to creep to Church and lay their left Ear to the leading Organ-Pipe the Cure is Effected only they must be sure to pay the Piper for Money is all Nay Zenocrates cur'd Mad-Men by the means of Musick Well then if you 'l be advised by a Friend send your Organical Musick to New-Bedlam and first try the experiment there for I 'm sure there are many in that dismal Place that want help Particularly two forlorn Church Parsons Mr. Pr d. Who you 'l find 'i th Tenth Figure And Mr. Perkins who was put in but few Months ago by my Lord Mayor upon the Request of his Grace of Canterbury as the publick News told us I 'd have you make tryal of skill on 'm for a good pair of Organs are an admirable Catholicon and therefore don't despair of success And when you 've turn'd Bedlam into a Colledge of Wisdom I do assure you I 'll heartily joyn Hand and Heart with you and be the most forward in the Croud to Cry Oh happy Cathedralists And what mighty Advantage have those that dwell near a Cathedral or an Organical Church Where a Man Ears shall be constantly regail'd with Harmonious Melody and the Health of the Body secur'd by the secret Charms of Canonical chanting And what is more for we 've reserv'd the best Wine till last the sweet and Melodious sound of the Pipes especially if they be consecrated will Effectually dispel all gloomy Thoughts out of your Minds and you shall be as Merry as forty Beggars in a Barn and never fall any more into the Quagmire of Melancholly and madness But after all the Patriarchs of St. Davids and St. Asaph must confess that the charming Melody of Organs has not been able to preserve the Sacred Quire from the great Plague of Simony But both Church and State have honorably Acquitted ' emselves from this Guilt by exposing the Criminals to the Righteous and publick Censure of the Law But pray Sir to be serious upon what bottom do your Friends and you go I 've been told you can't regularly Erect a pair of Organs in your Parish-Church unless you be Authoriz'd by some just Power either by the King Parliament Convocation Canons or Rubrick And if you 're not authoriz'd by these or some or one of 'm I humbly conceive you're accountable to Authority for a breach of the Law of Uniformity But I 'm sure you 've no power from His Majesty no warrant from any Statute Enacted by Parliament nor from any Canon or any Convocation nor from any Rubrick in our English-Common-Prayer-Book for the setting up Organ-Worship in your Parochial Church And many of the Learned are of Opinion that according to th' Act of Uniformity and the Constitution of the Church of England no particular Pastor of a parish-Parish-Church is allow'd to introduce new Rites and Modes of Worship into his parish-Parish-Church over and above what are Appointed by the Act of Uniformity without a warrant either from a Parliament or Convocation The Church of England her self speaks expresly to this very purpose in her Discourse about the Abolition of Ceremonies Her Words are That no Man ought to take in Hand or presume to appoint any publick or common Order in Christ's Church except he be lawfully called and authoriz'd thereunto Pray then Sir have not your Organical Friends by their appointing this new Model of Worship out-run Canons Convocations Rubricks and Homilies and travel'd as far as Rome it self before some of their Brethren have crept as far as Canterbury And pray Sir mayn't overdoing the Rule as well as underdoing Mayn't excesses as well as defects in reference to the same Canon be a real Schism in the Church How comes it to pass that only defects in Dissenters are Sins and yet excesses in Conformists are such Vertues Why is' t that a Man may advance towards Rome and be no Schismatick but yet one glance o' th' Eye towards Geneva makes him a damnable one What is' t no Crime in a Church-Man to out run the Constable In a word mayn't the Statute of Uniformity be violated by a Supra-Conformity as well as by Subter-Conformity And if so your Organ-Adorers ought to be Excommunicated ipso facto and not restor'd until they Repent and publickly revoke this wicked Error As to Mr. Baxter's Arguguments for Organs I 'm ready to account for 'm if call'd upon And as to the Parish it self where these Organs are to be Erected It 's reported to be generally poor and not without just reasons complains bitterly of some late unreasonable Impositions laid upon 't by Lay-kirk-Officers And Sir shall we encourage 'm to add to the Burthen For you know that the purchase of a pair of Organs will be very chargeable And must the Purses of the poor Parishioners be squeez'd again to gratify the Musical fancy of a few Persons that are a little more Merrily giv'n than their mortifi'd Neighbours Besides will any of our Friends be so unnatural to Posterity as to entail perpetual Italian Gabels as an Inheritance upon ' m For you and they can't but know that a pair of Organs will be a constant Charge to the Parish and you 've already more Poor than you 're well able to maintain Therefore in the Name of the Poor of the Parish what do you mean Will you bring in the Babylonian Bell and Dragon among 'm to devour 'm a live I 've read that Pharoah's Lean Kine eat up the Fat Ones but for the Fat Ones to eat up the Lean is most horridly unconscionably But thus 't is in some Towns and Parishes as in some Fish-Ponds Five or Ten great Jacks devour all the small Fry and so if things go on at this rate in a short time we must all joyn in Consort with the Jovial Beggar and sing A begging we willgo The poor Parishioners must throw away their Money upon Organs when 't may be their Family want Bread at home Nay and these poor Sheep must not bleat neither tho' severely clipt they must be dumb and if any of them be so mad as plead Poverty or complain of Oppression then a parcel of sinful Scoundrels are immediately sent to rifle the House and these forsooth are authoriz'd to turn Auctioneers and to sell the Poor man's Goods by an inch of Candle and his Neighbour for 's impertinence is consign'd over to the Ecclesiastical Purgatory the most intollerable Grievance that the English Nation this Day groans under * Notes in usum Sarum p. where he 's worri'd out of 's Life by a mercyless Crew of Infernal Locusts that feed upon the Sins of the People Now Sir it 's hop'd you 're in some measure convinc'd how you and your Organical Companions have Erred and strayed from your Ways like lost Sheep and have followed too much the Devices and desires of your own Hearts for from the whole it 's evident that Organ-Worship was part of the Ceremonial Law which is now abrogated that the Apostolical and Primitive
to the deceit of Idols And in another Place he saith to this Effect †〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Comment in Ps 32.2 3. that those Musical Instruments spoken of in the Old Testament agree to us if they 're understood spiritually And we must render our selves an Harmonious Organ to God and Praise him by the Instruments of all the Senses 6. Ambrose who Di'd Anno 397. ‖ Aug. Confess IX 7. introduc'd the Eastern Way of Singing at Milan to divert the good People that watch'd with him in the Church to prevent Justina Valentinian's Mother from delivering it to the Arians whose Heresie she favour'd And from Milan that more artificial way of singing spread through the Western Churches 7. This melodious Singing did so tickle St. Austin's Ears and cause in him such a degree of carnal Delight that the wishes 't were laid aside in the Church †Ab auribus meis remcveri velim atque ipsius Ecclesiae Conf. X. 33. and reckons it much safer to imitate the Alexandrian Way of singing in Athanasius's Time who made his Reader to sound the Psalm with so small a turn of his Voice ut pronuncianti vicinor esset quam canenti * Ibid. If the more artificial Way of Vocal Singing seem'd ensnaring to this devout Father what wou'd he have said to our Modern Organical Consorts 8. Add to all these the Account we have of the Primitive Worship viz. When the Congregation was assembl'd they first read the Scriptures and sometimes other Writings then Pray'd and then Preach'd and concluded with Prayer In our Publick Assemblies saith †Scripturae leguntur Psalmi canuntur ad locutiones proferuntur petitiones delegantur Tertull de Anima Cap. 3. Tertullian who Liv'd about the Year 202. after Christ The Scriptures are Read Psalms are Sung Sermons Preached and Prayers presented Not a Word of Common Prayer nor of the Vitalian and Gregorian Organical Cant which things were not known in the Primitive Church Thus you see the Venerable Fathers unanimously declare against the Ecclesiastical use of Organs and therefore you must either Rebel against their Paternal Authority or be content to Knock under as we say The Church of Old look'd like it Self a Pure Holy Virgin and had no Superstitious Ornamental Appendages to enhance it's Native Simplicity But Alas How is her beautiful Face now mangl'd As some of our modish Ladies who tho' Nature has accommodated 'm with comely Features yet ridiculously paint ' mselves So some of our Prelatical Tantivies have so miserably daub'd the Face of the Church with Organical and Spanish Dyes and other Ceremonious Untemper'd Mortar that if the Primitive Fathers were now alive again they cou'd not know their own Daughter Hinc illae Lachrymae We 'll conclude this Chapter with that excellent Prayer of our Church viz. God grant all us the Kings Highness faithful and true Subjects to feed of the sweet and savoury Bread of Gods own Word And as Christ commanded eschew all our Pharisaical and Papistical leven of Man's fained Religion Homily of good Works Part III. Page 38. CHAP. III. Many of the Reformed Churches without Organs Animadversions on those that have ' m. Several Modern Divines Church-Men Papists and others and the Church of England it self against the use of Organs in Divine Worship IN the next Place we 'll consider the extent of this Organical Worship and in doing that it mayn't be amiss to lay before you an Account of those Places where 1. Organs are not us'd in their Spiritual Worship And 2. Where they are us'd 1. There are many of the Reformed Churches and some of 'm the best in the World that never us'd Organs or any other Musical Instruments in their Sacred Assemblies and Worship As the Reformed Churches in Germany the Helvetian and French Protestant Churches Many of the Protestant Churches in Poland Sweedland Denmark and many of those in the Belgic Provinces The Hungarian and Transilvanian Churches and those of Piedmont The Scotch Churches All the Protestant Dissenting Churches and indeed the greatest Number of Parish Churches in England and Ireland Observe here 1. That the greatest Number and some of the purest Protestant Churches in the World have always been without Organs And 2. That the defect thereof has been no hindrance to the flourishing State of those Churches nay 3. If we may judge of the Tree by it's Fruit some of the Anti-Organical Churches have been the most eminently Pious and have most remarkably signaliz'd their Courage and Constancy in the persecuted Cause of Christ and Defence of Gospel-Simplicity which is the main Thing pleaded for in this Essay in Opposition to pompous and carnal Devotion 2. On the other Hand Organs are us'd in some of the Dutch Churches in some of the Lutheran Churches in Germany and Poland and the Greek Churches In our Cathedral Churches in England and in some few Parochial Churches and in the Popish Churches But then 1. As to the Dutch Churches it must be remembred that Organs were forc'd upon 'm by some Civil Magistrate against the Consent of the Dutch Ministers for at the National Synod held at Middleb Anno 1581. and in the Synod of Holland and Zealand in the Year 1594. 't was decreed That they wou'd endeavour to prevail with the Magistrates to banish Organs out of their Churches Nothing less than Banishment it seems wou'd serve their turn Such clamorous noisie bawling Creatures were not fit to dwell within the Calm and orderly Territories of the Church 2. As to the Lutheran Churches they ought not to be admitted as Patterns for they approve of and use many other Popish Novelties which all other Protestants justly abhor and condemn as Auricular Confession the Pictures of the Trinity singing Psalms in Latin Crucifixes in their Devotion Cum multis aliis But what if a Parcel of Consubstantiating Lutherans are inclin'd to divert ' mselves by the inarticulate sound of a few Musical Pipes must it therefore follow that English Protestants shou'd Dance after ' m As to the Greek Churches their Errors in material Things are equally obvious But 1. Zepperus observes that the Organs us'd in the Transmarine Reformed Churches are to Delight People at ordinary Times when the Worship of God is not perform'd But some of our high-flown Cassandrian English Love a little innocent Auricular Diversion in their Ecclesiastical Retirements and will not as much as open their Eyes towards the Heavens till they 're awaken'd and rouz'd up by the sound of an Organical Machin But that which makes me smile is to see poor little diminutive Parishes so eager for Organs when some of the Richest Parsonages in England are content to go to Heaven without ' m. But oh what a cursed Misery is it to be Poor and Proud And 2. He that Writes the late History of Denmark An Account of Denmark as 't was in the Year 1692. Edit 3. Chap. XVI pag. 233. tells us in Particular of the Danes That
they 're all great Lovers of Organs and have many very good ones with skilful Organists who entertain the Congregation with Musick during half an Hour either before or after Service Nay 3. It seems in Dr. Rivet's Time only Vocal Musick was us'd in our English Service and saith he * Si in Anglia vel alibi iis utuntur id aliis fit horis quam iis quae praeipuo Divino cultui sunt destinatae A. Rivet Cathol Orthod Qu. 36. p. 564. If Organs were us'd 't was not in the Hours of Divine Worship but at other Times and that to divert and recreate the People and not to edifie ' m. 3. And as to the English Churches there are Three Things I wou'd observe concerning ' m. 1. That the Churches that have Organs are very few compar'd with those that have no Organs at all If they are so eminently useful in Devotion as a mouthing Cathedralist Swears they are there 's no doubt but the Patrons and Rectors of our Rich Parochial Synagogues that are without 'm wou'd soon make their Ecclesiastical Arches eccho with the sound of Melodious and Charming Organists 2. Several eminent Church-men and other Reformed Divines have expresly show'd their dislike of Organs in our Divine Worship We 'll begin with The Learned Dr. Taylor 's Opinion about this sort of Ecclesiastical Musick He delivers himself to this Purpose The Vse of Singing Psalms is very apt for the Edification of Churches but as for Musical Instruments they are more apt to change Religion into Fancies Duct Dubit lib. 3. about the 329. p. and take off some of it's simplicity and are not so fitted for Edification He seems plainly to assert that this sort of Musical Service is really repugnant to spiritual Worship which is particularly injoyn'd in the Gospel And I've heard many Devout Kirk-men complain that instead of elevating their Affections it distracts their Thoughts and diverts the mind from being seriously intent on the Matter Sung But alas Sir you 're mistane in our Organists for they ne'r intended to be Religious among their Pipes Mr. Maxwell a Divine of the true Prelatical and Tory stamp In his Book entituled The Excellency of the Church of England above that of Geneva saith We agree with Reformed Divines that Instrumental Musick is neither a Part of nor a help to Divine or Ecclesiastical Worship Bravely said Maxwell The high-flown Scot is in the right on 't and the Confession is the more considerable because it 's voluntary and not forced by the pressure of a Scotch Boot Cowper * His Works in Folio Printed at London 1621. p. 371. Bishop of Galloway saith That the best Musical Instrument for God's Praise is an upright Heart And in 's Comment on the Revelations saith The Heart is the Harp the Strings of the Heart are the Affections The famous Dr. Lightfoot †His Works Vol. 11. p. 1060. has a very pertinent Passage to the Purpose saith he Christ abolisht the use of the Temple as purely Ceremonious but he perpetuated the Use of the Synagogue such as Reading the Scriptures Preaching Praying and Singing of Psalms and transplanted it into the Christian Church as purely Moral Now observe that Instrumental Musick was part of the Temple-Service and peculiarly so for 't was never us'd in the Jewish Synagogues or in their Parochial Worship And therefore we 've no more warrant to recall it into the Christian Church than we have to introduce Lamps Dances Frankincense Silver Trumpets or the like Peter Martyr ‖ Pet. Mart. in Judg. c. 5. who dyed about Year 1562 speaking about this sort of Church Musick saith It cannot be lawfully retain'd because the Auditors are so taken with it that they cannot apprehend and perceive the Words if they wou'd And therefore I think it 's almost as good for a Man to pay his Religious Devoirs to Heaven at B in the midst of Rosemary-Lane S where nothing is heard but the confus'd Rumblings of sonorous and clat'ring Tongues Or for ought I know his Advantage may be as great if he spends two or three Hours at a Quakers Dumb and Silent Conventicle The Truth on 't is Sir I Love Musick dearly well in it's proper Time and Place and Scruple not to divert my Self now and then by a pair of Domestical Organs but really I had almost as good hear the Mysterious Humms of a Parcel of Leaden-Hall Quakers as the loud inarticulate confus'd Noise of Ecclesiastical Pipes The one is as intelligible and edifying as t'other But I must not attend my demure Enthusiastical Quaker too long lest my Cloaths be sing'd for he smells strong of Italian Smoak which makes me presume there are some Roman Cinders in his Chimney To proceed Wendeline †Syst Theol. Edit Post p. 1643. saith of the same Musick That the Devil by a Canorous Musick tempts the Ears of Christians that it may emasculate and weaken their spiritual Vigor by a sweeter sound So that you may conclude hence when th' Organist Plays on 's Pipes there 's an invisible Dancer Zanchy on Eph. 5.19 saith read St. Jerom on this Place What he Writes against this Theatrical Gaudy sort of Musick by which Men are drawn to be more attent to the Melody of the Sound than the Words Calvin saith that the Jewish Altars and Frankincense are every whit as lawful as Musical Instruments in God's Worship But I 'll not insist upon a Geneva Cut when triangl'd Instances are so much in Fashion Zuinglius the first Reformer of the Helvetian Church is very warm against this sort of Worship * Zuinglii Act. Disp 2. p. 106. It 's evident saith he that Ecclesiastical Chanting is a most foolish vain abuse and a most pernicious hindrance to Piety Pezelius †Pez in Sleid. de Quatuor Imperiis who was Professor of Divinity at Bremen in the lower Circle of Saxony in his Notes upon Sleidan calls the Musical Instruments of Pope Vitalian the Thieves of Prayer and the Word Preached Many more might be added but I 'll conclude this Head with the Judgement of the Thirty Two Protestant Commissioners who were in the Reign of Henry VIII and Edward VI. appointed by Act of Parliament to examine and purge all Canons Constitutions and Ordinances Provincial and Synodal do declare that they wou'd have all Instrumental Musick as Organs quite taken away out of the Church Reformatio legum Anglicarum de Divinis Officiis Imperf Tract The same Commission was reviv'd in Queen Elizabeth 's Reign but quickly dropt and to the great Prejudice of the Church has slept ever since as the Learned and Reverend Bishop Burnet saith The Persons Deputed to this Purpose were Cranmer Arch-Bishop of Canterbury Ridley Bishop of London Ponet Bishop of Winchester Goodrick Bishop of Ely Coverdale Bishop of Exeter Hooper Bishop of Glocester Knight Bishop of Bath Scory Bishop of Rochester Mr. Taylor of Lincoln Mr. Cox the King's Almoner Parker of Cambridge
Fathers have not as much as a favourable Sentence to befriend the Cause of your admired Organs that Organ-Worship is a Popish Neoterical practice foisted into the Church when Church-Men had prostituted ' mselves to the Babylonian Whore and ever since this and such like Meritorious Pomp has been accounted the greatest Splendor of the Romish Hierarchy The Church of England her self has born a very ample Testimony against you and what will the true Sons of the Church as they call ' mselves have no Umbrage of regard to her grave Dictates To own her as a Mother and yet to slight her Advice shows that you mind your beloved Organs more than your Fifth Commandment In a forequoted place the Church complains bitterly of the excess and Multitude of Ceremonies that the burthen of 'm was intollerable These are her own Words And what will you add more when your good Antient Mother complains there are too many already One wou'd think that they that cry up the Church the Church shou'd show greater degrees of Reverence to her Maternal Authority and not prefer sensitive Contentments before their Mothers Blessing But I perceive that those who Proclaim themselves the Sons of the Church and pray make Room for them for they be bulky ones God bless 'm after all are but a parcel of over-grown Children that are past Correction And Children will be Children still and therefore no wonder that there are so many tak'n up with Childish Toys and Bartholomew trifles but one wou'd think you and your Musical Acquaintance big enough to be asham'd to ride upon a Penny Colt or a two Penny Gelding tho the famous Alcibiades did once to please a Child Condescend Ludere par impar equitare arundine longâ To play the Fool at Even or Old And for a Hobby-horse ride a Rod. But if Organs are so eminently useful pray shall I ask you a few Innocent Questions before we part 1. Why have you been so long without ' m No doubt but ye are the Men and Wisdom shall dye with you But how then comes it to pass that you did not think sooner of this Ecclesiastical Artillery to mend your crazy Devotion Or were our Organical Friends born under a Midsummer-Moon Whether they were or not I dare not pretend to so much Astrology as to determine it But sure I am the Lord of their First-House was wonderfully culminant or else it 's impossible it shou'd ever enter into their Pericrany's to advance Folly and Vanity Pride and Pomp into the Ecclesiastical Throne in so notorious a manner 2. If Musick in Divine Worship be so good why don't you add more Musical Instruments For good added to good makes the greater good and you know two good things are better than one and the more the Merryer Ay but nothing compar'd to a pair of Organs Oh Organs dainty brave Organs they 're all in all the very Cream of the jest and Prim'st Jannock 'i th oon In a word we 've luckily hit upon a Soverain Remedy that'l never fail to rouse up the most Phlegmatick Endymion in the Paroch 3. If there be such Excellency in Organs why are there so many Parishes that were never yet honour'd with a Choir of Musical Levites If they 're ignorant and don 't know the worth of this sort of Musical Devotion Then the Beams of the Ecclesiastical Light are not so diffusive and penetrating as is usually pretended and our Parochial Guides are accountable for this our damnable Sin of Ignorance But and if they be poor and can't purchase and maintain a pair of Expenceful Organs without selling their Patrimony then in the Name of the poor Parishes of England I humbly beg and beseech all Parsons by what Names or Titles soever dignified or distinguished who have their hundreds and their thousands per Annnm to contribute towards the purchasing of Religious Organs for 'm and towards the Annual charge that attend them But mum not a Penny I 'll secure you But it 's time to think of parting for it 's late And besides you know it 's excessive Cold and that our Consort of vocal and Instrumental Musick has lasted long longer than any that has been known in Salisbury-Court for these Seven Years last past 〈◊〉 pray Sir Excuse my freedom and attribute the Exorbitancy of my Pen to that pleasant motion which the very thoughts of Melodious Musick put upon my juvenile Blood And as to this trouble I question not but you 'l be so just as to place it to your own Account because your excess of Reverence for Ecclesiastical Musick and your earnest Request to me for my Sentiments about it drew it upon your self and I hope you 'l Love me never the less because I part abruptly and conclude without Ceremony SIR Your's Affectionately to serve you without the Accent of Organs ADVERTISEMENT A Letter to a Friend in the Country concerning the Use of Instrumental Musick in the Worship of God In Answer to Mr. Newte's Sermon Preach'd at Tiverton in Devon on the Occasion of an Organ being Erected in that Parish-Church Printed for A. Baldwin at the Oxfard-Arms in Warwick-Lane 1698.