The Middleburgh post. [volume] (Middleburgh, Snyder Co., Pa.) 1883-1916, 1897-09-30
M Ill@S jUDII SERMON
AN ELOQUENT DISCOURSE.

AuEueucc IN tno cause OF Chrtattan-
ity-A Singing Church IL . success-
fsi Church-Obstacies to Overcome.
TEXT: "It came even to pass, as the
trumpeters and singers were as one, to
make one sound to be heard in praisinv
and thanking the Lord."-Chronicles ",
Is.
The temple was done. It was the very
chorus OF oil magniiicence and pomp.
Splendor crowded against splendor. II WINS
the diamond necklace OF the earth. From
the huge pillars crowned with leaves and
flowers and rows OF pomegranate wrought
out In FURNISHED metal down even to the
tongs and snufIers made out OF pure gold,
everything was rs complete as the God d.
rected architect could make Ii. 1t seemed
as II vision from heaven had alighted;on
the mountains. The day for dedication
came. Tradition says that there were In
and around about the temple on that day
200 900 silver trumpets, 10000 harps. 40. 600
timbrels and 200 900 singers, SO that all
modern demonstrations at Dusseldorf or
Boston seem nothing compared with that.
AS this great sound surged up amid the
precious stones OF the temple Il must
have seemed like the river OF life dashing
against the amethyst Of the wall OF heaven.
The sound arose. and God, as IL to show
that He was we'll pleased with the music
which hts cuiiuIen Hahe IN All ages,
dropped into the midst of the temple a
cloud of glory so overpowering that the
oniciatipg priests were obliged to stop In
the midst OF the services.
There has been much discussion as to
where music was born. think that ut the
beginning, when the morning stars sang
together and all the sons OF God shouted
for joy" the earth heard tho echo. The
cloud on which the angels stood to cele-
brate the creation was the birthplace OF
song. The stars that glitter at night are
only SO many keys OF celestial pearl on
which Gods fingers play the music OF the
spheres. Inanimate nature is full of Gods
strinSed and wind instruments. Silence
itself-perfect silence-is only a musical
rest in Gods great anthem OF worship.
Wind among the leaves, insect humming In
the summer air, the rush OF billow upon
beach, the ocean far out sounding its ever
lasting psalm, the bobolink on the edge OF
the forest, the quail whistling up from the
grass, are music. While visiting Black wells 5
Island heard, coming from window of
the lunatlc asylum a very sweet song. 1t
was sung by one who had lost her reason,
and have come to believe that even the
deranged and disordered elements OF ma
ture would make music to our ears IL we
only had acutcnesS enough to listen, |
suppose that even tho sounds in nature
that are discordant and repulsive make
harmony In Gods ear. You know that YOU
may come so near to an orchestra that the
sounds are painful instead of pleasurable.
and think that we stand so near devastat-
ing storm and frightful whirlwind we can
not hear that which makes to Gods ear and
the ear of the spirits above us a music as
complete rs 1t Is tremendous.
propose to speak about sacred music
first showing you its Importance and then
stating some Of the obstacles to its advance
ment
L draw the first argument for tho impor-
tance of sacred music from the fact that
God commanded 1t. Through Paul he tells
us to admonish one another in psalms and
hymns and spiritual songs. Through David
ne cries out, "Sing ye to God, all ye king
doms OF the earth" And there are hum
dreds OF other passages might name, prov
ing that 1t Is rs much mans duty to sing
as 1t Is his duty to pray. Indeed I think
there are more commands In the Bible to
eing than there are to pray. God not only
asks for the human voice, but for the in
struments OF music. He asks for the GYM
bal and the harpsand the trumpet. And l
suppose that In the last days of the church
the harp, the flute, the trumpet and all the
instruments OF music that have given their
chief aid to the theatcr and bacchanal. will
be brought by their masters and laid down
at the feet OF Christ and then sounded in
the churchs triumph on her way from suf-
fering into glory. Praise ye the Lordl'
Praise Him with your voices. Praise Him
with stringed instruments and with or
gans.
l draw another argument for the import
ance OF this exercise from the impressive
ness OF the exercise. You know something
OF what secular music has achieved. You
know 1t has made its impression upon gov
ernments, upon laws, upon literature, upon
whole generations. One inspiring national
air Is worth 30, 900 men as standing army.
There comes time in the battle when one
bugle is worth 1000 muskets. In the earlier
part of our Civil War the Government pro-
posed to economize In bands of music. and
many of them were sent home, but the gen.
erals in the army sent word to Washington.
"You are making very great mistake. We
are falling back and falling back. We have
not enough music" have to tell you that
no nation or church can AFFORD to severely
cconomize in music.
Why should We rob the programmes OF
worldly gayety when we have so many ap-
propriate songs and tunes composed In our
own day, rs we'll as that magnificent inher-
itance of church psalmody which has come
down fragrant with tho devotions Of other
generations--tunes no more worn out than
when our eatgrandfathers climbed up on
them from the church pew to glory? Dear
old souls, how they used to Sing! And IN
those days there were certain tunes mar
ried to certain hymns, and they have lived
In peace great while, these two old peo-
pie, and we have no right to divorce them.
Born as we have been amid this great
wealth OF church music, augmented by the
compositions OF artists in our day, we ought
not to be tempted out OF the sphere of
Christian harmony and try to seek uncon-
secrated sounds. 1t is absurd for million
aire to steal.
Many of You are illustrations of what q
sacred song can do. Through it you were
brought into the kingdom OF Jesus Christ.
You stood out against the warning and ar
gument OF the pulpit. but when, in the
sweet words of Charles Wesley or John
Newton or Toplady, tho love OF Jesus
was sung to your soul, then you sur
rendered US an armed castle that could not
be taken by host lifts its window to listen
to harp's thrill.
There was a Scotch soldier dying in New
Orleans, and q Scotch minister came In to
give him the consultations Of the gospel.
The man turned over on his pillow and
said, Don't talk to mo about religion"
Then the minister began to sing n familiar
hymn that was composed by David Dicken.
son, beginning with the words:
Oh, mother dear, Jerusalem,
rl.a.. all a-A