His reference to song and Christian worship actually comes from a non-Christian source. The Emperor Trajan commissioned Pliny, the governor of Bithynia, with secretly learning what he could about the Christians living in his province. In a letter to Emperor Trajan in about 102 AD, Pliny writes that the Christians were in the habit of meeting, quote, before dawn on a stated day and singing alternately a hymn to Christ as to God, end of quote. Now, opponents of exclusive psalmody have sought to use this restatement of Pliny to claim that Christians at this early date were composing their own hymns which declared the deity of Christ. However, it is universally accepted and recognized that uninspired hymns were not introduced into orthodox worship services into the latter fourth century. And even then they were denounced by various church councils. For example, the Council of Laodicea in 360 AD, the Council of Chalcedon in 451 AD, the Council of Braga in 563 A.D. and the Council of Toledo in 633 A.D. all condemned the use of uninspired songs in worship. Furthermore, we know from early church fathers living in the early 2nd century, like Justin Martyr and others, that they were using the psalms, we find that from their writings, they were using the psalms to defend the deity of Jesus Christ. Psalm 110. Psalm 72, the one that we sung in worship today. We also know that the biblical writers in the New Testament continuously appeal to the Psalms to defend and support the deity of Jesus Christ. Psalm 2. Psalm 8, 16, 22. forty-five, sixty-eight, one-oh-two, one-oh-three, one-ten, one-eighteen, and one-thirty are all used to support and defend the deity of Jesus Christ by New Testament writers. The inspired hymns of the Psalter are all plenty needed to have heard in those early Christian worship services. And that's all that he needed to refer to when he said they sang a hymn to Christ as to God. Now the first recognized, uninspired hymn of the church that we actually have a record of, that we actually have written for us and has been communicated to us in writing through history, was composed by Clement of Alexandria in about 200 AD. We'll note that it was not used, as I mentioned earlier, it was not used in an orthodox worship service. There's no record of that at all. But this particular uninspired hymn, written by Clement of Alexandria, a hundred years after the apostolic period, Dr. Philip Schoff, the noted church historian, who is himself, was no exclusive psalmist, has pointed out, quote, we have no complete religious song remaining from the period of persecution, that is, the first three centuries, except the song of Clement of Alexandria to the divine Logos, which, however, cannot be called a hymn and was probably never intended for public worship. More devotional kind of use. One other very interesting historical fact is noted by Dr. Delling in Kittel's Theological Dictionary of the New Testament. Dr. Delling, again, is no exclusive psalmist that I know of, but he indicates that non-biblical hymns, that's the term that he uses, non-biblical hymns, and by that he means uninspired hymns, were condemned by the Council of Laodicea in 360 AD, but Dr. Delling continues his remarks by pointing out that in place of the non-biblical hymns, that is, the uninspired hymns, the so-called biblical hymns, now I'm quoting him, the so-called biblical hymns, or biblical odes, arose instead. In place of uninspired hymns, he says, biblical odes or hymns arose in their place. Examples of biblical odes are like the Gloria Excelsis of the angels that we find in Luke 2.14, the Magnificat of Mary in Luke 1.46 and following, the Benedictus of Zachariah in Luke 1.68, and the Nunc Dimittis of Simeon in Luke 2.29. And so these are examples of the kinds of biblical songs that Dr. Delling is referring to which arose. He says, in keeping with this, the fact that Bible manuscripts in Greek do not yet contain the collection of biblical odes in the 4th century, whereas all the Greek manuscripts from the 5th century do. These biblical odes are put after the Psalms." What is he saying? It's an interesting historical note, but the 4th century Greek manuscripts simply had the Psalms. with nothing after the Psalms. But 5th century Greek manuscripts began to incorporate a section after the Psalms of biblical odes from the Bible. But not until the 5th century were they included amongst the Greek manuscripts. That certainly would indicate that the Psalter was, up until that point, universally the Church's hymn book. For the first four centuries, the Church's hymn book. It would also indicate that no biblical songs outside the Psalter were used in the liturgy of the Church for the first three to four centuries. And finally, when these biblical songs obtained widespread use in the church's liturgy, they were collected and placed in a section of the Bible after the Psalter. But not until the 5th century. As we continue in this series on song and worship, We consider again the pivotal text which we began looking at last time, Ephesians 5.19 and Colossians 3.16. And in the Ephesians 5 passage, we note that the effect of God's Spirit in your lives, beloved, is that you will be speaking among yourselves. Paul says in Ephesians 5.19, you will be speaking among yourselves. Or, as Paul says in Colossians 3.16, you'll be teaching and admonishing yourselves with psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs. Now, I noted last time that the terms psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs are not intended to contrast or to distinguish one term from the other. but rather it's a classic case of Hebrew parallelism, wherein the same thought or the same meaning is emphasized using three different terms. As we continue our study in this passage today, I'd like to draw out the following points from the text. First, the Apostle Paul, as he writes to the Ephesians in Ephesians 5.19, speaking to one another in psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs, he does not simply cast these terms before the Ephesian Christians in a vacuum. There's a context, there's a historical context, there's a redemptive historical context, there's a biblical context in which he casts those turns out to those people. As to redemptive history, we have noted that the only songs used in the public worship of God in the Old Testament for which we have positive biblical warrant were the inspired songs of the Psalter. Furthermore, it is the universal testimony of scholars that this practice of psalm singing was the practice of Jews in the synagogue worship throughout Palestine in the dispersion. And then psalm singing, as we've already noted in past sermon, was initiated as an ordinance of New Covenant worship, as Christ himself with his disciples sang the inspired hymns of the Psalter. after the institution of the Lord's Supper. Now, having that as a background, as a context in which to understand these terms, add to that evidence the fact that as Paul proclaimed the truth to these Ephesian and Colossian believers, as he had proclaimed it in his second missionary journey, He began in Ephesus as he began in all cities, by ministering and proclaiming the truth in the Jewish synagogues. In fact, you find that in Acts 19, verses 1-10. He began in the Jewish synagogues. What would they hear sung in the Jewish synagogues but the Psalms? What Bible was Paul using as he proclaimed the truth? What Bible were the synagogues of the dispersion amongst the Hellenistic Jews, these Greek-speaking Jews? What version were they using? It was the Greek Septuagint version of the Old Testament. These terms, psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, are terms that you will find, as we will see in a moment, throughout the Psalter. for the inspired songs. Thus, I would say, not only was there not a vacuum when Paul uses psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs in Ephesians 5.19 and Colossians 3.16, but there was a clear predisposition as to the meaning of these terms. Paul was not introducing a new order, a new form of worship and song in Ephesians 5.19 and Colossians 3.16. He certainly would have explained himself much more thoroughly if all of a sudden he is now introducing something new. No, the implication is, because there is nothing further stated, is that this is the same song that has been used in worship. for hundreds of years. The silence implies continuity with what has gone on before. From the temple to the synagogue to Christ to the apostles. No vacuum, but rather a very solid, in my judgment, and clear predisposition to the use of the Psalter. The second point that I'd like to draw out, is that the three terms used for song in worship, psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs, are words clearly used for the worship songs found in the Greek Psalter. I alluded to this earlier, just in summary form, and now I want to look at that in more detail. And in fact, these three terms, these three Greek terms, Humnoi and Odai are all used synonymously and interchangeably throughout the Greek Psalter. Let's begin by simply looking at the word Psalms. Psalmois is the actual word that's used here. It's used in the dative case, that may not mean anything, but it has the idea of instrumentality. You're to sing with psalms, hymns and spiritual songs. Now it's interesting that this is the very title. Psalmoi is the very title of the whole Psalter in the Greek Septuagint. Psalms. That's the title that is affixed. As they would open their Bibles, as they would sing forth the praises of God, they turn to the title page, and there is the word psalm. Now, the objection has been made that if Paul meant only the Psalter, when in Ephesians 5.19 and Colossians 3.16, when he wrote psalms, why didn't he use the definite article the? before the word Psalms, the Psalms, so as to make it much more clear what he meant. Well, in answer to this objection, remember, Paul, as I've already said, was not writing in a vacuum. There was an expected association between the word Psalms in the Old Testament Psalter and what Paul wrote to the Ephesian and Colossian believers in psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs, immediately, because that was what they were used to singing. Whether they were Gentiles who had become Christians and were brought into the synagogue singing, that had been the practice of the Old Testament, or whether they were Jews who had been brought up, that is what they would think of. That's what would come to their mind, the Psalter of the Old Testament. It's kind of like if you were to go to a classroom in the United States, and if you were to use three names, Washington, Jefferson, and Lincoln, that nobody is going to think of various people by the names of Washington, Jefferson, and Lincoln. What's going to immediately come to the minds of a U.S. citizen are presidents. Because that's just something they've been raised with. In like manner, when they heard psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, the thing that would come to their mind would be the Psalter. That's the context, historical, redemptive context in which they lived. Now, if you were to say psalms and hymns and spiritual songs today, I'm not sure that even most evangelical Christians would be able to identify what's referred to there, because we have lost our heritage with regard to singing from the psalter. It's no longer familiar to us, as it was with the people of God in days gone by. So because we're not in that historical context, we kind of flounder around, wondering what in the world do those three terms mean? The definite article, the objection that I raised earlier with regard to the definite article, the definite article is omitted before the title to the Psalter, Psalms. You won't find an article before Samoi. It's not Hoi Samoi. It's not the Psalms. It's simply Psalms. In fact, in not one instance is the definite article the ever used with the word psalm in the titles of the individual psalms. Not once does the definite article occur in the titles of the psalms. As many times as it occurs, not once is there a definite article. Nor is the definite article the ever used with psalmoid, psalm in plural, in the New Testament. Whenever the word Samoy, in plural, occurs in the New Testament, you never find the definite article used with it. Why should we expect that Paul would all of a sudden use a definite article when that's not the case in any other New Testament reference, nor is it the case in the Psalter itself? If anything, that would point us in the direction, the fact that he doesn't use an article, it should point us in the direction to the Psalter, because that's the way it's commonly referred to. Furthermore, there is no use of the word psalmos, psalm, in the Old Testament, in the Greek Septuagint, after David introduced His psalmody is the sweet psalmist of Israel, where the word psalmist necessarily refers to any other songs for worship than the psalter. After David comes on the scene, every time that the word psalmist is used, there's no reason necessarily to infer that it refers to something other than the psalter for worship. And the same is true in the New Testament. There is no mention of the word Psalm in the New Testament where we necessarily would infer that it refers to something other than the Psalter. Listen to this closely, dear ones, because I think this is really very, very important. Only a predisposition Against the exclusive use of the Psalter would incline one to understand the term Psalms in Ephesians 519 and Colossians 316 as referring to anything other than the inspired Psalter What about the term hymns In Ephesians 519 and Colossians 316 Humnois is the second term used. Since there is no biblical reason to conclude that Psalms refers to anything outside the inspired Psalter, what evidence does one have for concluding that hymns refers to songs outside the Psalter? Again, it is suggested by those who oppose exclusive psalmody that it is unlikely that hymns without the definite article would refer to the Psalter. However, again, in none of the psalms where hymns, the term hymns is used in the title of the individual psalms is hymns ever used with an article. Always without an article as the title within the individual psalms. And what is especially devastating to the opponents of exclusive psalmody is that the noun hymn or the plural, hymns, is never used in a passage in the canonical books of the Septuagint where it necessarily refers to a hymn or hymns outside the Psalter. Where it necessarily refers, in other words, all the references that you find of hymns or hymn in the Psalter of the Greek Septuagint, not simply within the Psalter, but throughout the Greek Septuagint. Not once does him ever necessarily refer to something other than the Psalter. In fact, in Psalm 7120 of the Greek Septuagint, which would be Psalm 7220 in our English Bibles, All the previous Psalms of David are specifically called the hymns of David. Now, in the English translations, it says the prayers of David are ended. But in the Greek Septuagint, it says in Psalm 71, 20, and in your Bible, Psalm 72, 20, it says the hymns of David are concluded. There it calls all of the previous Psalms that were composed by David, the hymns of David. And this is the version of the Bible used by the synagogues of the dispersion and used by Paul as he wrote in Ephesians 5.19 and Colossians 3.16. Again, in the New Testament, the verbal form, Remember, humnos is the noun form, humneo is the verbal form. Humneo is used for the singing of psalms as well in the New Testament. It's used in Matthew 26.30 and Mark 14.26, of Christ singing with his disciples a hymn, which, as we've already noted from a previous sermon, was the Great Hallel. Psalm 113 through Psalm 118. Again, in Hebrews 2.12, We find the verb, humneo just, where it says, speaking of Christ, I will declare your name to my brethren in the midst of the congregation. I will sing praise to you, or I will sing a hymn to you. We noted in an earlier sermon that in Psalm 22, 22, from which this passage is taken, in Hebrews 2, 12, that's where the quote is originally made, And in Psalm 22, 22, David is speaking of singing a hymn in the congregation of God's people. Now, what kind of a hymn would David have sung in the midst of God's people? One of the hymns that he himself wrote. That's the only hymn that we know that David ever sung were hymns that he himself wrote, which were the Psalms. And then as the passage in Hebrews 2.12 refers to Christ, we know again that this hymn spoken of in Hebrews 2.12, as it points back to Christ singing the great halal amongst his disciples, points again to the fact that the word hymn refers to the Psalter. Nothing in the Old Testament or in the New Testament, dear ones, would lead us to believe that hymns in Ephesians 5.19 and Colossians 3.16 would be other than the hymns of the Inspired Psalter, which God's people have sung for hundreds of years in their worship services." Now, as we look for just a second outside of the biblical revelation, we note that two very significant Jewish writers, Philo, who died in 40 A.D., And Josephus, who lived from 37 to 100 AD, consistently used the words hymn and hymns to refer to the Psalms of David. In fact, Philo never once uses the word psalm, but uses hymn to refer to David's psalms, continuously. Josephus uses the word hymn similarly. For example, Josephus says, and I quote, and now David composed songs and hymns to God of several sorts of meter and taught the Levites to sing hymns to God. And there are several references exactly like that in Josephus. Again, I simply note that only a predisposition against the exclusive use of the Psalter would incline one to understand the term hymns in Ephesians 5.19 and Colossians 3.16 as referring to anything other than the inspired Psalter. How about the word songs? Odice, songs. This is the third term used in Ephesians 5.19 and Colossians 3.16. And we won't have time to talk about today the adjective spiritual in context with the word songs. We'll get to that next Lord's Day. Let me simply note, with regard to the word songs, that the first two terms that we've looked at, songs and hymns, almost certainly refer to the inspired Psalter. So what objections are raised to the third term, songs, referring to the Psalter? Well, first of all, this objection, that the term song is used for inspired songs outside the Psalter. In Exodus 15-1, Song of Moses, Deuteronomy 31.19, another song that God gave to Moses. In Judges 5.12, Song of Deborah, those three. So the term song is applied to inspired songs outside this altar. Just before I respond to that objection, As you will look at the evidence, however, for songs throughout the Bible and the use of the word song, you'll never find the use of the word song in a Christian or in a religious sense in a worship service to be an uninspired song. So those who would follow using uninspired songs in worship today certainly have nothing to stand upon in the use of this word, song. But what about the inspired songs outside this altar? Well, let me simply say, with regard to the song of Moses and Deborah, these songs were not used in the corporate worship of God after David, as far as we know. There's no evidence nor indication that they were ever used after David introduced his new form of song into the worship service. Even as Moses instituted a new order of worship according to the commandment of God, so David brought in new songs and new instruments according to God's commandment. And after those new songs were instituted, those were the songs that were used, that we find in the Psalter. Those were the songs that were used in worship. Well, there's another objection to the use of the word songs as applying to the Psalter by those who oppose and do not believe in exclusive psalmody. The term song is also used for the songs in Isaiah 5.1 and Habakkuk 3.1. Those are clearly after David. What about the use of those songs? We have no clear indication in the scripture that these songs were ever intended to be sung and used in corporate worship alongside David's songs. We have no clear warrant or proof. I addressed that in a previous sermon, and so I won't go on, but simply make that notation. There is no clear warrant or indication that they were to be used in worship with David's Psalms. Then, one more objection. Finally, those who are opposed to exclusive psalmody correctly point out that there are inspired songs in the book of Revelation. Revelation 5, 9, 14, 3 and 15, 3. We'll talk more about this next Lord's Day. I won't have time to develop this, but we will talk about the new songs that we find in the book of Revelation in more detail next week. Let me simply point out at this time, it is extremely unlikely that these songs were intended to be sung in congregational worship services, since nearly everything that we find in Revelation as it pertains to worship is typical and symbolic. How we would take one simple aspect of the worship that we see in the book of Revelation and make that normative in worship today and not take the rest of them seems a little arbitrary. Furthermore, as you look at the songs that are sung in Revelation, It's interesting that John, who is an earthly saint, a living saint, never sings those songs with those who are already glorified in heaven. He is simply an observer, a spectator to what is going on. But he does not participate. He does not join in the choir, as it were, to sing with them. He simply observes. And I think that's a very important point to note. This third term songs in Ephesians 519 and Colossians 3 16 Follows those two terms that we've looked at already psalms and hymns Those two terms that almost certainly refer to the Psalter Knowing the tendency And these you'll recognize as being things that I've said earlier, but just to cement, as it were, the argument here. Knowing the tendency to use Hebrew parallelism in Paul's writing, here in Ephesians and Colossians, which I pointed out last time, and to use Hebrew parallelism elsewhere in his writings, it is almost certain that songs simply follow in meaning songs and hymns. Furthermore, knowing the historical continuity of singing only from the inspired Psalter, it is not likely that Paul would suddenly introduce the singing of a new order of psalms into worship that were outside the Psalter. These inferences that I just stated certainly appear valid in view of the fact that 36 of the psalm titles use the word song. 36 of the psalm titles use the word song in the Septuagint. In fact, from Psalm 119 in the Greek Septuagint, which is Psalm 120 in our English Bibles, to Psalm 133 in the Greek Septuagint, which is Psalm 134 in our English Bibles, are called a song of degree, or a song of ascent. In Nehemiah 12.36 in the Septuagint, all the Psalms of David are referred to as the Songs of David. That's Nehemiah 12.36 in the Greek Septuagint. It won't be what you find in our English versions, but in the Septuagint, it says it refers to all the Psalms of David as the Songs of David. The passage which we read earlier, Psalm 137 from your Bibles has an interesting parallelism there. Again, talking about Hebrew parallelism. Psalm 137, that's Psalm 136 in the Greek Septuagint. But in verse 3, it says, For there those who carried us away captive required of us a song. And those who plundered us required of us mirth. This Greek Septuagint has him at that point instead of mirth. So there you have notice the parallelism. They carried us away captive. They required a song. Those who plundered us required of us a hymn. Now. Is the psalmist saying two different things by saying using hymn and song? Of course not. And then, in the last phrase, saying, Sing us one of the songs of Zion. Here, this phrase, the songs of Zion, refers to a collection of songs. Now, I wonder what collection of songs that one would refer to as the songs of Zion, if it were not the Psalter. In Psalm 76 of the English versions and Psalm 75 of the Greek Septuagint, you actually find all three terms, psalm and hymn and song, used in the title of that psalm. Psalm 75 in the Greek Septuagint and Psalm 76 in the English version uses all three terms, psalm, hymn and song. Now, very quickly, let me simply cite a little bit of extra-biblical evidence and then I'll move on to some application. Josephus writes, And I referred to this earlier. We're still talking about the use of the word songs. And what does that word songs refer to? I'm going to cite some extra biblical evidence at this point. Josephus writes, and now David composed songs and hymns to God. The word songs is used for the Psalms of David. Clement of Alexandria, who died in 215 AD, in referring to Ephesians 519, says, quote, the Apostle calls the psalm a spiritual song. Can't get much more clear than that. The Apostle calls the psalm a spiritual song. Theodore of Mavsuestia in 350, he lived between 350 and 428, arguing that the psalm titles were later additions from Hezekiah and Zerubbabel, we don't necessarily have to agree with that part of his position, but he was writing, it tells you the context in which he's writing, he's arguing against the superscriptions, the titles, as being authentic. He says that they were added by Hezekiah and Zerubbabel, He says this, I throw out all together the superscriptions, notice what he says, of the holy hymns and psalms and songs. What's he referring to? He's referring to the 150 psalms that we find in our Psalter. Theodoret of Cyrus, in his Ecclesiastical History, written around 433 A.D., speaks of a Christian woman by the name of Publia who chanted the Psalms of David as the Emperor Julian passed by. Now, here's a woman with great courage. She's chanting as the emperor, who is an apostate. As he walks by, she's chanting the Psalms of David. Well, she gets his attention and she's punished for what she did. However, Theodorette says, with regard to her release, she, I'm quoting now, she, however, took the outrage for honor and returned home where, as was her habit, she kept up her attack upon him, meaning Julian, with her spiritual songs. With her spiritual songs. And she continues, and Theodoric continues, just as the composer and teacher of the song, namely David, laid the wicked spirit to rest, that's Saul. And so, Theodoric calls the Psalter, the Psalms, spiritual songs as well. And one last source, In an edition of the Westminster Version of the Psalter, which was published in 1673, you know that the Westminster Assembly authorized a Psalter to be published. In this edition, in 1673, Dr. John Owen and 25 of the most illustrious biblical scholars ever to adorn the Church stated the following in their preface. To us, David's Psalms seem plainly intended by these terms of songs and hymns and spiritual songs, which the Apostle useth in Ephesians 5.19 and Colossians 3.16. Plainly. Some of the most renowned scholars and reformed history say plainly these terms refer to the Psalter. As I conclude today's sermon, I would have you carefully note those five participles that are mentioned in Ephesians 5.19. Ephesians 5.19 I mentioned last week there are five participles that characterize the spirit-filled life. And I just want to summarize very quickly what we need to learn from those five participles as we worship God. Five participles that are to characterize our spirit-filled worship with one another. First of all, speaking. It says in Ephesians 5.19, speaking among yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs. Paul has in mind that our singing is not only for the purpose of worship to God, that our singing of psalms and hymns and spiritual songs is not simply doxological, but that another purpose of our singing the psalms, hymns and spiritual songs is also instructional. According to Colossians 3.16, Paul says, teaching and admonishing yourselves with psalms and hymns and spiritual songs. Dear ones, you may not stand before the congregation and preach and teach, but as you sing with conviction the inspired doctrine and teaching of the psalms, you instruct and admonish one another. Never forget that. That's why you must sing out with conviction, because you're instructing one another. How many times you have taught me as you have sung the Psalms with that conviction, and the Spirit of God has humbled me and brought tears to my eyes. Through your singing of the Psalms, you have instructed me. The second and third participles that are joined together in Ephesians 5.19 are singing and literally psalming in your heart to the Lord. It says making melody in the English version I'm using, but literally singing and psalming in your heart to the Lord. Now, here is the doxological emphasis of worship to God. You are not simply to mouth the words of the Psalms, Paul is saying, but you are to sing and psalm them from deep within your heart. Colossians 316 says, Sing with grace in your hearts to the Lord. So we can't sing and worship God as he calls us to, apart from the grace that he has brought to us. And when we sing out recognizing and praising Him for the grace that He has bestowed upon us, we will worship Him in the singing of our psalms and hymns and spiritual songs. Any other kind of singing and psalming that falls short of this heart devotion that Paul speaks of here to the Lord is not singing and psalming to the Lord at all. It's simply vain repetition, which the Gentiles and the pagans and the heathens go through. Our worship or our singing is to be instructional. Our worship and our singing and worship is to be doxological. The fourth participle that's used by Paul in Ephesians 5.20 is giving thanks always. which is not only an attitude that should characterize a Christian in his daily walk, but should especially characterize a Christian in his worship of God, giving thanks always, singing songs and hymns and spiritual songs, giving thanks to the Lord. Now, I don't know of a better source of giving thanks to the Lord than the Psalms of David. They are filled with praise and thanksgiving to the Lord. They are filled with the attitude of gratitude. They are filled with a heart that's simply pouring out to God His thankfulness in light of God's abundant mercy, which lasts forever. physical deliverance, spiritual deliverance, forgiveness, healing, mercy upon mercy upon mercy, thanksgiving upon thanksgiving upon thanksgiving. And even as Christ praised his father with his disciples at the Lord's Supper in the scene of that psalm, so the Spirit of Christ fills you, dear ones, to sing aloud your thanksgiving to him with the words of David who was a man after God's own heart. And the final participle mentioned in Ephesians 5.21 is submitting to one another in the fear of God. Ephesians 5.21 Dear ones, no leader in the church should ever dare call you to submit to an ordinance of worship not clearly found in the scripture. You cannot submit to an ordinance that has human inspiration attached to it. That is to forsake your Christian liberty in Christ. Submission as it is called for here, submitting to one another in the fear of God, Means that what is ordained and set apart as you submit. To the elders of the church, for example, we must be absolutely clear that what we are calling you to sing is commanded by God. Otherwise, you cannot submit to it. In fact, if you're truly submitting to the fear of God, you will say, I cannot participate in that ordinance because it is not clearly taught in the scriptures. Whatever is not from faith, that is a conviction that God prescribes it, it is sin. Whatever is not a faith is sin. says Paul in Romans 14.23, and our Confession of Faith says, God alone is Lord of the conscience, and hath left it free from the doctrines and commandments of men which are in anything contrary to his word or beside it, in matters of faith or worship, so that to believe such doctrines or to obey such commandments out of conscience is to betray true Christian liberty of conscience. And the only way, dear ones, you can have that clear conscience before God in worshiping Him and your singing of praise to Him is when you sing the inspired songs that were sung in the temple, that were sung in the synagogue, that were sung by Christ, and were sung by the apostles. This Reformation audio track is a production of Stillwater's Revival Books. You are welcome to make copies and give them to those in need. SWRB makes thousands of classic Reformation resources available, free and for sale, in audio, video, and printed formats. It is likely that the sermon or book that you just listened to is also available on cassette or video, or as a printed book or booklet. Our many free resources, as well as our complete mail-order catalog, containing thousands of classic and contemporary Puritan and Reform books, tapes, and videos, at great discounts, is on the web at www.swrv.com We can also be reached by email at swrb.com, by phone at 780-450-3730, by fax at 780-468-1096, or by mail at 4710-37A Edmonton, that's E-D-M-O-N-T-O-N, Alberta, abbreviated capital A, capital B, Canada, T6L3T5. You may also request a free printed catalog. And remember that John Calvin, in defending the Reformation's regulative principle of worship, or what is sometimes called the scriptural law of worship, commenting on the words of God, which I commanded them not, neither came into my heart. From his commentary on Jeremiah 731, writes, God here cuts off from men every occasion for making evasions, since He condemns by this one phrase, I have not commanded them, whatever the Jews devised. There is then no other argument needed to condemn superstitions than that they are not commanded by God. For when men allow themselves to worship God according to their own fancies, and attend not to His commands, they pervert true religion. And if this principle was adopted by the Papists, all those fictitious modes of worship in which they absurdly exercise themselves would fall to the ground. It is indeed a horrible thing for the Papists to seek to discharge their duties towards God by performing their own superstitions. There is an immense number of them, as it is well known, and as it manifestly appears. Were they to admit this principle, that we cannot rightly worship God except by obeying His word, they would be delivered from their deep abyss of error. The prophet's words, then, are very important, when he says that God had commanded no such thing, and that it never came to his mind, as though he had said that men assume too much wisdom when they devise what he never required, nay, what he never knew.