Breach Repaired in Gods Worship, Treatise 3 – Publishers advertisement
Some Reflections on Mr. Marlow's undue Citations of ſeveral Learned Men; ſhewing the genuine and proper Signification of the word Hymnos.
By another Hand.
THE Foundation of Singing Pſalms, Hymns, and Spiritual Songs in the Publick Aſſembly of the Saints, is too firmly laid in Scripture, and in the Judgment and Practice of Chriſtians in general, to be ſhaken by the New Notions of ſome few amongſt us, whom I hope the Lord in his time will lead into the knowledge of this Truth, and make them ſenſible of their injurous Attempts to overthrow and remove it, particularly Mr. Marlow in his late Book and Appendix, which are anſwered in the preceding Tract; and no more is intended in theſe few Pages, but ſome ſhort Remarks on the two firſt Sections of the Appendix. In the firſt whereof he would not have Praiſing God, con…ed to Songs of Praiſe, or Vocal and Melodious Singing. For my part I know not where he will find an Antagoniſt in this Point; for without Controverſy it will be generally granted, that all Creatures, according to their Natures and Capacities, are obliged to praiſe their great and bountiful Creatour; and the allowance hereof doth not in the leaſt injure the Duty, which he ſtrenuouſly pleads againſt.
As for his long Citation out of the Learned Dr. Owen on Heb. 2. 12. to me ſeems very little for his purpoſe, for the Doctor, after he had made ſome Reflections on the tranſlation of the former part of the Verſe, ſaith, in the reſt of the words, viz. foreign foreign, i. e. in the midſt of the Church I will ſing Praiſe unto thee: the Original Heb. Pſal. 22. 24. is expreſly render'd, for though foreign be render'd ſimply to Praiſe, yet its moſt frequent uſe, when it reſpects God as its Object, is to praiſe by Hymns or Pſalms, as the Apoſtle here foreign, ſibi hymnos canam, I will ſing Hymnes unto thee; or, te hymnis celebrabo, I will praiſe thee with Hymns; which was the principal way of ſetting forth God's Praiſe under the Old Teſtament. Here the Doctor ſhews the genuine and proper ſignification of the word foreign; and although the Doctor in his Expoſition of this place, extends the ſenſe of the word to its utmoſt latitude, that it might include all ways whereby our bleſſed Mediator was to Praiſe the Father: yet certainly he never intende… to exclude that particular way principally pointed at both in the Hebrew and Greek word, which we find in the evangelical Hiſtory ſo directly and expreſly accompliſhed, Mat. 26. 30. Mark 14. 26. as were alſo all other things propheſied concerning him; yet I grant that the Prophecy had not its full and compleat accompliſhment therein; for the Deſign of Chriſt in the whole Adminiſtration of his Mediatorial Kingdom, is to ſet forth the Praiſe and Glory of his Father; and every Member of his Myſtical Body ſhould concur with him in this Work, in all the Modes wherein it can poſſibly be performed; becauſe God is to be ſerved with all our ſtrength and might.
Moreover, it is evident that the Doctor never intended to undermine or overthrow the Duty of Singing; for herein he would have oppoſed his own Judgment, which he hath publiſhed to the World in the account he gives of the ſeveral parts of Goſpel-Worſhip, where he makes Singing one, though he terms it a fond Imagination for any to think that God cannot be praiſed in the Church without it; and I doubt not but that all ſober Chriſtians agree with the Doctor therein.
I ſhall now paſs to the ſecond Section, and conſider ſome parts of it, which I was deſired to take notice of. Mr. Marlow begins with the word foreign, which, whatever he pretends concerning the generality of its ſignification, moſt properly denotes a Song of Praiſe; And what he cites out of the Learned Ainſworth on Pſal. 3. to favour his Purpoſe, will not ſerve it at all; for he there intends nothing leſs than a Song of Praiſe, which is fitly compoſed to be ſung, as will appear to any one who conſiders the whole Paragraph without Prejudice; and this import of the word is agreeable to the common ſenſe of Learned Men, notwithſtanding what is cited to the contrary. His firſt Citation is out of Conſtantin's Lexicon, whence he tells us that Hymenaeus is a Nuptial Song. And what if it be, it is altogether impertinent in the preſent Enquiry; for this is a word of another Family, and deſcends from foreign, a word well known amongſt Learned Anatomiſts. And if he conſults any of them, he may ſoon know the full meaning of it, and alſo the reaſon why Hymenaeus is uſed for a Nuptial Song. This word being thus diſmiſt, as foreign to our preſent Purpoſe; we may conſider foreign and foreign, which according to Conſtantine, as cited by him, primarily and chiefly ſignify an Hymn or Copy of Verſes, made to Praiſe, and to ſing ſuch an Hymn or Verſe. And as for the latter word, he ſays alſo, it is uſed for ſaying or pronouncing ſuch an Hymn; and the reaſon may be, becauſe ſaying or pronouncing is neceſſarily included in Singing: for Singing is but a particular Mode of ſaying or pronouncing. And if it was not thus, I might ſay it is the common fate of all Words to be ſtretched beyond their prime and moſt proper Signification; and who can help it, ſeeing that the Wit and Fancy of Men, are ſuch luxuriant things, that will make bold ſometimes, not only with Words, but Perſons too. The Object of an Hymn, and Hymning, according to their uſage in prophane Authors, hath been extended, with the like liberty, both to Men and Things, though the primary Object was their Gods. Now I ſhall paſs by two or three lines of unintelligible ſtuff, Viz. Hymno, etiam Kateuphemiſmon pro conqueror, i. e. hymno; alſo Kateuphemiſmon is put for Conqueror, to complain, Only with this Caution to the Author, that when he makes his next Eſſay to ſhew his Scholarſhip in Print, he would take better care, leſt he meet with a more ſevere Obſervator. As to what he further ſaith of the uſe of the word foreign, to reproach, to accuſe, to complain, &c. … readily allow; but then he muſt take notice that all this was done in Verſe, compoſed and …ung to theſe ends; and the uſe of the word to theſe ends, doth not at all prejudice its primary ſignification, which is to Praiſe with Songs. And whatever the quick-ſighted Author thinks he ſees in Conſtantine or Sympſon concerning its ſignifyng ſimply to Praiſe, for my part I can ſee no ſuch thing, either in them or other Authors, which I ſhall now inſpect. foreign is render'd by Scapula, Carmine celebro, … praiſe in Verſe, Hymnis decanto, I ſing in Hymns: and foreign celebratio quae fit hymnis …el carmine, i. e. praiſing by Hymns or Verſe; decantatio laudum, a ſinging of Praiſes, Greg. …az. foreign is render'd by Scap. Hymnus, Carmen, i. e. Hymn or Verſe, and ſometimes …eculiarly ſignifies carmen in honorem Dei, Verſe compoſed for the honour of God. Thus we find foreign. i. e. a Hymn to the Praiſe of Apollo. Hymnus eſt cantilena conti…ens laudem Dei, i. e. an Hymn is a Song containing the Praiſe of God. Minſh. The ſame duplicate page duplicate page Author derives it from foreign, which Heſych varies by foreign, which properly ſignifies to ſing. Vid. Mart. Lex & Gl. Cyril. Iſid. lib. 6. 19.
Now I ſhall enquire into the uſage of this Word in the holy Scripture, and ſhall follow his Method therein.
The firſt Inſtance which he gives as ſerviceable to his Deſign is, Pſal. 78. 63. where he ſuppoſes the LXXII Tranſlators were not acquainted with foreign, as a Song of Praiſe, or Marriage-Song, which is more than he can tell; for it is very probable they miſtook the Radix foreign he grieved, or rather foreign he lamented, for foreign and ſo tranſlated foreign foreign, did not lament. Of this you ſee more in Muſc. on the place. But ſuch as took the Radix foreign, have tranſlated the words otherwiſe, as Jun. and Trem. Non Epithalamiocelebratae ſunt, i. e. were not honoured with a Wedding-Song; and to this ſenſe the words are render'd in ſix or ſeven Tranſlations more. Here the Antecedent is put for the Conſequent, viz. Praiſing or honouring with a Nuptial-Song, for Marriage it ſelf. Hence appears the unskilfulneſs of this Author, and his Ignorance in impoſing upon his Reader.
Next he comes to Mr. L. in his Critic… Sacra, where you will find Mr. L. giving this ſenſe of the word foreign, that it is carnem ſe… peculiariter in honorem Dei, i. e. Verſe, but peculiarly deſigned for the Honour of God. This is agreeable to what was ſaid before from other Authors. And further to confirm this ſenſe of the word, I might here add, Zanch. Dav…n. Beza, &c. Then he proceeds to the word foreign, which he renders Hymnum cano, I ſing an Hymn; this word is uſed Mat. 26. 30. Mar… 14. 26. Acts 16. 25. Heb. 2. 12. and in all theſe places is rendred by Beza (who was eminently skilled in the Greek Tongue) after the ſame manner, and on Mat. 26. 30. he commends Eraſmus for correcting the vulgar Latin, in changing dicto Hymno, the … being ſaid, to cùm ceci…iſſent Hymnum, i. e. when they had ſung an Hymn. On ver. 20. he gives an account out of Joſeph…s of the Jews manner in eating the Paſſeover, and cloſing it with an Hymn, conſiſting of Pſalm 113. and the five immediately following, which the Jews call their Magnum Hallelujah, their great Song of Praiſe to God; and it is the Opinion of many Learned Men, that Chriſt ſang this with his Diſciples, tho Grotius thinks that Chriſt made another on that occaſion. Now as to the three Authors Mr. M. mentions out of Mr. L. who differ in their verſion of theſe words, we may juſtly ſppoſe that by Praiſes, they mean Praiſes in Verſe, and by ſaying Praiſes, they mean ſuch a ſaying as was accompanied with ſinging, otherwiſe their rendering may be cenſured as improper.
Now Mr. M. proceeds to foreign Iſa. 25. 1. which is derived of foreign, and in the Conjugation Hiphil, ſignifies hath praiſed, or co… feſſed; and, as it is in other words, the ſenſe muſt be governed by the Context; and ſo in this place the word foreign tho render'd by Arias Montanus, I will confeſs, yet if he doth not mean ſuch a Confeſſion as was to be made by ſinging the Song of Praiſe to God, for his manifold Benefits beſtowed upon his Church, his Verſion is not ſo agreeable to the Context, as that of the Septuagint, who render it foreign, I will ſing Praiſe; and the like may be ſaid of his Verſion, Iſa. 12. 4.
What is ſaid in the third Paragraph, and beginning of the fourth, concerning the rendring thoſe words before mentioned, and ſome others, is of little importance in clearing the preſent Controverſy, ſeeing it is granted already that God may be praiſed without Singing, tho Singing is a principal way of ſetting forth the Praiſe of God, as Dr. Owen ſaith. And certainly that which is the principal way of praiſing God, ought not to be excluded by Chriſtians… neither can we think that theſe Tranſlators had any deſign to do it, ſeeing they uſe ſuch words as include this as well as other ways of praiſing God. And whereas Mr. M. thinks he hath got clear and undeniable Evidence for his ſimple praiſing God only, he hath got none at all, unleſs three be not contained in the number four, becauſe one is. Solomon ſaith, The wringing of the Noſe brings forth Blood; and ſtraining the words of theſe Tranſlators, may bring forth a ſenſe which they never intended. I ſee no ſuch reſtrictive terms uſed by them, which may reaſonably be thought to reſtrain the Duty of Praiſing God to the particular mode of this Author; but if they did intend it, I could (if the Bounds of my Paper would admit it) produce ſix or ſeven Tranſlators who are generally eſteemed by learned Men very accurate, who have render'd the words for that way of praiſing God which is pleaded for in the foregoing Treatiſe.
The Author which Mr. M. cites out of Marlorate on Mat. 26. 30. pretends it is uncertain with what words they praiſed God; that is, whether it was with the common Paſſeover-Hymn, or ſome other of Chriſt's own, which might be more ſutable to the occaſion; and whether they ſang this Praiſe, or ſpake it ſimply, the following words of the Author not being well render'd by Mr. Tymme, I ſhall ſet down, they are theſe, Graecum verbum laudem quidem, maxime quae Deo debetur, includit; non autem neceſſario evincit, quòd cecinerint, i. e. the Greek word indeed includes Praiſe, chiefly that which is due to God. But undoubtedly it doth evince, that they ſang, 1. From the genuine Signification of the Original Word. And, 2. From the current of Learned Men who go this way.
To conclude; I ſincerely deſire that the Lord would make this Friend ſenſible of the Evil and Vanity of this Attempt, to remove out of the Church this part of Religious Worſhip, which hath been kept up ſo many Ages, both under the Law, and under the Goſpel.
FINIS.
ADVERTISEMENT.
THere is in the Preſs, and will be publiſhed next Week, a Treatiſe Intituled, Spiritual Melody, containing ſome hundred of Sacred Scripture-Hymns, chiefly on Metaphorical Scriptures, as they lie in a Book Intituled, foreign, A Key to open Scripture Metaphors, (formerly publiſhed by this Author, with many others of ſeveral Occaſions) as they have been ſung in divers Congregations. Compoſed and now publiſhed by B. Keach, at the earneſt Requeſt and Deſire of ſeveral Chriſtian Friends. Printed for J. Hancock, and to be ſold at his Shop in Caſtle-Alley, on the Weſt ſide of the Royal Exchange in Cornhil.
THere is almoſt ready for the Preſs, an Expoſition on all the Parables, and expreſs Similitudes in the Four Evangeliſts. It will be above one hundreed Sheets: The PROPOSALS whereof, with a Specimen, which will contain two Sermons, (an Exemplar of the whole Work) will be on the Par abolical Saying of our Saviour in Mat. 12. 43. When the unclean Spirit is gone out of a Man, &c. Written by the foreſaid Author; and will (God willing) be publiſhed in a very ſhort time.
End of the text · Benjamin Keach, Breach Repaired in Gods Worship (1691)