The River Falls journal. (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1857-1861, 1858-03-03
In this connection | will briefly allnde

to choir music in our churches. One ola
lection frequently urged against choirs,
is, that they arc often the cause Of
4 much cvil--tliat singers are always quar-
rcing either among themselves or with
the minister, or somebody else; | know
music like every thing else may be per-
,crteJ. 1t may be and often is found in
unsanctitied hands, and degraded to
q likeness of that which it is stolen to hide.
But this in tead of being an Argument
against music is only proof & its wort''.
i The Devil entered paradise. Did that
I prove it was not paradise !. Did he not
enter it because it was paradise? Surely
he is too crafty pirateto attack an empty
vessel, and he well knows he works most
successfully when clothed in the robes Of
heaven. And furthermore though he
can preach and pray he can't sing-and
! nothing so much d;sturbs him as harmo-
ny, and whenever you hear a. discord ~
choir. you may strong y suspect Satan
has taken his scat among the singers.
tie never loses an opportunity g hrea'l
up good music. He made woful d.scorl
in tho bowers Of paradise, and eighteen
hundred years have not restored the har-
mony. We donot, perhaps, sufficiently re-
fleet that what was designed by Col for tho
highest good, becomes by perversion tbs
highest curse. If then music becomes
! evil when prostituted to evil ends-muci,
more shall it become holy when conse-
Grated to holy ends-for its spirit is Of
heavenly birth, and the very fact that dew
j lis apo it, proves it the fashion Of seraphs.
! Let it then receive the attention its i'm
: portance demands = let it be baptized i'll
tho waters of divine truth, and it shall
; prove indeed the handmade Of plety, and
a mighty auxiliary sin every good word
and work, for the morning stars sung to-
gether at tho birth of creation, and a.
items were the first worship, that unvio-
lated paradise breathed to heaven. ''''
Is it not strange, that music should
ever have received rank of inferior inn
portance in connection with religious wor
ship. Paradox;cal rs it may appear, it
is believed nevertheless to be true, that
to lead worshiping assembly in tho ex-
tr:;sc OF praise, is no less high and ho-
~ an Office, han to lead it in prayer, and
yet, music seems to be regarded by many
as a sort Of spice and seasoning to relg-
iona relief from the appropriate duties
of the sanctuary, rather than as holding
an important place among them. a.'3 ~
Now tho truth is if We compare these
two leading branches of worship, we shall
find that praise is not only equal i'll lnpor-
lance, but in nature far superior to prayer.
To make this appear it will only be acc
essary to contemplate man i'll the two-fold
relation which he sustains to his maker.
AS creature, he is sulject--as arch
c. lie is q criminal. Man as he WAS
originally made is one thinss--as he su D.
sequently made himself he is quito ali
other thing. From this twofold capacily
of man arise two corresponding sots OF
duties and re!ations--thoso Of a subject
to his sovcreign-anI those of a crilni-
nalto his Judge. i AS he came from Col
he has al Infinite debt to pay, rs he .JeH
from God he has an infinite loss To re-
trieve In virtue Of the former, man Is
under perpetual obligation Of gratitude
and praise-in virtue of the latter, he is
under a temporary obligation of rcpen-
lance and prayer. According to this idea
the christian religion has q twofold adap-
ton to US, ali adaptation to on: nature as
worshiping beings, and an adaptation to
our state as fallen beings-and it requires
of us corresponding variety OF religious
exercises. While it shows us al often
ded sovereign to be appeasod and implo-
red, it also offers Us q bountiful Creator 10
be reyerenccd and adored. Ii comes
/ both to humble and eXalt us-to pour
the voice of prayer into the Heart, and
clothe the spirit in songs of praise, = TO
hang tear on the eye and pant II
rapture in the bosom While it brings
a sovereign balm for the self inflicted
wounds and bruises Of on. fallen could
ton, 1t speaks with divine awakening
voice to the highest and holies, clements Of
our celestial natures.
Now the distinction between prayer
and praise is this-that in the former ""
ash something from God, in the latter. wo
offer something to God. The one is the
Ian ruace Of interest and self love-recoG-
nizing the power and confessing the JUS
tice Of its object. The other is the spon-
taneous up-gushing Of the soul to the au-
thor Of its blessings. Prayer Is means
Of grace, praise is the evidencing VOICE
Of its present possession. Sulphcatlon
spr;ngs from feeling Of wantT--t Is tie