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.
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
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
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
Spiritual Songs are most of them Prayers to God and Praises of God and so they are set Forms of such Prayers and Praise And if it be warrantable to sing prescribed and set-Forms of Prayer and Praise it is equally lawful otherwise to deliver such set-Forms of Prayers and Praises Prayer-wise and to say them as well as sing them and I cannot see it possible for those that are for singing of David's Psalms and yet deny the Lawfulness of prescribed and precomposed Forms of Prayer to answer the Doctor 's Argument but that such forms of Prayers and Praises must stand or fall together 2. These Words teaching and admonishing one another in Psalms and Hymns and Spiritual Songs are no more binding for the constant use of them than teaching and admonishing by the extraordinary Gifts of Prophecy Doctrine and Revelation proves that such Gifts shall continue for the constant Worship of God in the Gospel-Church to the end of the World SECT IV. IT is objected See more Part 1. pag. 36. That it is a Moral Duty to praise God and therefore we ought to sing his Praise in his constant Worship Answer This I have spoken somewhat unto already in the former Part but finding it is made the Refuge of some Persons who cannot maintain their Practice of formal Singing by Gospel-Institution I shall take the more notice of it here For though they do assert their manner of Singing both from the Gospel-Institution and the moral Law for if it be a moral Duty it must be so by the moral Law yet as I have plainly proved before that there is no foundation in the New Testament for such a Practice so their flying to the moral Law seems virtually to confess the same seeing that other Worship hath been maintained by them from Gospel-Institutions and therefore they not being able to produce that which is not viz. such a Gospel-Institution nor to make their Practice to appear in any example of the Apostolical Churches found in the New Testament I shall now demonstrate how little relief they can have from the Moral Law either given by Moses Rom. 2.12 to 17. or written in the Heart of Man by Nature which is in substance the same 1. As to the Moral Law of Moses Exod. 20.3 5. Deut. 6.13 Mat. 4.10 though it requires Worship to be given to God alone yet the Manner of it under the Old-Testament was not alike Moral but Ceremonial Temporary and Changeable according to the Revelation of the Mind and Will of God to his Gospel-Church otherwise if the manner of Worship under the Law were alike moral and durable as the Command it self to worship God we are then as firmly bound to the observation of that which we call and in truth is Mosaical and Ceremonial Worship as of the moral Command to worship God But that which was Ceremonial was no other than the peculiar manner of exerting or putting forth of that morally commanded in the Worship of God during the Time and Dispensation of the Law 2. It is an absurd and irrational thing for any to make the Moral Law or Light of Nature written in the Heart of Man by Nature a Rule to exert the Worship of God by when nothing is more certain than that the Law and Light of Nature is through the Fall much obliterated and corrupted that we know not perfectly what it was in the state of Innocency or that it did simply of it self discover to our first Parents before they sinned the perfect manner how they should worship God For God by Institution allowed Adam to eat of every Herb and of the Fruit of every Tree of the Field yielding Seed Gen. 2.16 17 and 3.1 2 3 23. and by Institution he commanded Adam in the state of Innocency that he should not eat of the Tree of Knowledg of Good and Evil. And therefore seeing that Adam had a supernatural Revelation of the Mind and Will of God therein for his Obedience and not unlikely for his resting on God's Sabbath otherwise he might have been dressing the Garden of Eden on that day or tilling the Ground from whence he was taken it not being possible for him to know what time had passed before he was created but by a supernatural Revelation given to him It is rather rational to believe that he had other Institutions given to him for the manner of exerting or putting forth his Worship unto God otherwise we must allow that from his very instinct of Nature he knew the Mind of God as it was in God himself though unrevealed to Adam by supernatural Revelation which I think will hardly be affirmed by any And then if the pure Light of Adam's Nature before the Fall was not sufficient of it self to discover the Will of God for his perfect Obedience to it why should any go about to make it a Rule for the manner of exerting the Worship of God now when it is corrupted and when we are so opposite in our Natures to the Law of God As the Apostle saith Rom. 7.14 Chap. 8.7 The Law is Spiritual but I am carnal sold under Sin And that the natural Man cannot know the things of the Spirit of God Because the natural Mind is Enmity against God 1 Cor. 2.14 for it is not subject to the Law of God neither indeed can be Rom. 8.8 So then they that are in the Flesh cannot please God For though the visible things that are seen do declare the Eternal Power and Godhead and the Law of Nature binds us to worship God yet as Moses said Exod. 10.26 We know not with what we must serve the Lord until we come thither So the manner how is not known by this Law but by the Divine Revelation and Institutions of God unto us without which the Sons of Men are left to the uncertain Dictates of their own Hearts by which as their Practice in all Ages hath witnessed they have greatly varied from each other and grofly erred from the Mind and Will of God in his Worship Yea and if Christians do so much differ in their Apprehensions concerning the Will of God recorded in his written Word what Union can be expected if instead of cleaving to that as our Rule of Worship we should adhere to the Light of Nature which cannot savingly reveal Christ Mat. 11.27 1 Cor. 2.11 to 15. How should it then reveal unto us the manner of Christian Worship which is now discovered by Gospel-Institutions through which alone our moral Duty is exerted Moreover as Gospel-Institutions do not destroy nor repugn but exert and shew forth the moral Commands so our moral Obedience to them Rom. 8.3 through our weakness in the Flesh and want of Perfection in them Gal. 5.6 cannot be accepted of God but as they are performed according to Gospel-Qualifications Heb. 11.6 So that whatever may be said for the Morality of praying or praising God yet if it be not done in
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.