The Princeton union. [volume] (Princeton, Minn.) 1876-1976, 1891-10-01
stating some Of the obstacles to it's

stating some of the obstacles to it's
advancement.
draw the first argument for the
Importance of sacred music from the
1act that God commanded it.
Through Paul he tells us to admonish
IN psalms, and hymns, and spiritual
songs; and through David he cries
out: "Sing We to God, all We kingdoms
OF the earth" And there are hundreds
OF other passages I might name,
proving that it is as much
A MANS DUTY TO SING
as 1t is his duty to pray. Iadeed, I
think there are more commands in the
bible to sing than there are to pray.
200 not only asks for the human
voice but for Instruments Of music.
lie asks for the cymbal, and the harp,
ana the trumpets as we'll as the or
gan. And | suppose that, in the last
days OF the church, the harp, the lutte,
the trumpet, and all the instruments
OF music whether they have been in
the service OF righteousness or sin,
VIII be brought by their masters and
iald down at the feet of Christ, and
then sounded in the church, triumph,
on her way from suffering into glory.
Praise We the Lord!'' Praise him
with your voices. Praise him with
strlnged Instruments and with or
cams.
l draw another argument for the
Importance Of this exercise. You
know something Of what secular music
mas achieved. You know it has made
| It's impression on governments, upon
laws, upon literature, upon whole gen
eratlons. One inspiriting National
air IS worth 10000 men as astanding
army. There comes time in the bat
tie when one bugle is worth a thou
sand muskets. [ have to tell you
| that no nation or church can afford
to severely economic in music.
Many of you are illustrations OF
What sacred song can do. Through it
you were brought into the kingdom OF
Jesus Christ. You stood out against
the argument and warning of the pull
pit; but when in the sweet words OF
Isaac Watts, or Charles Wesley, or
John Newton, or Toplady, the love OF
Jesus was sung to your soul, then you
surrendered, as armed castle, that
could not be taken by a host, lifts it's
window
TO LISTEN TO A HARP's THRILL.
have also noticed the power OF
sacred song to sooth perturbation
and arouse to action. A singing
church is always triumphant church!
Ii congregation is silent during the
exercise, or partially silent, it is the
silence of death. a..
But l must now speak of some OF
the obstacles in the way of advance
ment of this sacred music; and the
first is that it has been impressed in
to the service of superstition. l
am far from believing that music
ought always to epositivelyreligi
Refine art has opened places where
music has been secularized, and law
fully so. The drawing-room, the
musical club, the orchestra, the con.
cert, by disqualification ofpure taste,
and the production of harmless
amusement and the Improvement OF
talent, have become great forces in the
advancement of our civilization
Music has as much right to laugh in
/ Surrey Gardens as it has to pray in
st. Paul's.
| Another obstacle has been an inor.
dinate fear of criticism. The vast
majority of people, singing in church,
never want anybody else to hear them
sing. Everybody is waiting for some.
body else to do his duty. If we all
sang, then the inaccuracies that are
evident when only a few sing would
not be heard at all; they would be
drowned out.
~ ~" GOD ONLY ASKS YOU
to do as we'll as you can, and then, il
you get the, wrong pitch, or keep
wrong time, he will forgive any def
cheney of the ear and imperfection OIL
the voice There are three schools Of
singing, I am told-the German school,
/ the italian school and the French
school of singing. Now, I would like
to add a. school, and that is the
school OF Christ. .---...-.
Another obstacle that has been in
the way of the advancement of the
holy art, has been the fact that there
has been so much angry discussion on
the subject OF music. There are those
who would have this exercise conduct
ed by musical instruments. In the
same church there are those who do
not like musical instruments, and SO
it is organ and no organ, and there is
a fight. In another church, it is a
question whether the music shall be
conducted by precentor or by drill.
ed choir. Some want a drilled choir
and some want a precentor, and there
is a fight. Another obstacle in the adj
vancement of this art has been the er.
roneous notion that this part of the
services could be conducted by delega-
CATION. Churches have said: ooh
what an easy time weshall have. This
minister will do the preaching, the
choir will do the singing, and we will
have nothing to do. And you know
as we'll as L that there are great
multitude of churches all through this
land, where the people are not expect.
ed to sing, the whole work is done by
q delegation of four, or six, or ten
persons, and the audience are silent.
My christian friends, havewe a right
to delegate to Others the discharge OF
this duty
WHICH GOD DEMANDS OF US?
Suppose the delegation of musical
performers were tried in heaven; sup
nose that fo1T choice sDirits sh o,1Id