WE know it is right to “Let the word of Christ dwell in us richly; and with all wisdom teach and admonish each other by psalms and hymns and spiritual songs; singing with gratitude in our hearts to the Lord”—to “be filled with the Spirit; speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs; singing and making melody in our hearts to the Lord.” This can be done, and we know it is right; but that a man can make melody in his heart to the Lord “with an organ,” a fiddle, banjo, clarionet, lute, fife or jew’s-harp, we do not know, nor do we believe it. We want to do what is written, and enjoin it on others, to do it. What is not written we do not want to do. When the Lord so minutely describes how we are to do anything, we want to do it in that way. The way he prescribes will do the thing commanded; some other way might not do what is commanded at all.
A Book of Gems, or, Choice selections from the writings of Benjamin Franklin
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About This Book
A curated anthology of sermons, debates, tracts, and miscellaneous religious writings arranged by subject and indexed for quick reference. Selections treat biblical authority, church order and practices (such as baptism and communion), pastoral responsibilities and preaching, moral exhortation, repentance and salvation, missionary effort, and reflections on life’s brevity. Short homiletic pieces blend doctrinal argument with practical counsel and urgent appeals for immediate personal and communal reform, offering guidance for Christian conduct and for those engaged in ministry or church renewal.