Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1896-12-11
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Masters Still Painting.

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by the winding marble stairs Of the sep
ulcher, and that Turner and Holman
Hunt and Rembrandt and Titan and
Paul Veronese, if they exercised saving
faith in the Christ whom they portrayed
upon the canvas, are painting yet, but
their strength of faculty multiplied ten
thousandfold. Their hand has forgotten
its cunning, but the spirit has faculties
as far superior to four fingers and a
thumb as the supernatural is superior
to the human. The reason that God
took away their eye and their hand and
their brain was that he might give them
something more timber, more wieldy,
more skillful, more multipliant. Do
not therefore be melancholy among
the tapestries, and the bric-a- brac, and
the embroideries, and the water colors,
and the works of art which your de-
parted friends used to admire. Do not
say, ~ am SO sorry they had to leave
all these things" Rather say, II am
glad they have gone up to higher artis-
tic opportunity and appreciation. Our
friends who found so much JOY in the
fine arts on earth are now luxuriating
in Louyres and Luxembourgs celestial.
remark again that all our departed
Christian friends who in this world
were passionately fond Of music are
still regaling that taste in the world
celestial The Bible says so much about
the music of heaven that it cannot all
be fgurative. Why all this talk about
halleluiahs, and choirs on the glass
and trumpets and harps and oratorios
and organsG The Bible over and over
again speaks Of the songs Of heaven. II
heaven had no songs Of its own, vast
number Of those on earth would have
been taken up by the earthly emigrants
Surely the Christian at death does not
lose his memory. Then there must be
millions Of souls in heaven who know
Coronation" and Antioch" and
Mount Pisgah" and "Old Hundred. "
The leader of the eternal orchestra need
only once tap his baton, and all heaven
will be ready for the halleluiah. II
heaven should ever get out OF music,
Thomas Hastings and Lowell Mason
and Bradbury would start up hundred
old magnificent chorals. But what with
the new song that John mentions, and
the various doxologies alluded to, and
the importation of sublunar harmonies,
a Christian fond Of music, dying. will
have an abundance Of regalement.
What though the voice be gone IN
death, what though the ear be fallen in
dissolution, are you therefore TO con-
clude that the spirit will have no pow
er to make or catch sweet sounds! Can
not the soul sing? How often we com
pliment some exquisite singing by say
ing, There was so much soul IN hei
music.
Celestial Music.
In heaven it will be all soul until the
body after awhile comes up in the res
urrection. and then there will be al
additional heaven. Cannot the sou
hear? II it can hear, then it can heal
music. Do not therefore let 1t be IL
your household when some member
leaves for heaven, as it is in some
households, that you close the piano
and unstring the harp for two years be
cause the fingers that used to play OF
them are still. You must remember
that they have better instruments o.
music where they are. You ask me
"Do they bave real harps and rea
trumpets and real organs?" l do no
know. Some wiseacres say positively
there are no such things in heaven.
do not know, but 1 should not be sur
prised if the God who made all th'
mountains, and all the hills, and al
the forests, and all the mines Of th'
earth, and all the growths Of the uni
verse; should not be surprised If n
could. il he had mind to, make a few
! harms and trumpets and organs. Gran'
old Haydn, sick and wornout. was car
ried for the last time into the musi
hall. There he heard his oratorio OF tn
Creation. History says that as tn
orchestra came to that famous passage
"Let there be lightp' the whole audi
ence rose and cheered, and Haydl
waved his hand toward heaven ant
said. "It comes from there" Over
whelmed with his own music, be wa
carried out in his chair, and as he cam
to the door he spread his hand towar'
the orchestra as in benediction. Haydl
was right when he waved his hand 70
ward heaven and said, ut comes fror
there" Music was born in heaven, an
| it will ever have its highest throne i
heaven, and want you to understan
that our departed friends who were pas
sionately fond of music here are now a
the headquarters Of harmony. l thin
that the grand old church tunes tina
died when your grandfathers died hav
gone with them TO heaven. When thos
tunes died, they did not stay on earth
and they could not have been oanishe
10 perdition, and so l think they mus
be in the corridors of alabaster and Lei
anon cedar.
In Bloodless Battle.
Again, / remark that those OF our o.
parted Christian friends who in tn
world had very strong military spir
are now in armies celestial and out ]
bloodless battle. There are hundreds
neople born soldiers. They cannot bel
IL They belong to regiments in tim'
of peace. They cannot hear drum or
fife without trying to keep step to n
music. They are Christian, and whe
they fight they fight on the right sid'
Now. when these our Christian FRIEND
who had natural and powerful milital
spirit entered heaven, they entered II
} celestial army. The door OF heaVe
! scarcely opens but you hear militia
demonstration. David cried out, IT
, cbnriots of God are 20.o00w Elisl
> 6Aw the mountains filled with celesti
!. cavalry. St. John said. Tho armi
: which are in heaven followed him
z white horses" Now, when those VI
. had the military spirit on earth sane
: fed entered glory, suppose they rig
5 away enlisted in some heavenly cal
: paign. They volunteered right ava
There must needs be in heaven soidi'
T Witha soldiesly spirit. There are gra
n.rada davs when the King reviews