993 On Instrumental Music in Divine Worship. 994 those pious feelings, is really serviceable: | adapted to answer the same purpose. this effect we attribute to singing when pro- The effects above enumerated, it must be perly performed. remembered, we have attributed entirely to the music of singing; and I confess I know no sound reason why the music of instruments should not be as naturally adapted to produce the same effects, because I can discover no essential difference between the sound of the human voice, and the sound of suitable instruments, performed by human breath and human hands. If such an essential difference could be proved to exist, it would also prove, that there is an essential difference between seeing with the naked eye and by the assistance of glasses, or between hearing with the naked ear and by the help of an instrument. Singing is most naturally indicative of joy; and hence, in divine worship it seems most naturally employed as an expression of praise and gratitude. Praise, in its principle, is a lofty conception of the divine perfection and glory; in practice, it is an endeavour to give expression to those views and feelings. In adoration, there is much of feeling, and that too of the most exalted description. Now the feeling of adoration is most significantly expressed in singing; and there may be infused into the air of a tune a certain kind of dignity, which shall not only be in exact accordance with our emotion and employment, but of that emotion it shall greatly elevate the tone. Again, gratitude to God for favours received, we are instinctively in. clined to express in singing. Gratitude is connected with, or rather is productive of, love and joy; and to sing a tune with a lively air would not only be in perfect ac cordance with these affections, but would be calculated to improve them. The use of vocal or instrumental music, in honour of any exalted character, or in token of gratitude to any benefactor, seems to be a lesson taught by nature, as the practice is common among savages. Again of the solemnities of death, judgment, and eternity, every pious man feels it his interest to have a suitable impression. The foundation of such impression must indeed be conviction and principle, but few things are better calculated to keep alive and deepen those impressions, than singing, or hearing solemn tunes. Once more: if our devotion is of the penitential or supplicating kind, suitable singing will counteract our natural apathy, and assist us to enter more strongly into the spirit of that imploring contrition in which true repentance consists. In a word, to produce impression seems to be the principal object of singing; and that by means of its sympathetic correspondence with our passions; and experience has proved that serious and devout impressions may be produced by it, as well as any other. If the warrior's courage is fired by the sound of martial music; if the lover's passion is augmented by music in its tender strains; if the melancholy are cheered by the sound of melody; so, sacred music elevates the tone and quickens the fire of the devout worshipper's feelings. : Such properties, then, and such effects we ascribe to singing, when piously performed. Our next inquiry is, whether, or to what extent, instrumental music is 131.-VOL. XI. But singing, by means of the articulate language of which it permits the use, may be the vehicle of sentiment as well as of emotion. This we confess is an important consideration in favour of vocal music; for sentiment is the ground-work of emotion. Our feelings on any particular subject, arise from the views and convictions that we entertain concerning it; and therefore, the clearer is the view, the deeper will be the impression. The impression of adoration, for instance, depends upon a solemn recognition of the divine perfections; and such a recognition will, doubtless, be greatly assisted by the opportunity which the devotional singer has, of using the language of a suitable hymn. In this particular, instrumental music labours under a disadvantage of an apparently formidable bulk: but it will be considerably reduced by the following consideration. 1. The disadvantage in question, is confined to the individuals who use instruments, and who always compose a very small part of a congregation. 2. There may be a mental recognition of sentiments when there is not a verbal one; and 3. Those who use instruments in public worship have generally the opportunity of hearing the hymn read, or given out by some person; in which case, their circumstances are not much more disadvantageous than that of the singer. our Pursuing thus the progress of reasoning on this subject, we seem to be conducted to the following conclusions; namely, that musical instruments may be used in divine worship with propriety and advantage, but that singing, is, in general preferable. This conclusion binds us to admit, that singing ought always, if possible, to prevail in this department of public worship; but it does not require the universal exclusion of instruments. For circumstances may exist to render the proper use of a few suitable instruments. 3 s 995 Brief Delineation of Ambition. obviously advantageous. For example, when there is not one or more leading voices; or when there is a general paucity of good voices in these cases, the judicious use of an instrument or two, will, I presume, have the effect of introducing more variety, stability, and melody, into congregational singing. Three objections are often urged against the use of instruments in divine worship, which I am induced to notice, from a persuasion, that they do not possess that weight which their authors attach to them. The first is, "That sets of singers and players are usually found to be persons of shallow, or no piety; amongst whom dissensions frequently arise, disgraceful and injurious to the cause of religion, and often issuing in the dissolution of the party, and their abandonment of the house of God." Now, if this be a correct statement of this objection, it appears to lie as much against singing as playing. It is, in fact, an objection not against the use, but against the abuse both of singing and playing. Persons of superficial piety, &c. may confederate together as singers in a place of worship, as well as players; but, as it would be absurd to charge the evils of such a confederation upon singing, so it would be equally absurd to charge them upon playing. The second objection to which I allude is, "that instruments were not used by the first Christians." This objection assumes that no forms or usages are lawful in the church, which were not in existence amongst the first converts to Christianity; an assumption, not only unauthorized, but absurd, in as much as it makes no allowance for the difference of circumstances between the primitive Christians, and those who live in christendom at the present day. By this argument, we might prove the unlawfulness of an elegant, and even a commodious church or chapel, of a liturgy and forms of prayer, and a variety of other matters which obtain in the present, and are allowed at least to be indifferent, although no traces of them can be discovered among the original disciples of Christ. Lastly, it is objected, that "instrumental music is defective in simplicity; that the art and skill displayed by the performers, and often the very agreeableness of the music, renders it more adapted to gratify the taste, than to improve the devotional feelings of the worshipper." It is acknowledged that many listen to and perform sacred music, merely as a pleasing art, without designing thereby to glorify God, or attempting to make it subservient to their devotion; but it must be remem 996 bered, that a very pleasing singer, a tasteful reader, or an eloquent preacher, may be listened to with exactly the same views and impressions: and we might say, that the more talent is displayed by these several performers, the more are their performances calculated to gratify the taste of the hearer, and the stronger is the temptation thereby offered to confine his attention to such display of talent, to the manifest injury of his spiritual edification; but all this, we know, forms no argument against good singing or speaking. The only debateable point of the case then is, whether instrumental music be more obnoxious to this charge than singing. Perhaps, in certain cases, there may be something in the sight and sound of instruments, that renders them unfavourable to deep and recollected devotion; these cases are, when the instruments are too numerous, of an improper description, or when the individual is unaccustomed to hear music. If the writer might be allowed to illustrate the last mentioned case by a reference to his own feeling, he would observe, that the use of an organ in a place of worship, he generally finds an incumbrance rather than a help to his devotion, yet this personal fact he does not feel at liberty to construe into a general objection against the judicious use of that instrument; because it is only very occasionally that he hears an organ, which circumstance, he thinks, furnishes the reason why the sound of that instrument takes his attention more than those he is regularly accustomed to hear. The mention of feeling leads him to remark, that some people lay undue stress on their individual feelings in the determination of the question at issue. To determine the point as a matter of feeling, is impossible, unless we could collect the faithful and agreeing testimony of all mankind on the subject. The testimony of a single person is but the fractional part of a conclusive argument, in the proportion that he bears to the rest of mankind. W. R. BRIEF DELINEATION OF AMBITION. AMBITION is the passion which prompts men to value or to seek any kind of eminence or distinction, as well as to avoid degradation and reproach. It is a kind of compound of admiration and desire, and becomes either a virtue or a vice, honourable or disgraceful, useful or pernicious, according to its direction or degree. The opinions of others concerning us, when expressed by words or actions, are principal sources of happiness or misery. The pleasures of this kind are usually referred 997 Essay on History and the Progress of Society. to the head of honour; the pains, to that of shame; but as it is most convenient to have a single word, to which to refer both pleasure and pain of this class, Dr. Hartley selects ambition for this purpose. He classes the several particulars which persons under the influence of ambition, wish to have known to others, or concealed from them, in order to obtain praise or dis praise, under four heads; viz. external advantages or disadvantages, of which the principal are fine clothes, riches, titles, and high birth, with their opposites, rags, poverty, obscurity, and low birth; bodily perfections and imperfections, of which the chief are beauty, strength, and health, on the one hand; and on the other, deformity, imbecility unfitting a person for the offices of life, and disease; intellectual accomplishments or defects, such as sagacity, memory, invention, wit, learning, and their opposites, folly, dulness, and ignorance; and moral qualities, i. e. virtue or vice. This ingenious writer investigates, in conformity to his proposed theory, the associations by which the pleasures and pains of ambition are produced-Observations on Man, 2 prop. 95. p. 262. &c. Ed. 1791. The Romans erected a temple to Ambition; and this was the divinity to which they offered the greatest number, or at least a very considerable number of sacrifices. It was represented with wings on its back, and naked feet, to express the extent of its designs, and the promptitude with which they were executed. "A being of the nature of man," says an elegant historian, at the close of his account of the Byzantine princes, "endowed with the same faculties, but with a longer measure of existence, would cast down a smile of pity and contempt on the crimes and follies of human ambition, so eager, in a narrow span, to grasp at a precarious and short-lived enjoyment. In a composition of some days, in a perusal of some hours, 600 years have rolled away, and the duration of a life or reign is contracted to a fleeting moment; the grave is ever beside the throne; the success of a criminal is almost instantly followed by the loss of his prize; and our immortal reason survives the sundry phantoms of beings who have passed before our eyes, and faintly dwelt on our remembrance. The observation, that in every age and climate ambition has prevailed with the same commanding energy, may abate the surprise of a philosopher; but while he condemns the vanity, he may search the motive of this universal desire to obtain and hold the sceptre of dominion."--Gibbon, vol. ix. p. 10. 998 ESSAY ON HISTORY AND THE PROGRESS HISTORY, in the legitimate sense of the It is from universal, and not from particular history, that we derive a comprehensive knowledge of the genius and habitudes of man. Particular history, which refers to a detached part only of our species, must be as limited in its use, as it is confined in its views. It cannot give us adequate ideas of man in general, because it treats only of particulars; much less can it answer the great end of history, which is, to show us the primitive formation of society, the birth and progress of human science, the succession of kingdoms, and, above all, the commanding influence of the true faith in all ages of the world. In the page of universal history we are made acquainted with the origin of things, and the few particulars which are recorded respecting the antediluvian world. Subsequent to this, we see the posterity of Noah collected n the plain of Shinar; and, after the confusion of languages, we follow them over the earth, and observe the first peopling of the nations; we contemplate the rise of kingdoms, which resembles "the letting out of mighty waters," and behold the great monarchies widening by degrees, and increasing in luxury and opulence, till we, at length, see them sink under their own magnificence, or, more properly, under the depravity which that magnificence had introduced. After considering the kingdoms which have passed away, we reflect on the causes that led successively to their rise, their greatness, and their overthrow. It is im portant that we should perceive and remember these causes, that as we move along the stream of time, we may observe what advantages resulted to the states whose rulers profited by the experience of earlier times, and what evils ensued to the countries whose sovereigns neglected the awful lesson. If we find that similar errors in government inflicted, in various ages, similar evils on different states, we shall conclude that the same causes produce at all times the same effects; and as we descend to modern states, we shall 999 Essay on History and the Progress of Society: judge of them by a physical law, which, if not infallible, is at least the best that could be framed. Such a course of observation alone will prepare us to appreciate the blessings of our native land, and reveal to us the basis on which its glory is supported. We have no means of comprehending the state and perfections of man, as originally formed by his Maker, with sufficient clearness, to trace out the physical causes of his subsequent degeneracy. The high authority of revelation will not permit us to doubt of his primitive excellence in all the good that Heaven bestowed, and his immediate investiture with that exalted character which alone could fit him to stand forth in “the image of God;" while all human traditions and records incontestably prove that, since the fall, the first race of men in every country have appeared in a low and degraded state, and, by degrees more or less slow, according to circumstances, reached a comparative perfection, which is, however, of itself, insufficient to show either what he was, or what he shall be. It is not permitted us to rove through Eden, where "God himself, and angels, dwelt with man ;" independent of revelation, have we any data by which to judge of the antedilu. vian world. Having premised this, we shall, through the present essay, speak of the first stage of society, as observable in the origin of the empires whose history, traditional or written, has been brought down to modern times. nor, Man is a social animal. The human race could not remain long in a state of complete dispersion. The wants and inclinations of the individual lead him to his species, and oblige him to look up to his fellows for the means of safety, and a provision for his necessities; impelling him not more by a principle of love to his kind, than by a consciousness of his own weakness to enter into the bond of social compact. The first state of society is rude and uncultivated every individual frames laws for himself, and the labours of the community are directed only to objects of necessity, which are, their safety, clothing, and daily food. Men, in their savage state, are every where nearly alike, since the same necessities are common to all. They are employed in hunting the beasts of the forest, whose ravages are the scourge and terror of wandering and unsettled tribes; and while the destruction of these animals secures the safety of man, their flesh provides him with food, and their skins furnish him with raiment. 1000 Society could not long exist without laws; and laws would be useless without a superior to enforce them. The first attempts at legislation were rude but correct; the boundary between right and wrong was easily determined, and distinctly pointed out; vice was summarily punished, and the reward of virtue could be desired by none but the virtuous, since it consisted in fixing the moral and social duties in the minds of others by their wisdom and example. "The power of the chief was at first deduced from the natural privileges of paternal authority;" and in primitive times the incentives to ambition were not strong enough to draw aside these first of rulers from the practice of kingly virtues: they bore sway, at once, over the persons and the hearts of men. Hence, when the traditions of the true God became obscure or extinct, the memory of their kings was held sacred by a people, and they honoured their deceased benefactors with the rites of apotheosis. Physical strength, at first, gave a right to the sceptre. He who excelled his fellows in the chase, acquired, in consequence, a superiority which none was inclined to dispute, and that induced all to yield to his authority. When a people have submitted to be guided by laws, and have an acknowledged chief to enforce the observance of them, they are no longer contented with the mere necessaries of life, but begin to pay attention to its conveniences and comforts; and this is usually the first sign they exhibit of a desire after improvement. The low conical hut is exchanged for more commodious habitations; useful animals are domesticated, and the savage becomes a shepherd. The predatory incursions of a neighbouring people into their pastures involve the community in a petty warfare, and the shepherd becomes a soldier. The party which proves victorious in the contest is elated with success, and wishes for fresh triumphs and additional spoils. The flame of ambition, when once lighted in the human breast, is not easily extinguished. The shepherds who successfully defended their flocks from the hands of rapine and violence, acquired, whilst doing so, a rude renown, which they were inclined to use for their own advantage. They were led naturally to prefer a life of warfare that promised an accumulation of spoils, to the defenceless state of shepherds, which subjected them to the depredation of armed tribes. The second state of society presents to our view a rude and warlike people, ranged 1001 Essay on History and the Progress of Society. under the banner of their leader, and setting out for conquest. The neighbouring tribes, terrified at their martial appearance, submit at their approach, and enter into a confederacy with them; thus the leader of a little band presently becomes the general of a great army, which he leads to some spot where nature is more than commonly bountiful; and there, under his direction, this multitude raise the outline of a city, which is in time to become the capital of a mighty empire. The inhabitants of the new city direct their labours to different objects. To provide food for all, part of the people cultivate the ground, and others resume the shepherd's life. The mechanical arts begin to make their appearance, and the greater part of the citizens are engaged in the practice of them; whilst awakening genius discovers and methodizes their first principles. The advances of early states in knowledge and refinement must have been slow and imperceptible, since the people they conquered had made no greater progress in society than themselves. It was not until conquest had placed a people beyond the dread of an attack upon their empire, that the decisive dawnings of science and the arts of civil life appeared, and ages elapsed before they were brought to any degree of perfection. Not only is the progress of the human mind much influenced by climate, but the advances of national improvement also depend in a great measure on its constitution; indeed the latter is a necessary consequence of the former, for whatever is common to individuals must affect the whole species. In northern countries the severity of the cold and ruggedness of the soil retard the efforts of the mind, and in those parts man remains long in his savage state, and rarely emerges from barbarism; but in southern countries, where the soil is more fruitful and the cold less severe, the animal wants are easily supplied, and the attention of man is directed earlier to mental improvement and the cultivation of the arts. The third state of society begins when a powerful people are possessed of mild and competent laws, which they respect, and are subject to a monarch whom they reverence and love; when the civil arts have been brought to a point of high perfection; and when a taste for literature and liberal science has become general. If it is not absolutely necessary to the refinement of a people, and their advancement in civilization, that they should be subordinate to kingly authority, it cannot be disputed that a limited monarchy is the form of government best calculated to promote them. 1002 Where the government is vested equally in several or many hands, there will be strong and obstinate factions, which, of themselves, are a formidable barrier to the progress of national improvement. The liberal and refined state of society is evidenced by a cultivation of the arts generally; more especially those of architecture, poetry, music, and painting. The architecture of a people is the most obvious criterion whereby to judge of their refinement. Uncouth and fantastic design, and a gothic profusion of ornament, will not be cherished in a country which boasts an intimate acquaintance with the arts. Sublimity in architecture, as in every thing else, consists in simplicity; it is produced by majestic outline, not by elaborate and over-wrought detail. The higher a nation advances in refinement, the nearer its taste will assimilate to the chaste models of Greece and Rome; which, originally deducing their efforts from Egyptian copies, succeeded at length in producing those sublime orders, which remain for the imitation of all future ages. That gothic architecture has now its "fixed principles," and its "inherent beauties;" "* and that it will probably continue to be the usual form of ecclesiastical architecture will not be denied; yet it is as certain that this order was originally deduced from the Roman models, by a people who possessed very incorrect ideas of the sublime and beautiful. Indideed, gothic architecture, in its origin, consisted only of ill-judged deviations from the Roman copy. These deviations, it is true, have been reduced to fixed principles, and by slow degrees wrought into an order of imposing appearance and apparent greatness. But this we may well assert; if there was not such a mode of architecture in existence, a refined people would not compose one at all similar. Poetry is an art which is incapable of improvement, any further than as the vehicle of language may become more perfect; and it would not be difficult to shew that the savage and barbarous states of society produce more genuine poesy than any other. It will be allowed, that when a language has been brought to high perfection, and public taste has become exquisitely correct, the poetry of a refined people assumes a lovely character; it pours the full strain that comes from, and speaks to, the heart, and its melody awakes "like a giant refreshed." But there is nothing new in its sounds they are only the reminis Vide "Classification of the Architecture of Hereford Cathedral," by Rev. T. Garbett, M.A. F.A.S. |