INSTRUMENTAL MUSIC.

Clutha Leader, Volume III, Issue 131, 12 January 1877, Page 6

INSTRUMENTAL MUSIC.

(To the Editor of the Clutha L-EADEU.)

Sir,— Allow me. space for a few remarks on •*' Libert} V'Jetfcer in your last issue in reference , to the question of ,the use of instrumental music in Ci* ristian public worship. No one holding the doctrine ofthe Confession of. Faith- and the Church's Catechisms can take up the position of asking, '.*" Is this or that forbidden ?" in connection with divine worship. ,;■ A .member, of .the Anglican Church may so inquire, for the. twentieth article of , tho Church of England maintains' thafc •" the Church has power to .decree "rites, or. ceremonies, and authority in controversies' of faith.' And yet' ifc is not lawful for the Church to ordain anything that is contrary to God's word written." Iv con-' ,trast with this,, stands the doctrine of the stan- . tards of the Presbyterian Church, all of which proclaim what the Catechism teaches 1 when. it affirms that "the second commandment'forbiddeth the worshipping of God'by images'or any other way nq'frapppihted in tiis Word;" j If: God is not to be worshipped save'only as *ffe*has appointed, then is it incumbent on me, as a jPresby.terian holding the doctrine taught by thi Confession, only jto. ask in reference to instrumental music, " Has God appointed ifc. in connection with the Christian Church ?" And solely on. the faith that no such appointment can be shown have I opposed in Common. svith many others its introduction into our Christian- worship.* I do* not— for I do nofc need. to —ask,," Is it-forbidden ?"" - Thafc has been asked- by the l friends of instrumental music; 1 in so doing 'going in the . teeth of their own standards, and' so doing violence to. their ordination vows. All our doctrinal • sfcaudards must be altered to' allow of 'the introduction of instrumental mxisic on the ground 'that it is nofc forbidden. On no ground whatever save that' of expressed or implied divine appointment can* ifc •find a plac's.in our. Presby fceriao Church/ Hende the absurd position occupied by Mr M'A^ra '-it the recent .meeting, pf .Presbytery, findings as., he .has - acknowledged, no scriptural warrant for it, bufc agreeing Ftd-,ifcs introduction as ;a :i mattpr, of expediency, bn'the* ground of,a congregafciqn.or, a majority thereof desiringib;RLf Mr M'Ara, would but study the standards of the Church',, he would lehrn tliat' 'not 'the ; whim of any number; of; 'Church rjemhora/'bufcthe 'actual* prescription <of God, can warrant himas a minister of the Presbyterian^ Church to ''do' aught* in' the way of assisting"; io- the 'introdUcfcioh of instrumental music' into _th;e chiirah of 'which he is a minister.' '■ There" can' De''nb''d6ubfc ; that the 1 . Synod 'has' ,ne\y 'tirttele ' of -faith..' 'Any one' taking the/frouhle' to* read the answers' "fire- 1 pared „by „,the' Synod', to ""the. reasons of -dissent fromf.the.,.resolufc(on i V,san9fcioning • instrumehfcai' • music, as. .apart- gf .Ohristian_worship,, will' at_ once see* this; •-. ln -.-those answers it is.-affirtned (what" indeed/I (JeriyJi.thiLfctthe Confession, of Faith' pro. nounces no judgment on the use of instrumental frnisic'.-" Admitting/ <tbis,o We--: have nofc .-hitherto'} been asked to belfeve'or Hot ibelieve -Instrumental* -'music to be a s(?fip'tufal ,* bufc now the Church, through 'its -Supreme Court, has declared ifc-fco- be'*, 'scriptural, requiring s mo, - -to"* believe 60'methin st new; or lf-Ijdo not, branding me wittr 'being in' '■ f opposition t^h\Hhe 'Church lias r decldi ed to-be; .the Weke3:'wiil^of '*Godj 'f The l diinvoii^sAnoi : - reg uired rae , to/ believe {either ', in /harmony^ or ' Aa • . < --* / *'* iTj *H*<-, i, ».' -I'a iA'A-.yt} am fi(i -n fctber,y!rise;in S 'premillenarianisra. . If the Church . . --•■•-->. ■..,,. .%.„,. ...... ., U J, U.I a.:j ( (i;.|i; v ;,were to pronounce m its favour or m .opposition., thereto, it would certainly declare a new article of

faith, declaring -what, as a Church!, 'it understood stood' 'to bethehiitid on'th'e Subject, l and Which, : iri'ordeij to tho uniformity* of -doctrine declared^ 1 'by-theCburcb being maintained, must -be held by., albthe Church's sons. .' If something additional to: -what is' contained in the standards .as doctrine to j .be set forth !by. the, .Synod,- tUataqmething addi; tipnalrausfc be something new ; and as every doc-*. ..trine is nn } article. pf. faith, .a new doctrine (so far as, the Church's recognition7iKl'd*ecla,ratipn of if is concerned) must be a new article of faith ; and as 'there cspi be nq dqubt that such is the! case, viewed •iri'the light of the declared (on the. part of the. ' Synod) 'ai.lence pf the Confession of Faith, and in "the light of'tlie* fact that only now has the Church' declared for ' 'tlielirst time' the 'sciipforalhess of the ,use of "instrumental v inusic ? ' so* 'there' .caii* be.:no doutt" as to the Synod's Cleaning of the term' scriptiiral. That term' must 'bo viewed ii) - the light of the Church's standards, and in thathghtit; cattonlybe-understool'las imeaning;h,pPfinted or prescribed in scripture,; and that such is", the 'sense* in which.ifc-isfco be taken is-.con-firmed by the" statements in 'the answers already, referred to.' ltis there asserted that >**' the Synod jbas. founded its ; judgment on the scriptures r of. the Old aud New Testament, as hearing upon the . regulations of _ the worship of the New Testament; Church." 7 " . ' . "'" The decisiou of this Synod merely d clares what has always been the doctrine of scripfcure.as regulating the worship of God." The doctrine of scripture ! Scripture teaches that instrumental music has a place in New.Testament; ch.urqh worship. So ' asserts tbe Synod!; This is. something more_ than 'that instrumental music is mentioned in scripture, and as such may be said to be scriptural; something more than -'that it had a place'among the appointments/of God for. the. Old Testament Church, and as such is scriptural as 'being-mentioned in scripture, • something very different from any idea; that I canform of Mr Allan's expression " in harmony .with , scripture," an expression I should "like Mr Allan, to explain; '--- The Synod * asserts that .the use 'of ihstruijiental music in tbe New 'Jestament Cliurch has' the warrant of scripture doctrine. This the Church has declared for the first ..time. No one in the. Church' has been, required to believe this, till n0.w.. ; It .is therefore a new, article ,of faith, and if I do not. believe that the use of , -instrumental music is prescribed by scripture-^ is a doctrine of. scripture regulftbing the, . Worship of God— l am in opposition to the Synod in, a nutter of doctrine. But if.it be a doctrine of scripture, and if by this doctrine the. Church's, worship is to, be regulated,' what shall we say of the worship which for centuries has not been" regulated by this doctrine ? Every congregation that. has not hud its worship regulated' by this doctrine,,must be held a,s withholding froni God a. duly regulated worship. And whab right has the.Synod to empower Presbyteries to 'allow 'or' disallow congregations regulating their worship by what the Synod has declared to be tiie doctrine, . the teaching of scripture ? If God has appointed it, who dare disallow it ? Ancl if He has not appointed it,- (which- 1 hold to be tho'case— appointment for the Jews is not appointment for Chiistians,) then to allow ifc is to make human appointment , take the place of divine appointment, substituting the authority of man for the authority of- God, aud making His worship the will worship condemned by the Apostle.

*' Liberty," aud a. good few others, would do well to study the following remarks of the late Professor: Bannerman on , the teaching of our standards, relative -to divine worship :—" The. doctrine -in regard to the exercise of Church power in the .worship of God, held by our standards, is sufficiently distinct. The Church, lids no authority in regulating the manner, appoint: iig tho form, or dictating the observances of worship beside or beyond what the scripture declares on these points, the Bible containing the only directory for determining these "matters, anil the church having no discretion to add to or alter what is there found." Now, will " Liberty "'or anyone else .shew where, directly or indirectly, scripture sanctions instrumeu tal music in the Christian- Church. Our Lord used it not in the Synagogue, neither did his Apostles. The etrly Christians used ifc not, aud the early Fathers all condemned it. Not till the Church of Rome 1 had woefully corrupted Christian doctrine and Chrisfcian worship, ! did instrumental music find a place in Christian worship. And only on the ground on which that Church, and to a' large extent also theCborcli of England, base their priesthood, with its various orders, their altars, theirive'sfcments, incense, ; &c, can instrumental music be brought into the Church of the New* Testament; * the ground, viz., bf harmonising Christian worship with the scriptural account of Jewish wor-' ship, a most' unscl-iptural practice.— l am , &«.,

"Wit. 'Bannerman. ■*.■ . m ! A.i •: '