The Songs, Voices, and Melody in the Temple

[KenH]

All the Saints of God they have but one root, one life, one light, one language, as growing up and out of that one root: they have no light, no life, no power, no wisdom, no growing, no watering but in this One root; In thy Temple every one Speaks of thy glory: they have nothing to say in praise of any other. When men cry out Thou must do, and thou must be holy, and thou must be watchful, and thou must grow, and thou must walk exactly, and thou must keep close to God: Oh Beloved! this sounds not like the Language of Saints; this sounds harsh in their ears; for they cannot endure to have their HEAD dishonoured. But when they hear that Jesus Christ is all light, all life, all power, all glory: and man is nothing but sin, emptiness, death, darkness, misery, these are the songs and these are the voices and the melody in the Temple: This they know is the voice of Christ and of their Beloved, and to these songs their Hearts can ECHO and answer: Oh how pleasant is the voice of my Beloved! they know that in Adam they all die, but in Christ they are all made alive, and in him they can do all things. They see Christ to be the Master, the Teacher, the Father, the DOCTOR; and that he is such a Teacher as not only teaches the ear, but the heart; That He not only commands, but he gives Wisdom and Understanding, and Repentance, and Love and Hope, and, Joy, &c. he sees he hath no sap, no nourishment, but as he abides in the root; the truth is, they have no confidence at all in the flesh, because it is weak, and crooked, and dark, and nothing at all of good in it; But he sees Christ alone is his root, his life, his sap, his bread, his fountain of living waters: and if men knew Christ aright, there would be no mention of any good in man; they would have none to praise, none to boast of, none to talk of, none to represent as good and holy or excellent but Christ alone: And thus ye shall find it was with David frequently expressed; and so it is with all the Saints: He alone is their strong Rock, and their Fortress, and their Deliverer; He is their Song, and their Praise, and their Salvation; and no god, nor rock like theirs. He is their King of Kings, and Lords of Lords; He is with them above all Principalities and Powers; He is their Head, King, the blessed and ONLY POTENTATE, and exalted alone as the rock of their Salvation; do we read that ever the Saints had any other Hymns or any other Songs.

- excerpt from John Webster's The Judgment Set, the Books Opened, and All Religion Brought to Trial: Whether It Be of God or Man

 

[Deacon]

This may, or may not, interest some people.

The free book of the month (Dec 2024) from Logos Bible Software concerns song and worship.

“The books of Chronicles often mention, or allude to, liturgical music at the temple in Jerusalem. It is dealt with in 1 Chron. 6:31–47 (6:16–32); 9:14–16, 33; 15:1–16:43; 23:2–5, 25–32; 25:1–31; 2 Chron. 5:11–14; 7:1–6; 8:12–15; 20:18–30; 23:12–13, 18; 29:25–30; 30:21–22; 31:2; 34:12–13; and 35:15. The institution of the temple choir by David and its patronage by his successors, the organization and status of the musicians, the instruments for its performance, and the place of music in the service at the temple—all these matters are covered in the narrative. There is thus a considerable amount of material on choral music in Chronicles.”​

Kleinig, John W. 1993. The Lord’s Song: The Basis, Function, and Significance of Choral Music in Chronicles. Vol. 156. Journal for the Study of the Old Testament Supplement Series. JSOT Press: Sheffield Academic Press.​