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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
B04473	A clear confutation of Mr. Richard Allen, and his five commendators, from their own confessions, collected out of the vindication of his essay, and fairly improv'd against them, to the overthrow of their conjoined singing in artificial tunes in gospel-worship. To which is added, an answer to Mr. William Collins's defence from the charge exhibited against him in my book, entituled, The controversie of singing brought to an end, &c.	Marlow, Isaac.; Marlow, Isaac. The controversie of singing brought to an end.	1696 (1696)	Wing M692B; ESTC R180372	25,446	47

which plainly shews that the People were to do more than barely say Amen Psal 34.4 and 33.1 3. c. Answer These being all the Scriptures I find he brings to prove that the People sang vocally together with the Levites in the Instituted worship of God under the Law I shall briefly reply in general That for David to say I will sing praises to the Lord and to exhort the righteous to sing and such like Expressions are sometimes to be taken of David's personating of Christ as in Psal 18.49 applied to Christ Rom. 15.9 sometimes of Misterious Prophecies to be fulfilled at or in the glorious day of Christs Kingdom yet to come and some to those Gospel-times which had the Spiritual Gift of singing when the Saints did sing in Spirit together by the single voice of their Minister according to Gospel-Rule 1 Cor. 14.15 16 26 c. And those Scriptures that relate to David personally and the righteous in his day must be understood as it s said of David 2 Chron. 7.6 that David praised the Lord by the Ministry or Hand of the Levites and that the People of Israel did not vocally sing with their Levites and Singers is also confirmed by the Office or Order of Singers that singing in the publick worship of God was confined to under the Law 1 Chron. 16 to 25. and by the Peoples saying no more after the Levites had done singing than Amen prase ye Lord Psal 106.48 Deut. 27.14 15. so that Mr. Allen is not able to bring one Text of Scripture in the whole Bible to prove that ever the Congregation of Israel vocally sang together with their singing Levites and altho' those Ministers under the Old Testament might sing more than their own experience yet this is no warrant for others to do the like under the Gospel Because the Legal Worship and Service was a formal carnal shadowy and prophetical Ministration 'till the time of Gospel-reformation and the Heavenly Things themselves were come Mat. 11.13 Heb. 9.1 9 10 23. Chap. 7.12 5. Mr. Allen in page 76 77. to justifie his Argument for Art in Singing viz. That much art was used by the Holy Pen-men of the Scripture in writing them he asks me whether holy Men of God could write the Scriptures without the Art of Writing Answer 1. They were required by the Holy Ghost to write the Scriptures but Mr. Allen is no way required by the Lord to make use of writing or any other Art to practice his way of Singing Besides tho' the Holy Pen-men of Scripture might use the art of writing to record them for us yet the matter of Scripture so delivered was formed by the inspiration and movings of the Holy Ghost and not meerly by humane art as Mr. Allen's Songs are 2 Pet. 1.21 6. Before I proceed farther I shall take some Notice of what Mr. Allen says pag. 33. concerning those three Hebrew Words viz. Halelu eth jehovah in the Hebrew Bible Psalm 148.1 which Mr. Allen in his Essay left out in citing that verse to make it look like Hebrew Rhime and Metre saith he I did not omit them on purpose to make it Rhime is plain in that instead of four lines a rhime as I have there set it down there are six if those words are put in To which I briefly answer That 't is easie to demonstrate this to be a cheat from Mr. Allens own words for seeing he makes the three Hebrew words left out before now into one line or verse by themselves for the second line of his six and cuts off the word Hallelujah from the first line that was of his four lines before to make it by it self the first line of his six lines now then either his five lines that he made but four lines before or the four lines must be a wrong to the Rhime and Metre as he cites them for in the sacred Text For if it be as he says Rhime and Metre in the Hebrew Bible it must be so as we find it there without alteration and therefore for him to make four lines of verses in Rhime in one book and five lines of verses in Rhime in another Book of the same matter is such an alteration that renders it a plain Cheat either in his four lines or in his five lines of verses And by this one instance the unlearned Reader may easily guess at the rest of his Hebrew Rhyming especially considering he does not tye it to any equal order of Metre And the true reason of it must be because the Psalms of David nor the Songs of Moses and Deborah and Barak are not in Rhime in the Hebrew Bible as I have shewed in my last Treatise from the Testimony of several Jews learned in the Hebrew Tongue Secondly Having hitherto been removing those Exceptions that were necessary to take some notice of I shall now proceed to the confutation of Mr. Allen's practise of singing from his own Confessions and in order thereunto I shall here premise That Those five Commendators of Mr. Allen's Vindication of his Essay viz. Joseph Maisters William Collins Joseph Stennet John Piggot and Thomas Harrison do in their Epistle say Tho' the Author of the Animadversions on Mr. Allens Essay has thought meet to let fly at us who subscribed a Preface to that Treatise for no other crime than that of commending the Subject of it to the Reader and of giving our Opinion of the ability of its Author to speak for himself on that Argument with out needing our Recommendation we are neither afraid nor ashamed to let the World know that we have yet seen no Reason to retract our words and we dare venture to say as much of this Reply To which I answer 1. That these Words viz. For no other crime than that of giving our Opinion of the ability of its Author to speak for himself Altho' they are brought in as the cause of Dr. Russel's letting fly at them yet I do not find that he has in that manner exprest himself in any part of his Book And therefore I conclude that those words are the five Commendators own Expressions as 't is further confirmed by that which follows viz. We are neither afraid nor ashamed to let the world know that we have yet seen no reason to retract our words For these Expressions relating to the Fore-going words implies an Assertion of them to be their own viz. That they gave their Opinion of the ability of its Author i. e. of the Essay to speak for himself So that it sollows 2. That in these words of the aforesaid five Commendators there is a false Insinuation for they not only implicitely say that they commended the Subject of that Essay but that they gave their Opinion of the ability of its Author to speak for himself on that Argument without needing their Recommendation which how true this is the Reader may judge from their own Words in their former Preface to Mr. Allen's Essay where they

Hymn or Praise after Supper nor that Paul and Silas sang their praise for 't is the same Greek word Hymneo that is there also used Acts 16.25 2. In page 69. Mr. Allen says That he does not prove conjoynt singing from James 5.13 Ephes 5.19 Colos 3.16 but only that singing of Psalms is a Duty So that their own Pens having owned so much of the insufficiency of those Texts of Scripture to prove their way of Singing I think we may fairly conclude from their own Confessions that it cannot be a Gospel-Ordinance 3. Mr. Allen plainly distinguisheth and makes a difference between the Essential parts of Divine Worship and the Accidental Modes and Circumstances thereof 4. He says That for all the Essential parts of Divine Worship we must have an express Prescription in the Word But that all the Accidental Modes and Circumstances thereof which he distinguisheth and makes no Essentials of Divine Worship these he saith are left to the liberty and he takes to be in the power of the major part of a Church to warrant their own Practice therein 5. Mr. Allen tells us what those accidental modes and circumstances of singing are that are no essential parts thereof nor of Divine Worship And 1. He says that the conjoin'd singing in a publick Assembly or of a whole Congregation is but a circumstance and that he only pleads for the lawfulness and warrantableness of it Observe it well he only pleads so for it as he says from several Scriptural Instances which to reconcile his Discourse fairly together must imply that he does not plead for singing with conjoyn'd voices as an absolute Duty from any express prescription in the Word of God but as a lawful Circumstance from some pretended instances and so he makes his conjoyn'd voices but an accidental Circumstance of singing and no essential part of Divine Worship 2. Mr. Allen asserts that singing in Metre and Rhime is no essential part thereof And 3. That singing with artificial tunes are but accidental modes of singing and not essential to it nor to Divine Worship 4. Mr. Allen says that singing the Divine Praises it self may be performed without these modes viz. of Metre Rhime and Artificial Tunes and I may fairly add without their singing with conjoyn'd voices it being as he says but a circumstance of singing and so also as I have shewed 't is no essential of it nor of Divine Worship So that Mr. Allen and his five Commendators viz. Joseph Maisters William Collins Joseph Stennet John Piggot and Thomas Harrison having expresly owned and confessed publickly in print that singing with conjoyn'd voices is but a circumstance of singing-worship which they themselves shew is no essential part thereof and that singing in Metre and Rhime and also by Artificial Tunes are all but accidental modes of Divine Worship and no essential parts thereof it is all one as to say except their prestinted forms of words and matter that their whole external mode manner way and practice of singing is no essential part of Divine Worship and herein I agree with them and so except their prestinted form of words they have joyned issue with me to bring this Controversie of singing to an end and to a single point viz. That a Christian Church has liberty to order such accidental modes and circumstances of Divine Worship as are not particularly prescribed in the Word of God as she shall judge most for Edisication 5. The Controversie of Singing being now reduced from Mr. Allen's and his five Commendators Confessions to this single point and they having shewed and asserted their singing with conjoyn'd voces in Metre and Rhime by Artificial Tunes to be but accidental modes and circumstances of Worship that differ from the essential parts thereof so as that for all the essential parts of it we must have an express prescription in the Word and that all the accidental modes and circumstances of it are lest to the Liberty of a Church it consequently implies that all their aforesaid accidental modes and circumstances or ways of singing have no prescription in the Holy Scriptures And suppose we should grant them as he asserts them to be no Essentials of his Singing-worship yet I cannot conceive what his Cause will gain by it for whatever Name he gives them and flutter he makes as if he had some Scripture-ground for his conjoint-singing more than for his artificial Tunes Rhime and Metre yet seeing he makes it but a circumstance and all of them accidental modes and circumstances that are left to the Liberty of a Church and consequently that none of them are prescribed in the Word of God I cannot see but that they are of the same nature as all the superstitious modes and circumstances of Worship of the Church of Rome are and so Mr. Allen has still no better warrant for his practise of singing than the Papists have for all their Trumpery which according to his Doctrine before recited the major part of his Church has Liberty and Power to warrant their practice of So that Mr. Allen's and his five Commendators Popish principle tends to the ruine of ours and the Protestants Reformation more in general Fifthly I shall demonstrate That altho' Mr. Allen asserts his unscriptural accidental modes and circumstances of singing to be no essential parts thereof and I agree with him that they they are no essentials nor any parts of Divine Worship yet I do not agree with him that they are no essential parts of his singing-worship because he useth his artificial Tunes and conjoint vocal singing as such modes and circumstances of it that without them he cannot perform his singing Church-worship and therefore they are essentials of it for that which is essential to any thing is that which so belongs to the being of it that without it it cannot compleatly be which I shall explain more particularly And 1. That his singing with conjoined voices is an essential part of his standing Church-ordinance is plain because without this mode of conjoyn'd voices his Ordinance ceaseth and he must either bring into the Church the practice of singing with a single voice or no proper vocal melodious singing at all 2. Tho' he calls his artificial tunes accidental modes of singing yet they are essentials of his singing because he cannot perform his Singing-Worship with conjoin'd voices without such Tunes Indeed he tells us That that Singing it self which he asserts to be a Christian Duty may be performed without such tunes pag. 82. but what kind of singing he there means which is not his practice by artificial Tunes he yet conceals from us As for Tunes immediately inspired by the Holy Ghost he pretends not to them and as for natural Tunes they may serve to make a natural noise enough to fright away natural men rather than to gain their affections to his Worship 3. His singing in Rhyme and Metre he calls an indifferent thing and also accidental modes of Worship but tho' he terms them

set up Organs for their Publik Worship and a heap of other Ceremonies that were never appointed by Jesus Christ but accidentally happened from the Errors and Inventions of Men who do thereby virtually deny that Christ has left his Gospel-Church compleat Directions in the Holy Scripture for the Worship of God 2. He there faith in pag. 15. 'T is the Duty of Ministers to Preach the Gospel for the Conversion of Sinners and the Edification of Believers but none saith he I suppose will affirm it is so to preach it in this or the other particular way or method Answ Having publish'd my mind concerning Preaching in my Reply to Mr. Benjamin Keach 's Breach Repair'd pag. 75 76. 119 to 123. and it being too large to recite here I shall refer my Reader thither for further Satisfaction if it be desired and only here say That though I greatly disapprove of Pre-stinted Forms of Words in Preaching yet there is some difference in Scripture between the case of Preaching and modes of Praises or Prayer However it is not at the liberty of preachers to unite their Voices together in that Service and if any argue for a Pre-stinted Form of Preaching it is no Example for a liberty of modes or for a Pre-stinted Form of Singing If it be Why not for a Pre-stinted Form of Prayer also which they may equally bring it for And till they answer me this Argument there is no need of any other 2 Tim. 1.13 2.15 and 4.5 1 Cor. 2.13 and 4.6 1 Tim. 4.13 15. 3. Mr. Allen in the same page says of Water-Baptism That the Dipping of Believers is Essential to it but there are saith he different accidental modes wherein it may be administred which are at the liberty of the Administrator to choose Answ There are no modes nor circumstances of that Ordinance but what are Essential to the right and compleat performance of it for such modes and circumstances that are left to the liberty of the Administrator viz. whether to Dip the Person with his Face upward or downward are no modes nor circumstances of or belonging to the Ordinance it self because the compleat performance of it is not tyed to the use of either of them and therefore though the Administrator has liberty to make them modes and circumstances of the Action of Dipping yet not as of or Essentially belonging to that Ordinance because neither of them are prescribed in the Word and that Ordinance may be performed without any one or either of those modes and circumstances Thus I have discovered the Weakness of Mr. Allen's Arguments or Instances to justifie his accidental modes and circumstances of Singing to be left to the liberty of a Church which Notion in my Opinion his own Pen does also confound and clearly overthrow for in pag. 58. he asserts That though the Light of Nature be sufficient if duly attended to to teach us that we ought to use all our Faculties for the Glory of our Creator and Benefactor yet I count it not so perfect a Guide as sufficiently to instruct us what peculiar faculties we should exert in stated Church-worship or how we should use them therein without the more perfect Guidance of the Word Now if this be true as I firmly believe it is then surely to leave to the Liberty of a Church according as Mr. Allen says to warrant the practice of his unscriptural and accidental modes and circumstances and consequently his practice of singing which from his Confessions is shewed to be no essential part of Divine Worship is to leave a meer humane Invention to the Liberty of the insufficient Guide of the Light within to be warranted and used for Gospel-Worship But as our Saviour saith That In vain they do worship me teaching for Doctrines the Commandments of Men Mat. 15.9 So the Reformation from Popery brake forth and was maintained by the Light and Authority of the Holy Scriptures which the Faithful Saints and Martyrs of Christ embraced in opposition to all the Ceremonies and Inventions of Men rejecting all things in the Worship of God and Administrations of Gospel-Ordinances which they believed were not prescribed in his Word as hath been particularly shewed in my last Treatise Besides we have the Testimony of the Servants of Christ in this last age who declare in their Printed Confessions of Faith viz. in the Presbyterians Independants and Baptists Confessions of Faith to which last is Mr. William Collins's Name where in Article 21 22. they say That the acceptable way of worshipping the true God is instituted by himself and so limited by or to his own revealed Will that he may not be worshipped according to the Imaginations and Devices of Men or the Suggestion of Satan under any visible Representations mark the following words or any other way not prescribed in the Holy Scriptures Which in Article 1. they say are the Supream Judge by which all Controversies of Religion are to be determined So that Mr. Allen's Principle of the Liberty and Power of a Gospel-Church to order and warrant their own practice of unprescribed modes of Divine Worship as she pleases does strike at a Foundation-principle of ours and the Protestants Reformation more in general Eighthly I desire it may be duely considered how our singing Brethren are driven from refuge to refuge and at last have had their Practice of singing clearly confuted from their own Confessions For those Elders and Ministers whose Names are set to the Reply to Mr. Robert Steed's Epistle among whom are set the Names of some of our aforesaid Ministers viz. Joseph Maisters William Collins and also R. Allen in page 8. they say That such was the Singing of God's People under the Law viz. with voices lift up together and the Churches are enjoyned to sing Psalms in the New Testament and no other way prescribed or laid down how they should sing Ergo say they the Churches are now to sing in the times of the Gospel as God's People under the Law And they farther say in page 24. That tho' Musick and Singing-men ceased when Christ came yet singing did not cease because say they it is part of Moral and Natural Religion and therefore a standing Ordinance From whence we may Observe That notwithstanding the stir they have made about the Singing we find in the New Testament and of Christ and his Disciples and of Paul and Silas singing together yet we may plainly see from their own Words that they do not relye upon Gospel-Evidence as sufficient to justifie their way of singing and finding no countenance for their Practice from any Example or Institution under the Law they flee for help to their natural Light within to make their Singing a standing Ordinance And tho' Mr. Allen and his five Commendators in their Essay and Vindication of it make a flutter as if they had found something in the Psalms of David for their singing with conjoin'd Voices which I have shewed proves nothing of it yet they