honour they are but transitory things for when the breath of man is gone all these things vanish away but it is the immortall soule that I esteeme and preferre before all things of this world Lord though my body want bread feede thou my soule with the bread of life if my body want cloathing cloath thou my soule with thy righteousnesse if all the riches profits and pleasures of this world fayle me let mee enjoy thee and I shall want nothing let me have thee and I have all things if I want thee I want all things Thou O God art my life my health my riches my pleasure my food my rayment my delight the joy of my heart and the fountayn of all happines Thou O God takest care of sparrowes and feedest yong ravens that call upon thee how much more for us Christians who are made in the image of thee O God Lord I beseech thee give me neither poverty nor riches feed mee with food convenient for me lest I be full and deny thee and say who is the Lord or lest I be poore and steale and take the Name of my God in vaine Prov. 30. Give me what thou wilt doe with me as thou wilt and in all things dispose of me according to thy good pleasure Lord I submit my selfe to thee humbly desiring thee to take me into thy gracious protection not only for this day but for ever MEDITAT X. Meditations of the misery of Man from his Infancy to his old Age. O God I cannot but consider how miserable Man is from his infancy to his grave What a poor silly creature it is being newly sprung from the wombe of the mother what danger was there in his very entrance into the world when oftentimes it costs the life of the mother the child or both be it so that hee live it is not able to help it selfe either to food or cloathing wanting both witte and strength being in a farre worse condition then the beasts of the field for they bring their clothing with them into the world and naturally can and doe apply themselves to the Tett that yeeldes them nourishment How is this poor infant nursed and brought up with much â—endernes care trouble and charge to the Parents and let them doe all they can now when they have done their uttermost no sooner is it able to goe but it is attended with many hard accidents Sometimes it falls into the fire some times into the water as if poore thing it were possest with the spirit of mischaÌ„ce Sometimes it falls downe the staires to the ground and then againe into a pit below the ground and many such like accidents it is obnoxious to Now mee thinks it is a wonder that it lives and comes to speake and when it hath gotten the tongue how perversly doth it prattle how hardly is it brought to schoole to learn to know it selfe leave it but to its owne bent and it will neither bee serviceable to God nor man Now when it is got up to what wee call man how wild and like an untamed beast is he though all are not such wee must confes that many are what dangers and troubles doe they fall into and t is almost a miracle they come to old age for some are drowned in the sea or land waters some are kill'd in duels some in the warres some are put to death for heino us crimes some by their lewd courses come to meere beggery and are in a manner lost And if it happen a man comes to old age his miseries are intolerable having little or no joy of himselfe How are the eyes dim'd which deprives him of the comfort of all holy Books How doe his senses fayle him rendring him uncapable of knowing or doing any thing as formerly how feeble are his limbes being not able to goe without the helpe of a staffe or man what a multitude of diseases attend him as the stone gowt palsey and many other so that being bereft of his senses he hath small comfort but what he enjoys in his soule Now O miserable man what encouragement hast thou to live in this world or to set thy heart upon it thou seest thy whole age is nothing but labour and sorrow thy comforts are few thy sorrowes many and grievous therefore looke to it thou yong man and remember thy Creator in the dayes of thy youth whil'st thou hast strength and use of thy senses for in age it may be too late serve thy God alwaies and pray to him for grace and then thou needest not feare old age nor any thing that doeth accompany it thou needst not feare death nor Hell but shalt be happy heere on earth and shalt receive thy reward heereafter in the kingdome of Heaven MEDITAT XI Meditations on the ill life and actions of man NOw good God! how circumspect ought we to bee of our actions in this life knowing that we must one day give an account for all the sinnes that ever wee committed And if men would lay these things to heart surely there would not bee so much wickednesse in the world But O the blindnesse of this world how many live and spend their time as if there were neyther a heaven to enjoy nor a hell to suffer what bloodsheds are committed for a trifle nay even for a rash word men are ready to murder one another How oft doe men robbe on the high way and break houses for a small gaine oftentimes ventring both soule and body in these unhumane actions yea many times doing these wicked actions for their meere recreation and thus sport away their souls How many are there that commit whoredome adultery and many such like crimes even with greedinesse How doth this Land flow with excesse of drunkennesse and glutony vaine swearing covetousnesse despising the holy Scripture and prophaning the Lords day What perjuries lying cousening backbiting and slandering one another What revenge what envy hatred malice and all manner of uncharitablenesse is there amongst us committing all sinnes that can be imagined How doe men set their hearts upon the world and worldly things which profit nothing and neglect the weighty matters that concerne salvation How willingly are they led away to serve the world the flesh and the Divell making vain pleasures and profits of this world their sole delight O God how foolish and besotted is vaine man to neglect thee thy service and his soules good Consider O man if thy soule were in hel what wouldest thou not give or doe to be redeemed out of those scorching flames where the worme dieth not neither is the fire quenched and where thy torment shall be everlasting Wouldest thou not give a world nay a thousand worlds to be eased of those paines wouldest thou not cast off all those sinnes before mentioned and strive to serve thy God with all thy heart yes surely thou wouldest but then it will be too late for what can buy thee from thence when thou hast lost
many that scarce make any conscience how they come by their wealth they will cousen their friend their kins-man nay their owne father if it lye in their way and will venter both soule and body rather then faile of their desires What delight doe they take in the sight of their musty bags and what pleasure have they â—â— their gold no musicke in the world is so delightfull to them as the chinking of this fine dirt But what saith our Saviour Where your treasure is there are your hearts also and againe How hard is it for a rich man to enter into the Kingdome of heaven it is easier for a Camell to go through a needles eye then for a rich man to come there if it be so have a care thou worldling that thou art not snatched away from thy riches before thou hast made thy peace with thy God Set not thy heart too much upon those things thou canst not keep and remember that God sent thee not into the world to serve only thy selfe and thy covetous desires but to doe him service and to lay up treasure in Heaven for thy soules good I dislike not an honest and lawfull gain and true it is that it is a glory to a Nation to bee rich they may doe much good with it both to King and Kingdome they may build Hospitalls Schooles and Almes-houses they may erect houses to set the poore on worke they may relieve the widow the fatherlesse and all that stand in need If they imploy it thus they doe well but let them have a care they get their wealth honestly and conscionably otherwise all this will doe them no good Therefore be sure thou covetous man to preferre God and his service in the first place for otherwise thou robbest him of his honour and endangerest thine owne soul which Christ died for MEDITAT XVIII Meditations of the feare of death O God! with what dread do men expect death how loath are they to quit this their earthly Tabernacle Methinkes it is an ill signe either that they have not lived so well as they should have done or they love the world too well to part with it For mine owne part I see nothing in the world that should so invite mee to imbrace it I meet with nothing but care trouble vexations sorrow and a world of miseries O God I certainly know that the thing I most delight in I am weary of on a suddain and I find it a burden to me Perhaps some will say I have riches in abundance so that I can purchase all the delights the world can afford But what saith Solomon that exceeded all the world in wisdome riches honour and all delights whatsoever All is vanity saith he and vexation of spirit Suppose thou dost enjoy all these things they cannot last long they are but moment any either they are taken from thee or thou from them for David saith Thine age is but a span long therefore thou canst not possesse them long It may be this day thy soule shall be taken from thee nay perhaps this night it may bee this very houre therefore there is no cause why thou shouldest bee unwilling to part with that which thou art not sure of one houre and if thou hast lived well surely the very thought of death will be a great comfort to thee and death it self a welcome guest For certainly all the life of man is but labour and sorrow and where a man enjoyes one comfort he hath a thousand discomforts for it and there is no true comfort nor perfection in this world Consider therefore that thy dayes are few and thy griefes many wherefore then wouldest thou live O God! who would not exchange a miserable wretched world for a heavenly Kingdome who would not bee willing to leave the society of wicked and ungodly men to enjoy thee who would not gladly leave his riches honour and vaine delights to enjoy him who is the fountaine of everlasting riches honour and delight and to bee among the Angells and Saints of God where is all joy and no sorrow where thou shalt bee satisfied with all things thou desirest and there shall be no end of thy happines thou shalt follow the Lamb wheresoever he goeth and shalt bee ravished with exceeding great joy and delight in him that liveth for evermore MEDITAT XIX Meditations on the same Subject with satisfaction to him that fears death THou O man what soever thou art that feares to dye what canst thou say for thy selfe perhaps thou wilt say thou fearest the pangs of death or that thou art unwilling to leave thy profits pleasures and delights of the world or it may bee thou art doubtfull whither thy soule shall goe after death To rhe first I answer That true it is the pangs of death are great but they endure not long I am perswaded that there are many torments in this world that are as great and are of a longer durance as for example a fit of the stone or gout or the paines of a woman in her travell These I conceive are no lesse torments of longer continuance and this is certaine that many men dye with lesser pain then any of these inflict for I have observed they lye quietly seldome or never complaining and so depart without either groane or sigh if this be true as I am sure it is thou hast no cause to fear death Then thou wilt say thou art unwilling to leave thy profits pleasures and delights of the world Certainly there can bee no profit pleasure or delight here that can be compared to those in heaven where thou shalt have the Kingdome of heaven for thy possession a Crowne of glory for thy reward with true pleasures and blisse for evermore The profits of the world are but for a short time but those are for eternity and surely if the profits and delights of this world please thee so much as that thou art unwilling to leave them without all question those in heaven will much more delight thee and they must needs be far exceeding these where God himselfe is in a more speciall manner then upon earth Perhaps thou wilt say my soule is safe here but when it shall depart from my body I know not whither it goeth Thou vaine man how hast thou spent thy time hast thou served thy God as thou oughtest hast thou visited the fatherlesse and widow in their afflictions hast thou kept thy selfe unspotted of the world If thou hast done these things thy soule shall as surely goe to heaven even as sure as thy body is here upon earth for the Scripture saith He that beleeveth in me althogh he dye yet shall he live And Iob saith My Redeemer liveth and I shall see him with these eyes O thou vaine man now hast thou no excuse for thy selfe thou needst not feare the pangs of death nor be unwilling to leave the profits and pleasures of the world neither needs thou doubt whither thy
THE SOVLES LIFE Exercising it selfe in the sweet Fields of Divine Meditations and Prayers Collected for the comfort of all those who willingly adventure their lives for the defence of the Gospel in these blood-thirsty times of War LONDON Printed for R. Harper and are to be sold at his shop in Smithfield 1645. The Printer to the Reader VVHen this Booke came into my hands by means of a wel-wishing friend after I had perused it and the Title thereof I thought it very sitting as well in regard of the Subject being Divine Meditations as of the devotion and intent of the Religious Author to raise up the mindes of men from the troublesome thoughts of these tempestuous times that their Soules sole hope might take Anchor hold upon God The Subject of our Meditation is divers as also of our prayer and thanksgiving in regard whereof Hilary compareth the Psalmes of David to a bunch of keyes which as by severall doors give us accesse to God as some admiring him in his creatures and wonderfull works some of thanksgiving for his mercyes and wonderfull deliverance of his people the children of Israell others of exhortation to al Nations to know and rejoyce in him and the like Meditation it is true though it be most proper to the private and solitary Soule retired from worldly affairs and busines yet is it a duty most necessary for all the servants of God at all times and in all places wheresoever to exercise themselves in Isaac we read went out to meditate at the eventide Gen. 24. 63. When I remember thee upon my bed saith David Ps 63. 6 and meditate upon thee in the night watches So that Meditation being so generally necessary for every true servant of God a Subject of such excellent use worth I could not but publish this to the view of the world though the pious Authors modesty is such that he could be content to live sibi notus ignotus aliis Farewell The Soules Life MEDITATION I. Meditations and confessions of mans sinfull wayes O Blessed God when I consider with my self how I have spent my time nay rather mis spent it I tremble for when I should have served thee my God I served mine owne lusts and evill affections I walked too often in the vanity of mine owne wayes and hearkened not to thy will and Commandements which should have been as a lanthorn and light to guide mee in those darker pathes It hath been mine unhappy errour to minde more the things of the world then the things which concerne thee I confesse O Lord that I have offended thee in all my wayes both in thought word and deed and have served the creature more then the Creator But O Lord I humbly beg pardon of thee who art the God of mercy Pardon therfore my misdeeds I beseech thee and cast not away thy servant in displeasure O Lord I come unto thee upon the bended knees of my heart and cry with the Publican Lord be mercifull unto me a sinner for I know O Lord thou delightest not in the death of a sinner but that he should repent and be saved Save me therefore O Lord and make my wayes so direct for the time to come that I may keepe thy commandements and that I may doe nothing but that which is acceptable in thy sight make me humble for thou standest afarre off from the proud make both my soul and body as they ought to be a fit Temple for the Holy Ghost out of which do thou O Christ drive away all worldly thoughts and vaine imaginations chase buiers and sellers of my heavenly treasure and make me meditate on things above Clense me O Lord from all filthinesse of sinne and evill concupiscence and grant that for the time to come I may serve thee in holinesse and righteousnesse all the dayes of my life that when death shall ceaze on my body my soule may without fear rejoyce long to be with thee my Saviour and Redeemer there to enjoy that happines and blisse which thou hast prepared for them that love thee MEDITAT II. Meditations of a penitent sinner hoping for pardon through the merits of Christ O Lord how are my daies wasted and come to an end even as a dreame that is told how doe my nights passe away and are not to be recall'd againe and how doe I forget what I have done against thee my God the sinnes alas that I have committed are as innumerable as the sand on the sea shore not to be numbred by any but thy justice and what account shall I make to thee O Lord when this tabernacle of mine shall bee dissolved and my soule appeare before thy Majesty at the last and dreadfull day of judgement where all that I have done shall be laid open and shall be as so many witnesses against me and I not able to answer one of a thousand what shall I doe Lord or whither shall I go for succour no place can hide me from thy presence for thou fillest all places and art not excluded from any place therefore I have no place to flie from thy justice O Lord I beseech thee to remember the pretious bloud of thy dear Son which was shed for me his bloud is a sufficient ransome for the whole world and for as many worlds as there are people therefore O Lord I will not despaire of a share in my Saviours sufferings he dyed as well for me as for others and I hope through his merits I shall be saved therefore I beseech thee O my Saviour answer for me and plead thou my cause for in thee alone shall I be reconciled to my God and shall have forgivenesse of all my sins be they never so many or grievous Therefore O my Soule be not dismaied but comfort thy selfe in thy Saviour for in stead of punishment thou shalt have a reward thy reward shall be a Crowne of everlasting glory thy reward shall bee the rewarder even God himselfe thou shalt see and enjoy him whom none can see and not be blessed thou shalt see and enjoy the fellowship of all the blessed Apostles the holy Angels and Saints of God and shalt sing Hallelujahs and prayses to the heavenly King for ever and ever MEDITAT III. Meditations of the wonderfull goodnesse and love of God to mankinde O God how wonderfull art thou in thy works in wisdome hast thou made them all the Earth is full of thy riches and so is the great and wide Sea also this was thy great care and providence to mankinde that before the creation of man thou createdst all things for his use before thou sentest him into the world to the end he might not perish but be relieved with all things necessary convenient and delightfull for him O God when I see the fields cloathed with corne it makes my heart rejoyce with an exceeding great joy and when I think thereupon I consider with my selfe it was thy providence that provided that for me
Christ that price of thy redemption Therefore endeavour O man before it be too late to make thy calling and election sure so shalt thou bee happy both here and eternally blest hereafter MEDITAT XII Meditations of the ingratitude of friends VVHat cause hast thou to build upon the friendship or favour of man I confesse when they see thee in prosperity wanting nothing then they will bee ready to offer their service and thou shalt have all the friendship and favour they can doe thee I can compare this friendship to no fitter thing then the casting of water into the Sea that needs it not but give me that man who will relieve thee in thy poverty yea when all friends and acquaintance forsake thee one dram of that mans friendship is worth a thousand of those friends But when I consider that man that hath been beneficiall to others nay hath been secondarily the cause of all they have and those friends to cast him off in his poverty and prove worse to him then strangers nay oftentimes become his enemies O God what ingratitude is this Surely these people have neither charity humanity nor any brotherly affection and are farre worse in their nature then brute beasts for they helpe and succour one another at all times O God let me cleave only to thee and thy providence and then I am sure to have a friend at all times I need not feare poverty nor ingratitude of friends if I depend upon thee I am sure to want nothing I shall have riches friends peace plenty and joy in the Holy Ghost I shall have all contentment that can be imagined I beseech thee O Lord to mold and fashion mee as thou wouldest have mee to bee then shall I in prosperity remember that all I have comes from thee O God and shall alway be mindfull to give thee thanks for those blessings I enjoy And in adversity I shall humble my selfe under the mighty hand of thee O God and shall acknowledge that my sins have justly deserved those sufferings and shall patiently wait upon thee O Lord untill thou have mercy casting all my care upon thee who abundantly providest for all those that put their trust in thee MEDITAT XIII Meditations of the vanity of Pride O God when I consider what man is in himself what a poore fraile weake and miserable creature hee is not able so much as to thinke one good thought of himselfe much lesse to do any thing that is good it makes me wonder how hee can be proud or what hee should bee proud of Is it thy cloaths thou vaine man that puffe thee up to pride thou hast little or no cause for that for thou art beholding to the wormes and beasts of the field for them they are but the rags they cast off therefore thou hast no cause to bee proud of them Is it thy learning knowledge wit and memory or any other endowment Surely thou mayest not be prond of these for what hast thou that thou hast not received if thou hast received those things from God why dost thou boast Is it thy riches store of bags and great posessions thy honour beauty or person Alas poor man deceive not thy selfe for those things cannot last long this night thy soule may bee taken from thee and what art thou the better for those things which of necessity thou must leave behinde thee nay rather how much worse art thou by the possession of those things which thou hast imployed to thy owne destruction Now mayest thou clearly know and understand that thou hast no cause to be thus exalted and the Scripture saith That the beginning of Pride is when a man departeth from God if it be so what a miserable case art thou in for surely if thou leavest God he will leave thee and if he leave thee what joy or comfort canst thou have in thy garments wit or learning or in thy riches honour or beauty or in any other thing nay what discomforts shall attend thee when thou pondrest with thy selfe that thou art a lost man and hast forsaken thy God who is the fountaine of riches honour beauty peace and plenty and from whom commeth every good and perfect gift how sad will thy soule be when it is bereft of all heavenly comfort how fearfull will the very name of death bee unto thee when thou shalt consider that thy soule shall after this life remain in hell for ever being deprived of all hope of comfort unlesse thou repent Consider therefore these things thou proud man and humble thy selfe betimes cast away all vaine imaginations of Pride and serve thy God with feare and reverence with meeknesse and true sorrow for thy sinnes and then shalt thou bee happy both here and hereafter MEDITAT XIV Meditations of Summer and Winter O God I cannot but admire the wonderfull goodnesse of thy providence to us miserable sinners what care thou hast O my God to provide all things necessary and delightfull for us With what joy doe we welcome Summer after a cold Winter and certaine it is we are not able to live without it doe but see how many thousands of acres all growne with corne see all trees herbes flowers pasture and all manner of green things each striving to set forth other see the birds how sweetly they chirp and welcome both Spring and Summer with their warbling notes see how that glorious lampe the Sunne cheers all creatures with his bright beams how temperate and delightfull is the aire inviting every man to take the benefit of it in the sweet meadows bedecked with variety of flowers the pleasantnesse of this time is such that a man could wish it would last ever but on a sudden after all these comforts joyes profits and delights we forget them and him that sent them then comes in cold hoary Winter that bereaves us of these delights see how all things change their hew how dull and dead doe the trees meadows and all other things looke the discomfort is such that men are unwilling to behold them how sad and dull are the birds as if they had lost their quality of warbling how dead and dolefull doth every thing appeare to us how blacke and dungeon-like are the long and cold winter nights Methinks this sudden alteration should put us in minde of our prosperity and adversity how doe men flourish in prosperity having all things at will how do they abound in their great possessions of lands and houses having coyne at all times to purchase all the delights the world can afford and the ingratitude of these men is such that they forget him that gave it them then comes in the cold winter of adversity that changeth their hue and plungeth them into a world of dolours and griefs then how unwilling are they to appeare to the world hiding themselves like an Owle in a bush how sad and dejected are they for want of those things which heretofore they did abound in O God thou in
would not have made use of it You can hardly meet that holy Musitian David without either an Instrument in his hand or a Song in his mouth with which he played and sung praises to God as in the second of Samuel Chap. 6. And David and all the house of Israel played before the Lord on all manner of Instruments made of Fir-wood even on Harps Psalteries Timbrels Cornets and cymbals Surely had not Musick beene pleasing to God David durst not have plaied before him nay I am confident he would not and if God himselfe delights in this harmony of his creatures shall man whose breath is in his nostrils dispise that which the ever living God seems to delight in We may observe also that Musicke was used oft-times before the Arke of God and when the Prophets prophesied and usually before a deliverance and after And we may read in the first of Chron. the esteem that David had of Musicke and the Professors of it for he appointeth Musitians to attend continually on the Arke And in the the Booke of Psalmes hee dedicated three and fifty Psalmes to the Chiefe Musitian Ieduthun to the end he should compose on them skilfully And in Nehem. cap. 12. you may take notice that the Musitians builded them villages round about Ierusalem that they might be neare the City to praise the Lord. Nor is it unworthy our observation that when God had recovered King Hezekiah of a dangerous sicknesse neare unto death adding fifteene yeares to his life having also miraculously set the Sunne ten degrees backward for his sake he exprest his thankfulnesse to God in this Song of his The Lord was ready to save me therefore we will sing my Songs to the stringed instruments all the dayes of our life in the house of the Lord. See the 15 Chap. of Exodus how that after the Children of Israel were delivered out of the hands of Pharaoh and his hoste Then sang Moses and the Children of Israel this song unto the Lord and spake saying I will sing unto the Lord for he hath triumphed gloriously the horse and his rider hath he thrown into the sea c. And in the same Chapter And Miriam the Prophetesse the sister of Aaron toâ—ke a Timbrel in her hand and all the women went out after her with Timbrels and with dances And Miriam answered them Sing ye to the Lord for he hath triumphed gloriously the horse and his rider hath he throwne into the sea Likewise in the second of Chron. Chap. 15. The people entred into a covenant to seeke the Lord with all their heart and soule They sware unto the Lord with a loud voice and with shouting and with Trumpets and with Cornets I yet more admire when I read the second of Chron. Chap. 5. The Levites which were the singers all of them of Asaph of Heman of Ieduthun with their sons and their brethren being arrayed in white linnen having Cymbals and Psalteries and Harps stood at the East end of the Altar and with them an hundred and twenty Priests sounding with Trumpets And it came to passe as the Trumpets and singers were as one to make one sound to be heard in praysing and thanking the Lord and when they lift up their voyces with the Trumpets and Symbals and instruments of Musicke and praysed the Lord saying For he is good for his mercy endureth for ever that then the house was filled with a cloud even the house of the Lord. So that the Priests could not stand to minister by reason of the cloud for the glory of the Lord filled the house of God You see that God was pleased to grace this facred consort with the glory of his owne presence whereas had hee beene displeased they could not expect to have had more then Moses lot when he saw only the back parts of the Almighty Nay when we observe the poor Birds how they delight in chirping and warbling out their notes expressing their joy at the approach of the Spring as if God had sent them on purpose to tell us of the good tydings of a Summer neare at hand we must needs fancy that those pretty creatures by a naturall instinct are affected with Musick as being themselves the Choristers of the aire and we see that a bird though prisoner in a close cage cannot leave his nature but will imitate those sounds which are whistled to him and had not this bird beene naturally pleased with those noats whistled to him all the world could never have compelled him We see that irrationall creatures naturally love and are delighted with Musick and why should not man being indued with knowledge and understanding farre above all other creatures True it is the most commendable end of Musicke is the praise of God and very meet it is that Musicke should praise him whose gift it is My soule thou hast discovered the lawfull use and rare excellency of this Science now a while entertaine thy selfe with its manifold accommodations and benefits There is no law to be compared with Love nor any Art to the Art of Musick t is a refreshing to the minde oppressed with sorrowes the heart quickens the rest of the members and Musick that heart It is commendable I had almost said necessary for youth to exercise themselves in this divine Art for it fils the mind and affections with cleane thoughts and will not leave so much as one corner or cranee for unchaste imaginations so that the serious Practioners thereof are I may safely say at that instant of time not obnoxious to any sinne either in thought word or deed O my soule do thou ever love that which does resist sinne for it must needs bee of God Now some perhaps will object that Musick is hurtfull in regard of divers wanton and lascivious ditties but to this I deny that the Musick is hurtfull for take away those ditties and either sing or play those notes that were composed upon those ditties and you shall finde nothing but innocency and harmony in them now the fault is partly in the Poet and partly in the Musitian the fault on the Poets part is that hee contrives such wanton and idle words and on the Musitians part for composing on them And I confesse ingeniously that I could wish there were no roome for them in England also it is to bee wished that people of all sorts could sing their parts especially those that have ill ears for if you please to observe at the singing of Psalmes in the Church you shall heare such untunable voyces and such intollerable discords that no man or woman that hath well tuned voyces but are exceedingly displeased with it it being a hindrance to devotion And the Apostle saith Let all things be done decently and in order But sure I am there is no good soule but is pleased and delighted with harmony nay they must needs be so if they love their owne soule which it selfe is composed of harmony If all this cannot indeare