A47407:60
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 1
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.
3. Were it not so, all Mankind are and would be mistaken in one of the common Acts of the bodily Organs, and not be able to resolve so plain a Question, What is it to sing? or what is singing? But so easy a Question is this to be answered, that every Child can readily resolve it, that is not above six or seven Years old; nay, if a Turk, Indian or Pagan should come into our Assemblies, that understands not one word of English, and so can't distinguish in other Acts of Worship the one from the other, yet if he hears us a singing, he knows what that is; and if but one Man sings (tho the rest may show their liking or approbation of it) if any should say they all sing, every one would say he told a Lie, there was but one Man only who sung; but in Prayer, that being an Act of Worship, that may be performed without the Voice, 'tis quite another thing, all may be said to pray, tho but one is the Mouth.
3. Were it not so, all Mankind are and would be mistaken in one of the common Acts of the bodily Organs, and not be able to resolve so plain a Question, What is it to sing? or what is singing? But so easy a Question is this to be answered, that every Child can readily resolve it, that is not above six or seven Years old; nay, if a Turk, Indian or Pagan should come into our Assemblies, that understands not one word of English, and so can't distinguish in other Acts of Worship the one from the other, yet if he hears us a singing, he knows what that is; and if but one Man sings (tho the rest may shew their liking or approbation of it) if any should say they all sing, every one would say he told a Lie, there was but one Man only who sung; but in Prayer, that being an Act of Worship, that may be performed without the Voice, 'tis quite another thing, all may be said to pray, tho but one is the Mouth.
Now this being so, what is become of Mr. ⟨p. 13⟩Marlow's Essence of Singing? for tho I shall not answer his Book until I come to the main Objections; yet what he speaks in that place, and upon that occasion, I shall take notice of •ere. Now (saith he) what can be more plain, •han that Singing, and other Gifts of the holy Spirit, have their Essence in our Spirits, wherein we are capable of worshipping God, without Verbal and Vocal Instruments of the Body? These are his very words.