The Manchester journal. [volume] (Manchester, Vt.) 1861-current, 1878-05-09

shocking Ia ehnfth Gdecs, madrigals,
ballads, may be s. Innocent as psalms in
their places. There Il 10 reason why
music should always be religious music
80 ! am lust a. much In favor OF sonoeri
balls o. Am Of charehos. Dat church
music kss only obe design, and that !,
devotion, and that which comes with tlIe
toes, The song, aud ,he display Of an
opera house & $ bindrauoe 10 the wor-
sbip From saeh performance we go
away saying "whAt splendid execution
Did you ever hear such soprano
Which ot tbose solos did you Ike The
better Whaa, II We bad been rightly
wrought upon, we would have gone
away saying 'oh how my soul vas
lifted up In The pEnkence Of God while
they were singing that nrst hymn;
never had such rap,urous views Of Jesus
Christ IS my Savior as when tbey were
singing thar last dOxology." Ny friends
there is an everlasting distinction be-
tween music as an art and music as a
help 10 devotion, Though Sehumsnn
composed II, though Mozart played IT.
thougha Sontag sang It, away with it il
Il docs not make the heart better and
honor Christ. Why should We rob the
programmes OF worldly gayety when we
have So many appropriate songs and
tunes composed in our own day, IS well
as that magnificent Inheritance OF church
psalmody which has come down fragrant
with the devotion Of other generations
tunes no more worn out than they were
when our great.grandfathers climbed up
on them from the church pew TO glory
Dear old souls, how they used TO sing
When they were cheerful, our grand
fathers aud grandmothers used to sing
Colchester" When they were very
meditative, then the clapboarded meeting
house rang with "South Street" and "St.
Edmonds." Were they struck through
with great tenderness, they sang "Wood-
stock" Were they wrapped in visions
OF The glory of The church, they sang
Zion" We're they oyerborne with the
love aud glory Of Christ, they sang
/" Ariel" And in those days there were
certain tunes married to certain hymns,
and they have lived in peace great
while, these two old people, and we have
no right 10 divorce them. "What God
hath joined together let no man put ssun-
der.P Born as we have been amid this
great wealth of church music, augmented
by the compositions of artists In our own
day, we ought not to be tempted out OF
the sphere ofCbristian harmony, aud try
to seek unconsecrate sounds. Ii is alb
surd for millionaire to steal.
remark also that correctness ought TO
be characteristic of church music.
While we shall see in minute or two we
all ought to take part in this service, with
perhaps. q few exceptions, call on this
whole audience to culture yourselves in
this sacred art. God loves harmony, and
we ought to love it. In this day, when
there are SO many opportunities of high
culture in this sacred art, declare that
those parents are guilty of shameful neg
lect who let their sons and daughters
come up knowing nothing about music,
Another characteristic must be spirit
and life. Music ought to rush from the
audience like the water from rock
clear, bright, spArklipg. Ifall the other
part Of the'church service is duil, do not
have the music dull. With SO many
thrilling things to sing about, away with
all drawing and stupidity: IN order to
a proper discharge of this duty, let us
stand up, save as age, or weakness or ia
tigue excuse us. Seated in an easy pew
we cannot do this duty half so well as
when upright we throw our whole body
into It. Let our song be like an acclama-
tion ofvictory. You have a right to sing
Do not surrender your prerogative. II
Ia the performance Of your duty, or the
attempt at It, you should lose your place
in the musical scale and be on Q below
when you ought to be on & above, or you
should come in half bar behind, we will
excuse youl Still it is better to do as
Paul says, and "sing with the spirit, and
the understanding also. p
Again; remark, church music must
be congregational. This opportunity
must be brought down within The range
OF the whole audience. A song tsat the
worshipers cannot sing is Of no more use
to them than sermon In Choctaw. What
sn easy kind OF church ii must be
where the minister does all the preaching
and The elders all the praying, and the
choir sl the singing. Yon have a right
TO sing. Jonathan Edwards used to set
apart whole days for singing. Let us
wake up TO this duty. Let us sing alone,
slng In our families, sing IN our schools,
sing in our churches. Now, tell you
that these songs we sing Sabbath by Sab
bath are the national airs Of Jesus Christ,
and OF the Kingdom OF heaven, and IL you
do not learn TO sing them here, how do
you ever expect 10 sing the song OF Moses
and the Lsmbl should not be surprised
at all II some Of The best anthems OF
heaven were made up OF some Of the best
songs Of earth. May God increase our
reverence for Chrlstisn psalnody aud
kecsi "a fsom disErAcing Il BY our Iadif.
ereuee aud fryolity. When Cromwcll's
army went into battle, be stood at the
bead Of them one day, aud gave out the
long metre doxoIogy to the tune OF "Old
Hundred" aud ibal great bost, company
f.r 4.