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our spiritual harp, are harmonized to the songs of the celestial Zion, or that we entertain any solicitude about our joining in the hallelujahs of the New Jerusalem, if we cultivate no desires of presenting ourselves on every returning day of the Son of man, with a song of thanksgiving and praise?

How tremblingly alive ought our fears to be, lest he, who, whilst on earth, refuseth to unite with the minstrelsy of heaven, in lauding and magnifying Jehovah's glorious name, should at last be found unmeet for admission into the jubilant choir of the Almighty King! God, by his prophet David, hath said, "Whoso offereth me thanks and praise, he honoureth me; and to him that ordereth his conversation aright, I will show my salvation."* "His salvation is nigh them that fear him, that glory may dwell in our land."+

Christian, be persuaded to bear in mind that thou art a dependant being, trusting to the Father of mercies for the preservation of thy present life, and relying on the atonement and intercession of thy Saviour JESUS, for the life that is to come. Wilt thou then suffer thyself to be frozen in the ice of cold indifference to thy benefactor's praise; or dost thou think, that for neglecting it, he will never call thee into judgment?

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Our God is a great God, and a great King; according to his greatness, so is his praise. He is fearful in praises, alone doing wonders. There is no end of his greatness, goodness, mercy, and truth. Our tongues are not able to speak all his praises, nor our voices to extol the boundless extent of his love to the children of men. He inhabiteth the praises of eternity; and all the praises and glorifications which can be uttered during the continuance of time and eternity, to him of right do belong. Let every one, therefore, to whom God hath given the talents of voice and ear, "come before his presence with a song,' ,"* and magnify his glorious name, which is so transcendently excellent, that it is "above all blessing and praise."t

OBJECTION II.

Chanting is a Popish custom, and therefore it ought not to be admitted into our churches.

REPLY.

Popery, ever since the commencement of the reformation, hath been a sort of watch-word,

* Psalm c. 2.

Nehemiah ix. 5.

B

and, by many persons, even at the present time, every thing in religion that does not suit their own opinion and humour, is reckoned Popish, and therefore erroneous. Such persons would do well to consider, whether an individual, who places such confidence in himself, as to estimate his own opinion higher than the united sentiment of the Christian world, has not assumed a chair of infallibility as elevated as ever any Pope was known to sit upon? Self-conceit and obstinacy create Popes in every country, and among all denominations of Christians. In the estimation of such Popes, no sort of popery is so detestable as Romish popery.

So abominable did every usage of the Church of Rome appear in the eyes of the anti-episcopal reformers, that one of their number, the celebrated Mr. Cartwright, asserted, "it is more safe for us to conform our indifferent ceremonies to the Turks, which are far off, than to the Papists, which are so near."*

To this assertion Mr. Hooker made the following reply: "The Romans having banished Tarquinius the Proud, and taken a solemn oath that they never would permit any man more to reign, could not herewith content themselves, or think that tyrannie was throughly extinguished, till they had driven one of their consuls

*T. C. lib. i. p. 131. Printed 1570.

to depart the citie, against whom they found not in the world what to object, saving only that his name was Tarquinius, and that the commonwealth could not seem to have recovered perfect freedom, as long as a man of so dangerous a name was left remayning. For the Church of England, to have done the like, in casting out papal tyrannie and superstition, to have shewed greater willingness of accepting the ceremonies of the Turk, Christ's professed enemy, than of the most indifferent things which the Church of Rome approveth: to have left not so much as the names which the Church of Rome doth give unto things innocent: to have ejected whatsoever that Church doth make account of, be it ever so harmless in itself, and of ever so ancient continuance, without any other crime to charge it with, than only that it hath been the hap thereof to be used by the Church of Rome, and not to be commanded in the word of God: this kind of proceeding might haply have pleased some few men, who having begun such a course themselves, must needs be glad to see their example followed by us. But the Almightie, who giveth wisdome, and inspireth with right understanding whomsoever it pleaseth him, he foreseeing that which man's wit had never been able to reach unto, namely, what tragedies the attempt of so extreme alteration would raise in some parts of the Christian world, did, for the endless good of his Church,

(as we cannot chuse but interpret it) use the bridle of his providence restrayning hand, to stay those eager affections in some, and to settle their resolution upon a course more calm and moderate."*

The most remarkable allegation that ever was preferred against chanting responsively, was advanced by the above mentioned Mr. Cartwright, in these words: "The singing of psalms by course, and side after side, although it be very ancient, yet it is not commendable, and so much the more to be suspected, for that the devil hath gone about to get it so great authoritie, partly by deriving it from Ignatius's time, and partly in making the world believe that this came from heaven, and that the angels were heard to sing after this sort. Which, as it is a mere fable, so is it confuted by historiographers, whereof some ascribe the beginning of this to Damasus, some others unto Havianus and Diodorus.+

So

To this allegation Mr. Hooker replied: "When and how this custome of singing by course came up in the Church is not certainly knowne. crates maketh Ignatius the Bishop of Antioch, in Syria, the first beginner thereof, even under the Apostles themselves. But against Socrates they

* Eccles. Polity, b. iv. p. 167, where please to see the argument continued.

+T. C. lib. i. p. 203.

Eccles. Hist. lib. vi. cap. 8

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