, 1886-05-09
TABERNACLE SERMON.
REV. DR.. TALMAGE DiscouRszs on
CONGREGATIONAL SINGING

H~HO1kLNN, May 2-Rev. 7. D. Will Idl
mage preached this morning on tho subj, I
OF 'CongIeg tional Singing S rvic.s we're
opened by the congregation singing The
hymn beeinning:
T e. moraing 4 hit Is breasinv
The darknessd sapp ar
The sons Of men n-e wa sinI
To intent nj tears
Before the sermon DIR. Talmagc cxpiunIeI
one Of the iub liant psalms OF David anil thin
took his text from II Chronicles v, 10; 1T
rnme even to pass, az the rumpafers and sin =
ers were as one, tomake one sound tob, heard
in prn S ne an thanking the LorlH Follow
ing is the sermon In full;
The temple was done. II was tho very
chorus Of all mAgnihccnce and romp
Splondor crowded against splendor. II WIS
the Il nmond necklace Of the earth From
the hu % pillnrs crowned with leaves Of
flowers and rows OF pomcgrnnatc wrought
out in Furnished metal, down even to the
tongs and snuifers made out a pure gold.
everything wns as complete rs the God
direct Il architect could make IT, II seemed
rs II n vision from heaven had ~alightel on
the mountains. The day for dedication
came. Tradition says thnt there were
in and around about the temple on
that day two hundred thousand silver
trumpe.s, forty thousand harps. forty
thousand timbrels and two hundred
thousand singer; 30 that all mo lern demon
strations NJ Dusseldorf or Boston seem moth
ing compared with that, As this great sound
surged up amid the precious stones Of the
temple, 1t must have seemed ike the h YER of
Life dnshing against the amethyst OF the
wall Of heaven. The sound arose md God, rs
II to show that He wns well p'clsed with the
music VIII ca His children make in all nge
dropped into the midst OF tho temple n cloud
Of glory so overpowering that the officiating
priests were Obliged to stop in the mids Of
the services.
There has lce1 much discus sion ms r.
where music was born. | think that nt the
beginning. when the morning stars SING
together and all the suns Of God ihou,ed for
joy. that the earth heard the echo. The
cloud on which the angels stood TO celebrate
the creation was the birthplace OF so1g. The
stars that glitter at night are only 30 many
Keys Of cele tlal pearl on which Go Is fingers
play tie music OF the spheres lnanimnte
nature is full Of Gods siringed and wind
ms ruments. Silence itself-perfcct silence
us only n mu icnl rest in Co.'s great anth.m
Of worship. Wind among the lcaYcs, insect
humminz in the summer air. the rush
Of hillow upon the beach, the ocean far out
sounding its everlasting palm. the bnholink
on the edge OF tn, forest, the quail whistling
up from the grass, are music. While visiting
B~lackweils Island | heard coming from n
window Of the luuatic asylum n very sweet
song II WINS sung by one who had lost her
reason, and ] have come to believe that even
the dcrangcd anil disordsFea a,dm5nfs- Of ma
lure wouI mako music 70 our ear II We only
had ncdteness enough to Listen. I suppose
tha\even the sounds in nature that are dis
Xordnnt and rcpulsive make harmony in
Gods ear. You know that you may come Sc
near to mn orchestra that the sounds aru pain.
full instead Of pleasurnble; AMI | think TINT we
stand so near devastating storm and fright.
full whirlwlnl We cannot hear that which
makes to Gods car and the ear Of the spirits
above us a music rs complete as il is trcinrn-
doua
The Day Of Judgment, which will be q
day Of uproar and tumult, | suppose vii
lring no %dissonance TO the ears OF those who
can ca mly listen; although it will be, as
when some greet p rformer is * cutting a
boisterous piece OF music. he sometimes
breaks down tho instrument on which he
plays so IL may he on that last day that the
grand march Of God, paved by the fingers Of
thunder and earthquake md c~onflagration
may break down the worll upon which the
music is executed. Not only is inanimnte
nature full Of music, but God has wonderfully
organ ed the human voice, so that in
the plainest throat and lungs there R~e four
teen direct muscles which can make over
sixteen thousand different soundsi Now.
there are thirty indirect muscles which can
mako. II has been estimated more than one
hundred and seventy-three millions Of sounds
Now. / say. when God has 81 constructed the
human voice, and when He has fliel the
whole earth with harmony. and when He
recogn zed il in the ancient temple. | have a
right to come 20 the conclusion that God
loves music
| o this morning to speak about
sacred music. first showing you its import.
ancr, and thcn Stain some OF the oh itacles
to it, advancement
l draw the first argument for the import
ance Of sacred music from the fact thnt
God commanded IT, Through Paul he tells
MS to nlmonish one another in psalms and
hymns and sp r tual songs; through David
h, cries out; ''Sing ye to God all We kingdoms
Of Tia, earth And there are hundreds Of
o her passages | might name, proving that
1t j. as much n mans duty to sing MS it is his
duty TO pray. Indeed | think there are
more commands in the Bible TO sing
than there are to pray. God not
only asks for the human voice but
for the instruments OF music. He asks for
the cvmbal and the harp and the trumpet
And I suppose that. in the last days OF the
chu ch the harp, the lutte, the trumpet and
all the instruments OF music that have given
their chief aid to the theatre AMI hacchanal.
will 10 brought by their masters and laid
down at the feet OF Christ and then sounded
in the church's triumph on her way from
suffering into glory. Praise We the Lordr'
Praise Him with your voices. Praise Him
with stringed instruments and with organs.
draw another argument for the import
ance Of this exercise from tho imp essiveuess
Of the exercise. You know something OF
what secular music has achieved You know
It has made its impression upon govern
ments. upon laws, upon literature, upon
who'e generation One inspiritug national
air Is worth thirty thousand men as a stand
ing army. There comes a time in the latte
when one hugle is worth a thousand musscts
In the earlier part o. our civil war the
government proposel u economics in
band II music AMI many u them
were sent home; but the generals Ia
the army sent word to Washington you
are making a very great mistake. We ARE
fallin tack and falling back. We have not
enough music Tn the government
changed its mind; mprs bands OF music were
sent 10 tho field and th' day Of shameful do
feat terminated have TO toll you that nc
nation or church eau Afford to severely
ecnnomize In music.
Why should we rob tho programmes OF
worldly gnyety when We have - many np.
Iroprlat1 songs and tunes composed IA our
own day. a wIl as that magnificent Inherit
anco OF church psalmody which has come
down fragrant with the dovotions OF other
gcncrntions-tuncs no more worn out than
when our REORGANIZATION climbed up on
them from the church pew 10 gluryi DaI
start for the Train or Boat
In good season, and don't forget to take
with rnn Hnsfcitnr's Stnmnch Ritfers-