We'll Sing Of The Shepherd That Died

I much appreciate the lovely non-instrumental singing and the focus on the dear Lord Himself that there is in Brethren hymns.

Mr Hogg is fortunate that he cannot hear the piano.

It's not been played according to the book, either!

I often wonder why brethren have done themselves the strange disfavour of not making instrumental music a more core part of their worship and praise. David and others in the bible made it a leading part of their praise so why wouldn't all followers do the same?

It’s because musical instruments had no part in the worship of the early Church presented in the NT—“Speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord” (Eph 5:19). The early brethren, and many who followed, showed discernment in what they wrote against musical instruments in the Lord’s service.

JND wrote—“The world is just a great system that the devil has built up round man to keep him easy without God. It began at once with Cain; he goes out from the presence of the Lord, and what is he to do? He builds himself a city in the land of the vagabond. God never made the world as we see it; of this world Satan is the prince. Cain built his city so as to be comfortable in the world; and there were the artificers of brass and iron, and there he gets Jubal with his music, and he calls the city by the name of his son, and there we see all the conveniences of life, and harps, and organs, and then people ask, What is the harm of brass or iron, of harps or organs? None! I do not say there is any harm in music and instruments; but this I say, there was a great deal of harm in his making himself comfortable in them without God. We have got capacities for music and art and so on, and people take pains to amuse themselves with them because there is a famine in the land.” (Deliverance).

Harry Ironside, who pastored the Moody Church, wrote in his Lectures on Daniel—“The special place given to the great orchestra is very noticeable; as much so as in large worldly religious gatherings at the present time. It excites the emotions, and thus, working upon the feelings, gives people a sense of devotion and religiousness, which after all may be very unreal. In the Old Testament dispensation musical instruments were used in the ornate temple services; but there is certainly no warrant for it in the New Testament. People may call it worship to sit and listen to a trained, and possibly unconverted, choir and orchestra rendering sweet and touching strains; but music simply acts upon the sensuous part of our natures, and has nothing to do with true adoration of the Father and the Son, which must be in spirit and truth to be acceptable to God. Those who plead for its use, because of the place it had in Old Testament times, should remember that that was a typical dispensation… A minister once remarked to me that many aesthetic persons attended his church to worship God in music; so he sought to have the best performers and the finest music it was possible to obtain, as otherwise the people would not attend. What a delusion is all this!”

In my early days, those in the "meetings" were not only bound by a small selection of hymns (e,g. a particular version of the "Little Flock" hymn book), be it the breaking of bread, or Gospel meeting, but they never used musical instruments, even if no-one was gifted in starting a hymn - and the pitch often drifted (downwards) during the hymn, and the singing became considerably slower towards the end.

Once outside the "meeting" environment those very same people used an array of hymn books - with music, and many homes also had a piano and/or organ, and sometimes other instruments - the (more informal) singing was much improved as a result!

So why the double standards?

My wife and I host a small "home group" on Monday evenings and we always begin (and end) with singing hymns (from a variety of books), normally accompanied by (my wife playing) the piano.

We also pay real attention to the words, and hymns are often chosen (by those present) specifically for their content - not the tune(s).

Surely the basis for any real fellowship together, must be a because of who we are as individuals, and how we conduct ourselves in our own homes (and elsewhere).

Although we meet on a designated day at a particular time, there is certainly no formality in our worship together - including as we study the scriptures, and Revelation (requested by a member of our group) is quite a challenge - but we are almost half way through.

We look forward to tomorrow evening's session.

Steve H

I for one like the a capella singing. Last month I was playing bass Eb for Beulah brass at the Welsh Chapel in Rhos on Sea. In the second verse of the Welsh version of Away in a manger, Mr Hughes silenced the band and we heard singing so sweet and lovely so perfect in harmony that I was loathe to interrupt it for the last verse of All that is dying out culturally here except at Cymanfa Ganu meetings where there is generally an organ.

The solution is for people to meet and sing. If you need instrumentation then do so. Try and encourage people to learn the parts and as you sing them , the standard of the singing will rise. You don't get good harmonic a capella singing without making an effort individually and corporately.