The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1897-10-05
The POWER OF MUSIC
IMPORTANCE OF CONGREG ALTON
AL SINGING IN CHURCHES

Rev. DR.. Talmage Says There are Four
Schools Of singing, the New One Being
the school of Christ-Helps and Obstacles
Dr.. Talmage in this discourse rallies
DR.. Talmage In this discourse rallies
the church to more hearty congrega-
tional singing and calls upon instru-
ments Of music to join in the praise Of
God. The text is II Chronicles v, Ii,
1T came even to pass. as the trumpet
ers and singers were as ne, to make
one sound to be heard in praising and
thanking the Lord.
The temple was done. It was the
very chorus Of all magnifcence and
pomp. Splendor crowded against splen
dor. It was the diamond necklace Of
the earth. From the huge pillars
crowned with leaves and flowers and
rows Of pomgranate wrought out In
FURNISHED metal down even to the
tongs and shutters made out Of pure
gold everything was as complete as
the God directed architect could make
1t. It seemed as If a vision from heav-
en- had alighted OF the mountains. The
day for dedication had come. Tradi-
ton says that there were In and around
about the temple on that day 200,O 0
silver trumpets, 49, 900 harps, 10000
timbrels and 2O0,0 600 singers, so that all
modern demonstrations at Dusseldorf
or Boston seem nothing compared
with that. AS this great sound sur
ged up amid the precious stones Of the
temple it must have seemed like the
river of life dashing against the anne
thyst of the wall Of heaven. The sound
arose, and God, as if to show that he
was we'll pleased with the music which
his children make In all ages, dropped
into the midst of the temple a cloud of
glory so o~verpowering that the Off
ciating priests were obliged to stop
in the midst Of the services.
SACRED MUSIC.
to where music was born. I think that
at the beginning, when the morning
stars sang together and ell the sons
of God shouted for JOY" the earth
heard the echo. The cloud on which
the angels stood to celebrate the birth
place Of song. The stars that glitter
at night are only sc many keys of
celestial pearl on which Gods fingers
play the music Of the spheres. Inani-
mate nature is full Of Gods stringed
and wind instruments. Silence itself
perfect silence-is only a musical rest
in Gods great anthem Of worship:
Wind among the leaves, insect hum
ming in the summer air, the rush Of
billow upon beach, the ocean tar out
sounding it's everlasting psalm, the
boboling on the edge of the forest, the
quail whistling up from the grass, are
music. While visiting Blackwelps is
land I heard, coming from the window
of the lunatic asylum, a very sweet
song. 1t was sung by n who had lost
her reason, and I have come to believe
that even the deranged n d~isordered
elements Of nature would make mu-
sic to our ear if we only had acuteness
enough to listen. I suppose that even
the sounds in nature that are discor-
dant and repulsive make harmony In
God's ear. You know that you may
come so near to an orchestra that the
sounds are painful instead Of p%leasur-
able, and I think that we stand SO near
devastating storm and frightful Wh1rl-
wind we canot hear that which makes
to Gods ear and the ear Of the spirits
above us a music as complete as 1t is
tremendous.
I propose to speak about sacred mu-
sic, first showing you it's Importance
and then stating some of the obstacles
to it's advancement.
I draw the first argument for the i'm
portance of sacred music from the fact
that God commanded it. Through
Paul he tells us to admonish n
another in psalms and hymns n
spiritual songs. Through David he
cries out, Sing We to God. all We
kingdoms of the earth" And there are
hundreds Of other passages I might
-~.o -uox3r~ that - 10 90 rn11nh a
mans duty to sing as it is his duty to
pray. Indeed I think there are more
commands in the Bible to sing than
there are to pray. God not only asks
for the human voice, but for the in
struments of music. He asks for the
cymbal and the harp and the trumpet.
And I suppose that in the last days of
the church the harp, the lutte, the trum-
pet and all the instruments of music
that have given their chief aid to the
theatre and bacchanal will be brought
by their master and laid down at the
feet of Christ and then sounded in the
church's triumph on her way from suf-
fering into glory. Praise We the Lord!"
Praise him with your voices. Praise
him with stringed instruments and
with organs.
SECULAR MUSIC.
I draw another argument for the inn
portance Of this exercise from the i'm
p~ressiveness Of the exercise. You
know something of what secular music
has achieved. You know it has made
its impression upon governments, upon
laws, upon literature, upon whole gen.
erations. One inspiring national air
is worth 80, 900 men as a standing army.
There comes a time in the battle when
one bugle is worth 1000 muskets. In
the earlier part Of our civil war the
government proposed to economist in
bands Of music, and many Of them
were sent home. but the generals In the
. army sent word to Washington: You
are making a very great mistake. We
are falling back and falling back. We
have not enough music" I have to tell
you that no nation or church can at
ford to severely economic in music.
Why should we rob the programmes
of worldly gayety when we have so
many appropriate songs and tunes com