A47407:334
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 15
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.
Though all that are impartial, who shall read Mr. Marlow's Book against Singing, and consider what I have already said in this Treatise, will say, He is answered: Yet I shall now give a particular Reply to all that is any ways material contained in it, which I have not detected and answered before.
THough all that are impartial, who shall read Mr. Marlow's Book against Singing, and consider what I have already said in this Treatise, will say, He is answered: Yet I shall now give a particular Reply to all that is any ways material contained in it, which I have not detected and answered before.
That which he insinuates, pag. 3, 4. about the Weakness and Imbecility of some Christians about their reception of this Ordinance as a dangerous thing, needs no Reply; he would fain make his Reader think, to receive singing of Psalms, &c. as an Ordinance, is no less than a falling away from the Truth. So clearly (saith he) manifested by the Holy Scripture, and witnessed to by the Sufferings of the purest Churches in our Age, who have born a lively Testimony, not only against the humane prescribed and precomposed Forms of Prayer, but against singing David's Psalms, and other Hymns or Songs precomposed by Man.
Answ. 'Tis not a falling away from Truth, to restore a lost or neglected Ordinance of the Gospel, (as you I perceive dare not deny, but this of Singing is); The main difference is about the Manner, or what Singing is. We say it is going forward i• the glorious Work of Reformation. What though some Baptized Churches (who I do believe have attained to greater Purity in some things, than some others) have born such a Witness against Singing of David's Psalms; is it therefore no Ordinance of Christ? must they needs know every Truth of Christ? Is there any Church that is yet arrived to such a perfection of Knowledge, that they need not the discovery of any Truth but what they have received? I am afraid some of those Churches are yet short of the Knowledge and Practice of another Ordinance as well as this, and speak against it as against this, though it is one of the first Principles of the Doctrine of Christ,