The Brookhaven leader., 1891-10-01
rave depended more upon the hymn,rs

have depended more upon the hymniss
of their congregations than upon tie
pulpit proclamation of their dogmas.
| Tartini, the musical composer, dreamed
one night that Satan snatched from his
hand an instrument and played upon
| it something very swcet-a dream that
has often been fulfilled in our day. the
voice and the instruments that ought
to have been devoted to Christ, cap
tured from the church and applied to
purposes of superstition.
Another obstacle has been an inor-
dinate fear of criticism. The vast ma
iority of people, singing in church,
never want anybody else to hear them
sing. Everybody is waiting for some
body else to do his duty. II we all
sang, then the inaccuracies that are
evident when only few sing would
not be heard at all: they would DO
drowned out. God only asks you to do
as well as you can, and then, if you get
the wrong pitch. or keep wrong time,
He will forgive any deficiency of the
ear and imperfection of the voice. An
gels will not laugh if you should lose
your place in the musical scale, or coNle
in at the close a bar behind. There are
three schools of singing, am tild-the
German school, the Italian SCHOOL, and
the French school of singing. Now,
would like to add a fourth school,
and that is the school of Christ.
The voice of n contrite, broken heart,
although it may not be able to stand
human criticism, makes better music to
Gods ear than the most artistic per-
! Torrance when the heart is wanting.
know it is easier to preach on this than
| it is to practice; but l sing for two rea-
sons-first, because / like it, and next,
| because want to encourage those who
do not know how. ] have but very lit
tie faculty in that direction, yet | am
resolved to sing. God has ommanded
it, and / dare not be silent. He calls
on the beasts, on the cattle, on the
| dragons, to praise Him, and we ought
| not to be behind the cattle and the
| dragons.
NV Christian friends, have we a right
| to delegate to others the discharge of
| this duty which God demands of us?
Suppose that four wood-thrushcs should
| propose to do all the singing some
bright day when the woods arc ringing
| with bird voices. it is decided that
| four wood-thrushes shall do all the
| singing of the forest. Let all other
oices keep silent. How beautifully
the four MARBLE. 1t isreally fine music.
But how long will you keep the forest
still? Why, Christ would come into
that forest and look up as tie
looked through the olives, and lie
would wave His hand and say: LET
| everything that hath breath praise
| the Lord" and, keeping time with the
stroke of innumerable wings, there
would be five thousand bird voices
| leaping into the harmony. Suppose
| this delegation of musical performers
were tried in Heaven; suppose that four
| choice spirits should try to do the sing
ing of the upper temple. Hush, now,
thrones and dOminions and principali-
ties. David! be still, though you were
1.-The sweet singer of Israel" Paul!
keep quiet, though you have come to
| crown of rejoicing. Richard Baxter!
| keep still, though this is the Saints
| Everlasting Rest" -Four spirits now
do all the singing. But how long
would Heaven be quiet? How long?
"IIalleluiah!'' would cry some glori-
fed Methodist from under the altar
Praise the Lord would sing
the martyrs from among the thrones.
Thanks be unto God who giveth us
the victory great multitude of re-
deemed spirits would cry. Myriads Of
voices coming into the harmony, and
the hundred and forty and four thou
sand breaking forth into one az
clamation. Stop that loud singingi
stop! Oh no, they can not hear me.
You might as well try to drown the
thunder of the sky, or beat back tho
roar of the sea, for every soul in
| Heaven has resolved to do it's own sing
ing. Alas! that we should have tried
on earth that which they can not do
in Heaven, and, instead of joining
all our voices in the praise of the
most high God, delegating perhaps to
unconsecrated men and women this
most solemn and most delightful service
There will be a 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 sino
| the time of our grandfathers. The 81
lent pews in the 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 ChriS
tian 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?
want to rouse you to a unanimity in
Christian song that has never yet been
exhibited. Come, now! clear your
Threats and get ready for this duty, or
you will never hear the end of this.
never shall forget hearing Frenchman
sing the 'Marseillaise" on the Champs
Elysees, Paris, just before the battle of
Sedan in 1870. l never saw such
enthusiasm before or since. AS
he sang that national air, oh,
how the Frenchmen shouted! Have you
| ayor in nm oh hi na heard