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	doctrine_n	word_n	3,266	5	3.9423	3	false

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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A93244	A sermon preached at Bridgwater in Somersetshire, July the 17th, 1700, at the opening of the organ lately erected there by John Shuttleworth ...	Shuttleworth, John, 1670 or 71-1750.	1700 (1700)	Wing S3717A; ESTC R43740	17,045	35

like the purely Jewish they are not imposed as Duties in their own nature binding but enjoined for the sake of their fitness to promote those Affections which should be in every Christians Breast while lei serving his God And I dare say as the observance of them is no way difficult to any and the number of them but barely sufficient to render our Service decent and orderly and to preserve it from dryness and barrenness so there is not one of our Institutions which hath not a natural tendency to excite our Affections suitably or which cannot plead substantial Reasons for its appointment To sum up all our Ordinances are not Jewish because we have nothing in them peculiar to that State nor Popish because we have none but what are of good use and because we ascribe no Superstitious Efficacy to the external performance of them neither are they contrary to the simplicity of Christian Worship because by reason of their fewness they do not distract the Mind and by reason of their suitableness to excite religious Affections they further Piety in the Heart Neither are they additions to the Word or Doctrins such as our Saviour spake against Matth. 15.9 because we ascribe no Grace to the outward performance of them as the Pharisees did to the washing Cups Pots and the like nor do we impose them as divine Precepts nor do they contradict any Command of God as the Traditions of the Pharisees did upon which our Saviour in the forecited-place pronounced In vain do they worship me teaching for Doctrins the Commandments of Men. Therefore they are not such Doctrins no these are such pious Constitutions of our Rulers in obedience to the Apostle's Precept and our own Reason as our Lord himself in compliance with Jewish Customs observed such as the singing a Paschal Hymn after the Passover Mark 14.26 using the Cup of Charity in the Passover Luke 22.16 Which was no part of the Institution and therefore if we will imitate Christ we must comply with such Institutions too Nay we have a Command to Submit to every Ordinance of Man for the Lord's sake 1 Pet. 2.13 And I know no Scripture that makes an exception of such Ordinances as relate to the administration of Divine Service or outward discipline in the Church nor doth Reason suggest an exception unless of such as tend to advance Superstition and the like and therefore I cannot see what excuse they can have who refuse to submit to such pious Ordinances as our Church prescribes I heartily beg those who are averse to our Communion not only to consider the danger of Schism which they are highly guilty of notwithstanding the Tolleration but the Reason and Ground of all our Constitutions and then I Question not but many will see their Error for I am very apt to believe that the cause why most dissent from us is because they do not acquaint themselves with the design of our Ordinances and so are ignorant of their agreeableness to the Solemnity of publick Worship Thus I have read of one Capito a famous Pastor in Bremen who was accustomed to inveigh most strangly against Organs calling them the Devils Pipes but afterwards when the Magistrates of the Place had erected an Organ in his Church then did he extol them as much calling their Musick Heavenly Angelical Melody and what not Now I ascribe his former Prejudice against Organs to his Ignorance of the Power and Insluence of them as in like manner I ascribe the Prejudices of those among us who are Enemies to them and our other Constitutions to their ignorance of their usefulness Oh! what an Happiness would it be if we were all of one Mind if there were no Divisions among us but that we did with one Mind and one Mouth glorifie God even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ as the Apostle prays Rom. 15-6 But alas this cannot be expected till Men can resolve to reject their prejudices and pevish humors till they are convinced that as it is the duty of every one to prevent Division and Faction as much as in them lies and to endeavour sincerely after Unity so there is no possibility of effecting this except they can humbly submit to the determination of Rulers in matters relating to outward Order and Discipline in the Church comply with customary Rites and patiently enquire into the Reason of Things except they can think themselves may be mistaken in their Judgment when some things seem unfit for the ends they are design'd and that however their Duty is to submit to all the Ordinances of Man which are not breaches of God's Law in regard the Apostle commands it and also in regard by doing otherwise they shall disturb the Peace of the Church which every one is bound to promote The Apostle saith * 1 Thes 5.21 Try all things and hold fast to that which is good and how shall we try not by our own Fancies and Humors but by the Word of God according as we find the Bereans did try the Doctrin of Paul and Silas Acts 17.11 And the Scriptures though they do not in particular prescribe our Constitutions nor indeed the Rites of any Society of Christians in the World which hath the fewest yet do they in general prescribe Decencies as I shewed before command Obedience to the Injunctions of Superiors and expresly mention many Constitutions lawfully introduced by the Jews which Moses never appointed nor God to whom it was altogether as unlawful to ordain Things in the Service of God as it is to us and farther the Scriptures mightily set forth the Duty of Unity and the danger of Schism all which being weighed and considered impartially who can conclude but that our Governors are enjoined even from the Word of God to prescribe such Ordinances as they have and that we also from the fame Word are bound to submit to them Then what remains But that every one be careful to preserve the Unity of the Spirit in the Bond of Peace that they frequent our Assemblies and comply with our Ordinances attending to the true End and Design of them that so our Hearts may be affected agreeably as they ought to be that so we may serve God with one Accord in one Place be of one Mind have true Fellowship with Christ and with one another and be enclosed in that one Fold over which there is one Shepherd Jesus Christ our only Lord and Saviour Grant good God by the influence of thy Grace that this Mind may be in us all through the Merits of Christ Jesus to whom with the Father and the Holy Ghost be ascribed all Power and Glory now and for ever Amen FINIS

are composed is to be imputed to the natural efficacy of it * See more Dowell p. 17. and on So the Venemous biting of the Tarantula an Italian Spider is said to be cured by the Application of certain Musical Notes And this is undoubted that hardly any thing doth more strongly charm and delight the Mind than this doth as wise Men in all Ages have found and testified and besides when suitable Harmony is adapted to well composed Words it imprints them the more upon the Mind and doth both add a force and grace to the Words and also receive from them a greater Power of moving the Spirits than otherwise it would have And hence it is that the lofty Strains of Poetry when expressed in melodious Songs do so mightily delight and affect us But that which above all doth recommend Musick to us is the suitableness of the best sort of it to exalt our Affections in the Worship of God and to raise our Souls to such a degree of Love Reverence and Admiration in our Praises of the Divine Being as few Things else are able to do And this Power it appears to have not only from the experience of most Men but because the Holy Scriptures both of the Old and New Testament do prescribe it for which no other Reason can be given but that it is helpful to advance Devotion As to mention only Proofs from the New Testament the words of my Text so Col. 3.16 Teaching and admonishing one another in Psalms and Hymns and spiritual Songs singing with Grace in your Hearts to the Lord. So Jam. 5.13 Is any one merry let him sing Psalms But because there are two sorts of Musick viz. Vocal and Instrumental and the New Testament speaks only of Singing as is thought by some therefore an Opinion is spread abroad that Instrumental Musick is by no means to be admitted in the Service of God wherefore I shall in the prosecution of this Discourse shew 1. That Instrumental Musick is not only lawful but commendable in the Worship of God 2. I shall answer some Objections which are brought against it 3. I shall make an Improvement of what hath been said I begin with the First to shew that Instrumental Musick is not only lawful but commendable in the Worship of God This may be very probably argued from the Words of my Text because those Psalms which the Apostle exhorts Christians to sing are the same which the Jews were wont to sing to Musical Instruments in their daily Service and it may be reasonably concluded that as we are to imitate the Jews in singing them so we may also follow their example in applying Instruments thereto Otherwise I cannot see how the Apostles can avoid the censure of omitting a most necessary Caution in not forbidding us to imitate the Jews in this particular since they prescribed an imitation of them in singing a Thing so near a kin to it and also in regard Man's own Reason is apt to suggest the thing to be very fit to be so applied as appears by the general approbation of it by so many Nations in their Worship of God and by all Men but those whose prejudiced Minds and foul Constitutions encline them to think that God is to be pleased with nothing but what is Rigid and Austere 2. As it cannot be denied but that Instrumental Musick was very lawful in the Worship of the Jews because it was appointed by God's Prophets and by David who was a Man after God's own Heart and because it appears God approved of it by commanding it to be restored in Hezekiah's time according to the Pattern of David c. 2 Chron. 29.25 So from hence doth it follow that it is very lawfully to be used in our Worship because we are to prosecute the same end which the Jews were when they made use of it viz. to praise God with exalted Minds and why we may not use the same means to advance that end since it is every whit as powerful in its own nature now to promote it as it was then cannot well be surmised And I think if any one should say the nature of Instrumental Musick were changed since that time or that the good effect of it in the Jewish Service were owing more to an extraordinary Grace God was pleased to conjoyn with it than to its natural Power * See more Dodwell Sect. 11. he would seem like one that was put to his shift There are some ends indeed which the Jews were obliged to prosecute and we are not as to typifye the Death of Christ by a bloody representation and as these ends are abolished so in all reason the means too viz. sacrificing living Creatures upon which act it happens that there is not the same reason for retaining Sacrificing as there is for retaining Instrumental Musick whose end will always remain Again some of the Jewish Institutions were Conveyances of Grace and spiritual Benefits like our Sacraments not by their own native tendency but by a special Power superadded to them under the old Dispensation which now in all reason are abolished too because we have no proof that God will concur with them in that extraordinary manner he did heretofore To this purpose did Circumcision serve and also the bloody Sacrifices according to which the Apostle saith They which eat of the Sacrifices are partakers of the Altar * 1 Cor. 10-18 Now as for Instrumental Musick besides that we do not use it as a means of conferring Grace extraordinarily there is no colour of reason to be brought that ever it was so used among the Jews seeing there is not one Word in either the old or New Testament or in the Writings of the Jewish Doctors to that purpose and seeing its natural efficacy to stir up the Mind religiously doth therefore afford so easie an account of its establishment as is to exalt Mens Minds and Devotion Neither can Instrumental Musick be thought a meer Type because no Reason can be brought to prove it so unless grounded upon very slender Suppositions which will equally prove singing of that nature and which doth appear very improbable when put in the ballance against that which makes its natural Conduciveness to promote pious affections the cause of its establishment But 3. If Instrumental Musick notwithstanding were a Type heretofore yet since it is effectual to promote the same end which singing is and in the same manner and besides to render the singing more powerful to advance what it is appointed for then why should not this be as fit to be introduced as that Certainly there can no reason be given since the Church hath both a Command and a Power to ordain whatsoever is to edification in the external Worship of God as may be proved by Reason and Scripture and will be shewed in my Answer to the Objections For upon the Supposition tho' the Apostle mentions Singing and not the other yet that can make no difference as