3.
My Dear Brother, The ordinary rule of scripture is that, in the calling wherein a man is called, he should therein abide with God. The blessed Lord was a carpenter till called to His own further service; and Paul was a tent-maker, and at times supplied his own wants.
In a certain sense all things are lawful for me; there are many where the motive is everything. Christianity does not change the order of the world, even where sin has given rise to it. I could not systematically sell gin; if gin was of use, I could give it to the sick unless it were a stumbling-block to others.
The disciples were taken out of the world to represent God in it, walking in His ways, not its ways, deriving their life and all their ways from Him, to live as Christ did. The world is an immense system built up by Satan around fallen man to keep him insensible to his ruin. (Gen. 4:20-2220And Adah bare Jabal: he was the father of such as dwell in tents, and of such as have cattle. 21And his brother's name was Jubal: he was the father of all such as handle the harp and organ. 22And Zillah, she also bare Tubal-cain, an instructor of every artificer in brass and iron: and the sister of Tubal-cain was Naamah. (Genesis 4:20‑22).) The Lord does not pray we should be taken out of the world but kept from the evil.
Your friend is solemnized by the voluntary. Is he content to be unfit for worship till he hears the organ? This is a poor plea, and putting nature instead of grace, which has even boldness to enter into the holiest. This lowers and falsifies the whole nature of our relationship with God and Judaises it.
As to conversion, whenever Christ is presented, souls can be converted; yet this is not worship but preaching. Christians becoming more and more worldly is no reason for our going with it but the contrary. No doubt people are attracted; but so they are to gin-palaces: the Puseyite recommends it in church on that ground. So they are [attracted] largely to Popery. God may rise above all mistakes in grace; but it is one of the strongest marks that worldly attraction has taken the place of grace and Christ. Did you ever find Christ or Paul have music or a band to draw people? It lowers the whole character of Christianity.
The earthly promises to the Jews do not directly apply to us, but in general God's faithfulness and loving care, as “I will never leave thee nor forsake thee,” is used in the New Testament as well as the Old. And this latter is written for us, for our instruction on whom the ends of the world are come, that we through belief and comfort of the scriptures might have hope. 1 Peter is, after redemption stated, a treatise on these ways of God now, using the Old Testament for it. The Old Testament cannot give us an accomplished redemption nor glory into which Christ was not yet entered; but it is “able to make us wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus.” You have to discern what is earthly Jewish promises. It is important to do so; but what is in God, faithfulness, grace, love, condescending care of us, is always true. We get it perhaps more clearly applied in the New. Thus, “Seek ye first and all these things shall be added unto you.” I should be sorry to reduce Christianity to mere Jewish promises, but what is in God is always true. 2 Thess. 2 shows, that when people would not receive the love of the truth that they may be saved, they are (when Christ rises up) given over to darkness.
I think the way of stating the gospel you speak of wholly wrong—only God bears with many a mistake where Christ is truly preached. But the statement is quite unscriptural and no true gospel at all. Yet it might reach a man's conscience with the feeling He was not willing to give them up.
What I said as to the transfiguration was that those three were going to be pillars (see Gal. 2); and that it was to cheer and strengthen their faith. The tendency of having a companion with less faith is to weaken our own; still faith may overcome this.
Yours affectionately in Christ,
J. N. DARBY.
4.
My Dear Brother, I am very thankful your conscience has been exercised about the music. I can sympathize with you; for, as far as ear goes, music had the greatest power over me though never taught to play. But the ground of those who wish you to keep it up is all wrong and not true. It is not for Christ they wish you to keep the harmonium; and that decides the case. I am not a Jew, nor can I [do so] in the New Jerusalem where all will be for God's glory, though not in the highest way (for the Father does not come in there). I could suppose a person earning his bread by music, though I think it a very dangerous way, as Peter did by fishing; which is no excuse for a person spending his time fishing to amuse himself. All these pleas of “gifts of God” are bringing in nature, when it is fallen, into the worship and service of the new man and the Lord, and spoiling it. (I have known hunting justified by the hounds having scent!) No instrument can equal in effect (so Haydn said) the human voice.
Besides, as I said, it is not true; it is merely keeping the pleasure of fallen; nature not a thing evil in itself, but a connecting sensuous pleasure with spiritual life. It is not the thing to begin with a ruined soul; but we have to live by God's word. Harps and organs down here began in Cain's city when he had gone out from the presence of the Lord.
In point of fact artistic musicians as a general rule are not a moral class. The imagination is at work, not the conscience nor the heart. Judaism did take up nature, to see if they could have a religion of it; which proved it could not be but ended in the rejection of Jehovah and His anointed. We are dead and risen with Christ and belong to another world. Hence I cannot seek my enjoyment in what belongs to the old, though I may recognize God's work in it; but I do not seek it as a world I belong to now. It is not a legal prohibition, but the heart elsewhere. If I could put a poor sick father to sleep with music, I would play the most beautiful I could find. But it only spoils any worship as bringing in the pleasure of sense into what ought to be the power of the Spirit of God. They cannot go really together, save as water may take away the taste of wine.
It is a wholly false principle that natural gifts are a reason for using them. I may have amazing strength or speed in running; I knock a man down with one, and win a prize with another. Music may be a more refined thing; but the principle is the same.
This point I believe to be now of all importance. Christians have lost peace and moral influence by bringing in nature and the world as harmless. All things are lawful to me. But, as I said, you cannot mix flesh and Spirit. We need all our energies under grace to walk in the latter, “always bearing about in the body the dying of Jesus, that the life also of Jesus may be manifested in our mortal bodies.” Let Christ be all, and the eye is single and the “whole body is full of light.” The converse is, if our eye be evil because it shuts out Christ, our affections are not set on things above where Christ sits at God's right-hand. This is the point for us: happy affections there, and steadfastly, not being distracted.
Your affectionate brother in Christ,
J. N. DARBY