from the ,google ,print project47       
,,on                                    
,,singing ,,and ,,music4                
,,to ,,be ,,had ,,at ,,friends' ,,book  
,,store1                     ,no4 #cjd  
,arch ,street1 ,philadelphia4           
#ahhe4         ,at a ,yearly ,meeting of
 ,friends held in ,philadelphia from the
 #bjth of     the ,fourth ,month to the 
#bdth of the same1 inclusive1 #ahhe4    
,an ,essay on ,singing and ,music       
contained in the ,minutes of the        
,meeting for ,sufferings was now read1  
setting forth the spiritual     nature  
of true worship1 the danger of depending
 on outward forms in     religious      
meetings1 and the disadvantages         
connected with the     practice of      
singing and music as an amusement4 ,much
 unity was     expressed with the essay1
 and it was concluded that it should be 
published and distributed for           
information and warning to our own      
members and others4 ,desires were felt  
that in thus issuing a renewed          

testimony to the principles of our      
,society1 we may be individually        
aroused to the necessity of so living in
 communion with the ,father     of      
,spirits1 and in subjection to the      
revelations of his ,light in our        
hearts1 that our meetings may truly be  
held under the overshadowing     of the 
,divine ,power4      ,taken from the    
,minutes4                               
,,joseph ,,walton1 ,clerk4     ,on      
,singing and ,music4   ,we have been    
brought under a feeling of religious    
concern that the ancient testimony of   
the ,society of ,friends to the true    
nature of spiritual worship may be fully
 maintained by all who claim that name2 
and that they may be watchful against   
the introduction of practices which will
 undermine the support of this          
testimony1 and thus lead those who      
profess to be the children of the       
,light1 back into a dependence upon     
forms1 out of which their forefathers in
 the ,truth were brought by that        

remarkable outpouring of grace and      
spiritual power which marked the rise of
 ,friends as a distinct people4  ,the   
fundamental doctrine declared by our    
,saviour1 when ,he said1 ,it is the     
,spirit that quickeneth1 the flesh      
profiteth nothing1 was steadily kept in 
view by ,george ,fox and his fellow     
laborers4 ,they clearly saw that ,christ
 had ended the ,jewish law1 with its    
outward and ceremonial observances1 and 
had introduced a spiritual dispensation1
 under which ,he1 by his heavenly and   
eternal ,light or ,spirit1 was to be the
 ,leader1 ,guide and ,helper of his     
people2 that all was now to be done in  
and by ,him2 and that this was          
especially true of religious worship1   
which depends upon the enlightening1    
quickening power of his ,holy ,spirit4  
,all confidence in the flesh1--in the   
natural abilities of man1--was removed2 
and they were taught to distinguish     
between that which is of man and that   
which is of ,god1--between that stirring

 up of the natural feelings which can be
 produced by the skilful use of outward 
means1 such as music1 pictorial         
representations and architectural grace 
and grandeur2 and that solemn covering  
of the heart which is a fruit and an    
evidence of the extension of ,divine    
help and power4  ,hence these divinely  
enlightened men and women laid aside the
 forms in which they had been educated1 
and which many of them had sincerely and
 zealously practised1 and1 in their     
private retirements before the ,lord1   
and when they assembled for the         
performance of public worship1 they sat 
in silence before ,him1 seeking to draw 
near in spirit1 in living exercise of   
mind1 that they might feel the arising  
of his power1 and be enabled to offer   
acceptable worship4  ,as that power     
arose in any1 and under its influence1  
they were led to utter words of prayer  
or praise to the ,almighty1 or          
exhortation to their fellow believers2  
they were comforted or edified in       

proportion as they could feel the       
,spirit bearing witness to the life that
 accompanied the vocal expressions4     
,thus their dependence was not placed on
 man1 but on the ,spirit that           
quickeneth4  ,there was no desire to    
limit the operation of the ,spirit1 or  
to lay down any rule which would        
prohibit in times of worship any act    
which truly proceeded from its motions2 
but there was a jealous care that none  
of these outward things should be done  
as formal matters2 that people should   
not look upon them as essential to the  
holding of meetings for worship1 and    
that they should not in any manner be   
led away from their dependence on the   
fresh extension of ,divine life and     
light to their souls1 as the very       
foundation of true worship4 ,the        
writings of the early members of our    
,society abound in evidences of their   
watchful care in this respect4  ,among  
them1 one of the most earnest and       
effective laborers for the spread of the

 ,gospel1 was ,edward ,burrough1 whose  
efforts in ,london were blessed to a    
large number4 ,over the converts in that
 city he watched with anxious love2 and1
 when absent in the service of his      
,master in other parts1 frequently      
visited them by epistles1 in which he   
gave much sound and practical advice4   
,from these epistles are taken the      
following passages1 referring to the    
manner in which these meetings for      
worship were to be held4      ,we charge
 and command you in the presence of the 
,lord1 whose power     is dreadful1 that
 you meet together in silence1 and wait1
 and none     to speak a word but what  
he is moved to speak1 a word from the   
,lord4--,e4 ,burrough's ,works1 ,ed4    
#afgb1 p4 #gj4      ,we charge by the   
,lord that none speak without eternal   
,divine     motion2 for if you do1 the  
false prophet speaks1 and his words eat 
as a canker1 and darken and vail them   
that hearken to it4--,id41     p4 #ga4  
,the nature of this spiritual worship is

 clearly portrayed by ,robert ,barclay2 
see the #aath ,proposition of his       
,apology1 particularly in ,sections #f  
and #g1 to which we desire the reader to
 refer4                     99       99 
99       99       99  ,we have viewed   
with much concern the gradual creeping  
into the meetings of ,friends1 in some  
parts of the country1 of latter years1  
of reading the ,scriptures1 and of      
singing1 practices which1 until within a
 few years1 were almost unknown amongst 
us4  ,we believe that these changes are 
an evidence of a departure from that    
dependence on the ,lord for ability to  
worship ,him aright1 which was so       
conspicuous a testimony of this         
,society2 and that they are connected   
with a shrinking from patient waiting   
upon the ,lord1 and from the humbling   
exercise of mind which is often felt in 
endeavoring to draw near in spirit to   
,him4  ,friends do not assemble in their
 meetings for ,divine worship for the   
sake of listening to any outward        

performances4 ,if this principle is once
 departed from1 there is no tenable     
ground to prevent a gradual lapse into a
 full adoption of those forms out of    
which our ,society was brought in the   
beginning4 ,if the ,scriptures are to be
 read in our meetings1 how easy is it to
 conclude that a careful selection1 such
 as is provided in the liturgies of some
 religious bodies1 would be preferable  
to the choice likely to be made by      
persons of less education1 or who have  
given less time and thought to the      
subject4 ,if singing by tune is to be   
practised1 why should not the highest   
style of art1 aided by musical          
instruments1 be made use of1 so as more 
effectively to stimulate the emotions of
 the listeners8 ,if preaching is        
essential to the proper holding of a    
meeting1 it may be asked1 would it not  
be better to employ persons of marked   
ability1 who have been regularly trained
 to such an employment1 and who may     
reasonably be supposed to be better     

prepared than others to interest and    
instruct an audience8 ,if vocal prayer  
is always in place1 without regard to   
the immediate promptings of ,him who    
only knows the conditions and needs of  
those assembled1 it might be asked1 why 
not use some of those beautiful and     
comprehensive forms which are found in  
the prayer-books of other societies8    
,thus1 there is reason to fear1 the     
language of the prophet might become    
applicable to our ,society4 ,i had      
planted thee a noble vine1 wholly a     
right seed2 how then art thou turned    
into the degenerate plant of a strange  
vine unto me8                     99    
99       99       99       99  ,we think
 the danger we have endeavored to point 
out is peculiarly great as respects     
music and singing1 owing to the power   
over the natural sensibilities1 which   
sweet sounds possess2 and it is easy to 
mistake the emotions thus produced for  
the tenderness of mind and the softening
 influence of the ,spirit that          

quickeneth4  ,the distinction between   
these is very clearly pointed out by the
 late ,thomas ,chalmers1 a distinguished
 clergyman of the ,presbyterian ,church 
of ,scotland1 a man eminent for his     
abilities1 and whose position gave him  
abundant opportunities for observing    
that of which he speaks4 ,he says3      
,you easily understand how a taste for  
music is one thing1 and a     real      
submission to the influence of religion 
is another2 how the ear     may be      
regaled by the melody of sound1 and the 
heart may utterly     refuse the proper 
impression of the sense that is conveyed
 by it2     how the sons and daughters  
of the world may1 with their every      
affection devoted to its perishable     
vanities1 inhale all the     delights of
 enthusiasm1 as they sit in crowded     
assemblage1 around     the deep and     
solemn oratorio4 ,it is a very possible 
thing1 that     the moral and the       
rational and the active man1 may have   
given no     entrance into his bosom for

 any of the sentiments1 and yet so      
overpowered may he be by the charm of   
vocal conveyance through which     they 
are addressed to him1 that he may be    
made to feel with such an     emotion1  
and to weep with such a tenderness1 and 
to kindle with such     a transport1 and
 to glow with such an elevation1 as may 
one and all     carry upon them the     
semblance of sacredness4--,chalmers'    
,works1     ,phila41 #ahcj1 p4 #ajg-h4  
,in speaking of the connection between  
music and worship1 another     person1  
not a member of the ,society of         
,friends1 observes3 ,i firmly           
believe that if we seek to affect the   
mind by the aid of     architecture1    
painting or music1 the impression       
produced by these     adjuncts is just  
so much subtracted from the worship of  
the unseen     ,jehovah4 ,if the outward
 eye is taken up with material splendor1
 or     forms of external beauty1 the   
mind sees but little of ,him who is     
invisible2 the ear that is entranced    

with the melody of sweet     sounds1    
listens not to the still small voice by 
which the ,lord makes     his presence  
known4      ,true spiritual access unto 
,god1 says another writer1 is not at    
all furthered by the excitement of the  
animal or intellectual frame4     ,it is
 most commonly known1 where in          
abstraction from outward things1     the
 mind1 in awful quietude1 finds itself  
gathered into a sense of     the        
presence of ,infinite ,purity4      ,by 
the power of imagination2 by the        
influence of eloquent words2 by     a   
stirring swell of elevated music1 the   
mind may be excited2 the     feelings   
may be tendered1 and we may pour forth  
verbal supplication1     whilst the     
heart is unchanged4  ,edward ,burrough  
thus instructively describes the changes
 which followed the declension of the   
primitive church from its original state
 of life and purity4      ,when the gift
 of the ministry through the ,holy      
,ghost was lost and     no more         

received1 men began to make ministers by
 learning arts and     languages and    
human policy4 ,they began to study from 
books and     writings what to preach1  
not having the ,holy ,ghost1 without    
which     none are the ministers of     
,christ4 ,having lost the sense of      
,god's     true worship1 which is in    
spirit and in truth1 they began to      
worship     in outward observances1     
which is not the worship of ,god1 but   
superstitious and idolatrous4 ,when     
singing in the spirit and with     the  
understanding ceased1 then people began 
to introduce the form of     singing    
,david's experiences1 in rhyme and      
metre2 and thus1 in the     apostacy1   
the form grew as a substitute for that  
which the saints     had enjoyed in     
power2 shadows were set up instead of   
the substance1     and death instead of 
life4  ,the same writer in an appeal to 
the professors of his day to test their 
religious profession by the ,scriptures1
 says3      ,likewise you sing and give 

to sing ,david's psalms in rhyme and    
metre1 professing it is to the glory and
 honor of ,god4 ,ye practise     this as
 an ordinance of ,god1 as a part of his 
worship1 and as a part     of your      
religion2 but this practice and         
profession also are manifest     not to 
be according to the ,scriptures2 because
 it was never     commanded2 neither is 
there any precedent for this practice in
 the     ,scriptures in gospel times4   
,robert ,barclay says1 ,we confess this 
singing of ,psalms to be a part of      
,god's worship1 and very sweet and      
refreshing when it proceeds from a true 
sense of ,god's love in the heart1 and  
arises from the ,divine influence of the
 spirit4 ,but he condemns the formal1   
customary way of singing1 which was     
practised by professors in his day1 and 
has been continued down to the present  
time1 as having no foundation in        
,scripture1 nor any ground in true      
,christianity4 ,he concludes his remarks
 on this subject in the following words3

 ,as to their artificial music1 either  
by organs or other instruments1 or      
voice1 we have neither example nor      
precept for it in the ,new ,testament4  
99       99       99       99       99  
,independently of that harmony of sound 
which is the result of musical skill1   
there is a modulation of the voice which
 is an index of the feelings of the     
mind4 ,where the heart is melted under a
 sense of ,divine goodness and love1 and
 thanksgiving to the ,author of all our 
blessings flows from it1 true melody is 
often shown in the tones of the voice2  
and this is sometimes apparent even when
 no words are distinctly uttered4 ,it is
 to such a state of mind we understand  
the ,apostle ,paul to refer when he     
speaks to the ,ephesians1 of making     
melody in your heart to the ,lord4 ,when
 an outward harmony1 depending upon     
invented tunes1 such as please the      
carnal mind1 and upon words which have  
been committed to memory in order to be 
sung therewith1 takes the place of that 

expression which comes from the heart   
and is uttered under a sense of the     
,divine requiring1 then those who take  
part therein fall into that formal1     
customary1 artificial way of singing1   
against which the ,society of ,friends  
has borne a steady testimony from its   
rise4                     99       99   
99       99       99  ,these            
observations apply to vocal religious   
exercises in the family as well as in   
more public gatherings4                 
99       99       99       99       99  
,we believe the tendency of this        
artificial music on the mind1 even when 
attuned to the expression of religious  
sentiment1 and accompanied by the       
language of ,divine worship1 is to lead 
the soul almost insensibly to substitute
 a pleasing emotion which ends in self1 
for those spiritual sacrifices which are
 acceptable to ,god by ,jesus ,christ1  
even a broken and contrite heart1 and   
that communion with the ,father and the 
,son which results from loving ,god and 

keeping his commandments4               
99       99       99       99       99  
,in congregational singing1 there is an 
added inconsistency4 ,for1 it is in the 
highest degree improbable that those    
assembled on such occasions will be in  
such a frame of mind as will fit them   
properly and truthfully to join in the  
offering of the prayers or praises      
expressed in the hymns which may be     
given out to be sung4 ,this objection is
 pointed out by ,barclay in his         
,apology1 where1 after stating that the 
formal customary way of singing hath no 
foundation in ,scripture1 nor any ground
 in true ,christianity1 he adds1 all    
manner of wicked1 profane persons take  
upon them to personate the experiences  
and conditions of blessed ,david2 which 
are not only false as to them1 but also 
to some of more sobriety1 who utter them
 forth4 ,such singing doth more please  
the carnal ears of men1 than the pure   
ears of the ,lord1 who abhors all lying 
and hypocrisy4 7,prop4 ,,xi1 sect4 #bf47

  ,this difficulty has been felt by many
 sincere persons who were not members of
 our ,society1 and has prevented some of
 them from joining in such performances4
 ,john ,spalding1 while still a member  
of the established ,church of ,england1 
was so convinced of its inconsistency1  
that he addressed a letter to those who 
met at the place of worship which he was
 accustomed to attend1 in which he says3
      ,i appeal to the witness of ,god  
in every heart1 considering the         
variety of conditions1 the different    
subjects of praise1 adoration1          
confession1 petitioning1 c41 contained  
in every collection of     hymns1       
whether in the fear of the ,lord any    
one1 in whatever state or     condition 
he may be at the time1 can with         
propriety be ready to sing     whatever 
may be given out4      ,john ,spalding  
further testifies as to the effect of   
formal singing     in worship4 ,from my 
own experience ,i can say it has a      
tendency to     divert the mind from    

solemn1 serious reflections4 ,i am now  
speaking     more particularly          
concerning those1 who have attained to a
 measure     of the grace of ,god4 ,ask 
yourselves1 is outward singing intended 
or     calculated to please the carnal  
ears of men1 or a holy ,god8 ,why such  
anxiety about tunes1 voices1 and music8 
,is the ,lord to be pleased     with    
such poor things8 ,oh1 no1 you cannot   
suppose it4 ,consider from     what root
 it springs2 from the old man or the    
new2 and remember the     axe is laid to
 the root to destroy all that is of the 
earth1 of our     fleshly nature4 ,i    
have considered those passages in the   
,new     ,testament where the subject is
 mentioned1 and am confirmed by them    
in my opinion of the inconsistency of   
public singing4 ,the apostle     speaks 
of singing with grace in the heart2 of  
making melody in the     heart to the   
,lord1 not making a noise with the      
tongue1 unless that     proceeds from   
the heart4  ,in a ,memorial concerning  

,edward ,cobb of ,maine1 issued by      
,falmouth ,monthly ,meeting1 there is   
preserved some account of his religious 
experience before he became a member of 
the ,society of ,friends1 which took    
place in #agig4 ,in this he states3     
,when quite young1 ,i learned the rules 
and was very fond of what is     called 
sacred music1 sparing no pains to attend
 schools for that     purpose2 and the  
prayer of my heart to be directed aright
 regarding     worship1 seemed to       
receive the first intelligible answer by
 the way     of reproof in this         
exercise2 and when1 at the head of a    
choir of     singers1 words have        
occurred that1 through the enlightening 
influence of heavenly goodness1 7which  
had long been operating on my     mind71
 appeared evidently inconsistent with my
 own state1 ,i have     often1 to be    
unobserved by the company1 kept the tune
 along2 while ,i     feared that taking 
the words into my mouth1 and uttering   
them as     worship to ,him who requires

 worship of his creature man in spirit  
and in truth1 could be nothing short of 
solemn mockery from that     mind which 
had been so far enlightened as to       
believe that nothing     could be       
acceptable worship to ,almighty ,god but
 what came from ,him1     and1 through  
the medium of his own ,spirit1 was      
breathed out to ,him     again as that  
,spirit should dictate1 whether in      
prayer or in praises     to his great   
name4  ,in confirmation of the fact that
 those who were convinced of the        
principles of ,friends1 when they joined
 in membership1 were constrained to lay 
aside their former practices of reading 
and singing in meetings for ,divine     
worship1 it may be mentioned1 that      
although the writings of those who were 
mainly instrumental in gathering the    
,society at the time of its rise1       
contain many advices1 cautions and      
encouragements to its members1 as to the
 exercise of the ministry1 and as to    
worship1 yet they are almost totally    

silent as to these practices4           
99       99       99       99       99  
,in expressing these views1 our object  
is to guard our own members from sliding
 into the adoption of views and         
practices which are inconsistent with1  
and lead away from the standard of      
spiritual religion and worship believed 
in by us1 and thus cause us to lose that
 post in his militant church which was  
assigned us by its ,holy ,head4         
99       99       99       99       99  
,we have been concerned also at the     
increase of instruments of music and the
 practice of singing in the families of 
our members1 as a means of amusement4   
,even under the ,jewish dispensation a  
woe was pronounced upon those who in a  
wanton and unconcerned state of mind    
invented unto themselves instruments of 
music like ,david1 but who were not     
grieved for the afflictions of          
,joseph--that is1 for the exercises and 
sufferings of the righteous seed4       
,george ,fox declares that he was led to

 cry out against all sorts of music2 and
 the advices of our ,society down to    
modern times have been uniformly in the 
same direction4 ,it has been felt that  
the time required to become a proficient
 in its practice was improperly taken   
from more important uses2 that the      
emotions it produces have no tendency to
 strengthen the intellectual or moral   
character2 that the most melodious      
sounds that human instruments can make  
have no power to implant principles1    
give strength to resist temptation or   
eradicate selfishness2 that the love of 
music often leads into associations     
which are corrupting in their character1
 as is shown by its use in promoting the
 frivolity of the ball-room1 and the    
dissipation of the drinking-saloon1 and 
especially in exciting the passions and 
drowning the sensibilities of those     
engaged in the awful conflicts of the   
battle-field2 and that it is often      
resorted to to dispel the feelings of   
sadness and inquietude which are spread 

over the mind at times by the ,holy     
,spirit1 and are the merciful           
visitations of our compassionate        
,redeemer1 designed to draw the thoughts
 away from earthly things1 and to fix   
them upon the alone ,source of never    
ending happiness4 ,instead of quietly   
and patiently abiding under these       
dispensations1 with the mind stayed on  
the ,lord1 in order to experience their 
full benefit1 if any of these visited   
ones should resort to instruments of    
music and other means of dissipating the
 impressions on their minds1 it will be 
likely to mar the blessing designed by  
this extension of the mercy of ,god to  
their souls4  ,the same kind of         
reasoning1 which would defend the use of
 music and singing as amusements1 may   
also be urged in support of dancing1    
attending theatrical exhibitions1 and   
other indulgences1 which1 in the        
aggregate1 distinguish the man of the   
world from the self-denying follower of 
,christ4  ,we desire1 therefore1        

renewedly to call the attention of      
,friends to this subject2 and to caution
 them against indulging themselves or   
their families in any practice1 however 
pleasing to the natural taste1 which    
will weaken their hands in supporting in
 its purity our ancient testimony to the
 nature of spiritual worship2 or which  
will have the effect of retarding their 
own progress in the self-denying path   
that leads to the kingdom of heaven4