Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1891-09-21

moro commands in the Bible 10 sing
than there are TO pray. God not only
asks for the human voice but for instru-
meats of music. He asks for the Gym
bal, and the harp, and the trumpet, as
we'll as the organ. And suppose that,
in the last days OF the church, the harp,
the lutte, the trumpet, and all the IN
struments OF music, whether they have
been In the service of righteousness or
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 Lordp' Praise him with
your voices. Praise him with stringed
instruments and wlthsOrgans.
draw another argument for the I'M
pOrtancc OF this exercise, from the I'M
presslveness Of this exercise. You know
something of what secular music has
achieved. You know It has made itsim-
preston on governments, upon laws, up
on literature, upon whole generations.
One inspiritlng national air is worth
thirty thousand men as standing army.
There comes time in the battle when
one bugle is worth Thousand mnskets.
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 II
YOU we're brought into the king
dom 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 surrendered, as
armed castle, that could not be taken
by host, lifts its window to listen to a
harp's trill There was a Scotch SOL
der dying in New Orleans, and Scotch
minister came In to give him the conso-
lntions Of the Gospel. The man turned
over on his pillow, and said: Don't
talk TO me about religion" Then the
Scotch minister began 70 sing a familiar
hymn OF Scotland, that was composed by
David Dickinson, beginning with the
words:
Oh. mother dear jerusalem,
When shall come 10 theel
BE sang it 10 the tune OF Dundee,
and everybody in Scotland knows that;
and as he began to sing the dying sol
der turned over on his pillow, and said
10 the minister: "Where did you learn
that?n why" replied the minister,
"my mother taught me that" $50 ala
mine" said the dying Scotch soldier;
and the very foundation OF his heart
was upturned, and then and there he
yielded himself 10 Christ. Oh, 1T has an
irresistible power. Luther's sermons
have been forgotten, but his 'Judg-
ment Hymn" sings on through the
ages, and will keep on singing until
the blast Of the archangePs trumpet
shall bring about that very day which
the hymn celebrates. l would to God
that those who hear me to-day 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 OF Cherlth, so these winged
harmonies, God-sent, are flying to your
soul with the bread of life. Open your
mouths and take IL, o hungry Elijahs!
have also noticed the power Of sa-
cred song to sOOthe perturbation. You
may have come In here, this morning,
with q great many worriments and
anxietles, 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 be
was sad and angry, and how the boy
David came in and played the evil spirit
out OF him. A Spanish King was mel
aucholy. The windows were all closed.
He sat I'm the darkness. Nothing could
bring him forth until Faraneli came and
discoursed music for three or four days
TO him. On the fourth day he looked
up and wept, and reiOiced, and the
windows were thrown open, and that
which all the Splendors OF the court
could not do, the power of song accom-
plIShed. II you have your anxieties and
wOrriments, 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.
Another obstacle has been an inordi-
nate fear of criticism. The vast ma
jority 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 q 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, if you get
the wrong pitch, or keep wrong time,
he will forgive any deficiency OF the
ear and imperfection Of the voice.
Angels will not laugh II you should lose
your place In the musical scale, or
come in at the close bar be-
hind. There are three schools of
singing, l am told-the German school,
the Italian school, and the French
school Of singing. Now, l would
like TO add 4 fourth school, and that Is
the school OF Christ. The voice OF
contrite, broken heart, although it may
not be able to stand human criticism,
makes better music to Gods ear than
the most artistic performance when the
heart is wanting. l know il Is easier
TO preach on this than it is to practice;
but I sing for two reaSons-frst, be-
cause like 10, aud next, because
want to encourage those who do not
know how. l have but very little fac
ulty in that direction, yet am resolved
to sing. God has commanded it, and l