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A47361 An answer to Mr. Marlow's Appendix Wherein his arguments to prove that singing of psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs, was performed in the primitive church by a special or an extraordinary gift, and therefore not to be practised in these days, are examined, and clearly detected. Also some reflections on what he speaks on the word hymnos, hymnos: and on his undue quotations of divers learned men. By a learned hand. By B. Keach. Keach, Benjamin, 1640-1704. 1691 (1691) Wing K43A; ESTC R223737 27,870 57

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AN ANSWER TO Mr. Marlow's Appendix Wherein his Arguments to prove that Singing of Psalms Hymns and Spiritual Songs was performed in the Primitive Church by a Special or an Extraordinary Gift and therefore not to be practised in these Days Are Examined and clearly Detected Also some Reflections on what he speaks on the word ὑμνοσ Hymnos And on his undue Quotations of divers Learned Men. By a Learned Hand Psal 119. 141. I am small and despised yet do not I forget thy Precepts 1 Cor. 14. 22. Wherefore Tongues are for a Sign not to them that believe but to them that believe not but Prophesying serveth not for them that believe not but for them that believe By B. KEACH London Printed for the Author and sold by John Hancock in Castle-Alley on the West side of the Royal-Exchange and by the Author at his House near Horselydown in Southwark 1691. To all the Saints and Churches of Jesus Christ Christian Salutation Honoured and Beloved IT grieves me I have further occasion to trouble you after this manner I know not what should move Mr. Marlow to write his Appendix just at a time when he was told I was writing an Answer to his first Discourse he might have had a little Patience and have staid till my Treatise was published whereby he might the better have perceived whether what he wrote the last Year would abide the Test or Trial of God's Word or not This is therefore his second Attempt in publick against God's holy Ordinance of singing of Psalms Hymns c. before any body appeared visibly to oppose or put a stop to his undue Proceedings For what Call he had to begin this Controversy at such an unseasonable time I know not but since he has done it certainly none can see any just cause to blame me for standing up in the Defence of that Truth of Jesus Christ which I am so well satisfied about and established in and that too as it is practised by the Church to whom I am related as an unworthy Member and above twenty Baptized Congregations besides in this Nation Tho before I went about it I offered my Brethren him or any other a sober and friendly Conference in the Spirit of Meekness which I could not obtain tho I did not give such a publick Challenge as my Brother intimates in that strange Epistle he hath wrote to me but upon the coming forth of his Book I was troubled and would have had it been discoursed in the General Assembly but that was not consented to and then I told my honoured and Reverend Brethren my purpose was to give an Answer to his Book but did not enter upon it till I was urged by several and particularly by Mr. Marlow himself before divers Witnesses in such kind of words as these i. e. Answer me like a Man Whether he is answered like a Man or but like a Child is left to your Consideration 't is done according to that Light and Ability God hath been pleased to bestow upon me But if he or any of his Helpers do see cause to reply they must answer such Persons who have wrote upon this Truth like Men and Men too of great Parts Learning and Piety or let them not trouble me nor the World any more As touching his Epistle to the Churches I shall take but little notice of it nor of that he hath writ to my self sith in my Judgment neither of them signify much you are Men of greater Wisdom than to be frightn̄ed out of an Ordinance or deterred from seeking after the Knowledg of it with these scurrilous Names of Error Apostacy Human Tradition prelimited Forms mischievous Error Carnal Forms Carnal Worship c. These are hard Words and do not bespeak a trembling Heart nor a humble Spirit and better becomes a Man that pretends to Infallibility But what some Men want of sound Arguments they think to make up by hard Words and Confidence but this will never do with you How hath our Practice of baptizing Believers c. been branded with the reproachful Name of Error and 't is very observable how some Men of far greater Parts and Ability than my Brothers or mine either have cried out against the Reign of Christ Conversion of the Gentiles and calling of the Jews as a gross Error as witness Mr. Richard Baxter particularly of late 'T is Arguments I know you look for and if you find those of Mr. Marlow's to prevail against what I have said do not regard what I have wrote in the least for I would have your Faith as the Apostle speaks to stand in the Power of God and not in the Wisdom of Men. The smallness of the Number of our Churches who are in the Practice of this Ordinance I also know will signify nothing with you provided it be proved to be a Truth of Jesus Christ What tho there was not one of our Churches that had Light in it it would certainly the more concern them to enquire after it And tho he hath so coursly saluted me c. yet I am not concerned at it further than to bewail his Confidence and Ignorance to say no worse I know no Men in any Age who appeared first to vindicate a Truth which others call an Error but have met with the same Usage I meet withal from our Brother who I hope is a good Man and means well yet is he strangely beclouded As I have been a Preacher up of Spiritual Worship as he says and that too more than thirty Years tho a poor and unworthy one so through the Grace of God I hope shall continue to do unto the end of my days and 't is only Spiritual Worship you may perceive I plead for in contending for singing of Psalms Hymns and Spiritual Songs none of which three can be without their special and particular form But must they needs be therefore carnal and humane Forms which appertain unto them I see 't is time to stand up for the Form of Ordinances for the Form of Doctrine and for the Form of sound Words for if we must part with singing of Psalms Hymns c. from his pretended Arguments about Forms all external Ordinances must go as well as that of Singing In a word we must give up our whole visible Profession and wait for those extraordinary Gifts of the Spirit that were in the Primitive Time if we must not sing till we have that extraordinary Gift to do it which some had in the Apostles Days and the like in discharge of every Gospel-Ordinance which were to abide in the Church to the end of the World He may as well therefore say I do but counterfeit that excellent Gift in Preaching when I preach which was in the Primitive Gospel-Church as thus to charge me in the case of our singing by the ordinary Gifts of the Spirit Read his Epistle to me Append. p. 15. It seems to me as if my Brother does not understand the nature of Moral
Duties or natural Worship but mistakes and thinks natural or moral Worship must needs be carnal tho we never plead for the performance of any Duties that are moral naturally in themselves without the help and assistance of God's Spirit and the Graces thereof in our Hearts Is it not part of natural Religion and Worship to fear God to love God and trust in God and that too with all our Hearts and with all our Souls and with all our Strength and love our Neighbours as our selves c. These Duties appertain to natural Religion yet without the divine Help and Influences of the Spirit we can do none of them in a right manner no more say I can we pray nor sing the Praises of God which are Duties comprehended in our fearing honouring worshipping and loving of him And whereas Mr. Marlow reflects on me as if I singled out my self more than others in London in pushing on this practice of Singing I must tell him I have abundance of Peace in my Spirit in what I have done therein And if our People I mean the Church to whom I belong are one of the first Churches of our Perswasion in this City found in the practice of this Sacred Ordinance I am satisfied it will be to their great Honour and not to their Reproach and that not only in succeeding Ages but also in the Day of Jesus Christ But blessed be God the greatest number of our worthy London-Elders are as well satisfied in this Truth as my self and many of their People too and will generally I doubt not in a little time get into the practice of it Our Reverend Brother Knowllys 't is known is clear in it and has practised it for some Years though at present 't is not used in his Congregation He told me lately he is about to write in Vindication thereof which he intends to publish in a short time if the Lord please to spare his Life And whereas Mr. Marlow affirms as if I had brought Singing into our Congregation to the grief and trouble of many of our Members it is false for 't is known the Church hath been in this practice near twenty Years after Breaking of Bread and near 14 Years on Thanksgiving-days in a mixt Congregation And what was done of late in bringing it in after Sermon on the Lord's Days was done by a regular Act of the Church in a solemn manner And though some of our worthy Brethren and Sisters are at present somewhat dissatisfied with it yet I doubt not but will in a little time see their Mistakes if such busy Men as he do not in an undue manner blow up Coals of Contention amongst us Can any sober Christian think he hath done well to publish the Private Affairs of a Particular Church to the whole World It seems to some as if he has hopes there will be a Breach in the Church upon the Account of our Singing the Praises of God but I hope he will find our worthy Brethren understand themselves better than to go about to impose on the Church or Consciences of their Brethren or to strive to pull down that which the Church and themselves too have been a building for so many Years Can there be a Man so left of God as to countenance any Persons to make a Schism in a Congragation because they cannot forgo a Duty they have so long been satisfied in the practice of and so the whole Body to submit to the Sentiments of a few Persons as if they had Power over our Faith We do not say our dissatisfied Brethren shall sing with us or we will have no fellowship with them no God forbid we should impose on their Consciences We do not look upon Singing c. an Essential of Communion 't is not for the being but for the comfort and well-being of a Church We have told our Brethren since we sing not till after our last Prayer if they cannot sing with us nay nor stay with the Church whilst we do sing they may go forth and we will not be offended Should any countenance through a hot and unaccountable zeal such a Schism it would make strange Confusion in our Churches And since he thus publickly hints at this private Case amongst us I had I thought a clear Call to open the matter plainly as it is to clear my self and the Church to all who may read his Epistle and this my Answer for we have done nothing we have the least cause to be ashamed of or unable to justify in the sight of God or Man I shall add one word to the consideration of the Brethren of our Church I doubt not but they will consider it 1. If they look upon us as equal in Knowledg and Uprightness towards God with themselves they may see we have the same ground to be offended with them in diminishing from God's Word as they may be with us for adding as possibly they think to God's Word 2. And let them consider 't is a horrid Evil to break the Bond of Spiritual Union and unawares to wound the Body of Christ Whose Work is it thus to do but the Devil's and what a reproach doth it bring upon the Truth and how grievous is it to all truly Godly Ones and grateful to the Enemies of our Sacred Profession Besides upon such a trifle can it be so hainous a Crime to be found often in that Duty which they with us have so often and long been in the practice of and in a mixt Assembly too many and many times Besides brought in by almost an unanimous Agreement in a solemn Church-Meeting there being not above five or six that shewed any publick dissent nor they neither signifying any such dissatisfaction i. e. that if we sang at such Times they could not bear it nor do I hear they do desire us now to decline the said practice Love will cover a greater Fault than this for they may see cause to believe 't is not Self-Interest but the Glory of God we wholly aim at But to return The truth is I wonder any should be taken with his Book for I never saw any thing come out in Print upon any controvertible Truth that has less of Argument in it or more of Confidence And 't is not my Thoughts alone nor more destructive Mediums made use of to the whole of the external Parts of Religion Nay one told me very lately that one of our dissatisfied Members intimated to him as if our Bible was not truly or rightly translated and it seems to rise from what Mr. Marlow hath asserted in his Book about the word Hymnos I fear'd that would be the Effect of his Attempt if any Body regarded what he hath said upon that account But pray what Call has he to rebuke me after this publick manner especially before the whole World If I had done any thing amiss in his Judgment in that Matter I could wish he had had more Wisdom and Prudence or