Page:Instruments Of Music In The Service Of God.pdf/16

 foot the Son of God, count his blood unholy, and do despite to the Spirit of grace. It is a fearful thing to tamper with the appointments of God.

Jesus Christ and the apostles did not use instruments of music in the service of God, although instruments easily carried about were common in their day. It is not certain the instruments were used in the Jewish worship in the time of Jesus on earth. They could not use them when in captivity, and the whole land was now in bondage to the Roman Empire. Their use had been common in the Jewish worship, and was at that time common in heathen worship; they were not used in connection with the worship of God for hundreds of years after Christ and the apostles. Whenever an effort to use them was made, it excited such commotion in the churches that they were reported in history that comes down to us.

Hilary (A.D. 355) says: “in the songs of Zion, both old and young, men and women, bore a part; their psalmody was the joint act of the whole assembly in unison.” Chrysostom says: “It was the ancient custom, as it is still the custom with us, for all to come together and unitedly join in singing. The young and old, rich and poor, male and female, bond and free—all join in the song.” Jerome says: “Go where you will, the plowman at his plow sings his joyful halleluiahs, the busy mower regales himself with his psalms, and the vinedresser is singing one of the psalms of David.”

“Thus it is reported that at Alexandria, in A.D. 200, it was the custom to accompany the singing with the flute, which practice was forbidden by Clement as too worldly, and the harp was substituted for it” “The general introduction of instrumental music can certainly not be assigned to an earlier date than the fifth and six centuries. Even Gregory the Great—who, toward the end of the sixth century, added greatly to the existing church music—absolutely prohibited the use of instruments.” "The first 14