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A34693 Singing of Psalmes a Gospel-ordinance, or, A Treatise wherein are handled these particulars 1. Touching the duty itselfe, 2. Touching the matter to be sung, 3. Touching the singers, 4. Touching the manner of singing / by John Cotton ... Cotton, John, 1584-1652. 1650 (1650) Wing C6457; ESTC R37666 58,343 75

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In way of singing forth the Praises of the Lord together with the rest of the Congregation For it is evident the Apostle layeth no greater restraint upon the women for silence in the Church then the Law had put upon them before For so himselfe speaketh in the place alledged 1 Cor. 14.34 It is not permitted to the women to speake but to be under subjection as also saith the Law The Apostle then requireth the same subjection in the woman which the Law had put upon them no more Now it is certain the Law yea the Lawgiver Moses did permit Miriam and the women that went out after her to sing forth the praises of the Lord as well as the men and to answer the men in their Song of thankesgiving Sing yee to the Lord for he hath triumphed gloriously the horse and his rider hath he throwne into the Sea Exod. 15.20 21. Which may be a ground sufficient to justifie the lawfull practise of women in singing together with men the Praises of the Lord And accordingly the ancient practise of women in the Primitive Churches to sing the publique praises of the Lord wee reade recorded in the Ecclesiasticall History Socrates 2. Booke Chapter 18. of the Greeke Copie and Chap. 16. of the Latine Theodoret third Booke Chapter 17. CHAP. IX Whether carnall men may sing as well as godly Christians THe third scruple about the Singers remaineth Whether carnall men and Pagans may be permitted to sing with us or Christians alone and Church-members What wee beleeve in this poynt may be summed up in these three particulars 1. That the Church and the members thereof are called to sing to the Praises of God and to their mutuall edification For they were Churches of Christ and members of Churches whom the Apostle exhorteth to speake to themselves and make melody to the Lord with Psalmes and Hymnes and spirituall songs Eph. 5.19 Colos. 3.16 2. That the Praising of God with Psalmes is comely for all the upright whether received into the Fellowship of any particular visible Church or no For so much the words of David hold forth Praise is comely for the upright Psal. 33.1.3 3. Though spirituall gifts are necessary to make melody to the Lord in singing yet spirituall gifts are neither the onely nor chiefe ground of singing but the chiefe ground thereof is the morall duty lying upon all men by the Commandement of God If any be merry to sing Psalmes Jam. 5.13 As in Prayer though spirituall gifts be requisite to make it acceptable yet the duty of Prayer lyeth upon all men by that Commandement which forbiddeth Atheisme it is the foole that saith in his heart There is no God of whom it is said they call not upon the Lord Psal. 14.1.4 Which also may serve for a just Argument and proofe of the poynt 1. If by the Commandement of God and indeed by the light of Nature if all men be bound to pray unto God in their distresses as even Jonah's Marriners will confesse in a storme Jonah 1.6 then all men are likewise bound to sing to the praise of God in their deliverances and comforts For the word runneth alike levell Is any afflicted let him pray Is any merry let him sing Psalmes James 5.13 A second proofe may be taken from the generall Commandement to all men upon earth to sing to the Lord Psal. 96.1 Sing unto the Lord all the earth Psal. 100.1 2. Make a joyfull noyse unto the Lord all yee Lands come before his presence with singing Psal. 68.32 Sing unto the Lord all the Kingdomes of the earth O sing Praises unto the Lord And indeed the grounds and ends of Singing though some of them doe more peculiarly concerne the Church and people of God and therefore they of all others are most bound to abound in this Dutie yet sundry of the grounds and end of Singing are common to all the sonnes of men and therefore none of them to be exempted from this service As the soveraignty of God The Lord is a great God and a great King above all Gods Psal. 95.3 And therefore make a joyfull noyse to him with Psalmes ver. 2. He is to be feared above all Gods Psal. 96.4 And therefore sing unto him all the earth The greatnesse of Gods workes of Creation and Providence they are other grounds of Singing and they concern all the sonnes of men in common Psal 145.6 to 10. The Lord giveth food to all flesh ver. 15 16. Therefore let all flesh blesse his holy Name ver. 21. Let every thing that hath breath Praise the Lord for his mightie Acts and for his execellent Greatnesse Psal. 150.2 to 6. The end of singing is to praise the Lord for his goodnesse and to stirre up our selves and others to serve the Lord with chearfulnesse glad hearts And therefore Travellers Prisoners Sickmen Seamen being saved from severall distresses by the good hand of God they are all of them commanded to praise the Lord for his goodnesse and to declare his wonders before the sonnes of men Psal. 107.6 to 32. Object 1. Against the singing of all sorts of men in the Congregation carnall as well as Christian is taken from the examples of Song set forth in Scripture which both in the old Testament and in the New were onely performed by the Church and Church-members As the Song of Moses at the red Sea was sung by Moses and the children of Israel Exod. 15.1 His other Song Deut. 32. he was commanded to teach it to the children of Israel Deut. 31.19 The Song of Deborah was sung by her and Barak Judg. 5.1 Under the Kings of Judah and after the returne from Captivitie the Officers of the Church onely sang for the more orderly carrying on of that Ordinance 1 Chron. 6.31 32. 16.4 Neh 11.22 23. In the New Testament Christ and his Apostles sang in a place apart from others Mat. 26.30 In the Church of Corinth none but the brethren had libertie of Prophecy in Teaching or Singing Psalmes In the Revelation the foure Beasts and the twenty-foure Elders and the 144000. who sung the praises of God and of the Lambe were apparent representations of the Church her Officers and Members Rev. 5.9 14.3 15.1 2 3 4. Answ. 1. All these examples prove no more but what we willingly grant and what in the former part of this discourse we have been occasioned to maintaine and prove to wit that it is lawfull not onely for one man alone but for a whole Church Officers and Members to sing the praises of the Lord in heart and voyce together with one accord and so much all these places doe evince 2. We live not by examples onely but by precepts also And evident precepts have been alledged already for the generall practise of Singing by all the sonnes of men upon the face of the earth 3. Some of these examples doe allow even wicked men and Apostates to sing though it be to upbraide and convince their
wickednesse As that Song of Moses Deut. 32. was appointed to be sung by the children of Israel not onely in Canaan but in their State of Apostasie and calamitie When evill should befall them in the latter dayes Deut. 31.19.21 22.29 Object 2. It is one of the peculiar priviledges of the Church that the publique dispensation of the Word is committed onely to them Rom. 3.2 9.4 But singing for the matter of it is nothing else but the word Col. 3.16 And the act of singing in publique is the publique dispensation of it Answ. 1. The publique dispensation of the Word to wit by Preaching that is by exposition and application of the word and that in way of office is committed onely to the Church and to some select members of the Church chiefly for the Churches sake though the benefit thereof may redound also to men without But the publique dis●ensation of the word is not so confined to the Church but that occasionally men without may publiquely as well as privately dispense the counsell and will of God both to the Church and to men out of the Church And it may be a sinne both in Gods people and in others not to hearken to it Pharaoh Necho though neither Israelite nor Proselyte yet by his Embassadors did publiquely declare the counsell of God to Josiah and it was a dangerous sinne in Josiah that he did not hearken to the words of Necho which the Text saith were from the mouth of God 2 Chron. 35.21 22. Balaam publiquely dispensed the counsell and word of God throughout the 23. and 24th Chapters of Numbers to Balack and the Princes of Moab and it was a desolating sinne in Balack and the Princes of Moab that they did not hearken to him and it would have been a sinne in the Church of Israel also if they hearing of the same had not received his Prophecies which God put into his mouth as the word of God The King of the Philistims reproved both Abraham and Sarah from the word of the Lord Gen. 20.9 10.16 and it had been a sinne in them both to have neglected his reproofe Answ. 2. It is one thing publiquely to dispense any Ordinance or worship of God which is peculiar unto the Church as the Seales and Censures and the like another thing to joyne with the Church in such parts of the publique worship of God which are not peculiar to the Church but common to all the sonnes of men Of which sort the publique prayers and praises of God be and to the Psalmes also which though they be dispensed and offered up in the very words of God yet due praises are not therefore the more undue because they are offered up in due words Object 3. It is confusion for the Church and the world to sing together in a mixt Assembly Answ. 1. All that are out of the Church are not forthwith the world many are called out of the world and so indeed all ought to be except the children of the faithfull before they be received into the Church And such though they do sing with the Church yet it is not a singing of the Church and world together because they are not of the world but Christ hath called them out of the world and the world hateth them Answ. 2. It is no confusion but lawfull communion for Church and world to joyne together in a mixt Assembly to performe such duties as God requireth of them in common as to heare the word of God and the like In Antioch in Pisidia the whole Citie almost the greatest part whereof were Pagans came together to heare the word of God Acts 13.44 Was this a confusion And what if the Apostles had prayed in that mixt Assembly and all the faithfull had said Amen to their prayers and what if Pagans also understanding what they prayed had said Amen with them had it been a confusion Yea what if in such an Assembly they should not depart without the publick praises of God in a Psalme and that whole mixt Assembly should joyne together in the singing of it would it be a confusion If it be no confusion for all sorts of men to joyne together in a mixt Assembly to heare the word of God because it is a dutie required of them all then neither is it a confusion but a lawfull communion to joyne together in singing the praises of God in a Psalme because it is a dutie required of them all David foretelleth that all the Kings of the earth and why not thei● people as well shall praise the Lord when they heare the words of his mouth Yea they shall sing in the wayes of the Lord that great is the glory of the Lord Psal. 138.4 5. Object 4. The end of singing is to instruct admonish and comfort the Church but the world must not instruct the Church the Church having received sufficient gifts by Christs ascension to edifie it selfe Eph. 4.7 to 12. This were to borrow Jewells of the Aegyptians to make a golden calfe and to put the Arke into a Cart to be drawne by oxen that should be carried by Levites Answ. 1. The end of singing is not onely to instruct admonish and comfort the Church but such also as are godly though out of the Church Praise is comely for the upright whether in the Church or out of it Nay further the end of singing is not onely to instruct and admonish and comfort the upright but also to instruct and convince and reprove wicked as hath been shewed Deut. 31.19 Answ. 2. The end of singing is not onely to instruct and convince and edifie men but also to praise and glorifie God Psal. 96.1 ● Though the Church might be sufficient to edifie it selfe yet is it not sufficient to glorifie God alone which is a duty lying upon all the sonnes of men yea in their kinde upon all the creatures Answ. 3. Though the Church have received from Christs ascension sufficient helpes within it selfe to edifie it selfe yet if his Providence also cast in other helpes from without to edifie it it is from the vertue of the same ascension of Christ sitting at Gods right hand and such helpes are not to be rejected Josiah did not well to reject the admonition of Pharaoh Necho Abraham and Sarah did well to receive the admonition of Abimelech And yet neither Pharaoh nor Abimelech were of the Church Answ. 4. The admonition and instruction given in the singing of a Psalme is rather given by him that penned the Psalme and by him that appointeth the Psalme to be sung then by every Singer unlesse the admonition and instruction be to himself by the words and unlesse there be a stirring up of affection to himselfe and others by the blessing of God upon the harmony Answ. 5. Though it was an abuse of the Aegyptian Jewells to borrow them to make a golden calfe yet it was no abuse of them to offer them to God for the building and furnishing of the worke of the