Christian Theology - Media Sabda Org

person to raise the tunes; and then the congregation would learn to sing,
the purpose of singing would be accomplished, every mouth would
confess to God, and a horrible evil would be prevented—the bringing
together in the house of God, and making them the almost only
instruments of celebrating his praises, such a company of gay, airy, giddy,
and ungodly men and women as are generally grouped in such choirs; for
voice and skill must be had, let decency of behaviour and morality be
where they will. Every thing must be sacrificed to a good voice, in order
to make the choir complete and respectable. Many scandals have been
brought into the church of God by choirs and their accompaniments. Why
do not the Methodist preachers lay this to heart?
The singing which is recommended, Col. iii, 16, is widely different
from what is commonly used in most Christian congregations; a
congeries of unmeaning sounds, associated to bundles of nonsensical and
often ridiculous repetitions, which at once both deprave and disgrace the
church of Christ. Melody, which is allowed to be the most proper for
devotional music, is now sacrificed to an exuberant harmony, which
requires not only many different kinds of voices, but different musical
instruments to support it. And by these preposterous means the simplicity
of the Christian worship is destroyed, and all edification totally
prevented. And this kind of singing is amply proved to be very injurious
to the personal piety of those employed in it: even of those who enter
with a considerable share of humility and Christian meekness, how few
continue to sing with grace in their hearts unto the Lord!
It does appear that singing psalms or spiritual hymns was one thing
that was implied in what is termed prophesying, in the Old Testament, as
is evident from I Sam. x, 5, 6, 10, &c. And when this came through an
immediate afflatus, or inspiration of God, there is no doubt that it was
exceedingly edifying; and must have served greatly to improve and excite
the devotional spirit of all that were present. But I rather suppose that
their singing consisted in solemn, well measured recitative, than in the
jingling and often foolish sounds which we use when a single
monosyllable is sometimes shivered into a multitude of semiquavers!