21 Instrumental Music

21. Instrumental Music Autobigraphy - James H. Oliphant

CHAPTER XXI. In 1910-11-12 there was considerable confusion and strife among our people concerning the use of instrumental music in our churches. The arguments in favor of it were drawn from the fact that it was used by Israel under the law. Those places in the Psalms, and other places where it was mentioned with favor, were brought forward to sustain the practice. The 150th Psalm was frequently quoted. Verse iv. of that Psalm says, "Praise Him with the timbrel and dance." If this chapter sustains the organ, it does also the dance. The subject was discussed in a general way, and our people settled it generally and rejected it. It was first introduced by Pope Vitalian in the Catholic church in the year 666. There is no trace of it in the New Testament. Israel was a political, and even a military institution, as well as a religious institution. In deciding what part of the Old Testament service is to be retained in the worship of God under the new is to be determined by the course of Christ and His apostles, and as they did not bring the organ from the old into the new, we have no authority to do so. The offering of sacrifices and burning of incense, etc., was not retained in the New Testament service. These things, with instrumental music were folded up and laid aside. The great body of our people took this view and I hope it is settled among our people. There are several in Georgia---perhaps two thousand---that have gone off with this move, while in Georgia there are near fifteen thousand that stand with our people generally. I think the move has collapsed everywhere else. I have felt much interest in this move, and very anxious to see it fail. I hope I will never live to see another time of strife and confusion among our people. It seems there have ever been some among us that want to make some change somewhere in our doctrine or practice. I have lived to see a number of these movements, and all of them have failed. Members that go off after these efforts have divided again, some return to the fold, and others drift into the Arminian churches, and so the cause proves a failure.

I think the advocates of the organ in the church will repeat the history of other similar movements. The friends of this move have urged that we ought not to non-fellowship the organ brethren, but hold them still in our fellowship, and labor with them to reclaim them from the error. This plea looks pretty well, but if we decide to fellowship it, it will be difficult to labor with brethren who want it. All that the most ardent friends of the organ could ask is that we fellowship it, and agree to bear with them while they use it. But this would make it difficult to see how we could labor with them to give up a practice that we stand ready to fellowship. The labors of our editors have been faithful in opposing this innovation. I have felt bound to these precious brethren for their faithful labors in rooting up this weed. The Monitor and Elder Cash’s paper and Elders Cayce, Hassell, Webb, Branscombe, Waters and Gold, all have stood together in defense of truth and right on this subject. I can not tell how much I love these faithful men. Trials yield much good, they strengthen our bonds of love, and they reveal the firm lovers of truth to one another. I sincerely hope I will never see another division, but I trust the Lord will enable me to be faithful if I do.

Elder Lemuel Potter once said that the Primitive Baptists had ever stood by him---they had loved him and sought his good all the way. He said the reason they had done so was that he had stood by them and their sentiments. Elder Potter saw this right, he was a fearless and faithful friend to our people.

Here is a good example for our young ministers. Let them stand up for our people with whatever ability they possess, and they will find the Primitive Baptists will stand with them. But when they begin to favor new methods and sentiments they will be deserted by the rank and file or our people. When Elder S. F. Cayce died his son Claude asked me to do what I could for the paper. I promised to do so while the paper stood firmly for truth, and the dear young brother has been true to our cause and I believe will be to his journey’s end. I traveled and preached with Elder S. F. Cayce, and loved him dearly, and when he died I felt sure that one of our best elders had been called home, and I cannot express the pleasure it gives me to see the paper continue to be a sound and good Primitive Baptist paper. The Lord blessed Elder Cayce in his sons to take his place in maintaining our people’s cause.

Sometimes we grow pessimistic and fear our pulpits will be empty of faithful men, but this will never be. The truth is with us, and it will not die or cease from the world. Young men will be raised up to take the places of the old. The plea has been made that we drove off the young men that left us and went to the Missionaries. I am convinced that this is a mistake. Where young men have the cause at heart, and love the truth, they will not be driven off. I am satisfied that these young men tried to modernize our churches, to carry our people to the Missionary ground, and failing to do it they left us, and I have not felt that we are the worse off for their going. When elders get tired of the plain, old fashioned ways of our people it is better to go where the things they want are practiced without giving trouble. Better for those who distress and divide our people to go elsewhere. We should be kind and gentle to our young elders. We should love them, and esteem them highly. We know the battle of life that awaits them, we know, too, the cares and burdens they must endure, and the trials their wives must go through, and we should be their friends and encourage them. I can assure them that if they love the principles of our people, and stay with them, they will always have faithful and loving friends that will help them with the burdens of life.

I have been favored with kind and loving friends all the way---the best of friends. Drs. Williams and Taylor have joined me in the study of the scriptures often in their office, and in our investigations we only sought to find the truth without any effort to support any hobby, and this is the only way to profit in the study of the scriptures.

If you have a burning desire to know the truth, and can find kindred spirits that share in this desire, you will find it profitable and pleasant to meet with them often, and as you read the Bible at home make texts for your meeting and then confer as to its teaching. How few persons are there who enjoy a close study of the Bible, who are willing to "search the scriptures," and with hearts touched by the Holy Spirit, to try in every way to find the teaching of God’s word. With such efforts and such hearts, good results will come from such meetings. A good way to study the Bible is to read it in the order it stands, and read slowly, and get an idea as to the teaching of each verse as you read it. Never leave a verse until you have an opinion as to its teaching. Perhaps you will occasionally find verses you can not understand, or get any idea of, but let your custom be to get some opinion of all of them as you read. The bee does not extract the honey from the blossom by a hasty and careless passing over it, but by going down into every part of it. So every sentence is a blossom from which to gather the sweets of truth. We need the spirit of God to open our understanding that we may understand the scriptures. "Lord open Thou my understanding that I may behold wondrous things in Thy law."