aside the afflicted State of the Christian Church the Profess'd Enemies of Cathedral-Worship allow us as Great and Early Authorities as we desire St. Basil St. Ambrose and St. Chrysostom always will be Venerable Names The Church was restored to Peace but in the Fourth Century and then this Worship revived and that by the Authority and Example of as Great and Good Men as any the Church had That Erasmus himself and many Reformers were great Enemies to this way of Worship as it was then practised in the Church of Rome is no great Wonder when their Hymns as well as their Prayers being performed in an unknown Tongue all their Singing was meer Noise which could contribute nothing to Devotion But this is no greater Argument against our English Hymns and Anthems than against our English Prayers If they meant any thing more we must demand their Reasons For as for Authority our own Reformers and Reformation have anâ—… that deservedly a much greater Authority in the World But I must hasten to a Conclusion Which brings me to the Third Thing I proposed How Musick may and ought to be improved to the Purposes of Devotion And here I must beg leave to speak something briefly to Three Sorts of Men Composers Singers and Hearers which will serve for the Application of the Whole First As for Composers Those who set our Hymns and Anthems to Musical Notes I do not pretend to Skill in Musick much less to be able to Teach such great Masters as this Age hath bred but I hope in some Measure I do and may be allowed to Understand and Teach Devotion which is all I intend in this for that which according to all the Rules of Art must be allowed for excellent Musick may not always be proper for Devotion It is a great Mistake in Composing Hymns and Anthems to consider only what Notes are Musical and will Delight and Entertain the Hearers The true Rule is What Notes are most proper to Excite or Quicken such Passions of Devotion as the Words of the Hymn or Anthem Express This indeed can't be done without Skill in Musick but true Devotion is the best Director of that Skill for a Devout Mind will judge of the Devotion as a Skilful Ear does of the Musick of Sounds That the most certain way for the greatest Masters to Compose such Hymns and Anthems as are fit for the Worship of God and may best serve the Devotions of Christians is to work their own Minds first into all those Heights and Flames of Devotion which they are to Express in Sounds which they will find a double Advantage in it will make them Good Christians and Admirable Composers of Church-Musick A Devout Ear without any great Skill in Musick soon finds the want of this A Grave Serious Mind which is the true Temper of Devotion is disturbed by Light and Airy Compositions which disperse the Thoughts and give a Gay and Frisking Motion to the Spirits and call the Mind off from the Praises of God to attend meerly to the agreeable Variety of Sounds which is all that can be expected from such Sounds as have nothing of Devotion in them Which is so much the worse still when as is now grown very common in such Compositions they are elogged with Needless and Endless Repetitions A Repetition serves only to give an Emphasis and it requires a great Judgment to place it Right and is very absurd when it is placed Wrong but we often see that there is too little Regard had to this The Skill of Altering Notes is the whole Design which when there is not very great occasion for it is like School-Boys Varying Phrases or like Ringing the Changes which how entertaining soever it be when we have nothing to do but to attend to Sounds is yet very Nauseous and Offensive to Devout Minds in Religious Worship I thank God the Ordinary Service of our Church is very Grave and Solemn and well fitted to Devotion And as for more Modern Compositions the Governours of Churches ought to take care to receive nothing into the Worship of God but what is fitted to serve Devotion and this would effectually answer the greatest Objections against Church-Musick Secondly As for those who are Employed in Singing the Church-Service and Anthems to assist the Devotions of the Congregation it certainly becomes them to behave themselves very Devoutly in it Musical Instruments which have no Life and Sense may Minister to our Devotions though they are capable of none themselves but it gives great Offence and Scandal to see those who are daily employed in Singing Praises to God to shew no Signs of Devotion in themselves much more by an Irreverent Behaviour to betray great Symptoms of want of Devotion I thank God we have no great reason to make this Complaint in this Church and I hope shall every day have less but this is a good occasion to mind all such Persons how Devout they ought to be if Musick be a Help to Devotion who have this Advantage from Art and Nature first to Excite their own Devotions and then to Assist the Devotions of others which last must be a very tasteless uneasie Employment if they have no Devotion of their own And a great Reproach also to their Art when they themselves are Witnesses how little Devotion it Teaches But there is one thing which I believe is not so well considered which yet is just Matter of Scandal for those who Sing Divine Hymns and Anthems at Church and whose Prosession it is to do so to Sing Wanton and Amorous Lewd Atheistical Songs out of it Men who have enter'd themselves into the Service of the Church have Consecrated their Voices to God not so as never to Sing any thing else but Hymns and Anthems but yet so as never to Sing any thing to the Reproach of God Religion or Vertue This unbecomes any Man who calls himself a Christian much more those whose peculiar Employment it is to Sing the Praises of God Thirdly As for Hearers they ought also to consider That their Business at Church is not meerly to be Entertained with Musick but to Exercise their Devotions which is the true End of Church-Musick to Praise God with the more servent Passions It is a Contempt of Religion and of the House of God to come only to please our Ears to hear Better Voices and more Curious Compositions and more Artful Singing than we can meet with in other Places This I have reason to fear is the Case of very many who resort hither who especially on the Lord's-Day Crowd into the Church to hear the Anthem and when that is over to the great Disturbance of the Worship of God and the Scandal of all good Christians Crowd as fast out again Though there is this good in it that they make Room for Devouter People who immediately fill up their Places to attend the Instructions of God's Word But I hope this will not be charged upon the Service
great loss when the Church is encompassed and assaulted with busie and restless Enemies A Man of an exemplary Life and untainted Virtue who shines like a Light in the midst of a crooked and perverse Generation who maintains the declining Honour and Reputation of Religion and true Virtue is a mighty loss in a profligate Age when men are grown such Strangers to the sincere practice of Virtue and Religion that they begin to think there is no such thing But I can go on no farther the very mentioning of these things brings the fresh Idea of our deceased Brother to mind and the afflicting Sense of that great loss which we suffer by his Death It becomes us to Reverence and Adore the Wisdom of the divine Providence even when we cannot understand the Reasons of it We are certain God is never wanting in his Care of his Church and yet had we been made Judges of this Case we should have thought it a very ill time to have spared him He was abundantly furnished with all good Learning both for Use and Ornament he was an accomplished Scholar and a well-studied Divine he knew Books and read them and judged of them He was a Scribe instructed unto the Kingdom of Heaven â—…ho like a Housholder could bring forth â—…ut of his treasure things New and â—…ld 13. Matth. 52. He had carefulâ—…y perus'd the ancient Philosophers â—…rators and Poets to discover what Nature taught which gave him a truer Knowledge and greater Value for the Excellency and Perfection of the Gospel-Revelation He had true and clear Notions of Religion and he was Master of them he knew why he believed any thing and was neither prejudiced nor imposed on by popular Opinions he was a hearty and zealous assertor of the Doctrine Worship Government and Discipline of the Church of England he saw nothing material which could be changed for the better which made him jealous of Innovations as not knowing where they would end He was a Friend to all sincere Christians pitied their Mistakes and bore with their Frowardness but did not think that Christian Charity required him to sacrifice Truth or good Order and Government to the pretences of Peace and Unity He was for several Years a very diligent and constant Preacher to a numerous Auditory till his own Diocesan who knew his Worth and the weakness of his Constitution and was desirous to preserve him for the Service of the Church provided this Place where we now are for his Ease and Health and Retirement where he lived many Years a constant Preacher though his Labours were then diviued between his two Cures which did not lessen his Preaching but made the Benefit of it the more diffusive For indeed he was an admirable Preacher not for Noise and Lungs but for well-digested useful pious Discourses delivered with all that becoming Gravity Seriousness and a commanding Elocution as made them sink deep into the Minds of his Hearers and made them hear This I speak with Assurance and Confidence in this place which was so long blessed with his Labours With what fineness of Thought peâ—…spicuity and easiness of Expression instructing and entertaining Images of Things he expounded the Doctrines and inculcated the Laws of our Saviour how plainly he Taught with what Vehemence and Passion he Exhortâ—…d with what tender Sharpness he Reâ—…roved remember how he used both to Please and Instruct to Chide and Shame you without making you angry â—…ow he has warmed and chafed your Minds into the most pious and serious Resolutions and sent you home from this place wiser and better than you came and if you grew cold and suffered your good Resolutions to die again consider I beseech you what Account you have to give As he grew in Years it was necessary by degrees to ease his Labours he could not Preach so often but yet continued to Preach And yet had he not Preached at all or much less than he did he had not ceased to be a very useful Pastor to the Church for he was a Man of great Experience and great Prudence and Foresight fit for Government and Counsel who knew Men and Things was dexterous in his Applications zealous without Passion or Peevishness steady and resolved without violent Oppositions and needless Provocations who served the Church and the Truth with little Noise and without making many Enemies And I am sure at such a time as this there is more need of such Men and a much greater scarcity of them than of good Preachers But he was not only a good Preacher and a prudent Guide but a very good Man he Preached continually by his Life and Example his Conversation was Innocent Entertaining and Useful he was a true sincere Friend very Courteous Affable Civil to all Men but never pretended Friendship where he had none he was ready to do all good Offices was Liberal Generous and Charitable a Man of a true publick Spirit who scorned to serve himself to the Injury of others who hated little Arts and Tricks mean and servile Compliances he was an open and generous Enemy if we may ever call him an Enemy who never wished never intended any hurt to any Man but my meaning is that when any Dispute and Quarrel happened as such things will sometimes happen he was open and undisguised any Man might know what he disliked and had no reason to fear any thing worse from him than what he would â—…ell them In a Word He was a very â—…ood Christian and that made him â—…ood in all Relations and that Crowned all his other Labours he took care â—…s St. Paul did Lest while he preached to â—…thers he himself should become a cast-away And now he is gone to rest and we â—…ust all shortly follow him God grant â—…hat we may all so run our Race and â—…inish our Course that when we depart â—…his Life we may rest in Him as our â—…ope is this our Brother doth and may â—…eceive that Crown of Righteousness which God the Righteous Judge will â—…t that Day bestow on all his faithful Servants and on all those who love his Appearing SERMON VIII â—…each'd at the Temple-Church December 30. 1694. Upon the Sad Occasion of the Death of our Gracious Queen And Published at the Earnest Request of Several Masters of the Bench of Both Societies XXXIX Psalm 9. â—…as dumb and opened not my mouth because thou didst it THIS may be thought a very improper Text for the Feast of our Saviour's Birth when our â—…ouths ought to be filled with the Praiâ—… of God and sing with the whole â—…ire of Angels Glory be to God in the â—…hest on earth peace good will towards â—…n This indeed is that Peace which â—…e World cannot give and which the World cannot take away whateveâ—… the External Appearances of Providence are here we find a safe retreâ—… and a never-failing Spring of Joy Fâ—… he that spared not his own Son but 〈◊〉 livered him up for us all how shall 〈◊〉 not with
signifies a gracious and favourable Acceptance and this no Man can promise himself who will not pray where God has promised to hear All the Promises of the Gospel are originally made to the Christian Church the Body of Christ and to particular Christians as Members of and in Communion with the Christian Church But those cannot pretend to be in Communion with the Church who never Communicate with it who though they form no Schism yet withdraw themselves from its Publick Assemblies and will either be no Christians which I fear is too often the Case or will be Christians by themselves Now if they know of any Promises made to them in this single Capacity let them take the Comfort of it for my part I know of none Those who live in Communion with the Church and serve God in his House as oft as Leisure and Opportunity will permit may expect a Gracious Return to their Private Prayers which are offered to God in the Name of Christ and in the Communion of the Church but this is no Encouragement to those who set up Private Devotions against Publick Worship 4thly Let us worship the Lord in the Beauty of Holiness that is when we approach the House of God let us take care to worship him This is the proper Work of the Place we have no other Business here and it is Prophaneness not to do it There is no Reverence due to the House as I observed before but there is to that God who dwells in it When Moses and Ioshua were commanded to put off their Shoes because the Ground was Holy it was not to worship the Ground but that God who was present there And for the same Reason if we believe the Presence of God in Christian Churches it will not only justifie but require all the visible Signs of a Religious Reverence that to uncover the Head and bow the Body may escape the Censure of Superstition or Idolatry And while we are in the House and Presence of God especially in time of Worship we must carefully abstain from all irreverent Behaviour Laughing Whispering Talking or any such Indecencies as unbecoming the Presence of a Prince or any Superiours much more the Presence of God And yet this is too familiar a Practice and that among some who if they have no sense of or Reverence for the Divine Presence themselves yet in good Manners and common Prudence ought not to affront Christian Assemblies nor set such a scandalous Example to others What St. Paul said to the Corinthians concerning their irreverent Behaviour at the Lord's Supper is very applicable to these Men Have ye not Houses to converse and talk and laugh in or despise ye the Church and Presence of God And when we approach the House of God let us heartily joyn in all the parts of Worship with Attention of Mind and fervent Passions This becomes the Place and the Presence we are in We come to worship God and not to worship him is a Contempt and a Contempt put upon him in his own Presence And truly I know not how to excuse those from this Contempt who turn their Backs upon any part of the Christian Worship You may easily guess what I mean Is Communicating at the Lord's Table any Part of the Christian Worship Nay is it not the principal Part of it How comes it to pass then that when our Churches are crowded at Prayers or Sermons the Table of the Lord is deserted Certainly if Christ be ever present with us it is in this Mysterious Supper Why then do we fly from the Presence of our Lord Why do we approach his House and refuse to eat and drink at his Table though he offers us the dearest Pledges of his Love his Flesh to eat and his Blood to drink To God the Father God the Son and God the Holy Ghost be Honour Glory and Power now and for ever Amen SERMON XIV Preach'd at St. Paul's Cathedral November 22. 1699. Being the Anniversary Meeting of the Lovers of Musick Psalm LXXXI 1 2. Sing aloud unto God our strength make a joyful noise unto the God of Iacob Take a Psalm and bring hither the Timbrel the pleasant Harp with the Psaltery TO Praise God is acknowledged by all men to be the most Excellent part of Divine Worship it is the Religion of happy Creatures and the Natural Homage due to Infinite Goodness which is the most Glorious Perfection of the Deity It exercises the best Passions of our Souls in the most perfect manner Love Ioy Reverence Admiration which are the proper Passions of Devotion made for God who is their last Object and made for the praise of God which is their most perfect Exercise We cannot well conceive what other Acts of Religion can be proper for Heaven when we shall be advanced to the utmost perfection of our Natures when we shall have put of Mortality and Corruption and all other wants with them when a Complete and Consummate Happiness shall leave no more place for Desire when we shall have nothing more to ask of God nothing more to expect but the secure Possession and Enjoyment of those Pleasures which fill but never satiate which are Eternally repeated and are Eternally New and Fresh I say in such a State as this as Faith will be turned into Sight and Hope into Enjoyment so Prayer also which is so great a part of the Worship of Sinners and indigent Creatures will be all turned into Thanksgiving and Praise Now as for this reason St. Paul prefers Charity before Faith and Hope because though they are admirable Graces for the state of Christians in this World and absolutely necessary to carry us to Heaven yet they cannot enter into Heaven themselves where Charity attains its greatest Glory and Perfection so by the same Reason it appears that Praise and Thanksgiving is the most excellent part of Worship because this is the Religion of Heaven and therefore ought to be the chief Delight and Entertainment of those who hope to go to Heaven But what is it to praise God Is it only to sing aloud and to make a joyful noise to God Does it consist meerly in the Harmonious Melody of Voices and Musical Instruments Does he praise God best who composes the best Anthems or sings them best Or do we think that we then praise God best when we feel our selves the most transported and ravished with excellent Musick performed by the best Voices the choicest Instruments and the greatest Masters This is a very easy and a pleasant way of praising God if this would carry us to Heaven but this is only to praise the Musick the Composition or the Performance when we think of nothing else come for no other end and mean no more by it I would not have you mistake me I do not appear in this place at this time to decry or disparage the use of Musick in the Worship of God which would neither become this Presence nor my own Character