The breach repaired in God's worship, or, Singing of psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs,…

So we do in Preaching; but if those words agree with the Text, 'tis still the same Word, and may be opened thereby the better to the understandings of the People. Besides, let it be considered, that we have not the Holy Scriptures in those words in which they were written by the Pen-Men of the Scripture, for they wrote the Old Testament in Hebrew words, and the New-Testament in Greek words. Also the Translators differ much in words in giving the true sense of the Original, so that this Objection is a mere contentious Cav••. Moreover, there are in our Bibles (all Learned Men know) a multitude of Supplements, or words added, to make good the sense, the Originals being too short to express it in our Language. Now you may as well, nay, if not with more colour of reason say, part of ⟨p. 95⟩the Scripture is Human, and not Divine, as to call our Sacred Hymns so: And so you may by the same Argument call our Sermons likewise. 'Tis evident, as Mr. Barton observes (in his Epistle to his Book of Hymns) That Justin Martyr, Tertullian, and many others have signified the Primitive Church used, not only David's Psalms, but other Portions of Scripture to put in Songs for edification. Hymns may (as he saith) be plainer than Psalms, and more suitable to Gospel-occasions, such in which Christians may truly say they do teach and admonish one another in; such (saith he) as inculcate our Duties, and reprove our Vices, out of most piercing Passages of Holy-Scripture, and such as may answer or suit with all Sermons, and accommodate all Occurrences, and are no Innovations, but reduction to primitive Use and Order.

So we do in Preaching; but if those words agree with the Text, 'tis still the same Word, and may be opened thereby the better to the understandings of the People. Besides, let it be considered, that we have not the Holy Scriptures in those words in which they were written by the Pen-Men of the Scripture, for they wrote the Old Testament in Hebrew words, and the New-Testament in Greek words. Also the Translators differ much in words in giving the true sense of the Original, so that this Objection is a mere contentious Cav••. Moreover, there are in our Bibles (all Learned Men know) a multitude of Suppliments, or words added, to make good the sense, the Originals being too short to express it in our Language. Now you may as well, nay, if not with more colour of reason say, part of ⟨p. 95⟩