Singing of Psalms a Gospel-ordinance, or, A TreatiseSinging of Psalmes a Gospel-ordinance, or, A Treatise

The Consequence is evident and undeniable. For presupposing that God would have the Scriptures read of English men as well as of other Nations, then as a necessary means to that end, he would have the Scriptures translated into the English Tongue, that English People might be able to read them. In like sort, presupposing that God would have the Psalms of David, and other Scripture-Psalms to be sung of English men, (as hath been evinced above in the second Point) then as a necessary means to that end, he would have Scripture-Psalms (which are Poems and Verses) to be translated into English-Psalms (which are in like sort Poems and Verses) that English People might be able to sing them. Now as all Verses in all Poems do consist of a certain number, and measure of Syllables; so do our English Verses (as they do in some other Nations) run in meter also, which make the Verses more easy for memory, and fit for melody.

The Consequence is evident and undeniable. For presupposing that God would have the Scriptures read of English men as well as of other Nations, then as a necessary meanes to that end, he would have the Scriptures translated into the English Tongue, that English People might be able to reade them. In like sort, presupposing that God would have the Psalmes of David, and other Scripture-Psalmes to be sung of English men, (as hath been evinced above in the second Point) then as a necessary meanes to that end, he would have Scripture-Psalmes (which are Poems and Verses) to be translated into English-Psalmes (which are in like sort Poems and Verses) that English People might be able to sing them. Now as all Verses in all Poems doe consist of a certaine number, and measure of Syllables; so doe our English Verses (as they doe in some other Nations) runne in meeter also, which make the Verses more easie for memory, and fit for melody.

A second ground of this Point is this: If it be not lawful to translate Hebrew Psalms (which are Verses) into English Verses, which run in number, measure, and meter of syllables:) then it is not lawful to express the elegance of the Original language ⟨p. 56⟩in a translation; for it is an artificial elegance which the holy Pen-men of Scripture used that they penned the Psalms, and such like Poetical books of Scriptures not in prose, (which men use in common speech) but in verses, which observe a certain number and measure of syllables, and some of them run in meter also, as those know that know the Hebrew, and as Buxtorf. showeth in his Thesaur. pag. 629. Now surely then it were a sacrilegious niceness, to think it unlawful lively to express all the artificial elegancies of the Hebrew Text, so far as we are able to imitate the same in a translation. Yea doubtless it were a part of due Faithfulness in a Translator, as to declare the whole Counsel of God, word for word; so to express lively every elegance of the Holy Ghost (as much as the vulgar language can reach) that so the People of God may be kindly affected, as well with the manner, as with the matter of the holy Scriptures.