The Iola register., 1891-10-02

l0lsr music has achieved. Yot
know it has made its impression or
governments, upon laws, upon litera
ture, upon whole generations. One in
spiriting national air is worth $4,000
men as standing army. There comes
a time in the battle when one bugle i:
worth thousand muskets.
| I have to tell you that no nation O,
church can afford to severely economic
in music. Many of you are illustra
tions of what sacred song can do
Through it Tou were brought into the
kingdom of Jesus Christ, You stood
out against the argument and the warn
ing of the pulpit; but when, in the
sweet words of Isaac Watts, or Charles
Wesley, 'or Jonn Newton, or Toplady
the love of Jesus was sung to your soul,
when you surrendered, as armed castle,
that could not be taken by host, lifts
its windows to listen te harp's trill.
! There was Scotch soldier dying in
! New Orleans, and Scotch minister
came in 10 give him the consultations ot
! the gospel. The man turned over on
! his pillow and said: Don't talk to me
/ about religion The Scotch minister
( began 20 sing a familiar hymn of Scot.
land that was composed by David Dick.
eRson. beginning with the words:
o. mother. Gear Jerusalem,
When shah l cone to thee:
! He sang il to the tune of Dundee. ="
and everybody IN Scotland knows that.
and as he began 10 sing the diving sol.
der turned over on his pillow and said
TO the minister, Where did YOU learn
! that?" WIZ" replied the minister.
my mother taught me that" so did
mine, said the dying Scotch soldier.
and the very foundation OF his heart
was upturneG and then and there he
yielded himself to Christ. .. it has an
Irresistible power. Luther's sermon
had bcen forgotten, but his "Judgmeut
Hymn" sings on through the ages and
will keep or singing until the blast Of
archangels trumpet shall bring about
that very,Cay which the hvmn cele-
brates. Would to GO1 that those who
hear me, to-day, would take these SONGS
Of salvation OF messages from heaven:
for just as certainly as the birds brought
iood TO Elijah. by the brook of Cherith.
80 these winged harmOnies. GOd-sent,
are flying to you soul with the bread OF
lifa Omen your mouths and take il, O..
hungry E2;.uh's.
In 25Siiion.to the insDiring music G;
cur OwE DAY. we have 2 glorious in
heritance of church psalmodv which
has come down fragrant with the d0v0-
lions o. other gcnerajiOns-Tunc no
more Worn out than they were when
our grandfathers climbed up on them
from the church pew to glogy. DeaT.
old souls how thcy used to
sing, When they were cheer
ful. our gIandlatlers and grand
mothers used to sing "COlchester. e
When they were very meditativc then
the board meeting house rang with
South street" and st. Eumond's. 9"
Where they were struck with great
tenderness, they sang "TVOodstOck. :"
We're they,wrappeG in visions OF the
glory OF the church. they sang Zion. :"
Were they OverbOrne with the love and
glory of Christ. they sang Ariel" :"
And N those days there were certain
tune married to certain hymns. and
they have lived in peace a great while.
these two old people, and we have no
right to divorce them. What God
hath joined together let nc man put as
under" But how hard hearted we
must be If all this sacred music of the
past. and all the sacred music of the
present does not start Rs heavenward.
] have also noticed the power OF
sacred song to sOoth perturbation.
You NAV have come in here this morn
IL g with great many worriments and
anx4etles, yet, perhaps. in the singing
OF tine first hymn you lost all the wor-
riments and anXieties. You have read
in the Bible of Saul and how he was
sad and angry. and how the boy
David came in and played the evil
spirit out of him. A Spanish
king was melancholy. The windows
weresall closed. He sat in the darkness.
Nothing could bring him forth until
FaraDeli came and discoursed music for
threesor four days to him. On the
fourth day he looked up and wept. and
relOiced, and the windows were thrown
open, and that which all the splendors
of the court could not do, the power OF
song accomplished. If you have anie-
ties and wOrryings, try this heavenly
charm upon them.
Do not sit down on the bank of the
hymn, but plunge in that the devil of
care may be brought out of you. 1t
also arOused to action. A singing
church is always triumphant church! |
If a congregation is silent during the |
exercises, or partially silent, it is the i
silence Of death. IT, when the HYMN is |
given out, you hear the faiut hum of
here and there father and mother in !
israel. while the vast majority are ST.
ent. that minister of Christ who is pre-
siding needs to have a very strong con-
il he does not get the chills
He needs not only the grace of God.
put nerves like whalebone. 1t
5 amazing how some peo-
Die, who have voice enough to
discharge all their duties in the world.
when they come into the house of God
lave no voice 20 discharge this duty. I,
really believe that if the church of
;hrist could rise up and sing that
Vhere, we have hundred souls brought
nto the kingdom Of Christ there would
e thousand.
But must now speak of some of the
bstacles in the way Of the advancement
t this sacred music: and the first is
at it has been impressed into the
ervice ofsuperstition. l am far from I
that music ought always to be ,
ositively religious. Refined art has !
peBed places where Emusic has been
and lawfully So The {
rawing room, the musical club, the :
rehestra the.concert. by qualification !
pure taste, and the production OF i
amusement and the improve :
lent OF talent, have become great I
,rees in the advancement of our civil q
alton. Music has as much right to n
ugh in Surrey garden as it has TO :
raw "a St Paulis. in the kingdom of q
ature, we have the glad fling of the 4
ind as we'll as the long metre psalm +
the thunder. But while all this is a