Courier Democrat. (Langdon, N.D.) 1891-1920, 1891-10-08
stating some Of the obstacles to its
advancement. II

stating some Of the obstacles to It's
advancement.
\ draw the first argument for the
Importance Of sacred music from the
fact that God commanded it.
Through Paul he tells us to admonish
in psalms, and hymns, and spiritual
songs; and through David he cries
out: "Sing We to God, all ye kingd
OF the earth" And there are hundreds
of other passages / might name,
proving that it is as much
A MANS DUTY TO SING
as it is his duty to pray. Indeed, I
think there are more commands in the
Bible to sing than there are to pray.
God not only asks for the human
voice but for instruments of music.
He asks for the cymbal, and the harp,
and the trumpets as we'll rs the or
gan. And suppose that, in the last
days OF the church, the harp, the lutte,
the trumpet, and all the instruments
of music whether they have been in
the service OF righteousness or sin,
will be brought by their masters and
laid down at the feet of Christ, and
then sounded in the church's triumph,
on her way from suffering into glory.
"Praise We the Lord!' Praise him
with your voices. Praise him with
stringed instruments and with or
gans.
l draw another argument for the
Importance of this exercise. You
know something Of what secular music
hoe V1,, lypov ~ hoe n, 10
it's impression on governments, upon
laws, upon literature, upon wholeg gen.
erations. One inspiriting National
air is worth 10000 men as astanding
army. There comes time in the bat
tie when one bugle is worth a thou
sand muskets. 1 have to tell you
that no nation or church can afford
to severely economic in music.
Many'of you are illustrations of
what sacred song can do. Through it
you were brought into the kingdom of
Jesus Christ. You stood out against
the argument and warning of the pull
| pit; but when in the sweet words OF
Isaac Watts, or Charles Wesley, or
John Newton, or Toplady, the love of
Jesus was sung to your soul, then you
surrendered, as armed castle, that
could not be taken by a host, lifts its
window
TO LISTEN TO A HARP'S THRILL.
have also noticed the power OF
sacred song to sooth perturbation
and arouse to action. A singing
church is always a triumphant church!
If congregation is silent during the
exercise, or partially silent, it is the
silence OF death.
But l must now speak OF some OF
the obstacles in the way OF advance
ment OF this sacred music; and the
first is that it has been impressed in
to the service OF superstition.
am far from believing that music
ought always to positively religious
Refine art has opened places where
music has been secularized, and law.
fully so. The drawing-room, the
musical club, the orchestra, the con
cert, by the qualification ofpure taste
and the production OF harmless
amusement and the improvement o.
talent, have become great forces in the
advancement OF our CIVILIZATION
Music has as much right to laugh il
Surrey Gardens as it has to pray il
st. Paul's.
Another obstacle that has been il
the way OF the advancement OF the
holy art, has been the fact that there
has been so much angry discussion or
the subject OF music. There are those
who would have this exercise conduct
ed by musical Instruments. In thu
same church there are those who dc
not like musical instruments, and sc
it is organ and no organ, and there il
a fight. In another church, it is {
question whether the music shall b.
conducted by precentor or by adrlll
ed choir. Some want a drilled choi
and some want a precentor, and Their
is fight. Another obstacle in the ad
vancement of this art has been the Ell
roneous notion that this part of tn
services could be conducted by delega
cation. Churches have said: "Ol
; what an easy time weshall have. Thu
, minister will do the preaching, tn
choir will do the singing, and we will
have nothing to do. And you know
as we'll as l that there are a grea
multitude of churches all through thi
land, where the people are not expect
ed to sing the whole work is done b.
a delegation OF four, or six, or tel
persons, and the audience are silent
My christian friends, have we RICH
to delegate to others the discharge O
this duty
!. WHICH GOD DEMANDS OF Us9
/ Suppose the delegation OF musica
e performers were tried in heaven; sup
pose that four choice spirits SHOULD
try to do the singing of the upper TEN
) pie. Hush now. thrones and domln
: ions. and principalities. David! b
still, though you we're 'tthe singer 9
+ Israel" PAUL keep quiet though yo
have come to that crown of rejoicing
. Richard Baxter! keep still, thong
, this is the "Saint' everlasting Rest.
Four spirits now do all the singing
But how long would heaven be quiet
How long? '.Halleluiah!' would CT
some glorifed Methodist from eunde