The central Presbyterian. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1856-1908, 1882-03-01
Responsive Readings.

Highlander for January, an admirable
article on christian Worship in its
Theory and Practice" Worship he de-
fines 1--WE condense his views and give
largely his own words all through) as
formal communion between God and his
people. 1t is ever and essentially com
munion, communion between rational
spirits in sympathetic participation in
reciprocating rational address. In its
three divisions-the Word, read or
preached, is from God, speaking to his
people hearing the prayer is of beseech-
ing supplicants addressed to gracious
hearer; the song is of an adoring heart
to present, condescending Majesty.
Any act, done in the name of God, in the
service of God, in the recognizing pre-
sence of God, is properly religious act !;
1T is worship, however, only as it en-
braces a conscious address to God, or a
conscious devout listening to him as
directly addressing in person his wor
shipping subjects. Thou and I is an
essential in it.
The reading of the Scriptures in wor-
ship is the communication of God
thoughts to the intelligence of his wor-
shipping people; hence it cannot properly
be performed in the movements peculiar
to song, as by intonations or chanting,
on the one hand, or on the other by
multiplicity of voices So to do it is
irrational, an offence against the reason
and nature of things, and consequently
offensive to sound taste and hindrance
to the designed effect of this part of wor-
ship, which can be none other than to
give the sense" of Gods Word to the
people.
The sermon is in worship the address
OF God repfesentatively through the con
vlctlons, the emotions, the words of the
preacher, to his people. 1t must be
ranked as the leading part in worship,
since in the meeting of God with his
people, it must be what God has to say
which constitutes the commanding and
controlling feature. Therefore it should
be shaped to direct and regulate all the
parts of worship.
Prayer must be conceived and offered
as pure addresses to God,-reverential
elevated in thought and grave in express
sion,-never low or fippant or chatty,-
expressive of the feelings and thoughts
common to the congregation of worship
pers.
The essential in any admissible song in
the worship Of God is that it be express
slve OF sentiments animating alike the
breasts of the body of worshippers. ANY
song which is not so expressive all so
called voluntaries in which the body OF
worshlppers cannot express the actual
sentiments they have or ought to have,
lacks the very essence Of worship, and
is sacrilegious mockery and an abomina-
ton to God. There is. however, a place
for music, vocal and instrumental, as pre-
paratory and auxiliary to worship.
All this is excellent. We are glad es-
pecially to see the old Protestant position
so emphasized, that the sermon is the
leading part of public worship in Gods
house. There has been of late too much
tendency towards the letting down OF
that position. The only excepting crit
cism we make upon the article is, that
it contains no reference to the Lord
Supper, which is the tenderest of all the
acts OF communion, and embodies the ele-
ments of the others.
In the latter part of his article Prof
Day deals with Responsive Readings"
in the light of the principles which he
enunciates so clearly.
He contends that there is no warrant
by direction or even suggestion in Scrip
ture for that practice In fact, it is of
very recent origin, and of very partial
use. 1t dates back only to the. begin
nings of the Anglican Church, and is
hardly known outside of its communion.
1t will be a general surprise to hear that
in the English Church it took the place
of singing the Psalter, because in many
OF the congregations singers could not
be found. 1t was simple make-shift
for better way; and it has in England
now largely ceased and the singing been
restored He mentions the suggestive
fact that the reason for retaining in the
liturgy the old version of the Psalms
when King James version of the Bible
was appointed to be read in the churches
was that the choirs were accustomed to
it, and its language was considered more
smooth and fit for song than the new"
The literal fact, the article sweepinely
asserts, is that the practice in all known
forms Of religious worship in the church.
jewish and Christian, with the few re-
cent sporadic cases Of exception in some
local communities, has been against the
responses in reading
is opposed to all reason. Audible
reading is an irrational act, unless it be