Seventh Negative
…J. W. McGARVEY: “To sum up these arguemtns, you can now see that this practice is one of recent origin among Protstant churches, adopted by them from the Roman apostasy; that is was one of the latest corruptionss adopted by that corrupt body; that a large part of the religious world has never accepted it; that, though employed in the Jewish ritual, it was deliberately laid aside by the inspired men who organized the church of Christ; and that several precepts of the New Testament implicitly condemn it.” (“What Shall We Do About the Organ?” pages 6, 7.)
This is the last of fifteen quotes Boles assembles to conclude his negative. The purpose of the quotes is to establish his case that the history of instrumental music cannot be traced back to the earliest church. I think Boles’ inclusion of McGarvey as the final quote is a double-whammy of sorts. It is the final quote of the authorities Boles marshalls to prove his point; it serves to underscore that McGarvey agrees with the authorities. Furthermore, given the back-and-forth between the disputants on McGarvey’s scholarship, it is rhetorical jab.
M. D. Clubb and H. Leo Boles, Discussion, Is Instrumental Music in Christian Worship Scriptural? Nashville: Gospel Advocate Company, 1927, pages 108.
eScriptorium 