Breach Repaired in Gods Worship, Treatise 1 · Chapter 11
CHAP. XI.
Proving that ſinging the Praiſes of God in Publick Worſhip with united Voices, from the Prophecies of the Scripture, that foretold how the Saints and Church of God ſhould ſing in Goſpel-days.
OUR third Proof to demonſtrate ſinging of Pſalms, Hymns and Spiritual Songs in God's Publick Worſhip with united Voices, ſhall be taken from thoſe Prophetical Pſalms and Paſſages in the Old Teſtament, that clearly relate to the Practice of the Saints in Goſpel-Times. Take Dr. Roberts words here in the firſt place. Singing of Pſalms, &c. by Believers under the New Teſtament (ſaith he), is often-times prophetically fore-told … fore-required in the Old Teſtament; and therefore Singing of Pſalms is clearly an Ordinance of Chriſt under the New Teſtament. The Antecedent is evident in ſundry inſtances of the Old Teſtament. (Wherein pray take notice, that this Argument the Doctor brings, doth not only prove, that Singing is a Duty, but ſhews the manner of it alſo, how it ſhould be uſed in our Congregations). He then proceeds to mention ſome of thoſe Prophetical Scriptures.
O ſing unto the Lord a new Song: ſing … to the Lord all the Earth. Sing unto the Lord, bleſs his Name, &c. Pſal. 96. 1, 2. Again, Make a joyful Noiſe unto the Lord, O all the Earth. Serve the Lord with Gladneſs; come before his Preſence with Singing. Both which places, all the Earth, (ſaith he) muſt needs refer to the Gentiles as well as the Jews at that preſent Time; to the Gentile… afterwards, when they ſhould be called and converted to the Lord, then the Gentiles alſo ſhould worſhip the Lord with Singing of Pſalms, with a joyful Noiſe. Which cann't be any other than Singing together with a melodious Voice. But he goes on. So that theſe Paſſages (ſaith he) are tacit Prophecies of calling the Gentiles, and of their New-Teſtament-worſhipping God by Singing forth his Praiſe. Add hereunto that notable paſſage; O come let us ſing unto the Lord: let us make a joyful Noiſe to the Rock of our Salvation. Let us come before his Preſence with Thanksgiving; and make a joyf…l Noiſe unto him with Pſalms. Pſal. 95. 3. This Pſalm is undoubtedly a Prophecy of Chriſt, and of that Worſhip that ſhall and ought to be performed to him ſolemnly in Sacred Churches under the New Teſtament, and eſpecially on the Lord's-Day-Sabbath. The Sabbatiſm, or reſt of the New Teſtament, for the Apoſtle interprets this Pſalm of Chriſt, compare Pſal. 95. 7. to the end, with Heb. 3. 6, 7. & 14. 15. as upon that Pſalm I have noted. This Pſalm judicious Calvin thinks, agrees to the Sabbath-day, wherein Sacred Aſſemblies worſhip God. And it is evident in the current Pſalm, that herein the Holy Ghoſt prophetically exhorts to that ſolemn Worſhip of God under the New Teſtament, which was uſual on Sabbath-Days, viz.
1. Praiſing the Lord, and Thankſgiving to him with Singing of Pſalms, (with a joyful Noiſe, or melodiouſly with united Voices) Verſ. 12. urging the ſame with ſundry Arguments, Verſ. 3, 4, 5.
2. Solemn publick Prayer, with the Reaſons thereof, Verſ. 6.
3. Willing, believing, and obedient attention to the Word of God then publiſhed, without hardening their Hearts againſt it through unbelief, To day if you will hear his Voice, harden not your Hearts, Verſ. 7, 8. So that this Prophecy of Chriſt, and of the New-Teſtament-Worſhip, evidently ſhows, that the Praiſes of God, ſolemnly with Singing of Pſalms, ſolemn Prayer, and ſolemn Preaching, and hearing of the Word of God, ſhould be thoſe Ordinances of Chriſt, (and in ſuch manner as there mentioned) as the Duties of Chriſtians under the New Teſtament. And it is here further added, whereas the Apoſtle ſaith To day; this day is interpreted by the Apoſtle to be meant, 1. Not of the Seventh-Day-Reſt from the Creation, Heb. 4. 6, 7, 8. 2. Nor of the Typical-Re… Joſhuah gave them in the Land of Canaa…, Heb. 4. 6, 7, 8. but of another certain Day limited in David's Pſalms, Heb. 4. 7. which is called foreign, a Sabbatiſm, a keeping of a Sabbath, remaining to the People of God, Heb. 4. 9. And this Sabbatiſm is the Day of our Lord Jeſus, when he ceaſed from his Work of Redemption, as God did from his of Creation, Heb. 4. 10. And which is that Day of our Lord Jeſus? Is it not the Day of his Reſurrection, that's our Lord's-Day-Sabbath, which David ſo long before foretold ſhould be celebrated with ſolemn Prayer, Preaching, and Hearing of the Word, and with Singing of Pſalms with a joyful Noiſe. [And thus what was written afore-time, was written for our Learning, and is full of Inſtruction to us, and doth ſerve for Reproof and Correction; likewiſe to ſuch who do not hearken to every part of thoſe Duties which are enjoined upon them therein, but cavil themſelves out of the practice of it, with groundleſs and unneceſſary Objections, and childiſh Queſtions]. But further, (ſaith he) our Spiritual and Eternal Sabbatiſm, partly as with Chriſt from Sin and Miſery, both in this World, and that which is to come, Jeſus our High Prieſt being paſſed into the Heavens, Heb. 4. 15, 16. Mr. Cotton ſpeaks the ſame with this worthy Man, pag. 10, 11.
2ly, The next Scripture-Prophecy, that ſhews clearly how the Lord's People ſhould ſing now in Goſpel-Days, is that in Iſa. 52. 7, 8. Thy Watchmen ſhall life up the Voice; with the Voice together ſhall they ſing. It is worthy your noting to conſider, what Time this Prophecy did refer to; which you may ſoon ſee, if you read the Context, How beautiful upon the Mountains are the feet of them that bring good Tydings, &c. Which the Apoſtle abſolutely applies to the Time of the Goſpel, and to Goſpel-Miniſters, Rom. 10. 15. And the Prophet doth not only ſay, The Watchmen ſhall lift up their Voice, and with the Voice together ſing, but alſo calls upon the deſolate and waſte places to ſing together; which can refer to none but the Lord's People, who in Goſpel-Days ſhall be made a Praiſe to him who had been as a poor barren and waſte Wilderneſs. For (ſaith the Prophet) in the next words, The Lord hath made his Arm bare in the Eyes of all Nations, and the ends of the Earth ſhall ſee the Salvation of God, Verſ. 10.
Now this place directly declares the manner how we ought to Sing, that is, with Voices together. And thus I find a moſt Reverend and Learned Man ſpeak upon the place: David's Pſalms (ſaith he) were Sung together in Heart and Voice, by the twenty four, Orders of the Muſicians, who typed out the twenty four Elders, (which our Annotators, and others ſay ſignify the Church and Miniſters of Chriſt), and ſo ſaith this Author, viz. All the Members of Chriſtian Churches, Rev. 5. 8. who are made Kings and Prieſts to God, to praiſe him as they did; for if there had been any other Order of Singing beſides the Body of the People, to ſucceed thoſe formerly uſed, the Lord would doubtleſs have given directions how or what it was. Not Moſes only, but all Iſrael ſang; and the Women, as well as the Men, alſo intimateth that that Song John ſpeaks of, Rev. 15. 3. which, ſaith he, the Proteſtant Churches getting Victory over the Beaſt, with Harps in their hands, and Singing the Song of Moſes refers to that Song and manner of Singing Exod. 15. 1, 2. And there is no doubt of it but it doth. Moreover, (ſaith he) Iſaiah foretells, in the days of the New Teſtament, that God's Watchmen, and diſſolates loſt Souls, (ſignified by deſolate and waſte places) ſhould, with their Voice, Sing together, Iſa. 52. 8, 9. The Song of the Lamb (ſaith he) was with many together, Rev. 7. 9, 10. And the Apoſtles expreſly command the Singing of Pſalms, Hymns, and ſpiritual Songs, not to any ſelect Chriſtians, but to the whole Church, Epheſ. 5. 19. Col. 3. 16. Paul and Silas ſang together in Priſon, Act. 16. 25. and muſt the Publick hear only one Man Sang (I muſt ſay it would be a ſtrange ſight to ſee and hear, and without any Warrant from God's Word, or Practice of any Church of Chriſt). To all theſe (ſaith he) we may add the Practice of the Primitive Churches, the teſtimony of the ancient and holy Baſil is inſtead of many, Epiſt. 63. When one of us (ſaith he) hath begun a Pſalm, the reſt of us ſet in to ſing with him, all of us with one Heart, and with one Voice; and this (ſaith he) is the common practice (ſpeaking of Baſil) of the Churches of Egypt, Lybia, Thebes, Paleſtina, Syria. To the ſame purpoſe Euſebius gives witneſs, Eccleſ. Hiſt. lib. 2. cap. 17. The Objections (ſaith he) made againſt this, do moſt of them plead againſt joying to Sing in Heart, as well as in Voice, as that by this means others out of the Church will ſing, as alſo that we are not always in a ſuitable Eſtate to the matter Sung, and likewiſe that all cannot Sing with underſtanding, and are not all therefore who have underſtanding to join in Heart and Voice together. Are not all the Creatures in Heaven, Earth, Seas, Men, Beaſts, Fiſhes, Fowles, &c. commanded to praiſe the Lord? and yet none of theſe, but Men, and Godly ly Men too, can do it ſpiritually and with underſtanding.
The third Scripture Prophecy is, Hoſ. 2. 15. which clearly alludes to the Goſpel-days, … Expoſitors ſhew, viz. when God ſhould make a New Covenant with his People, and betr… them to himſelf for ever: verſ 19. I will all… her, and bring her into the Wilderneſs, and ſpeak comfortably unto ber. Verſ. 14. And … give her Vineyards from thence, and the Valey of Achor for a Door of Hope, and ſhe ſhal… ſing as in the days of her Youth, and as in the day when ſhe came up out of the Land of Egypt; which is clear has reſpect to that of Exod. 15. ſee our Annotators on this Text, for it fully confirms Singing under the Goſpel, and ſuch a Singing as was of Old.
I ſhall cloſe this with what Dr. Roberts ſaith, in his Key to the Holy Bible, pag. 175. Finally, that paſſage in the Prophet, Thy Watchmen ſhall lift up the Voice, with the Voice together ſhall they Sing, is (ſaith he) prophetically ſpoken of the Times when the Feet of the Meſſengers of glad-tidings ſhall be beautiful, who ſhall ſay unto Sion, Thy God reigneth. This is interpreted by the Apoſtle Paul of the Goſpel-times under the New Teſtament.
I rather chuſe to give my Underſtanding of this glorious Truth, in the words of other Men, ſuch worthy and renouned Men as theſe, than in my own, thinking ſome may more readily incline to receive the Truth from them, than from ſuch a poor Nothing-creature as I am; yet, did not I verily believe as they did in this matter, I ſhould not have cited a word from their Pens. Beſides ſome of their Works …ie in great Folio's, that very few may meet …ith and what they ſay, which they prove from God's Word, we ought carefully to receive, though in ſome things they differ from us: Therefore if any Anſwer me, they muſt alſo anſwer them in what I have cited out of their Writings, or I ſhall conclude I have no Anſwer at all.