A47407:246
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 11
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.
Now this place directly declares the manner how we ought to Sing, that is, with Voices together. And thus I find a most Reverend and Learned Man speak upon the place: David's Psalms (saith he) were Sung together in Heart and Voice, by the twenty four, Orders of the Musicians, who typed out the twenty four Elders, (which our Annotators, and others say signify the Church and Ministers of Christ), and so saith this Author, viz. All the Members of Christian Churches, Rev. 5. 8. who are made Kings and Priests to God, to praise him as they did; for if there had been any other Order of Singing besides the Body of the People, to succeed those formerly used, the Lord would doubtless have given directions how or what it was. Not Moses only, but all Israel sang; and the Women, as well as the Men, also intimateth that that Song John speaks of, Rev. 15. 3. which, saith he, the Protestant Churches getting Victory over the Beast, with Harps in their hands, and Singing the Song of Moses refers to that Song and manner of Singing Exod. 15. 1, 2. And there is no doubt of it but it doth. Moreover, (saith he) Isaiah foretells, in the days of the New Testament, that God's Watchmen, and dissolates lost Souls, (signified by desolate and waste places) should, with their Voice, Sing together, Isa. 52. 8, 9. The Song of the Lamb (saith he) was with many together, Rev. 7. 9, 10. And the Apostles expressly command the Singing of ⟨p. 81⟩Psalms, Hymns, and spiritual Songs, not to any select Christians, but to the whole Church, Ephes. 5. 19. Col. 3. 16. Paul and Silas sang together in Prison, Act. 16. 25. and must the Public hear only one Man Sang (I must say it would be a strange sight to see and hear, and without any Warrant from God's Word, or Practice of any Church of Christ). To all these (saith he) we may add the Practice of the Primitive Churches, the testimony of the ancient and holy Basil is instead of many, Epist. 63. When one of us (saith he) hath begun a Psalm, the rest of us set in to sing with him, all of us with one Heart, and with one Voice; and this (saith he) is the common practice (speaking of Basil) of the Churches of Egypt, Libya, Thebes, Palestine, Syria. To the same purpose Eusebius gives witness, Eccles. Hist. lib. 2. cap. 17.