expression which they have borrowed from others in the Scriptures For in that sacred Book there be abundance of the Prayers of holy Men recorded as well as their Songs and especially that our Lord Jesus hath left as a Platform in the manner of a Form of Prayer usually called by the name of the Lord's Prayer Therefore if we may take their Songs and read and sing them in the Church why may we not also take those Prayers at least such as we may think most sutable to our present occasion and read them there for our Prayers in the Church Let them shew if they can why there is not as much reason for the one as for the other Moreover The Book of Psalms as they were sung in the Old-Testament-time for which season they were ordained were a part of the Temple-Worship Now if that be our Rule for Musical singing of them now as it must be if they be those Psalms that be here commanded to be sung Musically as a part of the New-Testament-Church's publick Worship then it must be our Rule in all parts which must be necessarily included in this Counsel if the Meaning of it be as they affirm and so there must be Instruments of Musick with Singers or Quiristers in the performance of it except they can prove that one part is abolished and the other remains For what God hath joined