The Washington times., 1894-09-16
THE MINISTRY OF SONG.
TBy the pastor Of the Vermont Avenue Chris
Church

IBy the pastor Of the Vermont Avenue Christian
Church
Of all services Of the sanctuary this should
be the richest and most beautiful. Under
every dispensation OF religion its importance
has been recognized. At the dawn Of ere
alton did not the morning stars sing together
and ali the sons of God shout for ioyy Did
not David call upon everything that hath
breath to praise the Lord. Let all the peo-
pie praise Thee, o Lord; let all the people
praise Thee" Is not the constant exhorta-
ton OF the Old Testament, "Sing unto the
Lord new song praise God in the
sanctuary, Praise Him with the sound ofthe
trumpet: praise Hin with psaltery and harp;
praise Him with stringed Instruments and
organs: praise Him with the loud cymbaIs;
praise Him the high-soundinS cymbalss"
Did not solomon have at one time 200
rrumpets in the treasury Of the Lord and
Dayid's trained choir number 4. 600 singers.
with 2sS skilled musicians TO instruct and
guide the people in chanting the services Of
praise?
80 give thanks unto the Lord for de is
good" sang the Levites and the thousands
of the people answered in glad chorus: "For
His mercy eudureth forever TO Him who
alone doeth great wonders chauted the
Levites. For His mercy endureth forever.
shouted the people. "To Him who by wisdom
madethe heavens: to Him who stretched out
the earth above the waters: to Him who made
great lights, and after every. verse chanted
10y the choir Of the temple came rolling back
the triumphant shout of the multitude: For
His mercy endureth foreverr
And coming to the apostolic order rs set
forth in the New Testament have we not tho
command: BE We flied with the spirit speak
ing to yourselves in psalms, hymns, and
spiritual songs, singing and making melody
in your hearts unto The Loras" And what
shall it be when we take the hand Of wife
and husband. Of father and mother. Of the
boys and girls and sit down near the throne
and hear the great multitude that rest not
day nor night saying: Holy, holy, holy, Lord
God Of Hosts, which was. and is, and is TO
be2'' We read nothing Of preaching in heaven,
but Of songs, harps, thanksEivinEs, and
praises louder than tho sound Of many waters
j.
temples. It is the only service that is eternal.
Shall it not be both here and hereafter. as
God and His son are the objects Of it, the most
beautiful Of all offerings?
It should also be an edifying service. It
is part Of public worship. The object Of
all the service of Gods bouseis spiritual in
structiOn and profit Paul said he would
rather speak five words with bis understand
ING that by his voice be might teach others
also than 10000 words in an unknown
tongue, and is uninteIligiDle singing any bet
ter than unintciigible preaching? Even il
congregations do consent to praise God by
proxy, the mediating quartet has no right to
sing his praises in Choctaw. A public singer
who does not perform his part inteligenty
and iutelLgibly is according TO Paurs rule
e barbarian. for he declares: Il Will sing with
tho spirit, and I viii sing with the under
standing also" II any preacher should
mince and humble his words as our modern
singers do, no pulpit under heaven would
tolerate his iargon for moment.
But not only in the language. but in the
music Itself often we see this lack OF edilca-
tion. There is the funny fugue: for example.
such distressing arrangements as Il love TO
steal love TO steal-I love to steal awhile
away" "Stir up this stu stir up this stu
stir up this stupid heart" "And more eggs
and more eggs-and more exalt our Joys"
Every one remembers the historical instance
OF the choirs difficulty in getting Solomon
Hrrsyed, and the startling and laudible dec
laration Of the fashionable soprano that she
would wash. and the alto straightway, not to
be undone, announcing that she would wash,
and then the tenor, finding it the thing to do,
warbling forth that he would wash, and
finally the deep-chested basso, as is if calling