The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1893-10-18

BROOKLYN, Oct. 15.-The character OF
the hymns given out by the Rev. DIR.
Talmage in the Brooklyn tabernacle this
forenoon called for the unusual power
of congregational singing, organ and cor
net, and the voices of the thousands of
worshipers made the place resound with
music The subject was, Helpful
Churches" the text being Psalms Xxx, ii,
"Send thee help from the sanctuary"
If you should ask fifty men what the
church is. they would give you fifty diff
ferent answers. One man would say, 1T
is an assembly of people who feel them
selves a great deal better than others.
Another. 1T is place for gossip. where
wolverine dispositions devour each 9TH
err Another, lit is place for the Gull
tivation of superstition and can't. An
other, cit is an arsenal where theologtans
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 asy: 1T is the best place
on earth except my own home. If
forget thee, o Jerusalem! let my right
hand forget her cunning"
Now. my friends, whatever the church
is. my text tells you what it ought to be,
a great, practical. hOmely, omnipotent
help. "Send thee help from the sane
tuary" The pew ought TO yield restful-
ness TO the body. The color of the up
holstery ought to yield pleasure to the
eye. The entire service ought to yield
strength for the moil and struggle of
everyday life The Sabbath ought TO
be harnessed to all the six days Of the
week, drawing them i'm the right direc-
ton.
The church ought to be a magnet, Wis
IDLY and nightly affecting all the homes
of the worshipers. Every man gets
roughly jostled, gets abused, gets cut,
gets insulted, gets sighted, gets exas-
perated BY the time the Sabbath comes
he has an accumulation OF six days of
annoyance, and that is a starveling
church service which has not strength
enough to take that accumulated an
noyance and hurl it into perdition.
The business man sits down in church
headachey from the weeks engagements.
Perhaps he wishes he had tarried at
home on the lounge with the newspapers
and the slippers. That man wants 10
The first wave Of the religious service
ought to dash clear over the hurricane
decks and leave him dripping with holy
and glad and heavenly emotion. Send
thee help from the sanctuary"
Church Music.
In the first place sanctuary help ought
70 come from the music. A woman dying
I'm England persisted in singing 10 the
last moment. The attendants tried to
persuade her TO stop, saying 1t would
exhaust her and make her disease worse.
She answered: II must sing. 1 am only
practicing for the heavenly choir"
Music on earth is a rehearsal for music
in heaven. If you and / are going to
take. part in that great orchestra it is
high time that we were stringing and
drumming our harps.
They tell us that Thalberg and Gott-
schalk never would go into a concert un-
til they had first in private rehearsed.
although they were such masters of the
instrument. And can il be that we eX-
pect TO take part in the great oratorio
OF heaven il we do not rehearse here?
But I am speaking Of the next world.
Sabbath song ought to set all the week
TO music. We want not more harmony,
not more artistic expression, but more
volume in our church music.
Now ] am no worsniper Of noise, but
believe that If our American churches
would with full heartiness If soul and
full emphasis of voice sing the songs of
Zion this part Of sacred worship would
have tenfold more power than IL has now.
Why not take this part of the sacred
service and lift 1t to where it ought to
be- All the annoyances Of life might be
Of
you tell me that it is not fashionable 10
sing very loudly? Then, 1 say. away
with the fashion. We dam back the
great Mississippi of congregational sing
ing and let a few drops Of melody trickle
through the dam. / say. take away the
dam and let the pillows roar on their
way to the oceanic heart of God.
Whether IL is fashionable to sing loudly
or not. let US sing with all possible en-
phasis.
We hear a great deal Of the art Of
singing, OF music as an entertainment
of music as a recreation. 1t is high time
we heard something of music as a help,
a practical help. In order TO do this we
must only have a few hymns. New
tunes and new hymns every Sunday
make poor congregational singing. Fifty
hymns are enough for fifty years The
episcopal church prays the same prayers
every Sabbath and year after year and
century after century. For that reason
they have the hearty responses. Let us
take a hint from that fact and let us
sing the same songs Sabbath after Sab
bath. Only in that way can we come
10 the full force of this exercise. Twenty
thousand years will not wear out the
hymns OF William Cowper and Charles
Wesley and Isaac Watts.
Suppose now each person In this audi
ence has brought all the annoyances of
the last 365 days. Fill this room to the
ceiling with sacred song. and YOU would
drown out all those annoyances Of the
$50 days, and you would drown them out
for ever. Organ and cornet are only to
marshal the voice. Let the voice fall
into line, and I'm companies and in
brigades by storm take the obduracy and
sin Of the world. If you cannot sing for
yourself, sing for others. BY trying TO
give others good cheer you will bring
good cheer to your own heart
When Londonderry, Ireland, was be-
sieged many years ago the people inside
the city were famishing and a vessel
came uD with provisions, but the vessel
ran on the river bank and stuck fast.
The enemy went down with laughter and
derision to board the vessel. when the
vessel gave a broadside fire against the
enemy. and by the shock was turned
back into the stream. and all was well.
Oh. We who are high and dry on the
rocks Of melancholy, give a brOadside
fire OF song against your spiritual enc
mics. and by holy rebound you will come
out into the calm waters. If we want to
make ourselves happy we must make
others happy.
MvtholOgv tells us of AmDhion who