In the early Advent movement, the hymns on the subject of the coming of the Lord, sung with intense earnestness and solemnity had a wonderful effect on the hearers.
James White, one of the great leaders in the great second Advent Movement of 1844, was very musical, a powerful and an excellent singer. And there were many others who sang with heart and soul and voice, and with telling effect, the message of the coming of the Lord.
Many of us have heard one of the oldest living pioneers tell of his first acquaintance with the first angel’s message, and of the mighty converting power of the first advent song he heard, that brought him at once to acknowledge the truth of that message.
At one time an Adventist company was arrested for disturbing the people with their singing. At the command of the judge before whom they were tried, they sang three of the thrilling Adventist hymns and were set free at once with the statement that, “If people are disturbed with that kind of singing they ought to be disturbed.”
My father and mother well remember, and both of my grandfathers and grandmothers took part in the great movement of 1844. As a boy, how many times in the evening twilight have I heard them, with other pioneers, sing the old Advent hymns in a manner that thrilled me through and through and set every nerve and every drop of blood, and my very heart, to vibrating. Since then I have heard many of the greatest singers and musicians in the world, but never have I heard music that so powerfully impressed me as the soul singing of the old pioneers in the Adventist message, of the simple yet mighty Adventist hymns sung with the Spirit’s power.
Think you that the close of this work will come and find us using any music inappropriate for a great message? Every great religious movement had had music of its own appropriate for the time and occasion, and for the special message. This message in its closing power will have such music. We do not need to imitate the music of Babylon any more than we need to imitate the preaching of Babylon.
“Let us sing of the coming of Christ, of the heavenly home, and of the great truths of our selective message. And let us select true, substantial music. God will no doubt have some music written directly for the closing work, but many of the old hymns if sung with the spirit, would bring a mighty blessing to God’s people.“
Thank God that we have still some real Adventist music, but we shall have a far greater revival of distinctive Advent singing appropriate for the most solemn and awful crisis the world has ever known. The old Advent hymns, when sung with the Advent spirit, bring into the meetings the presence and power of God, whose spirit is so effectively banished by much modern music many have been accustomed to hear and to sing in the popular churches.
There was never before such a flood of cheap music, dance music, “ragtime,” as to today. The satanic, Sodomic dances of today are a sign the end is just upon us. The cheap, sensational, sentimental hymns of today come from the same school of music.
In speaking of modern revivals, “Great Controversy,” that wonderful book which should be studied today more than ever before, says on page 464, “There is an emotional excitement, a mingling of the true with the false, that is well adapted to mislead.”
It is true there are many grand old hymns like, “Jesus Lover of My Soul,” “Nearer My God to Thee,” “Rock of Ages,” etc., that always will be appropriate. It is true that there are some modern hymns that are very good, but very much is sentimental trash. A hymn of that kind will spoil the best sermon, paralyze the effect of the most earnest prayer.
I well remember hearing after a most earnest sermon, a modern concert sentimental song, sung with manifest pride and affectation, and the effect of the sermon was wholly ruined. I also well remember hearing a person who often boasted of being “up-to-date” in the line of music, leads a hymn; with good word’s so rapidly sung to a dance tune, that it moved the feet rather than the heart, and the meeting was completely spoiled.
Let us sing of the coming of Christ, of the heavenly home, and of the great truths of our selective message. And let us select true, substantial music. God will no doubt have some music written directly for the closing work, but many of the old hymns if sung with the spirit, would bring a mighty blessing to God’s people. It is sad to see that too so many of the generation which knew not the old Advent spirit and the old advent music, some of the sweetest and most spiritual of the old Advent hymns are entirely new. “Jesus Soon is Coming, This is My Song,” “O Brother be Faithful,” “We have Heard From the Bright the Holy Land,” etc., (Numbers 872, 509, 1010, etc., in Hymns and Tunes).
May God give us a revival of true Advent singing and hasten the time when we shall join in the great victory song of Moses and the Lamb, at the coming of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.
The following article is taken from the January 18, 1916 issue of The Workers’ Bulletin. The original can be found at the Adventist Digital Library website.
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