Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1898-06-23

Rev T. De witt almags, In the follow
AG sermon portrays what the church
should be to its disciplea The text 10:
Sand thee help tron the sanotuAry.-P>slus
IL,
II you should ask SO men what the
church IL they would give yoa so diff
lerent answeEA Que man would say:
"It 10 q convention of hypocriteA An
ether; ut il place for gossip where
wolverine dispositions devour each
ether Another: 1T is place for
the cultivation of superstition and
cant" Another: ut is an arsenal
where theologians go to get pixies and
muskets and shot Another: lit 10
IN art gallery, where men go to ad.
nire great arches, and exquisite fresco.
and musical MARBLE, and the Dantesque
In gloomy imagery" Another man
would say: 1T is the best place on
earth except my own home" IF l
forget thee, o Jerusalem, let my right
hand forget her cunning"
Now, whatever the church Is, my
text tells You what it ought to be-a
great, practical, homely omnipotent
help. Send thee help from the sanct-
uary." The pew ought to yield rest
fulness for the body. The color of the
upholstery ought to yield pleasure to
the eye. The entire service ought to
yield strength for the toll and struggle
Of everyday life. The Sabbath ought
to be harnessed TO all the six days of
the week, drawing them in the right
direction. The church ought to be y
magnet, visibly and nightly affecting
oil the homes of the worshippers
Every man gets roughly jostled, gets
abused. gets cut, gets insulted, gets
slighted, gets exasperated. BY the
Nme the Sabbath comes he has an ac-
emulation of six days of annoyance,
and that Is II starveling church service
which has not strength enough TO take
that accumulate annoyance aud hurl
II into perdition, The business man
sits down in church headachey from
the weeks engagements Perhaps he
wishes he had tarried at home on the
lounge with the newspapers aud the
Alippers. That man wants to be cooled
of, and graciously diverted The FIRST
wave of the religious service ought to
dash clear over the hurricane decks,
and leave him dripping with the holy
and glad and heavenly emotion. Send
thee help from the sanctuary"
In the first place, sanctuary help
ought to come FROM the music. A
woman dying in England persisted in
singing to the last moment The at.
PENDANTS tried to persuade her to stop,
saying 1t would exhaust her and make
her disease worse. She answered: IL
must sing; am only practicing for the
Heavenly choir" Music ON earth is
Yeh earsal for music in Heaven If you
and l are going to take part in that
orchestra, it is high time that we were
stringing and drumming our harps.
They tell US that Talberg and Gott-
Achalk never would go into concert
until they had first In private re-
hearsed, although they were masters
of the instrument. And can it be that
we expect to take part in the great
oratorio of Heaven il we do not re-
heafse here?
But | am not speaking of the next
world. sabbath song ought to set all
the week to music. We want not more
harmony, not more artistic expression,
Jut more volume in our church music
The English dissenting churches far
aurpass our American churches in this
respect. An English audience of 900
people will give more volume of sacred
song than an American audience ola 900
people | do not know what the reason
H. Oh, you ought to have heard them
sing in Surrey chapel. had the OPP
portunity Of preaching the anniversary
II think the ninetieth ami versary-
sermon in Rowland Hills old chapel,
and when they lifted their voices in
sacred song it was simply overwheln-
ing, and then in the evening of the
same day, in Agricultural hall, many
thousand voices lifted in doxolgy. 1t
was like the voice of many waters and
like the voice of many thunderings, and
like the voice of Heaven.
The blessing thrilled through all the lsboring
throng,
And Heaven was won by violence OF song
Now, am no worshipper Of noise,
but | believe that If our American
churches would with full heartiness of
soul, and full emphasis of voice sing
the songs of Zion, this part OF sacred
worship would have tenfold more
power than it has now. Why not take
this part of the sacred service and lift
it where it ought to be All the an
noyances OF life might he drowned out
by that sacred song. Do you tell me
that it is not fashionable To sing very
loudly Then, | say, away with the
fashion. We dam back the great Mis-
slssippi of congregational singing and
let few drops of melody trickle
through the dam say, take away
the dam and let the pillows roar on
their way TO the oceanic heart OF God
Whetherit is fashiouab bic 10 sing loudly
or not, let US sing with ali possib Ole EN-.
phasis.
We hear great deal Of the art Of
singing, OF music as an entertainment.
OF music as recreation 1t is high
time we heard something OF music as a
help, a practical help, In order to do
this we must have only few HYMNS