The Lords Day, Book 2 · Chapter 11
CHAP. XI.
Of Pſalms and Hymns ſung on the Lords Day. The uſe of Hymns was but of late time in the Weſtern Churches, although Baronius think otherwiſe. Whence the matter of Hymns was taken.
UNder Prayers, of which hitherto, Sacred Hymns alſo alwaies uſed by the Church are comprehended. For the cuſtom of rehearſing Pſalms in the Church, is a kind of deprecating God. foreign. Zon. in Can. 75. Conc. Trull.
St. Paul oftener than once, mentionsHymns ſung in thē Church-Aſſembly. Pſalms, Hymns, and Spiritual Songs, with which the faithful ſung with Grace in their heart to the Lord. Col. 3. 16. and Epheſ. 5. 19. although in both places the Apoſtle ſeems to ſome not to ſpeak of publick hymns ſung in the Church, but of private; yet it is without controverſie, that the Church had her hymns in the publick aſſembly: which Paul himſelf witneſſeth, 1 Cor. 14. 26. when he ſaith. When ye come together, every one of you hath a Pſalm, &c. there doubtleſs the Apoſtle ſpeaks of Pſalms recited in the ſacred aſſemblies of the Church. Therefore St. Auſtin thinks, that the Church hath ourEp. 119. c. 18. Lords, and his Apoſtles, both documents, examples, and precepts, for ſinging Hymns and Pſalms.
Euſebius mentions Hymns out of Philo, which he affirms were recited by the Church, Hiſt. l. 2. 17. Nepos hath recorded divers, which the Brethren uſed in the time of Dionyſius. Euſeh. 7. c. 24. Tertullian witneſſeth, that in his age there were Pſalms and Hymns ſung in the publick aſſemblies, Ap. c. 39. and elſewhere, when he reckons up the Lords dayes ſolemnities, he ſaith Pſalms were ſung, De Anima, c. 9. And in the words of Plinius ſecundus to Trajan, who lived more than an age before Tertullian, he acknowledgeth, that the Chriſtians Tertull. Apol c. 2.had their meetings before day for ſinging to Chriſt, and God. Now in the time of Trajan, John the Apoſtle returned to Epheſus, who was baniſhed into the Iſle Pathmos, when Domitian was Emperour.
In the time of Ephraemus, *Serm. de cruce Domini.they honoured their feſtivals with a Chriſtian dignity in ſinging Pſalms, Hymns, and Spiritual ſongs. When Gregor. Nazianz. teaches, how the Feaſts of Chriſtians are to be celebrated, he commands us, †Ora. 18.to take hymns for timbrels, ſinging of Pſalms, for bawdy and wicked ſongs, &c.
Chryſoſtom deviſed nocturnal hymns, toSocr. 6. 8. ſuppreſs the Arrian opinion, and to confirm his hearers in the faith. And Niceph. confeſſes, that the Catholick Church uſed holy ſongs, the beginning of ſinging Pſalms and hymns being taken from thence. lib. 13. c. 8. Hom. poſt redit. Chryſoſtomi, witneſſeth, that the Church uſed hymns in his age. Baſil going through the Cities of Pontus, taught the people to meet together, and attend upon Hymns, Pſalms, and Prayers. Ruffin. Hiſt. Eccleſ. lib. 2. cap. 9. & Baſil. Ep. ad Neocaeſar. 63.
From which it appears, that the cuſtom of ſinging was obſerved even ſince the Apoſtles, eſpecially in the Eaſtern Church: and the more the Church grew, the more the uſe of ſinging grew alſo.
The Weſtern Churches received ſinging more lately, although Baronius deny it, anno ſexageſimo, ſect. 33. who thinks that Damaſus received not the rite of ſinging, which he ſaith did from the very beginning of inſtituting the See grow up in the R. Church, but the Pſalter of the 72 Interpreters tranſlation out of the Eaſt, from Hierom, who then lived at Hieruſalem. But the very words of Damaſus will ſhew, that Baronius being deceived in this, doth colourably beguile the Reader. Although Baronius doubts of the truth of this Epiſtle, which yet the Pontifical book Conc. T. 1. p. 496. gives credit to. The Epiſtle of Damaſus …o▪ Hierom deſires, that he would ſend to him▪ Graecorum Pſallentiam, i. the ſinging of the Greeks, (not Pſalterium, i▪ the Pſalter of the 72 Interpreters, as Baronius would have it) eſpecially becauſe the manner of ſingers was not uſed amongſt them, nor the grace of an hymn was known in their mouth. Damaſ. Ep. ad Hierom. The Pontifical alſo ſaith, thatConc. T. 1. p. 496. Damaſus ordained, that Pſalms ſhould be ſung, both on the day and night by the Clergy. If the ſinging of Pſalms grew up in that Church, from the firſt inſtituting of the Roman See, (as Baronius would have it) with what face will the Pontifical affirm, that Damaſus ordained, that Pſalms ſhould be ſung, which Baronius cryes out, was done long before Damaſus? which yet the Pontifical aſcribeth to Damaſus his conſtitution.
Auſtin relates, that Ambroſe Biſhop ofConf. l. 9. c. 7. Millain, did firſt appoint the ſinging of Hymns and Pſalms amongſt the Weſtern people. Nor doth this diſagree with their opinion, who aſcribe this to Damaſus: for they were contemporaries: and what was begun by one, might be confirmed by the others help. So Polyd. Virgil. l. 6. c. 2. However, it's plain, that that manner of ſinging was in force with the Millainoys; For when Juſtina perſecuted Ambroſe, the people watched in the Church, and then it was appointed, that Pſalms and hymns ſhould be ſung, according to the cuſtome of the Oriental countries, leſt the people ſhould pine away with the tediouſneſs of ſorrow, and from that day to this day it is retained, many, and now almoſt all congregations in the whole world imitating it. Paulinus witneſſeth alſo, in the life of Ambroſe, that in the time of Juſtina hymns began to be ſung in the Church of Millain, and he relates, that the devotion of this celebrity was not onelyonly uſed in that Church, but had ſpread over almoſt all provinces in the Weſt.
In explaining the hymns which were anciently ſung of the Church, we will firſt ſearch into the matter of the hymns, andThe matter of hymns. then into the manner of ſinging. As for the hymns themſelves, the Divine Oracles being ſung with a ſweet voice, did animate their ſounds, and therefore they ſung ſometimes David's Pſalter. Aug. Conf. l. 10 c. 33. So Theodoret ſaith, that Flavianus and Diodorus did teach, that David's Pſalms were to be ſung. Hiſt. l. 2. c. 24. *Hom. de verb. Is…ae 1. l 5. p 128.Chryſostom, when he reproves ſome that ſung uncomelily, mentions the very words of Davids Pſalms, which were uttered in the ſinging. Auſtin glorieth, that the divine Songs of the Prophets, were ſung ſoberly in the Church. Ep. 119. c. 18.
Tertullian ſaith, that in the aſſemblies of Chriſtians, after the *This Manualis aqua was for waſhing the hands with, to diſtinguiſh it from their baths, which they uſed before Supper.Manualis aqua, every one was called forth to ſing to God, either out of the Holy Scriptures, or of his own invention. Apol. cap. 39.
Sometimes alſo Pſalms were ſung in the Church-aſſembly, which were written-by the Doctors of the Church. Socrates mentions ſome Pſalms that were written by Chryſoſtom. lib. 6. cap. 8. Euſebius, by Nepos. Hiſt. lib. 7. c. 24.
Conc. Laod. Can. 59. it is prohibited, that no private Pſalms be uttered in the Church. Therefore St. Auſtin in the aforeſaid place doth blame the Donatists, for leaving Davids Pſalms, and ſinging Hymns which were invented by themſelves.