The Middleburgh post. [volume] (Middleburgh, Snyder Co., Pa.) 1883-1916, 1897-09-30

choly. The windows were all closed. He
sat In the darkness. Nothing could bring
him forth until Franeli came and dis.
coursed music for three or four days to
him. On the fourth day he looked up and
wept and rejolced. and the windows were
thrown open and that which all the splen.
dors OF the court could not do the power
OF song accomplished. II you have ankle
ties and worriments. try this heavenly
charm upon them. Do not sit down on the
bank OF the hymn, but plunge In, that the
devil Of care may be brought out OF you.
1t also arouses to action. Do you not
know that a. singing church is always a
triumphant church? II q congregation Is
silent during the exercise, or partially
silent, It is the silence OF death. II when
the hymn Is given out you hear the faint
hum OF here and there father and moth
er In Israel, while the vast majority are
silent, that minister OF Christ who Is pre-.
siding needs to have very strong constt-
tuition II he does not get the chills. He
needs not only the grace OF God, but
nerves like whalebone. 1t Is amazing how
some people with voice enough to dis
charge all their duties in the world, when
they come into the house OF God have no
voice to discharge this duty. I really be-
1ieve that II the church OF Christ could
rise up and sing as 1t ought to sing, where
dom Of Christ there would be 1000. How
was 1t In olden time? Cajetan said,
Luther conquered us by his songs"
But l must now speak OF some OF the
obstacles In the way OF the advancement Of
this sacred music, and the first is that It
has been impressed int the service OF satan.
l am far from believing that music ought
always to be positively religious. Refined
art has opened places where music has
been secularized, and lawfully so. Tho
drawing room, the concert, by the gratiflca-
tlon OF pure taste and the production Of
harmless amusement and the improvement
Of talent, have become very forces in the
advancement OF our civilization. Music
has as much right to laugh in Surrey
gardens as II has to pray In st. Pauls. In
the kingdom OF nature We have the glad
tiilng OF the wind as we'll as the long meter
psalm OF the thunder. But, while all this
Is so, every observer has noticed that this
art, which God intended for the improve
ment OF the ear. and the voice, and the
head, and the heart, has often been i'm
pressed into the service OF error. Tartini,
the musical composer, dreamed one night
that satan snatched from his hand an
instrument and played upon 1t something
very sweet-a dream that has often been
fulfilled in our day-the voice and the
instruments that ought to have been de-
voted to Christ captured from the church
and applied to the purposes OF sin.
Another obstacle has been an inordinate
fear OF criticism. Tho vast majority Of
people singing in church never want any
body else to hear them sing. Everybody
Is waiting for somebody else to do his duty.
II we all sang. then the inaccuracies
that are evident when only few sing
would be drowned out. God asks you to
do Ino ppI sl,,,
the wrong pitch or keep wrong time He
imperfection Of the voice. Angels will not
laugh II you should lose your place in the
musical scale or come in at tho close bar
behind. There are three schools OF sing
ing, l am told-the German school, the
Italian school and the French school OF
singing. Now would like to add q fourth
school, and that is the school OF Christ.
The voice of contrite, broken heart, al
though 1t may.not be able to stand human
criticism, makes better music to Gods eur
than the most artistic performance when
the heart Is wanting. God calls on the
beasts, on the cattle, on the dragons, to
praise Him, and We oughtnot to be behind
the cattle and the dragons.
Another obstacle In the advancement Of
this art has been the erroneous notion that
this part OF the service could be conducted
by delegation. Churches have said: "Qh,
what an easy time we shall have! The
minister will do the preaching, and the
choir Will DO the singing. and we will have
nothing to do" And you know AZ we'll as
l that there are great multitude Of
churches all through this land where the
people are not expected to sing. The
whole work Is done by delegation OF four
Of sly or ten persons, and the audience are
silent. In SUCH church In Syracuse an
old elder persisted In singing, and so the
choir appointed committee to go and ask
the elder II he would not stop. You know
that In many churches the choir are ex-
pected 70 40 all the singing. ana the great
mass OF the peopfeAreexpected to be silent.
ana II you utter your voice you are inter-
ierlng. In that church they stand, the
Tour, with opera glasses dangling at their
side, singing Rock OF ages, cleft for me-"
with the same spirit that, the night before
on tho stage. they took their part In the
"drande Duchesse" or Don Giovanni"
Music ought to rush from the audience
ike the water from q rock-clear, bright,
sparkling. IL all the other part Of the
church service Is duh, do not have the
music dull. with so many thrilling things
to sing about, away with all drawing and
stupidity, There Is nothing makes mo 80
nervous as to sit 10 pulpit and look of on
an audience with their eyes three-fourths
closed and their lips Always shut, mumbling
the praises Of God. During my recent ab.
sencc preached to large audience, and