Quest. 126. Are our Church-Tunes Lawful, being of mans invention?
Answ. YEs: They are a lawful invention, allowed us by God, and fitted to the General Rules of Edification. Scripture is no particular Rule for such Modes and Circum∣stances.
Object. They breed a carnal pleasure by the melody, which is not fit for spiritual devotion.
Answ. It is a lawful sensitive pleasure, sanctified to a holy use, not hindering, but greatly helping the soul, in spiritual worship.
Either you call it carnal, because it gratifieth the sinful corrupt inclinations of man: or only because it is sensitive, or a pleasure in the imagination and lower faculties. If the former, 1. There is nothing in it which is a necessary cause of any sinful pleasure, nor an impediment to spiritual pleasure. 2. But a lustful person will turn all sensitive pleasure into sin: Our Meat,* 1.1 and Drink, and Clothes, and Houses, and Friends, and Health: The Bread and Wine in the Sacra∣ment may be thus abused.
2. But you must know, that as our Bodies are here united to our souls, so they act toge∣ther, and while the sensitive part is subordinate to the rational, it is serviceable to it, and not a hi••derance: When you come to have souls that are separated from the body, you shall use no bo∣d••ly instruments: And yet even then it is uncertain to us, whether the sensitive powers of the soul do not accompany it, and be not used by it. But certainly in the mean time, he that will not use sense, shall not use reason. And he that acteth not sensibly, acteth not as a man: It is not a sin to be a man: And therefore not to see, to hear, to taste, to smell, &c. Nor is it a sin to taste sweetness in our meat or drink, nor is it a sinful pleasure for the eyes to behold the Light, or the variety of the beauteous works of God, or to take pleasure in them. His works are great, sought out of all them that have pleasure therein, Psal. 111. 2.
You know not what it is to be a man, if you know not that God hath made all senses, to be* 1.2 the inlets of objects, and so of holy pleasure into the soul. Would he have given? us eyes, and ears, and appetites, and made his creatures sweet and beauteous, that all might either be sin or useless to us? No: all things are sanctified, and pure to the pure. The sense is the natural way to the Imagination, and that to the Understanding: And he that will have no sensible and natural plea∣sure, shall have no spiritual pleasure: And he that will have none but sensitive pleasure, were bet∣ter have none at all. It is therefore a foolish pretence of spirituality, to dream of acting without our senses, or avoiding those delights, which may and must be sanctified to us. Harmony and Me∣lody are so high a pleasure of the sense, that they are nearest to Rational delights, if not participating of them, and exceedingly fitted to elevate the mind and affections unto God.
And as it is the very nature of true Holiness, to be so suited to Holy things, as that they may be our Delight, and he is the genuine Saint, and the best of Christians, who most Delighteth in God and Holiness: So that is the best means to make us the best Christians, which helpeth us best to these Delights: And if any thing on Earth be like to Heaven, it is to have our Delight in God. And therefore if any thing may make us Heavenly, it is that which raiseth us to such delights. And therefore a Chore of holy persons, melodiously singing the Praises of Iehovah, are likest to the An∣gelical Society. Psal. 150.