Evening capital journal. (Salem, Or.) 1888-1893, 1891-05-04

age to our Christianity rs lugubrious
Christians. Who wants religion
woven out of the shadows OF the night
Why go growing on your way to celes-
tial enthronenent? Come out of that
cave, and sit down in the warm light
of the Sun of Righteousness. Away
with your odes to melancholy and
Herveys "Meditations Among the
Tombsl'
Then let our songs abound,
And every tear be dry;
We're marching through Emmanuel's
ground
To fairer worlds on high.
have to say, also, that we need to
put more spice and enlivenment in our
religious teaching, whether it be in the
prayer meeting or in the Sabbath
school or in the church. We ministers
need more fresh air and sunshine in our
lungs and our hearts and our head.
Do you wonder that the world is so far
from being converted when you find so
little vivacity in the pulpit and in the
pew9 We want, like the Lord, TO plant
in our sermons and exhortations more
lilies of the field. We want fewer
rhetorical Celebrations and fewer ses-
quipedalian words; and when we talk
about shadows we do not want to say
adumbration; and when we mean
queerness, we do not want to talk about
idiosyncrasies; or if a stitch in the back,
we do not want to talk of lumbago,
but in the plain vernacular preach that
gospel which proposes to malie.all men
happy, honest, victorious and free.
In other words we want more CHINA
mon and less gristle. Let this be so in
all the different departments of work
to which the Lord calls us. Let us be
plain. Let us be earnest. Let us be
common -sensical When we talk to the
people in vernacular they can under
stand they will be very glad to come
and receive the truth we present.
Would to God that Queen Balllis would
drive her spice laden dromedaries into
all our sermons and prayer meeting ex-
| hortations.
More than that, we want more life
and spice in our Christian work. The
poor do not want 50 much to be groan-
ed over as sung to. With the bread
and medicines and garments you give
them let there be an accompaniment
of smiles and brisk encouragement. Do
not stand and talk to them about the
wretchedness of their abode and the
hunger of their looks and the hardness
of their lot All they know it better
than you can tell them. Show them
the bright side of the thing, if there be
any bright side Tell them good times
will come. Tell them that for the chill
dren of God there is immortal rescue.
Wake them up out of their stolidity by
an inspiring laugh, and while you send
in help, like the queen of Sheba also
send in spices.
There are two ways of meeting the
poor One is to come into their house
with a nose elevated in disgust, as
much as to say Il don't see how you
live here in this neighborhood 1t act
ually makes me sick. There is that
bundle-take 1t, you poor miserable
wretch, and make the most of It," An
other way is to go into the abode of the
poor in manner which seems to say:
'"Hhe blessed Lord sent me. He was
poor himself 1t is not more for the
good am going TO try to do you than
it is for the good you can do me. 1"
Coming in that spirit, the gift will be as
aromatic as the spikenard on the feet
of Christ, and all the novels in that
alley will be fragrant with the spice,
SPICE NEEDED IN CHURCH MUSIC.
We need moro spice and enlivenment
in our church music. Churches sit dis
cussing whether they shall have choirs
or precentors or organs or bass viols
or cornets. say take that which will
bring out the most inspiring music. If
we had half as much zeal and spirit in
our churches MS we have in the songs
of our Sabbath schools it would not be
long before the whole earth would
quake with the coming God. Why, in
most churches nine-tenths of the peo-
pie do not sing, or they sing so feebly
that the people at their elbows do not
know they are singing, People mouth
and humble the praises of God, but
there is not more than one out of q
hundred who makes "a joyful noise
unto the Rock of Our Salvation. Some
times, when the congregation forgets
itself, and is all absorbed in the good
ness of God or the glories OF heaven,
get am intimation of what church mu-
sic will be hundred years from now,
when the coming generation shall wake
up to its duty.
promise Il high spiritual blessing to
any one who will sing in church, and
who will sing So heartily that the peo-
pie all around cannot help but sing,
Wakoup! all the churches from Bangor
10 San Francisco and across Christen-
dom. IL Is no matter OF preference, II
is a matter of religious duty. Oh, for
fifty times more volume Of sound. Ger
man chorals In German cathe lrals sur
pass us, and yet Germany has received
nothing ~ the hands Of God compared
with Ameriea, and ought the acclaim
In Berlin be louder than that IN Brook
lyni Soft, long drawn out music Is
appropriate for the drawing room and
appropriate for the concert but St.
John gives an idea OF the sonorous and
resonant congregational singing appro-
pirate for churches when, IN listening
10 the temple service of heaven, he
says II heard q great voice as the
l. A.