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MUSIC
guments on the affirmative. Following so closely after ttie historical discussion furnished above, the inquiring student will be the better able to judge for himself whether instriimentals can be used in Christian worship. 1. Against tlic use of instruments in Christian church- es the following reasons may be urged :
1. I'/iere is no wuirant in the New Testament/or their i use. («) There is no example of such by Peter, Paul, i John, James, or the Master himself, nor by any others in the apostoUc age; nor have we any in the tirst three ' centuries; nor until the mystery of inicjuity was strong- ly at work, (b) We have no command either to make or to use them. It is claimed that xpaWovrtg in Eph. V, 1!) requires playing on strings; but that is expressly declared to be done in the heart. (See in a following paragraph.) (e) We find no directions, formal or inci- j dental, for their use ; while we have line upon line about suiging — what to sing, when to sing, how to sing. i
2. Instruments were not used in the u-orship of the att- cient synagof/ue. They belonged to the tabernacle and the Temple, especially the latter; but were never in : the congregational assemblies of God's people. The trumpet and other loud instruments wore used in the synagogue, not to accompany the i)salra, but in cele- brating certain feasts (Lev. xxv, 9; Numb, x, 10; Psa. Ixxxi, 3). There was a feast of trumpets (Lev. xxiii, 24; Numb, xxix, 1). They were used for proclamation, in going to war, in moving the camps, in assembling the congregations, as well as in triumphs, coronations, and other extraordinary occasions (Numb, x, 1-10; Lev. XXV, 9 ; 1 Kings i, 34 ; Joel ii, 1 ; Jer. vi, 1, et al.). Such celebrations resembled our day of Independence, but were much more devotional, and withal ceremonial in their meaning. Conrad Iken tells us that the Sabbath- day was introduced with blowing trumpets at the syna- gogues six times. At the first blast they dropped the instruments of husbandry, and returned home from the field. This was on Friday evening, as we call it. At the second blast they closed all ofhces, shops, and places of business. At the third blast pots were removed from the lire, and eulinarj' occupation was suspended. The other three blowings were to designate the line be- tween common and sacred time. All of these uses, though connected with the worship, were entirely dif- ferent from the psalmody in which they were used at the Temple : but («) No hint is given in Old Testament or New that instruments were ever used in the syna- gogue worship, (i) Orthodox Jews do not allow the organ or any other instrument in their sj-nagogues; only Keformed or Liberal Jews have introduced the or- gan and many other innovations, (c) Archajologists (Prideaux, Jahn, Calmet, Townsend, etc.) make no mention of instruments in the worship, while they de- scribe minutely the furniture of the synagogue ; and Hahn particularly notices the singing of the doxologics, such as Psa. Ixxii, 18; Ixviii, 1; xcvi, 6; and cxiii, 1. Iken gives four doxologies for the Sabbath, but no or- gan or harp.
3. The early Reformers, when they came out of Rome, removed them as the monuments of idolatry. Luther called the organ an ensign of IJaal ; Calvin said that in- strumental music was not litter to be adopted into the Christian Church than the incense and the candlestick; Knox called the organ a kist [chest] of whistles. The Church of England revived them, against a very strong protest, and the English dissenters would not touch them.
4. The instruments of the former economy were cere- monial. This is probably the chief reason for their use in the Temple. They were not merely figurative, like bread, water, wine, light ; nor merely typical, like Isaac, David, .Solomon, and the manna; tiiey were ligurative, typical, and ceremonial, as ajipears tlius: (a) They de- pended largely on the priesthood. The trumpet was the leading instrument— master of the whole; this be- longed exclusively to the priests (Numb, x, 8, 9; xxxi, 6; Josh, vi, 4; 2 Chron. xiii, 12, 14). The smaller in-
struments belonged to the Levites, whose station was adjoining the priests (1 Chron. xxiii, 28; xxv, 1-8). In the worship, as well as in celebrations, both were combined (I Kings i, 39, 40; 1 Ciiron. xv, 14-28; 2 Chron. v, 12, et al.). Thus all were made to depend on the priesthood, (b) They were combined over the sac- rifices (see especially Numb, x, 10; xxix, 1, 2, etc.; 1 Chron. xv, 2G ; 2 Chron. vii, 5, 6 ; xxix, 2C-28 ; xxx, 21, etc.; Ezra iii, 4, 5, 10, 11 ; Neh. xii, 43; comp. ver. 27, 35, 3G, 41, 45-47). (c) They belonged to the na- tional worship of the peculiar people (Exod. xv, 20; 2 Sam. vi, 5, 15) : "All the house of Israel" (1 Chron. xiii, 5, 8 ; XV, 3, 28 ; 2 Kings iii, 13-15 ; Psa. Ixviii, 25). So it had been arranged from the first (1 Chron. xxv, 1-8), and so carried out to the last (Neh. xii, 45). Inciden- tal events, as well as set forms, show the same connec- tion : the " company" in 1 Sam. x, 5 were coming down from the high-place, and those in Isa. xxx, 29 are go- ing up to it. David's individual harp was like his songs, a preparation for the Temple: and the incident of 2 Kings iii, 15 was a national affair. Hence {d), even when introduced as symbols in the Ajiocalypse, they are grouped with their usual ceremonial accom- paniments. Trumpets are not there presented as part of the music, though prominent for other uses. The "harpers" have their "vials full of odors," stand with the Lamb that had been slain, are on the sea of glass, and sing the song of jNIoses and the Lamb. They have their Mount Zion, their twelve tribes, their city of Je- rusalem, their Temple and its pillars, their seven can- dlesticks, ark of the covenant, altar of incense, golden censer, pot of manna, cherubim, white robes, palm- branches, with other things which have passed away together; according to Heb. vii, 12, "The priesthood being changed, there is made, tS avayKijQ (of necessity), a change also of the law." The use — valid use — of all these things ceased when Christ yielded up his spirit on the cross. The very sanctum sanctorum was thrown open when the veil was rent. The Christian Church carried her singing not from the Temple, but from the synagogue. See Synagogue.