Selected quad for the lemma: woman_n

Word A Word B Word C Word D Occurrence Frequency Band MI MI Band Prominent
woman_n cover_v head_n prophesy_v 1,689 5 11.0692 5 false
View all documents for the selected quad

Text snippets containing the quad

ID Title Author Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication) STC Words Pages
A34693 Singing of Psalmes a Gospel-ordinance, or, A Treatise wherein are handled these particulars 1. Touching the duty itselfe, 2. Touching the matter to be sung, 3. Touching the singers, 4. Touching the manner of singing / by John Cotton ... Cotton, John, 1584-1652. 1650 (1650) Wing C6457; ESTC R37666 58,343 75

There are 2 snippets containing the selected quad. | View lemmatised text

wee must not sing a● all or we must make use of such Tunes as are invented by others But you cannot believe that ever God betrusted mans corrupt nature to frame any thing in Gods worship to his Praise Answ. Then you cannot beleeve that ever God betrusted the Hebrew and Greeke Scriptures to be read in the Christian Churches in English words for all English words are framed by English men in corrupt nature to wit without the immediate assistance of the Holy Ghost in the framing of them And if wee may not make use of Tunes invented by men for the singing of the Psalmes then neither may we make use of words invented by men for the Reading of the Psalmes and other Scriptures The one is as much a worship of God as the other And English words are as much an invention of man as English Tunes But least you should begin hereupon to take up a scruple against the Reading also of Scriptures in English words as well as against the singing of Psalmes in English Tunes and both upon this pretence of the inventions of men in the worship of God be not ignorant that such godly men as have been desirous of Reformation and most zealous against humane inventions in the worship of God they alwaies intended such humane inventions in the worship of God as had no warrant but the wit and will of man not such as had warrant either from consequence of Scripture or light of Nature or civill custome For a woman to cover her head in time of publique Prayer or Prophecying and for a man to uncover his head the Apostle warranteth both from the light of Nature and the custome of the Churches 1 Cor. 11.4 to 16. The Kisse of love in holy Assemblies was warranted not by divine institution for then it were a sinne in us to neglect it now but by occasion of civill custome in those Nations where it being usuall in their Civill Assemblies to greet one another with a kisse of love The Apostles doe not disallow the use of it in holy Assemblies but onely require the sinceritie and holinesse of the love expressed in such kisses 1 Cor. 16.20 1 Thes. 5.26 1 Pet. 5.14 These Apostles did not beleeve in this Point as you doe that God never betrusted corrupt Nature to frame any thing in Gods worship to his Praise It is true mans corrupt Nature cannot bring forth a good thought to wit a gracious thought and that of it selfe but yet by the helpe of Christ it may bring forth both knowledge by Tongues and Tunes by Musick and that with as good allowance in the New Testament as in the Old God did as much disallow any flesh to boast in his presence in the old Testament as in the New Jer. 9.23 24. But what cause hath any flesh to boast either of his spirituall or common gifts Seeing both are gifts and received of God and if received why should men boast as if they had not received them 1 Cor. 4.7 Object 2. To sing with mans melody and meeter doth not hold forth any spirituall gift of Christ but onely the art and nature of man whereas Prayer and Preaching doe hold forth spirituall gifts And the tuning of Scripture by mans art it is no gift of Grace neither doth it redound to the praise of Grace Answ. Though Prayer and Preaching doe hold forth spirittuall gifts yet all the Duties that tend to edification doe not hold forth spirituall gifts but some of them common gifts onely The reading of the Scriptures tendeth to edification as being it selfe an Ordinance of God though exposition afterwards be added also which is another Ordinance Deut 31.11 12 13. And yet reading of the Scriptures is no spirituall gift Aquila and Symmachus and Theodotian translated the Hebrew Scriptures into Greeke and yet none of them were endued with spirituall gifts or at best but common To say Amen at the end of a publique Prayer tendeth to edification and yet Amen may be said without holding forth any spirituall gift But that which is ground of your scruple seemeth to be this that that which is no gift of Grace how can it redound to the Praise of Grace But the Answer is ready that such things as helpe either the understanding or the affection and are appointed of God for his worship they do tend to edification and so to the praise of grace though they may be performed by a gift of God in Nature or art without any spirituall gift of Grace Translation of the Scriptures into the Mother-Tongue and the reading of them in a knowne tongue doe both of them helpe the understanding and being appointed of God they tend to the edification of the people in the Grace of Christ The translating of the Psalmes into verse in number measure and meeter and suiting the Ditty with apt Tunes doe helpe to stirre up the affection And the singing of Psalmes being appointed of God they tend to make a gracious melody to the Praise of God and edification of his People The sound of Aarons Bells and the blast of the silver Trumpets and the workmanship of Hiram the Tyrian in Solomons Temple did none of them hold forth any spirituall gift of grace The gift of God in Nature and Art might ●each them all Yet all these being appointed by God the putting forth of these gifts did tend to the edification of the Church of God in the Grace of Christ Object 3. The Meeter of the late Translators though it come nearer to the Originall then the former Meeters yet not so neare as the Prose They frame their words and sentences more to the Meeter then the Prose Yea they sometimes breake the Attributes of God and for the verse sake put Jah for Jehovah which is a mangling of the word Answ. The meeter and verse of the late Translators cometh as neare to the words and sence of the Originall as doth the Prose especially considering they doe withall expresse the holy Art of the Originall Hebrew Poetry which the Prose doth not attend unto Neither doe the Translators breake the Attributes of God when for the verse sake they put Jah for Jehovah For both Jah and Jehovah doe hold forth one and the same Attribute of God even his eternall being The Evangelists and Apostles give us a patterne of greater changes of the Attributes of God then that any yet without breaking of the Attributes of God and much more without mangling of the word of God It is an usuall thing with them to translate Jehovah the Lord Mat. 22.44 with Psal. 110.1 And yet Jehovah holdeth forth his eternall essence the Lord his Soveraigne Dominion It were sacrilegious Blasphemy to call this changing either the breaking of Gods Attributes or the mangling of his word Besides it s very rare when the Translators doe make any such change of Jah for Jehovah and to prevent all stumbling either of your selfe or others at it I suppose they will helpe it in the next
in Colos. 3.16 where the whole Church of Colosse is exhorted to have the word of Christ dwell richly in them not onely to Teach and Admonish one another as well in the Psalmes as other Scriptures but also to sing the Psalmes with holy melody to the Lord If God had reserved this Dutie to some select Choristers he would have given some direction in the New Testament for their Qualification and Election But since he speaketh nothing of any such select Musitians he commendeth this Dutie to the whole Church Answ. 2. It is not safely said that scarce any example in Scripture can be given of any entire Congregation that sang together For 1. In Exod. 15.1 Moses and the chilrdren of Israel are said to sing a Song of Thankesgiving to the Lord And the same they that sang this Song the same are said soone to forget Gods works and not to waite for his Counsell but to fall a lusting Psal. 106.12 13 14. which was the body of the people 2. Christ and his Disciples when they administred and received the Lords Supper which was a Church Act they were an entire Congregation And they after Supper sung a Psalme or Hymne Mat. 26.30 To say that one sang it and the other joyned in Spirit saying Amen hath no foot-hold in the Text It might as well be said they all tooke the bread they all blessed it and brake it and gave it in that one did it and all the rest joyned in Spirit and consented and like enough to the blessing of it said Amen 3. It is no straine of wit but a solid and judicious exposition of the fourth Chapter of the Revelation to make it a description of a particular visible Church of Christ according to the platforme and patterne of the New Testament where as the foure living Creatures are the foure sorts of Officers so the twenty-foure Elders set forth the brethren in the Church who are as Elders in respect of their ripe age Gal. 4.1 2 3. and twenty-foure in number answering to the twenty-foure Orders of Priests and Levites 1 Chron. 25.9 c. And these are all said to joyne together in singing a new Song unto the Lambe Rev. 5.8 9 10. Object 4. If the whole Church should sing together then all the members were Teachers For the Apostle biddeth us to Teach and Admonish one another in Psalmes Colos. 3.16 But the same Apostle denyeth all to be Teachers 1 Cor. 12.29 Answ. Though the Apostle bid us to Teach and Admonish one another in Psalmes yet he doth not say that we should teach one another by singing Psalmes together But hee there holdeth forth a twofold use and improvement of the whole word of God dwelling richly in us and a threefold use and improvement of the Psalmes The whole word of God dwelling richly in us is to be improved to the Teaching and admonishing of one another but the Psalmes are to be improved not onely to both these ends as all the rest of the Word beside but to a threefold end also even to the Singing of Praises to the Lord Now in this third end all the Congregation may joyne in improving the Psalmes thereunto though not in the Publique teaching or Admonishing of the Church by them yet in setting forth the Praises the Counsels the workes of God declared in them Answ. 2. Though not every one that Singeth a Psalme may be said forthwith to Teach or Admonish them that sing with him yet hee that appointeth the Psalme to be sung may be said to teach and Admonish the whole Congregation that are to sing it or heare it Julian the Apostate tooke himselfe to be admonished yea and reproved when the Christians sang in his hearing the 115. and 97. Psalmes which declare the vanity of Id●ls and the confusion of such as worship them as is recorded in the Church-Story by Socrates Theodoret Nicephorus Answ. 3. Though the Apostle deny all to be Teachers his meaning is onely to deny that they are all Teachers by publique Office to attend upon Expounding and applying Scripture to publique edification But it was no part of his meaning either to forbid private Teaching or Adomition of one another for then Aquila and Priscilla had gone too farre in instructing Apollos Acts 18.26 or to forbid the quickening and edifying of the Spirit of one another by singing together Psalmes of Instruction Admonition Consolation to themselves and Prayers and Praises to the Lord CHAP. VIII Whether Women may sing as well as Men THe second scruple about Singers is Whether women may sing as well as men For in this point there be some that deale with us as Pharaoh dealt with the Israelites who though he was at first utterly unwilling that any of them should goe to sacrifice to the Lord in the Wildernesse yet being at length convinced that they must goe then hee was content the men should goe but not the Women Exod. 10.11 So here some that were altogether against singing of Psalmes at all with lively voyce yet being convinced that it is a morall worship of God warranted in Scripture then if there must be a Singing one alone must sing not all or if all the Men onely and not the Women And their Reason is 1. Because it is not permitted to a woman to speake in the Church 1 Cor. 14.34 how then shall they Sing 2. Much lesse it is permitted to them to Prophecy in the Church 1 Tim. 2.11 12. And singing of Psalmes is a kind of Prophecying One answer may at once remove both these scruples and withall cleare the Truth It is apparent by the scope and context of both those Scriptures That a woman is not permitted to speake in the Church in two cases 1. By way of Teaching whether in expounding or applying Scripture For this the Apostle accounteth an act of Authority which is unlawfull for a Woman to usurpe over the man 2 Tim. 2.13 And besides the woman is more subject to Error then the man ver. 14. And therefore might soone prove a Seducer if she became a Teacher 2. It is not permitted to a woman to speake in the Church by way of propounding Questions though under pretence of desire to learne for her own satisfaction but rather it is required shee should aske her husband at home 1 Cor. 14.35 For under pretence of Questioning for learning sake she might so propound her Question as to Teach her Teachers or if not so yet to open a doore to some of her own weake and erroneous apprehensions or at least soone exceed the bounds of womanly modesty Neverthelesse in two other cases it is cleare a woman is allowed to speake in the Church 1. In way of subjection when shee is to give account of her offence Thus Peter Questioned Saphyra before the Church touching the price of land sold by her and her husband which her husband had concealed by his lye And shee accordingly spake in the Church to give answer to his Question Acts 5.8 2