Reformed Covenanter
Cancelled Commissioner
The great, primary, responsible leader of all worship in the Church is our blessed Lord Himself – the minister of the true sanctuary which the Lord pitched, and not man. In this capacity He is pleased to say in the 22nd Psalm – and it is quoted in the New Testament too – “I will declare thy name unto my brethren; in the midst of the church will I sing praise unto thee.” On this verse Calvin has this beautiful comment:– “It thus appears that our Lord is the leader of our songs and chief composer of our hymns.” Are they uninspired hymns which Christ composes, and leads us in singing in the great congregation? He is spiritually present with His people in their worship in the sanctuary.
But were He bodily present, as in the synagogue of Nazareth, when there was given to Him the book of the prophet Isaiah, would you give Him any other book of song than the book of the Psalms of David, or other inspired songs of Scripture? Would you give Him other than His own Psalms to lead you in singing? – His own Psalms, in that they are composed by Himself; and His own Psalms, in that His soul sang them, with grace in His heart unto the Lord, in the days of His flesh. You maintain communion with Him, and He with you, when, in the praises of the sanctuary, you sing His Psalms. ...
For more, see Hugh Martin on Christ our worship leader.
But were He bodily present, as in the synagogue of Nazareth, when there was given to Him the book of the prophet Isaiah, would you give Him any other book of song than the book of the Psalms of David, or other inspired songs of Scripture? Would you give Him other than His own Psalms to lead you in singing? – His own Psalms, in that they are composed by Himself; and His own Psalms, in that His soul sang them, with grace in His heart unto the Lord, in the days of His flesh. You maintain communion with Him, and He with you, when, in the praises of the sanctuary, you sing His Psalms. ...
For more, see Hugh Martin on Christ our worship leader.
