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A34693 Singing of Psalmes a Gospel-ordinance, or, A Treatise wherein are handled these particulars 1. Touching the duty itselfe, 2. Touching the matter to be sung, 3. Touching the singers, 4. Touching the manner of singing / by John Cotton ... Cotton, John, 1584-1652. 1650 (1650) Wing C6457; ESTC R37666 58,343 75

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entitle them by such names How then can you say that to sing the Prophecies of David doth not yet appeare to be a worship of God commanded or taught in holy writ As for our common manner of singing of them wee shall have occasion to speake to that hereafter Object 5. Davids Psalmes considered not as Scriptures divinely inspired but as spirituall Songs seeme to be appropriated to the Temple-worship 1. Because they are appointed to be sung by proper Officers and Musicall Instruments belonging to the Temple as appeareth by the Titles of severall Psalmes 2. Because neither Christ nor the Apostles in their writings used them at all otherwise then as the other writings of Moses and the Prophets for instruction and illustration teaching us how to use the same Those Psalmes therefore as Songs being proper to that service of the Temple are abolished with the Temple worship Answ. 1. Both these Reasons are too slender to confine Davids Psalmes to Temple-worship For 1. Though some of Davids Psalmes were appointed to be sung by the Officers and Musicall Instruments of the Temple yet not above one part of three considering the length of the 119. Psalme There be an hundred and fiftie Psalmes in all and of all these not above 57. are appointed to be sung by the Officers and Instruments of the Temple and Psalme 119. is none of them so that two parts of three are free from any expresse reference to the Temple 2. The matter of some Psalmes doth evidently argue they were not appointed to be sung alwayes in the Temple or at least did agree more properly to other times then those wherein the Temple stood The 74th Psalme which was a Psalme of Asaph but joyned with the Psalmes of David complained that the enemies had sent Gods Sanctuary into the fire as the Hebrew words be and had defiled by casting downe the dwelling place of hir Name to the ground ver. 7. The 44th Psalme though it was committed to the sonnes of Corah yet surely it was chiefly intended as Paul applieth part of it to the times of the New Testament For I suppose it could never be verified of any times of the Jewish Temple first or second that ever God gave up the people of Israel as sheepe for meate to be killed all the day to be appointed for the slaughter to be sore broken in the place of Dragons and covered with the shadow of death when as yet though all this evill was come upon them they had not forgotten their God nor dealt falsly in his Covenant nor their hearts turned backe nor their steps declined from his way ver. ●7 to 23. Paul indeed acknowledgeth this very word to be accomplished in the Saints of the Primitive Churches in the Apostles times Rom. 8.36 but where shall wee finde the like innocency with the like calamitie met together in the children of Israel whilest the Temple was standing And is it credible the Psalme was confined to be sung in the Temple where they could not sing it but with a sad reproofe to themselves for their discord in practise and yet forbidden to be sung in the Churches of the New Testament where in some ages at least they might sing it both with heart and voyce and practise all of them keeping holy concent and harmony together 3. It appeareth by the Titles of such Psalmes as are directed to the Officers and Instruments of the Temple-Musick That there was something typicall or rudimentall in the manner of singing some of the Psalmes of David and Asaph in the Temple-worship But this doth no more argue that the whole service of God in singing Davids Psalmes was typicall or rudimentall then it will argue prayer to be a typicall and Temple worship because prayer in the Temple was offered with Incense and so with the Temple and with the Incense to be abolished He that will make the Psalmes of David as they are songs to be types of the spirituall songs of the New Testament and therefore now the singing of them to be abolished He might as well say with Mr. Smith that the Letters in the Scriptures of the old Testament were typicall typing out the Law written in our hear●s and so abolish all reading of the holy Scriptures now in the dayes of the New Testament 4. As it hath been shewed above that singing of Psalmes with lively voyce is not a ceremoniall but a morall dutie and so continueth now in the dayes of the New Testament so it may be as truly said that the singing of Davids Psalmes and other Scripture-songs is in like sort not a ceremoniall but a morall dutie and so of like continuance in the New Testament The Psalmes of David and Asaph and the rest are as full of holy and lively spirituall and evangelicall meditations and affections Instruments prayers and praises as any that we can expect to be endited by any Officer or member of the Christian Churches now Yea it is to be feared that the Psalmes compiled by the devoutest Christians now would fall short of those of David and Asaph in spirit and life How then can we make the Psalmes of David and Asaph ceremoniall types of the spirituall songs of the faithfull in the New Testament when as types are wont to be more carnall and worldly and literall and lesse spirituall and lively then the antitypes But here the anti-types are lesse spirituall and lively then the types 5. As for that other Reason taken from the practise of Christ and his Apostles who in their writings never used the Psalmes of David for spirituall songs as the writings of Moses other Prophets for instruction and illustration this is of as small force as the former For 1. Writings are not a place or season for the use of spirituall songs Psalmes are to be used for songs in Church Assemblies and private Soliloques and Conferences not in Writings And yet so farre as Psalmes may be used for songs in writing Paul so used them in his Epistles written to the Ephesians and Colossians where he ●nstructeth both Churches ●nd in them all others to sing these Psalmes and Hymnes and spirituall Songs Amongst which these Psalmes of David and Asaph if the● be not principally intended yet surely they are plainly included or else they are neither the word of Christ nor are they Psalmes and Hymnes and spirituall Songs 2. It is not credible that Christ never used the Psalmes of David and Asaph for spirituall Songs For the use of those Psalmes for Songs was doubtlesse a part of Gods worship whilest the Temple stood And if Christ had neglected any part of that worship which was then in force how then did himselfe say That it became him to fulfill all righteousnesse Mat. 3.15 Besides many things Jesus did and said and so did the Apostles which are not written in the Gospel nor Acts nor Epistles Joh. 21.25 And yet this is said that he with his Disciples sung an Hymne Mat. 26.30 And Hymnes is the
and were choice Singers endued with choice though common singing gifts which made the service most beautifull as men call beauty But the melody of our Assembly compared with theirs hath no outward beauty in it So that if their melody were a Type of ours then the Type is more glorious then the Antitype which is a dishonour to Christ Answ. 1. It is no dishonour at all to Christ that the Type should be farre more beautifull and glorious to the outward man then the Antitype Solomon was a type of Christ and the Temple of Solomon was a type of his body and both Solomon himselfe and his Temple were farre more beautifull and glorious then Christ himselfe to the outward man Isa. 53.2 Yet this was no dishonour to Christ whose beautie and glory was so divine and heavenly in the inner man that all their outward beautie and glory were but dim and darke shadowes to it Answ. 2. Wee doe not say that their melody in the Temple which was made with voyces was a type of our melody made with our voyces and singing the same Psalmes of David and Asaph For though their Choristers were types of the whole Church and their instruments of Musicke were types of the inward affections of our hearts in singing forth the Praises of the Lord to the honour of his name to their own edification Answ. 3. Though their melody might be more beautifull and glorious to the outward appearance as being more artificiall and more musicall yet seeing the Spirit of Grace is more abundantly poured out in the New Testament then in the old if the holy Singers sing with more life and grace of the Spirit our melody is the more beautifull and glorious before the Lord and his spirituall Saints though theirs was more beautifull and glorious in the outward sence Answ. 4. Whether the Scribes and the Pharisees were any of them Musitians of the Temple endued with choice gifts and appointed to that office as you say though wee doe not know it yet neither will we deny it But this we dare say That if they were appointed to sing so now not any choice order of men but all the sonnes of men are commanded to Sing as well as to Pray as hath been shewed above Object 9. Where many sing together as in a great mixt Assembly many sing they know not what and they that doe know what they sing cannot but see that many of the Psalmes which they doe sing are not suitable to their own condition And how then can they sing such Psalmes as Songs of their own Answ. 1. The ignorance of men in discerning the true matter or the right manner of a Dutie doth not excuse them from performance of the Dutie we speake of such morall Duties as the morall Law of God and the Law of Nature requireth to be done What if a man know not what nor how to pray Yet that will not excuse him either from praying himselfe or from joyning with others that are better acquainted with prayer then himselfe So it is here what if many a man know not what nor how to sing to Gods Praise yet that will not excuse him either from singing himselfe or joyning with others that have more spirituall skill in that kinde then himselfe Answ. 2. It is an ignorance of a mans selfe and of the wayes of God to thinke that any Psalme is unsuitable to his own condition For every Psalme setteth forth either the attributes and works of God and his Christ and this yeeldeth me matter of holy reverence Blessing and Praise Or else it describeth the estate and wayes of the Church and People of God and this affecteth me with compassion instruction or imitation Or else it deciphereth the estate and wayes of the wicked and this holdeth forth to me a word of admonition Or else it doth lively expresse mine own affections and afflictions temptations and comforts and then it furnisheth me with fit matter and words to present mine own condition before the Lord But whatsoever the matter of the Psalme concerning God or his Christ the godly or the wicked my selfe or others the good or evill estate of one or other It ever ministreth fit matter and occasion to me of singing forth the Praises of the Lord since the Name of God is to be blessed in all whether it goe well or ill with our selves or others CHAP. X. Of the manner of Singing THe fourth and last head of Scruples remaineth touching the manner of Singing concerning which a threefold Scruple ariseth 1. Whether it be lawfull to sing Psalmes in Meeter devised by men 2. Whether in Tunes invented 3. Whether it be lawfull in Order unto Singing to reade the Psalme The two former of these Scruples because they stand upon one and the same ground may fitly be handled together The judgement of the Churches of Christ in these Points is doubtlesse sutable to their Practise That it is lawful to sing Psalms in English verses which runne in number measure and meeter and in such grave and melodious tunes as doe well befit both the holinesse and gravity of the matter and the capacity of the Singers A double ground or reason may be given hereof The former is this If it be lawfull to translate and turne the Hebrew Bible into English Prose in order to reading then it is lawfull also to translate and turne Davids Hebrew Psalmes and verse into our English Psalmes and Verse in order to Singing But the former of these is a confessed Truth and generally received amongst Protestants except onely Mr. Smith who had a s●ngular conceit in this Point That all Letters in the writings of the old Testament were typicall ●yping out the Law written in our hearts and therefore 〈◊〉 ●●ve all reading of the holy Scripture to be abolished under the New Testament But Christ himself commanded his Disciples to search the Scriptures Joh. 5.39 And how shal they search ●hem except they reade them And the noble Beraeans are commanded for searching the Scriptures in the examining of Pauls Doctrine Acts 17.11 12. which how could they have done without reading And wherefore did all the Apostles and Evangelists write the New Testament in Greeke a language of all more generally knowne then the Latine and therefore much more then any other in the world as Tully himselfe testifieth Pro Archiâ Poetâ was it not for this end that the New Testament might be read and generally understood of all Nations And where it was not understood there it might most easily be translated out of a language well knowne unto the severall language of every Nation And as for the old Testament it was translated to their hands out of the Hebrew into Greeke almost three hundred yeares before the Apostles times Yea wherefore did God commit the whole Counsell of his will and word to writing for the edification and salvation of all his people but that it might be read and understood of them all If then it