A47407:373
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.
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.
Answ. We have proved Singing the Praises of God is a part of natural Religion, and so a moral Duty in its own Nature, as Prayer is; and that the Heathen sang the Praises of God for his goodness in Creation, that ha•e no written Word: And what is this then to the purpose, if we should grant that Singing was not brought under an Institution till David's Time?
As touching what you say about the Israelites in the Wilderness, how in trouble they did ⟨p. 128⟩not sing, 'tis more than you know, for I think you will find they were not far from the Wilderness when Moses and the Congregation sang▪ Exod. 15. However our Lord Jesus and his Disciples sang when it was a sad Wilderness•time with them, it was just the Night before our Blessed Saviour was betrayed. And Paul and Silas sung in the Wilderness of a Prison; and though the Saints are always sorrowful, yet they are required ever-more to rejoice. All outward Comforts of this World, are not […] thousand part such cause of Joy and Singing, as our spiritual Deliverance and Salvation by Christ is. Do you think that outward Blessings here will better tend to tune our Spirits and Tongues to sing the Praises of God, than the Love of God in Jesus Christ, Pardon of Sin, Justification, Union, Communion, Adoption? &c. No, no, here is the Spring of Joy, and cause of true spiritual Singing, and none can learn David's Psalms, nor any other Scripture-Hymns or Songs thus to sing them, but the 144000; none but such who have that new Name, that new Nature, can learn this Song as thus to sing it, Rev. 14. 3. And let me tell you, this Singing of the hundred and forty four thousand spoken of, was under the Reign of Antichrist, for the seven Angels with their seven Vials came out of the Temple afterwards, who destroy Babylon.