Whether you will assert that meerly natural Worship without Gospel-Institutions and Qualifications for that which is Legal and Ceremonial is done away will please God and ought to be exercised in his Gospel-Church Or 3. Do you say that the acceptable manner of praising God in his Gospel-Church for that is the chiefest Point in question is discovered and warranted to us both from the Light of Nature and Divine Revelations and Gospel-Institutions and so because you have no Warrant from either of them for your Practice of formal Singing together do you shuffle between them both If you say that your Practice of singing Praises to God in his Church is a constant Ordinance by Divine Revelation and Institution only then you cannot pretend to the Practice of it from the Law or Instinct of Nature and if you found it on the Law of Nature only then you bring it into the Gospel-Church without regard being had to the Tenor of the Gospel which is that as God is a Spirit so they that worship him must worship in Spirit and in Truth as Christ saith The Hour cometh and now is Joh. 4.23 24. when the true Worshippers shall worship the Father in Spirit and in Truth for the Father seeketh such to worship him Which is not to be understood of worshipping in our natural Spirits only For the Apostle saith Rom. 8.8 26 27. that they that are in the Flesh cannot please God But ye are not in the Flesh but in the Spirit if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you Now if any Man have not the Spirit of Christ he is none of his And that the Spirit also helpeth our Infirmities for we know not what we should pray for as we ought but the Spirit it self maketh intercession for us with Groanings which cannot be uttered And we are commanded to pray always with all Prayer and Supplication in the Spirit Ephes 6.18 And to pray in the Holy Ghost and to be filled with the Spirit Chap. 5.18 19. speaking to your selves in Psalms and Hymns and Spiritual Songs And I will pray with the Spirit 1 Cor. 14.15 and I will sing with the Spirit And the Apostle saith in his Epistles to the Romans and Galatians Rom. 8.15 Because ye are Sons God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your Hearts crying Abba Father And ye have received the Spirit of Adoption Gal. 4.6 whereby we cry Abba Father So that Gospel-Prayer and Singing is in with and by the help of the Holy Spirit And therefore if no regard be had to Gospel-Institutions and Qualifications for Prayer Singing but that they are to be practised from the Law Light or Instinct of Nature only then such Prayer and Singing so perform'd can't be part of Gospel-Worship nor should they be knowingly suffered in any Gospel-Church For the design of God in erecting the Gospel-Church was that he might have a Spiritual House 1 Pet. 2.5 9. an Holy Priesthood to offer up spiritual not natural Sacrifices acceptable to God by Jesus Christ Moreover if Singing and Prayer are put together and performed by you as spiritual Duties why do you not follow the spiritual Rule and plain Gospel-Order for Singing as well as Prayer And if you put them together as natural Duties from the Law or Instinct of Nature only without regard being had to Divine Institutions and Qualifications it is the ready way to bring the World by Shoals into the Gospel-Church and so to turn it by major Votes which is no argument of Truth into a natural Church-state And it also opens a wide door for Forms of Prayer as well as for Forms of Singing for if the Practice of both are alike from the Law of Nature and Singing be performed in stinted precomposed Forms what reason can you render why such Forms of Prayer should not be used as well as such Forms of Singing But if Singing and Prayer are not put together by you as founded alike on the Law of Nature how can you demonstrate their Essences to be from the different Principles of Nature and Grace when true Gospel spiritual Singing is from the Fountain of the Holy Spirit as well as Prayer and preserve the Gospel-Church from the Confusion of apparently-known natural and spiritual Persons in having full Communion together if natural Worship meerly as such should be allowed therein Farthermore what Scripture-Grounds and Reasons can you render when you perform Prayer according to Gospel-Order in the Church with a single Voice by one at once in subjection to the Rule of Christ 1 Cor. 14.26 to 34. though Prayer is not expresly mentioned therein wherefore you do reject the Psalm expresly named and annexed with other Gifts unto the Rule from coming under the Order of it And what can you say to the Practice of Womens vocal Singing in the Church when it is so directly against the plain and positive Command of Christ To conclude this Epistle to you it highly concerns you to consider whether your practice of Singing or what I have herein asserted in this Treatise 1 Cor. 3.12 13 14 15. Rom. 2.16 can stand our Trial at the Day of Jesus Christ when both you and I shall appear before him and receive our Loss or Gain according to the Gospel And therefore that the Lord would graciously awaken you and convince you of your Error which I am perswaded that one day or other you will be made ashamed of and pardon your Sin and Injury to the Church of Christ therein and prevent your building of Hay and Stubble on the true Foundation and make you an Instrument of his Glory and his Peoples Comfort as it hath been my earnest Prayers to God for you so I desire in Love and Faithfulness to continue I. M. The CONTENTS of the Brief DISCOURSE or the First Part. 1. A Brief Exposition of Ephes 5.18 19. Col. 3.16 1 Cor. 14.26 Page 5 2. Of the Essence or Being of Singing Page 5 3. Of David's Psalms Page 9 4. Of Precomposed Songs and Hymns Page 15 5. Of Womens Singing Page 21 6. Of the Order of Singing Page 22 7. Objections answered 1. Of Moses Deborah and Barak's Singing Page 24 2. Of Musick used by the Prophets in Saul's Time Page 25 3. That Musick and Singing was an Institution to continue till Temple-Worship was made void is no Argument to prove that Gospel-Singing should continue in constant use from the Primitive Church till the second Coming of Christ Page 26 4. To Isa 52.8 9. Page 28 5. To Matth. 26.30 Page 29 6. To Acts 16.25 Page 32 7. To Ephes 5.19 Page 33 8. Of Wicked Mens praying and singing Praises Page 36 9. That true Believers having cause to praise God is no proof that they must constantly sing his Praise in his Worship Page 38 10. That Formal Prayer and Singing under the Law is no Argument for such under the Gospel Page 43 11. That Prayer and consequently Singing are of the same Nature under the Gospel as
of Christ in offering your Praises to God contrary to his own appointed Way therein you do worship God in vain and I fear it will be said of you as it was to him that offered the Thank-offering under the Law Levit. 7.11 to 19. which was to be eaten on the first and second Days and if any of the Flesh of the Sacrifice of his Peace or Thank-offering were eaten at all on the third Day that it shall not be accepted neither shall it be imputed unto him that offereth it it shall be an Abomination and that Soul shall bear his Iniquity 5thly and lastly It is the Duty of all and of every individual Christian studiously to judg of the Doctrine delivered to them whether it be of Man or of God and to conform to the Authority of the Holy Scripture as the noble Bereans did Acts 17.10 11. who searched the Scriptures daily whether those things preached by Paul and Silas were so or no. And I am perswaded that it is for want of Zeal and Love to the Truths of Christ and through that slothful and idle Spirit attending so many Christians that the Errors of Men do so prevail But to leave what I have said I do beseech you courteous Reader christianly to overlook that Weakness you may espy in my Delivery and seriously to take notice not so much of that as of the main of this Subject without straining my Words beyond the drift and design of the body of my Discourse and to consider that the Authority of the Holy Scriptures is repugnant to such formal and customary Singing herein mentioned and treated of not with any Design to move Controversies or trouble others but to prevent the Divisions that possibly may arise amongst our selves through the Endeavours of some Persons to promote this Error in our Churches And as I hope the Lord hath engaged my Heart herein so he will bless my poor Endeavours to settle the Minds of my wavering Brethren and to prevent any farther Incroachments of this Error which hath been so generally rejected by us for many Years FINIS ERRATA Page 45. line 8. for formerly read formally P. 47. near the end in Margent add the Text Luke 4.17 c. ADVERTISEMENT There is now coming forth a Book intitled A Treatise of the Holy Trinunity in two Parts The First asserteth the Deity of Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit in the Vnity of Essence with God the Father The Second in Defence of the former answereth the chiefest Objections made against this Doctrine By J. M. Chap. I. THE Case is briefly stated Chap. II. Sheweth that there is but one God the Creator and Former of all things Chap. III. Asserteth a Plurality of Divine Subsistences Chap. IV. Of the Father Chap. V. Proveth the Deity of our Lord Jesus Christ 1. By his Names 2. That God in the Old Testament in divers Places is Christ in the New 3. By seven particular Texts of Holy Scriptures 4. That Christ pre-existed his Incarnation in his Divine Nature and is no Angel incarnate but is Coeternal with the Father 5. His Deity is proved by his Works And 6. By Divine Worship given to him Chap. VI. Proveth the Deity of the Holy Ghost 1. That he is a Person 2. His Deity is asserted from several Texts of Scripture 3. By his Works 4. By Divine Worship given to him Chap. VII Proveth the Unity of the Holy Trinity Chap. VIII Containeth some Explications of the Holy Trinunity 1. Of the essential Being of God 2. Of the Divine Persons the Father the Son and the Holy Spirit 3. Of the Distinctions of the Divine Nature and the Persons and some Shadows by way of Comparison of the incomparable and inconceivable Being of God and of the Union of Christ's two Natures PART II. Chap. I. Answereth Objections against the Scriptural Proofs of Christ's Deity Chap. II. Answers to Objections drawn from several Texts of Scriptures Chap. III. Answers to several Arguments against the Deity of Christ Chap. IV. Answers to several Objections against the Scriptures that prove the Deity of the Holy Ghost Chap. V. Answers to some Objections drawn from divers Scriptures to disprove the Deity of the Holy Spirit Chap. VI. Answers to some Scriptures from whence our Adversaries assert that the Father only is the true God With a general Answer and Conclusion Price bound one Shilling AN APPENDIX TO THE FORMER DISCOURSE Concerning SINGING in the Worship of GOD in the Gospel-Church IN the former Part of my Discourse on this Subject I laid a Foundation according to the proportion of Faith which I received from the Light of the holy Scriptures and have asserted something of the nature manner and order of Singing agreeable to the Dispensations of the Mind and Will of God unto his People both under the Old and New Testaments And finding my self concerned in the defence of the Truth of Christ which some have erred from in their practice of formal Singing I shall farther treat on this Subject for the better clearing of it from divers things that lie in the way of some Christians establishment in the Truth SECT I. 1. I Shall premise That to praise God or praising of God is not confined to Songs of Praise but that there are other ways and manners of praising God than with such melodious Singing as in Psal 145.10 All thy Works shall praise thee O Lord and thy Saints shall bless thee and in Psal 148. throughout the whole Creation is required to praise God for he commanded and they were created Their very Being and Subsistence and the order of Nature is a Praise to the glorious Wisdom and Power of God And David saith Psal 50.23 Whoso offereth Praise glorifieth me viz. God And as praising God is glorifying honouring and magnifying of him so also is glorifying God often put for the same as praising of him which in the following Scriptures do also differ from that of Singing as in Mat. 21.16 where the Children crying Hosanna to the Son of David that is Save now is by Christ called Praise and Luke 19.37 The whole Multitude of the Disciples began to rejoyce and praise God saying Blessed be the King that cometh in the Name of the Lord Peace in Heaven and Glory in the Highest And this praising God and Glory in the Highest is in Matthew and Mark said to be crying Hosanna to the Son of David Hosanna in the highest And Luke 18.43 And immediately he received his Sight and followed him glorifying God and all the People when they saw it gave Praise unto God And Acts 3.8 9. The lame Man walking and leaping praised God And also Thanking 2 Cor. 4.15 chap. 9.11 to end Phil. 4.16 chap. 1.3 4. 1 Thes 1.2 Phil. 1.4 is glorifying or praising God which is by the ordinary Gift of the Spirit always to be mixt with Prayer as Paul did making mention of the Saints with Thanksgiving always in every Prayer and therefore as God is thus praised
Worship whereby the Gifts of the Holy Spirit were to be appointed otherwise to be exercised in his Church so we should rather conclude that because Christ did sing if it could be proved as it cannot who had the Spirit without measure and because the primitive Gospel-Churches had the special Gift of Singing that therefore we might also sing in the publick Worship of God or at the Supper after the same Order with a single Voice if we had the sufficient Gift of the holy Spirit for it But to affirm that because Christ did sing at that Ordinance if it were so as it is not to be proved that he did and because that Singing was used in the primitive Church therefore it is binding on us now as a constant Ordinance is to bind us to the constant use of that Gift of the Holy Spirit we never had SECT III. I Come now to discourse of that which I find is made the greatest Plea for such vocal Singing together and that is say they It is commanded by Christ in the New Testament and therefore we must practise it in the constant Worship of God And that I may the better remove this grand Obstacle of the Truth as they make it in not understanding the true Nature and Intentment of Christ's Command concerning Singing I shall premise two things 1. That such Spiritual Singing as was used in the Primitive Apostolical Church was from a special Gift of the Holy Spirit 2. That the Gifts of the Holy Spirit were not given alike to every particular Member of the Church of Christ for publick Worship First It is evident that such Spiritual Singing as was used in the Primitive Apostolical Church was from a special Gift of the Holy Spirit Gal. 5.22 1 Joh. 2.27 Isa 61.3 Eph. 1.14 Rom. 5.2 For as the Grace of Joy is a Fruit of the Spirit and as God had promised the Oil viz. the Spirit of Joy for Mourning so the primitive Church had some Earnests of it and did rejoice in hope of the Glory of God and through the abundance of the Spirit wherewith she was baptized her Ministers delivered the Word of God in extraordinary ways and manners viz. by Prophesy Tongues and melodious Singing which I shall here demonstrate was also a special Gift of the Holy Spirit for after the Apostle had exhorted the Corinthians to covet earnestly the best Gifts and to desire Spiritual Gifts 1 Cor. 12.31 chap. 14 1 13 14 15 16 17. and to seek that they might excel to the edifying of the Church and that he that spake in an unknown Tongue should pray that he might interpret for if saith he I pray in an unknown Tongue my Spirit prayeth but my Vnderstanding is unfruitful He mentions Prayer and Singing saying What is it then I will pray with the Spirit and I will pray with the Vnderstanding also I will sing with the Spirit and I will sing with the Vnderstanding also Else when thou shalt bless with the Spirit how shall he that occupieth the room of the unlearned say Amen at thy giving of Thanks seeing he understandeth not what thou sayest From whence I observe that as the Saints of Corinth were moved by the Apostle to covet after the best Gifts so it is evident that both the Prayer and Singing here mentioned were from the special and excellent Gifts of the Holy Spirit for as the strange Tongues and the Interpretations of them which were then given to the Gospel-Church were from the extraordinary Gifts of the Spirit so this Prayer and Singing with the Spirit and with the Understanding also being with the Inspiration of strange Tongues and from the extraordinary Gift of Interpretations of them delivered in a known Tongue for the edifying of the Church must needs be granted to be an extraordinary Gift of Prayer and Singing For though Prayer in some other places may be taken as a more common Gift of Grace from the holy Spirit and so might occasion some scruple if it were to be found joyned with Singing without any adjunct to demonstrate Singing to be a Gift of an higher attainment than Prayer is that Singing also was a more common Gift than is here asserted yet seeing that it is no where in the New Testament so expressed and joyned with Prayer but with a sufficient adjunct to shew that it is an higher Gift than ordinarily Prayer is as James 5.13 where Affliction exerts Prayer but spiritual Mirth in a sufficient fulness of Joy from the Holy Ghost puts forth Singing and that it is here joined with a more than ordinary Gift of Prayer there is no reason for such a doubt but to conclude that Singing is an extraordinary Gift of the holy Spirit Moreover common Reason tells us so far as it is elevated to discern spiritual Things that spiritual Singing is an excellent Gift of the Holy Spirit from its different manner of delivering the Word of God for as the excellent Gifts of the Spirit that were for the ministring of the Word consisted in an extraordinary Inspiration of Light and Understanding together with a sufficient Power and Capacity to open and declare the wonderful Counsels and Works of God so they were sometimes farther evidenced to be such excellent Gifts in that the same sort of Worship that was performed by a more ordinary gift and way of Delivery viz. Prayer giving Thanks and Teaching and Admonishing were delivered with Interpretations of Tongues and some of them with melodious Singing which were both a Witness of and suitable to the extraordinary Gifts and Inspirations of the holy Spirit but not of the common Gifts Nor doth the Blessing and Thanksgiving mentioned in the following Verses afford an Argument to make Singing a common Gift for as the Dutch Annotations on the word Bless allow that it is to be understood with respect to this Gift viz. of Singing of the holy Spirit being given to make publick Thanksgiving in the Church so to me it is plain that this Singing Blessing and Thanksgiving are meant of but one and the same Gift which the Apostle is here speaking of under these several Names the Nature of the two latter as having relation to the Gift of Singing as the immediate preceeding and annexed subject Matter treated of are Denotives of the nature of the Song before-mentioned For though we do allow and maintain that Blessing and Thanksgiving have relation to Prayer also yet seeing that Singing is here last mentioned and that the Apostle speaks of giving Thanks not so as any ways to intimate to us that it is to be understood of ordinary Thanksgiving mixt with Prayer but treating of the extraordinary Gifts of the holy Spirit and of Thanksgiving as such a Gift saying For thou verily givest thanks and Amen at thy giving of Thanks by which words relating to the Gift of Singing and both of them as appears in the Text being accompanied with the extraordinary Gift of an unknown Tongue or Tongues See Samuel
praying in the Holy Ghost does confine that Text to be understood of teaching or edifying one another in a disorderly way speaking all together or that from those words your selves praying in the Holy Ghost spoken in general unto the Saints they are commanded to pray all vocally together Moreover if any say that the following words ver 20. Giving Thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the Name of our Lord Jesus Christ are explanatory of the former Verse and being in such general terms cannot exclude a vocal Singing and Thanksgiving to God of the Church all together from being understood therein I do make reply That though speaking to your selves in Psalms and Hymns and Spiritual Songs ver 19. and Giving Thanks always for all things ver 20. are from the Fillings of the holy Spirit yet I make a difference between them for the one is limited to your selves and making Melody in your Heart to private Edifications Praises and Thanksgivings but the other is in such general Words as may comprehend all Thanksgiving both vocal and mental in the Heart So that the Apostle Paul is here pressing the Saints of Ephesus to endeavour after a plentiful measure of the holy Spirit of Christ and to put forth his Gifts and Graces both in mental and vocal in private and more publick Praising and Thanksgiving to God according to the different occasions and circumstances that might attend them 2dly Coloss 3.16 I confess that vocal Singing is here to be understood otherwise it could not be teaching and admonishing to others in Word and Deed ver 17. but yet herein is nothing to prove a vocal Singing together by all the Church For teaching and admonishing one another in Psalms c. is meant of the ministring Brethren whose Work and Office it was to teach and admonish the other Members according to the Gift of the Holy Spirit they had received And none can prove any more by these words one another than what must be understood from Heb. 3.13 But exhort one another daily while it is called To day c. And therefore as the Word of Exhortation is not used in the Service of God in the Church but in an orderly ministerial Way by one at once so teaching and admonishing one another c. must be used also according to Gospel-Rule 1 Cor. 14.30 31. 3. Nor can 1 Cor. 14.26 How is it then Brethren when you come together every one of you hath a Psalm hath a Doctrine c. be understood of a vocal singing all together for I think none will say that those words Every one of you hath c. were spoken of their all having of all those spiritual Gifts which cannot be thought of every Minister in that Church ver 28. and much less of all the Members therefore it follows that as all the ministring Brethren were not supposed to have all those Gifts but every one of them had one or more of the Gifts of the Holy Spirit so there is no Conclusion can be made that all the Ministry had the Gift of Singing or that there was any distinction of its Universality in Delivery more than of other Gifts in the same Text besides the Context from ver 27 to 32. speaks of single Persons that must exercise in the Church and therefore those words Every one of you can't be meant of all together That Spiritual and Vocal Singing was used in the Primitive and Apostolical Church of Christ is undeniable and that such spiritual Singing is you allowed is freely granted but the Question is Whether David's Psalms or any humane prescribed or precomposed Matter may or ought not to be vocally sung by all the Church together as part of the publick constant and ordinary Worship of God instituted in his Gospel-Church To demonstrate which I shall treat of these six Particulars I. Of the Essence or Being of Singing II. Of David's Psalms III. Of prescribed or precomposed Songs and Hymns IV. Of Womens Singing V. Of the Order of Singing VI. Of Scriptural and other Objections I. Of the Essence of Singing Though intelligible Singing for teaching and admonishing others cannot be without the use of the Organical Instruments of the Voice yet the Essence or Being of Singing consists in an inward spiritual Exercise of the Soul or Mind of Man And this must be granted for we all do own that true Prayer may be made in our Hearts to God without the use of our Voice otherwise we deny all worshipping of God in the Church save only what is done by the Minister and exclude the Members of it from adding to joining with or having any share in Divine Worship and consequently that nothing can be properly called Sin that is only in the inward exercise of the Spirit but that which is so manifested by Words or Deeds And as I think that none will deny either the Principal or its contrary Consequences so the Scriptures do clearly witness that the Essence of Prayer and Praises and of Sin do all consist in an inward Exercise of the Soul or Spirit First The Essence of Sin is in the Spirit for Paul saith Rom. 7.7 That he had not known the Sin of Lust except the Law had said Thou shalt not covet Psal 94.11 And the Lord knoweth the Thoughts of Man that they are Vanity And that every Imagination of the Thoughts of his Heart are only evil continually Gen. 6.5 And Christ saith That whosoever looketh on a Woman to lust after her Mat. 5.28 hath committed Adultery with her already in his Heart So that the Essence of Sin consists in the corrupt and evil Thoughts and Imaginations of the Hearts and Minds of the Sons of Men tho not expressed by Words or Actions Secondly The Essence of Prayer is in the Heart or Spirit Neh. 2.4 for Nehemiah while he was in the King's Presence made his Prayer to God which most rationally must be taken for secret Ejaculations and Heart-Prayer And Hannah in the bitterness of her Soul prayed and spake in her Heart 1 Sam. 1.13 c. only her Lips moved but her Voice was not heard And for the sighing of the Needy now will I arise Psal 12.5 Psal 79.11 Ps 102.20 saith the Lord. Let the Sighings of the Prisoners come before thee And the Lord heareth their Groanings And this kind of Prayer our Lord himself used for looking up to Heaven Mar. 7.34 he sighed when he was opening the deaf Ears Rom. 8.26 And these are the Prayers that the Apostle calls unutterable for many times there is more in our inward Sighings Groanings Longings Pantings Breathings and Supplications of Heart and Spirit than can be expressed by our Tongues and God looketh on the Heart more than on the outward Appearance 1 Sam. 16.7 for he being a Spirit seeketh spiritual Worshippers And they that worship him John 4.23 24. must worship him in Spirit and in Truth And herein lies the
Secondly That no humane prescribed or precomposed Forms are to be used in Gospel-Prayer or Singing appears from the Ministration and Conveyance of the Spirit and Power by the Gospel First The Gospel conveys the Spirit as Paul saith Who also hath made us able Ministers of the New Testament not of the Letter but of the Spirit for the Letter killeth but the Spirit giveth Life or quickneth Here the Law is called the Letter and the Gospel Spirit not because the Law was not spiritual and the Gospel was not transcribed in the Letter but 1st Because the Law required perfect Obedience to the Letter on Pain of Eternal Death and the Gospel sincere Obedience through the Spirit 2dly Because the Legal Worship was more formal in the Letter than the Gospel-Ministration which is in Spirit For we are the Circumcision which worship God in the Spirit and have no Confidence in the Flesh viz. in the formal and carnal Ordinances of the Law and much less in the humane precomposed forms of Men. 3dly Because the Law did not minister nor convey the Spirit to us it commanded in the Letter but gave no spiritual Power to perform Obedience to it which the Gospel did by giving the Spirit with the Word Therefore the Apostle calls the Gospel the Law of the Spirit of Life Rom. 8.2 And it is not through the Works of the Law that we receive the Spirit nor minister the Spirit but through the hearing of Faith Gal. 3.2 5 14. And this agrees with that great Commission which Christ himself gave to his Disciples Go ye therefore and teach all Nations Lo Math. 28.19 20. I am with you always even to the End of the World Not only by his outward Providence which is over others as well as they but by his Spirit which shall abide with us for ever John 14.16 And the Prophet saith As for me this is my Covenant with them saith the Lord My Spirit that is upon thee and my Words which I have put in thy Mouth shall not depart out of thy Mouth nor out of the Mouth of thy Seed nor out of the Mouth of thy Seeds Seed saith the Lord from henceforth and for ever Here the Word and the Holy Spirit are conveyed throughout all Generations to the end of the World by the Covenant or Gospel of Jesus Christ And as none can say that the Words which the Lord had put in his Mouth were a humane prescribed form but as Christ himself saith John 6.63 The Words that I speak unto you they are Spirit and they are Life So the same Words proceeding from us by the same Spirit are Spirit in opposition to humane and legal forms which reject and deny the sufficient successive Gifts of the Spirit So that it is clearly manifest that the sufficient Gifts of the Holy Spirit do still remain and shall remain for the Service and Worship of God to the end of the World Secondly The Gospel doth minister and convey Power For where the Spirit is there will be Power The Apostle saith Ye have not received the Spirit of Bondage viz. of the Law again to fear Rom. 8.15 16. but ye have received the Spirit of Adoption whereby we cry Abba Father The Spirit gave a sufficient Power not only to the Apostles as such or to the Saints in Rome as partaking of the extraordinary Gifts of the Holy Spirit in that present Day but Gal. 4.6 Because ye are Sons God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your Hearts crying Abba Father Here is the Reason of their Power because ye are Sons therefore all that are Sons according to the measure of the Spirit of Adoption which beareth Witness with our Spirits that we are the Children of God have Power to pray to God as to their Father 2 Tim. 1.7 For God hath not given us the Spirit of Fear but of Power and of Love and of a sound Mind 1 Cor. 4.19 20. And the Kingdom of God is not in Word but in Power There were some in the Church of Corinth that were puffed up in their Minds whose Speech the Apostle would not know or regard but the Power of Religion was that which he looked for and did expect to find amongst them because the Kingdom of God viz. his Gospel-Church is not in Word but in Power A humane prescribed Form is no Power and therefore is none of this Gospel-Kingdom Jude 19. These are they that separate themselves sensual having not the Spirit And the Apostle Paul prophesied of such a professing People that should arise in the last Days Having a form of Godliness 2 Tim. 3.5 but denying the Power thereof and from such we must turn away They had an outward Form of Godliness but not the inward Power contrary to true Godliness which hath its Form from the inward Power and Workings of the Holy Spirit with the Word Now it is no Wonder that this formal People deny the Power of Godliness for an invented Form and the Power are Opposites and are inconsistent with each other for if there be a spiritual Power it refuses and denies the invented Form for then there is no need of a prescribed nor pre-composed humane Form and if we use such a Form we deny the Power and reject the sufficient successive Gifts of the Holy Spirit by relying on that Form And so the Apostle argues that as Jannes and Jambres withstood Moses so do these resist the Truth 2 Tim. 3.8 Men of corrupt Minds Reprobate concerning the Faith Thirdly Seeing that those Persons with whom I am chiefly concerned do not only oppose deny and refuse the Use of a humane prescribed and precomposed Form of Prayer but also of that Prayer which our Lord taught his Disciples of which they rightly say that it was but an Epitome of all Prayer and was never intended to confine Prayer to the Compass and Form of those Words For we find that none of those many Prayers in the New Testament were so limited but according to the State and Circumstances of Persons and things they made Supplication by the Holy Spirit and so must Singing also be left to the Liberty of the Holy Spirit of God And one might think that I need not use farther Arguments for their own Practice confutes their Error in Singing prescribed Forms and testifies the Truth I am pleading for for what Reason can be given for Forms of Singing when they deny all Forms of Prayer and how can they reject a Form of Prayer or the Form of Prayer which Christ hath left us in the New Testament while they maintain the use of a humane Form of Singing which is no where found in the Holy Scriptures IV. Of Womens Singing That Women ought neither to teach nor pray vocally in the Church of Christ is generally believed by all Orthodox Christians and is asserted from 1 Cor. 14.34 35. Let your Women keep silence in the Churches for it
Gospel-manner according to Gospel-Institutions and in a New-Testament-Spirit it is no more accepted of God than it was under the Law to sanctify and purify themselves with eating of Swines Flesh Isa 66.17 and the Abomination c. And as the moral Law of Moses nor the Law written in the Heart of Man by Nature does not discover the way and manner of Gospel-Worship so no essential part of such Worship is meerly Moral without Institution for if it were and on this bottom to be exercised in the Gospel-Church then Moral Persons as such being only in a moral Spirit and destitute of the saving Grace of Christ and Gospel-instituted-Qualifications for Church-Fellowship must be admitted into the Community of the Church and to the vocal Exercise of the Worship of God therein For such Worship and such Persons must naturally go together and cannot be divided So that if this moral Principle be followed in its natural Tendencies and Consequences it will lay Church-Communion common to Believers and such visible Unbelievers and indanger the Overthrow and utter Destruction of the Gospel-Church and the pure spiritual Worship of God therein and lay a foundation for a moral Church-state for meer natural Persons in a meer moral and natural Spirit to exercise moral and natural Worship unto God SECT V. THat Women should not vocally sing in the Worship of God in his Church Par. 1. pag. 21 22. is already shewed in the former Part of this Treatise But because I find that the Truth meeteth with great difficulties to be received though it comes with Divine Authority I shall say something farther here to this particular Head 1 Cor. 14.34 Let your Women keep silence in the Churches for it is not permitted unto them to speak but they are commanded to be under obedience as also saith the Law This Scripture though it hath such a relation to the following Verse as to forbid the Womens asking of any Question in the Church during the Worship and Service of God therein yet it intends more than barely to restrain them from such a sort of speaking because by the moral Law they are put under subjection to the Men. Gen. 3.16 And therefore seeing that the Moral Law which Christ will have preserved as confirmed by him in his Gospel-Church takes away all Authority from the Woman then surely she must not teach nor admonish the Church of Christ in Psalms and Hymns and spiritual Songs for that is an exercise of Authority The Apostle makes it so 1 Tim. 2.11 Let the Woman learn in silence with all subjection viz. Subjection in all things and ver 12. I suffer not a Woman to teach nor to usurp Authority over the Man but to be in silence So that Christ makes it a Usurpation of Authority for a Woman to teach or to speak or any ways to break her silence in the Church And ver 13. Adam was first formed then Eve And Adam was not deceived but the Woman being deceived was in the transgression And therefore she is not suffered because of her weakness to teach the Man but to shew her Subjection by keeping silence and therefore she must not vocally sing in the Church of God But some will object and say That these Scriptures that forbid Womens teaching and speaking in the Church and that command them to learn in silence do intend only that they should not be the Mouth of the Church as in Prayer and Doctrine to speak to God for them or from God unto them and that in Singing they do neither of these nor teach nor learn and therefore Womens vocal Singing in the Church is not forbidden Answer 1. This Objection and Exposition of these two Texts in favour of Womens Singing cannot possibly be the mind of Christ in them because it is contrary to the letter of those Texts For the Apostle saith indefinitely that Women must not speak nor teach in the Church and therefore we cannot in reason make an exception for their speaking or teaching in Singing any more than in Prayer or other Gifts of the holy Spirit 2. For any to assert that the Peoples vocal Singing together is neither for Learning Teaching nor Admonishing to one another but that this is from the Minister only by his Delivery of the Psalm or Hymn c. is at once to deny the usefulness of their vocal Singing together and thereby to condemn their practice of it for all things are for edifying of the Church as the Apostle saith 1 Cor. 14.26 28. How is it then Brethren when ye come together every one of you hath a Psalm hath a Doctrine let all things be done to edifying that is for building and instruction for our profit And we may see in the Gift of Tongues that if there be no Interpreter he must keep silence in the Church and speak to himself and to God and so in this case of Singing if it be not for the Edification of others to sing together it must not be vocally in the Church And in the former part of this Chapter it is mainly urged that the Gifts of the Holy Spirit should be put forth to the edifying of the Church Ver. 14 15 16 17. as ver 12. Even so ye forasmuch as ye are zealous of spiritual Gifts seek that ye may excel to the edifying of the Church 1st To pray and sing in a known Tongue and 2ly To deliver the Psalm the Doctrine and other Gifts of the holy Spirit by course or turns Ver. 27 31. one by one that all may learn and all may be comforted And therefore if the vocal Singing together of the People and of Women be not for the edification of the Church it is unprofitable and so is rejected by the Apostle Nor can such unedifying Singing that is neither for learning teaching nor admonishing one another be that Singing exhorted unto in Col. 3.16 Because that is for teaching and admonishing which is opposite to this Objection and therefore by the plain literal sense of the Text it is overthrown And if you should say that such vocal Singing together is for teaching and admonishing to one another then where are the Learners if all be Teachers and how do the Women learn in silence when all do vocally sing for it is impossible to reconcile such Contradictions of speech as Women's speaking teaching and admonishing one another in Psalms and Hymns and spiritual Songs vocally altogether to their not speaking nor teaching but keeping silence and learning in silence in the Church Neither is there any reason to make the whole Church a Mouth which is compared to a Body having many Members as some would have it from Rom. 15.6 That ye may with one Mind and one Mouth glorify God for this cannot be meant of every Member or of the whole Church of Rome vocally together but of their being of one accord in Spirit and by one Mouth viz. of their Minister to glorify God the Father Par. 1.
may see that the holy Apostle in his constant Prayers for those Churches had the mixture of Sorrow and of the Grace of Joy and Thanksgiving to God But some may farther say That the Spirit of Christ can variously affect our Hearts and direct us to premeditate such a Form of Prayer that may sute the different Actings of his Graces in us in Prayer and this reconciles the use of a stinted premeditated Form with the various Workings of the holy Spirit in Prayer My Answer is That the Spirit of Christ can predirect our Meditations in those various things that he himself may help to ingage our Hearts in in vocal Prayer according to the same stinted Words as were premeditated in our Hearts before But as we cannot find any warrantable Footsteps thereof in the New Testament and as this is not the known way of the Spirit in Gospel-Worship so to assert that the Spirit of Christ does predirect and limit the Form of Prayer so as to suit his various Actings in us while we are praying does create these following Consequences 1. That no Improvement can be made of other matter in Prayer Psal 78.41 and that no other things can be expected from God in Prayer than what our Thoughts were fixed upon before Prayer which is a limiting and tempting of the Holy One of Israel not to meet with his People as he hath promised those who remember him in his ways Isa 64.5 Chap. 65.24 Dan. 9.20 21. Acts 10.30 Luke 3.21 Acts 11.6 and as the Lord by the Prophet saith While they are yet speaking I will hear and as Daniel and Cornelius while they were praying had a Message from God in answer to their Prayers and also Jesus Praying the Heaven was opened and the Holy Ghost descended in a bodily Shape like a Dove upon him Which Examples do demonstrate that God was wont of old to meet with his People in the Duty of Prayer and it is the daily Experience of many Christians James 4.8 that while they are drawing nigh to God in the Duty of Prayer God is drawing nigh to their Souls and giving them many Tokens and fresh Assurances of his Love and Favour to them 2. It is a Temptation to us to neglect Prayer unless we find the matter preformed in us fit for vocal Prayer for if the Spirit composes the matter in our Premeditations for us to be stinted to in our verbal Prayers then we must wait for those Workings of the Holy Spirit in us before we can go to Prayer or else we must approve of our going to Prayer without a premeditated stinted Form and to rely on the gracious Income and Guidance of the holy Spirit for the well-performance of it as the Apostle saith Rom. 8.26 The Spirit also helpeth our Infirmities for we know not what we should pray for as we ought that is we have not the full Fore-knowledg of what we should pray for viz. of the matter of our Prayer but the Spirit it self maketh Intercession for us viz. in Prayer with Groanings which cannot be uttered So that the Spirit it self does help our Infirmities and supply our fore-Ignorance of the matter of Prayer which we may not have a full and sufficient knowledg of but by the help of the holy Spirit in Prayer and therefore Prayer must not be limited to premeditated Forms 3. This seems to reflect on the Spirit 's sufficient Power to form an extemporary Prayer as though he were not able to furnish the Soul with sufficient matter and words to express it by immediately from his Dictates but that he must first have time to precompose the matter of Prayer and afterwards limit himself to it lest his immediate Help and Guidance of us in Prayer should not be so good a Composure for our Acceptance with God through Jesus Christ as his premeditated stinted Form And therefore seeing that we are not to tye our selves in Prayer to premeditated Forms this Argument cannot draw in a prescribed Form of Prayer nor Singing to be allowed in Gospel-Worship SECT VIII Obj. THE singing of humane precomposed stinted Forms of Psalms and Hymns and Songs in the Church are spiritual Worship if their Matter be agreeable to the Word of God and if they are sung with Grace in our Hearts Answer First Par. 1. pag. 15 16 c. pag. 43. That such Forms are not spiritual Worship is proved in my former Discourse and appears from the proof I have made herein that the primitive Gospel-Singing was from the special Gift of the holy Spirit and also from the foregoing Section for if such premeditated or prescribed Forms are not lawful we cannot expect that the Spirit should own them with his actual Presence in his Graces to make them spiritual Worship Unto which preceding Evidence I refer the Reader and shall farther add in answer to the latter part of this Objection That it is not the use of precomposed Forms of spiritual Words or matter so called because they are scriptural or agreeing to the sense of the holy Scriptures which were given by the Spirit that are Spiritual Worship because a Soul that useth such forms of Worship may have Grace in his Heart For true Spiritual Worship does not barely consist of spiritual Words and some Grace unless they be spiritual Words from Grace For if a Soul should be praying or singing to God with spiritual Words and with the habit of Grace in his Heart and is not in some exercise of it together with these words will you say that this is spiritual Worship when it is only verbal and the Graces of the Spirit of Christ in the Heart of the Person is in no degree active with them no surely 2. Though we are exhorted to sing with Grace in our Hearts Col. 3.16 yet it is not enough barely to sing with Grace but with the Grace of Melody see the other Text Ephes 5.19 that is so to be filled with the Spirit as that by his gracious influencing Power not only the Matter is formed from the Word and according to the Word of God but that the Grace of Joy is raised up in our Souls to that height of Melody as wanteth to be vented forth by the Tongue For Singing is called a breaking forth Jam. 5.13 Isa 52.9 Chap. 65.14 and it proceeds from the Joy of Heart and Mirth of Spirit And if any should farther say that there is as much reason to conclude that no Prayer also is spiritual Prayer if there be not a powerful Influence of the holy Spirit to form it in our Hearts I shall thus answer That the more or less our Prayers are formed and produced by the Influencings of the holy Spirit in us the more or less our Prayers are spiritual Prayers And as we cannot deny but that the least exercise of true Grace in our Hearts in Prayer gives essence or being to inward spiritual Prayer so the least exercise of gracious melodious Joy gives