The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1886-05-19

centor. We do it for two reasons: One Is tna'
| by throwing the whole responsibility upon
| the mass Of the people, making the great
multitude the choir, we might rouse more
heartiness The great congregation com.
| ing on the Sabbath day feel tnat
they cannot delegate this part OF the
great service to any one e!se' ana Wa
have glorious congregational singing here.
People have come many miles to hear IL:
| They are not sure about the preaching, but
they can always depend on the singing we
have heard the sound coming UP like tine
! voice of many waters" but it will be done az
a better rate after while, when we shall
realize the height and the depth, and the I'M
mensity of this privilege.
Another reason why we adopted this plan:
We do not want any choir quarrels. You
know very well that in scores of the churches
there has been perpetual contention in that
direction. The only church fight that ever
occurred under my ministry was over q
melodeon in my first settlement. Have you
| never been in church on the Sabbath day
and heard the choir sing and you said s'That
is splendid music?' The next Sabbath you
were in the church and there was no choir at
ALA Why? The leader was mad or his assist
ants were, or they were all mad together.
Some Of the choirs are made up Of our
best Christian people! Some of the warmest
friends have ever had have stood up in
them, Sabbath after Sabbath, consdentiously
and successfully leading the praises OF God.
But the majority of the choirs throughout
the land are not made up Of Christian peo-
pie, and three-fourths Of the church fights
and say nine-tenths Many Of our churches
are dying of choirs.
Let us as church give still more atten-
tion to the music. If a man with voice
enough to sing keeps silent during this exer,,
else, he commits q crime against God and
insults the Almighty.
Music ought to rush from the audience like
the water from rock-clear bright, spark
ling. If all the other part Of the church SER
,, vice is dull do not have the music. dull.
With so many thrilling things to sing about:
There is nothing that makes me 50
nervous as to sit in a pulpit and
look off on an audience with their
eyes three-fourths closed and their lips
almost shut, mumbling the praises OF
God. During my recent absence preached
to large audience and all the music they
made together did not equal one skylark!
People do not sleep at a coronation. Do not
let US sleep when we come to q Savlour's
crowning. In order to proper discharge or
this duty let us stand up, save as age or
weakness or fatigue excuse us. Seated in an
easy pew we cannot do this duty half 80 we'll
/ as when, upright, we throw our whole body
into it. Let our song be like an acclanation
of victory. You have a right to sing. Do
not surrender your prerogative.
We want to rouse all our families upon
this subject. We want each family Of our
congregation to be singing school Child
ish petulance, obduracy and intractability
would be soothed if we had more singing in
%ho household onH fbor, LITTLE Jv0NId
be prepared for the great congregation on
Sabbath day, their voices uniting with our
voices in the praises Of the Lord. After a
shower there are scores Of streams
that come down the mountain side with
voices ripping and silvery, pouring into
one river, and then rolling in united
strength to the sea. So would have all the
families in my church send forth the voice
of prayer and praise. pouring it into the great
tide of public worship that rolls on and on to
empty into the great, wide heart Of God:
Never can we have our church sing as it
ought until our families sing as they ought.
There will be greatrevolution on this sub
iect in all our churches. God will come down
by his spirit and rouse up the old hymns and
tunes that have not been moro than half
awake since the time of our grandfathers.
forth into music, and when the conductor
takes his place on the Sabbath day,
there will be great host of voices
rushing into the harmony. My Christian
friends, if we have no taste for this
service on earth, what will we do in Heaven
where they all sing and sing forever? Let
me prophesy in regard to any one here who
has no delight in the worship Of Heaven-if
you do not sing the praises of God on Garth
do not believe you will ever sing them id
glory. would that our singing to-day
might be like the Saturday night rehearsal
for the Sabbath morning in the skies, and
might begin now by the strength and by the
help of God, to discharge duty which none
of US have fully performed.
''Let those refuse to sing
Who never knew our God;
But children of the Heavenly king
Should speak their joys abroad.
ssThe hill of Zion yields
A thousand sacred sweets,
Before we reach the heavenly fields.
Or walk the golden streets.
"Then let our songs abounl,
And every tear be dry;
We're marching through Emanuels
ground
To fairer worlds on high"
Come now, clear your throats and get
ready for this duty or you will never hear the
end Of this. l never shall forget nearing
Frenchman singing the Marseillaise Hymn on
the Champ Elysees, Paris, just before the
battle Of Sedan. 1never saw such enthusi.
asm before or since, as he sang that national
air. Oh, how the Frenchmen shouted! Have
you ever in anEnglish assemblage heard band
play "God Save the Queen" If you have
you know something about the enthusiasm
of national air. Now, tell you that these
songs we sing Sabbath by Sabbath are the
national airs of Jesus Christ and Of the king
dom Of heaven. When Cromwell's army
went into battle, he stood at tho head Of them
one day and gave out the long metre doxol.
ogy to the tune of ''Old Hundred" and
that great host, company by company, regi-
ment by regiment, battalion by battalion,
joined in the doxology:
Praise God from whom all blessing flow,
Praise him all creatures here below;
Praise Him above, We heavenly host
Praise Father, Son and Holy Ghost"
And while they sang they marched, and
while they marched they fought, and while
they fought they got the victory. o, men
and women of Jesus Christ. let us go into all
our conflicts singing the praises of God, and
then instead of falling back as we often do,
from defeat to defeat we will be marching
on from victory to victory.
Circumstances Alter Cases.
GShranpe thing about DeoDle.n said