The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1891-10-07
Lord and, keeping time with the stroke Of
innumerable wings there would be five thou


Suppose this delegation of musical per-
formers were tried in heaven; suppose that
four choice spirits should try to do the sing
inc of the upper temple. Hush, now, thrones
and dominions and principalities. David!
be still. though you wers ''the sweet singer
of Israel" Paul! keep quiet though you
have come to that crown OF rejoicing Rich
"Saints Everlasting Rest" Four spirits now
hoaven be quiet? How long? "HalIelujahw
Woph cry some glorifed Methodist from un-
dor the altar. Praise the Lord" would
sing the martyrs from among the thrones
.VThanks be unto God who giveth us the vic
tory W great multitude Of redeemed spirits
would cry.
Myriads Of voices coming into the har-
| mony, and the one hundred and forty and
four thousand breaking forth into one accla-
nation. Stop that loud singing! Stop! On,
no. they cannot hear me. You might as we'll
try to drown the thunder Of the sky, or beat
back the roar Of the sea, for every soul in
heaven has resolved to do its own singing.
Alasl that we should have tried on earth
,, that which they cannot do in heaven, and
instead of Joining all our voices in the praise
OF the most high God, delsZating perhaps
this most solemn and most delightful SER
vice. :,
Now. in this church, we have resolved
upon the plan Of conducting the music by or
gan and cornet. We do it for two reasons
one is that by throwing the whole response
bility upon the mass Of the people, making
the great multitude the caoir, we might
rouse more heartiness. The congregation
coming on the Sabbath day feel that they
cannot delegate this part OF the great serv.
| ice to any one. else and so they themselves
assume it. We have had glorious congre-
| gational singing here. People 'bave come
many miles to hear it. They are not sure
about the preaching. but they can always
depend on the singing We have ave. neara the
waters y but il will be done at better rate
after awhile, when we shall realize the height,
and the depth, and the immensity Of this
forgot to state the other reason why we
| adopted this plan. That Is we do not want
any choir quarrels. You know very well
| that in scores Of churches there has been
perpetual contention in that direction. The
only church fight that ever occurred under
my ministry was over melodeon, In my
| first settlement. Have you never been in
choir sing, and you said, "fhat is splendid
music" The next Sabbath, you were in
that church, and there was no choir
at all. Why? Tho leader was mad,
| or his assistants were mad, or they
we're all mai together. Some Of the
choirs are made up Of our best Christian
people. Some Of the warmest friends have
ever had stood up in them, Sabbath after
Sabbath, conscientiouslY and successfully
leading the praises Of God. But the majority
of the choirs throughout the land are not
made up of Christian people, and three
fourths Of the church fights originate in the
organ loft. I take that back aud say nine
tenths A great many Of our churches are
| dying Of choirs-
We want to rouse all our families to the
duty Of sacred song. We want each family
of our congregation to be singing school.
Childish petulance, obduracy and intracta-
biity would be soothed II we had more sing
ing in the household, and then our little ones
would be prep ared for the great congrega-
tion on the SABBATH day, their voices uniting
with our voices in the praises of the Lord.
After shower there are scores OF streams
that come down the mountain side with
voices ripping and silvery, pouring in one
river and then rolling in united strength x
the sea. So would have all the families IL
our church send forth the voice OF prayer anc
praise pouring it into the great tide OF public
worship that rolls on and on to empty lntt
the great, wide heart OF God. Never can WI
have our church sing as it ought until ou
families sing as they ought.
There will be great revolution on tnl.
subject in all our churches. God vii! come
down BY His spirit and rouse up the OIL
hymns and tunes that have not been mor'
than half awake since the time Of our grand
fathers. The silent pews In tho church will
break forth into music, and when the con
ductor takes his place on the Sabbath day
there will be great host of voices rushing
into the harmony. My Christian friends ii
we have no taste for this service on earth
what will we do in heaven, where they al
sing, and sing forever?
want to rouse you to unanimity ir
christian song that has never yet been ex
hibited. Come, nowi clear your throats
and get ready for this duty or you will never
hear the end Of this. I never shall forget
hearing q Frenchman sing the '!Marseil.
laise" on the Champs Elysees, Paris Just
before the battle Of Sedan in 1870. never
saw such an enthusiasm before or since. As
he sung that national air. obi how3 the
Frenchmen shouted! Have you ever in an
English assenblage heard the band play
God Save the Queen" If you have, you
know something about the enthusiasm oi
pational air.
Now, tell you that these songs we sing
Sabbath by Sabbath are the national airs OF
Jesus Christ and Of the kingdom Of heaven,
and II you do not learn to sing them here,
how do You ever expect to sing the song OF
Moses and the Lamb? I should not be sur
prised at all IL son ne Of the best anthems of
heaven were made up OF some OF the best
songs on earth. May God increase our rev.
erence for Christian psalmody, and keep US
from disgraciny it by our Indifference and
frivolity. When Cromwell's army went into
battle, he stood at the head of them one day,
and gave out the long meter doxology to the
tune OF the 'Old Hundredth, and that great
host, company BY company, regiment by regi-
ment, battalion by battalion, joined in the
doxology:
Praise God from whom all blessing. flow,
Praise Him, all creatures mere below;
Praise Him above, ye heavenly host,
Praise Father, Son and Hoy Ghost
And while they sang they marched, and
while they marched they fought, and while
they fought they got the victory. Oh, men
and women Of Jesus Christ, let US go into all
our conflicts singing the praises of God, and
then instead Of falling back, as we often do.
from defeat to defeat, we will be marching
on from victory to victory.
Glory to the Father and to the Son and to
the holy Ghost, as it was in the beginning,
is now and ever shall be, world without end.
Amen.
The Medical Record utters q timely
protest against the enormously preva'
lent and very injurious habit Of smok.
ing cigarettes and inhaling the smoke.
HThe seriousness lies not alone in the
fact that it involves steady absorp