A47407:681
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.
But you intimate, that none ought to sing but such who are in the full assurance of the Love of God. But you might as well say, none ought to rejoice in the Lord, nor to praise him, but such only, as well as to say what ⟨p. 43⟩you do here against their Singing who want that assurance.
But you hint, in pag. 46. as if we must be satisfied with your Essence of Singing, viz. inward joy in the Heart, till we come to the primitive perfection of Divine Worship, &c.
Answ. We doubt not, through Grace, but we are come to such perfection of Divine Worship, as to know what Gospel-Worship is, and also that we ought not to neglect one Ordinance more than another; because we are not arrived to the height of Perfection. I am sure the way you would lead poor Souls in, is not to bring them forward towards perfection •in Worship, but to keep them back, and hinder them in pressing on to that which some have not yet attained unto.
Moreover, your folly appears too much in calling our Singing, an Irregular way of Worship, unless you had […] strength of Argument to convince your Reader what you say is true. May be, […] you had Truth on your side, you might have […] like a Man: But I am satisfied, all wise Men will say, there appears nothing less than Argument. In both parts of your Book there are many words indeed, but little else as I can see.