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Odd choice seeing he said the following in "Of Singing Psalms" in his A Body of Practical Divinity:
"By "spiritual songs" may also be meant the same psalms of David, Asaph, &c. the titles of some of which are songs; as sometimes "a psalm and song, a song and psalm, a song of degrees," and the like; together with all other spiritual songs written by men inspired of God; called "spiritual," because of the author of them, the Spirit of God; the penmen of them, such as were moved by the same Spirit; and the matter of them spiritual, useful for spiritual edification; and are opposed to all loose, profane, and wanton songs. And as these three words, "psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs," answer to Myrmzm Mylht and Myryv the titles of David’s Psalms, and are by the "Septuagint" rendered by the Greek words used by the apostle, it may be reasonably concluded, that it was his intention that the churches he writes to should sing them; but inasmuch as the "word of God" and Christ in general furnishes out matter for singing his praises, I deny not, but that such hymns and spiritual songs, composed by good men, uninspired, may be made use of; provided care is taken that they be agreeable to the sacred writings, and to the analogy of faith, and are expressed as much as may be in scripture language; of such sort were those Tertullian speaks of, used in his time, as were either out of the holy scripture, or "de proprio ingenio," of a man’s own composure; and such seem to be the songs of the brethren, in praise of Christ, as the Word of God, ascribing divinity to him, condemned by some heretics."
And IHM [RAM: Iain Murray] “knowof no prominent orthodox commentatorwho take [the exclusive psalmodist] view [of Ephesians 5:19]!” MHW [RAM: Malcolm Watts] can point us to them and give apposite quotes from them (MHW, pp. 27-30). Here they come, with their provenance and date of relevant writing in brackets: Nicholas Byfield (Puritan; 1615), Henry Ainsworth (Puritan; 1627), Jean Daillé (Huguenot; 1648), John Cotton (New England Puritan; 1649), Isaac Ambrose (Puritan; 1650, 1659), George Swinnock (Puritan; 1662), Thomas Manton (Puritan; posthumously published in 1701), Dr. John Gill (English Baptist; early 1700’s), and John Brown of Haddington (1775). That is of course, just to name a few.
3. What that is which is to be sung, or the subject matter of singing; and the direction is to these three, "psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs", #Eph 5:19 Col 3:16.
3a. By Psalms may be meant the Book of Psalms, composed by David, Asaph, and others; but chiefly by David; hence he is called "the sweet Psalmist of Israel", #2Sa 23:1 this is the only sense in which the word is used throughout the whole New Testament; nor is there any reason to believe the apostle Paul designs any other in the places referred to; nor the apostle James, in #Jas 5:13. Those who are of a different mind ought to show in what other sense the word is used, and where; and what those Psalms are we are to sing, if not the "Psalms of David", &c. since it is certain there are psalms which are to be sung under the gospel dispensation.
3b. By "hymns" are intended, not any mere human compositions; since I can hardly think the apostle would place such between psalms and spiritual songs, made by men inspired by the Holy Ghost, and put them upon a level with them, to be sung; but rather this is only another name for the Book of Psalms; the running title of which may as well be the "Book of Hymns", as it is rendered by Ainsworth {16}. The hundred and forty fifth psalm is called an hymn of David; and the psalm our Lord sung with his disciples after the Supper, is said to be an hymn; and so the psalms of David in general are called umnoi, "hymns", both by Josephus {17} and Philo the Jew {18}.
5a4. It is urged, that to sing David's Psalms, and others, is to sing by a form, and then why not pray by one? I answer, the case is different; the one may be done without a form, the other not; the Spirit is promised as a Spirit of supplication, but not as a Spirit of poetry; and if a man had an extraordinary gift of delivering out an extempore psalm or hymn, that would be a form to others who joined him; add to this, that we have a Book of Psalms, but not a book of prayers. David's Psalms were composed to be sung by form, and in the express words of them, and were so sung; see #1Ch 16:7 2Ch 29:30 hence the people of God are bid, not to "make" a psalm, but to "take" a psalm, ready made to their hands, #Ps 81:1,2.
John Gill on Psalmody includes a small collection of his writings on the subject of psalmody, including a discourse on psalm singing, and his arguments in favor of a cappella singing, all of which are very much worth reading.
Don't forget Jesse Johnson's The Psalms in Present-Day Apologetics (originally titled "The Importance of an Exclusive Use of the Psalms in Present-Day Apologetics").I wish! It's a great resource and it should be more accessible to the world. The only parts of it online, however, as far as I know, are McNaugher's special exegesis of Eph. 5.19 and Col. 3.16, and E.S. McKitrick's Christ in the Psalms.
Originally Posted by VirginiaHuguenot
The Singing of Psalms in the Worship of God by G.I. Williamson available http://www.psalms4u.com/
[Edited on 10-8-2006 by VirginiaHuguenot]
This is available online here.