Lewiston teller. [volume] (Lewiston, North Idaho) 1878-1900, 1891-10-08
TALMAGE TALKS MUSIC.
THE TABERNACLE RINGS WIN
SWEET MELODIES.
lending Entertainment 10 Last
day,s sermon-The Worth Of Music
a. Viewed by lbe Great Davhne@
"rhe Voice OF Many Waters"

BRooKLYN, n. V, Sept2o. lso..-Ihe
MAGNIFICENT organ of the New BROOK
lvn tabernacle was dedicated to-day.
'rhe services were verltable musical
festivals While the regular musical
propramme Mt the tabernacle Is al
ways attractive, that of to-day waa
exceptionally beautiful, the congrega-
tional singing, offertories, and inter-
Iudes being rendered with marvellous
volume and expression. DR.. Talm1ge
sermon, which was appropriate to the
occasion. was on the text, Genesls ::
81: ..His brothers name was Jubal: he
was the father of all such as handle
the harp and organ
There has been much discussion
as to where music was born. l think
that at the beginning, when the morn
ing stars sang together, and al! the
suns of God shouted for JOY. that the
earth heard the echo. The cloud on
which the angels stood to cele brate the
creation, was the birthplace OF song.
Inanimate nature is full OF God's
strinRed and wind instruments.
Silence itself-perfect silence
is only q musical rest in Gods great
anthem Of worship. Wind among the
leaves, insects humming in the sum-
mer air, the rush of billow upon the
beach, the ocean far out sounding its
everlasting psalm, the bobolink on the
edge of the forest, the quail whistlin4
up from the grass, are music. On
Blackwelrs Island I h ard, coming
from a window of the lunatic asylum,
. very sweet song twas sung by one
who had lost her reason, and I have
come to believe that even the de-
ranged and disordered elements OF
nature ould make music to our ear,
if we only had acuteness enough to
listen. lsuppose that even the sounds
in nature that are discordant and re-
pulsive make harmony in Gods ear.
You know that You may come SO near
to an orchestra that the sounds are
painful instead of pleasurable; and
think we stand SO near devastating
storm aud frightful whirlw,nd, that
we cannot hear that which makes to
Gods ear and the ear OF the spirits
above us, q music as complete as it is
tremendous
The day Of Judgment, which will be
a day of uproar and tumult. l suppose
will bring no dissonanc0 to the ears of
those who can calmly listen; although
it be as when some great performer is
executing boisterous piece OF music,
he sometimes breaks down the instru-
ment on which he plays, SO it may be
on that last day that the grand march
of God. played by the fingers Of thun-
der, and earthquake. and conhagration,
may break down the world upon
which the music is executed. Not
only is inanimate nature full Of
music, but God has wonderfully or
ganizcd the human voice, SO that in
The plainest throat and lungs there are
fourteen direct muscles which can
make over sixteen thousand different
sounds, and there are thirty indirect
muscles which can make, it has been
estimated, more than one hundred and
seventy-th ee millions of sounds.
Now. say. when God has SO con-
structed the human voice. and when he
has filed the whole earth with har-
mony, and when he recognized it in the
ancient temple, have a right to come
to the conclusion that God loved music.
l propose, this morning in setting
apart this organ for sacred use, to
ing you its Importance, and then stat
ing some OF the obstacles to its ad-
vancement.
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 another in
psalms, and hymns, and spiritual
songs; and through David lie
cries out: Sing We to God, all
We kingdoms Of the earth"
And there are hundreds of other pas
sages might name. proving that it Is
as much mans duty to sing as it is
his duty to pray. Indeed, l 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 TO,
the cymbal, and the harp, and the
trumpet a. we'll Is the organ. And
I suppose that in the last
days Of the church, the harp. tho Lutte
the trumpet, and al the instrument.
of music whether they have been in the
service of righteousness, or sin will bs
brought by their masters and laid
down ut the feet of Of Christ. and ther
sounded In the church's triumph, OF
her way from suffering into glory
praise We the Lordw Praise him will
your voices Praise him with strip9et
instruments and with organs.
Many Of you are illustrations o
what sacred song can do. Through
it you were brought int,
the Kingdom of Jesus Christ
You stood out against the argument
and the warning of the pulpit: blu
when, in tho sweet words Ct Isaa,
Watts, or Charles Wesley, or job,
Newton. or Toplady, the love of Jesu
! was sung to your soul, then you sur
rendered. ss armed castle, that coul,
not be taken by host. lifts its win
dow to listen to . harp's trill. Ther,
was . Scotch soldier dying in New
Orleans, and Scotch minister came /,
to give him the consultations of tn,
Gospel The man turned over ON hi
pillow, and said: Don't talk to M
about religion" Then the Scotcl
minister began to sing familiar hymn
of Scotland. that WAS composed b,
David Dickinson, beginning with tn
| words:
Oh. mother, dear Jerusalem.
When shall ! como to thee?
He sang it to the tune of Dundee i,
and everybody in Scotland know
that: and Is he began to sing the dyin,
soldier turned over ON his pillow. an,
| said to the minister: "Where did yo,