The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1897-10-13
DIR. TALMAGES SERMON.
SUNDAYS DISCOURSE BY THE NOTED
DIVINE.

|
full Church-Obstacles to Overcome.
TEXT: "It came even to pass, as the
| trumpeters and singers were as one, to
make one sound to be heard In praising
and thanking the Lord."-Chronicles ",
| 13.
The temple was done. 1t was the very
chorus OF all magnifcence and pomp.
Splendor crowded against splendor. It was
| 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 snuffers made out OF pure gold,
everything was as complete as the God d.
rected architect could make it. It seemed
as II q 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, 40, 900 harps, 40, 900
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 1t must
have seemed like the river Of life dashing
against the amethyst OF the wall Of heaven.
| The sound arose, and God, as II to show
that He was well pleased with the music
which His children make. in all ages,
dropped into the midst Of the temple a
| cloud OF glory so overpowerlng that the
| officiating priests were obliged to stop In
the midst OF the services.
There has been much discussion as to
where music was born. I think that ut the
beginning, "when the morning stars sang
| together and all the SONS Of God shouted
! for Joy" the earth heard the 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 80 many keys OF celestial pearl on
which Gods fingers play the music Of the
spheres. 1nantmate 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 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 Blackwell's
Island heard, coming from window OF
the lunatic asylum, a very sweet song. It
was sung by one who had lost her reason,
and I have come to believe that even the
deranged and disordered elements of na-
ture would make music to our ears II we
only had acuteness enough to listen. I
suppose that even the sounds in nature
that are d1scordant and repulsiye make
may come 80 near to an orchestra that the
sounds are painful instead Of pleasurable,
and think that we stand 80 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 music as
complete as it Is tremendous.
propose to speak about sacred music,
first showing you its Importance and then
stating some Of the obstacles to Its advance
ment
draw the first argument for the impor-
tance of sacred music from the fact that
God commanded it. Through Paul he tells
US to admonish one another In psalms and
hymns and spiritual songs. Through David
he cries out, "Sing ye to God, all ye king
doms Of the earth" And there are hun
dreds Of other passages might name, prov
ing that it is as much q mans duty to sing
as 1t 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 GYM
bal aud the harp and the trumpet. And
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 theater and bacchanal, will
be brought by their masters 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 ye the Lord!"
Praise Him with your voices. Praise Him
with stringed instruments and with or
gans.
I 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 1pon gov
ernments, upon laws, upon literature, upon
whole generations. One inspiring national
air Is worth 80, 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. Wehave
not enough music" have to tell you that
no nation or church can afford to severely
economize 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, az we'll as that magnificent u inher-
1tance OF church psalmody which has come
down fragrant with the devotions of other
generations-tunes no more worn out than
when our greatgrandfathers 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. It is absurd for million
aire to steal.
Many of you are illustrations Of what
sacred song can do. Through 1t you we're
brought into the kingdom Of Jesus Christ.
You stood out against the warning and ar
gumen. OF the pulpit, but when, in the
sweet words of Charles Wesley or John
Newton or Toplady, the love Of Jesus
was, sung to your soul, then you sur.
rendered as an armed castle that could not
be taken by host lifts its window to listen
to q harp's thrill.
There was Scotch soldier dying In New
Orleans, and 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 me about religion"
Then the minister began to sing familiar
hymn that was composed by David Dicken-
son, beginning with the words:
Oh, mother dear, Jerusalem,
When shall come to thee?
He sang it to the tune Of Dundee" and
everybody In Scotland knows that, and as
he began to sing the dying soldier turned
over on his pillow and said to the minister,
"Where did you learn that?" "Why," re-
piled the minister, my mother taught me
that" $50 did mlne," said the dying SOL
dier, and the very foundation OF his heart
was upturned, and then and there he yielded
himself to Christ Oh. 1t has an irresisti-
bic power! Luthers sermons have been
forgotten but his Judgment Hymn" sings
On through the ages and will keep on sing
ing until the blast Of the archangel's trun-