A47407:101
The breach repaired in God's worship, or, Singing of psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs,…
The breach repaired in God's worship, or, Singing of psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs, proved to be an holy ordinance of Jesus Christ with an answer to all objections : as also, an examination of Mr. Isaac Marlow's two papers, one called, A discourse against singing, &c., the other, An appendix : wherein his arguments and cavils are detected and refuted / by Benjamin Keach ...
London: printed for Author, 1691
Title page typeset from the transcription.
Singing of Psalms, Hymns, and Spiritual Songs, an Holy Ordinance of… › Chapter 3
Modern spelling is a reading aid: the words are the author’s, only the spelling is modernized. Original shows the page as printed, with the transcription marks.
CHAP. III.
Proving Singing the Praises of God to be a Moral Duty.
OUR third Argument to prove Singing […] Ordinance of God, shall be taken from the Nature of the Duty it self, which generally worthy Men call a Moral Duty, as well as it is brought under express Institution, and so consequently a Branch of natural Worship. And now, because some weak Christians are offended at this Phrase, viz. calling Singing a part of natural or moral Worship or Religion, I shall explain what we mean when we speak thus. First of all, not but that 'tis a spiritual Ordinance, and a positively Law: but we must distinguish between Precepts that are purely Moral, and merely Positive. Breaking of Bread, and Holy Baptism, are mere positive Ordinances: and they had never been known nor practised, if there had not been a positive Institution to give being to them; but to fear God, to love God, to pray to God, and divers other Precepts of the same Nature, had been the Duty of all Man-kind, if there had been no written Law or Prescription positively to enjoin them on the Creature; and that by the ⟨p. 29⟩Law or Light o• God in the Conscience of Men; as Paul showeth in Rom. 2. 14, 15. For when the Gentiles which have not the Law, do by nature the things contained in the Law; those having not the Law, are a Law unto themselves, which show the Work of the Law written in their hearts. All Mankind throughout the World know, by that of God written in their Hearts, they ought not to wrong their Neighbours, they ought not to Steal, nor commit Adultery, nor Kill, &c. They are taught, in a word, the substance of the whole moral Law of God hereby, if not wholly darkened and obliterated by their Sin and horrid Lusts. Even so we say, if there had been no written Law, or positive Injunction, to pray, and sing the Praises of God, yet the Light of Nature would have taught us thus to do.