CHAPTER VIII.
Scope of the Divine Command Authorizing Music in the Worship of God.

There are two kinds or classes of commands in the Holy Scriptures which are equally obligatory upon the children of God. For all practical purposes, we may distinguish them as Generic and Specific. In the sense here intended, a generic command is a command authorizing the performance of some act without giving directions as to the manner or method of its performance, while a specific command carries with it the manner or method of its performance. We shall see, however, that generic commands may become specific, and specific commands may become generic, according as they may be viewed in one relation or another. To illustrate: "Go" is a generic command, but either "ride" or "walk" is specific, each of them indicating a particular way or method of going. Furthermore, while in its relation to "go," the term "ride" is specific, still it is generic when viewed in relation to the different ways of riding, such as on boat, in a railway car, in a buggy, on horseback, etc. Thus, riding is both a genus and a species--a species when viewed in relation to "going," [72] but a genus when viewed in relation to the different coördinate ways of riding.

The same principle of division and classification may be exemplified and illustrated in the animal kingdom. The term quadruped, for example, denotes a species of animal, but it denotes a genus in relation to horse. As a genus, it embraces the horse, cow, sheep, deer, and all other four-footed animals, but the term horse is more specific and embraces only a certain kind of four-footed animal, while animal, as a genus, embraces man and all other living beings of every variety.

The following diagram will illustrate the principle here before us:

Now, from what has been said, and in the light of the foregoing diagram, it can readily be seen that if God should command His children to offer an animal sacrifice without any further specification, the command could be obeyed to the very letter of the law by offering any one of many kinds of animals. But, if the command should be more specific by naming quadruped as the particular kind of animal to be offered, while this would exclude all animals without four feet, it could, nevertheless, be strictly [73] obeyed by offering any one of many kinds of four-footed animals. And if the command should proceed further on the descending scale and specify cow or ox as the animal to be offered, the circle or limits within which the command could be obeyed would be still further narrowed, and would exclude, not only all animals in general without four feet, but even all that have four feet except the cow or ox which, in that case, would be the particular four-footed animal named. Finally, if the command should descend to a still lower species and name a lamb one year old, or a red heifer without spot, as the animal to be offered, as was the case in some of the Old Testament sacrifices, the command would exclude all animals of every kind such as the horse, reindeer, sheep, or cow except the red heifer without spot and the lamb a year old. Even a heifer and a lamb, in such a case, would not do unless of the color and age prescribed. Quadruped, as the name signifies, includes all animals with four feet whether it be the horse, cow, sheep, goat, dog, deer, bear, buffalo, elephant, camel, or what not; but horse only includes every variety or species of horse, and cow every variety or species of cow.

If the illustration of our principle were taken from the vegetable kingdom, it would exhibit the aame facts and lead to the same conclusion. For example, tree, as a genus, includes all kinds of trees on the face of the whole earth, but oak is only a certain species of tree. When we view oak as a genus, [74] it includes, not all kinds of trees, but all kinds of oak, such as Black oak, Bur oak, Chestnut oak, Line oak, Post oak, Red oak, Spanish oak, Water oak, White oak, Willow oak, etc. Under tree, as a genus, would range, as coördinate species, oak, maple, pine, cedar, ash, birch, hickory, poplar, olive, dogwood, elm, etc. Any one of these species viewed as a genus would include only its own particular kind, and would exclude everything belonging to any other one of the several coördinate species. For example, Maple would include Common Maple, Sugar Maple, Water Maple, and every other kind of Maple, but it would include nothing belonging to Oak, Pine, Ash, Birch, or any other coördinate species. The following diagram will illustrate the principle:

Now, in view of this principle of generalization and division, it must be evident to the reader that any generic command of God involving merely tree for any purpose, could be kept strictly to the letter of the requirement by using any one of the many kinds of trees; whereas, if He should specifically command the use of oak, while this command could be literally kept by the use of any one of the several species of oak as well as another, still it could not be kept by using maple, pine, ash, or any other coöordinate [75] species, or species of any other order. If God should say "tree" without further specification, then any kind of tree would fill the requirement, but if he should say "oak," then any kind of tree would not fill the requirement. If He should say "pine," then not only would it follow that any kind of tree would not do, but oak with all of its varieties would not do; nothing short of that particular kind of tree called "pine" would meet the demands of such a case. When God called Noah to make the Ark of gopher wood, that command excluded all kinds of wood except gopher. Of course if there were different varieties of gopher, any one or all of them could be used without transcending the limits of the divine command. However valuable other kinds of wood might be in the construction of the Ark, not one of them could be lawfully used under the directions which the Lord gave Noah. Not a single board, plank, beam, post, bar, or any other kind of piece of any other kind of wood could be used in making the Ark, except gopher. God said: "Make thee an Ark of gopher wood" (Gen. 6:14). That settled the question once and forever with a man of Noah's faith and loyalty; and hence, the directions having been strictly followed, the historian says of this pious patriarch: "Thus did Noah; according to all that God commanded him, so did he" (Gen 6:22).

But it is equally evident that, if God had simply commanded Noah to make an Ark without specifying [76] the kind of timber to be used, he would have been at liberty to use any kind whatever of which an Ark could be made. But if he had said, "Make it of oak," this would have excluded every other species of tree, such as pine, cedar, maple, etc.; yet he would have been at liberty to use any of the several kinds of oak; but if He had said, "Make it of White oak," then not only no other kind of tree outside of the oak family could have been lawfully used, but not even any of the oak family except White oak--the kind specified. In brief, if we would obey God, we must do the thing which God says, and not something else. "Ye are my friends, if ye do the things which I command you," Jno. 15: 14.

Now, I have been at particular pains to present somewhat at length this matter of generalization and division because of the vital and far-reaching principle involved. The sacredness and importance of this principle have been confirmed in every age of God's dealings with man from the day when Adam was placed in Eden to the close of John's vision on Patmos; and all that has been said in this chapter, in illustration of it, is to pave the way for the effort, now to be made, to ascertain the scope and meaning of the divine command which authorizes us to use music in the worship of God. That we may appreciate the principle in its application to this particular subject, let us suppose that God had merely commanded His people, in general terms, to make music in His praise. Now, keeping in view the [77] principle of division and classification already before us, "music" is a generic term, and includes, not only all vocal and all instrumental music, but all the parts of both kinds, and all of the many kinds of instrumental music. Again, we may illustrate this important principle in a diagram, such as the following:

Accordingly, if the command authorizing music in the worship of God had been given in the general terms just supposed, the conclusion would be inevitable that whether the music were vocal or instrumental, or whether it were on one kind of instrument or another, would be wholly immaterial, since each and all alike are embraced in the generic term "music;" and if we were making either vocal or instrumental music, or making the latter on any one or more of the numerous kinds of instruments, we would, in each and every case, be obeying the divine command. Reverting, for the moment, to our principle as formerly illustrated, we are commanded to "go" to men with the gospel; and whether we walk or ride, or whether we ride in one or another of the numerous ways of riding, we are, in each and every case, obeying the divine command to "go." But [78] if we were commanded to "walk" to men with the gospel, all methods of going otherwise would be excluded, and we would be compelled to walk if we obeyed the command.

The same principle applies in precisely the same way to the religious organization under which, and through which, God's children are to work. If He had merely commanded them to work without giving them an organization through which, and under which, to work, with its divinely appointed board of supervisors and managers to look after the work, then they could obey the command by forming for themselves an organization for that purpose and appointing a board of supervisors to look after the work. But the Lord has given them an organization, and has specifically named its board of overseers and managers.

Now, turning to the word of God with renewed attention to our main theme, we find that Christians are nowhere commanded merely to make music in the praise of the Lord. This shows that it is not merely music that God wants in the worship, and that, if He wants music at all, it must be music of a special kind. Having seen that no generic term authorizing both vocal and instrumental music is used in the New Testament, we proceed now to the first division on the descending scale of classification and inquire, is there any term used which is more specific and which limits the music to one of these kinds, and if so, to which kind? It must be evident to every [79] thoughtful person that, in a case of two or more coördinate species, if God limits His command to one of the species, we do not obey that command when we use another; and if God has limited His directions for music in the worship to one of different coördinate kinds, we cannot be loyal to His directions without we limit our practice in the same way. If, for example, He has used a term or terms which mean instrumental music, then we are not following His directions when we sing or make vocal music; and, in like manner, if He has used a term or terms which mean vocal music, we are not following His directions when we make music of another kind. We inquire, then, what are the terms used? One fact is already settled, which the reader will please bear in mind, viz., both kinds are not commanded, for no generic term embracing both is used.

We now appeal, in the language of the ancient prophet, "to the law and to the testimony" (Isa. 8: 20), and the answer given by inspired men comes with no uncertain sound. The reader will please carefully note the terms used which indicate music. "And when they had sung a hymn, they went out unto the mount of Olives," Matt. 26: 30. "About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns unto God, and the prisoners were listening to them," Acts 16: 25. "As it is written, Therefore will I give praise unto thee among the Gentiles, and sing unto thy name," Rom. 15: 9. "I will pray with [80] the spirit, and I will pray with the understanding also; I will sing with the spirit, and I will sing with the understanding also," 1 Cor. 14: 15. "Speaking one to another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody with your heart to the Lord," Eph. 5: 1.9. "Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly; in all wisdom teaching and admonishing one another with psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts unto God," Col. 3: 16. "Is any among you suffering? let him pray. Is any cheerful? let him sing praise," Jas. 5: 13.

Thus, as expressed in the English language, the term "sing" is the term which is used by the Holy Spirit in giving directions as to the kind of music to be made in the praise of God. So certainly, therefore, as the term "sing" means to make vocal music, so certainly is vocal music the music which is divinely authorized for use in Christian worship. Of course in order to be logical at this point, as the author is well aware, it must be assumed that "sing" is a correct rendering of the original word or words used by the Holy Spirit, but he does not pause to discuss this question here since it is abundantly treated in other parts of this work. On the hypothesis, therefore, that "sing" is a correct rendering of the original, which is supported by the King James translators of 1611, the Revisers of 1881, and the very highest present-day authority, we are now prepared to appreciate the argument based upon this word.

We may observe, first of all, that whatever is neeessarily involved in the command to sing is divinely authorized. For example, pitching the voice is necessarily involved in this command, and hence pitching the voice is divinely authorized. The reader will please note the fact that pitching the voice, in this case, is not a matter of indifference which may be had or omitted as one may like in obeying the command to sing, but it is an indispensable thing in singing--a thing without which singing cannot be had, without which the divine command cannot be obeyed. Pitching the voice is, therefore, divinely authorized in the divine command to sing.

Now, from these premises, it necessarily follows that, if there are different ways of pitching the tune, any one or all of them are divinely authorized, unless it be true that God has named some special way for it to be done. If He has, then we must do it that way if we would obey God. But we find no such special way of pitching the tune divinely ordained; and hence, being divinely commanded to sing, which necessarily involves pitching the tune, we are, therefore, by this very term, divinely authorized to pitch the tune, and to pitch it in any way by which it can be done, provided the particular way selected does not contravene God's law at some other point.

In Matt. 26: 30, as we have seen, we are informed that the Master and His disciples "sung a hymn;" in Acts 16: 25 that "Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns unto God;" and in Eph. 5: 19 [82] and Col. 3: 16, that "psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs" are the compositions to be used in "singing with grace in the heart unto God." Now, we not only learn here the character of compositions in general which Christians are to use in their worship, but we are told in particular that such compositions must be "spiritual." Here, now, is a new element, a new restriction or limitation introduced which must be observed in obeying the admonition to sing unto God. We are not merely commanded to "sing songs," but they must be "spiritual songs." Hence, although Christians, as we have seen, are admonished to sing, yet they may sing and not only not be obeying the divine admonition, but may be in actual disobedience to God. They cannot observe the divine admonition without singing songs, but they may sing songs without observing the divine admonition, The latter not only requires that they sing songs, but that they sing "spiritual songs."

Again, from the passages under review, we discover still another restriction or limitation. In their "singing unto God," Christians are to "speak one to another," and to "teach and admonish one another." From this it follows that the singing must be so conducted that those engaged in it not only "speak one to another," but so speak as to "teach and admonish one another." This clearly and definitely presents one of the divine purposes of the music appointed for Christian worship. It is to be music that instructs, music which communicates [83] ideas from one to another, and which admonishes those engaged in it to right living. Nothing must interfere with this divine purpose. Any music which fails at this point, and to whatever extent it thus fails, is not pleasing to God, not being embraced within, but plainly excluded from, the scope of the divine command. Sometimes even vocal music, when those making it attempt to be artistic and entertaining rather than instructive and edifying, is such a failure.

Finally, the fact must never be overlooked that mere music, however artistic, bewitching, and enchanting, is not what the Lord ordained for His sublimely simple and holy worship. From all the testimony now before us, it clearly follows that music is not wanted by the Lord at all, except to assist in conveying and impressing thought, and music in Christian worship must be of this kind if those engaging in it would please Him. The spiritual compositions which we have seen Christians may sing in the worship of God are set to music, because the music impresses the thought. Hugh Reginald Haweis, in "Music and Morals," says:

As emotion exists independently of Thought, so also does Music. But Music may be appropriately wedded to Thought. It is a mistake to suppose that the music itself always gains by being associated with words, or definite ideas of any sort. The words often gain a good deal, but the music is just as good without them. I do not mean to deny that images [84] and thoughts are capable of exciting the deepest emotions, but they are inadequate to express the emotions they excite. Music is more adequate, and hence will often seize an emotion that may have been excited by an image, and partially expressed by words--will deepen its expression, and, by so doing, will excite a still deeper emotion. That is how words gain by being set to music.--Music and Morals, p. 35.

Hence, by means of the music ordained for Christian worship, the thought in the teaching and admonition is impressed and the worshipers are edified.