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A26830 The lawfulness and expediency of church-musick asserted in a sermon preached at St. Brides-Church upon the 22d. of November, 1693 being the anniversary meeting of gentlemen, lovers of musick / by Ralph Battell ... Battell, Ralph, 1649-1713. 1695 (1695) Wing B1149; ESTC R10687 9,816 28

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THE Lawfulness and Expediency OF Church-Musick ASSERTED IN A SERMON Preached at St. Brides-Church Upon the 22 d. of November 1693. BEING The Anniversary Meeting of Gentlemen Lovers of MUSICK By RALPH BATTELL Sub-Dean of Their Majesties Chapel-Royal Published at the Request of the Stewards LONDON Printed by J. Heptinstall for John Carr at the Middle-Temple-Gate in Fleetstreet 1694.5 Imprimatur Carolus Alston R. P. D. Hen. Episc Lond. à Sacris Jan. 16. 1693 4. Psalm 100. Ver. 1 2. Make a joyfull noise unto the Lord all ye Lands Serve the Lord with Gladness come before his Presence with Singing WE have in these Words a Direction how to behave our selves in the publick Worship of God and I have made Choice of them at this time to justify the Practice of our own Church in her laudable Use of Musick both Vocal and Instrumental in her solemn Assembles Which these two Expressions of making a joyfull Noise unto the Lord and coming before his Presence with Singing may be taken to import Or if the former be not so very plain here for Instruments of Musick as the latter is for Singing yet we need not doubt but it was intended because mention is made of them in so many other Psalms of David and particularly in the last Psalm That none may therefore henceforth go about to separate those two things which agree so very well together I will assert the Lawfulness yea the Fitness and great Expediency of both Vocal and Instrumental Musick in the Church during the solemn Worship of God there But because some have been heretofore scandalized at it and others may perhaps still remain scrupulous about it I will First Speak a few Words in proving that what was the Custom of Holy Men of Old and what is recommended to us by the Sacred Scriptures and what was so early in Use in the Christian Church must needs be lawfull notwithstanding all the Objections or Cavils that have been brought to the contrary Secondly I will also endeavour to shew that this Practice is not only barely lawfull but also highly advantageous and greatly available towards the more magnificent and solemn Worship of God That Musick has in it a natural Propriety to excite and heighten Devotion will in some measure appear from the very Customs of the Heathen who did always use it in their Religious Rites Now even these had some Light together with their Darkness and were in the Right concerning a Religious Worship to be paid somewhere though in the wrong as to its object and did well to make their Religious Entercourses appear august and solemn though they were ignorant of the Statutes and Ordinances of the God of Israel Now Homer one of the ancientest Heathen Writers gives us an account that the Greeks celebrated the Praises of their Gods and Heroes upon the Harp Others tell us how the Phrygians worshipped Cybelle with the Drum and the Egyptians Isis with the Timbrel And the third Chapter of Daniel enforms us that the Cornet Flute Harp Sackbut Psaltery Dulcimer and all kinds of Musick were used amonst those Eastern Nations in the Worship of their Idols The Latines had also their Tibicines or Players upon Wind-Musick upon whom they set a great Value and granted to them many Priviledges because they were assistant at their holy Rites Now although these Examples alone would not be throughly material to our Purpose yet when in the Sacred Scriptures we also find Holy men in the Church of God recommending approving and practising these things we may safely from thence conclude that even these Customs in the Heathen were not any Corruption of their Hearts or Delusion of Satan's but a Remnant of that natural Light and natural Religion which was still left in them and taught them to imitate what by divine Impulse and Inspiration was at first taught the Children of God and afterwards by the Ordinance of his Prophets and religious Kings was continued and established amongst them The first mention that is made of this thing in the Scripture upon a Religious account is before the Law was given from Mount Sinai when Miriam the Prophetess the Sister of Aaron to celebrate the Deliverance out of Egypt took a Timbrel in her hand and went forth with her women with Timbrels to accompany the Song of Moses Exod. 15. 20. After that we read in 1 Sam. 10. 5. of a Company of Prophets who were met by Saul coming down from the high place with a Psaltery and a Tabret and a Pipe and a Harp before them while they prophecied and sang praises to God In Conclusion we read in 1 Chron. 15. 16. That David the King appointed singers with Instruments of Musick to welcom home the Ark at its return from the Philistines that he also composed a Psalm upon that occasion and left there before the Ark of the covenant of the Lord Asaph and his brethren to minister before the Ark continually as every days work required as we read 1 Chron. 16. 37. And this was the first establishment of the thing that we read of This Custom when afterwards in the Reigns of evil Kings it had been neglected Hezekiah in his good Reign restored as we find in 2 Chron. 29. 25. And he set the Levites in the house of the Lord with Cymbals with Psalteries and with Harps according to the commandment of David and of Gad the Kings Seer and Nathan the Prophet for so was the commandment of the Lord by his Prophets To proceed yet on Isaiah an inspired man and a Prophet sung to his well beloved a song of his beloved touching his vineyard Isaiah 5. 1. The three Children sang a Hymn of Praise when they were cast into the fiery Furnace and had that great Miracle wrought for their Deliverance The Prophet Habakkuk in lofty Strains composed in just Measure and fitted for the Skill of Musick asswaged the publick Grief foretelling the acceptable day of the Lord and the compleat triumphs of Christs passion Yea all the Prophets saith St. Ambrose cantaverunt spiritualibus modulis c. they sang forth the Oracles of divine Redemption in spiritual Hymns and in melancholy Dirges lamented the hard-heartedness of their own Country-men the Jews In the New Testament we read that our Saviour sang a Hymn with his Disciples a little before his Passion Matth. 26. 30. And even in his highest Agony upon the Cross he recited a part of one of the Psalms of David Psal 22. 1. My God my God why hast thou forsaken me Paul and Silas sang in Prison at Midnight Acts 16. 25. And the Visions of S. John do represent the Manners of the Church and even in Heaven they sing the Song of Moses and of the Lamb Rev. 15. 3. All Antiquity does agree in this matter acquainting us that this was the constant practice of the Primitive Christians Profane Authors together with Sacred joyntly attesting it Of the first kind we have Pliny the younger who when he had enquired into