Selected quad for the lemma: scripture_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
scripture_n	according_a	church_n	know_v	2,412	5	4.1976	3	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A63010	A sermon concerning vocal and instrumental musick in the church as it was delivered in the parish church of St. Andrew Undershaft, upon the 31th of May, 1696, being Whit-Sunday, and the day wherein the organ there erected was first made use of / by Gabriel Towerson.	Towerson, Gabriel, 1635?-1697.	1696 (1696)	Wing T1974; ESTC R18086	14,209	32

Translation here renders it 3. What he meant by singing and making melody in their Heart to the Lord. 4. Of what use such a Singing and making Melody is and particularly in the present case 5. What is to be thought of that Singing and making Melody which is attended with Musical Instruments 1. That which is first to be enquir'd into with respect to the present Exhortation is what St. Paul meant by Psalms and Hymns and Spiritual Songs That is to say whether he meant so many different sorts of Songs and if he did so what those sorts of Songs are I must needs say that I cannot think St. Paul made use of so many words to express one and the same thing And I think as little that he was so curious as other Men think he was in distinguishing them For which last cause I must alike say that Beza's (a) Annot. in Col. 3.16 distinction of them seems to me to be more nice than well grounded when he makes St. Paul to understand by Psalms all sorts of Songs whatsoever their Argument be as it is certain those of David were of many By Hymns Songs of Praise and by 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or Spiritual Songs such as were of a more Artificial Composition For beside that it is plain from the Argument that I am now upon that our Apostle is here entreating of the matter of Joy and no other Songs therefore to be here understood but Songs of Praise or such as have an affinity with them I do not see why Hymns as well as Odes may not pass for Songs of an Artificial Composition and Odes therefore no more than Hymns to appropriate that Notion to themselves I rather think that when St. Paul exhorted these Men to speak to themselves in Psalms and Hymns and Spiritual Odes or Songs his meaning was that they should speak to one another and to God either in such Songs as were taken out of the Scripture and particularly out of the Book of Psalms or in such Songs as were of their own or other Private Mens Composition by what Names soever known or distinguished and particularly by those of Hymns and Odes According to that known distinction of Tertullian (b) Apolog. cap. 39. where he speaks of the usual Singing in the Antient Church To wit that as any Man was able to sing either out of the Holy Scriptures or of his own Composition he was invited into the midst of their Assembly to do it to entertain the rest or rather to be their Praecontor unto God And indeed than this sort of Singing there is nothing more known in the Church even from the very beginning of it For there is mention in that so well known Epistle of Pliny (c) Lib. 10. ep 97. to Trajan of their Singing upon the day of their Assemblies a Song or Hymn to Christ as God As in like manner elsewhere (d) Euseb Eccl. Hist lib. 5. cap. 28. of other the like Hymns which were fram'd by the Brethren from the beginning and from which Paulus Samosatenus (e) Euseb ibid. lib. 7. c. 30. took occasion to introduce others of his own Composition but which were more in honour of himself than of Christ 2. But to go on to that which is next in order even what St. Paul meant by speaking to themselves in them according as our Translation hath rendred it but which ought rather to have been rendred among themselves or to one another That being not only the signification of the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in several other places of Scripture and particularly Eph. 4.31 but more agreeable too to the design of all Publick Devotions which though not without an eye to the Private Benefit of every one that useth them yet are more especially intended for a mutual stirring up one another to that Spirit wherewith the whole ought to be attended According to that parallel place of St. Paul to the Colossians (f) Col. 3.16 and where though the same Greek 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is used yet it is rendred even by our selves teaching and admonishing one another in Psalms and Hymns and Spiritual Songs singing with Grace in their Hearts to the Lord. And stands farther confirmed by that as known place of the Authour to the Hebrews (g) Heb. 10.25 where he dehorts from the forsaking of their common Assemblies because opposing to it on the one hand their considering one another and provoking unto Love and to good Works as on the other the Exhorting of one another Both the one and the other of which shew what is the principal end of Christian Assemblies or rather that Mens inciting one another to a kind of Contention in Devotion is 3. Which supposed we may proceed to enquire what is in like manner meant by Singing and making Melody in the Heart to the Lord. A thing not difficult for those to guess at who shall but remember that St. Paul doth not only invite Men upon this occasion to Psalms and Hymns and Spiritual Songs both here and in the forequoted place to the Colossians but in this place to speak among themselves or rather to one another in them and in the other to teach and admonish one another by them For that is enough to shew that by Singing and making Melody in the Heart cannot be meant a meer internal praising of God because that is a sort of Melody which can be heard by none but God and cannot therefore be supposed to have an influence upon any other But either as Chrysostome (h) In locum 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 hath well glossed it causing the attention of the Mind to go along with the Voice or both that and the Affection to accompany it As without which Men will have no more share in the Praises of God than those Musical Instruments which attend their Singing or at best sing rather to themselves than unto God And indeed were it not for a certain peevishness of Mind or rather a resolution in some Persons to go cross to all that went before them such Expressions as Singing and making Melody in the Heart could not ever be look'd upon as in the least excluding the Melody of the Voice but rather as supposing or connoting it I say not only because that is the known and usual sense of the words that are made use of to express it But because we learn from St. James (i) James 3.9 that the Tongue was made to bless God as well as the Heart and from St. Paul (k) Rom. 10.10 that as with the heart men believe unto righteousness so with the mouth confession is made unto salvation And how much it may contribute both to the one and the other will appear if we consider 4. Of what use such a Singing and making Melody may be and particularly a to the matter of Joy the next thing to be enquir'd into Now that we shall find to be 1. First It s composing