Dr. Begg, Section 2
James Dodson
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SECTION II.
Inquiry, whether Instrumental Music be authorised by God, in the Worship of the New Testament Church.
It remains now to be determined whether instrumental music is to be used in the praises of God, under the New Testament dispensation. That we may have a just and proper view of the subject, it must always be remembered that, from the days of David, this music was employed in the service of the tabernacle and
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temple only at the time of offering sacrifice. “When the burnt offering began, the song of the Lord began also, with the trumpets and with the instruments ordained by David king of Israel.”—(2 Chron. xxix. 27.) After the appointment and arrangement of David—(1 Chron. xxv.)—instrumental, as well as vocal music continued to be a part of the daily service of the temple connected with the offering of sacrifice. Instruments of music, however, were never admitted into the service of the Jewish synagogue.
In the land of Judea there were many synagogues. We read of the synagogues in Galilee—(Matt. iv. 23),—in Damascus—(Acts ix. 2),—at Salamis—(Acts xiii. 5),—and at Antioch—(Acts xiii. 14). In our Saviour’s time there was no considerable town in Judea but what had one or more in it. There were twelve at that time at Tiberias, a city of Galilee, and, if we believe the Jews, four hundred and eighty at Jerusalem besides the temple.* These syna-
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* Godwin’s “Moses and Aaron,” Book II. Chap. 2; and Lewis’ “Hebrew Antiquities,” Book III., Chap. 21.
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gogues were partly for Jews, and partly for strangers.—(Acts vi. 9.) In them prayers were offered up, the law and the prophets were read and expounded, and sermons addressed to the people, but no instrumental music was performed. This was peculiar to the service of the temple.
The temple was indeed an house of prayer, and praise, but the greater part of its worship was of a typical nature. The temple itself was a type of Christ, who “spake of the temple of His body.” The priests who officiated in the temple were types of the great Apostle and High Priest of our profession; and the sacrifices, which were there daily offered were types of “Him, who, through the eternal Spirit, offered Himself a sacrifice without spot unto God, and thus put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself.” But as the temple, and its priests, and sacrifices are now all abolished, their design being accomplished by the death of Christ; is it not reasonable to conclude that instrumental music, which was specially connected with that figurative service, is also abolished
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with it? “Verily, the first covenant had ordinances of Divine service, and a worldly sanctuary—(Heb. ix. 1); but Christ is a minister of the sanctuary, and true tabernacle, which the Lord pitched and not man.”—(Heb. viii. 2.)
The various instruments of music which were employed in the Jewish temple, were peculiarly calculated to increase the awful splendour of that figurative and pompous worship; but are not consistent with the spirituality and simplicity of gospel worship, in which Christians are to offer up “spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.” The nature and worship of the Old and New Testament dispensations are very different. The covenant from mount Sinai tended to bondage, but Jerusalem from above is free. The giving of the law was announced by the sound of a TRUMPET, waxing louder and louder—(Exod. xix. 19); but the united SONGS of the angelic hosts celebrated the birth of Messiah.—(Luke ii. 13, 14.) In these gospel times we are not come to “blackness, and darkness, and tempest, and the sound of a trumpet; but we are come
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to mount Zion, and to Jesus the Mediator of the new covenant, and to the blood of sprinkling.”—(Heb. xii. 18–24.) The vail of the temple is now rent, the wall of partition broken down, and the law of carnal commandments abolished. Upon this subject it is observed by a judicious and pious writer, that “Moses appointed to blow with trumpets over the burnt-offerings and other sacrifices, the sound of which was awful and affecting to the worshippers; but was not articulate, nor such a reasonable service as that afterwards appointed by David on those occasions. Thus as the Jewish Church grew up from infancy, it became more intelligent in its devotions, till it came at length in the gospel to put away childish things.”*
In determining this question, it is of the greatest importance that we carefully attend to the example and precepts of Christ and his apostles. But though both instrumental and vocal music accompanied the sacrifices in the Jewish temple, yet there is no instance of Christ
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* Henry’s “Commentary” on 1 Chron. xxiii. 31.
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or His apostles either employing or recommending musical instruments in the praises of God. There are, however several instances of their singing the praises of God themselves, and exhorting others to the performance of this duty. When Christ rode in triumph into Jerusalem, “the whole multitude of the disciples began to rejoice, and praise God with a loud VOICE, for all the mighty works that they had seen”—(Luke xix. 37),—and instead of rebuking his disciples for this, as required by the Pharisees, Christ approved of their conduct. Christ and his apostles joined in SINGING a hymn after the institution of the ordinance of the supper.—(Matt. xxvi. 30.) Those who are merry are directed to SING psalms.—(James v. 13.) Christians in general are exhorted to SING “psalms, and hymns, and spiritual songs,” and to sing them with “grace in their hearts, making melody to the Lord.”—(Eph. v. 19; Col. iii. 16.) The great apostle of the Gentiles declares, for the example of all believers in Christ, that he would SING with the spirit, and with the understanding.—(1 Cor.
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xiv. 15.) These examples and precepts of Christ and his apostles we ought strictly to follow, without adding or diminishing.
In the earliest ages of the Christian Church, Christians in this matter were followers of Christ and His apostles. There is no account that they employed musical instruments in this part of Divine worship, though different writers of these times have mentioned their SINGING the praises of God. Pliny the younger, a heathen writer, who lived in the beginning of the second century, states that the Christians in his time “met together on an appointed day, to sing praises unto Christ as a God, and to bind themselves by a sacrament.”* Tertullian, a presbyter of Carthage, who lived in the end of the second and beginning of the third century, states that in the public assemblies of Christians in his time, “The Scriptures were read, psalms sung, sermons preached, and prayers presented;”† and in his excellent “Apology for the Christians,” he states that
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* Epist. ad Trajan.
† De Anima, Cap. iii.
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after celebrating the ordinance of the Lord’s Supper, “every one sings a hymn to God, either of his own composing, or out of the Holy Scriptures.”* Clemens of Alexandria, who lived in the beginning of the third century, states that the Christians in his time “commended the blessing and praising of God, by thanksgiving and singing of psalms.”† So far were musical instruments from being approved in the worship of God by this writer, that he considered them as having been emblematical of the more spiritual worship of gospel times, when Christians are with “one mind and one mouth to glorify God.” Hence, in explaining the 150th Psalm, he says, “we are commanded to praise God on the psaltery, that is, on the tongue, because the tongue is the psaltery of the Lord,”† &c. Origen, a presbyter of Alexandria, who lived near the middle of the third century, states that Christians in his time, in praising God, “Sang in good rhyme, tune, and harmony.”‡ Eusebius, a deacon of Alexandria, who lived
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* Apol., Cap. xxxix.
† Pædag., Lib. ii., Cap. iv.
‡ De Oratione, Sec. 6.
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after the middle of the third century, in giving the history of the Council of Antioch, says that it was one of the accusations brought against Paulus Samosatenus, bishop of Antioch, that “he abolished those psalms which were wont to be sung to the honour of the Lord Jesus Christ, as novel, and composed by modern authors, and that he appointed women, on Easter day, in the middle of the church, to sing psalms in his praise.”*
Authorities upon this subject need not be multiplied. There is frequent mention of Christians, in these early ages, SINGING the praises of God; but no accounts that they employed organs, or other instruments of music, in this part of Divine worship.† These, with many other corruptions, were brought into the Church, in the after ages of Popish darkness and superstition. If then instrumental music formed no part of the service of the Jewish
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* Act. Concil. Antioch apud Euseb. Liber vii., Cap. xxx.
† See “Inquiry into the Constitution, Discipline, and Worship of the Primitive Church,” by the Right Honourable Peter, Lord King. Part ii., Chap. i.
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synagogue, but was peculiar to the worship of the temple, at the offering of sacrifices—if it was never recommended nor employed by Christ, or his apostles—though they both sang the praises of God themselves, and prescribed this duty to others—if this music was never used by Christians who lived in those ages nearest to the time of Christ and the apostles, is there not good reason to conclude that it is no part of the worship authorised by God in the New Testament Church? That though it was connected with the law given by Moses, it is yet no part of that system of grace and truth which came by Jesus Christ?