Fisherman & farmer. [volume] (Edenton, N.C.) 1887-19??, 1890-11-07
beneath, than hare been his buffers and

But God compelled them, as He always has
compelled and alH< rs will compel black and
cruel and overshadowing providences 20
carry help to His children il they only have
faith enough 10 catch the blessing as it drops
from the seeming adversely, the greatest
blessing always coming not with white wings
but black wings Black wings of convic-
ton, bringing pardon 20 the sinner. Black
wings of cruci6xion over Calvary, bringing
redemption for the world. Black wings OF
American revolution, bringing free institu-
tons TO continent. Black wings OF
American civil war, bringing uniica-
ton and solidarity TO the republic
Black wings OF the judgment da<
bringing resurrection to an eutombed
human race. And in the last day, when all
your life and mine will be summed up we
Will lind that the greatest blessing We ever
received came on the wings of the black
ravens OF disaster. Bless God for trouble!
Bless God for sicknessi Bless God for perse-
cutlonl Bless God for poverty! You never
heard or any man or woman Of great use to
the world VINO had not had lots of trouble.
The diamond must be cut; the wheat must
be threshed; the black ravens must fly. Who
are these nearest the throne? These are
they who come out OF great tribulation, and
had their robes washed and made white in
the blood of the Lamb"
But look! Look what at4 O'Clock in the
afternoon bursts upon our vision-the plain
of Jericho, and the valley Of Jordan and the
Dead Sea. We have come to a place where
the horses not SO much walk slide up on
their launches, and we all djsmount, for the
steep descent Is simply terrific, though
Princess of Wallachia who fell here and was
dangerously injured, after recovery spent
large amount money in trying to make the
road passable. Down and down. till we saw
the white tents pitched for US by our mule
teers amid the ruins of ancient Jericho which
fell at the sound of poor music played On q
rams horn" that ancient instrument
,Sol, 4o1- ~
the flock of sheep, is perforated and pre-
pared to be fingered by the musical per-
former, and blown upon when pressed to the
lips. AS in another sermon | have fully de-
scribed that scene I VIII only say that every
day for seven days the ministers of religion
went refund the city Of Jericho blowing upon
those rams horns, and on the seventh day,
without the roll of a war chariot or the
stroke of catapult or the swing of bal
lista, crash! crash! crash went the walls Of
that magnificent capital!
On the evening of December we walked
amid the brick and mortar of that shat
tered city, and L said to myself: All
this done by poor music blest of God, for
it was not q harp, or flute, or a clapping
cymbal, or an organ played, at the sound
Of which the city surrendered to destruc-
ton, but rude instrument making rude
music blest of God, to the demolition of
chat wicked place which, had for centuries
defied the Almighty. And [ said, if ali
this was by the blessing OF God on poor
music, what mightier things could be done
by the blessing of God on good music skill
full music, gospel music. If all the good
that has already been done by music were
subtracted from the world I believe three
fourths Of its religion would be gone. The
luIlabys OF mothers which keep sounding Oh,
though the lips that sang them forty years
ago became ashes; the old hymns in log cabin
churches and country meeting houses, and
psalms in Rouse's version in Scotch kinks;
the anthem III English thedrals; the roll of
organs that will never let Handel or Haydn
or Beethoven die; the thump Of harps, the
sweep of the bow across bass viols the song
of Sabbath schools storming the heavens, the
doxolOgy of great assemblage a thou
sand Jerichos of sin have by them all been
brought down.
Seated by the warmth of our campfres
that evening of December g. amid the bricks
and debris of Jericho, and thinking what poor
music has done and what mightier things
could be accomplished by the blessings of
God on good music, [ said to myself: Min
lsters have been doing a grand work, and
sermons have been blessed, but would IL
not be we'll for US to put more emphasis on
music? Oh, for a campaign of ''Old Hun
dredw Oh. for a brigade of Mount Pts
gahs! Oh. for a cavalry charge Of Corona
lions" Oh, for an army of AntiOchs and
St. Martins and Arels Oh. for enough
orchestral batOns 1iftel to marshal all ma
lions! AS Jericho was surrounded by poor
music for seven days, and was conquered,
so let our earth be surrounded seven days
by good gospel music, and the round planet
will be taken for God. Not a wall of oppo-
sltion, not a throne of tyranny, not pal
ace of sin not enterprise of unrighteous-
ness, could stand the mighty throb of such
atmospheric pulsation. Music! It sounded
at the laying of creations corner stone
when the morning stars sang together.
Musicl It will be the last reverberation,
when the aTchangePs trumpet shall wake
the dead. Music! Let It's full power be
aow tested to comfort and bless and arouse
and save.
While our evening meal is being prepared
in the tents we walk out for a moment to
She Fountain of Elisha" the one into which
the prophet threw the salt because the
waters were poisonous and bitter, and 10!
they became sweet and healthy; and ever
since with gurgle and laughter, they have
rushed down the hill and ieaped from the
rocks, the only cheerful object in all that
region being these waters.
Now on this plain of Jericho the sun is set
ting, making the mountains LOOK like balus-
trades and battlements of amber and maroon
and gold; and the moon, just above the crests,
seems to be g. window of heaven through
which immortals might be looking down up
On the scene. Three Arabs as watchmen sit
beside the camp fire at the door of
ny tent their low conversation in
strange language all night long a
soothing rather than an interruption.
had dream that night never to be for
gotten. that dream amid the complete ruins
If Jericho. Its past grandeur returned, and
saw the city as it was when Mark Antony
gave it to Cleopatra and Herod bought it
rom her. And heard the hoofs of its swift
teeds and the rurnblng of its chariots and
The shouts of excited spectators in its amphi-
theatre.
And +bora woo 1vb;+a r,orblo ovid ~roor