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A47436 A discourse concerning the inventions of men in the worship of God by William Lord Bishop of Derry ... King, William, 1650-1729. 1694 (1694) Wing K528; ESTC R9667 85,542 194

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for their mutual Instruction and Admonition It was common therefore for one to sing and the rest to hearken for their Instruction and Edification as appears 1 Cor. xiv 31 For ye may all prophesie one by one that all may learn and be comforted Prophesying here as we may find from the 26th verse of this Chapter includes Psalms as well as Doctrines Tongues Revelations and Interpretations and the praising God one by one or by turns amounts to praising Him by way of Responses or Answering and tho' these Prophets were inspired yet it is plain they acted in this according to the settled Order of the Church Vers. 33. As in all the Churches of the Saints and these inspired Prophets thus praising God one by one is an unquestionable Precedent that God approves this way in his Praises This Way of praising God by Answering one another is the most Antient we find in Scripture For thus Miriam praised God Exod. xv 21 And Miriam answered them Sing ye to the Lord for He hath Triumphed gloriously c. And the last Song recorded in Scripture is of the same sort Rev. xix as is before mentioned I reckon the songs with which the Women of Israel received Saul 1 Sam. xviii 7 to be Religious and there it is expresly said That they answered one another And Chap. xxi 11 Did they not sing one to another c. But whether these songs were Religious or no it is certain that the Frame and Composition of some Psalms are such as plainly discover that they were designed to be sung in parts and as much is owned by the best Commentators Such are the xxiv and cxviii Psalms It is to be observed that the Law of Moses neither prescribes Psalms in the praises of God nor Singers nor the way of Singing These all therefore are parts of Natural Religion and indeed antienter than the Law as appears by Exod. xv What therefore we find in the Old Testament concerning these is either from the immediate Prescriptions and Revelations of God by his Prophets or from the Dictates of Nature and not any part of the Ceremonial Law And 't is obvious that Natural Necessity will teach any considering Man this way of alternate singing or Answering in parts for if the Songs be long as some of the Psalms are no one Mans Voice can hold out to the end V. The Holy Scriptures recommend to us the use of Instruments in the praises of God the Psalmist frequently uses and recommends them and the whole Book of Psalms is concluded with this advice Psal. cl 3 Praise him with Timbrel praise him with stringed Instruments and Organs c. Thus Religious persons were taught to praise God before the Law Ex. xv 20 And Miriam the Prophetess the sister of Aaron took a Timbrel in her hand and all the Women went after with Timbrels c. And thus the Blessed in Heaven are represented praising God Rev. v. 8 and xiv 2 The Writers of the new Testament recommend to us the Psalms which were the Hymns of the Jewish Church and command us to sing them and 't is observable that the word we render Sing Jam. v. 13 originally implies singing with an Instrument Now if they had not approved the Jewish way of singing them which was with Instruments they would not have used a word that imported it nay it is not to be doubted but they would have cautioned us against it but the use of Instruments as I have shewed before in the case of Miriam being no part of the Ceremonial Law but antecedent to it ought not to cease without some Command or Precept condemning it VI. Lastly The Scripture requires that we understand the praises we sing to God and this warrants our Translating them into the Vulgar Tongue It is a Duty therefore incumbent on the Governours of the Church to procure the Psalms to be Translated for the Use of the people under their Charge and they may expect the Assistance of God's Spirit when they attempt it in Obedience to his Command But if through Human Frailty any mistake not contray to Faith should creep in this ought to be no Exception against the Use of the Translation since there are such Mistakes both in the Syriac Greek and Latin Translations some of which are of great Antiquity and were used by our Saviour himself and his Apostles These are the Directions the Scriptures give us for the performance of this first part of the Worship of God which consists in praises and the manner we find them offer'd to Him by his Saints Sect. 2. The manner of Praising God Publickly which is prescribed and practised by our Church NOw as to the manner of offering Praises in our Church it is to be considered 1. That we are directed to praise glorify and confess to God every day in a certain number of Psalms of his own Appointment out of the Old Testament and then in such Hymns as are recorded in the New And to these there are added such other Hymns Confessions of Faith and Thanksgivings as will appear by and by to be agreeable to the general Directions of Scripture But inasmuch as the Mystery of the holy Trinity is more explicitly revealed to us under the Gospel than it was to those under the Law Therefore our Church has thought fit to require us with every Psalm and Hymn to intermix Glory be to the Father to the Son and to the holy Ghost As it was in the beginning is now and ever shall be To signify that we believe that the same God was worshiped by them as by us the same God that is glorified in the Psalms having been from the beginning Father Son and holy Ghost as well as now So that our ascribing this glory expresly to the Three Persons in whose Name we are Baptised ought not to be taxed as any real Addition to the Psalms it being only used as a necessary Expedient to turn the Jewish Psalms into Christian Hymns and to fit them for the Use of the Church now as they were before for the Use of the Synagogue which practice I presume can give cause of Exception to none but Socinians 2. Our Church Orders these Psalms to be either Sung or Said as the people are able to offer them not being willing to lay a greater restraint on them than the Scripture has done In which as I have already shewed we have Examples for both these ways of praising God 3. They are proposed to us in Prose without any other alteration from the Original than what was necessary to make them intelligible in our Language 4. The people are allowed to bear their part in them and either to sing or say them by way of Answering This is according to the Scripture Examples but it is not imposed except in very few Cases 5. Our Church permitteth the Use of some grave Musical Instruments to regulate the Voices of those that sing and to stir up their Affections which are the
as we would be accounted His Disciples Neither will saying the Substance of it in other Words of our own Invention answer the intent of this Command Since 1. We are sure the Substance of the Prayer is put by Christ in the most apposite and comprehensive Words that are possible and therefore wholly to lay them aside for others is plainly to decline the choice of Words that Christ has made for us and substitute less apposite of our own to express those Petitions in 2. The more particularly any thing is Commanded in the Worship of God we ought to be the more carefull to observe it and may be the more confident that God is pleased with our performance of it since therefore we are particularly Commanded when we pray to say Our Father c. whatever other prayers we offer to God this ought not to be omitted 3. In general we are Commanded to offer up our desires to God and in particular to offer this Prayer These Commands agree very well together and therefore the one ought not to justle out the other To lay aside the Prayer particularly commanded by Christ for others of our own composing in pusuance of the general Command is too apparently to prefer our own Invention to God's Command 4. When we take the liberty to word our own Prayers we may forget some things we may mix our own frailties and weakness in our Petitions and this too often appears both in the matter and wording of them The way therefore to supply these defects and to obtain pardon for our Infirmities is to use our Lords perfect Prayer not only as a Pattern for prayer as some would have it but likewise as a Form necessary to be used to correct what may be amiss or defective in our own prayers 5. They who lay aside the words of the Lord's Prayer are in danger to lay aside some of the substance of it also particularly the substance of that Petition Forgive us our Trespasses as we forgive them that trespass against us For many who lay aside the Lord's Prayer do neither in terms nor substance offer this Petition to God nay are so far from making this the Condition of their pardon as Christ has taught us that they publickly dispute against the Form for this very reason Tho' Christ who fore-saw the Objection which our Corruptions would be apt to make has Answered it and bound it upon us indispensibly as our Duty to ask Forgiveness on these and no other terms Matth. vi 15 And indeed if such a Sentence had been prescribed by our Lord to be only repeated by Christians once or oftner every day it would have seemed but what was necessary to mind them of that peculiar and indispensible Duty of their profession We see the Wisdom of the Ancients thought fit to reduce their Doctrine or Instructions into Proverbs or short Sentences to be got by heart and kept continually in memory as of great influence for guiding Mens Lives and Actions and such Sentences must be of much greater influence when repeated in the presence of God as these in our Lord's Prayer are required to be Lastly This Prayer being given us as a Badge of our Profession a Summary of our Duty as Christians and a Form of Sound Words it is no more lawful to alter it than to lay it aside and it would be the same presumption and hazard to substitute other words instead of Christs in this Prayer which we are oblig'd always to use when we pray as to change the words of our Creed or as it would be in a Battel to change the Word given by a General or any part of it and to retain onely the signification of it From all which 't is manifest that God has required Forms of Prayer to be used by us both in the Old and New Testament As to the difference we find in the Lord's Prayer as delivered by St. Matthew and St. Luke 't is to be observed that our Saviour spake in the Syriac or vulgar Hebrew and the Evangelists writ their Gospels in Greek Now in the Syriack one and the same word expresses both those different words which the Evangelists use in the same Petition as Debts and Trespasses c. So that it is no real but a seeming difference between them all the different Words being the same in the Original Language in which our Saviour spake IV. As we have the Command of God and the Example of his Saints for offering up our Prayers to Him in a set and prepared Form of Words so we have the like Example for joyning Voices upon occasion in offering these Words Generally it is sufficient that the People joyn in their hearts with the words of publick Prayers yet the Scriptures warrant also on some Occasions their joyning their Voices 1. Thus we find the people of Israel addressing themselves to God Judges xxi 2 And the people came to the House of God and abode there till even before God and lift up their Voices and wept sore and said O Lord God of Israel why is this come to pass in Israel c. 2. In Hymns and Psalms which are also Prayers in great part as I noted before the people are generally allowed by all as being fully warranted by Scripture to joyn their Voices So Moses and the Children of Israel sung unto the Lord Exod. xv 1 3. In the New Testament we have an Eminent Example of this practise Acts iv 24 where the Apostles and their Disciples lift up their Voice to God with one accord and said Lord thou art God c. If this prayer was immediately inspired as it seems it was then the whole Assembly was inspired together not only to think the same Thing but likewise to utter the same Words and the Spirit of God by it has attested the fitness and decency of a whole Congregation's pronouncing the same prayer together If it had not been convenient that this should be some times practised in our Christian Assemblies God would not have given us this Example If the people were always to joyn in their hearts only with our publick prayers it would have been so here for the Spirit of God wou'd not have led them to do an indecent thing or a thing unfit for God's Worship 4. St. Paul and Silas joyned also their Voices in their prayers as we may see from Acts xvi 25 And at midnight Paul and Silas prayed and sung praises unto God and the prisoners heard them I know it may be alledged That they sung their prayers which they offered up to God on this Occasion and on that account joyned their Voices I confess the Original favours this Inference but if it be allowed that the Apostles sung their prayers together it must be allowed that they might likewise say them together For we find the Blessed in Heaven offering not only their praises together but their prayers also so Rev. vi 10 They cried with a loud voice saying How long