Telegram-herald., 1891-09-21

thing Of what secular music has sehisveo
foo know is has made ia inspsesslon On
xovernnents. upon LAWS. upoR literature.
upon wnsts 1saeEsEions Ons Inspiring
national air - worth thirty thousand men
Is snAading army. There comes q tuna
IN ths battle when sne b1gie Il worth .
thousand musksEs. / have 10 teli you that
no nation. 90 church can afford 70 severely
scoaoulxe il kaaz.c-
TIE korUEa's soma
Many Of you are illustrations Of what
sacred song can do. Through it you were
brought into he kingdom OF Jesus Christ
You stosd out sgaiAss the srgumslt and
the wArniag Of toe pulpit. bat when. in
the sweet words Of Isaac Watts or Charles
Wesley or Jehn Newton or Topisdy the
love q jesus ives surg 10 your soul.
thea yon sayvsndered as armed castle that
could aos b taken BY boat lifts its win
dow 70 lisssn % hArp's trail There was
q Scotch soldier dyiag IN New Orleans and
Soosrh minutes came Ia to give him the
consultations Of the Gospel The man
turned over sn hiz pillsw and said, "Den
talk TO nns about religion" Then the
Scotch minister began 20 sing fAmiiisr
hymn Of Scotland that was composed
BY David Dieasnsen. beginning with the
words:
Oh, mother, dear Jerusalem.
when shall I cozas TO theer
He Gang il 10 tho tune Of "Dundee." and
everybody In Scotland Knows that; and a.
be began to gns the dying soldier turned
over On hia pillow and said TO the minister.
Where aid you learn thatr why" re-
piled the minister, my mother taught mo
that" $50 did NINE" said the dying
Scotch soldier: aud che very foundation of
his hears was upeurnsd, and then and there
he yielded himself 20 Christ. Oh, it has an
Irresistible power. Luthss's sermons have
been fergottea. but his Judgment Hymn"
sings On through the ages, and will keep
on singing until the blast Of the archangel's
trumpet shall bring about that very day
which the hymn celebrates. I would to
God that those who hear me today would
take these songs Of salvation As messages
from heaven; for just a. certainly as the
birds drought fsod to Elijah by the brook
Cherith. 90 these winged harnonies. God
seat, are flying TO Jour soul with the bread
Of life. Open Jour mouths and take it, oh.
hungry Elijahs!
In addition to the inspiring music Of our
own day We have glorious inheritance Of
church psalmody which has come down
fragrant with the devotionA OF ether gen.
erations-tunes no more worn out than
they were whom our great grandfathers
climbed up ou,them from the church pew
to gloryl Dear old souls. how they used
to singl When they were cheerful our
grandfathers and Rrandmothers used to
sing Colchester" When they were very
meditaeivs then the board meeting house
rang with South Street" and est. Ed
mond's." We're they struck through with
great tenderness they sang Woodstock. 1"
Were they wrapped in visions Of the glory
OF the church they sang Zion" Were
they overborns with the love and glory of
Christ they sang Ariel" And In those
days there were certain tunes married to
certain hymns. aud they have lived in
peace great while, these two old people,
and We have no right to divorce them.
"What God hath joined together let no
man put asupder." But how hard hearted
we must Be il all this sacred music Of the
past and all the sacred music Of the present
does not start us heavenward.
IT CHARMS THE MELANCHOLY.
have also noticed the power Of sacred
song to sooth perturbation. You may have
come in here this morning with q great
many worriments and anxietics, yet per-
haps in the singing of the first hymn you
lost all those worriments and anxieties
You have read in the Bible of Saul and
how he was sad and angry and how the
boy David came in and played the evil
spirit out of him. A Spanish king was
melancholy. The windows were all closed.
He sat in 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 rejoiced, and the windows were
thrown open, and that which all the splen-
/ doris of the court could not do the power of
song accomplished. II you have 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 ont of you.
! Il also arouses to action. A singing
church Ii always q triumphant church!
II a congregation Ii silent during the excr-
else, or partially silent, it is the silence OF
death. II, when the hymn Is given out,
you hear the faint hum Of here and there a
| father and mother In Israel while the vast
majority arc silent. that minister of Christ
who Is presiding needs TO have very
strong constitution If he does not get the
chills. He needs not only the grace of
God, but nerves like whalebone. It Is
amazing how some people who have voice
enough to discharge all their duties in the
world when they come into the house OF
God have no voice to discharge this duty.
l really believe that II the church Of Christ
could rise up and sing - il ought to sing,
that where we have q hundred souls
brought into the kingdom Of Christ there
would be thousand.
But must now speak Of some OF the OBJ
stacles in the way Of the advancement OF
this sacrsd music; and the FIRST Is that il
has been impressed into the service OF
superstition. ! am far from believing that
music ought always to be positively re
ligious Refined art has opened places
where music has been seculartzed, and law
fully so. The drawing room. tho musical
club, tho orchestra. the concert, by tn
qualification of pure taste. and the produc
ton Of harmless amusement and the i'm
provement of talent have become great
forces in tho advancement Of our civiliza
ton. Music has A. much right 10 laugh In
Surrey gardens a. 10 has to pray In St
| Paul's. In the kingdom Of nature We have
tho glad ming Of the wind ~ well a thu
long meter psalm of the thunder. Bul
while all this Is 90, every observer has no
ticed that this art, which God intended FOL
the improvement Of the ear, and the voice
and the head. and the heart, has often beer
impressed into the service of false rslig
ions. False religions hsvs depended NOR,
upon the hymning of their congregation,
than upon tho pulpit proclamation of theil
dogmaa Tartini, the musical composer
dreamed one night that satan snatched
from his hand On instrument and played
upon It somsthing very swest-a dream