Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1893-05-15
HARP AND JAVELIN.
TALMAGES SERMON AT TIE BROOKLYN
TABERNACLE YESTERDAY.
The Story Of Saul and David Suggests Novel
and Practical Conjunction Of Thoughts
in 4 Powerful Sermon.

Gle. Rev. DR.. Ialmage DrOuRut IN
novel and practical conjunction
thoughts suggested by text perhaps
never before chosen. The opening
hymn, led by organ and cOrnet and
joined by the thousand OF voices, was;
Before Jehovah's awful throne
Ye nations, bow With sacred JOY
The subject announced was: Harp and
javelln." the text being Samuel; Is
chapter, 10th and lily verses; "And
David played with his hand at other
times. and there was jayelil In SanFS
hand. And Saul east the taveiin; for
be said, will smite David even to the
wall with TO- and David avoided out OF
his presence twice. y
What a spectacls for all agesl SAUL
a giant, and DaSid, dwarf. An IN
fortunate war ballad had been COM
posed and sung eulOgizing David above
Saul. That song threw Saul into par
oxysm of rage, which brought on one OF
his old spells Of insanity, 70 which be
had been subject. IL one is disposed 10
some physical ailment, and he get real
mad. IL is very apt 20 bring on one or
bis old attacks. Saul is a raving maniac
And be goes 10 Initiating the false pro-
phets or sybils, who kicked and gestic-
ulated wildly when they pretended 70 be
foretelling events. Whatever the ply
sicians OF the royal staff may have pre-
scribed for the disordered king l know
not. but David prescribed music. Hav-
ing keyed up the harp, his fingers began
10 pull the rhythm from the vibrated
strings. Thruml Thrum! Thrum.
No use.
THE KING WILL NOT LISTEN
70 the exquisite cadences. de lets fly a
iavelin. expecting 10 pin the minstrel 10
the wall, but David lodged the weapon
and kept on for be was confident that
be could, as before, subdne SauPs bad
spirit by music. Again the javelln Is
flung and David lodges 10 and departs
What a contrast Roseate David with
harp and enraged Saul with a Iayelin.
Who would not rather play the one than
fling the other? But that was not the
only time in the worlds history that
harp aud javeliu met. Where their
birthplace was, / cannot declare. III is
said that the Tyre was trst suggested
by the tight drawing OF the slnews OF
tortoise across its shell, and that the
flute was first suggested by the blowing
OF the wind across a bed Of reeds, and
that the ratio OF musical intervals was
first suggested 10 Pythagoras by the
different hammers on the anvil OF the
smithy, but the harp seems 70 me 20
have dropped out Of the sky and the
jayelin TO have been thrown up from the
pit. The oldest stringed instrument OF
the world is the harp. Jubal sounded his
harp in the book Of Genesis. David
PLAYED many OF his psalms on the harp
while be sang them. The captiveS IL
Babylon hung their harps on the will
lows. JOsephus celebrated the inven-
tion OF the ten-stringed harp. limo
theus, the Milesian, was imprisoned for
adding the twelfth string TO the harp,
because too much luxury OF sound
might eneryate the people. Egyptian
harpS. Scottish harps, Welsh harps,
Iris harps, have been celebrated.
What an inspired trianglel EverlaSt-
ing hOnors to Sebastian Erard, WHO, oy
pedals invented called the foot as well
as the hand 70 the harp. When the
harpiscOrd maker for whom be worked
discharged him for his genius, the en-
ployer not wanting TO be eclipsed by
his subordinate, Erard suffered from
the same passion Of jealousy that threw
Saul Of my text into the fit during
which he flung a javein at the harpist.
The harp is almost human, as you ind,
when you
PUT YOUR FINGER on ITS PULSE.
Other instruments have louder voice,
and may be better for a battle charge,
but what exquisite sweetness slumbers
between the harp strings, waking at the
first touch OF the tips Of the fingers. II
can weep. 1t can plead. IL can soothe.
IL can pray. The flute IS more mellow,
the trumphet is more startling, the or
gan is more majestic, the cymbalS are
more festive, the drum is more reSOund-
ing, but the harp has richness Of its
own, and will continue its mission
through oil time and then take part in
celestial symphonies, for st. John says
he heard in heaven the harps Of God.
But the javelin OF my text is just as
old. 1t is about five feet and half
long, with wooden handle and steel
point, keen and sharp. But IL belongs
10 the great family of death-dealers,
aud Is brother 20 sword and spear and
bayonet, and first cousin 10 all the i'm
plements that wound aud Stay.
Oh, / am so glad that my text brings
them so close together that we can see
the contrast between the harp and the
javelin. The one 20 SoOthe, the other
70 hurt;. the one to save, the other TO de-
strOy; the one divine, the other diabOlic;
the one 10 play, the other 10 hurl; the
one In David's ssilful hand, the other in
Saups wrathful clutch. May God speed
the harp, may God grind into dullness
the sharp edge OF the iavelin!
Now what does all this make you
think Of? II suggests TO me music as
medicine for physical and mental dlsor-
ders. David took hold OF the musical
instruRsnt which be best knew how to
playand evoked from il sounds which
were for Kiag Sau's diversion and
medicament But, you say, the treat
Ament In this case was failure. Why
was 10 q failure? Saul refused 20 take
the medicine. A whole spOthecary shop
of curative drugs will do nothing to-
ward healing your illnesses il you re-
fuse TO take the medicine. IL was not
the fault OF Dayid's prescription, but
the fault OF 2aurs obstinacy.
MUSIC Is A UNIVERSAL LANGUAGE.
At the foot Of the Tower OF Babel ian
gnaee was split into fragments never to
be again put together, but one thing
was not hurt, aud that is music, and 10
IS the same all the world over. Last
summer in Russia at watering place
we were greeted as we entered great
auditorium, which was filled with thou