The united opinion. [volume] (Bradford, Vt.) 1881-1970, 1898-06-17
A PRACTICAL HELP.
REV. DR.. TALMAGE TELLS WHAT THE
CHURCH OUGHT TO BE.

Are Enough-Sermons Must Be Simple
and ForcefuI-Prayer Is Helpful.
downright 1898, by American Press Asso-
ciation.l
WASHINGTON, June 12.-If people I'M
derstood religion to be the practical re-
enforcement that DR.. Talmage says it is
in this sermon, the number of Christian
disciples would be greatly multiplied;
text. Psalms Xxx, 2, "Send thee help
from the sanctuary.
If YOU should ask so men what tho
church is, they would give you 30 diff
ferent answers. One man would say,
sit is a convention of hypocrites. " An
other, "It is an assembly of people who
feel themselves a great deal better than
others" Another, st is a place for
gossip, where wolverine dispositions
devour each other. Another, "It is a
place for the cultivation of superstition
and can't. Another, "It is an arsenal
where theologians go to get pixies and
muskets and shot" Another, ''1t is an
art gallery, where men go to admire
grand arches and exquisite fresco and
musical MARBLE and the Dantesque in
gloomy imagery. Another man would
say, "It is the best place on earth ex-
cept my own home " eff forgot thee,
o Jerusalem, let my right hand forget
her cunningW
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 sanctu-
ary." The pew ought to yield restful-
ness for the body. The color of the up
holstery ought to yield pleasure to the
eye. The entire service ought to yield
strength for the moil and struggle of
everyday life The Sabbath ought to be
harnessed to all the six days of the
week, drawing them in the right direo-
ton. The church ought to be magnet,
visibly and nightly affecting all the
homes Of the worshipers- Every man
gets roughly jostled, gets abused, gets
cut, gets insulted, gets sighted, gets
exasperated. By the time the Sabbath
comes he has an accumulation Of six
days of annoyance, and that is a starve-
ling church service which has not
Strength enough to take that accumulat-
ed annoyance and hurl 1t into perdition.
The business man sits down in church
headachy from the weeks engagements
Perhaps he wishes he had tarried at
home ON the lounge with the newspa-
pers and the slippers. That man wants
to be cooled off and graciously diverted.
The first wave Of the religious service
6naht to dash clear oyer the hurricane
decks anu leave him dripping with holy
and glad and heavenly emotion. "send
thee help from the sanctuary
" Sanctuary Help.
In the first place, sanctuary help ought
to come from the music. a woman dy
ing in England persisted in singing to
the last moment. The attendants tried
to persuade her, to stop, saying it would
exhaust her and make her disease worse.
She answered: II must sing. ! am only
practicing for the heavenly choir"
Music on earth is rehearsal for music
in heaven. If you and are going to
take part in that great orchestra, it is
high time that we were stringing and
drumming our harps They tell us that
Thalberg and Gottschalk never would
go into concert until they had first in
pri ate rehearsed, although they were
such masters Of the instrument, And
Can Gan it be that we expect to take part in
the great oratorio of heaven if we do
not rehearse here?
But l am not speaking of the next
world. Sabbath song ought to set all
the week to music We want not more
Harmony, hot more artistic expresFiiGy:.ii,
but more volume in our church music.
The English dissenting churches far
s1rpass our American churches in this
respect. An English audience Of 1000
people will give more volume of sacred
song than an American audience of
2, 900 people. do not know what the
reason is. oh, you ought to have heard
them sing in Surrey chapel! l had the
opportunity of preaching the anniver-
sary-I think the ninetieth anniversary
sermon in Rowland Hills old chapel,
and when they lifted their voices in
sacred song it was simply overwhelm-
ing, and then, in the evening Of the
same day, in Agricultural hall, many
thousand voices lifted in doxology. 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 laboring
throng,
And heaven was won by violence of song.
Now, am no worshiper of noise, but
I 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 1t
has now. Why not take this part of the
sacred service and lift it to where it
ought to be? All the annoyances Of life
might be drowned out by that sacred
song. Do you tell me that it is not
fashionable to sing very loudly? Then,
I say, away with the fashion. We dam
back the great Mississippi of congrega-
tional 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. Whether it is fashionable to
sing loudly or not, let us sing with all