The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1886-05-09

singing. But how long would Heaven be quista
How longf "Halleluiah' would cry some gloriied
Methodistfrom under the altar Praise the Lordl'
would sing tho martyrs from among the thrones
Thanks be unto God who giveth us the victory
a great multitude of redeemed spirits would cry
-myriads of voices coming into the harmony
and the one hundred and forty and four thousand
breaking forth into one reclamation. Stop that
loud singing! Stop! O, mol they cannot hear
me. You might as well try to drown the thunder
of the sky, or beat back the roar OF the sea, for
every soul in heaven has resolved to do its own
singing. Alas, that we should have tried on
earth that which they cannot do in heaven, and
instead of joining all our voices in the praise or
the Most High God, delegating. perhaps to un-
consecrated men and women, this most solemn
and most delightful service!
Now, in this church we have resolved upon the
plan of conducting the music by precentor
We do it for two reasons. One is that by throw
ing the whole responsibility upon the mass OF
the people-making the great multitude the
choir-we might rouse more heartiness. The
congregation coming on the Sabbath day feel
that they cannot delegate this part of the great
service to anyone else and SO they themselves
assume it. We have glorious congregational
singing here. People have come many miles to
hear it. They 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 at a better
rate after q while, when we shall realize the
lege.
Another reason why we adopted this plan We
do not want any choir quarrels. You know very
well that in of the churches there has been
perpetual contention in that direction. The only
church fight that ever occurred under my min
istry was over melodeon in my first settlement
Have you never been in church on the Sabbath
day and heard the choir sing. and you said:
THAT is splendid musicg" The next Sabbath
you were in the church and there was no
0hn5r ut oil tv2T 1aod was ms
his assistants were mad or they were all
mad together. Some of the chors are made
up of our best Christian people! Some
of the warmest friends have ever had stood up
in them. Sabbath after Sabbath, conscientiousy
and successfully leading the praises OF God.
But the majority of the choirs throughout the
land are not made up Of Christian people, and
three fourths of the church fights originate IN
the organ loft. take that back, and say nine
tenths. Many of our churches are dying OF
choirs.
Let us, as a church, give still more attention
to the music. If man with voice enough to
sing keep silent during this exercise, he commits
crime against God and insults the Almighty.
Music ought to rush from the audience like
the water from rock-clear, bright, sparkling.
If all the other part of the church service is dull
do not have the music dull. With so many
thrilling things to sing obout, away with all
drawing and stupidity. There is nothing that
makes me so nervous as to sit In pulpit and
fourths closed and their lips almost shut. mum
bling the praises Of God. During my recent
absence / preached TO q large audience, and
all the music they made together did
not equal the skylark. People do not sleep
at coronation. Do not let US sleep when We
come to Savior's browning In order to
proper discharge of this duty let us stand up.
save as age, or weakness, or fatigue excuse Us.
Seated in an easy pew we cannot do ms duty
half so we'll as when, upright, we throw our
vkzl4 L11~~ 100 - hal tirnn on
clamation of victory. You have right to sing.
Do not surrender your prerogative.
We want to rouse all our families upon this
subject. We want each family of our congrega-
ton to be singing school Childish petulance,
obduracy, and intractability would be soothed
if we had more singing in the household,
and then our little ones would
be prepared for the great congregation
on Sabbath day, their voices uniting with our
voices in the praises of the Lord. After show
er 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 1t into the great tide or
public worship that rolls on and on to empty into
the great, white heart of God. Never can we
have our church sing as it ought until our fam
lilies sing as they ought.
There will be great revolution on this sub
iect in a.. our churches God will come down
tunes that have not been more than half awake
since the times of our grandfathers The silent
pews in the church will break forth into music.
and when the conductor takes his place on the
Sabbath-day there will be great host of voices
rushing into harmony. My Christian friends, if
we have no taste for this service on
earth, what will do in heaven, where
they all sing and sing forever2 Let me prophesy
in regard to any one here who has no delight in
the worship of heaven-if you do not sing the
pra of nd IN |
will ever sing them in 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 Cod
But children of the Heavenly King
Should speak their joys abroad
The hill of Zion yields
A thousand sacred sweets.
Before reach the heavenly fields
Or walk the golden streets.
Then let our songs abound,
And every tear be dry;
We're marching through Immanuels ground
TO fairer worlds on high
Come now, clear your threats and get ready
for this duty, you will never hear the end of
this. / never shall forget hearing Frenchman
singing the "Marseiilaise Hymn" on the Champ
Elysees Paris, just before the battle of Sedan.
L
he sang that national air. Oh, how the Frenchmen
shouted! Have you ever in an English assem-
blage heard band play God Save the Queen"
If you have, you know something about the en-
thusasm of a national air. Now. tell you that
these songs we sing Sabbath by Sabbath are the
national airs of Jesus Christ and of the kingdom
Of heaven. When Cromwell's army went into
battle he stood at the head of them day and
gave out the long meter doxology to the tune of
"Old Hundred" and that great host, company by
hrr aOip anf hotfa li hxy
battalion, joined in the doxology.
Praise God from whom all blessings flow,
Praise Him ell 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. Oh men and women of
Jesus Christ let US 60 into all our conflicts sing
ing the praises Of God, and then, instead of fall
ing back, az we often do, from defeat to defeat,