Connecticut western news., 1891-09-24

 mony, and when he recognized it in the ancient temple, l have right to come to the conclusion that God loved music
 l propose this morning, in setting apart this organ for sacred use, to speak about sacred music; first show ing you it's importance and then stat ing some of the obstacles to it's ad vancement.
 SING VIE TO GoD."
 l draw the first argument for the i'm portance of sacred music from the fact that God commanded it. Through Paul he tells us to admonish one an. other in psalms and hymns and spirit ual songs, and through David he cries out "Sing ye to God, all ye kingdoms of the earth" And there are hundreds of other passages might name prov ing that 1t is as much a mans duty to sing as it is his duty to pray. Indeed, 1 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 instruments of music He asks for the cy1nbal, and the harp, and the trumpet, as we'll as the organ And I suppose that, in the last days of the church, the harp, the lute, the trumpet and all the instruments ot music, whether they have been in the service of righteousness OF sin will be 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 ye the Lordl" Praise him with your voices Praise him with stringed in struments and with organs
 draw another argument for the i'm portance of this exercise from the i'm pressiveness of this exercise You know something of what secular music has achieved You know it has made it's impression on governments, upon laws, upon literature, upon whole gen erations One inspiriting national air Is worth thirty thousand men as standing army There comes time in the battle when one bugle is worth 8 thousand muskets have to tell you that no nation or church can af ford to severely econoInize 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 the warning of the pulpit, 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 sur rendered, as armed castle that could not be taken by host lifts it's window to listen to harp's trilL There was a Scotch soldier dying in New Orleans. and a Scotch minister came in to give him the consultations of the Gospel The man turned over on his pillow and said, Don't talk to me about religion. v Then the Scotch minister began to sing familiar hymn of Scotland that was composed by David Dickenson, begin ming with the words:
 Oh, mother, dear Jerusalem,
 When shall como to thee?
 He sang it to the tune of ''Dundee,' y and every body in Scotland knows that :; and as he began to sing the dying sol dier turned over on his pillow. and said to the minister, Where did you learn that9" Why" replied the minister, "my mother taught me that. <" ''So did mine," said the dying Scotch soldier; and the very foundation of his heart was upturned, and then and there he yielded himself to Christ. Oh, it has an irresistible power. Luther's ser mons have been forgotten, but his Judgment Hymn" sings on through the ages, and will keep on singing until the blast of the archangel's trumpet shall bring about that very day which the hymn celebrates would to God that those who hear me today would take these songs of salvation as mes sages from heaven; for just as certainly as the birds brought food to Elijah by the brook Cherith. SO these winged harmonies, God sent, are flying to your soul with the bread of life. Open your mouths and take it. o hungry Elijahs THRILLING LINES OF THF OLD HYMNS. In addition to the inspiring music of our own day we have glorious inherit ance of church psalnody which has come down fragrant with the devotions of other generations-tunes no more worn out than they were when our great erandfathers climbed up on them from the church pew to glory2 Dear old souls. how they used to sing! When they were cheerful, our grandfathers 1 and grandmothers used to sing '"Col chester" When they were very 1nedi tative, then the board meeting house yang with South Street, and ''St. Ed mond's" Were they struck through with great tenderness they sang Wood stock" Were they wrapped in visions of the glory of the church, they sang ] 'sZion" Were they overborne with the love and glory of Christ, they sang 1 Ariel" And in those days there'were certain tunes married to certain hymns { and they have lived in peace great while, these two old people. and we have no right to divorce them- ''Wha1 God hath joined together let no mar put asunder" But how hard hearted we must be if all the sacred music O the past. and all the sacred music 9 the present does not start us heaven ward.
 I have also noticed the power of sa cred song to soothe perturbation Yor may have come in here this morning with a great many worriments ano anxieties, yet, perhaps, in the singing of the first hymn. you lost all those worriments and anxieties. You have read in the Bible of Saul and how he was sad and angry, and how the boz David ca1ne in and played the evi