Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1891-10-02

ister will do the preaching, the choir will do
| the singing and we will have nothing TO do"
And you know as well as l that there are a
| great multitude OF churches all through this
land, where the people are not expected to
sing the whole work is done by delegation OF
four or six or ten prisons and the audienos
are silent.
In such a church in Syracuse an old elder
persisted in singing, and SO the choir ap-
pointed a committee to go and ask the squire
| IL he would not stop. You know that in
great multitude of churches the choir are ex'
pected TO do all the singing, and the greso
mass of the people are expected to be silent,
| and IL YOU utter your voice you are interfer-
inc. There they stand, the four, with opera
glass dang linz at their side, singing
crock Of Ages, Cleft for Me" with the same
spirit that the night before, on the stage,
they took their part in the Grand Duchess
or "Don Giovanni"
NV Christian friends have we q right to
delegate to others the discharge OF this duty
which God demands Of us2 Suppose that
four wood thrushes should propose to do all
the singing some bright day when the woods
are ringing with bird voices 1t is decided
that four wood thrushes shall do all the
singing OF the forest. Let all the other
voices keep silent. How beautifully the
four warbe 1t is really fine music. But
how long will you keep the forest still
Why, Christ would come into that forest and
look up as He looked through the olives, and
He would wave His hand and say, Let
everything that hath breath praise the
Lord, and, keeping time with the stroke or
innumerable wings, there would be five thou
sand bird voices leaping into tho harmony.
Suppose this delegation OF musical per-
formers were tried in heaven; suppose that
four choice spirits should TY to do the sing
ing of the upper temple. Hush now thrones
and dominions and principaiities Davidl
be still, though you were the sweet singer
of Israel" PAUL. keep quiet though you
have como to that crown Of rejoicing. Rich.
ard 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 longS "HallelujahF'
would cry some glorifed Methodist from un.
der the altar. Praise the LordF would
sing the martyrs from among the thrones.
Thanks be unto God who giveth US the VIC
! tory" great multitude OF redeemed spirits
would cry.
, mony, and the one hundred and forty and
l four thousand breaking forth into one acca-
: nation Stop that loud singing Stop On,
no, they cannot hear me. You might as well
try to drown the thunder OF the sky, or beat
. back the roar of the sea, for every soul in
. heaven has resolved TO do its own singing.
l Alas, that we should have tried on earth
, that which they cannot do in heaven, and
= instead OF joining all our voices in the praise
: OF the most high God delezating perhaps
this most solemn and most delightful SER
| vice.
i Now, in this church, we have resolved
: upon the plan of conducting the music by or
: gan and cornet We do it for two reasons
[ one is that by throwing the whole RESPONSE
8 biity upon the mass OF the people, making
4 the great multitude the choir, we might
9 rouse more heartineSs. The congregation
: coming on the Sabbath day feel that they
n cannot delegate this part OF the great serv-
t ice to any one else, aud so thoy Themselves
= assume It. We have had glorious congre-
o Cational singing here. People have come
r many miles to hear it. They are not sure
q about the preaching, but they can always
h souni coming up like 'the voice Of many
1t waters,n but it wifi be done at better rate
Is after awhile when we shall realize the height
g and the depth, and the immensity OF this
privilege
3 adopted this plan. That Is, we do not want
n any choir quarrels. You know very well
| that in scores of churches there has been
/ perpetual contention in that direction The
t only church fight that ever occurred under
= my ministry was over melodeon, in my
< first settlement. Have you never been in
g, choir sing, and you said, THAT is splendid
t, music" The next Sabbath, you were in
10 that church, and there was no choir
l. at all Why? Tho leader was mad,
N or his assistants were mad, or they
I. were all mad together. Some OF the
choirs are made up of our best Christian
ad people Some OF the warmest friends have
or ever had stood up in them, Sabbath after
is Sabbath conscientiousy and successfully
t leading the praises Of God. But the majority
OF of the choirs throughout the land are not
le made up Of Christian people, and three
r. fourths of the church fights originate in the
We organ loft. l take that back and say nine
ir tenths A great many of our churches are
IL diving of choirs.
AL we want to rouse all our families to the
an duty Of sacred song. We want each family
nd OF our congregation to be singing school.
"A Childish petulance, obduracy and intracta-
ur bility would be soothed il we had more sing
at ing In the household, and then our little ones
Ip- would be prepared for the great congrega
lr- ton ON the Sabbath day, their voices uniting
with our voices in the praises OF the LORD
te After a shower there are scores Of stream
,o- that come down the mountain SIDE VIII
iy voices rippling aud silvery, pouring IN on
it. river and then rolling in united strength I
we the sea SO would have all the families
vi our church send forth the voice of prayer an
be praise, pouring it into the great tide OF publ
ut worship that rolls on and on to empty INT
IN, the great wide heart of God. Never can
sep have our church sing as 1t ought untu oV
,cy families sing as they ought.
ce There will be u great revolution on Tn
,ur suhiect In all our churches. God will com
the down by His spirit and rouse up the o.
hymns and tunes that have not been mol
I'M than half awake since the time OF our gran
ool fathers The silent pews in the church wi
I break forth into music, and when the CO.
hat ductor takes his placs on the Sabbath da
on there will be a great host of voices rushiI
be into the harmony. My Christian friends,
ter we have no taste for this service on cart
site what will we do In heaven, Where tney
| sing, and sing forever
u To I In to unaQlmltY
rst, Christian song that has never yet been g
ant hibited. Come, nowl clear your throa
[ and get ready for this duty or you will nev
ion, hear tho end of this never shall forg
ON hearing q Frenchman sing the "Marse
,alls laise" on the Champs Elysees, Paris, j.
,ons before the battle of Sedan In 1870. uev
hind saw such an enthusiasm before or since.
he sung that national air, ohl how
yav Frenchmen shoutedl Have you ever In
has English assembage heard the band pl
uch God Save the QueenT IL you have,
Isle know something about the enChuslasm
YER q national air.
In Now, tell you that these songs We ST
not Sabbath by Sabbath are the national airs
gan Jesus Christ and OF the kingdom of heav'
In and If you do not learn to sing them ne
the how do you ever expect to sing the song
,r or Moses and the LambY ! should not be 8
ille1 prised at all IL some of the best anthems
here heaven were made up OF some OF the
nnld songs ON earth May God increase our r
Ouhl SphS' ~ - l,oor
ayed erenoe for Christian pSalnouy ,Sne anu noep
here from disgraclng IL oy ouT 80
into frivolity. When Cron"eli eIuly WOW WOW
ngles battle he STOOD al the heau o. ohehi oie %
elous and gave out tne ionS meier uoAoioSy W ~
dis tune Of the "Old hundreuth," anu Cnto "
sted host, company by company, regiment by r.
Irhts ment, battalion by battalion, Joined in
doxology:
In al Praise God from whom all blessings now'
you'd Praise Him, all creatures mere below
make Pfase bim aoVye, ye yoS hgsoes Io,. Hbnst %'
hair ffaAo a'ne'' ''N "1N -
Witch And while they sang they marched,