And now as to the Gift of Teaching, Interpreting, Prophesying, &c. only one was to be ⟨p. 144⟩the Mouth; Let the Prophets speak one by one, and let the other judg: if any thing be revealed to him that sitteth by, let the first hold his peace. To act contrary to this Rule, is Confusion; and so of some other Gifts and Ordinances, whole Nature were in themselves the same, so they were to be done. And now as to Singing, that being always performed with Voices together, both in the Old Testament, and by Christ and his Disciples, and by Paul and Silas, and so enjoined on the Churches; they who had a Psalm, that is, as I conclude, a Psalm of David, to bring forth by an extraordinary Spirit, which might not be the Matter of the Psalm, but the Manner of bringing it forth in an unknown Tongue, and it may be in a Tune too that others might not understand, and so upon both respects others could not sing with him, nor the Church be edified; he was not so to bring forth his Psalm, unless there was an Interpreter who might give it forth to the People, that they might sing together, as always that Ordinance was practised in the Public Congregation. And this appears to be the sense of the place by Paul's own words; When I pray, I will pray with the Spirit, and with the Understanding; that is, in a known Tongue, to my own Understanding, and to the Understanding of others. And when I sing, I will sing with the Spirit, and I will sing with the Understanding also: that is, If I sing in the Church, I will not sing in an unknown Tongue, so that others cannot understand what I sing, and so cannot ⟨p. 145⟩sing with me. He doth not mean, doubtless, his own Understanding only, but the Understanding of others also; so that, according to the Nature of the Ordinance, all might be edified, and all might be comforted.
And now as to the Gift of Teaching, Interpreting, Prophesying, &c. only one was to be ⟨p. 144⟩the Mouth; Let the Prophets speak one by one, and let the other judg: if any thing be revealed to him that sitteth by, let the first hold his peace. To act contrary to this Rule, is Confusion; and so of some other Gifts and Ordinances, whole Nature were in themselves the same, so they were to be done. And now as to Singing, that being always performed with Voices together, both in the Old Testament, and by Christ and his Disciples, and by Paul and Silas, and so enjoined on the Churches; they who had a Psalm, that is, as I conclude, a Psalm of David, to bring forth by an extraordinary Spirit, which might not be the Matter of the Psalm, but the Manner of bringing it forth in an unknown Tongue, and it may be in a Tune too that others might not understand, and so upon both respects others could not sing with him, nor the Church be edified; he was not so to bring forth his Psalm, unless there was an Interpreter who might give it forth to the People, that they might sing together, as always that Ordinance was practised in the Publick Congregation. And this appears to be the sense of the place by Paul's own words; When I pray, I will pray with the Spirit, and with the Vnderstanding; that is, in a known Tongue, to my own Understanding, and to the Understanding of others. And when I sing, I will sing with the Spirit, and I will sing with the Vnderstanding also: that is, If I sing in the Church, I will not sing in an unknown Tongue, so that others cannot understand what I sing, and so cannot ⟨p. 145⟩sing with me. He doth not mean, doubtless, his own Understanding only, but the Understanding of others also; so that, according to the Nature of the Ordinance, all might be edified, and all might be comforted.
