Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1893-10-20
REV. DIR. TALMAGE.
The Eminent Brooklyn Divines Sua'
day Sermon.
Subject; "HelpfuI Churches"


Is, they would give You ATTY different an
swers. One man would say, 1T IS a conven-
ton OF hypocritca" Another. 1T is an as
sembly Of people who feel themselves great
deal better than others" Another, 1T Is
place for gossip, where wolverine DISPOSE
lions devour each other Another. 1T is
place for the cultivation Of superstition and
can't Another, 1T is an arsenal where
theolOgians go to get pixies and muskets and
shot" Another. 1T is an art gallery. where
men go to admire grand arches and exquisite
fresco. and musical MARBLE and the Dan
tesque in gloomy imagery" Another man
would say. 1T is the best pllce on earth ex-
cept my own home II ] forget thee.
Jerusalem let my right hand forget her cum
ming.
Now. my friends. whatever the church Is.
my text tells YOU what II ought TO be-a
great. practical. homey. omnipOtent help.
"Send thee help from the sanctuary The
pew ought to yield restluness TO the body.
The color Of the upholstery ought TO yield
pleasure TO the eve The entire service ought
10 Weld strength for the moil and struggle OF
everyday life The Sabbath ought TO be har-
messed to all the six days Of the week, draw
ing them in the right direction. The church
ought TO be a magnet. visibly and nightly
affecting all the homes OF the worshipers.
Every man gets roughly josilei. gets abused,
eXasperated.
By the time the Sabbath comes he has en-
accumulation OF six days OF annoyance. and
that s a starveling church service which has
not strength enough 10 take that accumulat-
ed ANNOYANCE and hurl Il into perdition. The
business man sits down in church headachey
from the weeks engagements Perhaps ne
wishes he had tarricd at home on the lounge
with the newspapers and the slippers That
man wants 10 be cooled of and graciously
diverted. The first wave OF the religious
service ought to dash clear over the hurri-
cane decks and leave him dripping with holy
and glad heavenly emotion. send thee help
from the sanctuary.
In the first place. sanctuary help ought TO
come from the music. 4 woman dying IN
England persisted in singing 10 the last mo-
ment. The attendants tried 10 persuade her
70 stop. saving il would exhaust her and
make her disease worse. She answered; IL
must sing | am only practiclng for the
heavenly choir Music on earth IS re-
hcarsl for music in heaven. II you and
are going to take part in that great orches-
ira. il Is high time that we were strngng
aud drumming oar harps, They tell us that
Thalbergand Colts 'halkneyer would 70 into
a concert until they had first in private re-
hearsed although they were such masters OF
the instrument And can Il be that We OK
pect to tako part IN the great oratorio Of
heaven IL we do not rehearse herel But
am not speaking OF the next world. sabbath
song ought 10 set all the week 20 music. We
want not more harmony. not more artistic
expression. bat more volume In our church
music.
Now am no wOrshiper OF noise, bat / be-
lieye that il our American churches would.
with full heartincss Of soul and full emphasis
Z ain faa rf %
sacred worship would have tenfOld more
power than il has now. Why not take thi,
part OF the sacred service and lit II % where
il ought 10 be- All the annoyances Of life
might be drowned out Of that sarrod song.
Do Won tell me that 1t is not fashionable 10
sing very loudly? Then. ] say, away with
the fashion. We dam back the great Mis-
sissippi Of congregational singing and let
fcw drops Of melody trickle through the
dam. / say take away the dam and let the
pillows roar on their way - the oceanic
heart Of Col. Whether il Il fashionable ~
sing loudly or not, Jet MS sing With at pos
sihle emphasis
We hear a great deal u the at o. singing
oi music "a an entertainment. Of music rs
recreation. II ia high time we heard >ome-
thing OF music as q help practical help.
IN order 20 DO this Va must only have a few
hymns New tunes aud now hymns every
SUNDAY mako poor congregational singing
Fifty hymns ar enough for 1fty years. Tbs
Episcopal Church prays the same prayers
every Sabbath. and wear after YEAR and
century after century. For that reason they
have hearty responses. Let rs take hint
from that fact and lot L, sing the same
songs sabbath after sabbath. Only in that
way can We come 10 the full force Otthis
exercise. Twenty thousand wears viii not
wear out the hymns " William Cowpcr AMI
Charles Wesley and Is1as Watts.
suppose now each person in this audience
has brought all the annoyances OF the last
sos days. Fill this room 10 the ceiling with
sacred song AMI YOU would drown out all
those annOyances OF the 3Gj days and YOU
would drown them ont forever. Organ and
c0rnct are Only 20 marshal the voice. Let
the voice fall into line. and Ia companies aud
in brigades, by storm take the obduracy and
sin % the world. II you cannot sing FOR
Yourself, sing Tor others. BY trying 10 give
other, good cheer You will bring good cheer
90 Your own heart. Whom Londonderry,
ireland. wa bcsegel. many years ago. tho
people inside the rity We're furnishing, and a
vessel came no with provisions hut the yes
sol ran on the river bank and stuck fast. The
enemy went down. with laughter ant do
rision. ~ board tho vessel, when tho vessel
gave broadsidc lr' agains; the enemy. anil
by the shock wa, turned back into the stream.
and ali was we'll
Oh. W. who are high and dry On the rocks
OF melancholy. give 3 hroadsGe fire % son.
against your spiritual enemies. and by holy
rebound you will come ont into the calm
waters n we want 20 maze our-air--
happy. W. must make others happy
Mythology tells NJ Of Amphian. VINO played
his Tyre until the mountains wero moved ami
the walls OF Thebes arose. but religion ha-
mightier story 80 tell of how Christian SOM
may build whole temples Of eternal JOY anI
lift the round earth into sympathy wiih ihr
skies. tarried many nights in Loadon. a'f
! used to hear the bells The small bells oi
the city strike the hour of night ono. two.
three. four. and after they were done strik-
ing the hour OF night. then the great 81.
Pauls Cathedral would cDme IN o. mars ih"
hours. making all the other sounds seem ut-
terly insignificant as with mighty tongue u
announced the hour or the nisat -'N'rN
stroke m Oyermastering boom.
My friends. il was intended that all the
lesser sounds OF the world should DE browne
out in the mighty tongue OF congregational
song beating against the gates oi heaven.
Do you know how they mark the hodti in
heaven? They have no clock. rs they nav
no candles bat great pendulum OF hale
luiah swinging across heaven from oteInH!
to eternity.