Church Pageantry Displayed, Chapter 1
Church-Pageantry DISPLAY'D: OR, Organ-Worſhip, Arraign'd and Condemn'd, As inconſiſtent with the Revelation and Worſhip of the Goſpel, the Sentiments of the Ancient Fathers, the Church of England, and ſeveral Eminent Divines, both Proteſtants and Papiſts.
That it may pleaſe Thee to bring into the Way of Truth all ſuch as have Erred, and are Deceived.
We beſeech Thee to hear us good Lord. Amen!
The beſt Muſical Inſtrument for God's Praiſe is an upright Heart. Biſhop Cowper's Works Printed at London, 1621. Page 371.
By Eugenius Junior — In ANSWER to a Letter about ORGANS.
Nitimur in vetitum ſemper cupimuſque negata.
Is any Merry? Let him ſing Pſalms.
LONDON: Printed for A. Baldwin, at the Oxford-Arms in Warwick-Lane, 1700.
CHAP. I.
The Introduction. The Patriarchal and Old Teſtament-Church about Three Thouſand Years without Organ-Worſhip. An Account of other Inſtrumental Muſick us'd in Divine Praiſes. Organs and other Muſical Inſtruments under the Legal Diſpenſation, Parts of the Ceremonial Law, inſtituted by Divine Authority; are not obligatory under the Goſpel, no more than other Branches of the Ceremonial Law, which by the Confeſſion of Organical Advocates are abrogated.
SIR,
THERE's no Requeſt of yours, but is equivolent to a Command with me: Whereas in your Letter to the 20th. Current you earneſtly crav'd my Sentiments about the uſe of Church-Muſick; becauſe a Friend of yours was going to erect a Pair of Organs in his Parochial-Church: I have comply'd with your Deſires, and in the following Obſervations have deliver'd my own Thoughts, and the Judgment of many oothers, touching it's unlawfulneſs under the Evangelical Oeconomy.
Before I go on, I muſt beg the favour of you, as to give Place to calm and ſober Thoughts, and impartially to weigh the force of my Evidence: And (in order to that) I hope you'll be ſo juſt as to read over the whole Eſſay, before you proceed to a judicial definitive Cenſure. I am perſwaded you are of a candid Temper, and therefore I can the more freely communicate my Sentiments to you; and that I may the more effectually ſet the Affair in debate in it's true Light, I'll begin with the firſt Riſe and Uſe of Muſick and Muſical Devotions.
1. 'Twas about Three Thouſand Years after the Creation, before any Organs were us'd in Divine Worſhip, That they were invented in the Infancy of the World, we readily grant. Gen. 4.21. Jubal, he was the Father of all ſuch as handle Harp and Organ; but if one of the Poſterity of Bloody Cain was the Contriver of theſe paltry ſidling Pipes, will it therefore follow that their uſe in Sacred Services was equally Ancient, with their firſt Invention? But it's doubtful, whether the Organs mention'd in this Scripture be the ſame with ours, for the Hebrew Word foreign for Organs which comes from foreign luſit, adamavit, ſignifies quodvis inſtrumentum Muſicum, quaſi amabile dictum. Schindl. The Chaldee renders it, he was Maſter of all that Play on the Pſaltery, and knew Muſick: And the Greek Verſion reads it, this was he that ſhow'd the Pſaltry and the Harp,
We have no Account of 'm as us'd in the Devotions of the Antediluvian Patriarchs, and 'twas about Seven Hundred Years after the Deluge, before any ſort of Inſtrumental Muſick was us'd in Divine Worſhip. The firſt remarkable Inſtance that occurs, we have in Exod. 15.20, 21. Where it's ſaid, that Miriam the Propheteſs took a Timbrel in her Hand, and all the Women went after her with Timbrels and with Dances. There are Three Things that ſhew the invalidity of this Inſtance, in reference to the Point in debate (1.) You muſt Note, that this Woman was a Propheteſs, and what ſhe did was by an extraordinary impulſe; now Sir, when any of our Organical Friends are actuated by a Prophetick Spirit, e'en let 'm uſe all the Cymbals, Timbrels, Tabrets, and Harps, upon the Terreſtrial Globe, and ſpare not, and I do aſſure you I'll never interrupt their Muſical Mirth; only let 'm ſtay till then. (2.) You muſt obſerve, that theſe were Women who plaid — and ſung — but Paul has been ſo kind to the Female Sex in our Days as to tye their Tongues at Church; tho' now and then notwithſtanding his Apoſtolical Injunction many of 'm will have their full ſhare in iouncing and racketting David's Pſalms, and be as clamorous in their Reſponſes as any of their Maſculine Neighbours; and therefore, if you're inclin'd to follow the Miriamite Pattern, you may ſoon find a parcel of brisk ſinging Girls for the Purpoſe without going as far as Billingſgate for 'm. (3.) Theſe Muſical-Women danced at the ſame time, ſo that Sir, you may ſee without the help of a pair of Canonical Spectacles, that Dancing in Divine Worſhip is of the ſame Age with Inſtrumental Muſick: A cap'ring Devotion can pretend to as great Antiquity in the Church as any ſort of Inſtrumental Muſick. And therefore, I know no Reaſon why you ſhou'd graciouſly receive the Muſical Part of the Old Service into the Church, and utterly reject the Dancing part.
2. It's acknowledged that Organs and other Inſtruments of Muſick were Parts of the Ceremonial Law, or things peculiar to the Jewiſh Pedagogy, as Circumciſion, Paſſover, Sacrifices, Trumpets, Cymbals, were, Now if theſe and other Parts of the Legal Ceremonies are perfectly aboliſht, how comes it to paſs that Organs are continu'd? Why ſhou'd not the ſame Arguments conclude againſt the Eccleſiaſtical Uſe of Organs, as conclude againſt the Church-uſe of other Jewiſh Muſical Inſtruments? Why ſhou'd the worſhipful Organs (forſooth) be readmitted into the Boſom of the Church, when other famous Inſtruments of Muſick are totally excluded? What warrant have you to reſtore and retain one Part of the Ceremonial Law more than another Part? Why a pair of Organs and not a brace of Timbrels? I believe neither you nor the Parſon wou'd Conſent to have the Jewiſh Harps, Dances, Tabrets, Trumpets, Cymbals, and Pſalteries, us'd in the Divine Service, and yet all theſe may be warrantably introduc'd into our Church, if your Arguments for Organs hold Water. Pray good Sir, e'en let's have a parcel of Eccleſiaſtical-Trumpeters, Church-Dancers, Canonical-Harpers and Tinkling-Cymbaliſts, as well as a cumberſome Herd of expenceful jovial Organiſts. The Greek Churches‖Vid. Monſieur Lortie de Coen. …om. p. 1. Cap. 6. have upbraided the Papiſts for uſing a Roaſted Lamb in the Lord's Supper, becauſe 'twas Part of the Ceremonial-Law: But I'll not inſiſt upon the monſtrous Effects of Superſtitious Love and Teſty Zeal, becauſe both of 'm are Blind; which (if you'll believe Scarron) made Eneas once when he went to Sacrifice, miſtake a black curl'd Spaniel for a black Ram.
3. But under the Law the Muſical Inſtruments in the Church were appoined by the Infallible Directions of Heaven, 2 Chron. 29.25. He ſet the Levites in the Houſe of the Lord, with Cymbals, with Pſalteries, and with Harps, according to the Command of David, and of Gad the Kings Seer, and Nathan the Prophet, for ſo was the Command of the Lord by his Prophets. But pray Sir, where is your Command for Organical Worſhip under the Goſpel? You've neither the Command of God, nor of the King, nor of the Parliament, nor of any Convocation, nor of any Canon, or Rubrick, and yet maugre all theſe awful Powers, you'll be meddling with your Pipes and hank'ring after the forbidden Fruit. Tho. Aquinas, *Nihil debemus aſſumere in Divinum cultum Praeter ea quae nobis autoritate traduntur. Aquin. Sum. Qu. 91. Art. 1. Typ. Mand. Ven. MDLXXXVIthat grand Maſter of Church-Ceremonies; even he cou'd ſay, That nothing ought to be introduced into the Divine Service, but what may be warranted by Scripture-Command. But leſt you ſhou'd take it as an Affront to be corrected by a Catholick Friend, while you have a Mother alive; I'll therefore bring you under the righteous Sentence of her Maternal Cenſure. Saith She,†Homilies Serm. of good Works. Part 3. p. 38. Such has been the corrupt Inclination of Man ever ſuperſtitiouſly given, to make new honouring: of God, of his own Head, and then to have more Affection and Devotion to keep that, than to ſearch out God's Commandments and do 'm. The Jews us'd 'm by Divine Order, and therefore, they were bleſt for the great End they were deſign'd for, but that therefore God will bleſs 'm now to the ſame Ends, when they are not commanded, is ſuch a Conſequence that all the Eſpouſers of the Organical Cauſe can never make good. What they did was the matter of a Divine Command, but being Ceremonial, 'twas abrogated by the Death of Chriſt, and therefore can't bind us under the Goſpel. Upon which account you muſt produce ſome new Proof, Order, or Commiſſion, or be Content to own your ſelves guilty of adding the Traditions of ſinful Men to the Sacred Canon. Becauſe the ſtiff-necked Jews of Old us'd Organs, Pſalteries, Trumpets and Cymbals, purſuant to the Heavenly Command, may you therefore do't now without a Command? This is moſt wonderful Logick, and it may be, may paſs for good arguing among a prophane Crew of ſinging Boys and their paſſionate Admirers.
We are not under the Law, but under the Goſpel. So the Church of England ſpeaks.‖Her Diſcourſe about the Abolition of Ceremonies. Chriſt's Goſpel is not a Ceremonial Law, but it's a Religion to ſerve God, not in Bondage of the Figure or Shadow, but in the Freedom of the Spirit. That is, God is to be worſhipp'd now under the Goſpel in Spirit and in Truth, and not with the antiquated Ceremonies of the Law, ſuch as Cymbals, Organs, Sacrifices, Trumpets, Pſalteries — Now will any Man of common Sence plead for the uſe of a Thing as lawful under the Goſpel, becauſe 'twas made of Old a part of the Legal Service?
4. And it's certain, the New Teſtament makes no mention of any Inſtrumental Muſick us'd in Divine Worſhip, and had it been really profitable, wou'd the Holy Jeſus and his faithful Apoſtles paſs it by in ſuch profound Silence? Now Mr. Choriſter, I challenge you, or any of your Muſical Tribe to prove that ever Chriſt or his Apoſtles us'd, recommended, or encouraged the Practice of Inſtrumental Muſick in the Sacred Aſſemblies of Chriſtians. It's remarkable in Matth. 9.23, 24, 25. that Chriſt does no Miracle till he turns out the Pipers and Fidlers.
But ſuppoſe, for once we humour your Fancy about Organs, will you then tell me, when and where you'll ſtop? If this be allow'd, may you not by Parity of Reaſon introduce the whole Body of Romiſh, Paganiſh, Judaical and Mahometan Ceremonies into the Church? If you are empower'd to bring in ſo conſiderable a thing as a pair of Devotional Organs, why mayn't you … the ſame Power fill the Church with a great many more new fangl'd Ce… nious Superſtitions? And at this rate, why mayn't we expect a … of Articles, and new Schemes of Religion ev'ry new Year? … ſpawning of Novel Creeds and equipping out of Organical Confeſſio… every Spring.