A47407:670
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. 1. The Form of Prayer Christ hath left us, is a Rule for us in Prayer; and we may premeditate what we intend to lay before the Lord, it appears from thence; and so is the Word of Christ our general Rule, by which we must premeditate and precompose our Spiritual Hymns and Songs.
2. But Prayer and Singing differ the one from the other; we may use other words in Prayer than what we premeditated, as the Spirit of God may help us. But we are limited by God's Word to sing David's Psalms, or else Hymns and Spiritual Songs, composed out of the Word of God. Now let them be either, they must be so many ⟨p. 40⟩words and no more, or else none can sing with him that has the Hymn. Now we say, the extraordinary influences for Singing, Preaching, Interpreting, &c. are gone; therefore every Ordinance must be performed by the ordinary Gifts and Influences of the Spirit, or else we must have none at all.
2. But Prayer and Singing differ the one from the other; we may use other words in Prayer than what we premeditated, as the Spirit of God may help us. But we are limited by God's Word to sing David's Psalms, or else Hymns and Spiritual Songs, composed out of the Word of God. Now let them be either, they must be so many ⟨p. 40⟩words and no more, or else none can sing with him that has the Hymn. Now we say, the extraordinary •nfluences for Singing, Preaching, Interpreting, &c. are gone; therefore every Ordinance must be performed by the ordinary Gifts and Influences of the Spirit, or else we must have none at all.
Was Singing, or any other Ordinance performed in the Gospel-Days by an extraordinary Spirit, not performed then also, and afterwards as well and as acceptable to God by the ordinary Gifts? Show, if you can, that other Ordinances which had such special Gifts then to attend them as well as Singing, do notwithstanding remain Ordinances, and yet Singing of Psalms and Hymns doth not so continue.