The breach repaired in God's worship, or, Singing of psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs, proved to be an holy ordinance of Jesus Christ with an answer to all objections : as also, an examination of Mr. Isaac Marlow's two papers, one called, A discourse against singing, &c., the other, An appendix : wherein his arguments and cavils are detected and refuted / by Benjamin Keach ...

III. Of prescribed and precomposed Songs and Hymns.

First, (say you)

If the Essence of Sing∣ing, as before is shewed, consisteth in an in∣ward spiritual Exercise of the Soul or Mind of Man; and that both the Matter and the Melody of it, proceedeth from the inward Graces and Operations of the Holy Spirit with the Word; then surely no humane pre∣scribed Form of Singing can be accepted of God, but that which proceedeth from the Word of God, by the Dictates and Teachings of the Holy Spirit.

You mention Ephes. 5. 18, 19. Col. 3. 16. Pag. 15.

Again, pag. 16.

Now the Essence of Sing∣ing consisteth of these two parts, viz. Mat∣ter

[from the Word], and Melody [by the Spirit]: So that neither the Word nor the Spirit can be wanting; and therefore whatso∣ever Forms are used which proceed not from within us, out of a Fulness and Enriching of the Word and Spirit, cannot be Spiritual Singings.

Answ. Brother, who do you encounter with now? 'Tis evident this doth not concern as, you need not have taken so much time and pains to prove that which no Body that I know denies.

But before I come to reply to that, I cannot but take notice how you hug your former No∣tion of Essence of Singing; but I perceive your have found out the Essence of Singing, is not in the Spirit alone, but it has Matter and Form too: the Matter (you say) is God's Word; there you are right: you say, The Melody lies in the Heart, that is partly true, but there must be something else added to the Essence of Singing, or else you have it not; and that is the chief thing, the only thing from whence it's called Singing, that is, a melodious Voice, add that, and then you plead for Singing; take that away, and 'tis no more than inward Joy, or Rejoicing. Singing, Mr. Caryl tells you, is an Act of the Voice: 'Tis a melodious Noise, do not mistake your self in one of the most plain and easiest Acts of the B••di∣ly Organ, or Act of the Tongue. But to the Business, no Hymn must be made nor composed from God's Word, it appears, with∣out

the help and assistance of the holy Spirit. I am of your Mind.

But I hope you do not mean the miraculous or extraordinary Help or Operations of the Spi∣rit, because you are a speaking of the Admini∣strations of the Gospel, and Gospel-Worship in general.

Now there are two things to be ••••••••••∣dered in bringing forth a Doctrine, viz. That 'tis agreeable to the Word of God; he that compiles a Sermon must be sure to see 'tis God's Word, i. e. congruous thereunto, and provable therefrom, or else 'tis humane.

2. He must bring forth and preach it by the help and assistance of the Spirit also, or else it may still be Human, no Divine Sermon.

So, and in like manner in compiling of an Hymn, it must be as to the matter, the Word of Christ; Let the Word of Christ dwell in you richly, in all Wisdom, teaching and admo∣nishing one another in Psalms, Hymns, and spi∣ritual Songs, singing, &c. Col. 3. 19. See here the Direction for the matter of an Hymn or spiritual Song, it must be in general the Word of Christ; (as it must be the Word of Christ that is to be preached.) Even so also a•• Hymn, &c. must be (we say) compiled out of the Word of Christ, and in singing of it there must be the assistance of the holy Spirit. But now will you say we have not the Spirit of Christ in composing the Hymn which is part of Christ's Word? Take heed! you are too full of hard Words and Censures; another may,

nay, and some do say so too, we have no Rule to compose a Sermon; and I will say and testify, I know no more Rule for a precomposed Ser∣mon to be preached, than for a precomposed Hymn that is to be sung, and I am satisfied I have equally in them both the like assistance of the Spirit. Your speaking here of the Spiritualness of the Gospel above the Law, doth nothing in your case. We grant it, and say, Our Singing differs now under the Gospel as to the Spiritu∣ality of it to that under the Law, as much as my other Gospel-Service or Worship doth.

Our Sermons are no more made for us in God's Word than our Hymns are, and we have equal Direction in both these weighty ••••ses; and I must tell you, this way of 〈◊〉〈◊〉 you use is enough, if People did observe it, to overthrow all visible Worship and Ordi∣nances, unless we could make it appear, 〈◊〉〈◊〉 we had the immediate and extraordinary help of the Spirit in the discharge of them. Away, ••••ith one, with your carnal and human preach∣ing, 'tis a Form invented and done by Art, will you call this Gospel-preaching? The Apostles 〈◊〉〈◊〉 as they were moved by a mighty Spirit within them; you must preach by immediate inspiration and not precomposed Sermons, or else your Sermons are formal. Thus you open a Door for Quakerism, and throw St••••bling-blocks before the weak: I intreat you to con∣sider of it.

2. Doubtless what the Apostles did by an extraordinary Spirit in bringing in a Doctrine

and an Interpretation, &c. is a Rule for us in the ordinary Gifts; for they preached and prayed, &c. by the wonderful or extraordinary Influences of the Spirit: and because we have not those Gifts, must we not be found in this Ordinance, viz. to sing, which is required in the New Testament; we by the same Argu∣ment, must lay all others aside likewise, as the None-Churches have done: from such a way of arguing as you use here, the Lord deliver us. But what you speak on this occasion doth not concern them that sing David's Psalms; there∣fore if composed Hymns were not justified by God's Word as comprehended in Hymns and spiritual Songs, Col. ••. 16. then the Book of Psalms, as our Brethren say, are wholly intended, and then they must be sung, and them only; but we see no reason so to believe. Eusebiw speaks of the Christians singing of Hymns to Christ as to God, in the first Century, which shews it was the Practice of the Church in the Primitive Times to sing other Hymns besides those in the Book of Psalms.

As to Forms of Prayer, the Lord hath left us a Form, by which we are directed how to pray; and so he has left us his Word, and the Psalms of David, that we may know how to compile our Hymns as well as our Sermons, by the help and assistance of his Spirit: there is no more a Form of Preaching left, than there is a Form of Hymns: and what tho Christians differ in their singing, they also differ in their method or form of Preaching as much;

and your Argument (say you what you will) 〈◊〉〈◊〉 alike against the one as against the other. But is it unlawful to premeditate what we design to ask of God in Prayer? Have not some in Prayer, and Fasting-days in Churches, drawn 〈◊〉〈◊〉 several things as a Form of those Cases 〈◊〉〈◊〉 they agreed together to spread before the Lord, and is this Form sinful think you? But 〈◊〉〈◊〉 of this hereafter.