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
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
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
PRELIMITED FORMS of Praising GOD Vocally sung by all the Church together Proved to be no Gospel-Ordinance In a Sober Discourse concerning SINGING With a Large APPENDIX Thereunto added Containing several Things not treated of before and wherein the Case of SINGING is more fully opened and discussed in divers principal Branches of it Greatly tending to the clearing and confirmation of the Truth discoursed of in the Former Part. By ISAAC MARLOW 1 Sam. 15.22 Behold to obey is better than Sacrifice and to hearken than the Fat of Rams London Printed for the Author 1691. THE EPISTLE DEDICATORY TO THE Baptized Churches Of Christ in England and Wales Grace Mercy and Peace be multiplied unto you from God our Father and Jesus Christ our Saviour Honoured and Beloved Brethren AS the subject Matter of the following Discourse is in defence of the true Apostolical Scripture manner of Divine Service and of the Spiritual Worship of God which you have owned and suffered for and in which thrô the Grace of Christ you still continue and as it tends to the mutual Peace and Unity of the Churches so I hope that my Work and Service herein will find the greater acceptance with you And seeing it hath graciously pleased God to preserve you so stedfastly in the Truth under the greatest Trials and Sufferings of our Age it is to be hoped that the Errors of some Persons shall never corrupt your Minds from the Simplicity that is in Christ in any part of Divine Worship or to offer your Praises to God in such humane Forms and after such a manner as we have no example for nor can be any ways warranted from the Word of God And that those Churches which have had a watchful eye against the finest-spun Errors of their Day will not be now lull'd asleep by any among themselves to suffer the bringing in of such a humane Tradition as is utterly inconsistent with their professed Principles and to their Practice in other parts of Divine Worship but that they will labour to have Oil in their Vessels with their Lamps that so when the Bridegroom cometh they may be ready to enter into the Joy of their Lord. For though this Error is dearly fondled by some Christians and as it is observed mostly by such among us who have not well digested those things which they have received yet of about an hundred Churches in England according to the best and strictest Information I have received I hear of but seven or eight and those are in and about Norfolk Suffolk and Essex one of them lately in London and but four or five of all those Churches in South-Wales which own the Doctrine of Personal Election and final Perseverance and but two of all those Churches that are for the general Point that practise such formal Singing in the publick and constant Worship of God with the Ministry of the Word Some few also there are that use it at the Administration of the Lord's Supper To whom and to all others in particular of my Christian Brethren that herein differ from the Body of the Churches and are declining from the Truth and Spirituality of Gospel-Worship I humbly present that which the Lord hath convinced me of through the Light of the Holy Scriptures to remove the Mistake you are under concerning Singing And truly the Sense I have of the sad Effects of this apostatizing Principle in some Christians if it should grow and increase among us and the unwearied Endeavours of some Persons to lead us back to such Traditions of Men from which we were clean escaped with the Love I have for the Truth and Simplicity of the Gospel are the only Motives of my appearing in this Work or Service And it is matter of Grief and Lamentation to many Christians that while the Lord is saving his Church and People and is drawing of us with the gracious Cords of his Love that any should be departing from the Truth and Purity of his Worship which after so clear a light and recovery of it from the mists and darkness of Men is now called in question amongst our selves And it is somewhat marvellous to consider that some Persons who are studious and understanding in the Holy Scriptures should not see their Practice to be opposite to the positive Command of Jesus Christ through whose knowledg others that are weak are made to sin And that any should be so cold in their Love and Affections to Christ and so indifferent in their Obedience unto his revealed Will as that they should rather trust to others for what is truth than to take the pains to search the Scriptures for satisfaction from a good Understanding within themselves whereby they follow the Dictates of Men more than the Precepts of Jesus Christ But forasmuch as humane Forms of Worship do naturally proceed from a carnal and worldly Spirit we may then fear that some Christians excepting others that err through a mistaken Zeal having left their first Love begin to cast off their first Faith and to turn unto Mens Traditions of whom and to whom we may say as the Apostle did to those who were turning again to the weak and beggarly Elements of the Law O foolish Gal. 3.1 3 4. Galatians who hath bewitched you that you should not obey the truth Are ye so foolish having begun in the Spirit are ye now made perfect by the Flesh Have ye suffered so many things in vain if it be yet in vain And is it a small and indifferent thing with you how and in what manner you worship God and offer your Praise unto him Have ye not as much reason to observe the Rule of Christ in praising and giving Thanks as well as in Prayer Baptism and other Ordinances in the Church If any should tell you that because Prayer and Baptism are commanded by Jesus Christ therefore you must use Forms of Prayer and Infants-sprinkling will you not say to them again That the Conclusion is not rational For though these are commanded yet the manner how these Ordinances are to be performed whether in and through the Gifts and Graces of the Holy Spirit and by dipping or by humane precomposed Forms and sprinkling is not left to our own Wills but are also shewed to us in the holy Scriptures which are the Rule for the manner of performance of all the essential Parts of Gospel-Worship And if any should further say that Infants sprinkling is not expresly forbidden in the Scriptures and therefore it may be used by us will you not make reply that though it is not forbidden in such express words yet there being but one manner of Water-Baptism commanded by Christ and his holy Apostles whose Precepts and Examples therein we are bound to follow it is a sufficient Warrant for our practice of it and to exclude the form of Sprinkling as a sinful Practice in that it changeth the Ordinance and maketh void the Command of Christ through Mens Traditions And therefore if you
will not reject your Manner and Forms of Singing from the observation of the Command and Rule of Christ for the manner of Praising God which is contrary to your Manner and Forms I see not how you can escape the battering and confounding of your own Profession in other things Do ye provoke the Lord to jealousy 1 Cor. 10.22 are ye stronger than he Hath he not said What things soever I command you Deut. 12.32 observe to do it thou shalt not add thereto nor diminish from it And have we not divers instances of his sore Displeasure for breaking his Rule of Worship as in Nahab and Abihu Lev. 7.11 to 19. who for offering of strange Fire died before the Lord And might not some have thought it a small matter to have eaten of the Peace or Thank-offering after the First-day or of the Vow-offering if any of it had been left on the Third-day but we see how great an Offence it was to make so small an Addition to God's Ordinance as that it should not be accepted neither should it be imputed unto him that offereth it it should be an Abomination and that Soul should bear his Iniquity 2 Sam. 6.6 Moreover We read how Vzzah lost his Life for touching the Ark of God because that they sought him not after the due order and how Vzziah the King for medling with God's Ordinance 2 Chron. 26.16 1 Chron. 15.13 and burning Incense before the Lord contrary unto his revealed Will was smote with Leprosy unto his dying Day But notwithstanding these Old Testament Examples and the Word of Christ which saith In vain do they worship me teaching for Doctrines the Commandments of Men yet some there are amongst us that dare adventure to break the Commands of Christ in their Vocal-singing together in the Worship of God contrary to the Rule of Worship and Institution of Jesus Christ And therefore seeing that their Practice is charged with the guilt of Sin yea and of such a Sin as indangers the well-Being and Peace of the Church of Christ and the bringing of God's Displeasure upon us I hope they will be awakned to a serious Consideration of what is proposed to them herein as the Mind and Will of God And surely if they were truly sensible of the natural Consequences of such a Practice of formal Singing that the introducing of it into those Churches that have been established on contrary Principles is the ready way to divide and break them into pieces and that those Persons who should be instrumental therein would be looked upon as the Troublers of the Churches and may be justly charged with Schism it would be a Bar to their zealous promoting of it And it is rational to believe that if such formal Singing should be admitted and imbraced by the Churches it would lay such a Foundation for other formal and carnal Worship that if it be followed in its natural Tendences and Consequences it will greatly indanger our reformed Separation and make it easy for us to glide into the National Way of Worship And therefore whatever our mistaken Brethren may think of themselves as if they were reforming the Gospel-Church and restoring the Primitive Worship of God therein yet the holy Scriptures witness against them and I believe that they will be found in this matter Leaders to Apostacy and Defilers of the pure Worship of God with Mens Traditions Which that the Lord may graciously prevent and preserve the Churches in Peace and Union and in the mutual fellowship of the Gospel and that they may flourish and grow in Grace and in the Knowledg of Jesus Christ and become a great Mountain and fill the Face of the whole Earth is and shall be the Prayers of your unworthy but affectionate Brother and Servant to his power in Jesus Christ our Lord. I. M. THE Author's EPISTLE TO Mr. Benjamin Keach Christian Brother AS the holy Apostle Paul praised the Church of Corinth in all things so far as they kept the Ordinances of Christ as they were delivered to them and yet faithfully reproved their disorderly manner of eating the Lord's Supper 1 Cor. 11.2 17. so in imitation of him as our Example I commend you in those things wherein you are praise-worthy and do honour you for your labour in the Ministry of the Word which God has been pleased to bless to the awakning of many Souls and to the comfort of many Christians But yet Sir seeing you have divers ways I think I may safely say singled forth your self more than others in London in pushing forward the Practice of formal Singing and in your private and publick Challenges of Disputes which have been divers times accepted of by some of our worthy Elders but were never thought convenient by others and so have been laid aside and in that you have lately brought in the practice of it into your own Church to the grief and trouble of many of your Members I conceive that it is not improper for me to acquaint you in this manner That I think I am divers ways engaged and do believe it is my Duty to imploy the Talent which God hath given me according to my Capacity in the defence of his sacred Truth against that mischievous Error which you so vigorously promote to the disturbance of your Brethren Have not you been for many years a Preacher up of spiritual Worship how is it then that you are now so zealous for that which is asserted to be natural Have you begun in the Spirit and do you leave the Principles of the Doctrine of Christ to go on unto perfection in natural Worship On what Foundation does your Practice stand We do all agree that it is our Duty to praise and thank God as well as to pray unto him and I believe that you will not say but that we do thank and praise him in his Worship thô not with Songs in your way And I am perswaded that our thanking and praising God in Prayer or Prayer-wise is suitable to the other ordinary Gifts of the Holy Spirit which are only attained unto in our present Day and is proportionably accepted of God and that as your manner of vocal singing together hath neither Divine Command nor Example for it in either the Old or the New Testaments so your singing of formal precomposed stinted matter is no better than counterfeitiag that excellent Gift of the Holy Spirit which was in the Primitive Gospel-Church And herein also I believe that we do not differ That by the Light of Nature the Eternal Power and Godhead is made manifest unto us from the things that do appear and that we are capable thereby to understand that we should perfectly keep the Law of God and praise and worship him But from hence ariseth a double Question 1. Whether the Light of Nature it self as it is in us can direct us the Manner how we should worship God and whether we should rely on it under the Gospel as our Rule of Worship 2.
they were under the Law is explained and answered Page 44 12. Precomposed Forms of Preaching is no ground for using such Forms of Singing Page 46 The CONTENTS of the APPENDIX Sect. 1. SHeweth that God was and is otherwise praised than by singing only Page 2 Sect. 2. That the Word Hymnos a Hymn signifieth simply a Praise Page 6 A Discourse of Christ's Hymning or Praising at his Institution of the Supper Page 12 Sect. 3. Of the Nature of the Command or rather the Exhortation to sing and that the Singing used in the Primitive Church was from a special Gift of the Holy Spirit and also further proof that by Old-Testament-Names to New-Testament-Things are intended different Things than in the Old c. Page 13 14 20 24 Sect. 4. Of praising God as a Moral Duty and from Moral Qualifications only opened and clearly answered Page 27 Sect. 5. Womens Singing is more fully discussed and confuted Page 32 Sect. 6. A General Answer to those Prophetical Places of Scripture of All the Earths singing unto the Lord Page 38 Sect. 7. Premeditated stinted Forms for Prayer or Singing unlawful to be used Page 38 Sect. 8. Object That prestinted Forms of Singing are Spiritual Worship if their matter are agreeable to the Word of God and if sung with Grace in our Hearts opened and answered Page 43 Advertisement THere is no Alteration here made in the former Part or Brief Discourse before published except a larger Exposition of Ephes 5.19 See pag. 5. ERRATA In Appendix Page 10. Line 26 27. add to laudes dixerunt they said Praises Pag. 21. line 3 and 9. to singing add together A BRIEF DISCOURSE CONCERNING SINGING IN THE Publick Worship of GOD IN THE GOSPEL-CHURCH By J. M. LONDON Printed for the Author MDCXC Concerning SINGING in the Worship of God SEeing it hath pleased the Almighty God by his special Providence to deliver his poor afflicted People in this Nation out of the Hands of their greatest Enemies to serve him without fear what then is expected from us but that in all things we should serve him with one Consent in Holiness and Righteousness all the Days of our Lives To which end he hath given us his blessed and holy Word as a Rule for our Faith and Practice But that which is most unhappy to many Saints who sincerely labour for and long after the perfect Union of the Church of Christ is That we cannot all attain to one and the same Conception of the Mind and Will of God revealed to us in the holy Scriptures And though there are divers Things of lesser moment in which we differ yet there are others of greater Consequence that ought to be duly weighed in the Ballance of the Sanctuary lest through the Imbecillity or Weakness of some Christians and by the seeming plausible Arguments of others there should be a falling away from the Truth so clearly manifested to us by the Holy Scriptures and witnessed to by the Sufferings of the purest Churches in our Age who have born a lively Testimony not only against the humane prescribed and precomposed Forms of Prayers but of singing of David's Psalms and other Hymns or Songs precomposed by Man as they are frequently used as part of the constant and ordinary Worship of God instituted in his Gospel-Church This being the Subject of the following Discourse I shall proceed to treat of it with as much Brevity and Clearness as I can to convince the Judgment of the mistaken Readers and to confirm and prevent others from the practice of so great an Error as will lead them to Apostacy or Backsliding who in this matter have less to say for themselves than others have who are for a Form of Prayer Ephes 5.18 19. And be not drunk with Wine wherein is Excess but be filled with the Spirit Speaking * Gr. In. See Pool's Annotations to your selves in Psalms and Hymns and spiritual Songs singing and making Melody in your Heart to the Lord. Col. 3.16 Let the Word of Christ dwell in you richly in all Wisdom teaching and admonishing one another in Psalms and Hymns and spiritual Songs singing with Grace in your Hearts to the Lord. That which is needful before we come to take notice of the several Heads to be treated of is to consider of those three Texts which are made a Foundation for a vocal Singing together in the constant Worship of God in the Gospel-Church tho some things therein I leave to discourse hereafter 1st Ephes 5.19 Speaking to your selves in Psalms and Hymns and spiritual Songs 1. From these words there is not any Necessity for a vocal Speaking to be here understood but otherwise of speaking to your own Heart as it 's said 1 Cor. 14.28 But if there be no Interpreter let him keep silence in the Church and let him speak to himself and to God So that speaking to your selves may be taken as that is expresly said to be of keeping silence in the Church and is not limited to a vocal Speaking 2. This is farther confirmed as the aforesaid Mr. Pool in his Annotations read it Gr. in Speaking in your selves in Psalms and Hymns and spiritual Songs singing and making Melody in your Heart to the Lord. 3. That both the speaking and the Melody in this Text cannot be limited to be vocally understood but is inwardly in the Heart is manifest from the preceding part of this Chapter wherein the holy Apostle naming of divers gross Sins and Enormities exhorteth the Church of Ephesus to flee from them and to have no Fellowship with the unfruitful works of Darkness but rather reprove them and not to be drunk with Wine wherein is excess but to be filled with the Spirit Whereby it appears that this Exhortation to the Church of Ephesus to speak to themselves in Psalms and Hymns and spiritual Songs and to be giving Thanks always Ver. 20. c. was principally designed that instead of Filthiness and foolish Talking and Jesting which are mentioned in the former part of the Chapter they should rather be giving of Thanks Ver. 4. as it is expresly said and instead of having Fellowship with the unfruitful Works of Darkness and being filled with excess of Wine to be filled with the Spirit and to exercise themselves in private Devotions towards God in Psalms and Hymns and spiritual Songs singing and making Melody in their Heart to the Lord. So that from the main design of the Apostle's Discourse relating to the Text both the Speaking and the Melody here intended is to themselves in their Heart and whether you read the Text speaking to or speaking in your selves it cannot necessitate a vocal Singing together but a speaking inwardly in their Hearts 4. Neither can this Text be taken as some would have it for a vocal Singing together from the words to your selves as if that did limit the Text to prove a Singing together any more than building up your selves on your most holy Faith â—ude 20.
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
Excellency of a true Christian who being sanctified by the Holy Spirit in the Faculties and Powers of his Soul he out-doth the most refined Hypocrite in the World who may glorify God with his Tongue while his Soul is destitute of the Graces of the Holy Spirit but the true Christian being bought with a Price 1 Cor. 6.20 glorifies God not only in his Body but in his Spirit which are the Lord 's Thirdly If the Essence of Prayer be inwardly in the Spirit why not of Singing also 1 Cor. 14.15 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 The Apostle expresses them alike because their Essences are alike inwardly in the Soul or Spirit But some will say This is meant of vocal Singing in the Church and therefore comes short of proving the Essence of Singing in the Spirit True this is meant of Vocal Prayer and Singing in the Church Ver. 11 13 14 15 16 17. which the Apostle calls Speaking viz. in Prayer Singing and giving Thanks But in ver 28. it is said That if there is no Interpreter let him keep silence in the Church and let him speak to himself and to God And that this speaking to himself and to God relates to the Gift of Singing as well as to other Gifts is manifested ver 26 27. in that with other Gifts a Psalm is there mentioned and to be delivered or interpreted in a known Tongue but in case there is no Interpreter then the Psalm c. must be spoken to God and to himself for improving his own Soul Now what can be more plain than that Singing and other Gifts of the Holy Spirit have their Essences in our Spirits Phil. 3.3 wherein we are capable of worshipping God without the verbal and vocal Instruments of the Body Moreover as the Holy Spirit is the Spirit of Prayer so the same Spirit is also the Spirit of Joy Rom. 8.26 and as there is unutterable Prayer so there is unspeakable Joy 1 Pet. 1.8 and Rejoicing full of Glory viz. inward Glory and Melody in the Heart see the Text. The Essence of Singing is in the Heart such as cannot be vocally expressed by Words of the Tongue And though vocal Joy and Singing may be teaching to others yet the speaking to Gr. in your selves viz. in your own Hearts in Psalms and Hymns and spiritual Songs singing and making Melody in your Hearts to the Lord is Musick of an higher strain surpassing all verbal and vocal Melody in the Ears of God as unspeakable Joy and rejoicing full of Glory excels that which is speakable Indeed we find in Scripture another kind of unspeakable Singing which is more inferiour than this we have treated of viz. the virtual Singing of the Creatures 1 Chron. 16.32 33. Let the Fields rejoice and all that is therein Then shall the Trees of the Wood sing out Psalm 65.13 The Pastures are clothed with Flocks the Vallies also are covered over with Corn they shout for Joy they also sing Now if the flourishing State of the Creatures and of the Fruits of the Earth are called a Singing how much more properly may the harmonious Melody of the Spirit of God with our Spirits be called Singing which is the Essence and Being of it II. Of David's Psalms First There was no Institution of Singing before David's time for though we find the Song of Moses Deut. 32. Ex. 19.19 ch 20.22 Gen. 31.11 Gen. 37.7 8 9 10. ch 15.12 13. containing a prophetical Description of the State and Accidents of the Jewish Church for time to come yet this was no present Institution for the Church in the constant Service of God but a way of Conveyance of his Word which in those times was in divers manners delivered to us Num. 24.4 viz. by Dreams Heb. 1.1 Visions Words Songs and Musick but now by Jesus Christ And though we find the Songs of Moses Num. 12.6 7. and of Deborah occasioned from those great Deliverances of the Children of Israel 2 Kings 3.15 yet none was instituted for the Levitical Worship and constant Service of God till David's time 1 Sam. 10.5 who had prepared prescribed and set in Order Matter Persons and Things for the most splendid and perfect Worship of God and Temple-State of the Church which should be in Solomon's Days Now as the Law was a Shadow of good things to come let us see what the Jewish Church in her Wilderness afflicted unsetled Tabernacle-State may be said to prefigure out to us in the case of Singing As for her Minority in the Wilderness through Sin and Unbelief they had many Judgments which did befal them and cut them short of the promised Rest so that of six hundred Thousand Footmen that came out of Egypt there was but two that entred into the Land of Canaan wherein there were many Wars and Troubles that did attend them till the latter end of David's Reign therefore while the Jewish Church met with so many Sorrows Troubles and Afflictions the Worship of God was suited to her State but when they had Rest from all their Enemies in David's time 1 Chron. 23.25 and Solomon a King of Peace and Type of Christ to reign over them God was pleased to beautify inlarge and perfect his Service and Worship according to the Temple-State top-Glory and Happiness of his Church and People Now if these things were a Figure of Gospel-times what may we then say but that as Moses and Deborah for the signal Deliverance of that Day sung to God through the Gift of the Holy Spirit so the Church of Christ under the New Testament have their occasional Songs as the 144000 being the first Fruits unto God and to the Lamb who sang not David's Psalms Rev. 14.3 4. ch 5.9 for no Man could learn their Song but the 144000 which were redeemed from the Earth And the new Song for the opening of the Book of the Revelations and the Song of Moses and of the Lamb ch 15.2 3 4 6 7. by those that had gotten Victory over the Beast and over his Image and over his Mark and over the Number of his Name about the going forth of the seven Vial-Angels with the seven last Plagues of the Wrath of God but none of these were David's Psalms or do warrant the singing of them or any other precomposed Songs in Gospel-times in the constant and ordinary Worship of God by all the Church any more than those particular Songs of Moses and Deborah were an Institution for the Jewish Church for the constant Service of God in their Day For there was no such Institution of Songs in the Wilderness nor while that Church was under Troubles until David's and Solomon's time Eccl. 3.11 Prov. 25.20 for the Temple-Worship For every thing is beutiful in his time As he that taketh away a Garment
in cold Weather so is he that singeth Songs to an heavy Heart And sometimes it was unseasonable while it was yet an Institution Psal 137.1 2 3 c. By the Rivers of Babylon there we sat down we hanged our Harps upon the Willows They that carried us Captive required of us to sing one of the Songs of Sion How shall we sing the Lord's Song in a strange Land Is any afflicted Jam. 5.1 let him pray Is any merry let him sing Psalms So then if Singing be the expressing of Joy Gladness and Mirth of Spirit and the Church of Christ be now in a Wilderness Mourning Sackcloth-State why should we imagine that Christ should appoint such an Ordinance for her constant universal Practice while she is in such Estate that is so improper and contrary to her State and Spirit but that the Typical Glory of the Jewish Church in Solomon's time shall be compleatly answered in the external and spiritual Glory of the Church of Christ in her Kingdom-State Secondly The Singing of David's Psalms were suitable to all the rest of the Levitical Ceremonial and external instituted Worship of God in the Old-Testament-Church in its most perfect splendant State in David's and Solomon's Days consisting of a wordly Temple Heb. 9.9 10 23. ch 7.12 ch 8.13 ch 10.1 for if the Sanctuary was worldly the Temple was also worldly and of carnal Ordinances which was a Figure for the time then present and Pattern of Heavenly things and Shadow of good things to come but not the very Image of the things and were imposed on them until the time of Reformation and change of the Priesthood Law Temple and Service or Worship of God which things being all removed by Christ the Body and Substance of them Acts 15.10.28 Rom. 7.6 who hath taken off that Yoak and delivered us from the Law that we should serve in Newness of Spirit and not in the Oldness of the Letter 2 Cor. 3.6 to bring in any part of the Levitical Ceremonial Institutions into Gospel-Worship for that is a mingling of Letter and Spirit of Law and Gospel together Thirdly David's Psalms were instituted appointed and appropriated not only to vocal Singing but to divers kinds of musical Instruments which are all named 1 Chron. 15.16 to 25. See Dutch Annot. on Psal 9. Psal 22. Psal 16. 1 Chron. 15.20 21. 1 Chron. 13. ch 14. ch 28.12 13. viz. Cymbals Harps Psalteries and Trumpets together with vocal Singing and limited by the Spirit as divers are of opinion to certain Tunes or Parts of Musick ordained and commanded by the Spirit of God and of as great Force as Singing was And therefore to follow the Old-Testament-Institution of David's Psalms there will be a Necessity of having David's Instruments of Musick and Tunes or Parts and of the Courses and several Orders of the Levites which Antichrist somewhat imitates mixing together the Christian Jewish and Pagan Religion instead of conforming to the true Apostolical Institutions and Pattern of Divine Worship Fourthly The matter of David's Psalms and of other Holy Mens contained in the same Book suited to the Levitical Service and not to Gospel-Worship for many of them were suited to particular Occasions and Experiences and Accidents of that Day as you may see by divers of their Titles others were general of Israel's Deliverance out of Egypt and from divers other Enemies Some were clear Prophecies of the Sufferings of Christ which to sing now were to deny that Christ is come in the Flesh and of his Church and the Glory that should follow under the Types and Names of David and Solomon and many legal things in which Gospel-Mysteries are wrapped up some of which are hard to be understood by the greatest Proficients of our Day and therefore improper to be sung by all the Church who can't sing them with Understanding and others of them being Prayers and miserable Complainings may as well justify the singing Prayers as finging Praises Fifthly The Psalms of David were limited to Persons viz. the Levites who were the Ministers of the Songs 2 Chron. 29.25 c. to 31. 1 Chron. 16.4 to 8. ver 36. ch 25. 1 to 8. ver 36 41. Psal 106.48 both by Voice and Musical Instruments for the People did not sing together with the Levites but only bowed the Head and worshipped and concluded with Amen and praised the Lord with Amen Hallelujah or Amen Praise ye the Lord. Therefore from this Davidical Institution there is no Ground Pattern or Example for the Gospel-Churich to sing together Sixthly Such singing the Psalms of David is no where instituted ordained or practised either by Christ or his Holy Apostles there is no Instance can be given in the New Testament that any of David's Psalms were ever sung by any Persons or Churches or that Christ or his Holy Apostles did ever use them but as they did other Scriptures or that the Holy Apostles when ever they had occasion to translate any one Text out of the Hebrew into the Greek Tongue did ever turn them into Metre and therefore finding no Institution nor Example we have no Warrant for the Singing of them III. Of prescribed and precomposed Songs and Hymns First If the Essence of Singing as before is shewed consisteth in an inward spiritual Exercise of the Soul or Mind of Man and that as I shall farther demonstrate both the Matter and the Melody of it proceedeth from the inward Graces and Operations of the Holy Spirit with the Word then surely no humane prescribed or precomposed form of Singing can be accepted of God but that which proceedeth from the Word of God by the Dictates and Teachings of the Holy Spirit which is manifest from those two Texts Ephes 5.18 19. Col. 3.16 saith the Apostle Be filled with the Spirit Let the Word of Christ dwell richly in you in all Wisdom c. Here is the Fountain of Gospel-Worship viz. the Word and Spirit of Christ not the Word alone for that cannot inrich the Soul in all Wisdom without the Spirit of Wisdom to understand it for to have the Word in the Head only is but a poor thing but we must have it to dwell richly in our Hearts by the Holy Spirit to sing with the Understanding and with Grace in our Hearts to the Lord. And as the Word in the Head only cannot create Melody in the Heart without a Fullness of the Spirit so the Spirit works not without the Word but fills us with matter from the Word and is witnessed to by the Word otherwise we know not the Spirit of Truth from the Spirit of Error Now the Essence of Singing consisteth of these two Parts viz. Matter from the Word and Melody by the Spirit so that neither the Word nor the Holy Spirit can be wanting and therefore whatsoever Forms are used which proceed not from within us out of a Fulness and Enrichings of the Word and Spirit cannot be spiritual Gospel-Singing
is not permitted unto them to speak And 1 Tim. 2.11 12. Let the Women learn in Silence with all Subjection but I suffer not a Woman to teach nor to usurp Authority over the Man but to learn in silence I therefore greatly marvel that any Man should assert and admit of such a Practice as Womens Singing and that any Woman should presume to sing vocally in the Church of Christ when he positively and plainly forbids them in his Word for Singing is Teaching Coloss 3.16 and Speaking Ephes 5.19 both of which are plainly forbidden to Women in the Church And besides they are commanded to learn in silence with all Subjection And if this be not Truth I am at a loss how to find it And such as deny the Authority of these Scriptures to forbid Womens Singing do of necessity destroy the Authority of the Word of God and leave us destitute of a Rule of Worship But some may say Were there not Singing-Women in the Time of the Law True we read of Singing-Women but as there was no Institution of them amongst the Priests and Levites who were set apart by Name in their several Orders so we find them no where concerned as such in the Worship of God but either for Mirth and Delight or as Mourners for the Dead in which they were very skilful in making of Lamentations both by Voice and Instruments of Musick as was the Jewish Custom which you may plainly see by these Scriptures 2 Sam. 19.35 2 Chron. 35.25 Jer. 9.17 18. Amos 5.16 Eccles 2.1 8. Mat. 9.23 V. Of the Order of Singing This we have plainly and clearly delivered to us in 1 Cor. 14.26 to 34. How is it then Brethren when ye come together every one of you hath a Psalm hath a Doctrine hath a Tongue hath a Revelation hath an Interpretation Let all things be done to Edifying Here the Apostle speaks of the several Gifts of the Holy Spirit and lays down a general Order for their Delivery 1. The Tongue must be by two or at most by three and that by course And let one interpret that is That in case there were many could speak with Tongues they should not all exercise to take up the whole time with that Gift but only two or three of them and that by course or turns And if any thing be revealed to another that sitteth by let the first hold his Peace for ye may all prophesie one by one the Dutch translate it one after another Here is the Rule for our Practice one by one or one after another by course or turns they may speak with Tongues and prophesy And though only these two Gifts are particularized in the Rule yet the Order stands for all the rest as having relation to it The universal Practice of all Christians allows this Order in the Gift of Doctrine and we our selves in the Gift of Prayer that but one is to pray at once And therefore seeing that this Order is observed in the Gift of Prayer which is not mentioned amongst those several Gifts then surely we must allow the Psalm as one of those Gifts named in the Text and relating to the Rule to be delivered after the same Order appointed for the other Gifts And there is not the least colour of pretence why any should break the Rule in one of these Gifts more than others but that as they are named together and a general Order appointed for their Use and Delivery in the Church so it must be observed for the Psalm as well as for any other of those spiritual Gifts And if I should see a Song delivered by the Gift of the Holy Spirit in this Order I hope I should bloss the Lord for so great a Presence of his Spirit amongst his People VI. Objections Answered First Objection is That Moses and Deborah and Barah sang together with the Children of Israel and therefore it was in use before David 's Time in the Church Answer 1. It is certain that Moses delivered his Song by the Gift of the Holy Spirit and wrote it Exod. 15.1 as he did other Scriptures for a Memorial of Israel's Deliverance to future Ages but that it was then brought in or any part thereof till David's Time to the Levitical Service in the ordinary Worship of God is no where evident Nor can this Singing be any Rule either for Levitical or Gospel-Institution for then we must bring in Dancing as well as Singing for Miriam the Prophetess the Sister of Aaron took a Timbrel in her Hand and all the Women went out after her with Timbrels and with Dances 2. If we should suppose that Moses Miriam and Israel sang vocally together at one and the same time we may rather take it for an extraordinary Exstasy of Mirth Joy and Gladness before the Lord expressed by Dancing as well as Singing as David when he danced before the Ark than for any part of instituted Worship 3. If we should conclude that all Israel did not vocally sing with Moses but those whose Hearts the Lord had touched with a sense of that great Deliverance joined in Spirit with him Acts 2.42 it is no more than what is evident from the like manner of Speech of the three thousand new Converts that continued stedfastly in the Apostles Doctrine and Fellowship and in breaking of Bread and in Prayer for they did not all vocally pray together nor actually break Bread but joined with and partook of those Ordinances by the Ministry So that if you take it in either sense it will make nothing for the establishing of a vocal Singing together in Gospel-Worship Secondly It is said Judg. 5.1 It is said Then sang Deborah and Barak But Deborah did only vocally sing and Barak joined in Spirit with her in the chiefest part of the Song for how could Barak call himself Deborah saying Vntil that I Deborah arose that I arose a Mother in Israel And it is plain that she only did vocally sing unto the Lord ver 12. Awake awake Deborah awake awake utter a Song Arise Barak and lead thy Captivity captive thou Son of Abinoam Second Objection is That in Saul 's Time Musick was used by the Prophets 1 Sam. 10.5 and therefore why not Singing and Musick too in their Worship Answer Numb 11.16 24 26 Ex. 24.11 As others besides the Levites were Prophets so I do not find that any of those Prophets were Levites to whom alone both the Songs and Musick were afterwards limited as the Ministers thereof in God's Service and there being neither Institution nor Practice of it to be found we have no ground to believe that it was in use in the constant Worship of God before David's Time Third Objection is That if Musick and Singing commences its Date from David's Institution and was to continue for constant Temple-Worship till Temple and Temple-Service was made void by the Coming of Jesus Christ to erect a more spiritual Worship why should not Gospel-Singing
continue in constant use while Gospel-Temple remains viz. till the second Coming of Jesus Christ without Sin unto Salvation Answer 1. As God did separate literal Israel from the Egyptians and all other Nations Exod. 19.5 6. to be his peculiar Treasure and Kingdom of Priests to worship him so by the first Promulgation of the Gospel he called his Church out of the World and separated them as a Chosen Generation 1 Pet. 2.5 9. for a Royal Holy Priesthood and Nation to worship him according to his Will 2. Though the words Temple and Tabernacle are variously used in the New Testament and sometimes for one and the same Thing and State of the Gospel-Church Heb. 8. yet the Apostle doth plainly show that the Dedication of the Tabernacle by Moses with the Blood of the First Testament was the Patern and Figure of the Erection and Dedication of the Gospel-Church Chap. 9. the Heavenly Tabernacle by the Blood of the Second Testament viz. of Jesus Christ so that the first setting up of the Gospel-Church is not the Antitype of David's and Solomon's Temple but of Moses's Tabernacle and Solomon's Temple is a Figure of greater things to come 3. As in the time of the Levitical Tabernacle-Worship Singing was not established as part of that constant Service but was only a Gift on extraordinary Occasions till the more glorious and perfect Temple-State of the Church should be erected so under the first Institution of Gospel-Worship there were extraordinary Gifts of Singing suitable to the then extraordinary Circumstances and Presence of God in his Church which may possibly on extraordinary Occasions now and then on fresh Effusions of the Holy Spirit still appear in the Church in her now not perfect Temple but rather Tabernacle-State till this be ended and that more glorious and perfect spiritual Temple and Temple-Worship whatever it be shall be erected when the Winter of Afflictions is past Cant. 2.11 12. and the time of singing of Birds is come at the Appearing and Kingdom of Jesus Christ in which time there shall be the most glorious Perfection and full Completion of the spiritual Temple and Worship of God that ever was or shall be extant upon Earth 4. And as the Old Testament-Tabernacle-State of the Church was to be beautified perfected and enlarged in the Temple-State and Temple-Worship and was to continue till the Change and Translation of it into the Gospel-Church or Kingdom of Heaven so this Gospel-Tabernacle-Church-State shall be perfected inlarged and beautified in the glorious New Jerusalem-Temple and Worship of God which shall continue to the end of the World and then be translated into the Eternal Kingdom of Heaven Now as David and Solomon were Types of Christ and the Old-Testament-Temple and Worship were Shadows of the New Jerusalem-Temple and Worship of God in the thousand Years So the Institution of Singing in the Levitical Temple-Worship shall be compleatly answered in the glorious Antitype and spiritual Temple-State in the thousand Years of Christ's Kingdom here on Earth after such manner as God shall be pleased to appoint for suitable Worship to that Day when the whole Creation that now groaneth under the Bondage of Corruption shall be then delivered into the glorious Liberty of the Sons of God Rom. 8.21 22. Fourth Objection is from Isa 52.8 9. Thy Watchmen shall lift up the Voice with the Voice together shall they sing for they shall see Eye to Eye when the Lord shall bring again Zion Break forth into Joy sing together ye waste Places of Jerusalem for the Lord hath comforted his People he hath redeemed Jerusalem From whence some do assert a Singing together in the Gospel-Church Answ 1. That this Scripture hath no proper Relation to the meer Gospel Sion and Gentile Jerusalem is clear from the Text it self which speaks of the waste Places of Jerusalem and Redemption of literal Jerusalem the Captive Daughter of Zion when there shall no more come into her the Uncircumcised and the Unclean which cannot be accomplished until the Return of literal Israel into their Kingdom-State at the second Coming of Jesus Christ 2. Then her Watchmen it is not said her People but her Watchmen viz. her Prophets and Ministers they shall sing together The Dutch Tranflation reads it they shall jubile or cry or shout for Joy or rejoice together and verse 9. they translate make ye a noise or sound jubile or shout for Joy together ye waste Places of Jerusalem Which Scripture most properly relates to the great Jubile or thousand Years of Christ's Kingdom and cannot be understood of a constant vocal Singing together by all the Church in the Worship of God in the Gospel-Tabernacle-State Fifth Objection is from those Words Matth. 26.30 And when they had sung an Hymn c. From whence they do assert that Christ and his Disciples sung an Hymn vocally together Answ 1. The Word sung is not in the Greek but it is there read And they having hymned which Word is taken by divers learned Men to be of a general Signification of all kinds of Praises or Thanksgivings and not confined to Songs only Some of our old English Translators read that Text And when they had said Grace And the Dutch do not limit the word Hymnos only to Songs of Praise but do admit of it to signify saying Thanks See Dutch Annot. on Eph. 5.19 or Thank-giving to God 2. There is no Reason to conclude that the Disciples vocally sung together with Christ but that Christ as their Minister hymned and they in their Spirits joined with him 1 Sam. 1.11 13. as Hannah said And spake in her Heart for I have not met with any of our Reformed how zealous soever they are to promote a vocal Singing together that will admit that the Disciples in Acts 4.24 c. prayed all vocally together but that they lift up their Voice by their Minister with whom they joyned only in Spirit but not with Voice Notwithstanding the Text is stronger for it than any Text in the New Testament is for their way of Singing read the Text ver 23 24. And being let go they went to their own Company and reported all that the Chief Priests and Elders had said unto them And when they heard that they lift up their Voice to God with one Accord Ver. 31. and said c. And when they had prayed the Place was shaken c. It is here said they lift up their Voice to God with one Accord But in Matth. 26. it is only said They hymned Now if the word they must prove their vocal Singing together with Christ much more will those words They lift up their Voice to God with one Accord and said prove their vocal Praying together And let me plainly tell you that if you assert a vocal Singing together from Matth. 26. you cannot deny a vocal Praying together from Acts 4. And if you assert a prescribed Form of Singing you cannot possibly avoid
the bringing in of a Form of Prayer for the same Arguments used for the one will serve to promote the other with this Advantage that we have a form of Prayer prescribed by Christ himself in the New Testament but none of Singing except what relates to those mysterious Prophecies in the Book of the Revelations which are no Rule for constant Singing But lest any weak Christians should from hence imagine that there is some ground for a vocal Praying together as the manner of some is I shall say something farther to demonstrate that this Prayer was not made by all the Church vocally together but by the Minister only as their Voice to God For the proper Signification of the words cannot be otherwise understood It is said they in the plural Number because not only the Minister but the whole Church did with one Accord and Agreement of Spirit lift up their Voice Gr. the Voice to God not Voices in the plural Number for then all did vocally pray together but Voice in the singular Number so that though many were of one Accord in Spirit yet they all had but one single Voice viz. of their Minister which they by Agreement of Spirit with him lifted up as their Mouth to God in Prayer And after this manner the Apostle proveth that the Promises made to Abraham's Seed Gal. 3.16 29. were made to Christ because they were made to Abraham and to his Seed in the singular Number And therefore if the Apostle proveth that the Promises were made to Christ from the Word Seed as of one in the singular Number there is as much Reason to assert that the Word Voice was put in the singular Number properly to explain that by one voice they expressed themselves to God in unanimous Prayer And we find that the Spirit of God useth the singular and plural Number not so much to follow the Grammatical Rules of humane Learning as to express and demonstrate the Truth to us as Gen. 1.1 See William Street in his dividing of the Hoof. Elohim Bara the Almighties he created which is significantly expressed for our learning that a Plurality of Divine Persons the Trinity in the Unity of Essence were concerned and wrought together in the Works of Creation So that these seeming Difficulties do not arise from any real Absurdities or Errors in the Holy Sriptures but from our Iguorance and want of Light to understand the Mysteries of God contained in them Sixth Objection is from Acts 16.25 And at Midnight Paul and Silas prayed and sang Praises unto God and the Prisoners heard them Here also the word sang is not found in the Greek Tongue and the Word hymnos is to praise they prayed and praised God in Prayer so loud that the Prisoners heard them And as this could not be by a prescribed form for then we should deny them to have a sufficient Gift of the Holy Spirit so there is no Evidence that they prayed and praised vocally both together but while the one prayed and praised the other might only joyn in Spirit and so each of them might vocally pray and praise the Lord by turns Seventh Objection is from Eph. 5.19 See Ainsworths Annot on Psa 3. Speaking to Gr. in your selves in Psalms and Hymns and spiritual Songs c. which three Words are three several sorts of Titles of Psalms taken out of the Book of Psalms viz. 1st in Heb. Mizmore Gr. Psalmos Hymns or Praise Psa 145. Songs Psa 30. Psalm 45. Psal 48.120 c. to Ps 134. Psalms on many other Psalms Engl. Psalm 2dly in Heb. Tehilla Gr. Hymnos Engl. Hymn or Praise 3dly Heb. Shir Gr. Ode Engl. Song or Lays which three Words are found in the Titles of these Psalms And some do say they signify three things or kinds of Songs viz. 1st Psalms the Psalms of David others all sorts of spiritual Songs to be sung with Musick 2dly Hymns for humane pre-composed Songs of Praise And 3dly Spiritual Songs from the immediate Inspiration of the Holy Spirit and as others say are Songs composed wherein are contained all sorts of spiritual Teachings And from hence they assert the Singing of David's Psalms and precomposed Hymns as well as spiritual Songs Answ 1. I think it is clear from the Scriptures that however the Words may differ the one to the other as to the Extent of their Significations yet they are used but for one manner of compounded Worship 1st For though the matter of a Song is so confined that it cannot be externally expressed without a humane Voice of Words yet the Tone or Tune may be expressed either by Voice though never used in the Worship of God without the matter or by musical Instruments both of which as they were used according to the Institution in the Old Testament-Worship were Praises or praising God sometimes both in matter and manner but at other times the matter not properly being Praises it consisted only in the manner of Delivery as Psalm 17 is call'd a Prayer of David and Psalm 50 was a mournful Prayer when Nathan came to David after he had gone in to Bathsheba but yet it was delivered to the chief Musician And so are Songs sometimes Praises and sometimes Prayers and Complainings Psalm 48 120 123 130. And the whole Book of Psalms though the matter of it is not all Praises but Prophecies mournful Prayers and Lamentations yet it is titled Tehillim Hymns or Praises because as all of it whether called Psalms Hymns or Songs were after the same manner composed by the infallible Inspiration of the Holy Spirit 1 Chron. 16.19 2 Chron. 29.27 28. 1 Chron. 16.5 6. ch 15.16 to 25. so they were many of them if not all alike delivered to the chief Musician and sung by melodious Voices and Instruments of Musick together which outward Glory and Grandeur suitable to that Temple-State was to the external Honour and Praise of the most high God 2 Chron. 29.25 26 30. Psal 4. Psalm 6. Psalm 48. Psal 120. Psal 123. Psal 130. Psal 145. whatever the matter of those Songs were And as the matter of those Songs differ not from the Titles of them but yet were alike composed and delivered for Temple-Worship So what spiritual Songs hath been or hereafter may appear in the Gospel-Church by the special Gift of the Holy Spirit though the matter may somewhat differ not from the Titles of them nor as those in Mourning and Lamentation yet they were and shall be composed and delivered alike by the Holy Spirit according to Gospel-Order 2. Those three Words Psalms Hymns and spiritual Songs cannot be understood of three different things in the New Testament from the different Extent of their Significations 1st Because no Old-Testament-Names do prove the Nature of New-Testament-Things as Circumcision Censer Incense Alter Sacrifice Passover City Jerusalem Temple are all things of a different Nature in the Old-Testament to what they are sometimes used for in the New So that
Old-Testament-Names given to New-Testament-Singing do no more prove either the matter or manner to be the same nor establish Old-Testament-Singing in the Gospel-Church than the other Old-Testament Names do those Old-Testament-Things in Gospel-Times 2dly As those three Words are before proved to be indifferently applied to one and the same thing in the Old Testament so there is less Reason that they should have different Significations in the New for you may find that several Old-Testament Names are given to one Gospel-Thing 1 Pet. 2.5 Eph. 2.21 22. Rom. 2.29 Heb. 4.14 ch 9.26 ch 13.10 1 Cor. 5.7 as the Saints are called a spiritual House and Temple an Holy Priesthood and Jews and Christ is called an High Priest a Sacrifice an Altar and Temple and therefore it being usual to call Gospel-Things by divers Names of different Natures in the Old Testament there is no Reason that those three Names Psalms Hymns and spiritual Songs John 2.19 21. See Pool 's Annot on Col. 3.16 which as Pool confesseth were promiscuously used and which are here demonstrated to intend but one thing in the Old Testament should be understood of any more than of one thing or sort of Gospel-spiritual-Singing respecting its Composure and Delivery Eighth Objection It is a moral Duty for wicked Men to pray and sing Praises to God which they are not able to do without a Form and therefore Forms are lawful Answ 1. Prov. 21.4 27. ch 15.8 The Scriptures say that the plowing of the Wicked is Sin and that the Sacrifice of the Wicked is an Abomination to the Lord and wherefore but because whatsoever Good he doth or desireth it is not for good Ends to serve and glorify God but to consume his Mercies upon his Lusts he turneth all into Sin Jam. 4.3 and therefore all he doth is but Sin if he prays for Grace he doth but play the Hypocrite with God for as he knoweth not what it is so he doth not desire it for he loves his own Sins and Lusts more than Grace and therefore his Prayers cannot be pleasing to the Lord whilst he remaineth a hardned Sinner 2. All Men ought not only to pray and praise God as their Creator but to keep the whole Law in the perfect State of Innocency in which they were created in Adam but now they have no power in themselves to perform the inward spiritual Works of the Law to love the Lord their God with all their Hearts c. and to pray and sing Praises to him they can do neither of these sincerely in their Hearts Rom. 7.14 for the Law is spiritual and requires spiritual Obedience but they are carnal sold under Sin and blinded in their Minds And as they have not a true sense of their Sins nor see their need of Christ so they know not that they have cause to sing his Praise for their Being And therefore for such to use a Form of Prayer or Singing when they have no Sense nor Understanding of what they pray for or that they have cause to sing is to mock God with their Lips with that which they have not in their Hearts Besides the putting of Persons on formal Worship is not the way to get the Spirit but to rest on formal Duties which hinder their coming to Jesus Christ 3. As Forms are many ways sinful and hurtful to the Souls of Men so there is no need of them as Crutches for Lame Men to bring them to Jesus Christ for where there is a true Conviction and sense of Sins that Soul can cry against them and if it be but with Lord be merciful to me a Sinner he shall as Christ saith be rather justified than with a formal Prayer without Convictions And when they are Sons God sendeth forth the Spirit of Adoption into their Hearts Gal. 4.6 Rom. 8.15 that crieth and teacheth them whereby they cry Abba Father without the help of humane Forms Ninth Objection All true Believers and sincere Christians have continual cause to rejoice in the Lord and magnify God in the highest Celebration of his Praise and therefore it is their Duty in his constant Worship to sing his Praise Answ Whatever Cause we have to rejoice in the Lord and to glorify God in the highest Celebration of his Praise for Redemption-Grace and those sure and everlasting Mercies confirmed to us in the Blood of Jesus Christ yet it doth not from thence follow that we should constantly sing to God in his publick Worship 1. Because that in this Life the Joys and Consolations of our Redemption-Grace is mixed with Sorrows for Sins Temptations Troubles and Afflictions which deprive us of the constant exercise of the Grace of Joy in our Souls And as Solomon saith To every thing there is a Season Eccles 3.1 4. and a Time to every Purpose under the Heaven A Time to weep and a Time to laugh a Time to mourn and a Time to dance And the Times of the Church of Christ are differently set forth Cant. 2.11 and compared by the Holy Spirit to Winter and Summer when the Flowers appear on the Earth and the Time of the singing of Birds is come And as I shewed before that the Jewish Church through Sin and Unbelief had her Wilderness and Tabernacle-State and Time of Trouble which called for Mourning and Humiliation more than Singing so the Gospel-Church hath her Wilderness and Sackcloth-State in which she must prophesy 1260 Days Now as Sackcloth Isa 22.12 which betokens Mourning and Singing are inconsistent with each other so we should not imagine that God requireth such Opposites in Nature both together For he hath appointed unto them that mourn in Zion to give unto them Beauty for Ashes Isa 61.3 the Oil of Joy for Mourning the Garment of Praise for the Spirit of Heaviness And as the Apostle saith Jam. 5.13 Is any among you afflicted let him pray Is any merry let him sing Psalms From which it is manifest that Affliction and Prayer and Rejoicing and Singing have their different Seasons and that until the one be taken away the other is not given But some may think that the two Sackcloth-Witnesses in Rev. 11. are not the Church of Christ but two particular Persons and eminent Witnesses that should arise But to me it is plain that they must be understood of the visible Church of Christ for if the three Days and an half of their lying dead as is generally owned and cannot be otherwise understood be the space of three Years and an half of Time then also by the same Rule the 1260 Days of their prophesying in Sackcloth must be taken for 1260 Years which is too long a time for one Age or two particular Persons to continue And therefore the two Sackcloth-Witnesses are the visible Church of Christ Rev. 13.7 which the Beast shall make War upon and overcome Ch. 12.14 And so also must the Woman in the Wilderness be understood of the Church of
Christ under her Troubles and Persecutions in the Kingdom and Patience of Jesus Christ Rev. 1.9 For all that will live godly in Christ Jesus 2 Tim. 3.12 shall suffer Persecution And we must thrô much Tribulation enter into the Kingdom of God Acts 14.22 Seeing therefore it is given to us not only to believe on Christ but also to suffer for his Sake Phil. 1.29 and that God has appointed his Church her Days of Mourning and that thrô her falling away from her primitive Love and Zeal she has lost much of those blessed Gifts of the Holy Spirit she then had Let us not deceive our selves and think to recover the Gift of Singing with our carnal Spirits Isa 22.12 13. in an improper and contrary Season Israel-like when we should mourn for the great Apostacy Pride Covetousness and Carnality of Spirit which is found in the Church of Christ and fast and pray for the Pardon of Sins Isa 32.15 the full Deliverance of the Captive Daughter of Sion and the Return of the Holy Spirit that the Wilderness may become a fruitful Field And therefore as our Sins deprive us and as God hath not allotted to us a Heaven of continual Joy and constant Singing in this present evil World so the different Graces of his Holy Spirit and Duties required of us are suited to the different Circumstances of our Lives which are mostly filled with Troubles Sins and Temptations And though particular Saints may and oft-times do rejoice and glory in Tribulations when the Spirit of Glory rests upon them and raises their Hearts above their Troubles yet this is but now and then at certain Times through a sight of Faith when God is sealing his Love upon their Spirits to incourage their Souls to persevere Otherwise if it were constant Troubles would be no more Troubles nor Afflictions no more Afflictions or if their Joys were greater and more constant than their Sorrows it could not so properly be called a Sackcloth mournful afflicted State for either of them which is most constant and in which we have the greatest Share and Exercise of our Lives deservedly beareth the Name And therefore if particular Souls or the Church of Christ in general be in a State of Trouble and Affliction they are so far uncapable of the constant Exercise of the Grace of Joy and consequently of constant spiritual Singing in the publick Worship of God as their Troubles and Sorrows must needs exceed their Joys and then the Graces and Duties suitable to that State should be in exercise as Long-suffering Patience Faith of Reliance Meekness Watching Praying c. which are more strongly injoined and oftner pressed on us in the New Testament for our constant Practice than Singing is and that because our Troubles and Sorrows are more constant than our spiritual Raptures So that from our Incapacity of maintaining a constant and sufficient Exercise of the Grace of Joy in our Souls through the Troubles Sins and Temptations of this World the Weakness of our Faith and want of the sufficient Gift of the Holy Spirit we are not now able to sing with the Spirit and with the Understanding also in the constant and publick Worship of God and to press it beyond our Understanding proportion of Faith and measure of the gracious Gift of the Holy Spirit when other Graces should be in exercise is a Sin 2. Every true Christian nor the Church of Christ in general is not capable to sing Praises to the Lord in his publick and constant Worship because the greatest number of Christians as it is believed especially in our Day have not attained to a sufficient Faith of Assurance of the Love of God in Christ Jesus unto their Souls Rom 5.1 to 5. which made the Apostles to rejoice with Joy unspeakable and full of Glory but have their doubtings between Hope and Fear of what shall become of them to all Eternity 1 Pet. 1.8 And therefore while they are in the new Birth or Babes in Christ and have not met with the witnessing Power Rom. 8.15 or perswasive Influence of the Holy Spirit with their Spirits that they are the Children of God they cannot sing his Praise for their Redemption for if they are not sufficiently assured of it by Faith they cannot so rejoice in it And we should not think that God requireth more of his Church and People than he hath given Ability and Qualifications to perform Tenth Objection Formal Prayer and Singing were used under the Law and therefore why not formal Prayer and Singing under the Gospel Answer As the visible and successive Ministers of the Worship and Service of God under the Law were not called as spiritual converted regenerated Believers but were an Election out of the natural and carnal Seed of Abraham in their Generations by Succession unto the Ministerial Office so the Body of the Old-Testament-Church were not called into that visible Church-State as spiritual regenerated Believers but as the natural and carnal Seed of Abraham Isaac and Jacob. And therefore as that People were carnally and nationally imbodied into a visible Church-state so their instituted Worship was formal literal ceremonial carnal and typical suitable to them and the Design of God to make them and their Church-State a Type Shadow and Figure of his calling a spiritual People into a more spiritual Church-State to serve him in more spiritual Ordinances in Spirit and in Truth And therefore since Christ is come in the Flesh and hath removed and abolished the Mosaical and Levitical Church-State Heb. 7.12 17 18. Chap. 9.8 to 11. the New-Testament-Writers have described Gospel-Things in opposition to them as Power to Form Rom. 2.20 29. 2 Cor. 3.11 Gal. 3.2 3. 2 Cor. 3.6 Rom. 7.6 Chap. 1.28 29. Phil. 3.3 Gal. 3.29 Chap. 4.21 c. 29 to the End Heb. 10.1 Chap. 9.1 11 23. Col. 2.17 as Spirit to Flesh as Spiritual to Literal and Carnal as spiritual Seed to fleshly or carnal Seed as Shadows to Bodies as Worldly to Heavenly as Types and Figures of good Things to come So that there is no legal instituted Worship as found in the publick Levitical Service and Circumstances that can be either proper or a sufficient Warrant for our Practice in Gospel-Times and therefore it is our Duty to look more directly into the Gospel-Institutions for Gospel-Worship than to confuse the Minds of weak Christians with Questions from the dark Shadows of the Law which tend to Bondage and have proved very mischievous to the Gospel-Church for which cause many whom God hath graciously enlightned in the Holy Scriptures have been forced to treat the more largely on Legal Ceremonies 2 Cor. 3.14 15 17. to remove the Vail of the Law which to this day too too much remains on the Minds of many Christians Eleventh Objection Prayer under the Gospel is an Ordinance of the same Nature as it was under the Law and therefore Singing under the Gospel
may also be of the same Nature and intend the same thing as it did in the Legal Worship Answer It is true that private Prayer is a Duty of the same Nature under the Gospel as it was under the Law both with respect to the like Occasions Wants and Necessities of the Saints and to the same Spirit by which all true Believers do offer up spiritual and effectual Prayers to God But as to the Conveyance and Delivery of Prayer as an Ordinance in and for the publick ministerial and ordinary instituted Service of God in his Church there is a Difference in Gospel-Times to what it was under the Law for such publick Prayers were conveyed and delivered formerly with dark Shadows and carnal Ordinances by which means the Spirituality of spiritual Persons as David of whom it is said that he praised God by the Ministry of the Priests and Levites in the publick Worship of God was greatly vailed to what it now is 2 Chron. 7 6. 2 Cor. 3.13 14 15. 2 Chron. 29.25 to 31. Nehem. 11.17 22. since all those Forms Ceremonial Shadows and carnal Ordinances are removed for while the Priests were offering the Sacrifices the Priests and Levites in Songs with Instruments of Musick delivered such Psalms of Prayers and Praises as were appointed for the publick Service of God So that publick Prayers in the ordinary and constant Worship of God in the Old-Testament-Church was ministred in a different manner to what it now is and ought to be under the Gospel and therefore whatsoever Singing hath been or still may be in Gospel-Times may as well differ from the Old-Testament-Temple-Singing But having before shewed that Temple-Singing was no Type of Singing in the Gospel-Tabernacle-Church-State there is the less need of any Reply to this Objection Twelfth Objection Since the extraordinary Gifts of the Holy Spirit are ceased we must now pray and preach by its ordinary Gifts and if we are allowed to use precomposed Forms of Preaching why not of they might say Prayer and Singing also Answ 1. I do acknowledg and assert that we should not neglect Prayer till we have an extraordinary Gift or Impulse of Spirit unto Prayer but we should constantly go to God as we can not only for Continuance of those Mercies we have but for further Supplies of our inward and outward Wants which are the chiefest part of Prayer But Singing proceeds from a Fulness of Injoyment and is called a Breaking forth Isa 52.9 and therefore requires a greater Measure of the Holy Spirit For we can pray for what we have not but we should break forth into Singing from what we have otherwise we mock God and draw nigh unto him with our Mouths Isa 29.13 and honour him with our Lips when our Hearts are far from him and our Fear towards him is taught by the Precepts of Men and therefore when I consider the present State and Frame of the Churches of Jesus Christ I much wonder that so many should be for Singing when their Hearts are so much below Prayer for if we should go from Saint to Saint we should find that this is the general Cry I have a dead and stony Heart saith one and another mourneth under the Strength and Power of Sins and Temptations and a third for the Light of God's Countenance and the great Complaint is I am dull and heavy and cannot profit in Ordinances and that which is worst of all I am shut up in my Spirit that I cannot pray I want the Spirit of Prayer and Supplications Now if thus it be then where is the Spirit of Singing Will you lie and express that with your Lips to God which you have not in your Hearts But some of these will say Singing will raise my Spirit I find Refreshment by it and therefore I am for Singing To this I answer That there may be a natural sensual Joy in the Heart when it is not from the Light and Influence of the Holy Spirit and therefore we must beware that we make not our Spirits a Standard for the Worship of God but that we try our Spirits by the Scriptures 2dly As to Forms of Prayer and Singing I have sufficiently treated of them before and that the sufficient Gifts of the Holy Spirit shall continue for the Worship of God in the Gospel-Church to the end of the World and therefore my Business here is only to shew that the using a Form of Preaching is no Example for a Form of Singing if it be why not of Prayer also which you deny because there is Reason for a Form of Preaching from the Word of God and Example of Christ himself who read a Text and then preached from it though as he was not so others are not limited to that or any other particular Forms yet it is lawful for them and required of them to compare spiritual things with spiritual to attend on Reading and Meditations 1 Cor. 2.13 1 Tim. 4.13 15. 2 Tim. 1.13 ch 2.15 1 Cor. 4.6 and to hold fast the Form of sound Words rightly dividing the Word of Truth as a Workman that needs not to be ashamed of his Work as Paul who saith These things Brethren I have in a Figure transferred to my self and to Apollos for your sakes So that where the Scriptures do give us Liberty we may use it but it is our Sin to take it where it is forbidden as I have shewed it is to use a Form of Prayer or Singing I could say more of the different Nature of Preaching to that of Prayer and Singing but I think it is needless here and therefore I shall conclude with my humble Request to all those that are for Singing of David's Psalms or any prescribed Forms of Singing as the Custom is that they would be pleased seriously to consider of these several things following 1. That the vocal Singing together either of David's Psalms or any humane precomposed Forms is a corrupting of the pure Worship of Jesus Christ in mingling of Law and Gospel or humane and divine things together 2. It will lead us to Apostacy to return from whence we came as a Dog to his Vomit and as a Sow that is washed to her wallowing in the Mire 3. Consider seriously you that are Leaders of the Lord's People and are for such formal Singing Whether the same Arguments you now urge to your Fellow-Brethren will be pleadable for your Practice at the Bar of Jesus Christ you may plead them here to us but will you not be ashamed to own them there The Lord give you a true Sight and Sense of the evil Consequences of this your Error that you may not cause his People to sin but may yet with sound Doctrine strengthen the weak Hands and confirm the feeble Knees and make straight Paths for your Feet Heb. 12.12 13. lest that which is lame be turned out of the way but let it rather be healed 4thly Consider that if you err from the Rule
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
Clark's Annot. must be taken to denote a Thanksgiving or a Blessing of God with the extraordinary Gift of Melodious Singing 2ly In ver 26. it is said How is it then Brethren when ye come together every one of you hath a Psalm hath a Doctrine hath a Tongue hath a Revelation hath an Interpretation Let all things be done to edifying All had or doubtless might have had the Psalms of David to read and therefore as none can say but that to have the Doctrine and other Gifts of the holy Spirit were something more than to be able to read or make a bare recital of some part of the holy Scriptures So there is the same reason to conclude that the having a Psalm was something farther than to be able to read or sing them out of a Book and that as sometimes the Doctrine as well as the Tongue the Revelation and the Interpretation were the special Gifts of the Spirit so was the Psalm also 3ly Singing is a special Gift of the holy Spirit because it is annexed to the fillings of it as his Fruits and Effects Eph. 5.18 19. Be filled with the Spirit speaking to your selves in Psalms and Hymns and spiritual Songs which plainly shews it to be the Fruits of a more than ordinary Fulness and Gift of the holy Spirit Secondly That the Gifts of the holy Spirit were not given alike to every Member of the Church of Christ for publick Worship appears from 1 Cor. 12.4 6 8 9 10 11 12 28 29 30. Now there are diversities of Gifts but the same Spirit And there are diversities of Operations but it is the same God which worketh all in all For to one is given by the Spirit the word of Wisdom to another the word of Knowledg by the same Spirit To another Faith by the same Spirit To another the Gifts of healing by the same Spirit To another the working of Miracles to another Prophesy to another decerning of Spirits to another divers kinds of Tongues to another Interpretations of Tongues But all these worketh that one and the self-same Spirit dividing to every Man severally as he will c. and Rom. 12.4 6 7. So that the Gifts of the holy Spirit are severally divided and distributed as God is graciously pleased to bestow them for the benefit and edification of the Church and though the Gift of Singing is not expresly named yet it is included in the Word of Wisdom and Gift of Teaching which are comprehensive of all manner of Teaching as well in Singing as otherwise Having proved that such spiritual Singing as was used in the Primitive Apostolical Church was from a special Gift of the holy Spirit and that the Gifts of the Spirit were not alike distributed to the Members of the Gospel-Church for publick Worship From whence it follows that every Member or the whole Church as they have not the like spiritual Gifts so they are not capable of the like spiritual Singing I now come to answer the said Objection and to open those Scriptures that are brought to prove that Singing is commanded by Christ in the New Testament so as to bind us to the constant use of it in the Gospel-Church 1st Scripture that is brought to prove vocal Singing commanded for constant Worship is 1 Cor. 14.15 See more part 1. pag. 8. 26. I will sing with the Spirit and I will sing with the Vnderstanding also How is it then Brethren when ye come together every one of you hath a Psalm hath a Doctrine hath a Tongue hath a Revelation hath an Interpretation Let all things be done to edifying 1st In verse 15. there is no positive Command but Paul's Example which we should follow according to the measure of the Gift of Christ which is not now attained by us for such vocal spiritual Singing 2dly Nor can verse 26. be taken for a positive Command to sing a Psalm seeing it is put by way of Question If they had a Psalm a Doctrine c. and that what Gift or Gifts of the Spirit every one of the ministring Brethren had the Command was that they should put them forth for the edifying of the Church Nor can this Text be a positive Command for singing a Psalm in the constant Worship of God any more than it is a Command for the constant Use of the other extraordinary Gifts of the Spirit together mentioned with the Psalm Neither is there any colour of Reason to think that the Psalm should be vocally sung by all the Church together any more than that the Doctrine and the Revelation and other Gifts of the Holy Spirit should be delivered or said vocally together or any of them otherwise than according to the general Rule in the following Verses 2dly Ephes 5.18 See more part 1. pag. 4 5 c. 19. From this Scripture I have shewed before that there is no warrant for vocal Singing but that speaking to your selves may be properly taken for inward speaking in the Heart and have cited Mr. Pool who renders it speaking in which the word to in this Text as we read it is there shewed to import But if it were granted as it is not that vocal Singing was here intended yet this Exhortation is no such positive Command as to make it binding for the constant Worship of God any farther than to such a Gift of the Spirit for this Exhortation respects our being filled with the Spirit and speaking to your selves in Psalms and Hymns and Spiritual Songs are annexed as his Fruits and Effects and therefore the latter cannot be attained without the former so that we are under as strict a Command to be filled with the Spirit Col. 3.16 for the inriching of us with the Word of Christ to dwell in us in all Wisdom as we are to sing yea to be filled with the Spirit being primarily commanded as the efficient cause to Psalms and Hymns and Spiritual Songs then to be filled with the Spirit should be primarily sought after and instead of runing into humane Forms of Worship to obtain the Spirit and the Increase of his Graces in our Souls we should seek more earnestly for the Spirit to raise up our Hearts above our ordinary frames to worship the Lord in the Beauties of Holiness Besides this Exhortation given to endeavour after the fillings and inrichings of the Word and Spirit warrants none either disorderly to improve his Gifts or to counterfeit their Attainment of them 3dly Col. 3.16 See more part 1. pag. 7. This Command or rather this Exhortation to teach and admonish one another in Psalms and Hymns and spiritual Songs is given neither absolutely to require Impossibilities of us nor yet to break any other Command nor to interfere with the order and manner of God's Worship and therefore this Scripture intends no more than to stir up the Church of Coloss to the Attainment of this spiritual Gift of Singing 1 Cor. 12.31 Chap. 14.1 Phil. 3.11 as well as of other
Gifts exhorted to covet after and as the Apostle gives us an example by his own Endeavours to press after the Perfection of a Resurrection-state and we are also as strictly commanded to be perfect Mat. 5.48 as our Father which is in Heaven is perfect to walk as Christ walked 1 John 2.6 1 Pet. 1.15 and as he which hath called us is holy so to be holy in all manner of Conversation as we are to sing And therefore the nature of this Command for Singing is no more absolute than the others are for our pressing after the Perfection of Grace and of other special Gifts of the Holy Spirit And if this Command be so absolute and so universal as to require the vocal Singing together of all the Church in the constant Worship of God because it is written in general to the Saints at Ephesus and Coloss Then surely those positive Commands for Prayer which are more universally and strongly injoined on all Christians may be said to require their vocal praying together for we are commanded to pray always with all Prayer and Supplication in the Spirit 1 Thess 5.17 Ephes 6.18 and to pray without ceasing Yet surely you will not say from these Exhortations because they are general to the Saints of Ephesus and to the Church of the Thessalonians that the whole Church must vocally pray together or that Women should pray at all vocally in the Church nor is there any reason from the Text or any other part of this Epistle or from any other Word of God why those Exhortations for Singing should include the Women and all the Church more than the others do for Prayer But some may object and say that Psalms and Hymns and Spiritual Songs are for teaching and admonishing of the Church and therefore they must continue as part of the constant Worship of God to the end of the World To which I reply 1. That if you will have this Argument serviceable to prove the constant use of Psalms and Hymns it will be equally serviceable to prove the constant use of spiritual Songs for all three are alike set forth in the Text for teaching and admonishing And if you will grant that there is an absolute necessity of a successive Gift of the Holy Spirit by his immediate Dictates for Spiritual Songs which some do though others do not why is there not as much reason to grant a necessity for the Gift of the Holy Spirit for Psalms and Hymns For to be filled with the Spirit is primarily set forth as the Fountain of all three which are his Fruits and Effects and therefore there is no Reason to deny a necessity of the special Gift of the Holy Spirit for any one or two of them more than for the others and then if all three are from a special Gift of the Holy Spirit there is an Exclusion of humane precomposed stinted Forms But though I thus argue to clear the Truth from these Objections yet I make no difference between them as respecting their composure by the special Gift of the Spirit so of their manner of Delivery in the Gospel-Church for all three are alike as hath been proved before To which I shall here add See more part 1. pag. 35. That seeing we have three or four several Names together of Old-Testamentthings and Types viz. * Rev. 8.1 3 4. There was silence in Heaven for half an hour while the Angel offered up the Incense with the Prayers of the Saints alluding to the custom of the Jews Luke 1.8 9 10. who while the Priest was offering Incense they made their private Prayers before the Lord as appears in that it was by the whole Multitude in the outer or great Court of the Temple where the Priests did never use to minister their publick Service in God's Worship but in the inner Court called therefore the Court of the Priests for which cause it could not be publick ministerial Prayer See the Dutch Annotations on these Scriptures Luke 1.8 9 10. 1 Kings 6.36 2 Chron. 4.9 Exod. 40.26 33. and Dr. Franois Roberts in his Key of the Bible on Rev. 8.1 and Mr. Joseph Mede in his Key of the Revelations on Chap. 8.1 And the aforesaid Dr. Roberts in Page 112 and 122. also sheweth That Psalms Hymns and Songs do answer the three Hebrew and Greek Words in the Titles of the Psalms as 1st 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Mizmor 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a Psalm Psal 3 4 5 6 c. 2dly 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Tehillah 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 an Hymn Psal 145. in which Psalm though the LXXII have not 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 an Hymn but 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a Praise which for sense are one and the same Hymn signifying Praise yet the very word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is in Greek in the Titles of Psalm 6 54 60 66. and in the close of Psalm 71. according to the Greek but which is Ps 72. according to the Hebrew ver 20. The Greek saith Ended are Hymns of David Son of Jesse 3dly 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Schir 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 an Ode a Song Psal 30 45 46 65 68 108 120 to 135. which account of these three Words serves to confirm what was cited before out of Ainsworth Part 1. page 33. Censer Incense the Golden Altar and the Smoak that pertained to and accompanied the Peoples Prayers at the Temple to express the Antitype viz. the Intercession of Jesus Christ accompanying Gospel-Prayers We may as well understand Psalms and Hymns and Spiritual Songs not to intend the same that were prescribed under the Law for Temple-Worship but rather in such like manner that the word Psalmos which comes from another Greek Word which signifies gently to beat or strike and relates to Psalterium a Psaltery a musical Instrument like a Harp to Psalmista a Psalmist or a Composer of Songs to musical Instuments and signifies a Psalm or Lessen to be sung to a musical Instrument doth set forth the sweet Strikings or Touches of the Spirit of Christ upon our Souls which produceth Melody in our Hearts and was sometimes vented by the Melody of the Voice and Hymns and Spiritual Songs the matter of Praise and Doctrine exerted or put forth by one and the same special Gift of the holy Spirit though expressed under so many Old Testament Names But if we go about to limit these three Words Psalms and Hymns and Spiritual Songs to their legal Use and Significations we may by the same Rule confine the others also to intend a legal material Censer Incense Golden Altar and Smoke and so bring in this legal Ceremony that accompanied Prayer as well as Old-Testament-Singing into the Gospel-Church Moreover to understand those Words of the legal Use and Signification of David's Psalms Hymns and Songs affords a strong Argument for the lawful Use of prescript and stinted Forms of Prayer as Dr. Roberts observes saying that the Scripture-Psalms Hymns and
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.
pag. 31. like as in Acts 4.24 which is fully opened before Object There hath been Women Prophetesses who have prophesied in the Church and it is said that their Sons and their Daughters shall prophesy and accordingly we have mention made of Womens praying and prophesying and wherefore may they not vocally sing as well as pray and prophesy Answ First It is doubtless lawful and the duty of Women to improve the several Graces of the holy Spirit and that if their Hearts are raised by such a Gift of the Spirit in the joy of the holy Ghost they may sing as well as pray and prophesy but none of these must be done by them in the assembly of the Church for part of the instituted vocal Worship of God therein For I see no ground to believe that any of those Women Prophetesses sent of God and mentioned under the Old Testament did ever deliver their Prophecies to the People in a Church-ministerial way and order but as they were inspired by the holy Ghost and as occasion offered so they delivered the Word of God 2 Chron. 34.22 as the Prophetess Huldâ—â— did to Hilkiah and other Messengers which Josiah the King sent unto her And as Anna did who though she delivered her Prophecy to the People in the Temple yet it was not as part of the instituted constant legal Temple-Worship for that was appropriated only to the Priests and Levites but she accidentally coming in at the same instant while Simeon was testifying of Christ she also spake of him unto all them that waited for Redemption in Jerusalem Luke 2.27 28. 2. Though there is mention made of Women's praying and prophesying in 1 Cor. 11.5 yet this cannot be meant of Prayer and Prophesy in the publick Worship and Service of God in the Gospel-Church for that is not lawful as hath been shewed for though they have the benefit and may partake and put themselves under all the Ordinances and Priviledges excepting those that relate to Government in the Church yet Women must not administer any publick vocal Worship therein and therefore it is spoken of more private Prayer and Prophesy out of the Church in their Families or otherwise as they were spirited and occasion presented as Aquila and Priscilla expounded the Way of God more perfectly to Apollos Acts 18.26 or as Elizabeth by the holy Ghost blessed Mary or as Philip's four Daughters who did prophesy as it is most probable in their Father's House Acts 21.8 or as those Prophetesses before cited under the Old Testament And therefore if Womens praying and prophesying expresly mentioned in the Scriptures cannot be understood of their vocal exercise in the constant Worship of God instituted in his Church then surely there can be no reason given for their vocal Singing in the constant Service of God when there is no such mention made of it as there is of their praying and prophesying in the New Testament SECT VI. AS to those prophetical places in the Psalms Psal 96.1 2. and 100.1 2. c. of all the Earth's Singing unto the Lord it is not worth my labour to answer unto them in particular seeing there is so much in the former part of this Treatise to reconcile them to the Truth in hand and therefore I shall only say That inasmuch as the Apostles sound went into all the Earth Rom. 10.18 and their Words unto the Ends of the World viz. of the known World and that there was then the Spiritual Gift of vocall Singing those Scriptures may be applied to that primitive Gospel-time but their more compleat fulfilling shall be in the great Sabbath which I believe will be the seventh 1000 years of the World which is that Rest that remains to the People of God Heb. 4.9 Isa 52.9 Psal 96 97 98. so much prophesied of throughout the Scriptures when the whole Earth shall be at rest and quiet and shall break forth into Singing SECT VII IF it be lawful to premeditate on the matter of Prayer we may also as well premeditate on the matter of Singing and if such premeditated matter of Prayer and Singing may be delivered in the Worship of God and limited to those premeditated Words wherefore is it not lawful to use prescribed Forms Answ First This Argument takes that for granted which is no wise to be granted viz. that vocal Prayers and consequently Singing may be limited to premeditated Words True it is lawful to premeditate on the matter of Prayer for if we deny this we cannot go to God in that Duty with a sense of our wants upon our Hearts and that the same wants which we are sensible of before we pray may and ought to be spread at the Throne of Grace in Prayer but yet we are not to limit our selves in Prayer to any premeditated matter nor words before Prayer For though our wants or the matter of Prayer be thought on before Prayer yea and it may be sent up to Heaven by inward Prayer before we come to our vocal Duty as we should always strive to maintain the Workings of Grace in our Hearts either in Prayer or Praises to God or otherwise for the improving of our selves in the Knowledg of spiritual things yet we should not form that premeditated matter to tye our selves in those very words to express our Minds no God in the Duty of vocal Prayer for tho such premeditated words may express our present Requests as fitly as any others yet to limit our selves to them is a quenching of the holy Spirit in that our Hearts are ingaged and limited to the matter of those words only otherwise our Hearts are either idle or differing from our Lips which is Confusion whereby we are barred from any farther Inlargings on the same or other new matter that may be presented to us by the various Workings and Leadings of the Spirit of Christ in us while we are praying and therefore as we experience and own such a thing as the various Workings and Leadings of the holy Spirit sometimes in Prayer we must then deny the use of limited Forms of Words to be lawful for in Prayer we are sometimes broken in Spirit under a sense of our Sins and have our Hearts chiefly ingaged in humble Supplications for the Pardon of them and at other times our Faith is most active to lay hold on the precious Promises and to plead with God and when the Spirit raises our Souls in a sense of the Mercies and Grace of God to us in Christ Jesus and sheddeth the Love of God abroad in our Hearts then our Mourning is turned into Thansgivings and Praises by the Spirit Now such various Workings as these might not all be on the Heart in Premeditations Rom. 9.1 2. Chap. 10.1 and Chap. 5.2 3. Ephes 1.15 16 17 18. Chap. 3.14 16. Phil. 1.3 4. as they may pass on the Soul in one single Duty of Prayer as may be collected from these Scriptures From whence we
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
essence to inward spiritual Singing And as we ought not vocally to pray in the publick Worship of God in the Church without a sufficient Gift of the Spirit so also we ought not vocally to sing in the Church unless it be by a sufficient Gift of the Holy Spirit And seeing we have not such a Gift we are not capable of vocal spiritual Singing But as for Prayer it is believed and it is apparently manifest that there are many Christians that are in the exercise of the Grace of Prayer for many years that do not attain to the full assurance of the Love of God in his eternal Purpose of their Salvation much less so as to have the melodious Joy of the Spirit filling their Hearts with the Comfort of it Moreover Prayer is a lower Attainment and therefore there is not the same necessity for an extraordinary Gift of the Spirit to qualify us for the exercise of it in the publick Worship of God as there is for Singing And as there is reason to believe that suitable to the vocal melodious Singing and other excellent Gifts of the holy Spirit that were in the Primitive Church there were also extraordinary Gifts of Prayer and Supplications so as we have now only attained to the ordinary Gift of Prayer and Prophecy Col. 3.9 12 Ephes 1.16 Phil. 4.6 Col. 4.2 we have suitable to them the ordinary way of praising and thanking God which we find were ordinarily mix'd with Prayer And therefore with respect to the Essence of spiritual Singing yea and of vocal Praises Prayer-wise we are in a suitable degree sometimes in the true exercise of it as we are of other Gifts of the Holy Spirit And as these increase in the Church of Christ in their proper times so may that of Singing also from the Essence of Melody in the Heart and of vocal Praises Prayer-wise till we come to the primitive pattern and perfection of Divine Worship going from strength to strength till every one appears before the Lord in the heavenly Zion Psal 84.7 But while we are in this Wilderness-state if we worship God sincerely according to that measure of Grace which we have received it is accepted of him according to that a Man hath 2 Cor. 8.12 and not according to that he hath not And it is more pleasing to God to hear our Heart-Melody without or with an ordinary Voice than to hear a melodious Voice without a suitable melodious spiritual Heart somewhat like tho not in personal Qualifications the Publican's Prayer that was rather heard Luke 18.11 to 15. than the Pharise's self-righteous thanking God And for any to say that they have the inward Melody in the use of outward melodious Forms we may rather conclude that it is carnal and sensual instead of spiritual and from the sense and workings of Nature rather than from the gracious actings of the holy Spirit of Christ I will not say but that God may somewhat own a sincere Soul that hath no greater Light in his way of Worship But this I dare affirm that the more we come up to his perfect Rule the greater our Peace and Comfort shall be and that whatever Comfort a Soul may meet with in any part of Divine Worship coming short or going beyond the Rule of Christ it is no Seal of God's Acceptance of it as so performed but it is rather a Token of his unexpressible condescending Love in taking notice of such a Soul that sincerely loves his ways though perhaps the Mist of Antichrist is not perfectly cleared from off his Eyes But though I confess a Possibility of a sincere Soul meeting with something of God's Presence in such an irregular way of Worship and dare not presume to limit the free Grace of God yet there is little reason to expect any comforting Presence of God in such a way for the holy Scriptures run contrary to it Thou meetest him that rejoiceth and worketh Righteousness those that remember thee in thy ways not in our ways but in God's ways we may expect to meet with his blessed Presence And therefore as such humane prestinted Form are opposite to the prescribed Ways of God and are a bar to the free exercise of the Graces of the Holy Spirit in us there is reason to fear that the inward Joy tho of a sincere Christian in the use of outward melodious Forms is not from the Fountain of the Holy Spirit And herein I humbly conceive the Mistake lies that such a Soul being somewhat affected with spiritual things and the vocal Melody pleasing the sensual Appetite and raising a natural Joy in the Heart then because there is something spiritual it is all counted spiritual not considering that as we have two Natures so the workings of each of them may meet together as in James and John who had doubtless a true spiritual Zeal for Christ which their natural Passion fell in with to a sinful Revenge against those Samaritans that slighted their Lord and Master But Christ rebuked them and said Ye know not what manner of Spirit ye are of And now Christian Reader I renew my Request unto you in the close of my former Part And if my labour herein hath been any ways helpful to you for your establishment in the Truth render to God the Father of Lights and giver of every good Gift the Glory and Praise to whom alone it is due Amen FINIS