THE Free Church, maintaining the historic position of Presbyterianism has persistently refused to use a musical instrument in her mode of worship. This stand has, and is being held, not merely as a matter of tradition or ecclesiastical obstinacy, but her refusal to introduce such an innovation is based on the Word of God. Our fathers have consistently challenged those who championed the use of the organ in public worship, to give one statement from the New Testament to justify the use of an instrument for such a purpose, and they have as consistently refused to accept the challenge. We ask for one text from the New Testament that would give Scriptural warrant for the use of the organ in public worship. We are not ignorant of the references to musical instruments in the Old Testament; as we are continually being referred to Psalm 150, as a justification for the use of the instrument. It should be remembered that there is a fundamental difference between the ritual of the Old Testament worship and that of the New Testament. The advocates for the use of the instrument in worship are wholly dependent upon the usages of the Levitical worship, under the Aaronic priesthood, but we worship God under the priesthood of Christ, a Priest after the order of Melchisedec, and in the exercise of His priestly office abolished the entire elaborate Levitical system of priesthood, sacrifices, consecrated places.

 THE USE OF INSTRUMENTS IN THE OLD TESTAMENT CHURCH

The first authoritative reference for the use of musical instruments is to be found in Numbers, Chap. 10: 1-10. Moses is instructed to make two silver trumpets which were to be committed to Aaron and his sons, and their use was strictly associated with the Mosaic worship of the Tabernacle, v. 10, "Also in the day of your gladness, and in your solemn days, and in the beginnings of your months, ye shall blow with the trumpets over your burnt offerings, and over the sacrifices of your peace offerings; that they may be to you for a memorial before your God I am the Lord your God." It should be noticed that the use of the instrument was held exclusively in the hands of the priests, "the sons of Aaron", the congregation had no part in this action, but it was part of the sacrificial celebrations. It cannot be adduced from Scripture that the use of the instrument was separate from, but on the contrary was part and parcel of the Mosaic establishment of the Tabernacle, Aaronic priesthood and the sacrifices.

David was the author of an elaborate ritual of music under the direct revelation from God. (See Chronicles, Ch. 28: 11-13.) The various classes of instrumentalist are given in Chron. 25: 33-44. The use of these musical instruments were committed to the Levitical family, the general body of the congregation had no part or share in it. The cymbals, psalteries, and harps were directly associated with the sacrificial service of the altar, the musical demonstrations was part of the sacrificial action: conclusive evidence of this is found in the inauguration of the Temple by Solomon, and also its restoration in the days of Hezekiah. "He (Hezekiah) set the Levites in the House of God, the Lord, with cymbals, with psalteries and harps, according to the commandment of David, and of Gad, the king's seer, and Nathan, the prophet; for so was the commandment of the Lord by his prophets. And the Levites stood with the instruments of David, and the priests with the trumpets." "And all the congregation worshipped, and the singers sang, and the trumpeters sounded: and all this continued until the burnt offering was finished." (2nd Chron., Ch. 29: 25-28.)

In the Jewish temple sacrifices were daily offered, incense was offered, and various instruments of music were employed - and all by Divine appointment. Musical instruments were a part of the prefigurative service, but the whole system of Jewish ritualistic worship is now fulfilled and abolished in the death of Christ, who "by His own blood entered in once into a holy place, having obtained eternal redemption for us." Therefore, the figurative worship has no glory under the Gospel.

The mode of worship practised by the Old Testament Church does not constitute a guide or example for the New Testament Church. The responsibility for the elaborate ritualistic worship was vested in the Levitical order of Priesthood, but the Christian Church worships God under the supreme responsibility of the Lord Jesus Christ, Who did not belong to the Levitical order, but was a Priest after the order of Melchisedec. The Priesthood after the order of Melchisedec exercised its office long before the Levitical order came into being, in fact, without the pre-existence of the priesthood after the order of Melchisedec, the Levitical order could not have been established. (See Hebrews, Ch. 7.)

THE WORSHIP OF THE CHRISTIAN CHURCH

The Mode of Worship in the Old Testament Church is referred to in Holy Scripture, as a shadow, a pattern, as being of a temporary nature and only preparatory to the more pure and spiritual worship of the New Testament Church. The elaborate ritual was eminently suitable to the state of the Church, when she had a "worldly Sanctuary" and "carnal ordinances" which were "imposed until the time of reformation" (see Heb. 9). The Lord hath said "the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship Him." It is the duty and privilege of the Christian Church to worship God under the supreme responsibility of our Great High Priest, the Lord Jesus Christ, and His instruction in relation to our mode of worship is absolute and not subordinate to the reason or will of men, therefore, we have no warrant to go beyond that which is set forth in the Scriptures.

The Saviour, in His conversation with the Samaritan woman declared that, as a result of His work and ministry, the then existing order of worship would be revolutionized, and we are given a more detailed account of the radical nature of this change in the Epistle to the Hebrews. The extensive nature of this revolution swept away the whole elaborate ritualism of the Levitical order.
(1) It dissolves the sacredness of the Jewish sanctuary: the Temple.
(2) It cancels all the privileges and functions of the Levitical order of the Priesthood.
(3) It disannuls the whole routine of animal sacrifices, together with all its ritualistic accompaniments.

The Apostle Paul justifies the sweeping changes by setting forth the all-sufficiency and comprehensiveness of Christ's Priesthood and Sacrifice. The exclusiveness and completeness of our Lord's work and sacrificial death on the cross requires the Christian Church to recognise:
(1) Christ alone as her great High Priest. "But this man, because he continueth ever, hath an unchangeable priesthood.
(2) That there is no other sacrifice for sin, but that offered by Christ on the Cross. "For by one offering he hath perfected forever them that are sanctified."
(3) That there is no earthly temple or ritualistic accompaniments for the presentation of Christ's sacrifice. "For Christ is not entered into the holy places made with hands which are the figures of the true, but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us."

The Apostle set forth the reason for the abolition of the old order.
(1) The inadequacy of the Levitical order of the Priesthood. "If therefore perfection were by the Levitical priesthood, for under it the people received the law, what further need was there that another priest should arise after the order of Melchisedec and not be called after the order of Aaron? For the priesthood being changed, there is made of necessity a change also of the law."
(2) The weakness of the old order. "For there is verily a disanulling of the commandment going before for the weakness and unprofitableness thereof." "For the law maketh men high priests which have infirmity; but the word of the oath, which was since the law, maketh the Son, who is consecrated forever more.
(3) The oath. "For those priests were made without an oath; but this with an oath by him that said unto him, The Lord sware and will not repent, Thou are a priest for ever after the order of Melchisedec."

The arguments that are used in favour of the use of the organ in Public Worship, can be used for the whole ritualism of the Levitical order. The temple, the holy of holies, the altar, the animal sacrifices, the incense, the trumpet, flute, sackbut, dulcimer, cornet, cymbal and the psaltery; as well as the singers and instrumentalists as they are described in the Book of Chronicles. Once the Priesthood of Christ after the order of Melchisedec is accepted, all such arguments are invalid. Nevertheless, those who champion the use of the organ in worship, constantly appeal to the ritualism of the Aaronic Priesthood, rather than to the spiritual worship under the Great High Priest, after the order of Melchisedec, to the symbols of the past, rather than to the melody of the heart" which is pleasing unto God.

The Scriptures declare that the noblest temple in the sight of God is a renewed heart. The proudest and most costly edifices are valueless and insignificant when compared with it. "Know ye not," saith the Apostle, "that ye are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you?" Would any blood-bought sinner say that the spiritual temple is incomplete without its earthly pattern?

The design of the whole ritualistic system of the Levitical order is fulfilled and abolished by the sacrificial death of Christ, who, "by His own blood, entered in once into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption for us" and we are now instructed to turn away from "the weak and beggarly elements" for it now hath no glory under the Gospel, "by reason of the glory that excelleth."

The New Testament affords no sanction for the use of instrumental music. The Old Testament does not speak more freely on the duty of praising God than does the New Testament, but in the New Testament there is not a reference to the use of an instrument in the praise of God and His worship in the Church on earth. In the Book of Revelation mention is made of the harp in Chapter 5:8; 14:2; 15:2. The references are symbolic. We would submit that the rejection of the use of instrumental music cannot be more forcibly presented than by an appeal to the spiritual nature of Christian worship, the order and exercise of Christ's priestly office, and the heavenly nature of His sacrifice.

Before concluding this article, we would acknowledge that there are many Christians who claim that the use of an organ does not constitute a part of worship, but it is simply used as an aid to the singing, basing their contention on the fact that a building or electric light is used, not as a part of worship but an aid to organized public worship. We hope that in a later article to consider this question.