On Shouting by D. F. NEWTON

The Seventh-day Adventist Publishing Association · Battle Creek, Mich. · Dec 12, 1865

On Shouting.

By D. F. NEWTON

SHOUT! Let them shout if they feel like it—live like it. There is no harm in shouting, when it comes from a full, overflowing heart, of faith, love and good works. Shouting is scriptural, a Bible doctrine. It was customary for good men, holy men, to shout in olden time. God commanded it. See Num. xxiii, 21; Josh. vi, 5; 2 Chron. xiii, 15. In the time of Ezra, “when the people sang together, by course, praising and giving thanks unto the Lord; because he is good, for his mercy endureth forever. . . . And the people shouted with a great shout when they praised the Lord.”—Ezra iii, 11. David was accustomed to shout—shout aloud. “Shout unto God with the voice of triumph.” “Cry out, and shout, thou inhabitant of Zion, let them shout from the tops of the mountains.” David brought up the Ark of God with shoutings of holy joy. “Shout, O Israel, be glad with all thy heart.” “Shout, O daughter of Jerusalem; behold thy king cometh unto thee.” We could fill a volume of quotations, proving conclusively that shouting is no new thing, and that it is well pleasing in the sight of Heaven. It does one’s soul good to see a holy man, so full of love that he can’t keep it in, it’s thrilling, soul-kindling! Let it out, throw it out, shout it out, from pole to pole. Let the heavenly arches ring hallelujahs to God in the highest, else the very stones cry out. Some fastidious, pharisaical minds oppose shouting; go so far as to repudiate it entirely—manifest great hostility. Not long since, one church split all to pieces on this ground. One man felt like shouting, and would shout. Another man, starched up, said, “No, no; this shouting in God’s house, is out of the question, out of time and out of date, out of fashion. Shouting might be endured once, but the times have altered. Society is more polished—shouting now will never do; it’s impolite to shout.” Thus a root of bitterness sprang up on the question of shouting, by which many were defiled.

To be sure, for a man to shout, groan, respond, or say Amen, hypocritically or insincerely, meanwhile leading a crooked life, walking disorderly, proudly, selfishly—making a “god of his belly,” living in lust, is awful! grating like the crackling of thorns under the pot! But a good, hearty response, or shout of praise to God, from a holy, sanctified soul, walking in all the commandments of God blameless—what harm in it? What reasonable objection can there be? We like it, God likes it, commands it. “Be glad in the Lord, and rejoice, ye righteous, and shout for joy, all ye upright in heart.” Psa. xxxii, 11.—D. F. NEWTON, in Earnest Christian.