A Quotation from Adam Clarke

 ONE of the most able scholars that the Methodist Church has ever

produced was Adam Clarke. His commentary on the whole Bible in six large

volumes is a monumental work indeed. Below we are giving a quotation found

in Volume 2. page 610. Read it slowly and carefully. This has added weight

when we remember that it comes from one of the ripest scholars the sectarian

world ever produced, and from a man who was identified with a body of

people who use instrumental music in their worship.

"Did God ever ordain instruments of music to be used in his worship?

Can they be used in Christian assemblies according to the spirit of

Christianity? Has Jesus Christ, or his apostles, ever commanded or sanctioned

the use of them? Were they ever used anywhere in the apostolic church?

Does the use of them at present, in Christian congregations, ever increase the

spirit of devotion? Does it ever appear that bands of musicians, either in their

collective or individual capacity, are more spiritual, or as spiritual, as the

other parts of the church of Christ? Is there less pride, self-will, stubbornness,

insubordination, lightness, and frivolity among such persons than among the

other professors of Christianity found in the same religious society? Is it ever

remarked or known that musicians in the house of God have attained to any

depth of piety, or superior soundness of understanding, in the things of God?

Is it ever found that those churches and Christian societies which have and use

instruments of music in divine worship are more holy, or as holy, as those

societies which do not use them? And is it always found that the ministers

which affect and recommend them to be used in the worship of Almighty God

are the most spiritual men and the most spiritual and useful preachers? Can

mere sounds, no matter how melodious, where no word nor sentiment is or

can be uttered, be considered as giving praise toGod? It is possible that pipes or strings of any kind can give praise to God?

Can God be pleased with sounds which are emitted by no sentient being and

have in themselves no meaning? If these questions cannot be answered in the

affirmative, then, query, is not the introduction of such instruments into the

worship of God antichristian and calculated to debase and ultimately ruin the

spirit and influence of the gospel of Jesus Christ? And should not all who

wish well to the spread and establishment of pure and undefiled religion lift

up their hand, their influence, and their voice against them? The argument

from their use in the Jewish service is futile in the extreme when applied to

Christianity."

Thus deposes the scholarly Adam Clarke. Read again his list of thought-

provoking questions. Not one of them can be answered in the affirmative. "Did

God ever ordain instruments of music to be used in his worship?" He did not.

Here is what he has ordained to be done by Christians: "Speaking to

yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making

melody in your heart to the Lord." (Eph. 5:19.) '"Let the word of Christ dwell

in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms

and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord."

(Col. 3:16.) "For this cause I will confess to thee among the Gentiles, and sing

unto thy name." (Rom. 15:9.)

"Has Jesus Christ, or his apostles, ever commanded or sanctioned the use

of them?" They absolutely have not. Jesus Christ started the church. Inspired

apostles preached the gospel. The use of instrumental music in the worship

was not a part of the preaching nor a part of the practice of these inspired

apostles. It was left entirely out. Now listen to one of these inspired apostles:

"But though we. or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you

than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed. As we said

before, so say I now again, if any man preach any other gospel unto you than

that ye have received, let him be accursed." (Gal. 1:8, 9.) Paul and the other

inspired preachers did not preach the use of instrumental music in Christian worship. It is not a part of the gospel that they preached

and practiced. The curse of God is resting upon those who preach another

gospel from the one these inspired men preached. Hear another inspired

apostle: "If any man speak, let him speak as the oracles of God." (1 Pet. 4:11.)

Let us hear one more inspired apostle: "Whosoever transgresseth, and abideth

not in the doctrine of Christ, hath not God. He that abideth in the doctrine of

Christ, he hath both the Father and the Son." (2 John 9.) If we want the Father

and the Son, we must abide in the doctrine of Christ; we must not leave the

doctrine of Christ and take up with the doctrines and commandments of men.

Jesus said of all such: "But in vain they do worship me, teaching for doctrines

the commandments of men.'' (Matt. 15:9.)

"Were they ever used anywhere in the apostolic church?"' Answer: They

absolutely were not. They were not used anywhere in Christian worship for

more than six hundred years after the church was started. Their use did not

become common for nearly twelve hundred years after the beginning of the

apostolic church. If you want to read anything about the use of instrumental

music in Christian worship, you will have to go outside of the New Testament

to do your reading. There is nothing in there about it.

"Is it possible that pipes or strings of any kind can give God praise?"

Answer: It is absolutely impossible for pipes or strings of any kind to give

God praise. "By him therefore let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God

continually, that is, the fruit of our lips giving thanks to his name." (Heb.

13:15.) "What is it then? I will pray with 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.)

"Is not the introduction of such instruments into the worship of God

antichristian and calculated to debase and ultimately ruin the spirit and

influence of the gospel of Jesus Christ? Answer: It is. "And should not all who

wish well to the spread and establishment of pure and undefiled religion lift

up theirhand, their influence, and their voice against them?" Answer: Absolutely they

should. We are not using our influence against them when we meet in ''unity

meetings," trying to bring about some kind of a compromise with the users of

instrumental music in Christian worship. Of course there would be nothing

wrong in attending such meetings if we would lift up our hands, our influence,

and our voice against them. Some have done this, but it seems that the rank

and file who attend such meetings have some kind of paralysis which prevents

them raising their hands very far against such innovations and departures from

the truth, and their influence has been but feebly used against them, and their

voice has failed them! My brethren, we ought to be ashamed to allow a

Methodist commentator to lift up his hand more strongly, and use his

influence more determinedly, and lift up his voice more loudly than we do

against the introduction of things foreign to the simple worship of God.

"Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might."

(Eph. 6:10)Three Things the Devil Wants to Do

IN this article we want to direct the attention of the reader to three things

that the devil wants to accomplish in this world.Keep You Out of the Church

First, the devil wants to keep every responsible soul out of the church.

There are many reasons for this. The saved are in the church. He does not

want you to get in with the saved. While you are out of the church, you are

unsaved, and well does the devil know this If you are ever saved, at that

moment the Lord adds you to the church. (Acts 2:47.) "And the Lord added

to the church daily such as should be saved." The devil is not going to allow

you to be added to the saved if he can help it

The blood of Christ is in the church, his body. The devil does not want

you to come into the church, because that is where the cleansing blood of

Christ is. The church has been purchased with the precious blood of Calvary's

Lamb. (Acts 20:28.) Well does the devil know that it takes the blood of Christ

to wash away sin. And he further knows that this blood is in the church, and

that it is not reached out of the church. Christ shed his blood in his death. We

are baptized into his death. (Rom. 6:3-5.)

It is in and through the church that we glorify God. "Unto him be glory in

the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end." (Eph.

3:21.) We cannot glorify God through any other organization. Well does the

devil know this. He seems to know this even better than some of the brethren!

He does not care how many other organizations you become a member of, just

so he can keep you out of the church. You cannot glorify God through these.

The devil does not want God glorified; hence, he does everything he can to

keep you from glorifying God through the church.

It is by the church that the gospel of Christ is preached. "To the intent that

now unto the principalities and powers in heavenly places might be known by

the church the manifold wisdom of God." (Eph. 3:10.) If you were a part of

the church, you would be helping to preach the gospel. The gospel "is the

power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth." (Rom. 1:16.) The

devil will do everything he can to keep the gospel from being preached. He

does not care what is preached so it is not the gospel of Christ. (Gal. 1:8-10.)

The devil knows that nothing else will save a man.

Jesus is the head of the church. (Eph. 1:22, 23; 5:25; Col. 1:18.) The devil

does not want you in any body over which Christ is the head. Christ is not the

head of the various human organizations; hence, the devil does not care if you

belong to them. In fact, he is very much delighted to have you in many of

them, because it would have a tendency to keep you out ofthe church. Perhaps he can make you satisfied in some other body.

The devil has many and sundry ways of keeping you out of the church. He

will argue that the church is not essential to one's salvation right in the face of

Eph. 5:23. He will ridicule and misrepresent the church. He will do his best

to substitute some human church for the real church.

Get You Back Into the World

If the devil does not succeed in keeping you out of the church, then he

will do everything he can to get you back into the world after you have gone

into the church. And how many times he is successful in this undertaking!

Paul wrote of one of the brethren after this fashion: "For Demas hath forsaken

me, having loved this present world." (2 Tim. 4:10.) What caused Demas to

forsake Paul? It was the love of the present world. It will do it every time. "Ye

adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is

enmity with God? whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the

enemy of God." (James 4:4.) "Love not the world, neither the things that are

in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him."

(1 John 2:15.)

It is a fearful thing to go back into the world. One is then in a worse

condition than he was before he went into the church. "For if after they have

escaped the pollutions of the world through the knowledge of the Lord and

Saviour Jesus Christ, they are again entangled therein, and overcome, the

latter end is worse with them than the beginning. For it had been better for

them not to have known the way of righteousness, than, after they have known

it, to turn from the holy commandment delivered unto them. But it is

happened unto them according to the true proverb, The dog is turned to his

own vomit again; and the sow that was washed to her wallowing in the mire."

(2 Pet. 2:20-22.) The Christian has escaped the pollutions of the world. What

an awful thing to again become entangled therein and overcome!"For if we sin wilfully after that we have received the knowledge of the

truth, there remaineth no more sacrifice for sins, but a certain fearful looking

for judgment and fiery indignation, which shall devour the adversaries. He that

despised Moses' law died without mercy under two or three witnesses: of how

much sorer punishment, suppose ye, shall he be thought worthy, who hath

trodden under foot the Son of God, and hath counted the blood of the

covenant, wherewith he was sanctified, an unholy thing, and hath done

despite unto the Spirit of grace?" (Heb. 10:26-29.)

How does the devil get Christians back into the world? He does everything

he can to weaken their faith. Evil companions will corrupt good morals. Many

a faithful Christian has been overcome by associating with the wrong

companions. Worldly enterprise and society cause many to go back and walk

no more with the Lord. The doctrine of once saved always saved will cause

still others to fall.

Render You Worthless In the Church

If the devil cannot succeed in keeping you out of the church or in getting

you back into the world, he will do everything within his power to render you

useless and worthless in the church. Every Christian is a branch. Christ is the

vine. The branch must abide in the vine and bear fruit. If not, it is taken away.

"Every branch in me that beareth not fruit he taketh away: and every branch

that beareth fruit, he purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit." (John

15:2.) "For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that every

one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done,

whether it be good or bad." (2 Cor. 5:10.) "Ye see then how that by works a

man is justified, and not by faith only." (James 2:24.)

How does the devil render Christians useless and worthless? He has many

and devious devices. He would like for the members of the church to be

spiritually ignorant and satisfied. So many refuse to study. They are ignorant.

Because of their ignorance of the right ways of the Lord they are perfectly satisfied to remain

lethargic.

Many are rendered worthless to the cause of Christ because of being

stingy and covetous. A covetous person is the most unlike Christ of any

mortal. Others get to be chronic critics and grouches. Nothing is right with

them. The church is going to the devil, etc. ad infinitum, ad nauseam. And

still others become adept at making excuses. An excuse maker is never a

worker for the Lord. Others are rendered worthless by hypocrisy.

May the Lord help us to overcome the devil and all his wiles.