John Brown of Wamphray: Singing of Psalms, Hymns & Spiritual Songs in Public Worship

John Brown of Wamphray
Singing of Psalms, Hymns and Spiritual Songs
in the Public Worship of God
From De Causa Dei contra Antisabbatarios

John Brown of Wamphray, an exiled minister of the Church of Scotland, was the most important Scottish theologian of the period known as the Killing Times (1660–1688). He was one of the strongest defenders of the Covenanter cause.1 Among many books he wrote while residing in Holland, Brown’s magnum opus is his De Causa Dei contra Antisabbatarios (2 volumes 4to, Rotterdam, 1674, 1676).2 The experts past and present are in agreement in their assessment of the man and this work. “In addition to establishing the continuing obligation of the Sabbath, it discusses a wide variety of questions concerning the law of God…” (Lachman). MacPherson writes that Brown’s “most elaborate work is De Causa Dei Contra Anti-Sabbatarios, a huge work which would fill at least five goodly octavo volumes, full of interesting and important matter, especially regarding fundamental questions about the sanctions of law and the law of God.”3 Walker calls it “great in length, great in learning, great in patient sifting of the subject, and in meeting of assertions and marshalling of arguments.”4 Wodrow styles Brown as “a man of very great learning, warm zeal, and remarkable piety.”5

The translation presented here is a section from this great work on the subject of Psalm singing. While perhaps nothing is surprising from what one would expect to find,6 it is fitting to have the comments readily available of one of the leading Covenanter figures on a subject that has come to be so identified with Covenanter worship practice. The text translated begins with the portion ending the previous section where Brown is addressing imposed forms of prayer and “free” prayer, and articulates what we today call the regulative principle of worship. In the subsequent portion, Brown deals with the subject of singing of praise in public worship, proving first that singing of praise is an element of public worship under the New Testament, before moving on to deal with what he believes should be the content of such praise. Due to the length, the translation will be presented in two parts, with the balance to appear in the 2008 issue (D.V.).

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John Brown of Wamphray (c. 1610-1679 ). The extract presented here is translated from Joanne Broun, De Causa Dei Contra AntiSabbatarios Tractatus (Roterodami: Apud Henricum Goddaeum, Bibliopolam. Anno [ 1674 ]). The selection translated appears in volume 2 , pages 954-966. Translated by N. E. Barry Hofstetter, Th.M.

1. See more about the life of Brown of Wamphray in Mr. Backenstro’s article in this issue, 118-119.

2. D. C. Lachman, “Brown, John (of Wamphray),” Dictionary of Scottish Church History & Theology, ed. Nigel M. De S. Cameron, David F. Wright, David C. Lachman, and Donald E. Meek (Downers Grove, Ill.: InterVarsity Press, 1993) 98.

3. John MacPherson, The Doctrine of the Church in Scottish Theology (Edinburgh: MacNiven & Wallace, 1903) 49.

4. James Walker, The Theology and Theologians of Scotland, 1560-1750 (Edinburgh: T. & T. Clark, 1872 .; Second Edition, edited by N.L. Walker and W.G. Blaikie, Edinburgh: T. & T. Clark, 1888 ; repr. Edinburgh: Knox Press, 1982).

5. Robert Wodrow, The History of the Sufferings of the Church of Scotland from the Restoration to the Revolution (Glasgow: Blackie, Fullarton, & Co., [1828]) 304.

6. “Brown of Wamphray, published, in Rotterdam, an exhaustive Latin work against the Anti-Sabbatarians, in two volumes, which were respectively issued in 1674 and 1676 . In the second volume, page 959 , Paul’s three words are restricted to the Book of Psalms, and several very cogent reasons are given for doing so.” David Hay Fleming, “The Hymnology of the Reformation,” Original Secession Magazine (January-June and September 1884 ); repr. in An Anthology of Presbyterian & Reformed Literature 4 (Dallas, Tex.: Naphtali Press, 1991) 223-246.