set the authoritie of Theodoret*, who draweth the original of it from Antioch, as Socrates doth; howbeit, ascribing the invention to others, Havian and Diodore, men which constantly stoode in defence of the Apostolique faith against the Bishop of that church, Leontius, a favourer of the Arians. Against both Socrates and Theodoret, Platina is brought as a witnesse, to testifie that Damasus, Bishop of Rome, began it in his time. Of the Latin Church it may be true, which Platina sayth. And therefore the eldest of that Church which maketh any mention thereof, is St. Ambrose, Bishop of Milan at the same time when Damasus was of Rome. Amongst the Græcians, St. Basil‡ having brought it into his church before they of Neocesarea used it, Sabellius the heretique, and Marcellus, took occasion thereat to incense the churches against him, as being an author of new devices in the service of God. Whereupon, to avoid the opinion of noveltie and singularitie, he alleageth for that which himself did the example of the churches of Egypt, Libia, Thebes, Palestina, the Arabians, Phenicians, Syrians, Mesopotamians, and in a manner all that reverenced the custome of singing psalmes together. If the Syrians had it then from Basil, Antioch, the mother-church of those parts, must needs have used it before Basil, * Theod. lib. ii. cap. 24. Plat. in vita Damasi, and consequently before Damasus. The question is then, How long before, and whether so long, that Ignatius, or as auncient as Ignatius may be probablie thought the first inventors. Ignatius, in Trajane's days, suffered martyrdome. And of the churches in Pontus and Bithynia, to Trajane the Emperor, his own Vicegerent* there affirmeth, that the only crime he knew of them, was, they used to meet together at a certaine day, and to prayse Christ with hymnes as a God, secum invicem one to another amongst themselves. Which, for any thing we know to the contrary, might be the self-same forme which Philo Judæus expresseth, declaring how the Essenes were accustomed with hymnes and psalmes to honour God, sometime all exalting their voyces together in one, and sometime one part answering another, wherein, as he thought, they swerved not much from the paterne of Moses and Miriam. * Plinii secunda epist. Isa vi. 3. One cherub exclaimed, "Holy, holy, holy, Lord God of hosts!" And the other cherub responded, "The whole earth is full of his glory." Whether This hymn, performed by the cherubim, divided into two choirs, the one singing responsively to the other, which Gregory Nazian. Carm. 18, very elegantly calls Συμφωνον, αντιφωνον, αγγέλων τασιν, is the pattern for the practice of alternate singing, which prevailed in the Jewish Church, from the time of Moses, whose ode at the Red Sea was thus performed (see Exod. xv. 20, 21.) to that of Ezra, under whom the Priests and the Levites sung alternately. "O praise Jehovah, for he is gracious; "For his mercy endureth for ever." Ezra iii. 11. See Bp. Lowth de Sac. Poesi Heb. Psal. xix. and notes on Isaiah, p. 57. An imitation of the cherubic manner of adoration is recommended Ignatius did at any time hear the angels praysing God after that sort or no, what matter is it? if Ignatius did not, yet one which must be with us. of greater authoritie did. I saw the Lord (sayth the prophet Esay*) on an high throne, the seraphims stood upon it, one cryed to another, saying, Holy, holy, holy, Lord God of hosts, the whole world is full of his glory. But whosoever were the author, whatsoever the time, whensoever the example of beginning this custome in the Church of Christ, sith we are wont to suspect things only before tryall, and afterwards either to approve them as good, or if we finde them evil, accordingly to judge of them, their counsel must needs seem very unseasonable who advise men now to suspect that wherewith the world hath had, by their own accompt, twelve hundred years acquaintance and upwards, enough to take away suspicion and jealousie. Men know by this time, if ever they will know, whether it be good or evil, which hath been so long retained. As for the devil, which way it should greatly benefit him to hear this maner of singing pslames accompted an invention of Ignatius, or any imitation of the Angels of heaven, we do not well understand.+" The Church of Rome uses the Bible and the by St. Paul to the Ephesians, Aaλouvres taurois, loquentes invicem, speaking in alternate response, singing or saying in the form of dialogue. Ephes. v. 19. Isaiah vi. 3. Eceles. Polity, printed 1617, b. v. 261. Lord's Prayer. Is the Bible therefore a Popish Book, and the Lord's Prayer a Popish Prayer? There is just as much truth in saying, that the Bible is a Popish Book, and the Lord's Prayer a Popish Prayer, as there is in saying, that chanting is a Popish usage. Though chanting has always been practised by the Church of Rome, the adoption thereof into our churches will not any more transform us into Roman Catholics, than the practice of metre-psalmody hath changed us into Lutherans and Calvinists. It appears to have been a ruling sentiment among the anti-episcopal reformers, that, so long as any one usage of the Church of Rome was retained, the reformation was imperfect. And as that Church had always used prosaic psalms and hymns, but no metrified scriptures, it seems to have been thought a matter of necessity, to turn the Psalms of David, and other selected scriptures, into rhyme, in order to be used in that novel dress, as a discriminating badge of separation from the papacy. Bishop Burnet says: "Some poets, such as the age afforded, translated David's Psalms into verse; and it was a sign by which men's affections to that work (the reformation,) were every where measured, whether they used to sing them or not."* During the progress of the reformation, chant History of Reformation, Part ii. p. 94. ing was always kept in view by the episcopal reformers, as one of the prominent characteristics of the Church universal. At the present time, this usage is retained by Episcopalians throughout the world; and as it always has been, so doubtless it ever will be, even unto the consummation of all things, when the never-ending chant of the hallelujah of men and angels shall com mence. OBJECTION III.. The Rubrics are more favourable to metre, psalmody, than they are to chanting. REPLY. To persons unacquainted with rubrical analogy, and the unavoidable ambiguities attendant on all laws, whether ecclesiastical or civil, the words sung or said appear to be of an evident and definite meaning; but to nice examiners, their meaning is not so obvious, as to admit of one interpretation only. Had the rubrical expression been, either sung or said, there could have arisen no question concerning their precise meaning; and the psalm or hymn thus rubricated must of necessity be either sung, exclusive of saying; or said, |