Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1891-10-02
REV. DR.. TALMAGE.
THE BROOKLYN DlNINE'S sun
DAY SERMON
SUBJECT: "THE lMPoETANCE OF 81,
CRED Music"

Nhlsb ~ s'lN'
TEXT: "His brothers name ,DdS Jubdh
he tCas the father Of all such as handA
the harp and organ. ."-Genesis iv., 81.
Iamech had two boys, the one herdsmar
and the other a musician. Jubal, tn,
younger son, was the first organ builder.
He started the first sound that rolled from
the wondrous instrument which has had 30
much TO do with the worship Of the ages.
But what Improvement has been made un-
der the hands Of organ builders such as
Bernhard, Sebastian Bach and George
Hogarth and Joseph Booth and Thomas
Robjohn, clear on down to George and Ed
ward Jardne of our own day. | do not
wonder that when the first organ, that we
read Of as given in 757 by an emperor Of the
east to king of France, sounded forth its
| full grandeur woman fell into deltrtum
| from which her reason was never restored.
The majesty of great organ skilltully
| played is almost too much for human endur.
! ance but how much the instrument has done
| in the reinforcement Of divine service il
will take all time and all eternity to cele
brate. Last April when we dedicated this
| church to the service of Almighty Col our
organ was not more than half done 1t has
now come so near completion that this morn
ing preach a sermon dedicatory OF this
| mighty throne Of sacred sound 1t greets
| the eve as well as the ear. Behold this noun.
tain of anthems This forest of hosannahs,
Its history is peculiar.
The late Mr.. George Jardine recently made
a tour OF the organs OF Europe. De gath
cred up in his portfolio an account OF all the
excellences Of the renowned instruments OF
music on the other side OF the Atlantic and
all the new improvements, and brought back
that portfolio to America, declaring that
Brooklyn Tabernacle should have the full al
vantage OF all he had obtained, and although
he did not live to carry out his idea his son,
Mr.. Edward Jardine has introduced into this
great organ all those improvements aud
grandeurs, and while you hear this organ
you hear all that Is notable In the organs OF
tuoerne and Fribourg and Haarlem and st.
Paul and Westminster Abbey. and other
great organs that have enraptured the world.
In 1t are banked up more harmonies
than 1 can describe, and all for God
and the lighting Of the soul toward
Him. Its four banks OF keys its
one hundred and ten stops and appliances,
Its four thousand five hundred and ten pipes
It's chime OF thirty-seven bells, its cathedral
diapson and pc lal double diapson, its song
trumpet and night horn and vox humana,
all ALL we dedicate to God and the soul. 1t
will, | believe, under thedivine blessing lead
uncounted thousands into the kingdom Its
wedding marches, Its Thanksgiving anthems,
It's requiems will sound after all the voices
that follow it to-day shall have sung their
last song To God the Father, God the Son
: and God the Holy Ghost we dedicate 1t!
There has been much discussion as to
, where music was born. | think that at the
, beginning, when the morning stars sang to-
gether and all the suns OF God shouted for
Joy, that the earth heard the echo The
cloud on which the angels stood to celebrate
the creation was the birthplace of song.
I l.. F..II - ILL aN~ t,Fr. 4.
and wind instruments. Silence itselt-por'
feet silence-is only musical rest in Gods
great anthem of worship. Wind among the
leaves, insects humming in the summer air,
the rush Of billow upon beach, the ocean far
J out sounding its everlasting psalm, the bob
olink on tho edge OF the forest, the qua
, whstling up from the grass, are music.
On Blackwelrs Island l heard coming
S from a window in the lunatic asylum very
5 sweet song. 1t was sung by one who had
{ lost her reason, and | have come to believe
that even tho deranged and disorded ele
u ments Of nature would make music to our
. ear, II we only had aCuteness enough Z
{. listen. l suppose that even the sounds II
j., nature that are diScordant and repulsiv,
', make harmony in Gods ear. You know
u that you may come 50 near TO an orchestr1
V that the sounds are painful instead of pleas
urable, and | think we stand SO near deva
> stating storm and frightful whirlwind W,
t. cannot hear that which makes to God
= ear and the ear OF the spirits above u
q music as complete as 1t is tremendous
+, The day OF Judgment, which will be dal
OF uproar and tumult | suppose will bring
= no dissonance to the ears of those who ca
Is calmly listen; although it be as when som,
- great performer is executing q boisterou
~ piece Of music he sometimes breaks dow
. the instrument on which he plays, SO it ma
= be on that last day that the grand march c
n God, played by the fingers or thunder an
, earthquake and conhagrntion, may brea
u down the world upon which the music is eS
i ecuted. Not only is inanimate nature fu
j. OF music, but God has wonderfully organize
- the human voice, so that in the PLANES
= throat and lungs there are fourteen direc
u muscles which can make over sixteen thou
Q sand different sounds and there are thirt
! Indirect muscles which can make, 1t hi
been estimated, more than one hundred an
seventy-three millions of sounds.
Now, say, when God has SO constructe
the human voice, and when he has filled tn
'd whole earth with harmony, and when
ly recognized 1t In the ancient temple, | have
lv right to come TO the conclusion that &c
"a loved music.
" propose this morning, In setting apa
Sh this organ for sacred use, to speak about s.
'st cred music; first showing you its important
to and then stating some of the obstacles TO i
H. advancement.
-, l draw the first argument for the in
~ portance of sacred music from the fact thu
he God commanded 1t. Through Paul He tel
'ly us to admonish one another in psalms ar
mi HYMNS and spiritual songs, and throug
70, David He cries out, ''Sng ye to God, all
'o' kingdoms Of the earth" And there a
~ hundreds of other passages | might nan
ell proving that 1t Is as much mans duty
to sing as it is his duty to pray. Indeed
Id. think there are more commands IN tle plI
20, to sing than there are to pray.
'o' God not only asks for the human voice b
for instruments Of music. he asks for I
oymbal, and the harp, and the trumpet,
well as the organ And | suppose that
! the last days Of the church, the harp,
- lute. the trumpet and all the instruments
,ed music whether they have been in the serv
of Righteousness or sin will be brought
their masters and laid down at the feet
Christ, and then sounded in the churc
he triumph, on her way from suffering y
\, glory. ''Praise ye the Lordp Praise II
with your voices. Praise Him with string
le, Instruments and with organs
ns | draw another argument for the impo
NO. ance of this exercise from the impressiven
no of this exercise You know something
or what secular music has achieved.
ws know Il has made its impression on COVE
MIL ments, upon laws upon literature, W
w" whole generations. One inspiring natio
re, air Ia worth thirty thousand men as
Ak standing army. There comes time in
49,, battle when one bugle is worth thous
A'V muskets have to tell you that no nat
not or church can afford to severely econon
In music.
Many Of you are illustrations of W
sacred song can do. Through It you "
nv brought into the kingdom of Jesus ON
- You stood out against the argument ana
les, warning Of the pulpit but when, in
oo sweet words Of Isaac Watts or Charles v
o. ley or John Newton or Toplady the love
ere Jesus was sung 10 your soul then you
of rendered, as armed castle that could no
tho taken by a host lifts its window to listen
'NN hnrp's thrill. There was Scotch sol
our diving In New Orleans and Scotch mini
ork came in TO give him the consultations OF
n,,noI THO man trrnad over on his pl