Humphrey Smith:
To the Musicioners: original version
Modernized version (with scripture
index)
Commentaries by Edwin Alton and Douglas Gwyn
The Ground, Foundation, Beginning, and Father, and Children, and Compass, and End, and the Effects of all the Harpers, Mucisioners, Singers and Dancers:
Who may reade what I have learned, who have tryed their wayes, and also searched into the things of God, and declare this according to Scripture, and have found the joy which man cannot take away, in which I rejoyce forever, because the Marriage of the Lamb is come.
London, Printed in the 11th moneth, 1658.
Jubal was the father of all such as handle the Harp and Organ, and so the father of all such Musicioners, being himself of the seed of Lamech, who slew a man, and so the son of a man-slayer was the father of all such as handle the Harp and Organ; and the man Christ, the Light, is the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world; and Jubal was of the generation of Cain, who first slew a man, and then built a City; he slew his brother, one that was near unto him; and the light of the Lamb slain is near unto every one, even that which comes from the man of sorrows is in the heart, Cains seed slays the man of sorrows, the Musicioners were of Cains seed, and that which slays the man of sorrows, invents, set up and delights in the instruments of musick ; and the father of all such was Jubal, the seed of Cain, who built a City, and so was a rich man, and his seed delighted in musick, and so his seed, who are begotten from the Lord, are building Cities, strong holds, high and large houses, with painted Parlours, and then set up the instruments of Musick, in the cieled houses without, and within themselves full of rottenness, or as a Cage of unclean spirits, whereby the just is murthered, and the house lie waste and desolate, as to the life of God, which should be the Temple of the holy Ghost ; and the father of all these was Jubal, the seed of Lamech a man-slayer, who also had another son Tubal-Cain (the seed of Cain) an instructer of every artificer in brass and iron ; and he that hath attained to never so much, if not come to that which fulfils the perfect Law, is as a sounding brass, I Cor. 13. and there is many also of the seed of this instructer, whose instructions brings people to be but as sounding brass : and this first instructer, and Jubal, were the offspring of Cain, the vagabond driven from God, against whom the blood of the righteous doth cry, yet so rich in the earth, that he builds a City, being separated from God, (who confounds mans wisdome) then comes that which makes merry over the Witness, Gen. 4.
And they who danced in the wilderness, and sung and made a great noise, and were in the mirth and vain delights, were a stiff-necked people and such as sate down to eat and drink, and rose up to play, like the same generation now, who are stiff necked and bow not to him who is the Light, low in the heart to whom every knee shall bow, but eat and drink, and rise up to vain delights, having musick at their feasts, feeding themselves without fear, Jude 12. like Jezebel, (at whose table the false Prophets feed) who made a feast, when she intended to murther the righteous, to gain his possession, (reade within) and that which murthers the just, and such who forgets God, delights in these things, for they that sung and danced in the wilderness, forgot the mighty power of the Lord which brought them out of bondage ; therefore they got into the carnal liberty, like many others at this day, before they come to the true rest, and these were in the false worship, who worship that which the carnal eye might perceive, and these had lost the true guide, and when they were in their singing and dancing, they knew not what was become of him, who was the Minister of the Law that discovers sin : but though they who danced saw him not for a time, and began to despise him, yet in a time unexpected, he came upon them in the fierceness of his anger, who executed the judgments of the Lord upon those vain dancers, with whom he was grieved, who was in the Church in the wilderness, and is the holy One in the midst, who with a sudden slaughter destroyed these dancers, whose voice of singing was not because of mastery, neither was their voise the voice of the cry of the oppressed, and these were Idolaters, whose hearts were uncircumcised, and knew not the wayes of God, who therefore condemned them with an utter overthrow, that they perished in the wilderness where they thus sinned, after they had seen the deliverances of the Lord, as many of the Rulers and people of England have done, who have forgotten their Leader, to whom these are left for an ensample, of whom there were about thirty thousand slain, for their singing, dancing, and false worship, Exod. 32., I Cor. 9.
And Herod had dancing before him, and she that danced, and he that was pleased with the dancing, caused his head to be taken off that directed to him that is the Light, and preached the Lamb, that takes away the sin, and their carnal nature, and so this murthers that, which is to prepare the way of the Lord ; and they took off his head, and murthered him, who was a burning and a shining Light, and slew him that preached Repentance, and so the dancers, and the Rulers of the earth, who were pleased with dancing and musick, murthers that in them, which calls to repentance, and are ready to murther such as preach repentance to them : and whilst there is a delighting in dancing and musick, that which calleth to repentance is in bondage, for John was in prison, when Herod was pleased with the dancing ; and there is not a greater Prophet, than he that preacheth repentance, and he that proclaims the way of the Lord was in prison, and she that danced desired his death, and he that caused him to be beheaed was a King, a great one in the earth, who was pleased with dancing, and was a swearer out of Christs doctrine, for he promised with an oath, whatsoever she would ask, who danced before him ; then nothing would satisfie the dancer, but the death of him who preached repentance, and he was an observer of dayes, and kept the day of his birth with dancing : it was his birth day, the day of his birte, in which he was brought forth, who was a swearer, (the swearers delight in dancing) that caused his head to be taken off, who warned them that had the Oracles of God, to fly from the wrath to come, and said they were a generation of Vipers, who had the Scriptures, and came also to his baptism, and brought not forth fruits meet for repentance (these are the Vipers) and so that which is to lead unto Christ doth suffer in bondage, and is murthered, and the head or first appearance of it taken off, upon that day which the birth of that is brought forth, which is pleased with the dancing; not like Job and Jeremy, and delights in the musick, and that which exerciseth the minde of the creature in the dancing, desireth the death and murthering of that in prison, which is to call to repentance, above all other things ; yea there is nothing then so much desired, as the killing and overcoming of that which is cast into prison, by him that delights in the musick, Matth.14.
And when them in Israel who had Harps (the Musiconers) them who delightd in music, were carried captive into Babylon, the land of Confusion, in which land Nimrod the mighty one in the earth went hunting before the Lord, and by the River of Babylon they sate down and wept, who were before the Musitioners with their Harps ; these went into captivity because of the sin, and hanged their Harps upon the Willowes, and sate down mourning by the River of confusion, and that which delighted in the Musick caused the seed to be captivated, and leads into bondage that which should come to liberty, whereby sorrow, weeping and mourning comes in the end ; for the songs of the temple is to be turned into howling and their delight in the musick was turned into weeping ; and they led captive from Zion, who were come to the land of promise, and there took liberty in these fleshly delights, Psalm 137, the mind that hath wisdome may read this.
And it was the King of Babylon, (who said is not this great Babylon that I have built by the might of my power, for the honour of my Majesty) that set up the golden image to be worshipped at the hearing of all kind of Musick, and he also was a great man in the earth, a great King, the King of Babylon, a mighty one in confusion, who commanded the Magicians, the Astrologers, and Sorcerers, and Caldeans, and ruled over them, and all them that dwelt in the earth; and he sent greetings of peace to all people, nations and languages that dwell in all the earth, but he that is the light comes not to send peace on the earth ; and the Angel cryed woe, woe, woe, to the inhabitants of the earth, but he that was King over nations in the earth had many instruments of Musick, even all kinds of Musick, and he that delighted in the musick set up the golden image, and by his command, they that heard the musick were presently to fall down and worship the great golden image, like the children of Israel who set up the golden Calf, and these were idolaters, and in the false worship, and that which delighted in all kinds of Musick was in the enmity to the righteous seed and sought to murther them who denyed the Musick and false worship, and therein such appears to be of Cain the Murtherer, andof Lamech the manslayer, and these great ones in the earth, who had all kinds of musick were in Babylon and these were the persecutors , (and such persecute now) whose rage was exceeding great against the servants of the living God, who to him were faithful though in Babylon, and regarded not their musick neither feared their great threatening words nor yet oboey their strict commands , neither would they keep their decrees , nor take much care to answer them in that matter , nor bow before their image though made with gold, nor worship any other God than he that dwels in his people, though they were in the land of captivity, among them in the land of confusion, who at last were brought to confess unto, and fear and tremble before theliving God (who is a light) that revealeth secrets in the hearts.
But that which delights in the Musick, seeks to murther the just, and unto that which seeks to murther , and persecute all them who are yet great in the earth, are joyned (being not out of the earth redeemed) and the Rulers of the earth take counsell together, against the annointed, which need not man to teach, which seed is preserved and anointed, amongst the flames of their burning enmity) for the Princes, the Governors, the Captains, the Judges, the Rulers, the Counsellers, the Sheriffs, and all the Rulers of the Provinces, who were of Babylon, that delighted in the musick, stood before the image, and were in the false worship and joyned together in the persecution , (as such do now) against the seed of God, and to confirme the Decree made by the King of Babylon, which Decree was made with such fierce Tyranny , and height of pride and envie, that nothing lesse but presently to cast into the burning fiery furnace, would satisfie that nature, which ruled in these great Rulers in the earth, that loved the Musick, whose fire of enmity burned within them, and they caused their Decree to be Proclaimed with a loud voice, that at the hearing of their musicke, all men should worship their Image, or presently be cast into the fire without, because of their fire of enmity within, the which Decree being not obeyed, nor their Image worshipped, nor their enmity within, nor furnace without regarded by the servants of the living God, presently the King of Babylon was so full of fury, as the furnace was full of fire, so that the forme of his visage was changed, and rose up in that power of enmity against the righteous seed, like Cain the murtherer ; who rose up against his brother, whose countenance also was changed, whereby it appears that he and the rest were of Cains seed, and the Musitioners of their father Jubal the seed of Lamech who slew a man, read Dan. 3. When the Harp and the musike goe they must worship the Image in the worlds figure.
And the persecuting Rulers of England, need not to put this far from them, being rich and mighty in the earth, and envious like Cain, and delighting in the musick, like the rest of his seed, for the great Whore, and mother of Harlots, and abominations of the earth, Mistery Babylon, have made all the Kings of the earth drunk with the wine of her fornication, and the great men, the rich men of the Earth, and all nations have committed fornication with her, who have corrupted the earth, and all Nations wonders after the Beast, and in all nations the seed, and children of Mistery Babylon, and of Cain and Lamech are sprung up, and een in this nation, and other adjacent Kingdoms, the Princes, the Governours, and Captains, the Judges, the Treasurers, the Counsellers, the Shriefs, and the Rulers of the Provinces, delighteth in the instruments of Musike, and are envious against the righteous seed, who cannot bow to ay image, nor worship, any golden glorious image, or likenesse whatsoever, but the living God who is able to delivier them, and is a Spirit dwelling in his people, and in spirit is worshipped by them who cannot bow unto, or worship any image, or likenesse without, set up by the will of man.
And therefore it is this day that the Governours, and Captains, the Judges, the Treasurers, the Counsellers, the Shriefs, the Justices, and all the Rulers in the earth, who are of Babels stocke, and of their Fathers, Cain, Lamech, and Jubal, are joyning together to persecute them that worship God in spirit, who commanded not to bow down or worship any Image, or likenesse, and so their likenesses are denyed, the substance being come, and Christ revealed within, who is a man of Sorrowes, who said the world should rejoyce, John 16.20. But their joy should be turned into sorrow, and his light in the conscience is it which judgeth those vaine delights in carnall musick, which is to perish with the using.
For when the Spirit was departed from Saul, he sought for one to play upon a Harpe before him, and for a time he was satisfied with that, and when he heard the musick, he would be well, but afterwards his delight in the musick, could not overcome that murthering spirit in him, but at the very time that Saul heard the musick, he sought to slay him that was to be King, and such as Saul, who rejecteth the Counsell of God, slayes him that is the light, and would not that he should Raign, who is a man of sorrows, and he that loved the musick, had an evill spirit, or something that troubled him, and that which moved in him, while he heard the musick, to murther that which was to Raign, (the Lords Annointed) the same thing lead him to the Witch, and so first he left the Spirit of God, then sought ease by musick, then sought counsell from the Witch, and he was shortly after destroyed, they follow witchcraft, who obey not the Truth which makes free, and he that is the Light is the Truth, and the Lamb slain, by that which takes delight in that, which is out of the Truth, invented by the generation of Cain, a fugitive in the earth, of whom his deceived mother said, I have gotten a man from the Lord, whose seed loves that which keeps from the Lord, and leads into the Witchcraft (like Saul) not obeying the Lord, nor the Truth of his Son, who is the Light, and Saul being required made use of the Harp, to quiet him for a time, from whom the spirit of the Lord was departed, and afterwards the seed of the evill doers, even the chief of the Nations, did chaunt to the sound of the viall, and invent unto themselves instruments of musick, (like David) putting far away the evill day, lying upon beds of Ivory drinking wine in bowls, but not grieved for the afliction of the Righteous seed, and these were them that were at ease in Sion, who were to go into captivity with the first that go into captivity, when the woe is to as may be read, Amos. 6.
And Solomons wives mensingers, women singers, and instruments of musicke, drawed away his heart from the Lord, and after he cryed against the vanity of these things, for it leads out from the Spirit (and fear) of the God of order within, into the many confused things, without and such as follow that are of Babel, the mother of Harlots, who have made all nations drunk, in whom the time is come, that the voice of Harpers and Musitioners shall be heard no more at all, for the foundation and Skirts of that great whore, and her Craftsmen, are discovered with the Light, which judgeth these things.
From a prisoner of Christ, in whom my life is hid.
H. S.
G. F.
This may be Translated (truely) into Latine, French or other Languages by any friend in truth.
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