Exclusive Psalmody & the Puritans Edited by Dr. C. Matthew McMahon, A Puritan's Mind (Free Video)

Do you know when the first uninspired hymn was introduced to the Christian Church? Do you know when the first musical instrument was brought into the corporate worship of the church? When the Gospel was under attack, the Reformers fought for singing in corporate worship as exclusive Psalmists, and the Reformed church thereafter did the same. The Puritans were expositors on this subject in the Westminster Assembly and in their personal writings. This new compilation is a testimony to the biblical doctrine of Psalm singing.

The New Book On Exclusive Psalmody, Noted In the Video Above, Is Listed Below In Hardcover and Digital Formats

PRINT VERSION: The Puritans On Exclusive Psalmody By Dr. C. Matthew McMahon (Editor and Publisher), by Thomas Ford (Westminster Divine), Cuthbert Sydenham (Presbyterian Divine), Nathaniel Holmes (Reformed Minister) and John Cotton (New England Colonist, Minister and Theologian) (Hardcover, 412 Pages)

It cannot be denied by any student of church history or of the Westminster Standards, that the Puritans taught Exclusive Psalmody. In the following compiled works the student of Reformed Theology will find able directives for Exclusive Psalmody, as well as a number of arguments they might not have thought about before. These works are a treasure trove of bible doctrine and able exegesis (by Thomas Ford, Cuthbert Sydenham, Nathaniel Holmes and John Cotton). The Puritans did not, in their age, teach anything that was not widely accepted. They are formulating no new doctrine. They are simply defending the truth of psalm singing originally commanded in God's word. This is the first time in the history of the church that these four works are now available to be read (much less read together). May this book be a breath of fresh air for the serious student of God's worship. Such truths direct those who are hungry for the truth of the word to Jesus Christ, who requires our obedience in the supreme human act of His sacred worship. This work is not a scan or facsimile and has been made easy to read with an active table of contents for electronic versions.

DIGITAL VERSIONS: The Puritans On Exclusive Psalmody By Dr. C. Matthew McMahon (Editor and Publisher), by Thomas Ford (Westminster Divine), Cuthbert Sydenham (Presbyterian Divine), Nathaniel Holmes (Reformed Minister) and John Cotton (New England Colonist, Minister and Theologian) (PDF, MOBI and EPub)

Exclusive Psalmody, by Greg Price, A Modern-Day Puritan Minister (7 Free SWRB MP3s)

The Definitive Audio Series About Exclusive Psalmody!

Exclusive Psalmody in Church History, by Greg Price (Free Video)

Exclusive Psalmody: A Scriptural Exegesis of Col. 3:16 and Eph. 5:19 by John McNaugher (Free MP3)

More Books On Exclusive Psalmody by Brain Schwertley, William Romaine, Michael Bushell, Reformed Ministers, et al. (Books, Digital and Printed, In English and Portuguese)

HYMNS, THE REFORMATION, PURITAN WORSHIP, THE WESTMINSTER ASSEMBLY & EXCLUSIVE PSALMODY (Free MP3s)

Conclusively proves that the Westminster Standards teach only exclusive Psalmody regarding the use of worship songs.

Reformed Worship & Singing the Psalms, Featuring Dr. Steven Dilday's Stellar Series Of 8 Free MP3, "The History of the Service of Song, Real Reformation, Faithful Worship, and Praising The Lord Jesus Christ Through Songs", and Many More Free Resources on Exclusive Psalmody, and Puritan and Reformed Worship (Free Puritan and Reformed Books, MP3s and Videos) 

MANY MORE FREE REFORMATION RESOURCES FOLLOW THE LOAN OFFER BELOW 

Reformed Worship & Singing the Psalms, Featuring Dr. Steven Dilday's Stellar Series Of 8 Free MP3, "The History of the Service of Song, Real Reformation, Faithful Worship, and Praising The Lord Jesus Christ Through Songs", and Many More Free Resources on Exclusive Psalmody, and Puritan and Reformed Worship (Free Puritan and Reformed Books, MP3s and Videos)

Calvinism, Reformation (Reformed) Worship, Second Commandment & Regulative Principle 2/2 by Dr. Steven Dilday (Free MP3)

Calvinism, Reformation (Reformed) Worship, Second Commandment & Regulative Principle 2/2 by Dr. Steven Dilday (Free MP3)

Psalm Singing in Scripture and History by Dr. Reg Barrow (Free MP3 and PDF)

Psalm Singing in Scripture and History by Dr. Reg Barrow (Free Online Article)

Exclusive Psalmody: A Biblical Defense by Brian Schwertley (Free PDF)

Chapter 1: The Scriptural Law of Worship

Chapter 2: The Testimony of Scripture

Chapter 3: Objections to Exclusive Psalmody

Appendix: The Westminster Confession and Psalmody

The printed book is also for sale here.

Gradual Reformation Intolerable: A Brief Inquiry into the Actions of Luther and the Writings of Calvin in Reforming the Church Against False Teaching and False Worship. by Dr. C. Matthew McMahon (Free Online Article)

"Gradual reformation is not the matrix in which the church has functioned since its inception in the Garden of Eden... It would be wise imitating Hezekiah, Josiah, Luther, Calvin and the Lord Jesus Christ in the achievement of immediate reformation. Compromise is a lie. Gradual reformation in this regard is intolerable; both for the people of God who are deceived as to what real reformation and truth are about, and to the minister who compromises his beliefs, and neglects the honor of God's desire in true spiritual worship." - Dr. C. Matthew McMahon, from Gradual Reformation Intolerable (free online article). Click here for the free MP3 (audio) version of Gradual Reformation Intolerable,by Dr. Matthew McMahon.

Hymns and Heretics: The Dangers of Uninspired Hymnody by Brian Schwertley (Free MP3)

Are You Singing Heresies In Songs By Heretics? Find out in this sermon. A fascinating look at how Satan has used various heretics (like Isaac Watts, a Unitarian, Roman Catholics, etc.) to introduce man-made hymns into the church (to push God's Word out of public praise) and the destruction this has wrought, especially to the biblical unity of the church.

Related Books and MP3s

Psalms of David in Metre (FREE PSALTER, PSALMS FOR SINGING) being the Scottish Metrical Psalter, first authorized by the Westminster Divines and then also by the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland [in 1650], with notes by John Brown of Haddington (SWRB Blog and Free Online Book)

PSALM SINGING MP3s (Digital Downloads At PuritanDownloads.com)

Psalters, Psalm Singing and Music (At PuritanDownloads.com)

The Psalms in Worship (1905) by John McNaugher (Digital Download, Enhanced SWRB PDF)

"It is the supreme advantage of the Psalm-singer that his songs are from God, and that therefore they embody the truth of God -- the whole truth, and nothing but the truth. On the other hand, it must ever remain the embarrassment of those who use uninspired compositions in the praise of God that their hymns are at best but human conceptions of the truth. Such compositions bear upon them necessarily the impress of the writer's peculiar views. They betray almost certainly in letter as in spirit a denominational bias. Uninspired hymns are, and of necessity must be, sectarian. If this be true, it follows that such hymns are subversive of the unity of faith; for by all the power of song to stir the heart and mold the thought and make theology they accentuate and perpetuate the differences that divide the Church. There is something truly anomalous in a Church preaching the unity of believers and praying the prayer of Christ that 'all may be one,' and at the same time singing the songs that by their sectarian bias and denominationalism foster the divisions thus deplored." - Charles H. Robinson, D.D., "The Catholicity of the Psalter," pp. 394-395, in The Psalms in Worship, edited by John McNaugher. This book is also available on the Puritan Hard Drive.

Songs of Zion: The Biblical Basis for Exclusive Psalmody by Michael Bushell (Softcover and Hardcover Book)

What music does God want His people to sing in worship? The question provokes strong emotions, but the answer must be solely based on Scripture. We live in a culture where personal preference dominates, where men recoil from the full display of God's mercy and justice, and where the winds of fancy blow about a church ignorant of her history. This book calls the reader to prostrate himself before a thrice holy God, to echo His tender and fearsome Words in song, and to return to the historical worship practice of the Christian church. This extensive revision is the fourth edition of a widely-circulated presentation of exclusive psalmody.

"There is good reason to believe that the first to introduce uninspired hymns in worship were errorists, who sought by this means to diffuse their peculiar tenets. To this device Valentinian, a Gnostic, resorted with the purpose of giving currency to his heterodox sentiments. This charge is brought against him by Tertullian, who flourished in the early part of the third century. The Syrian Church was afflicted at an early date with hymns produced by Bardesanes, and his son, Harmonius, in the interest of the fantastic speculations of Gnosticism. 

At a later date, when the Arian heresy arose, the same method was extensively employed for promoting its spread. In the streets and in worshipping assemblies hymns imbued with Arian sentiments and set to catching music were extensively sung. The Psalms were not adapted to serve the ends of those who were engaged in a war against the dignity of Christ. Recourse was, therefore, had to the preparation and use of hymns for the diffusion of Arian doctrine. The same expedient is employed in modern times, when various sects, deserting the one central, ecumenical hymn-book, furnish themselves with hymn-books framed to express and propagate their respective tenets.

It is beyond question that one effect of the adoption of hymns by the heterodox, as a vehicle of their views, was to induce the orthodox to resort to the same expedient for the defense and dissemination of truth. For instance, in the Syrian Church Ephraim, commonly called "Ephraem Syrus,"who died 379 A.D., wrote a large number of hymns to counteract the baleful influence of those put into circulation by Bardesanes and Harmonius aforenamed; and these controversial odes soon began to be used in the worship of that Church. In like manner in the early part of the fourth century the propagation of Arian views by hymns gave rise to a counter-movement on the part of the orthodox in the form of hymns extolling Christ as God. So also Augustine, an intense lover of the Psalms, was induced to prepare a hymn after the model of the One Hundred and Nineteenth Psalm in order to cope with the Donatists, who were diligently diffusing their tenets by means of hymns. Thus it may be said that by good motives the orthodox in the Post-Apostolic times were led to take steps which issued in the supplanting of the God-given Psalmody by uninspired effusions."

FROM: "The Suitableness and Sufficiency of the Psalter for Christian Worship" by Rev. John A. Henderson, D.D., pages 191-192 in The Psalms in Worship edited by John McNaugher.

Isaac Watts' (Hymn Writer) Heresies (Unitarianism) On the Trinity & Person of Jesus Christ Exposed (SWRB Blog)

SINGING PSALMS AND THE UNITY OF THE CHURCH FROM THE PSALMS IN WORSHIP EDITED BY JOHN MCNAUGHER (SWRB Blog)

Foundation For Reformation: The Regulative Principle Of Worship (Second Commandment) by Greg L. Price (Free Online Book)

Foundation for Reformation: The Regulative Principle of Worship (RPW, Sovereignty of God In Worship) by Greg Price (Free MP3 & PDF)

Calvinism, or the Sovereignty of God, in Worship (Free Online Books Against Arminianism In Worship)

Many More Free Reformation Resources Defending Exclusive Psalmody and Apostolic/Reformed Worship.

"I was one of those who had profited much from using the plethora of out-of-print Reformation materials offered by Still Waters Revival Books in the 62 CDs (Puritan CDs and Reformation CDs) for a number of years in  my ministry -- works that I could only have found in select libraries (usually hundreds of miles away from my residence).

With the CDs, it took a little while to go to the index of each set, locate the documents I needed, and then find the correct CD. Of course, the time was always well spent in finding that particular document that I needed.

However, now that I have the Puritan Hard Drive, I am able to use my time much more efficiently in finding that particular document I need by quickly searching for it and finding it in a matter of seconds. It's like going from "dial up" to "high-speed" Internet!

And for all of those documents that have a font that are in block letters, I am able to simply cut and paste from the Puritan Hard Drive to my own document with ease.

Amazing surprises do come in small packages!

If you want to understand Reformed theology (i.e., the whole counsel of God) the Puritan Hard Drive is unsurpassed, outside the Bible itself. The First and Second Reformations gave us the most faithful Scriptural teaching and preaching since the time of the Apostles, and there is no other resource, outside Scripture itself, where you can find so much of God's truth as in the Puritan Hard Drive.

May the Lord continue to use this most profitable tool to promote a Third Reformation that encompasses the whole world (Isaiah 2:2-4)!"

- Greg L. Price (Author, Theologian, Covenanted Presbyterian Pastor, USA) Free online books, MP3s and videos by Greg Price and at Sermonaudio (SWRB considers Greg Price to be the most doctrinally sound preacher alive today, because he holds completely to the original Westminster Standards and all the biblical attainments of the Second or Covenanted Reformation.) 

"Nevertheless, whereto we have already attained, let us walk by the same rule, let us mind the same thing." - Philippians 3:16, which applies just as much to the family, the church and the state, as it does to the individual.

DR. JOEL BEEKE REVIEWS AND RECOMMENDS THE PURITAN HARD DRIVE   

"The Puritan Hard Drive is a massive collection of primary Puritan resources, dozens of which are very hard to find anywhere else in the world.

Any lover of Puritan literature, which, more than any other body of literature ever written, powerfully expands our minds, convicts our consciences, allures our hearts, and moves our hands, will find a treasure trove here."

- Dr. Joel R. Beeke, President and Professor of Systematic Theology and Homiletics at Puritan Reformed Theological Seminary (click here for free MP3 seminary lectures and sermons by Dr. Beeke), Author of many important Reformed books (including the must read, Meet the Puritans: With A Guide to Modern Reprints), Editorial Director at Reformation Heritage Books, Editor of the Banner of Sovereign Grace Truth magazine and Pastor of Heritage Netherlands Reformed Congregation in Grand Rapids, Michigan, USA.

PASTOR BRAIN SCHWERTLEY REVIEWS AND RECOMMENDS THE PURITAN HARD DRIVE  

"I would like to commend our brothers at Still Waters Revival Books for putting together the most complete collection of classic and rare Puritan and Covenanter works.

We should rejoice to see so many long out of print works finally available in an easily affordable and searchable format. No longer do we solely have to wait for expensive reprints to trickle out one at a time, year by year.

Every scholar, pastor, elder and professing Christian should take a great interest in the Puritan Hard Drive, for it sets before us the golden age of Protestant piety, preaching and scholarship. Everyone should benefit from the labors of these dear, departed saints."

- Pastor Brian Schwertley, Westminster Presbyterian Church (Waupaca County, Wisconsin), Author, Debater, Theologian, Conference Speaker, etc. Free MP3 sermons and free reformed books by Brian Schwertley are here, here, here and here. Click here for even more free online Reformed books by Brian Schwertley.

JERRY JOHNSON REVIEWS AND RECOMMENDS THE PURITAN HARD DRIVE   

"If you search the Internet for Reformed and Puritan works you will inevitably see a banner for a product called the Puritan Hard Drive. I often thought, "why would I want to purchase a hard drive when so much of the information (probably) contained on it could be easily found with a free search on the Internet?" Was I ever wrong!

The Puritan Hard Drive is the best resource money can buy.

It is easy, simple to use and the search feature cut down my time searching web pages that had absolutely nothing to do with the query I typed into the search engine. Not to mention a lot of the material is not accessible on the Internet.

To have so many books and articles at my fingers-tips is both truly amazing and a blessing. The Puritan Hard Drive just added thousands of volumes that I never could afford, nor store, to my library.

If you, like me, love the Puritans and Reformed theology, then the Puritan Hard Drive is simply a resource that you cannot live without."

- Jerry Johnson (President  of Nicene Council, Seminary Professor, Author, Video Producer, etc.) See Amazing Grace: The History & Theology of Calvinism and The Myth of Neutrality (free video at Against the World).

PASTOR W. J. MENCAROW REVIEWS AND RECOMMENDS THE PURITAN HARD DRIVE  

"The Puritan Hard Drive is the must have digital learning device for Puritan and Reformed studies.

Nothing like it has ever been available before!

If you don't have it you are almost certainly not learning as much as you could about God, or growing in grace at a pace that the Puritan Hard Drive, by the grace of God, facilitates.

There is no other way to get such easy, convenient and inexpensive access to so many great works from the best Reformation and Puritan preachers and teachers, past and present --  and the study software on the Puritan Hard Drive is out of this world in terms of usefulness!

If necessary, sell what you have (that does not draw you closer to God) to get the Puritan Hard Drive, and prayerfully use it until you become, by the Lord's sovereign and sanctifying grace, the most extraordinary Christian you can be (for His glory!)."

- W.J. Mencarow (Author, Pastor of Reformation Church, Boerne, Texas [San Antonio area] with free MP3 sermons on Sermonaudio, 

Editor of The Paper Source Journal, etc. Pastor Mencarow has also been interviewed on numerous radio and TV programs (including "Good Morning America"), most networks and in major U.S. newspapers and magazines.  We also recommend that you listen to what may be the best audio commentary ever recorded, on the book of Revelation, by W.J. Mencarow (100+ free MP3s as of this writing), on Sermonaudio.

DR. C. MATTHEW McMAHON REVIEWS AND RECOMMENDS THE PURITAN HARD DRIVE

"In the history of the church's sanctification I don't believe there has been a more valuable extra-biblical resource and tool than the Puritan Hard Drive.

 

It holds some of the most priceless Reformed works of God-centered and Christ-glorifying truth that were ever penned.

 

Most students, ministers and scholars of the Bible would never personally acquire even half the literal number of books on the Puritan Hard Drive, much less the extreme caliber of its contents.

 

In God's providence modern day Christians have been chosen to be the recipients of both a theological and practical blessing. May we not squander it."

 
- Matthew McMahon, Ph.D., A Puritan's Mind (Pastor, Author, Seminary Professor, etc.) Over 200 free MP3s by Dr. McMahon are free online at Sermonaudio.

 

DR. VODDIE BAUCHAM REVIEWS AND RECOMMENDS THE PURITAN HARD DRIVE

 

I want you to know that I have enjoyed my Puritan Hard Drive immensely!

 

I simply could not have imagined such a resource before getting my hands on it!

 

To have that much information from a consistent, biblical, orthodox, and gospel-centered point of view is simply astonishing. 

 

Anyone who admires the Puritans simply must have the Puritan Hard Drive. 

 

From Pastors to Ph.D. candidates, there is simply nothing else out there that puts so much at your fingertips. 

 

What an amazing tool for pastors... thank you for your work.

 

Soli Deo Gloria!

 

AND THIS LATER COMMENT FROM DR. BAUCHAM:

 

I was in Zambia showing it to Conrad Mbewe (the Spurgeon of Africa) and he absolutely fell in love with it. I simply had to leave it there.

  

It is a valuable tool, and I meant everything I said about it.

 

All of our guys love it.

 

We'll probably start buying them for our interns and leadership/elder training students as well.

 

Soli Deo Gloria!"

 

- Dr. Voddie Baucham, Jr., Grace Family Baptist Church (Spring, TX). Free MP3s by Dr. Baucham. Also see Voddie Baucham on CNN - NO COMPROMISE on Feminism (free video) and Parenting (an amazing free MP3 on training children) by Dr. Baucham (one of best messages on parenting we have ever heard! It's the first free MP3 on this page, entitled, "Parenting (Amazing Free MP3 on Training Children) by Voddie Baucham")