Wessington Springs herald. (Wessington Springs, Aurora County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1891, 1886-05-21
TALMAGE's SERMON.
.,.oorrse On the Subject Of Con.
eregational Singing.

Arguments For and Against 1.-THE
.-a,ence OF Church Music-The Meth.
ods. Past and Present-Prs.
centors and Choirs.
DIV. T. Dewitt Talmage took for the
.,hiect of a recent sermon delivered at the
gnnoklyn Tabernacle, congregational
einying," taking for his text:
y, came even to pass, as the trumpeters
.nd singers were as one to maxi one sound
10 be heard in praising and thanking the
Lord Ill. Chronicles, v, 1871
The temple was done. 1t was the very
chorus Of all magnifcence and pomp.
splendor crowded against splendor. 1t
was the diamond necklace of the earth.
From the huge pillars crowned with leaves
If flowers and rows of pomegranate
wrought out in FURNISHED metal, down
even to the tongs and suffers made out of
pure gold, every thing was as complete as
the God directed architect could make it..
1t seemed as if a vision from Heaven had
slishted Of the mountains. The day for
dedication came. Tradition SAYS that
there we're in and around about the temple
on that day 100000 silver trumpets, 40, 900
harps, 10000 timbrels and 200, 900 singers:
50 that all modern demonstrations at Dus.
seldorf or Boston seem nothing compared
with that. AS this great sound.sureed
up amid the precious stones of the
temple, it must have seemed like the
River of Life dashing against the
amethyst of the wall. of heaven. The
sound arose and God, as if to show that
he was well pleased with the music which
his children make in all ages, dropped
into the midst of the temple a cloud of
glory so empowering that the officiating
priests were obliged to stop in the midst
of the services.
There has been much discussion as to
where music was born. I think that at
the beginning, when the morning stars
sang together and all the suns of God
shouted for joy, that the earth heard the
echo. The cloud on which the angels stood
to celebrate the creation was the birth.
place of song. The stars that glitter at
night are only so many keys of celestial
pearl on which Gods fingers play the mu.
sic OF the spheres. 1nanimate nature is
full of Gods stringed and wind instru-
ments. Silence itself-perfect silence-is
only a musical rest in Gods great an
them of worship. Wind among the
leaves, insect humming in the sum.
mer air, the rush of billow upon
beach, the ocean far out sounding
its everlasting psalm, the bobolink on the
edge of the forest, the quail whistling up
from the grass, are music.
The day of judgment, which will be a
day of tumult and uproar, l suppose, will
bring no dissonance to the ears OF those
who can calmly listen, although it will be
as when some great performer, in execute
Ing a boisterous piece of music, he some.
times breaks down the instrument upon
which he plays; so it may be on that last
day that the grand march of God, played
by the fingers of thunder and earth.
quake and c%onfiagration, may break
down the world Upon which the music
Is executed. Not only is inanimate ma
ture full of music, but Godh has wonderfully
organized the human voice, so that in the
pialnest throat and lungs there are four
teen direct muscles which can make over
l6,WO different sounds! Now, there are
1Alrty indirect muscles which can make,
1t has been estimated, more than 173, OOO, 900
OF sounds. Now, l say, when God has so
constructed the human voice, and when he
ls hlled the whole earth with harmony.
and when He recognized it in the ancient
temple, have a right to come to the con-
elusion that God loves music.
propose this morning to speak about
sacred music. first showing you it's i'm
portance and then stating some Of the OBJ
stacles to its advancement.
draw the first argument for the i'm.
portance of sacred music from the fact
.nat God commanded it. Through Paul
ne tells us to admonish one another in
psalms and hymns and spiritual songs;
through David He cries out: 'Sing ye to
ooo all we kingdoms of the earth" And
'nefe are hundreds of other passages l
might name, proving that it is as much a
mans duty to sing as it is to pray. In
Leu mink there are more commands in
Tue Bible to sing han there are to pray
you not only asks for the human voice, but
.or the instruments of music. He asks
VT the cymbal, and the harp, and the
uumpet. And suppose that, in the last
Jays OF the church, the harp, the Lutte, the
.lumpet, and all the instruments of music
mat have given their chief aid to the the
aver and bacchanal, will be brought by
eneir masters n laid down at the feet of
.nrlst and then sounded in the church's
u'umph on her way from suffering into
glory. Praise we the Lord!" Praise him
WIN your voices. Praise hin with stringed
nS'ruments and with organs.
Aaraw another argument for the impor-
."nce OF this exercise from the impressive
As's VI the exercise. You know something
- "hat secular music has achieved. You
MO" 1t has made its impression upon
n~.'erhments, upon laws, upon literature.
apoh whole generations. One inspiriting
aa''ohai air is worth thirty thousand men
90 standing army. There comes a time
~ 'ne battle when one bugle is worth a
uloosand muskets. In the earlier part of
l civil war the Government proposed to
4tononize in bands of music, and many of
~ were sent home; but the Generals in
me army sent word to Washington: "You
~meMak'ng a great mistake. We are fall
ms back and falling back. We have not
y, music" Then the Government
III al r :, " -