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

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.