The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1890-09-24
REV. DIR. TALMAGE.
THE BROOKLYN DIVINES SUN
DAY SERMON.
"The New Song Of Heaven"


! '1ne new song OF deaVen.
TEXT: "And thev sung a neso song" Rev
We.
Nearly all the cities Of Europe and Amer
ica have conservatories Of music and associ
ations whose object it is by voice and instru-
ment to advance the art Of sweet sounds On
Thursday night Exeter Hall, Of London, used
! to resound with the music Of first-class per-
formers, who gave their services gratuitously
| to the masses, who came in with free tickets
and huzaed at the entertainment At Ber-
lin at II o'clock daily the military band, with
sixty or hundred instruments discoursesa at
the Royal Opera House for the people. On
Easter Sunday in Dresden the boom OF
cannon and the ringing Of bells bring mul-
ttudes to the churches to listen to the or.
gan peals and the exciting sounds OF
day Of LGpsic comes the bands Of music
from far and near gather In the street and
bewilder the ear with incessant playing OF
flute and horn, violin and bassoon. At Dus-
seldorf once year the lovers Of music as
semble, and for three or four days wait upon
the great singing festivals, and shout at tho
close Of the chorusea and greet the success.
full competitors as the prizes are distributed
cups and vases Of silver and gold All our
ALueElCdu ClLleS dG IlIueS EeSOuuO WILL VI
chestra and oratorio. Those who can sing
well or play skillfully upon instruments ore
greeted with vociferation and garlanded by
excited admirers.
There are many whose most ecStatic do
light is to be found in melodies, and oil the
splendor Of celestial gates and all the lus.
ciouSneSs Of twelve manner Of fruits and all
the rush Of floods from under the throne OF
God would not make heaven for them If
there were no great and transporting har-
monies Passing along our streets In the
hour Of worship you hear the voice Of sacred
melody, although YOU do not enter the
heaven we hear, from the temple Of God and
the Lamb, the breaking forth Of magnificent
jubilate. We may not yet enter In among
the favored throng, but God will not deny US
the pleasure OF standing q while on the out
side to hear. John listened to it great
while ago, and "they sang new song"
Let none aspire to that blessed place who
have no love for this exercise, for although
it is many ages since the thrones were set,
and the harps were strung, there has been no
cessation in the song, excepting once for
about thirty minutes; and, Judging from the
glorious things now transpiring in Gods
world, and the ever accumulating triumphs
of the Messiah, that was tue last half hour
that heaven will ever be silent
Mark the fact that this was O new song.
Sometimes have in church been foated
away upon some great choral, in which all
our people seemed to mingle their voices,
and have. in the glow of my emotions said:
''Surely this is music good enough for
heaven" Indeed, I do not believe that
nLuther's Hymn" Coronation" ne or % "old
i'll if spoken by sainted lips or thrummed
from seraphic harps. There are many OF our
fathers and mothers in glory who would be
slow to shut heavens gate against these old
time harmonies. But this we are told is
now song. Some of our greatest anthems
and chorals are compositions from other
tunes-the sweetest parts Of them gathered
up into the harmony; and have
sometimes thought that this ''new
song" may DO partly made up Of
sweet strains of earthly music mingled in
eternal choral. But it will after oil, be o
new song. This do know. that in sweetnes
and power it will be something that the ear
never heard. All the skill Of the oldest harp
ers Of heaven will be flung into it. ALI the
love of Gods heart will ring from it. In its
cadences the floods will clap their hands, and
it will drop with the sunlight Of everlasting
day and breathe with odors from the bios
SONS of the tree Of life. "a new song''-just
made for heaven.
Many earthly songs are written by CON-
posers just for the purpose Of making tune,
and the land is flooded with note books In
which really valuable tunes are the excep-
tion. But once In while man Is wrought
up by some great spectacle, or moved by
some terrible agony, or transported by some
exquisite gladness and he sits down to write
L tune or O hymn in which every note or
every word is spark dropped from the forge
OF his own burning emotions. So Mendels-
sohn wrote and so Beethoven, and so Charles
Wesley. Cowper, depressed with misfor-
tunes until almost insane, resolved on suicide,
and asked the cab driver to take him to
certain place where he expected to destroy
his own life. The cab driver lost his way,
and Cowper began to think of his sin, and
went back to his home, and sat down and
wrote:
God moves In Q mysterious way
His wonders 10 perform:
he plants Ills footsteps In the Sea
And rides upon the storm.
Ye fearful saints. fresh courage take;
The clouds you 30 much dread
Are big with mercy and shall break
In blessings on your head.
Mozart composed his own requiem and
said to his daughter Emily, 'tPlay that"
And while Emily was playing the requiem
Mozart's soul went up on tho wave Of his
own music into glory. Emily looked around
and her father was dead.
This new song Of heaven was not COM
posed, because heaven had nothing else to
do but Christ, In memory Of cross and
crown, OF uanger and throne Of earth aud
heaven, and wrought upon by the raptures
Of the great eternity, poured this from His
heart made Is for the armies OF heaven to
shout In celebration Of victory, for worship
ers to chant IN their temple services for
the innumerable home circles Of heaven to
sing In the house OF many mansions. II
new tune be started in church there is only
here and there q person who can sing it.
It is some time before the congregation
learns q new tune. But not so with the
new song Of heaven The children who
went up to-day from the waters OF the
Ganges are now singing it. That Christian
man or woman who q few minutes ago
departed from this very street has JoineI
it. ALI know it---those by tho gates, those
on the river bank, those in the temple. Not
going back, as il they never before had sung
il, but with full, round voice they throw
their soul into this new song. II some Sab.
bath day few notes Of that anthem should
travel down the air we could not sing it. No
organ could roll its thunder. No harp could
catch it trill. No lip could announce
its sweetness. TransfIed, lost, enchanted,
dumb, we could not hear 1.-THE faintest note
Of the new song. Yet while speak heavens
cathedral quaEes under it, and seas Of glory
bear it from beach to beach, and ten thou.
sand times ten thousand, and thousands Of
thousands sing 1.-THE new song"
Further, it isa commemorative song. We
are distinctly told that it makes a reference
to past deliverances Oh, how much have
they to sing about They sing Of the darS'
ness through which on earth they passei.
aud It Is night SO1E. That one Waak1lled