The Helena independent. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1892-01-02
HARMONY IN The HEART.
Rev. Webb, Of ST. Peters Episcopal
Church, breaches From
Eph, s: 10.
Tao Text Is Ono Suggestive OF
Peace and Happiness and
Harmony.

NEEEE ~sM~S N~EkAAAG20 B GAA&VA %MN
Harmony.
ITO Melody III the ncsrt nf which
tho Apostle Speaks II
Result.
Singing and making melody in your
heart to the Lord" Ephes. v 10. was the
text taken BY tho Rotor at Et. Peters
church. Every Lords day 10 q festival.
It is tho Easter Of every week. To-day adds
tho significance OF another event which ID
seinR COMMUNICATED in every land. The
two mort joyous days of the year are those
which thus mark the beginning and the
close OF Chrlst's career upon the enrth.
From the way in which these festivals are
..ept You judge mons estimate OF what
Jesus has done for the world. This morn
lnK's merriment over all the earth is the
worlds conscious or unconscious tribute to
Christ. And that heart il cold indeed
which tho eeniality Of this day does not
touch, and tho gloom upon that spirit deep.
through which one bright ray OF to-day's
III 49, 1s@ESAN 10 = ny kVAAEAO0leJ
Of that naturs Of very low vitality which
feels no, strong impulse in the general
Christmas 10y to quicken it. The song that
came out Of the skies to the shepherds who
watched at night under the Syrian cedars
has surely gone out into all tho world and
reached into the ends of tho earth; and all
sorrow but the most obtrusive il forgotten
in the Joy that a man-child is born into the
world. a gift of God to the race that does
not wear out and shall never wear old.
The text is one suggestive Of peace. and
happiness, and harmony. Let US try to
find in il a theme appropriate to tho day.
'Hc not drunk with wine.n writes st. Paul
to the Ephesians, "but be filed with the
spirit. speaking to yourselves in psalms and
hymns and spiritual songs, singing and
making melody in your heart to the Lord
A life that moves along to the melody of a
singing heart, that ia the snd which God
has fixed as the sum Of christian culture.
Suoh a melody is the accompaniment Of q
condition in which oil the elements of one,s
being are at harmony with the will Of, God.
written not only upon ths soul, but upon
the wide universe itgelf.
a mathematician thought the soul must
be extension, but the musician was nearer
the truth who conceived it to be harmony.
Nor was that expression of the ancisnts q
mere poetic figure when they spoke of "ths
music Of the ever enduring spheres" They
believed that tho universe was CONSTRUCTED
by its Great Builder upon the principles of
music and that all the motions of the
heavenly bodies are regulated by musical
intervals. For one to leap from its ap-
chaos. But they have no will save that of
their beneicent Maker; 10 they full
I'll His intention and mako their
everlasting harmony, "Thers's not
the smallest orb thou beholdest
But in his motion like an angel sings, still
harmony is in immortal souls" It is there,
the great dramatist concludes, But whilst
this muddy vesture OF decay doth grossly
cloak US in. we cannot here it, Rather
the possibilities are thsre, tho elements out
of which the harmony is to be constructed.
You teach" writes Seneca. carrying out
the ancient thought, how voices high and
low mak harmony together, how concord
may arise from things of varying sounds;
teach rather how my mind may be in con
from discord.'' What then il tho process?
And what the materials with which We
have to work? Nature here has something
also to say. How infinite the variety of
effects! How few III numbeL the efements
by which they are produced! sDiversifying
ING IraAReihents OF tne pafts, tue Wnole
varying order of things ig brought about.
The name chemical formulse often repre-
aent the composition of substances utterly
unlike in overy quality, and color. form and
fragrance blend their endless differences
into the vast harmony of flushed sky, great
forest, and star and flower. But it comes
nearer to our point to apply the statements
to music. Out of the few elemen-
tary sounds what vibrations are
flung out upon the air-waves of
soundm more potent than any speech because
And the possibilities that still remain in
those few primary notes can be measured
only by the undreamed of combinations
which are to be evolved at the touch of
geniuses still unborn. Few and simple,
likewise. are the elements out Of which you
are to build mr. an harmonious life, yet the
work ia thoroughly hard. Tho melody in
the heart, of whioheths apostle speaks, is a
result. II ones outer hearing ia not sensi-
tive to the harmony of sounds God has
made possible for him, at least this inner
music of the soul. It rises up, note after
note, out of the jarring sounds OF the I'M
disciplined spirit. You hear it 'afar off, and
1t grows in distinctnass as grace after grace
and one power after another of your ma
turs come into play and move together in
accord with the will of God. The melody
comes slowly. Often tho process is very
irksome, like tho task to the child who is
compelled to PRACTICE. But you simplify
your labor to realizs how few tho elements
with which you have to deal. There arc
but three ideas-the ideas of God, your
%neighbor and yourself-as the incarnation
which We are commsmorsting to-day inter-
prets zach of these terms. The harmony
comes from the arrangement; and in
every chord OF character these ideas must
stand In the rigk. relation. Strive to Sc
ours the agreement of these parts, and you
write for yourself at tho same time a psalm
of life and set to it your tune. These are
duties to God, duties to ones self, duties to
others. IL it not the hnrshest kind of dis
cord when a man thinks only of those
which pertain to himself? There ia no
melody in tho heart of a selfish man, and
his obtruaivs ogotism certainly does not
st ike into unison with any other person
atty which he encounters. The symmet-
rical, harmonious character is one that
recognizes and rsverences God, that is CON
Gcious of his OWNS souls value, and apprs-
ciates the rights of others and respects
them, and the festivities of this season
chime in with lessons in accord with these
thoughts. Ii the world ia accounted selfish.
to-day it ceases for Il time to be cold and
Rclf-centred. Each one ID thinking of 9th
ers, and is happy accordingly. And at
tho prophecy of peace on
earth. good will TO men," which the angels
sang, always seems near its fulfllment.
And the only hope of its final and perma-
nent realization is in tbs supremacy of
, hp~a truthu uhj,h /. rusluaJ; -. AZ I;-al,