The Joy of the English Church for the Coronation of Pious Prince James, Meditations on psalm · Part · Meditation 13
The 13. meditation.
To praise the name of the Lord.] The Prophet sheweth, what is the chiefe ende of going vp to the Lords house, namely to praise God, and call vponupon his name.
1. So the Lord saith by his prophet, My house shall be called an house of praier to all nations, Isa. 56. 7. And Ieremie saith, prophecying of the Church of God, They shall come and reioyce in the height of Sion, chap. 31. 12.
2. Thus Anna praied in the temple, when shee asked a sonne of God:Churches appointed for praier. Shee was troubled in her mind, and praied to the Lord, and wept sore, 1. Sam. 1. 10. And after shee had obtained her desire, shee in the same place gaue thanks vntounto God, And Anna praied, and said, My heart reioyceth in the Lord, 1. Sam. 2. 1. To this spirituall vse of praier, Salomon consecrated the Temple: Heare thou the supplication of thy seruant, and of thy people Israel, which pray in this place, and heare thou in the place of thine habitation, euen in heauen, and when thou hearest, hauehave merciemercy, 1. king. 8. 30.
3. The prophet compareth the thāks of the heart giuen vntounto God, vntounto fresh springs: all my springs are in thee, Psal. 87. 7. And the prophet Ieremie speaking of those, that reioyce before the Lord, saith, their soule is as a watered garden, chap. 31. 12. He thē which giueth not thanks vntounto God in his temple, is as a barren ground without springs: but he which praiseth the name of God, is as a well watered ground refreshed with sweete springs. What becommeth the temple better then incense, and where should it be rather offered then there? now the odours and incense of the Saints are their praiers, Revel. 8. 3. and their fatte calues are the fruit of their lippes, as the prophet saith, We will render the calues of our lippes. Hosh. 14. 3.
4. For we should present the Lord with our best gifts, if any thing be better then another, that should be the Lords part: but the sacrifice of contrition, of praise & thanksgiuing, are the most principall: as the Prophet saith, Thou desirest not sacrifice, &c. the sacrifice of God is a contrite heart, Psal. 51. 16, 17. And the Apostle saith, Let vsus by him offer the sacrifice of praise alwaies vntounto God, that is, the fruit of our lippes, &c. with such sacrifice God is pleased, Heb. 13. 15, 16.
5. First then, if the house of God be principally ordained for praier, preaching, and praising of God, as Moses was read and preached in the synagogue, Act. 15. 21. and the prophet saith, In his temple doth eueryevery man speake of his glorie, Psal. 29. 9. Then is that a superstitious opinion, and erroneous doctrine of the Papists, who hold,B…llar lib. …. de …uk. sanct. c. 4. that the Churches of Christians, are chiefely ordained for the sacrifice of the Masse, not onelyonly or chiefely for praier or preaching, and administration of the sacraments. And as they teach, so they practise: for there is no true praier at all,Churches not ordained n…w for sacrifice. in popish Churches, all beeing in an vnknowne tongue, and so is the reading of scripture, beeing both without edifying and vnderstanding: there is no singing of psalmes, but the bellowing of the voice, and rumbling of organes, onelyonly to delight the eare. In stead of praying and preaching, there is creeping to the crosse,Abuses in popish seruice. kneeling to images, kissing of the pax, knocking of beads: and whereas all should be done to the praise of God, they sing psalmes endited to the praise and honour of Saints, whereas the Lord saith in the scripture, Mine honour will I not giuegive to another, Isa. 42. 8. So the popish assemblies offend two waies, that worship, which they in their Church celebrate, they doe not ascribe onelyonly to God: neither is it their principall intendement to come together to praise God. But the ancient Church thought otherwise.Decr. par. 1. dist. 42. c. 7. Augustine thus saith, as he is by themselues alleadged, In oratorio praeter orandi & psallendi cultum nihil agatur, &c. Let nothing be done in the oratorie or place of praier, beside praying and praising God. And a certaine Councell calleth Churches, Orationis, Synod. Mog…. c. 40.divini cultus & sacramentorum officinas, the shoppes of praier, diuine worship and the sacraments.
Secondly, let it be remembred, how much the people of England are bound vntounto God,The 13. benefit, publike and priuate entercourse of religion. that this holy entercourse of religion is not interrupted, but that they may both publikely in their Churches, and priuately in their houses sing psalmes to the praise of God. O how happie are we, and blessed be the name of God, that hath wrought vsus this happinesse, that the voice of ioy and deliuerance is still heard in the habitation of the righteous! Psal. 118. 15. Many may yet remember, how vncomfortable those times were, when poperie was for a while reuiued in this land: their Church seruice was dumbe, their comming thither fruitlesse, their staying there idle, their returne from thence, as they first came: beside gazing with the eyes, tickling with the eares, warbling of the fingers, smacking with their lippes vponupon the pax; sweeping the ground with their creeping, scraping with their feete, stretching out their neckes at the eleuation time: there was nothing els beside these outward, vaine, and superstitious gestures, that was done or saide to the edifying of the vnderstanding, and sanctifying of the affections: as wee hauehave cause to praise God, for the first happie change vnderunder Queene ELIZABETH: so also for the continuance vnderunder our kings Maiestie, of our comfortable and Christian Church assemblies, where the minister praieth, and the people pray with him, he preacheth and they vnderstand him, they sing vntounto themselues also in hymnes and spirituall songes: blessed be the name of God, which hath performed that ioyfull prophecie of Ieremy: Thus saith the Lord, againe there shall be heard in this place, &c. the voice of them, which shall say, praise the Lord of hostes, because the Lord is good, because his merciemercy endureth for euer, and of thē that offer the sacrifice of praise in the house of the Lord, Ierem. 33. 10. HaueHave we not iust cause to say with the Prophet Dauid, for the sweete comforts that we finde, by the preaching, praying, and praising of God in our Churches: O Lord of Hostes, howe amiable are thy tabernacles? psal. 84. 1. When sometime by the sweete Saints of the Church,Lib. confess. 10. c. 33. as Augustine saith, animi nostri in flammam pietatis mouentur, Our mindes are inflamed with godly pietie and zeale: Sometime teares fall from our eies, as he againe saith, Cum reminiscor lachrymas meas, quas fudi ad cantus Ecclesiae, &c. When I remember my teares, which I shedde in the Church songs: sometime the minde is instructed & edified, as the same father also saith: Gratias deo meo, ….pulsatori aurium mearum, illustratori cordis mei: Praise be to God that beateth vponupon mine yeares, and bendeth my heart.
Thirdly, seeing Churches are appointed for praier,No man must come emptie into Gods house. and the praise of God, no man should come thither, as in the lawe emptie handed, so nowe vnderunder the Gospel emptie hearted; as the Prophet saith, bring an offering, and enter into his courts, Psal. 96. 8. If thy offering be not readie, presse not into Gods presence: and what kind of offering it must be, the Prophet also sheweth, Come before him with praise. Psal. 100. 2. Wherefore their comming vntounto the Church is in vaine, that prepare not themselues to offer vntounto God some spirituall gift: as the Apostle saith, What is to be done then brethren, when ye come togither, as eueryevery one of you hath a psalme, or doctrine, or a tongue, or reuelation, or interpretation, let all things be done to edifying, 1. Cor. 14. 26. Some must come with doctrine to teach others, some with reuelation, that God may reueale his wil vntounto thē, others with a psalme to praise God: let no man be dumbe or silent, or be as a cypher in the Church, but all things must be done to edifying: he that praieth, or praiseth God, let him not doe it, as many, onelyonly with lip-labour, but from the heart: This is the praise which waiteth for God in Sion. Psal. 65. 1. VponUpon which wordes Augustine thus well inferreth,Augustin. in Psal. 65. Non enim carne canto, sed corde, carnem enim sonantem audiunt ciues Babylon, c…rdis autem sonum audit conditor Ierusalem: I sing not with my flesh, but with my heart: the sounding flesh delighteth the citizens of Babylon (for they said sing vsus one of the songs of Sion, Psal. 137. 3.) but the sounding spirit, the sounder of Ierusalem.