Spiritual Melody, Title page – To the reader
Spiritual Melody, Containing near Three Hundred Sacred Hymns. By BENJAMIN KEACH, Author of Τροπολογια, Paſtor of the Church of Chriſt meeting on Horſly-down, Southwark.
Coloſſ. 3.16.
Let the Word of Chriſt dwell in you richly, in all wiſdom, teaching and admoniſhing one another in Pſalms, and Hymns, and Spiritual Songs, ſinging with grace in your hearts to the Lord.
Quantum flevi in Hymnis & Canticis ſuavè ſonantis Eccleſiae tuae voces illae influebant auribus meis, &c.
How ſweetly have I wept in Hymns and Songs! At the ſounding of thy Church, the Voices flew into mine Ear, and thy Truth melted into mine Heart; and from thence flew forth the effects of Godlineſs; the Tears ran down mine Eyes, and it was well with me when I was with them.
Auguſt in his Preface to the Pſalms, cap. 6.
LONDON, Printed for John Hancock, in Caſtle-Alley, near the Royal-Exchange in Cornhill, 1691.
TO THE READER.
READER,
IT may not be unneceſſary if I acquaint thee with the chief deſign of my publiſhing theſe Sacred Hymns. I have three ſorts of Perſons in my Eye to whom I recommend them.
Firſt, Such who like and approve of Books in Verſe which treat of Divine Things, and would gladly have a little help in order to the underſtanding of Metaphorical Scripture; who cannot alſo well ſpare ſo much Money as to purchaſe larger Volumes; the Folio I put forth ſome years ago, call'd, A Key to open Scripture Metaphors, being near Twenty Shillings price, comes into but a very few Peoples hands: Beſides, the Impreſſion will ſoon be gone (as far as I can gather) and 'tis not like to be reprinted any more. Now in this ſmall Tract I can aſſure you is contained great part of the principal things under divers Metaphors opened in that Book, though they are there more largely inſiſted on. I do not judge all thoſe Hymns I have taken from Metaphori…al or Tropical Scriptures, are proper to be ſung; nor are they here recommended to that end, ſome of them being Hiſtorical, as part of Hymn 92. pag. 129, 130. and ſome others, containing Matter of Controverſie; nor do I think thoſe concerning Hell ſo ſuitable to be ſung; yet I doubt not but they may be all of uſe to the Reader, all being congruous with God's Word, and according to the analogy of Faith.
The Second ſort are, Parents and Maſters of Families, I am perſwaded, with the Bleſſing of God, this Book may prove of great advantage to their Children, who generally are taken with Verſe, and are much addicted to learn ſuch Songs and Ballads which generally tend to corrupt Youth; and 'tis a ſhame to godly Chriſtians they ſhould ſuffer their Children to learn many of them; but ſince Singing is God's Ordinance, I mean, to ſing Pſalms, and Hymns, and Spiritual Songs, 'tis doubtleſs their duty to inſtruct them therein, as well as to teach them to read; and by learning Sacred Hymns, they may be taken, before their Parents are aware, with the Matter therein contained (as divers have, through the Bleſſing of God, as I have been oft inform'd, by reading that ſmall Poem, called War with the Devil,) and ſome others. Youth are generally inclin'd to Poetry, and as one of the Ancients excellently obſerves, The Holy Ghoſt ſeeing the Souls of Mankind ſtrugling in the way of Godlineſs, and being inclined to the Delights of this Life, hath mixed the power of his Doctrine with ſweet Singing, that whilſt the Soul was melted with the ſweetneſs of the Verſe, the Divine Word might the better be grafted with profit.
Now theſe Hymns being ſhort, Children will ſoon get them by heart, as alſo full of varieties, and i… inſtructed to ſing, they may be the more affected with the matter, and receive the greater advantage.
The Third ſort are, thoſe godly Chriſtians who know 'tis their indiſpenſible duty to ſing Pſalms and Hymns, &c. not only in their Families, but in the publick Congregation, yet do not think divers Pſalms do ſo well ſuit with Chriſtians under the Goſpel, as other Sripture-Hymns do, and divers worthy Miniſters of the Baptized-way, thô choice Preachers, and fully ſatisfied in ſinging the Praiſes of God, yet may not have Judgment to compoſe Hymns, every Man having his particular Gift of God, and therefore have deſired divers Scripture-Hymns and ſelect Pſalms might be publiſhed; and indeed, had I not been put upon this Work, I am perſwaded I had not undertook it, or at the leaſt not ſo ſoon.
Moreover, many Chriſtians had rather have thoſe Hymns we ſing in our publick Aſſemblies printed, that ſo they might the better know them, and examine the matter therein contained, to ſee whether they do agree with the Word of Chriſt, and likewiſe the better ſing them with underſtanding. And 'tis not unknown what a multitude of godly Friends have deſired to have me write them out ſeveral of thoſe Hymns that have upon divers occaſions been ſung in ſome particular Congregations. Now to prevent that trouble, and to ſatisfie them, I promis'd to Print the moſt of thoſe Hymns, and ſo have done, as they will find them in the latter part of this Tract. If any deſire in ſuch a Book to have no Hymns but ſuch that are proper to be ſung in Congregations, in the next Impreſſion, if God ſpare my Life, I ſhall endeavour to anſwer their requeſt.
Had I not wrote ſo lately in Juſtification of pre-compoſed Hymns taken out of God's Word, I ſhould have ſpoken fully to it here. We are exhorted to ſing Pſalms, Hymns, and Spiritual Songs, and ſince we have none left in Form in the Scripture, it follows, that thoſe who God hath gifted that way, ought to compoſe them; for a Hymn or Song cannot be without its Form. Certainly God doth not enjoyn a Duty on us, that he hath not left ſufficient Rule how to come at it, nor have we any ground to expect the extraordinary Gift any more.
Nor is there, as I have lately ſhewn, any more reaſon to object againſt compiling Sacred Hymns to be ſung out of the Word of Chriſt, than there is to object againſt pre-compiled Sermons that are to be preached, though I am ſatisfied the Lord doth enjoyn his Churches to ſing the Pſalms of David, both in Eph. 5.19. Col. 3.16. we reading of no other Pſalms but the Book of Pſalms; ſo by Hymns and Spiritual Songs I ſee no reaſon to doubt but he intends all Sacred Hymns, &c. taken out of the holy Scripture by the help of God's Spirit. Mr. Marlow cites a Paſſage out of Learned Ainſworth, as if he favoured his Notion of Praiſing God only without Vocal Singing; yet I have lately met with a Book of that worthy Man on the Pſalms of David, where I find him ſpeaking thus, Theſe Pſalms (ſaith he) have ever ſince by the Church of Iſrael, by Chriſt and his Apoſtles, and by the Saints in all Ages, been received and honoured as the Oracles of God, cited for Confirmation of true Religion, and ſung in the publsck Aſſemblies (as in God's Temple) where they ſung praiſes unto the Lord with the words of David, &c.
'Tis a hard caſe that any Chriſtian ſhould object againſt that Duty which Chriſt and his Apoſtles, and the Saints in all Ages in their publick Aſſemblies were found in the practice of; but 'tis no eaſie thing to break People off of a miſtaken Notion, and an old Prejudice taken up againſt a precious Truth of Chriſt. The Lord will, I hope, ſatisfie all his People about this heavenly Ordinance in due time, and they ſhall not call it a Carnal nor a Formal thing any more, nor cry out, 'Tis as bad as Common-Prayer. I muſt tell them, if Common-Prayer lay under Sacred Inſtitution in the New Teſtament, as Singing of Pſalms and Hymns doth, I ſhould as freely embrace that: But whereas the one is Humane, ſo the other is Divine, that is, ordained and commanded of God, as well as practiſed by Chriſt and his Diſciples, and by the Saints in all Ages.
But not to trouble you any further, if the Lord be pleaſed to bleſs the labour and pains I have taken, give him the Glory, and let your poor Brother have a part in your Prayers, who is ſtill
Yours to ſerve you in the Goſpel, B. KEACH.