FROM: INSTRUMENTAL MUSIC IN THE PUBLIC WORSHIP OF THE
CHURCH
By John L. Girardeau
(Still Waters Revival Books, [1888]
2000), pp. 63, 64.
Instrumental Music in Public Worship: The Views of John
Calvin
"To sing the praises of God upon the harp and
psaltery," says Calvin, "unquestionably formed a part of the training
of the law and of the service of God under that dispensation of shadows and
figures, but they are not now to be used in public thanksgiving."1 He
says again: "With respect to the tabret,
harp, and psaltery, we have formerly observed, and will find it necessary
afterwards to repeat the same remark, that the Levites, under the law, were
justified in making use of instrumental music in the worship of God; it having
been his will to train his people, while they were yet tender and like
children, by such rudiments until the coming of Christ. But now, when the clear
light of the gospel has dissipated the shadows of the law and taught us
that God is to be served in a simpler form, it would be to act a foolish and
mistaken part to imitate that which the prophet enjoined only upon those of his
own time."2 He further observes: "We are to remember that the worship
of God was never understood to consist in such outward services, which were
only necessary to help forward a people as yet weak and rude in knowledge in
the spiritual worship of God. A difference is to be observed in this respect
between his people under the Old and under the New Testament; for now that
Christ has appeared, and the church has reached full age, it were only to bury
the light of the gospel should we introduce the shadows of a departed
dispensation. From this it appears that the Papists, as I shall have occasion
to show elsewhere, in employing instrumental music cannot be said so much to
imitate the practice of God's ancient people as to ape it in a senseless and
absurd manner, exhibiting a silly delight in that worship of the Old Testament
which was figurative and terminated with the gospel."3
ENDNOTES:
1. On Ps. lxxi. 22.
2. On Ps. lxxxi. 3.
3. On Ps. xcii. 1.
FROM: INSTRUMENTAL MUSIC IN THE PUBLIC WORSHIP OF THE
CHURCH
By John L. Girardeau
(Still Waters Revival Books, [1888]
2000), "Historical Argument" pp. 158, 159, 161, 165, 170, 179.
The Heresy of Instrumental Music in Public Worship
With reference to the time when organs were first introduced
into use in the Roman Catholic Church, let us hear Bingham:1
"It is now generally agreed among learned men that the use of organs came
into the church since the time of Thomas Aquinas, Anno 1250; for he, in his Summs, has these words: 'Our church does not use musical
instruments, as harps and psalteries, to praise God withal, that she may not
seem to Judaize."...Mr. Wharton also has
observed that Marinus Sanutus,
who lived about the year 1290, was the first who brought the use of wind-organs
into churches, whence he was surnamed Torcellus,
which is the name for an organ in the Italian tongue....Let us pause a moment
to notice the fact, supported by a mass of incontrovertible evidence, that the
Christian church did not employ instrumental music in its public worship for
1200 years after Christ....It deserves serious consideration, moreover, that
notwithstanding the ever-accelerated drift towards corruption in worship as
well as in doctrine and government, the Roman Catholic Church did not adopt
this corrupt practice until about the middle of the thirteenth century....When
the organ was introduced into its worship it encountered strong opposition, and
made its way but slowly to general acceptance. These assuredly are facts that
should profoundly impress Protestant churches. How can they adopt a practice
which the Roman Church, in the year 1200, had not admitted...Then came the
Reformation; and the question arises, How did the Reformers deal with
instrumental music in the church?...Zwingle has
already been quoted to show instrumental music was one of the shadows of the
old law which has been realized in the gospel. He pronounces its employment in
the present dispensation "wicked pervicacity."
There is no doubt in regard to his views on the subject, which were adopted by
the Swiss Reformed churches...Calvin is very express in his condemnation of
instrumental music in connection with the public worship of the Christian
church...In his homily on 1 Sam. xviii. 1-9, he delivers himself emphatically
and solemnly upon the subject: "In Popery there was a ridiculous and
unsuitable imitation [of the Jews]. While they adorned their temples, and
valued themselves as having made the worship of God more splendid and inviting,
they employed organs (emphasis added), and many other such ludicrous things, by
which the Word and worship of God are exceedingly profaned, the people being
much more attached to those rites than to the understanding of the divine
Word..." Whatever may be the practice in recent times of the churches of
ENDNOTES:
1. Works, Vol. iii., p. 137, ff.
FROM: INSTRUMENTAL MUSIC IN THE PUBLIC WORSHIP OF THE
CHURCH
By John L. Girardeau
(Still Waters Revival Books, [1888]
2000), pp. 132, 133.
Instrumental Music in Public Worship: History Surrounding
the Westminster
Before the Westminster Assembly of Divines undertook the
office of preparing a Directory of Worship, the Parliament had authoritatively
adopted measures looking to the removal of organs, along with other remains of
Popery, from the churches of
When, therefore, the Assembly addressed itself to the task of framing a
Directory for Worship, it found itself confronted by a condition of the
churches of Great Britain in which the singing of psalms without instrumental
accompaniment almost universally prevailed. In prescribing, consequently, the
singing of psalms without making any allusion to the restoration of
instrumental music, it must, in all fairness, be construed to specify the
simple singing of praise as a part of public worship. The question, moreover,
is settled by the consideration that had any debate occurred as to the
propriety of allowing the use of instrumental music, the Scottish commissioners
would have vehemently and uncompromisingly opposed that measure. But Lightfoot,
who was a member of the Assembly, in his "Journal of its
Proceedings"3 tells us: "This morning we fell upon the Directory for
singing of psalms; and, in a short time, we finished it." He says that the
only point upon which the Scottish commissioners had some discussion was the
reading of the Psalms line by line.
ENDNOTES:
1. Girardeau cites this quotation from the Acts of Assembly of the Church of
Scotland, 1644.
2. Girardeau cites Art., Organ.
3. Girardeau cites Works, Vol. xiii., pp. 343, 344;
FOR FURTHER STUDY:
(All titles below available
from Still Waters Revival Books at: http://www.swrb.com/pcopy/photoc.htm).
GIRARDEAU, JOHN
Instrumental Music in
the Public Worship of the Church
"To sing the praises of God upon the harp and psaltery," says Calvin,
"unquestionably formed a part of the training of the law and of the
service of God under that dispensation of shadows and figures; but they are not
now to be used in public thanksgiving."Calvin
continues: "With respect to the tabret, harp,
and psaltery, we have formerly observed, and will find it necessary afterwards
to repeat the same remark, that the Levites, under the law, were justified in
making use of instrumental music in the worship of God; it having been his will
to train his people, while they were yet tender and like children, by such
rudiments until the coming of Christ. But now, when the clear light of the
gospel has dissipated the shadows of the law and taught us that God is to be
served in a simpler form, it would be to act a foolish and mistaken part to
imitate that which the prophet enjoined only upon those of his own time."
He further observes: "We are to remember that the worship of God was never
understood to consist in such outward services, which were only necessary to
help forward a people as yet weak and rude in knowledge in the spiritual
worship of God. A difference is to be observed in this respect between his
people under the Old and under the New Testament; for now that Christ has
appeared, and the church has reached full age, it were only to bury the light
of the gospel should we introduce the shadows of a departed dispensation. From
this it appears that the Papists, as I shall have occasion to show elsewhere,
in employing instrumental music cannot be said so much to imitate the practice
of God's ancient people as to ape it in a senseless and absurd manner,
exhibiting a silly delight in that worship of the Old Testament which was figurative
and terminated with the gospel." Written in 1888, this book was highly
praised by R.L. Dabney (in a review which we have
bound together with this printing). Dabney notes
"Dr. Girardeau has defended the old usage of our church with a moral
courage, loyalty to truth, clearness of reasoning and wealth of learning which
should make every true Presbyterian proud of him, whether he adopts his
conclusions or not. The framework of his argument is this: it begins with that
vital truth which no Presbyterian can discard without a square desertion of our
principles. The man who contests this first premise had better set out at once
for
CALVIN, JOHN
Necessity of Reforming
the Church (1544)
C.H. Spurgeon once said, "[t]he longer I live the clearer does it appear
that John Calvin's system is the nearest to perfection." (cited in Christian History magazine, Vol. 5, No. 4).
Credenda Agenda reviewed this book stating, "the
relevance of Calvin's book today is exceptional. Apart from the grace of God,
the human heart never changes. Men have always loved external religion, and
unless God saves them, they always will. But God demands heart religion... His
writing is relevant because the church today is in dire need of a similar
reformation and revival. Like Calvin, some few believers today see 'the present
condition of the Church... to be very miserable, and almost desperate.' Our
context is different in one key respect however. The church needing reformation
in Calvin's day was the tradition-encrusted church of
Rome. Shortly after the Reformation, for those leaving
EIRE , CARLOS M.N.
War Against
the Idols: The Reformation of Worship from Erasmus to Calvin
Eire shows that as the Reformation progressed the primary focus of the
Reformers became upholding God's sovereign prerogative in worship -- what today
is called the regulative principle of worship.
Regarding Calvin's On the Necessity of Reforming the Church
Calvin
speaks about the nature of worship and about the seriousness of the sin of
idolatry in his 1543 treatise, On the Necessity of Reforming the Church,
where he concentrates on the significance of worship for the Christian
religion. Calvin's argument, as indicated by the title of the treatise, is that
the Church had reached such a corrupt state that its reform could wait no
longer. The most significant aspect of corruption singled out by Calvin is the
perversion of worship, and it is in explaining this issue that he set forth the
basis for his attack on idolatry.
Calvin begins by studying the place that worship holds in the Christian faith,
and he concludes that it is one of the two elements that define Christianity:
"If it be asked, then, by what things chiefly the Christian religion has a
standing amongst us, and maintains its truth, it will be found that the
following two not only occupy the principal place, but comprehend under them
all the other parts, and consequently the whole substance of Christianity,
viz., a knowledge first, of the right way to worship God; and secondly of the
source from which salvation is to be sought. When these are kept out of view,
though we may glory in the name of Christians, our profession is empty and
vain."
(War Against the Idols,
p. 198 citing from Calvin's On the Necessity of
Reforming the Church )
The scholarly translational work found in Eire's book also gives insights into
the worship question not found in any other English history books (concerning
Calvin, Knox, and a host of others) -- for it contains much from previously untranslated (into English that is) Reformation documents.
A large portion of this book centers on Calvin, but its major thrust is to
reveal the single most burning issue confronting the Reformers: purity of
worship! Furthermore, this book's teaching regarding the Reformers (and their
view of the Scriptural law of worship) is as applicable today as it was in the
days of the first Reformation -- for it demonstrates the time tested Biblical principles
which guard against the errors, excesses, and idolatries of the Roman harlot,
Eastern Orthodoxy and all liturgical innovators on one hand and the modern
"evangelicals," Anabaptists and Charismatics
on the other. This is, without a doubt, one of the best Reformation history
books available -- stirring, scholarly, relevant and edifying!
As far as we know this book may be out of print in the near future, so those
interested would be advised to obtain a copy as soon as possible.
GLASGOW, JAMES
Heart and Voice:
Instruments in Christian Worship Not Authorized (1873)
"The Early church did not use instrumental music in its worship.... They
considered the practice as pagan or Jewish rather than Christian. Dr. Hughes
Oliphant Old, in his work The Patristic Roots of Reformed Worship says: ëAs is well known, the ancient church did not admit the use
of instrumental music in worship. It was looked upon as a form of worship which
like the sacrifices of the
GIRARDEAU, JOHN
Discretionary Power of
the Church (1875)
Must reading for all regarding worship. Proclaims the only antidote to
spiritual tyranny in the Church, while showing the only sure way to know that
you are pleasing God in worship. Girardeau, a Southern Presbyterian, is often
referred to as the "Spurgeon of the South."
BIRGER, LARRY
A Brotherly Testimony Against the Use of Instrumental Accompaniment In Public
Worship
Birger notes, "This letter was written to my
friend's former pastor. It was subsequently forwarded to the elders of his
former church, a small congregation in the Orthodox Presbyterian Church. This
friend had initially absented himself from corporate worship due to their use
of instrumental accompaniment, and (like me: see Why the PCA is Not a Duly
Constituted Church and Why Faithful Christians Should Separate From This Corrupt
"Communion") upon further study of the matter of the lawful
constitution requisite for a church to claim lawful authority from Christ (see
Calvin's Institutes, Book IV, Chapter 2, Section 12, and my piece against the
PCA), determined that no such lawful authority exists in the Orthodox
Presbyterian Church. The use of instrumental accompaniment in the corporate
worship of God's people was recognized unanimously by historic reformed writers
as a return to the Judaizing ceremonies of the Roman
Catholic and Episcopal (i.e. Prelatic) Churches. This was also the opinion of
the ancient church, and even Aquinas is cited as excluding their use for this
reason. Thus, Dabney comments [in his review of John
Girardeau's book on the subject], "Christ and His apostles ordained the
musical worship of the New Dispensation without any sort of musical instrument,
enjoining only the singing with the voice of psalms, hymns, and spiritual
songs. Hence such instruments are excluded from Christian worship. *Such has
been the creed of all churches, and in all ages*, except for the Popish
communion after it had reached the nadir of its corruption at the end of the
thirteenth century, and of its prelatic imitators (my emphases)." It is a
sad commentary on the disposition of the church and its leaders when those who
glory in the name, 'reformed', wish to argue us back into the principles and
practices of the Romish whore, and of her
illegitimate offspring (Rev. 17 & 18). May God bless this little work to
encourage the faithful to the recovering of our ecclesiastical heritage, to a
return to the old paths wherein is rest for our souls (Jer.
6:16)."
M'NEILLY, S.R.
How Best to Secure a
Return to the Use of the Psalms in the Ordinance of Praise
Superb, strongly worded, Biblical teaching on the proper method of lovingly
bringing peace and purity to the body of Christ. The author contends that
"hymn-singing in the service of praise is in its ultimate analysis a
species of idolatry," and thus must be strenuously opposed. Numerous practical
methods (and the rationale) to promote Psalmody and oppose the use of man-made
"hymns" in the public worship service are given. These arguments
apply equally well concerning the eradication of the idolatry practiced when
musical instruments are used in public worship. From McNaugher's
The Psalms in Worship.
GILLESPIE, GEORGE
A Dispute Against the
English Popish Ceremonies Obtruded on the Church of Scotland (1637, reprinted
from the 1660 edition)
George Gillespie was one of the Scottish commissioners to the Westminster
Assembly, the youngest member there, and undoubtedly one of the most
influential. Concerning this book Coldwell writes, "It is an exhaustive
defense of that Reformation principle that it is God's right to order the
institutions of worship in His church.... The book first appeared on the eve of
the second Reformation, sparked by an attempt by Charles I to impose
Anglo-Catholic worship forms on Presbyterian Scotland. It fell like a
thunderclap, silencing any argument, except that of force, against which the
Scots rose up in a defensive war. The book was never answered. Although removed
from us by more than 350 years, this book is still a powerful argument against
modern liturgical renewal movements. It also has application to that baser
error of the Church Growth Movement, which has reproduced the expressions of
modern entertainment and showmanship in God's worship, and subjected His
institutions and ordinances to the rules of expediency, marketing and caprice,
loosing the church from that biblical mooring, Sola Scriptura" (back cover
of Naphtali Press, hardcover, reprinted 1993. Naphtali's hardcover edition has
been edited to reflect contemporary spelling, punctuation, and usage. Valuable
indices and introductions have also been added. If you don't mind paying the
extra money this hardcover edition is definitely superior to our photocopy
version, for the editor (Chris Coldwell) has done a splendid job of making this
book much more understandable to the modern reader. The hardcover should be
ordered directly from Naphtali Press, [
DOUGLAS, JAMES
Strictures on Occasional
Hearing
An inquiry into Song 1:7, "Why should I be as one that turneth
aside by the flocks of thy companions?" This book sets out to demonstrates
the proposition that one should not hear the public preaching of those he can
not take communion with (i.e. it proposes a ban on occasionally hearing those
with whom you can not maintain organic fellowship with). The implications
contained in this truth are immense; especially when one has adopted the
Biblical doctrine of close communion and is set upon upholding the covenanted
reformation. The duty to separation and to true visible unity
are all encompassed here. A review of this book, written in 1818, notes
that the "treatise may be viewed as a complete repository of all that has
yet been said on the subject." It is filled with Scriptural, as well as
historical testimony, and is a welcome tonic to the weak and compromising books
of our day that so often sacrifice the truth of the altar of some other man made
expediency (such as unity for political or ecclesiastical advantage). For as the introduction notes, "It is the revealed will of
God, and not saintship, which is the only rule of a
visible profession." That Christians exist in other denominations
is not denied, but that they are faithful to the covenanted reformation
(already historically obtained) is. The arguments set forth here are
reminiscent of those found in
MCKNIGHT, W.J.
Concerning Close
Communion
An strong little book that should be considered by all
those seeking the purity and peace of the church. Holds to
the strict old covenanted Presbyterian position. Justifies the
maintaining of the separate existence of a denomination that will faithfully
testify against sin, and the excluding from the Lord's table
those that do not so testify. Gives numerous examples of
backsliding in regard to specific truths of Scripture. Proclaims that "the Word of God teaches unequivocally that the
Commandments are equally binding." This includes the first
commandment as it relates to Christ's Kingship over the nations (and dissent
from immoral civil governments which will not recognize and obey Christ as King
and law giver); and the second commandment concerning purity of worship (as against
"all devising, counselling, using, and any wise
approving, any religious worship not instituted by God Himself," such as
the use of songs other than the Psalms and the Popish use of musical
instruments in public worship). Maintains that violation of these commandments
are grounds for barring a person from the Lord's table.
Shows how close communion is nothing more than the old Presbyterian view, in
keeping with the Westminster Confession of Faith and John Calvin when he stated
"We are only contending about the true and lawful constitution of the
church, required in the communion not only of the sacraments (which are the
signs of profession) but also especially of doctrine" (John Calvin,
Institutes 2.12). Also includes an excellent discussion of essentials and
non-essentials, as they relate to the Lord's supper
and salvation. The best short book on the Lord's supper
that we have seen. Written by an RPCNA minister in large
easy-to-read type.
REFORMED PRESBYTERY
An
Explanation and Defence of the Terms of Communion,
Adopted by the Community of Dissenters, etc.
Defends the inescapable necessity of creeds and confessions,
while promoting a fully creedal church membership. Shows
how the law of God obliges all Christians "to think the same things, and
to speak the same things; holding fast the form of sound words, and keeping the
ordinances as they have been delivered to us" (Col. 3:13). After
laying some basic groundwork, this book proceeds to defend the six points of the
"Terms of Ministerial and Christian Communion Agreed Upon by the Reformed
Presbytery." These six points are the most conservative and comprehensive
short statements of consistent Presbyterianism you will likely ever see.
Besides the obvious acknowledgement of the alone infallible Scriptures, the
Westminster Standards, and the divine right of Presbyterianism, these points
also maintain the perpetual obligation of our Covenants, National and Solemn
League, the Renovation of these covenants at Auchensaugh
in 1712, and the Judicial Act, Declaration and Testimony emitted by the
Reformed Presbytery. In short, this book sets forth adherence to the whole of
the covenanted reformation, in both church and state, as it has been attained
by our covenanting forefathers.
as of 12-2006