"When the gift of the ministry through the Holy Ghost was lost and no more received, men began to make ministers by learning arts and languages and human policy. They began to study from books and writings what to preach, not having the Holy Ghost, without which none are the ministers of Christ." "Having lost the sense of God's true worship, which is in spirit and in truth, they began to worship in outward observances, which is not the worship of God, but superstitious and idolatrous." "When singing in the spirit and with the understanding ceased, then people began to introduce the form of singing David's experiences, in rhyme and metre; and thus, in the apostacy, the form grew as a substitute for that which the saints had enjoyed in power; shadows were set up instead of the substance, and death instead of life." The same writer in an appeal to the professors of his day to test their religious profession by the Scriptures, says: "Likewise you sing and give to sing David's psalms in rhyme and metre, professing it is to the glory and honor of God. Ye practise this as an ordinance of God, as a part of his worship, and as a part of your religion; but this practice and profession also are manifest not to be according to the Scriptures; because it was never commanded; neither is there any precedent for this practice in the Scriptures in gospel times." Robert Barclay says, "We confess this [singing of Psalms] to be a part of God's worship, and very sweet and refreshing when it proceeds from a true sense of God's love in the heart, and arises from the Divine influence of the spirit." But he condemns "the formal, customary way of singing," which was practised by professors in his day, and has been continued down to the present time, as having "no foundation in Scripture, nor any ground in true Christianity." He concludes his remarks on this subject in the following words: "As to their artificial music, either by organs or other instruments, or voice, we have neither example nor precept for it in the New Testament." * * * * *