A47407:127
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.
Object. What, you then (say some) plead for a natural or carnal thing, natural Religion and Worship. Away with your Singing, we thought all our Religion ought to be Spiritual.
Answ. We plead for Spiritual Worship as well as you, and say, That all the Parts of Religious Duties must be Spiritual, or they will not be accepted of God. But what is this to the purpose? Divers Ordinances, in their original and proper Nature, are Moral, and part of natural Worship: Is not Prayer in particular by all acknowledged so to be? And may not Prayer be carnally performed too, as well as Singing? nay, and so may any other Ordinance of Christ. Another Man will tell you, whilst you plead for Prayer, you plead for a Moral Duty, and a Branch of natural Worship: But doth that detract from its Glory? No sure, all wise Men know it adds greatly to it.
Cornelius (Act. 10. 1, 2, 3.) was a Man much in Prayer, tho a Gentile, and without the knowledge of the Gospel, (or Law either, as far as we know); So the Mariners which were with Jonah in the Ship, in their Distress, (tho Heathens) 'tis said, every Man called upon his God, Jonah 1. 5. But why shall any call Singing a low or carnal thing? they have the least reason so to term it of any Ordinan•• performed by the Spirit: Pray, are Angels sound in any carnal Ordinance, or th• glorified Saints in Heaven? What ⟨p. 40⟩Ordinance can shine more glorious and subli•• in its Nature, than this of Singing Psalms, Hymns and Spiritual Songs, if this be duly considered? But as to the true or right manner of performance of this Duty, as in all others, we must have our recourse to the Word of God.