Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1869-01-10
The SERVICE OF SONG.

In the cid Hebrew worship it is evil
dent this service of song had great
place. The Psalms, as we find them in
our Bible. open into the tender, or ter
rible. or s0rrowful, or glorious exper-
fences Of their authors and singers, aud
Of the times when they were made aud
find their fitness forever TO be said and
sung when we feel the same life that
filed their hearts. The Eyaugelists
tell US the angels sang in heaven at the
opening OF the gospel Of good viii to
men: and when Christ had come almost
TO the cross. aud sat with the sOrr0wing
friends, how they sang 4 hymn together
and then went 20 the Moaut Of Olives.
So they make that life open and end
with singing that has made so many
sing. In the one glance we get at the
earliest Christian church, through Piny,
prosecuted and poor as it Is, meeting in
the dark, and never sure then that it will
not be harried and broken up by the
Jealous and bitter enemy, We hear the
poor fugitiyes singing their hymns dan
eerous as it must have been to do that
because l suppose they could not find 1t
in their hearts TO dispense with the great
consolation. and meet and part in silence.
Then, when Christianity was triumphant
the rapture of it flowed out, and all
over the world, where the Pagan had
ceased to sing of his victory aud the
GREAT cathedrals were built that are OF
themselves like music hidden in stone,
and music filled their mighty aisleS and
arches, and organs and human voices to-
gether made melody and the voice OF
praise.
If this we're a sermon on the history
Of music and singing in the church, l
should have to tell you sad story how
the church, as she grew to be the mis-
tress of4he world, took this service from
/ her children and kept it for her priests
how the reformed churches tried to gel
it back again, and partially succeeded
and how in all the times Of deep spiri.
tual eommotion the common heart ha.
rushed iato sacred song as the one great
expression, after prayer, Of It's agony
and ecstlcy. ! cannot more than touch
this history this morning and there Il
small need to DO so, for men and womer
who took their parts IN the great chants
that from the first to the last day Of oul
national struggle did so wonderfully sus
tain the nations haart. There can b,
no true history of the days from lS6,
to 1865 ever written that does not give
great place to that wild, uncOuth "JohI
Browns body, in which it is Just a
impossible to find the soul by dissection
as it is N the human organism, but tina
did, in its day, posse''s the highest sou
Of any music ever heard from the com
mon heart of America.
I mention this singing Of the wa
time as the best illustration | can thin
Of to show how We can sing when ther
is a great reason for II, and can feel tn
divine power Of music, and express it a
thoroughly as any people. But then mus
say that. SO far a. l know, no nation S
utterly neglects this great matter as "
i DO. that ranks with US in civilization
/, This neglect in times past has bee
most painfully apparent in our chuTche
, Calyin.sm reduced the Puritans to til
singing Of hymns. This however, the
. did wi:h their whole heart, feryently, 5
long a: there was q feryent heart
! Puritanism. But when the old glo
: and fame Of devotion died out. they le
= the singing to the choir and then,
accordance with the Gospel that fro
: him that hath not shall be taken ava
even that which he hath, the choir
self, in vast numbers of the churehe
made no melody, but only artifci
sounds, that were called by courte.
tunes. It is clear, however, that we a
: touching the edge Of new day in whit
Z, singing is to take great place again
! the church, and | feryently hope also
!, the home, aud the workshop, and t
IL y