Stephen Charnock (1628-1680) was a Gospel preacher, widely respected for lecturing on the existence and attributes of God. From John 4:24, “God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth,” Charnock shows that the nature of God and the prescription of his will alone (only found in the Scriptures) informs us what kind of worship is to be presented to him. The pillars on which the worship of God stands cannot be discerned without divine revelation. True worship, then, must be conformed to the rule and pattern of God's will and pleasure, revealed in his holy word. It must have truth for its substance, and spirit for its manner, otherwise, it is not worship with which the Father will be pleased. Annexed is, "A Short and Full Vindication of that Sweet and Comfortable Ordinance of Singing of Psalms," by Jonathan Clapham (1611-1676), a biblical treatment of psalmody in a short tract. This is not a scan, and made easy to read in modern English.
