There are two sides to every question, and the question now before us is no exception to the rule. Few will be disposed to deny that the hymn-book has its use, both in private and in public. The Spirit of God most graciously deigns to make use of hymns for our comfort, edification, and refreshment when we are all alone; and He uses them as the vehicle of our worship in the public assembly. All this, we assume, will be fully admitted by the great majority of Christians, and hence we shall not occupy the reader's time with any further discussion of this side of the question.
But we must not lose sight of that good old motto, "Audi alteram partem"—Hear the other side. There is, alas! the abuse as well as the use of the hymn-book. This is only what we might expect. If the Spirit makes use of hymns to cheer, refresh, comfort, and edify our souls, we may rest assured the enemy will use hymns to lead us away from the truth of God. We all know what immense power poetry possesses over the human soul. A certain poet once said, "Let me compose the nation's sonnets, and I care not who makes the laws." He felt he could rule the nation by his melodies, at least he could do much toward forming the national mind.
There is a measure of truth in this; and it may be that some of us can, at times, detect ourselves drawing our theology more from the hymn-book than the Bible. Some false idea, clothed in a lovely poetic dress, has gained an entrance into the mind and into the heart, and found a lodgment there, and taken such possession of us, that we have at length begun to regard it in the light of a positive truth of God. It is, of course, generally admitted that we are not to expect in a poet the accuracy of a theologian; but we must not suffer ourselves, through poetic license, to be led away from sound doctrine. We are as responsible to judge the doctrine of a hymn as of any other writing. If I give or lend a book or tract, I am responsible for the doctrine contained in it. How much more so when I sing a hymn, seeing I adopt as my very own the sentiments expressed therein?
Now, let not the reader suppose that we would have him indulge in a judging, criticizing, fault-finding spirit. Nothing is further from our thoughts. We utterly repudiate such a spirit, and hold ourselves responsible to judge it on all occasions, but specially in the matter of hymns.
Still, we must judge. We cannot, or ought not, to sing false doctrine. We surely ought not, while professing to worship God, to deny His truth. We most assuredly ought not, when professedly lifting our hearts to the Lord in songs of praise, to give utterance to sentiments subversive of the very foundations of Christianity, and utterly inconsistent with our position and relationship as children of God. Take, for instance, that familiar stanza,
"The dying thief rejoiced to see
That fountain in his day;
And there may I, though vile as he,
Wash all my sins away."
Is this according to the truth of the Christian's position before God? Clearly not. A Christian is not merely one who " may" wash all his sins away in the precious blood of Christ, but whom Christ, blessed be His name, has washed from every stain. Look at Eph. 1:7. What does it say? "In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace." So also in Col. 1:14. If I say, " I may wash," it is clear I have not yet done so; and hence I have no business to sing. The singing of a hymn, according to the divine idea, is an act of worship. But a man in his sins—a man with an unpurged conscience—is not a worshipper. In order to worship, I must be consciously in the presence of God, with a perfectly purged conscience. I must be in the light, knowing that the blood of Jesus Christ has cleansed me from all sin.
Let the reader see that he is thoroughly clear as to this grand foundation truth. It is of the very last possible importance. A Christian, according to the teaching of the New Testament, is one who knows that all his sins are forgiven—all blotted out as a thick cloud—all cast behind God's back forever. How then can he say, " There may I wash all my sins away?" It is simply denying what Christ has done for him; and surely this is not Christianity. How strange for a Christian to rise and sing about the blood of Christ, and, in the very words of his hymn, deny that his sins are forgiven! No doubt, it would be quite wrong, seriously wrong, for any one to say that his sins are forgiven, if he does not believe it. But then how can he take the place of a worshipper if he doubts the forgiveness of his sins?
It may perhaps be said we are making a great fuss about a word. But what if a word be the index of the entire position and state of the soul? We feel persuaded that the beloved author of the well-known hymn from which we have quoted above, did not, when composing it, enter into the full joy of a known forgiveness. His dear spirit was often beclouded with doubts and fears. He was a most beloved child of God, but, from various causes, he was often afflicted with misgivings as to his full security in Christ. At times, when freed from self-occupation, and lifted above the depressing influence of legality, he could pour forth the sweetest strains; for he truly loved the Lord, though, as he himself tells us, he often longed to know whether he did or not.
Now all this comes out in the expression, " There may I." why not say, "There have I?" Because his precious soul was not up to the mark, and he wrote as he felt. But are the accents of a doubting soul the proper vehicle for christian worship? Assuredly not. Doubts and fears are not worship. The groanings of a soul under law and the breathings of a spiritual worshipper are not the same thing. The " roarings" of an unforgiven soul differ materially from the " songs of deliverance" sung by one who knows and believes that all his sins are forgiven, and forgotten forever.
It is a very serious mistake indeed to use in public worship; hymns which actually deny the very foundations of Christianity. It is, of course, all well enough for people to write as they feel. None of us should ever presume to go beyond our measure, either in writing or speaking. But would it not have been very wrong for Israel when they stood, as a consciously delivered people, on the shore of the Red Sea, to groan as if still in the brick-kilns of Egypt, and under the lash of Pharaoh's task-masters? Unquestionably. The groan was right enough in Egypt; it suited their position and state. But for that very reason it would have been quite out of place on the shore of the Red Sea; and hence to put the dismal stanzas composed by a poet amid the gloom of Egyptian bondage into the lips of a host of triumphant worshippers, would have been a grievous error, involving a positive wrong to the worshippers, and a gross dishonor to the One who had so gloriously delivered them from the power of the enemy.
Nor is it otherwise in the matter of our hymns. We have very little idea of the lowering effect upon the souls of God's people of hymns composed by persons not in the full enjoyment of the blessed liberty of the gospel of God. The expressions used in our devotional exercises take a wonderful hold upon us, and exert a formative influence over our moral and spiritual condition. Hence the seriousness of the question of the hymn-book. We might literally fill volumes with examples of erroneous or defective hymns which are continually sung in religious assemblies; but there is no need for this; our object will be gained if the attention of the christian reader be thoroughly roused in reference to the entire subject. We trust he will see that it is, to say the very least, our bounden duty to examine what we sing by the light of holy scripture, and not to adopt in our worship, language which stands in direct opposition to the gospel of God, and, as a consequence, robs us of the sweet and precious privileges which belong to us as members of the body of Christ, washed from all our sins in His precious blood, and indwelt by the Holy Ghost. Take, for example, the following well-known stanza: -" My soul looks back to see The burden Thou didst bear, When hanging on the accursed tree, And hopes her guilt was there."
Is this up to the mark of New Testament Christianity? Is it merely a matter of hope with the Christian that Christ bore his sins, and his guilt, and his full judgment on the cross? Is it not a divine certainty, attested by the resurrection from among the dead of the blessed Sin-bearer, declared on the authority of Him who cannot he, and brought home to the heart in the power of the Holy Ghost? Such it is, most surely, if we are to be taught exclusively by scripture. True it is that the writer of the hymn may not be, in his own inward self-consciousness, up to the proper christian mark; and he must, of course, write as he feels. But why should one who, through grace, is up to the mark adopt as his own—and that in the holy act of worship—the language of one who is not?
It will, perhaps, be said, and that by not a few, that it is not well to be too confident. We ask, what is the true ground of worship? Is it doubt, or confidence? Is a doubting soul in a fit condition for worship? Surely not. " He that cometh to God must believe that he is." " Having therefore, brethren, boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way, which he hath consecrated for us, through the veil, that is to say, his flesh; and having an high priest over the house of God, let us draw near with a true heart, in fall assurance of faith"
Thus it is our God would have us to approach Him in sweetest, fullest confidence. He would have us near Him, in the calm confidence and happy liberty which His love warrants and invites us to enjoy. Has He given us any cause to doubt? Is there a shadow of basis on which to raise a question as to His perfect love? Is there any flaw in the work of Christ? Any defect in the testimony of the Holy Ghost? To say so, or think so, would involve a daring insult to the Trinity. Well, then, wherefore should we doubt? Why wound the loving heart of a Savior-God by reserve and suspicion? Is it, can it be, presumption to take God at His word? Nay, it gratifies His heart, and glorifies His name, when we thankfully accept what His grace has bestowed, and trustfully take the true ground of worshippers in His holy presence.
But the melancholy fact is that many of the hymns, prayers, and formularies of the professing church do actually deny the great truths which lie at the foundation of the christian position, and drive the people of God back to the shadows of the Mosaic economy. This may seem severe, but it is true, and we solemnly press the truth on the heart and conscience of the reader. We would entreat him to take this whole question up, and examine it in the light of scripture. It is his bounden duty so to do. We are all called upon to test our utterances by the word of God, to measure our hymn-books by the standard of the New Testament, and with calm decision refuse to use language in our worship which actually robs us of all ground and title to worship.
We trust the reader will not be offended by our statements. God is our witness that nothing is further from our thoughts than to wound the feelings of any one; but we deeply feel the importance of the subject before us, and this is our reason for writing as we do.
We are convinced that serious damage is done to souls, injury to the truth of God, and grief occasioned to the Holy Ghost by many of our utterances in public worship. There are hundreds of thousands of professing Christians who, from week to week, month to month, and year to year, never in their public singing breathe the spirit of adoption; never cry, "Abba, Father;" never celebrate an accomplished redemption; never speak of a risen Savior. They use the language of souls under the law, yea, under the wrath of God, under His governmental infliction. Sometimes they use the very language of our adorable Lord when made sin for us on the cross, and cast out of God's presence, in order that we might be made nigh.
Is not this a matter for serious consideration? Is it not a very solemn thing to find professing Christians ignoring in their public worship all the great characteristic truths of Christianity?—to find them all their lifetime omitting in their singing all that is peculiar to the church of God, the body of Christ? Are we not warranted in earnestly calling the attention of the christian reader to this weighty question?
(To be continued, if the Lord will.)