Mather - Houston-Packer Collection BS478 .M3 1705

478 The Aperflitious Vanity of the be a barbarian to me. From all which theRule is evident, that no Volce is now to be heard in the Church of Chrift, but fucb ah is figniftcant and edifying by fignification, which the voice of Inftruments is not. Mr. Cott. of /nging Pfalms, cap. i. pag. 6. The Chaunters and Choriffers are (to ufe the Apoffles phrafe) Barbarians to all the People ; for they play and fing no body knows what : The Underftanding cannot edifie by it, being not an articulate Voice. And therefore thole Comparifons of Mr. B. when he parallels the ufe of Organs in God's Worfhip with a Cup of Wine, and with the Tune, and Meter, and Melody in Singing, are moil incongruous and unmeet Comparifons. For wbat Communion bath Light with Darknefs, and what Agreement bath the Temple of God with Idols ? So when Bellar- mine (de Bonis Operib. partic. lib. i. cap. 17) mingles the Qeftion of Organs with that of Singing Pfalmi, . handling them both together in one : It is too much boldnefs thus to confound and parallel the Inven- tions of Men with the Inftitutions of Jaws Chrift. We know there is an Institution of Chrift for the ufeof Bread and Wine- in his Wor- fhip, in the Sacrament 'of the Lord's Supper, as alfo for the Singing of Pfalms, to which the Tune and Meter are as necefl'ary'as Cups and Willis for the Bread and Wine : But where bath Chrift appointed Organs and Cathedral Mufick? who required there things at yourHands ? The time when this Corruption was firft invented and introduced in- to the Church is not certainly known, neither is it much material toDi- fpute. Certain it is, that they are a very late Invention. They were not ufed in futonMartyr's time, who lived in the fecond Centu- ry ; and it is generally thought by learned Men,and not without ground, that that Book, though it bear his Name, was indeed much later than his time, where they are thus witnefl'ed againft; the Teftimony is very plain and punctual, and therefore let us hear it in Englifh ; Singing (faith he) in it felf is not a cbildifh Thing, but to fing with inftru- ments of 1LMufick, and with Dancing, andTimbrels. And therefore in the Churches the ufe of loch Mufical Inftruments, and other things fit for Children, is laid afide in their Songs and Praifes, and nothing left but only tinging with the Voice, Juftin-Mart. Qæff. &Refp: 507. Neither were they ufed inChryfoftom's time, who lived in the fourth Century ; for he faith, 7udeis fuerat permiffum propter infirmitatem cordis fui. It was permitted to the Jews becaufe of their weaknefs, Chryf: in Pfal. 15o. Filatina refers the original of them to Pope Vitalianus about 690 Years after Chrift, or as others 77o, others about 820. Zepper. Pol. Ecclef: lib, i. cap. 53. pag. Io6. But that they are much later than any of thefe, 4guiacts his Determination againft them is a fuf icient Evidence,

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