The L'Anse sentinel. (L'Anse, L.S., Mich.) 18??-current, 1897-10-09


be conducted by delegation. Churches
have said: .'Oh, what an easy time we
shall have. The minister will do the
preaching. and the choir will do the
singing, and we will have no thing to
do" And you know as well as 1 that
there are great multitude of churches
all through this land where the people
IRE not expected to sing. The whole
work is done by delegation of four or
six or ten persons, and the audience
are silent In such q church in SYRIA
cuse an old elder persisted in singing,
and SO the choir appointed commit
tee to go and ask the elder il he would
not stop. You know that in many
churches the choir are expected to do
all the singing. and the great mass Of
the people are expected to be silent,
and IL you utter your voice you are in
terfering. In that church they stand,
the four, with opera glasses dangling
at their side, singing: Rock of Ages,
Cleft for Me-" with the same spirit
that, the night before on the stage,
they took their part in the "Grand
Duchesse" or Don Giovanni"
My Christian friends, have we right
to delegate to others the discharge of
this duty which God demands of us?
Suppose that four wood thrushes pro-
pose to do all the singing some bright
day, when the woods are ringing with
wood thrushes shall do all the singing
of the forest. Let all other voices keep
silent How beautifully the four war
BILE. 1t is really fine music. But how
long will you keep the forest still?
Why, Christ would come into the for
est and look up, as lie looked through
the olives, and He would wave His hand
and say: Let everything that hath
breath praise the Lord;' and, keeping
time with the stroke of innumerable
wings, there would be 5000 bird
voices leaping into the harmony. Sup
pose this delegation of musical perform
ers were tried in Heaven; suppose
that four choice spirits should try to
do the singing of the upper temple.
Hush now! thrones and donInions and
principalitics. David, be still, though
you We're the sweet singer of Israel.
Paul, keep quiet, though you have
come to that crown of rejoicing. Rich
ard Baxter keep still, though this is
the saints everlasting rest Four
spirits now do all the singing. But
how long would Heaven be quiet? How
long? "lIallelujah!' would cry some
gloritied Methodist from under the
altar. Praise the Lord" would sing
the martyrs from among the thrones,
Thanks be unto God who giveth us
the victory" a great multitude of re-
deemed spirits would cry-myriads of
voices coming into the harmony, and
the one hundred and forty and four
thousand breaking forth into one ac-
clamation. Stop that loud singing!
Stop. Oh, no; they can not hear me.
You might as well try to drown the
thunder of the sky, or beat bac. tho
roar of the sea, for every soul in Heaven
has resolved to do its own singing.
Alas. that we should have tried on
earth that which they can not do in
Heaven, and, instead of joining all our
voices in the praise of the most high
God, delegating perhaps to unconse-
Grated men and women this most
solemn and most delightful service.
Music ought to rush from the au-
dience like the water from rock
clear, bright, sparkling. If all the
other part of the church service is dull,
do not have the music dull. With SO
many thrilling things to sing about,
away with drawing and stupidity.
There is nothing makes me SO nervous
as to sit in a pulpit and look off on an
audience with their eyes three-fourths
,ln nd +ha;. L., -,
bling the praises of God. During
my recent absence 1 preached to
large audience, and all the mu-
sic they made together did not
equal one skylarls. People do not sleep
at coronation. Do not let us sleep
when we come to a Saviour's browning.
In order to a proper discharge of this
duty, let us stand up, save as age or
weakness or fatigue excuses us. Seated
in an easy pew we can not do this duty
half SO well as when, upright, we
throw our whole body into it. Let our
song be like an reclamation of victory.
You have right to sing. 10 not sur
render your prerogative.
We want To rouse all our families up
on the subject. We want each family
OF our congregation 20 be singing
school. Childish petu.ance, obduracy
and intractability would DC soothed il
we had more singing in the household,
and then our little ones would be pre-
pared for the great congregation
on Sabbath day, their voices
uniting with our voices in the
praises of the Lord. After
shower there are scores OF streams
that come down the mountain side with
voices ripping and silvery, pouring
into one river, and then rolling in
united strength to the sea. So would
have all the families in our church
send forth 1he voice of prayer ana
praise, pouring it into the great tide OF
public worship that rolls on and on to
empty into the great, wide heart of
God. Never can we have our church
sing as it ought until our families sing
as they ought.
There will be great revolution on
this subject in all our churches. God
will come down by His spirit and rouse