Selected quad for the lemma: spirit_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
spirit_n	pray_v	sing_v	understanding_n	6,386	5	10.0280	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A38686	The usefulness of church-musick a sermon preach'd at Christ-Church, Novemb. 27, 1696, upon occasion of the anniversary-meeting of the lovers of musick, on St. Cæcilia's Day / by S. Estwick ...	Estwick, Sampson, d. 1739.	1696 (1696)	Wing E3363; ESTC R13553	10,099	30

us'd amongst Heathens and this may in some sense be allow'd too yet not so as to exclude the former and that for this reason viz. because amongst other miraculous Gifts vouchsafed to the Church of God we are assured that inditing Spiritual Songs by the immediate impulse of the Spirit which is sometimes call d Prophesying was as remarkably known as Praying by the Spirit And this our Apostle assures us of in that noted Passage 1 Cor. 14. V. 15. I will pray with the Spirit and I will pray with the Understanding also I will sing with the Spirit and I will sing with the Understanding also the Scope and Design of which place is to make each particular Gift of Praying and Singing useful to their Auditors that is those that had either of the two were not either to pray or sing in unknown Tongues but those that their Hearers were acquainted with We have indeed but few of these Spiritual Songs transmitted to our Hands but from these excellent Patterns we may take our estimate of the rest and give a pretty good guess at the great Advantages the Church of God received by 'em For illiterate Men becoming suddenly qualified to extol the Mercies of God for the great Work of our Redemption we cannot but presume that the matter and manner of this Exercise was worthy of its Author that the Harmony was suitable to the Subject and because it was a Gift of the Spirit it is but reasonable to believe that these sort of inspir'd Persons Commenc'd good Poets and good Musicians and were thus doubly qualify'd to set forth the Praises of our God When we consider again that Psalms and Hymns are joyn'd with Spiritual Songs this evidently shews that the use of these was not superseded by the extraordinary assistance then given and thô it pleas'd God to raise up Men to magnifie his Name and to enlarge upon the new Themes of Man's Redemption and Reconciliation yet not with that design to make void the old Subjects that were accommodated to all Estates and Conditions of Life and to be of perpetual use to the Church of God These by the Goodness of God are continued to his Church and all that I shall observe at present is that as we have the greatest Reason so we ought to receive the same with grateful acknowledgments and express our Gratitude by making what Improvements we can by these standing Helps of Piety and Devotion And so I proceed to shew more particularly the usefulness of Divine Mnsick in the Worship of God as how and after what sort it tends to our Spiritual Improvement and what advantages may be reap'd by every good Christian that attends to it in a due manner The usefulness of it will in some Measure appear by reflecting on the Infirmities incident to our corrupted Nature For when we make our approaches to the House of God by sad experience we too often find our selves disturb'd either by the Cares or the Pleasures of this Life The Man of Business too frequently brings a load of it upon his Shoulders not easie to be discharg'd the Man of Pleasure too often ruminates on and acts over again the Scenes of his past Follies or is projecting new ones The Tradesman is too apt to make the Temple of God a House of Merchandice The Scholar to make it his Study to refine and digest his Notions in In short we are all too subject to be distracted in our Addresses to the Throne of Mercy too liable to bring a Sacrifice without a Heart and to be present in Body and at a distance in Spirit This being too often our unhappy Condition what better Remedy can be thought of for the Cure of these Evils than agreeable Harmony which has a great Force and Efficacy to hush and quiet the Cares and Business of Life to quell and lay asleep the thoughts of our Innocent Diversions or forbidden Pleasures and by bringing the Mind into a calm even frame and temper dispose it to attend to the concerning Matters on which our Salvation depends By the help of these delightful Sounds we are fitted and prepar'd to offer up our Prayers in a better manner and to receive more eagerly the salutary Admonitions of Holy Scripture either Read or Explain'd in the Pulpit When we find our Devotion and Attention begins to pall by the length of some of our Offices we have from these fresh Recruits provided us to renew and invigorate our drooping Spirits In a word our manifold Infirmities do much want such a kind of relief first to bring us into due Temper and then to quicken us when we find our selves Fainting under their Pressures Secondly The usefulness of Divine Musick in the Worship of God will farther appear from the Nature of this Exercise together with the subject Matter about which it is conversant This Exercise when skilfully manag'd has a native Puissance and admirable Facility to set off the Matter about which it is Conversant and make it appear to the best Advantages so as to render that which in it self is lovely more amiable and more delightful There are Sounds proper for every Passion such as can damp you when your Mirth and Joy begins to be rampant and excessive such as can raise you when your Spirits are languishing and either the needless Troubles or necessary Cares of Life begin to overset you Your Hopes shall be enlarg'd and by an over-ruling Power of Harmony ye shall be willingly forc'd to part with your unpleasing Thoughts and to enjoy a Calm at least if not an Extasie of Rapture when the Poet and Musician have severally discharg'd themselves according to their different Tasks and Imployments Ev'n the mean empty Trifles of this Life when cloath'd and adorn'd in proper Words and harmoniously express'd are made too lovely and too desirable Vice its self which one would think needs Art and all other Imbellishments to ingratiate it self owes too much of its Empire to the impure Idea's of lascivious Poets and the Performances of wanton Musicians by the help of which Varnish the Mind becomes enamour'd with the most odious and deform'd Objects and those excellent Faculties that were given us to raise our Love and Esteem and to fix our Mind upon Vertue and our sovereign Good are too often debas'd and made to serve in the meanest Drudgeries even the propagating Sensuality and Uncleanness If Vice it self is oblig'd to call in for those Succours to make her wrinkl'd gastly Face look Smooth and Beautiful how amiable must Vertue appear which in its self is lovely when adorn'd with those Imbellishments When the Lineaments of her Picture are drawn by the skilful Hand of a Chast Poet and colour'd by a good Musician For to come now to the subject Matter of our Praises and Thanksgivings with what complacency and delight ought we to receive those imitable Patterns of Devotion that display the Scenes of God's Love and our thankful acknowledgements for his transcendent Goodness and

Encouragement of Musick not thinking themselves secure in their Governments till by its Charms they had Temper'd and Smooth'd their unpolish'd Subjects or at least by this pleasant Vehicle allur'd 'em to submit to their harsher Constitutions How much Learning owes to Poetry and Musick may appear from this That the first Seeds of it were scatter'd in Number and Measure and what the Celebrated Poets sung and many of the Philosophers taught gain'd a more easie passage into Mens Minds by the agreeable mixture of well regulated Sounds Hence it was that the various Motions of the Planets the Arcanas of Nature and the Causes of her seeming Irregularties were first deliver'd in Verse And Atlas is presum'd by Virgil to frame and Jopas to sing the lofty Song on that Subject If the Universe it self was thought to be Compos'd by Harmony it 's the less to be wonder'd that those Philosophers that embrac'd this Opinion should act agreeably to it whilst Pythagoras fram'd his Works as near as he could to this Model and apply'd himself to Musick as a means to brighten his Morning and compose his Evening Thoughts 'T is the less remarkable that Socrates should divert the taedium of his Age by a late application to Musick and that Plato and Aristotle should advance it so high as that the Speculations of the former could not be throughly understood without it and that both allow it to be a necessary Ingredient to the Education of Youth and tending much to the Formation of Vertue and good Manners In pursuance of these high Encomiums given by the greatest Masters of Learning and the Experience of its usefulness the World became soon acquainted with the happy influences of it beholding with pleasure how much it serv'd to quiet and calm the unruly Passions of Men to alleviate the Troubles of Life to ease its Labours to abate the Rigours of Adversity and heighten the Enjoyments of Prosperity It beheld with Pleasure how much it advanced the Honours of the Military Life whilst their Heroes were animated with their Martial Sounds and in some measure rewarded too by the grateful acknowledgment of Triumphant Songs How much also were the Affairs of the Civil Life bettered by it when as Plutarch tells us their Entertainments were season'd with wholesom Admonitions and their Musicians encourag'd Temperance and Moderation at that very time they stood in need of such faithful and pleasant Monitors Thus this excellent gift of Heaven when exercised in its Primitive Purity and Simplicity tended much to the bettering and improving Mankind and 't is the less to be wonder'd that this common Blessing that serv'd for so many excellent purposes should be enclos'd and appropriated to the Service of God's Worship and the Uses of Religion That Mens Tongues and Voices should be Consecrated to enlarge upon the Noble Themes of God's Power Wisdom and Goodness and thereby to make his Praise Glorious make him Admir'd of all his Saints and Reverenc'd of all that are round about him For seeing the Great End of Man's Creation was to set forth the Praises of his Creator and he alone of all the Creatures of this Sublunary World was indu'd with Faculties to qualifie him for this Noble Employment it is but reasonable that he should do his utmost for that utmost will come far short of it to extol the Praises of God to the highest pitch he is capable of to Glorifie his Maker with his Body and Spirit with his Voice as well as Understanding A second Consideration that serves to recommend to us our Apostle's Injunction is the Practise of the Jewish Church as to the use of Vocal and Instrumental Musick both which kinds were introduc'd in the latter end of David's Reign when the Ark had rest and that by the Command of God 1 Cor. 11. 31 'T is true Ezra calls this the Ordinance of David King of Israel and if he appointed these Usages as a King and not as a Prophet we 're assured that these Commands were however confirm'd by other Contemporary Prophets For thus we read 2 Chron. 29. 25. the Levites were set in the House of God with Cymbals with Psalteries and with Harps according to the Commandment of David and of Gad the King's Seer and of Nathan the Prophet for so was the Command of God by his Prophets From which Passage it is evident that these Institutions proceeded from God and that this and no other is the Critical Season from whence they are to bear Date Now this was long after the delivery of Moses's Law and the Sealing up of the Ceremonial Canon and consequently cannot be reckon'd a part of that nor indeed any violation of that Law It cannot be reckon'd a part of it because that Law mentions nothing belonging to Vocal or Instrumental Musick in the Worship of God We find indeed some Commands relating to the Priests Trumpets but these were appointed for Civil Uses viz the Calling of Assemblies the Removal of their Camps the Proclaiming War and giving notice of their Festivals as we find by the 10th of Numbers These Usages were no Violation of that Law because the appointment of Vocal and Instrumental Musick was no essential Change and Alteration of it It was only an additional Ornament intended to help and raise Devotion and for its Natural fitness and congruity to that End Commanded and so Receiv'd into the House of God A third Consideration that enforces our Apostle's Exhortation and Recommends the Use of Divine Musick in the Worship of God is the Exercise of it in the Christian Church from the first Foundations of it We find in a particular manner our B. Lord's approving it by singing a Hymn In like manner Paul and Silas followed this Pattern and all faithful People throughout all Ages of the Church imitated their Practice herein 'T is true the first Age of the Christian Church was distinguish'd from the following upon this as well as other accounts here therefore I shall briefly inform you what the learned Commentators understand by the several Terms mentioned by the Apostles and first they tell us that the Psalm is such a Divine Song that is either design'd or actually sung to some Musical Instrument and this is Mr. Calvin's Sense of this word in his Comment upon this Text The Hymn is made to Celebrate the Praises of God and as such does not extend so far as the Psalm because the Matter of the Psalm may take in Petition of Blessings and Confession of Sins and Deprecation of Evil as is usual in many of the Psalms of David As for the third sort viz. Spiritual Songs we are to understand by them such Songs as were indited by the Holy Ghost in the Praise of God the Father and our Redeemer and utter'd by Virtue of a peculiar Gift which was Communicated to some Believers and frequently found in the Apostolical Age. Some indeed are of Opinion that these Spiritual Songs are to be understood in opposition to those Lewd Songs