A47407:532
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… › Conclusion: The Conclusion.
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.
Thirdly; You would, you say, have the Leaders among us seriously consider, that are for such formal Singing (as you call it) whether they will be able to plead at the Bar of Christ for this Practice, tho they may urge it on their fellow-Brethren here, &c. and you put up a kind of Prayer, that God would give us a true sight and sense of the evil Consequences of this Error (as you are pleased to call it) that we may not cause his People to sin, but that with sound Doctrine we may strengthen the weak Hands and feeble Knees, &c.
Answ. I must entreat you to consider, whether you will be able to give a good account at the Bar of Jesus Christ, for endeavouring to diminish from God's Word; nay, from Christ's New Testament,; for sure we are, singing of Psalms, Hymns and spiritual Songs is one Ordinance found therein, which you strive to take way, and foolishly plead only for a thing called the Essence of it, without the Act or discharge […] the Duty according to the nature of the Ordinance, and so contrive a new kind of singing out of the dark Imagination of your Heart, and add that in the stead of it, which is not understood by the generality of Mankind, and so make us to believe (if you could) that Christ hath left an Ordinance that there is no way to come to any Certainty how it should be performed; and hereby also lay a just occasion of Offence, or a Stumbling-block in the way of weak Christians, to think they may practise Ordinances acceptably to God (which requires the bodily Organs) without the Body, and so deny the Body to glorify God, tho redeemed to that end; and expose our Glory (viz. our Tongue) to Reproach and Shame, and consequently rob God of some part, nay, one great part of his glorious Praise, and his poor Church of much sweet Comfort and Soul-Refreshment in his blessed Ordinance, as I have showed in the first Chapter.
Answ. I must intreat you to consider, whether you will be able to give a good account at the Bar of Jesus Christ, for endeavouring to diminish from God's Word; nay, from Christ's New Testament,; for sure we are, singing of Psalms, Hymns and spiritual Songs is one Ordinance found therein, which you strive to take way, and foolishly plead only for a thing called the Essence of it, without the Act or discharge 〈…〉 the Duty according to the nature of the Ordinance, and so contrive a new kind of singing out of the dark Imagination of your Heart, and add that in the stead of it, which is not understood by the generality of Mankind, and so make us to believe (if you could) that Christ hath left an Ordinance that there is no way to come to any Certainty how it should be performed; and hereby also lay a just occasion of Offence, or a Stumbling-block in the way of weak Christians, to think they may practise Ordinances acceptably to God (which requires the bodily Organs) without the Body, and so deny the Body to glorify God, tho redeemed to that end; and expose our Glory (viz. our Tongue) to Reproach and Shame, and consequently rob God of some part, nay, one great part of his glorious Praise, and his poor Church of much sweet Comfort and Soul-Refreshment in his blessed Ordinance, as I have shewed in the first Chapter.