The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1896-12-07


Christian friends who in this world were
passionately fond of music are still regal
ing that taste in the world celestial. The
Bible says so much about the music OF
heaven that it cannot all be figurative
| Why all this talk about hallelujahs and
| choirs on the glass and trumpets and
| harps and oratorios and organs? The
| Bible over and over again speaks of the
| songs of heaven. If 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 halleujah. If heaven
| should ever get out of music, Thomas
Hastings and Lowell Mason and Brad
bury would start up hundred old magnif-
! icent chorals. But what with the new
song that John mentions, and the various
| doxologies alluded TO, and the importa-
| ton of sub-lunar harmonies, a Christian
| fond of music, dying, will have an abund-
| ance of regalement. What though the
voice be gone in death, what though the
ear be fallen, in dissolution, are you there
fore to conclude that the spirit will have
no power to make or catch sweet sounds?
Cannot the soul sing? How often we
compliment some exquisite singing by
saying, There was so much soul in her
music" In heaven IL will be all soul
until the body after awhile comes UP in
the resurrection, and then there will be an
additional heaven. Cannot the soul hear?
If ii can hear then it can hear music. Do
not, therefore, let it be in 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
r...1
play on them are still. You must remem-
Der that they have better instruments of
music where they are. You ask me, DO
they have real harps and real trumpets
and real organs?" ! do not know. Some
wiseacres say positively there are no such
things in heaven. do not know, but I
should not be surprised If the God who
made all the mountains, and all the hills,
and all the forests, and all the mines of
the earth, and all the growths of the uni
verse. l should not be surprise if he could,
if he had a mind to, make a few harps
and trumpets and organs Grand old
Haydn, sick and worn out, was carried
for the last time into the music hall; there
he heard his oratorio of the Creation"
History says that as the orchestra came
to that famous passage, Let there be
iight!' the whole audience rose and cheer
ed, and Haydn waved his hand toward
heaven and said, at comes from therel'
Overwhelmed with his own music, he was
carried out in his chair, and as he came to
the door he spread his hand toward the
orchestra as in benediction. Haydn was
right when he waved his hand toward
heaven and said, ut comes from there"
Music was born in heaven, and it will ever
have its highest throne in heaven, and /
want you to understand that our departed
friends who were passionately fond of
music here are now at the headquarters
Il I
church tunes that died when your grand
fathers died have gone with them to
heaven. When those tunes died they did
not stay on earth, and they could not
have been banished to perdition, and so 1
think they must be in the corridors of
alabaster and Lebanon cedar.
Again, l remark that those Of our de-
parted Christian friends. who in this world
had very strong military spirit. are now In
armies celestial and out in bloodless
battle. There are hundreds of people
born soldiers. They cannot help it. They
belong to regiments In time of peace. They
cannot hear a drum or a fife without try
ing to keep step to the music. They are
Christians and when they fight, they fight
on the right side. Now, when these, our
Christian friends who had natural and
powerful military spirit, entered heaven
they entered the celestial army. The door
of heaven scarcely opens but you hear
military demonstration. David cried
out, 1.-THE chariots of God are twenty
thousand" Elisha saw the mountains
filled with celestial cavalry. st. John said,
''The armies which are in heaven followed
him on white horses Now, when those
who had the military spirit on earth sane
titled entered glory, ! suppose they right
away enlisted in some heavenly campaign;
they volunteered right away. There must
needs be in heaven soldiers with a sol
H.ssE Nd 10
days when the King reviews the troops.
There must be armed escort sent out to
bring up from earth to heaven those who
were mbre than conquerors. There must
be crusades ever being fitted out for some
part of Gods domain-battles, blood
less, groanless. painless. Angels of evil
to be fought down and fought out. Other
rebellious worlds to be conquered. Worlds
to be put to the torch. Worlds to be saw
ed. Worlds to be demolished. Worlds
to be sunk. Worlds to be hoisted. Besides
that in our own world there are battles for
the right and against the wrong where We
must have the heavenly military. That Is
what keeps us Christian reformers so
buoyant. So few good men against so
many bad men, so few churches against
so many grogshops, so many pure print
ing presses against so many polluted
printing presses, and vet we are buoyaut
and courageous, because while we know
Indl the armies Oh evil III the WOTlu arc
larger in numbers than the army of tru h.
there are celestial cohorts in the air fight
ing on our side. I have not so much faith
in the army on the ground as have In the
army in the air. o God, open our eyes that
we may see them; the military spirits that
went up from earth to join the military
spirits before the throne-Joshua and Ca
leb, and Gideon, and David, and Samson,
and the hundreds of Christian warriors
who on earth fought with fieshly arm, and
now having gone up on high are coming
down the hills of heaven ready to fight
among the invisibles. Our departed Chris
tan Friends. who had the military spirit
in them sanctified, are in the celestial
army. Whether belonging to the artillery.
or the cavalry, or the infantry, 1 know
not only know that they have started
out for feet service, and courageous ser.
vice. and everlasting service. Perhaps
| they may come this way to fight on our
side, and drive sin, and meanness, and Sa-
tan from all our hearts. Yonder they are
Which would you rather
trusti An old, true friend of