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A48172 A Letter to a friend in the country concerning the use of instrumental musick in the worship of God in answer to Mr. Newte's sermon preach'd at Tiverton in Devon on the occasion of an organ being erected in that parish-church. Newte, John, 1655?-1716. Lawfulness and use of organs in the Christian Church. 1698 (1698) Wing L1650; ESTC R24003 96,894 98

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I will presume that altho' he has read some Authors who write for the lawfulness of the use of Organs in the Sacred Assemblies of Christians yet he has scarcely read any who have written against such an use of them For I am satisfied he talks as if he had not Some Mens Libraries are as Partial as themselves and will scarcely afford an Author who determines a Question on that side they are against There are other Arguments of considerable strength to be met withal against the Lawfulness of Organs in Sacris beside those produced by our Author Be pleased to consult some of our Protestant Writers against the Papists and you will soon be satisfied as to this I humbly conceive I have suggested some Objections already which our Author has not mentioned But let this be a third Objection Object 3. The use of Organs in Christian Assemblies for Divine Worship condemned as unlawful by the Book of Homilies And herein the Church of England in her Homilies agrees with the Geneva Annotators Now that the use of Organs in the Worship of God is condemned by the Homilies is most plain For in the Homily of the time and place of Prayers Part II. there is this objection supposed to be made by one who cared not to frequent the Parish-Churches viz. Alas What shall we do at Church Since all the Saints are taken away since all the goodly sights we were wont to have are gone Since we cannot hear the like Piping Singing Chaunting and playing upon the Organs that we could before To this it is replied But Dearly beloved we ought greatly to rejoyce and give God thanks that our Churches are delivered out of all those things which displeased God so sore and filthily defiled his House and his place of Prayer The complaint of the Person who refused to frequent the Parish Churches was amongst other things that there was no playing on the Organs there And to this the Answer is That we ought to rejoyce and to give God thanks that the Church was delivered from these things which were so displeasing to God and so defiling to his House This was the Opinion of the Church of England in the days of Queen Elizabeth Namely that Organs in Churches are displeasing to God and filthily defiling to his House So that in the judgment of our Authors Church the use of Organs in the Worship of God is unlawful Now the Homilies and the Doctrine contained in them are approved received and established by the Supream Authority of Church and State Canons of Convocation and Acts of Parliament as the late Bishop of Lincoln has clearly proved * Dr. Barlow's Cases of Conscience of setting up Images in Churches p. 21 22. Queen Elizabeth expresly ordered these Homilies to be read in the Churches as you may see in the Preface to those Homilies And Article 35 doth approve and confirm the Doctrine of the Homilies as good and wholesome For saith that Article The Second Book of Homilies the several titles whereof we have joined under this Article doth contain a Godly and wholesome Doctrine and necessary for these times as doth the former Book of Homilies which was set forth in the time of Edward VI. and therefore we judge to be read in Churches by the Ministers diligently and distinctly as they may be understood by the People Whence it is apparent the Church approves of those Homilies 1. As containing a Godly wholsom Doctrine 2. As to the reading of them in the Churches So that hence I infer that it is the profest Judgment of this Authors Church that it is a Godly and wholsome Doctrine namely That Organs in Churches are displeasing to God and do filthily defile his holy House Our Author has subscribed these Articles of the Church and so has thereby approved of the Homilies and now let him Reconcile his Sermon to the Homilies if he can Had the Geneva Annotators said but as much as do the Homilies against Organs O how Tragically would he have exclaimed as if they meant no less than the total Subversion of the Church well perhaps by his next we may have him bestowing the Epithite of Pernicious upon the Homilies too Object 4. If the Praising of God with Organs be thus Lawful in the Worship of God as our Author pleads then will it for the same reason be lawful to introduce other Musical Instruments into the Worship of God such as Harps and Trumpets Psalteries and Cymbals c. and other Rites too as Dancing c. For upon our Authors Principles these are lawful to be used in the Worship of God also And so it will be lawful to dress up the Christian Worship with as much Pomp and Ceremony as was that of the Temple which I think none will assert who duely understand the Nature of Gospel Worship Object 5. That Opinion which impeaches Christ and his Apostles of want of Wisdom in making provision for the Edification of the Church is false but such is the Opinion of our Author Therefore his Opinion is Absurd The Major of this Argument is unquestionable the Minor is evident from the Author of the Sermon For saith he Ser. p. ● Instrume●●●● Musick is the most proper means to quicken our hearts and to raise 〈◊〉 ●…fections and to make us the more devout Now most certainly our ●…thor impeaches hereby our Lord and his Apostles of want of W●sdom For to institute a less proper means to raise Affections and excite Devotion and to neglect the most proper means argues a want of Wisdom But according to him Christ and his Apostles have neglected to appoint the most proper means to raise the Affections and excite the Devotions of Christians Therefore in effect his Opinion charges them with a want of Wisdom For it is most certain that altho' our Lord and his Apostles have instituted Vocal Musick yet have they not appointed Instrumental for the raising the Affections of Christians and quickning their Devotions And so they have neglected to prescribe the most proper means for the attaining of these ends in our Authors Judgment Object 6. But to conclude I would interrogate our Author were I by him whether according to the Act of Uniformity and the Constitution of the Church of England the particular Pastor of a Parochial Church is allowed to introduce new Rites and Modes of Worship into his Parish-Church over and above what are appointed by the Act of Uniformity without a Warrant either from a Convocation or a Parliament And whether Supra-conformity be not as much a Transgression of the Statute of Uniformity as Subter-conformity This Gentleman cannot plead that he has an Injunction from the Kings Majesty nor a Warrant from any Statute enacted by Parliament nor from any Canon of any Convocation nor from any Rubrick in the Common-Prayer-Book for the setting up his Organ in his Parish-Church Therefore what has induced him to put his Parish to so great a charge I cannot well imagine Thus I hope