The weekly Lancaster gazette. (Lancaster, Ohio) 1860-1863, 1862-07-10
chuFeh shOlrs,
Reptr 10 vlEprx, No. /

Diiltiee OF sympaLDlzing with the progress
Ofthe nineteenth Ccnfary win appear to
better adsentsge when the 'prcgress" is
winnowed. aud the good and bad are
separated. The reader viii ten Lave
fitting basis. 10 determine whether he
"cOmrTslsndstl he sussc! he has undsrta.
ken 10 di,cuss." !"
Ny style shall be the Grst aud second
person.
When l psnped my article on church
choirs, l had no thought Of inquirlrg
how singing. as a par. Of Worship. can
into practice: Whother by human or di.
vine appointment. Your FIRST argumeu t
is comcal one. aud not at all peril nent
TO anything that said; but courtesy IRE.
qures that l shall notice it. You have
said nothing that ! can object 10, really
it is your strange views Of the practice Of
singing at times Of worship, that attracts
my attention.
You assert "Enhssitdtiaely." ,ha.
singing, as a part OF divine worship is of
"human introduction" and you say that
it has bsen practicsd from as far back as
the history Of the church extends, and
that God has approved and authorized
this human invention: and then YOU fur,
ther say, that no conformity (G quote
your OWN phraseology,) is intimatsd,
whicl would lead as 10 believe thai II sscgs
an Indispensable part of derotion' All this
sounds very strangely to me. You yir.
tuaIly say, that aim mighty God has pre-,
scribed some parts Of system Of devotion
which he requires his creatures 10 render
10 him. but leaving il incomplete, has
afterwards accepted such amendments AS
finite man chose TO make. F.r myself |
carrot accept the proposition. that God
has approved aud authorized any forms
of worship. in his church. that are not
"in@ispehsable.' as parts of devotion.
Taking the scriptures ofthe Old and new
testament as the embodiment ollivd 3 will
concerning man, recognize that he re
quires prayer, praise AID alteration from
his intelligent creatures. What then is
prayer? You will say, il is the sincere
desire Of the heart, "uttered or at.seEprsss
ed." How is EXPRESSED prayer rendered.
In the voice. with inteligenlly expressed
words. How 10 praise rendered? By in.
telligent enunrialions from the lips All
this is Well enough understood.
| When God comhaudcd bis creature $
to offer fitting and becoming worship, due
to him, did he prescribe any special ca.
dence or intonation Of the voice to be
usce? Was it to be in the major, or mi
nor scale! Were all the words spoken
to be pitched tpbn the same key precise.
rIly? lfnoi is il not qqi.a reasonable tc
suppose. that the worsbiPper was left Il
adopt his own styls; and pifcb his OWL
, key3 That presumO you will not quest
ion: and having made this concession, dc
you not at tie same time admit his rinht
: to vary his iutonaiious from tie Lowest
sound the human voice can make, to the
highest. even 10 three or more oetaves.-
Why do you draw distinction between
prayer and singing, as separate parts O
divine worship, at allp Much OF the sing
! Ing in Worship, is simply prayer: man,
prayers. as euch,arc made up Of petitions
, praises AMI thanks. II you call on
, singing and the other prayer, you ofte'
t confound terms. The chanting OF ,h
. mass at the altar, and tie responses o
0 choir, are all parts Of the same worship
in the Catholic church. The Protestan
foims are Of the same nature.
1t is entirely evident, from all the au
lbority that is given, that flood has requi
red worship from the beings be has made
that he has left the modes and forms
c with man. He is not required to assum
the prone or kneeling posture. Ifh
II uses his voice he chooses, as above said
! his own pitch. and varies tho key at hi
:: pleasure. have been wholly unable I
percsive any distinction Between singin
>. and prayer, as parts Of divine worship
/. except'the mere conventional distinction
|. that men have made. Many players ths
have heard Offersd. were quite as mus
,e cal as many tunes thGt | hsve heard sun
al and sometimes. in point of musical meri
y | would give the preference 10 tho prayer
/, In your last paragraph ofyour first al
II 'icle, you make strange admission; {
leas. logically; as compared with you
D. former assertion, That singing. as wor
ship, was Of "humu~ introduction whe
you say that, "some things in relation
worship werc LETT to the judgement of me,
Anong this das singing. which has sscwe
tho divine sanction, which is equal to d
a vine command"
N The logical deductions, then, from yor
ID arguments. are, that God commando
?, ,, worship, and left it with man TO iDtr,
n dpce the forms ald methods. So that