The Penn's Grove record., 1897-10-01

drawing room the concert, by the gratiAcl
tlon OF pure taste dnd the production
harmless amusement and the improvemer
OF talent, have become very forces IN II
advancement Of our civilization Musl
has as much right to laugh In Sure
gardens as 1t has to pray In st. PauPs. i
the kingdom OF nature we have the gla
lang OF the wind as well as the long mete
psalm of the thunder, But, while all thi
is sd, every observer has noticed that thi
art, which God intended for the improve
ment Of the enf. and the voice. and til
head, and the heart; has often been I'm
pressed into the service OF error. Tartini
the musical composer, dreamed one night
that III snatched from his hand al
instrument and played upon 1t something
very sweet-a dream that has often beer
fulfilled In our dsy-the voice and the
instruments that ought to have been de-
voted I'd. Christ captured from the church
and applied to the purposes Of sin.
Another obstacle has been an inofdinate
fear OF criticism. The 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 q few sing
would be drowned out. God asks you to
do as well as you can, and then II you get
the wrong pitch or keep wrong time He
will forgive any deficiency Of the ear and
imperfection OF the voice. Angels will not
laugh II you should lose your place In the
musical scale or come In at the close q bar
behind. There are three schools Of sing.
ing, / am told-the German school, the
italian school and the French school OF
singing. Now ] would like to add afourtb
school, and that Is the school OF Christ.
The voice OF d sontrite, broken heart, al.
though II may not be able to stand human
criticism, makes better music to Gods ear
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: ooh,
what an easy time we shall havel The
will do the preaching, and the
Will do the singing, and we will have
nothing to do" And you know as well as
1 that there are a great multitude OF
churches all through this land where the
people are not expected to sing. The
or six or ten persons, and the audience are
silent. In such o church In Syracuse an
old elder persisted In singing, and SO the
choir appointed a committee to go and ask
the elder IL he would not stop. You know
that In many churches the choir are ex-
pected to do oil the singing, and the great
mass OF the people areexpected to be silent,
and IL you utter your voice you are inter-
'ering. In that church they stand, the
Tour, with opera glasses dangling at their
side, singing Crock Of ages, cleft for me-"
With the same spirit that, the night before
tho stage, they took their part In the
'Grande Duchesse" or s'Don Giovanni"
My Christian friends, have we o right to
delegate to others the discharge OF this
luty which God demands OF us? Suppose
four wood thrushes propose to do all
he singing some bright day when the
woods are ringing with bird voices. 1t is
lecided that four wood thrushes shall do
the singing OF the forest. Let all Other
'oices keep silent. How beautifully the
our warblel 1t is really fine music. But
long will you keep the forest still
Why, Christ would come into that forest
nd look up, as he looked through the
lives, and he would wave his hand and
ny, "Let everything that hath breath
raise the Lord" and keeping time with
stroke of innumerable wings, there
-ould be 5000 bird voices leaping into the
armony. Suppose this delegation Of
lusieal performers were tried In heaven.
oppose that o choice spirits should try
, do the singing Of the upper temple.
.ush, now, thrones and dominions and
David, be still, though
ou were the sweet singer Of
Paul, keep quiet, though
have come to that crown Of rejoicingi
Baxter, keep still, though this Is
10 Saints Everlasting Rest!. -Four
'lrits new do all the singing. But how
ng would heaven be quiet2 How long?
H%allelnlahi" would cry some glorlAed
ethodist from under the altar. 1'Praise
. Lordr' would sing the martyrs from
nong the thrones. Thanks be unto God,
no glyeth us the victoryi' a great multi
de OF redeemed spirits would cry-myr-
DIS OF voices coming into the harmony
q the M qS9Q breaking forth into n ac-
i mo-. They ca that loud singingi stopI
well try to drown the thunder ct-snf y
bent back the roar OF the sea, for o.
nj in heaven has resolved to do IL beauHe
nring. Alas, that we should hay pfeaIpc1
Garth that which we cannot do IN - u
"a. instead OF Joining all our yeA Sat-
e praise Of the most high God, d~eleee
Q nerhaps to unconsecrated men and i
this most solemn and most deilgnt-
Music ought to rush from the audience I
Ia me water from a ~rock-clear, brighf,H
II all the other part OF the
lurch service Is dull, do not have the
usic dull. With so many thrilling things
!, sing about, away with all drawling
.upidity, There Is nothing makes me 50
ervous as to sit in q pulpit and look on on
n audience with their eyes three-iourtns
Iosed and their lips Always shut, mumpiine
le praises Of God. During M, recent ~,
II the music they made together did NOT
1ual one skylark. People do not sleep az
coronation. Do not let us sleep whom we
TO a Saviour's browning. In order TO
roper discharge OF this duty let n stand
save as age or weakness or faF
uses us. Seated In m easy pew ws& q.
!ot do this duty half so well as wheh.tyS
light, we throw our whole body Q
let our song be like an reclamation OF VIE
ory. You have O right to sing. Do NOT
urrender your ~prerogatiye.
We want to rouse oil our families upon
his subject. We want each family Oh ouf
congregation to be q singing school. Cniiu-
sn petulance, obduracy and intractabtiity
would be soothed il we had mere singingfn
he household, and then u little ones
would be prepared for the great congrega-
lion on Sabbath day, their voices uniting
with our voices In the praises of the Lord.
After a shower there are scores Of streams
that come down the mountain side with
ripping and sllvery, pouring into
one river and then rolling In united
to the sea. So ! would have oil
tho families in our church forth the
voice OF prayer and 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 1t ought until our families
sing as rev ought.
The Pin be a great revolution on this
subleM In all churches. God will come
down by his spirit and rouse up the OLD
hymns and tunes that have not been more
than half awake since the time OF our grand.
fathers. The silent pcws In the church VIII
break forth into music, and when the con-
duetor takes his place on the sabbath day
there will be a great host OF voices rushing
into the harmony. My Christian friends. Y
we have no taste for this service on earth
what will we do in heaven, where tne
ali sing aud sing forever? would thA
our singing to-day might be like the SatuN
day night rehearsal for the sabbath moFn
ing In the skies, and we might begln nov
by the strength and by the help OF God, y
discharge a duty which none OF us q luiiJ
performed. And now what more appro'
pirate thing san / do than to give y ths
doxology OF the heavens, "Unto Him Y.tK
hath loved us and washed us from our 81
In His own blood, to Him be glory foreysES