Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1891-09-25
THE BURLINGTON PRhoo: FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 25 1891

adopted this plan. That IL, We do not
want any choir puarrels. 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 mclodeon In
my first settlement. Have you never been
in church on the Sabbath day and heard
the choir sing and you said, THAT is splcn-
did music" The next Sabbath you were
in that church and there was no choir at
all. Why2 The leader was mad or his
assistants were mad or they were all mad
together. Some of the choirs are made up
of our best Christian people. Some Of the
warmeSt friends have ever had have stood
up in them Sabbath after Sabbath CON
scientiously and successfully leading tho
praises of God. But the majority of the
chors throughout the land are not made
mp of Christian people, and three-fourths
OF the church fights originate in the organ
loft. take that back and say nine tcnths.
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 fam
lily of our congregation to be "A singing
school. Childish pctulance obduracy and
intractablity would be soothed if we had
more singing in the household, and then
our little ones would be prepared for the
great congregation on the Sabbath day,
their voices uniting with our voices in the
praises of the Lord. After shower there
arc scores of streams that come down the
mountain side with voices ripping and
silvcry, pouring into one river and then
rolling in united strength to the sea. So |
would have all the families in our church
send forth the voice of prayer and praise,
pouring it into the great tide of public
worship that rolls on and on to empty into
the great wide heart of God. Never can
we have our church sing as it ought until
our families sing as they ought.
There will be n great revolution on this
subject in all our churches. God will come
down by his spirit and rouse up the old
hymns and tunes that have not been more
than half awake since the time Of our
Rrandfathers. The silent pews in the
church will break forth into music, and
when the conductor takes his place on the
Sabbath day there will be a great host of
voices rushing into the harmony. My
Christian friends. if we have no taste for
this service on earth, what will we do in
heaven where they all sing, and sing for
ever?
l want to rouse YOU to a unanmity in
, Christian song that has never yet been ex-
4
and get ready for this duty, or you will
never hear the end of this l never shall
, forget hearing Frenchnan sing the
= "Marseillaise" on the Champs Elysees
, Paris, Just before the battle of Sedan in
1870 never saw such enthusiasm before
, or since. As he sang that national air, oh
how the Frenchmcn shouted Have you
ever in an English assemblage heard q
, band play God Save the Queen'" If YOU
, have you know something about the en-
thusasm of national air. Now, | tell
You that these songs we sing Sabbath by
Sabbath are the national airs of Jesu,
Christ and Of the kingdom Of heaven, and
if you do not learn to sing them here, how
9 do you ever expect to sing the song OIL
. Moses and the Lamb' Ishould not be sur
/, prsed at all Il some Of the best anthems Of
, heaven were made mp Of some of the best
songs of earth. MAY God increase our rev
;, erence for Christian psulmody, and keeI
us from disgracing it by our indifference
I and frivolity. When Cromwells army
. went into battle, he stood at the head o
= them one day and gave ont the long mctel
n doXology to the tune Of the "Old Hun
:, dredth,' and that great host, company by
company, regiment by regiment battalion
= by battalion, joined in the doxology:
. Praise God. from whom all blessings flow,
= Praise him, all creatures here below;
Praise him above, yc heavenly host.
Praise Father, son and Holy Ghost
And while they sang they marched, anC
, while they marched they fought, and whil
they fought they got the victory. Oh, mel
l and women of Jesus Christ, let us 20 int,
all our conflict, singing the praises of God
: and then, instead II falling back, as w
y often do, from defeat to defeat, we will b.