Tie or Tether I am grateful to '"'Ayrsmoss" for his eloquent exposition in this paper on the 5th instant of the Scot's character in things religious. What I wrote in pencil, so to speak, he has written with the pen. He spoke beautifully of the ties that bind the soul of the true Scot. And religion is essentially if not etymologically a tie. But will he not admit the tendency of the tie to become a tether, ie. a tie with a fixed point at the other end. Now religion is a tie to one who is always revealing His mind and will in fresh ways. True religion' is always a tie, but it knows nothing of the fixity of a teacher.
The pull of a tether is proved in this, when the soul's attitude in worship can be described as an opinion. So-called sacred pieces sung by choir or solo are not in his (viz. the Scot's) opinion worship, for while he loves music he prefers to call the former thinly disguised concerts." (I quote from Ayrs-moss). Now what have opinions got to do with worship. They are in place on the intellectual plane, they may be part of the equipment of a sermon-taster. But to stand: on the pedestal of an opinion when the music that a man loves rings out in solo or otherwise '"O for a closer walk with God," or Jesu, Word of God Incarnate," (to name two prayers sometimes entrusted to choirs), is simply responding to the pull of an ancient controversy instead of allowing the Spirit to use the present hour by every way that. can reach the heart.
Worship is a trialogue, if I may coin the expression, between the minister, the member of the congregation and the Spirit of God (or the living Christ). Sometimes the member is silent while the minister speaks, sometimes both are silent. But the listening is part of the worship; it may be, it should be, if it is not baulked by the grim-lipped "opinion" which proves the tension of the tether.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.