The morning star and Catholic messenger., 1877-08-26
THE MUSIC OF THE CHURCH.
Extract from Sermon by Father surls, ,

IG1uact from Sermon by Father Rurke)
Now, amongst the elements and meanl
that the Church has for reaching the heart
of man and one of the most powerful, is the
spiender OF her liturgy, the grandeur of hel
song, and the resonant accompaniment OF
her organic music-for my friends, we
would belle our natures and we would not
understand ourselves, if we did not admit
| now largely the heart of man is sway ed, is
touched, is Influenced for good or evil by
music. When the King of Israel was
! troubled, when the good God left him and
reprobated him and cursed him-when the
Prophet of God came and said, 40 King,
thou art lost, thou hast despised the Lord,
and now the Lerd God will take away the
sceptre from thee. and His holy Spirit is
gone from thee and never will come again"
| then came a devil and took possession of
the unhappy king, and he filled him with
rage of hell and every most unruly pas
sion and above all, he filed his soul with
gloom and despair, and the man laid down
hls crown and sceptre with broken heart.
When these fts of rage woald come upon
him, his servants came to him to get
aome one to play upon the harp, aud young
David, then boy, was brought, and he sat
near the king, and when he cav that de
spair was heavy on the king, and the rage
of bell in his heart, and his lips foaming
and that he was trembling in the convul.
sion of his awful despair, then would David
take his harp, and with skillful hands
sweep it's strings, and bring forth cunning
keynotes of tenderest music, and the
spirit Of music would come upon the
cars of the king, and soothe him, and |
those eyes that were raging moment |
before would melt into unaecustomed |
tears, and that heart that was trou-
bled even to despair, would begin to think |
that there was some hope yet in God
from whom there came such sweet harmo-
ny he had lost heaven, but the very echo
and vision ofheaven seemed to come to him
again as the young man played upon his
harp, and so he found peace and calm, sec
ond only, but infinitely second to the peace
and calm that he lad lost. And many
troubled spirit will come into this church
now and at future time-many poor man
oppressed with poverty, many an infirm
one troubled with disease and pain many
D worldly minded man disturbed in his
visions of earthly prosperity and prefer
nent; many y0uag heart yielding or on
the point of yielding to the Establishments .
of q fatal world; and they will come in
1ere to pray, and whilst kneeling before
his altar of God, oh, es if touched by an
angel hand, the air around them, the very
sir they breathe, will begin to tremble to !
'uccesslve waves OF mel"dy, and it will
'peak to them as if God Himself was speak
ng in the magnificent song which is His
'wn, and the troubled spirit will be calmed,
md the downhearted will he cheered, and
hose who are suffering will be comforted l
or time, and the worldly minded will be
emnded of heaven, aud the crafty, cum
ing man will begin to get glimpse of the !
igher world, and the organ will bring all
ogetber wlth heart open to the voice of
prayer, and that prayer will go up to heav-
N on the keynotes of the organ.