656 



PRESBYTERIANS. 



the congregations under the care of the Assem- 

 bly can instrumental music be lawfully used in 

 worship until the Church shall have decided by 

 constitutional enactment that such music in 

 worship is divinely authorized and prescribed." 

 The papers were referred to the Committee on 

 Bills and Overtures, which made a report cov- 

 ering the construction to be placed upon the 

 action of the preceding General Assembly, and 

 respecting the nature as to whether it is a 

 matter of binding obligation or not of the 

 subject of the action. Concerning the bearing 

 of the action of the previous Assembly, the 

 report said the language in its resolution- 

 Must be understood in harmony with the declara- 

 tion in the resolution itself, " that there is no suffi- 

 cient Bible authority for an absolutely exclusive rule 

 on the subject," and also in harmony with the entire 

 action of which that resolution was but a part, in 

 which the prohibitory law was declared to be re- 

 pealed. The repeal of a law does not authorize any- 

 thing except freedom from its restraints. Formally, 

 it neither commands nor forbids anything. It simply 

 leaves the subject without the law repealed. 



In regard to the second point, in which the 

 memorialists opposed tolerance of instrumental 

 music with arguments drawn from the decla- 

 ration in the Confession of Faith, to the effect 

 that God must be worshiped in the way ap- 

 pointed in his Word, the committee urged 



That the question is not of the correctness of the 

 principle so enunciated, but of the correctness of the 

 application that is made in this case. To an ordi- 



the elements appointed for each. But there may be 

 mere incidents of an ordinance or helps to its observ- 

 ance, no part of the ordinance itself, which are not 

 placed under such restrictions. In regard to the ordi- 

 nance of praise, no intelligent Christian looks for the 

 appointment of the particular tunes to be sung, or 

 the particular means by which the key-note may be 

 found, or for the use of musical notes as a help in 

 singing, or the employment of trained singers to lead 

 in the praise service. Such are among the things 

 confessedly left to " Christian prudence.'' 



Now, the question is, to which of these classes does 

 the instrumental accompaniment belong, the essen- 

 tials or the incidentals of worship ? That is the very 

 core of the question decided in tne repeal of our pro- 

 hibitory law. That law was what may be said to 

 have been our statutory application of the principle 

 cited from the Confession. To repeal that law, as has 

 been done, was to declare it a misapplication of the 

 principle ; or that the thing forbidden by the law was 

 one to which that general principle did not properly 

 apply ; in other words, that there was nothing in the 

 ordinance of praise or any other Bible authority to 

 justify such prohibition. 'That is the recorded judg- 

 ment of the Church. While that judgment stands, 

 how can we consistently declare, as asked in this me- 

 morial, that under the principle cited the prohibitory 

 law is in effect still operative? And if we did. of 

 what authority or force would such a declaration be ? 



The report of the committee was adopted, 

 and with it the resolutions : 



1. That the action of the last Assembly on this sub- 

 ject be reaffirmed as explained in this report. 



2. That its admonitory resolution, advising and en- 

 joining against all action on this subject offensive to 

 fellow-worshipers or disturbing of the peace of con- 

 gregations, be emphatically reaffirmed, and urged 



with renewed earnestness on the attention of the pas- 

 tors and sessions and people of the whole Church. 



A committee was appointed to address a pas- 

 toral letter to the people of the Church 



Setting forth the true state of the question as set- 

 tled by the Church, and urging upon them the respect 

 due the authority of the Church and to each other as 

 Christian brethren. 



The party opposed to the permission of in- 

 strumental music, who were represented by a 

 minority report of the committee recommend- 

 ing the direct submission to the presbyteries 

 of a permissive overture, recorded a protest 

 against this action. The quarter-centennial 

 anniversary of the formation of the United 

 Presbyterian Church (which took place in 

 1833) was celebrated with appropriate exer- 

 cises during the sessions of the Assembly. The 

 committee which had in hand during the year 

 the collection of memorial funds reported that 

 the contributions amounted to $131,593, of 

 which $42,061 were designated for special ob- 

 jects. A scheme was approved by the Assem- 

 bly for the division of the undesignated contri- 

 butions, amounting to $89,532, among the be- 

 nevolent boards and educational institutions of 

 the Church. 



Convention of Opponents to Instrumental Music, 

 A convention of members of the Church op-' 

 posed to the use of instrumental music met in 

 Allegheny City, Pa., August 14th. It was at- 

 tended by 473 delegates, clerical and lay, in- 

 cluding woman-delegates, who took full part 

 in the deliberations. Gen. James A. Ekin, 

 U. S. A., was chosen president. Essays were 

 read by different members of the convention, 

 supporting the opposition to musical instru- 

 ments from the " History of United Presby- 

 terianism " and the " History of the Introduc- 

 tion of Music into the Reformed Churches." 

 The question was also argued on grounds of 

 Divine authority and of the traditions of the 

 Church ; and the action of the General Assem- 

 bly in admitting instrumental music was fur- 

 ther declared invalid, because, it was alleged, it 

 was taken in violation of the constitution, and 

 was based upon unconstitutional returns of 

 votes. The convention, declaring that by the 

 action of the General Assembly a crisis had 

 been precipitated in which it had become ne- 

 cessary to do something to secure liberty and 

 rights of conscience in the Church, resolved: 



That whether the rule in our directory was repealed 

 or not, we assert that, even without such rule, the 

 Constitution of the Church, its Expression of Faith, 

 Catechism, Testimony, Book of Worship, unwritten 

 law, and ancient usage, preclude the use of musical 

 instruments in worship in the United Presbyterian 

 Church, and that they always have been and still are 

 unlawful, and their intrusion on unwilling parties is 

 a violation of personal liberty and the rights of con- 

 science. 



That, standing as we do on the Constitution and 

 laws of the United Presbyterian Church, as adopted 

 at the time of the union, we claim for ourselves the 

 liberty of conscience guaranteed by that solemn com- 

 pact, and we propose to remain steadfast and main- 

 tain our rights and liberties in the Church by all 

 legitimate means. 



