Singing of Psalms a Gospel Ordinance, Chapter 4
CHAP. IV. Propounding the second Question, Stating it, and Prooving it.
THe second Question about singing of Psalmes, concerneth the matter of the Psalmes to be sung; for there be some who doe not scruple singing with the voyce (as the former sort did) but singing of the Psalmes of David now in these dayes of the New Testament. As conceiving Davids Psalmes were penned for Temple worship, during the Paedagogy of the old Testament. But now in the dayes of the New Testament, when God hath promised to powre out his Spirit upon all flesh, now the whole worship of God should be carried on, not by set formes of Psalmes, (no more then by set formes of Prayer) b…t by personall spirituall gifts, whereby some one or other of the members of the Church, having received a Psalme by the enditement of the Spirit, he singeth it openly in the publique Assembly of the Church, and the rest of the Brethren say Amen to it in the close.
But touching the persons of those who should sing it pertaineth to the third Question. This second Question chiefly concerneth the matter to be sung, whether the Psalmes of David, or some Psalme or Hymne, endited by the personall gift of this or that member of the Church. Wherein we hold and beleeve;
1. That not onelyonly the Psalmes of David, but any other spirituall Songs recorded in Scripture, may lawfully be sung in Christian Churches, as the song of Moses, and Asaph, Heman and …than, Solomon and Hezekiah, Habacuck and Zachary, Hannah and Deborah, Mary and Elizabeth, and the like.
2. Wee grant also, that any private Christian, who hath a gift to frame a spirituall Song, may both frame it, and sing it privately, for his own private comfort, and remembrance of some speciall benefit, or deliverance: Nor doe we forbid the private use of an Instrument of Musick therewithall; So that attention to the Instrument, doe not divert the heart from attention to the matter of the Song.
Neither doe we deny, but that in the publique thankesgivings of the Church, if the Lord should furnish any of the members of the Church with a Spirituall gift to compose a Psalme upon any speciall occasion, hee may lawfully be allowed to sing it before the Church, and the rest hearing it, and approving it, may goe along with him in Spirit, and say Amen to it. When Christ ascended up on high, to sit upon his throne of glory, looke as Princes are wont to doe in the day of their Coronation, [Spargere Missilia & Donaria] so did he powre out his gifts abundantly on all sorts, gifts of Miracles, Healing, Tongues, Psalmes. And the Churches were willing, when they saw such speciall gifts of the Spirit powred out to make use of them, as occasion served. Whence it was, that sundry of the members of the Church of Corinth, as they had received a gift of Psalmes and tongues from the Lord Jesus, so they had allowance from the Church …o imploy their gifts to the publique edification of the Church. But as such gifts now are not ordinarily bestowed, (which were at first given chiefly for admiration and conviction of Infidels, 1 Cor. 14.22.) so we would not call upon men now, to preferre their ordinary common gift, as more fit for the publique edifying of the Church, before the extraordinary gifts of the holy men of God in Scripture, who by the Spirit were guided to prepare spirituall songs▪ suitable to all the conditions and affections and temptations of the Church and people of God in all ages. So then the Question is, whether the Psalmes of David, and Asaph, and such other Hymnes and spirituall Songs endited by the Prophets, and recorded in Scripture, be appointed by God, to be ordinarily sung in Christian Churches, or whether laying aside Scripture-Songs, we are to sing onelyonly such spirituall Songs, as shall be endited by the personall (but ordinary) gifts of any ordinary Officer or member of the Church? The former wee hold to be the Truth, others the latter.
The Reasons of our Faith and Practise, are these:
1. Taken from the Commandement, or exhortation of the Apostle, Ephes. 5.19. Be you filled with the Spirit (saith he) speaking to your selves (that is, one to another) in Psalmes and Hymnes and spiritual Songs, singing and making melody in your harts to the Lord. To the like purpose is his Cōmandement and exhortation to the Colossians ▪ Chap. 3. ver. 16. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, in all wisdome, teaching and admonishing one another, in Psalmes and Hymnes and spirituall Songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord. In both which places, as the Apostle exhorteth us to singing so he instructeth us what the matter of our Song should be, to wit▪ Psalmes, Hymnes▪ and spirituall Songs; Now those three be the very Titles of the Songs of David, as they are delivered to us by the Holy Ghost himselfe: some of them are called foreign that is Psalmes ▪ some foreign that is▪ Hymnes; some foreign that is, Songs spirituall …ongs. Now what reason can be given why the Apostle should direct us in our singing to the very titles of Davids Psalmes, if it were not his meaning that we should sing them? Yea, either we must exclude the Psalmes of David, from the name of Psalmes, and Hymnes, and spirituall Songs; or else we must be forced to acknowledge, that we are exhorted to sing them, as well as any other.