Wesley Corpus

Indeed we have. The most effectual way of preaching Christ, is to preach him in all his offices, and to declare his law as well as his gospel, both to believers and unbelievers. Let us strongly and closely insist upon inward and outward holiness, in all its branches. Q. 39. How shall we guard against formality in public wor ship; particularly in singing? A. (1.) By preaching frequently on the head. (2.) By taking care to speak only what we feel. (3.) By choosing such hymns as are proper for the congregation. (4.) By not sing ing too much at once; seldom more than five or six verses. (5.) By suiting the tune to the words. (6.) By often stopping short, and asking the people, “Now, do you know what, you said last? Did you speak no more than you felt 7” Is not this formality creeping in already, by those complex tunes, which it is scarcely possible to sing with devotion? Such is, “Praise the Lord, ye blessed ones:” Such the long quavering hallelujah annexed to the morning-song tune, which I defy any man living to sing devoutly. The repeating the same words so often, (but especially while another repeats different words, the horrid abuse which runs through the modern church-music) as it shocks all common sense, so it necessarily brings in dead formality, and has no more of reli gion in it than a Lancashire hornpipe. Besides, it is a flat contradiction to our Lord’s command, “Use not vain repeti tions.” For what is a vain repetition, if this is not? What end of devotion does it serve? Sing no anthems. (7.) Do not suffer the people to sing too slow. This natu rally tends to formality, and is brought in by them who have either very strong or very weak voices. (8.) In every large society let them learn to sing; and let them always learn our own tunes first. (9.) Let the women constantly sing their parts alone. Let no man sing with them, unless he under stands the notes, and sings the bass, as it is pricked down in the book. (10.) Introduce no new tunes till they are perfect in the old. (11.) Let no organ be placed anywhere, till pro posed in the Conference.