The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1898-07-21
SANCTUARY HELPS.
What the Church Should be in Re-
lation to Its Worshippers.
c,ev. DR.. Talmage Says All the Various Por.
tions OF the Service Should be
Practical, IIomely Helps
for Everybody.

In the following sermon Rev. T. De-
Witt TallnaGe points out what the
church should be in relation to its wor-
shippers. The text is:
XXX.
church is they would give you so diff
ferent answers. One man would say:
1T is convention of hypocrites. An
other: at is a place for gossip, where
wolverine dispositions devour each
other" Another: 1T is place for
the cultivation of superstition and
cant" Another: sit is an arsenal
where theologians go to get pixies and
mu>lsets and shot Another: 1T is
an art gallery, where men go to adj
mirc great arches, and exquisite fresco,
and musical warble, and the Dan tesque
in gloomy imagery" Another man
would say: 1T is the best place on
earth except my own home" "1f l
forget thee, o Jerusalem, let my right
hand forget her cunning"
Now, whatever the church is, my
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 a
magnet. visibly and nightly affecting
all the homes of the worshippers.
Every man gets roughly jostled, gets
abused, gets cut, gets insulted, gets
Sighted, gets exasperated. BY the
time the Sabbath comes he has an ac-
cumulation Of six days OF annoyance,
and that is a starveiny church service
which has not strength enough to take
that accumulated annoyance and hurl
it into perdition. The business man
sits down in church headachcy from
the weeks engagements. Perhaps he
wishes he had tarricl at home on the
lounge with the newspapers and the
slippers. That man wants to be cooled
off, and graciously diverted. The first
wave of the religion, 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
tendants tried to persuade her to stop
saying it would exhaust her and make
her disease worse. She answered: 81
must sing; am only practicing for the
| Heavenly choir" Music on earth is q
reh hearsal 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
schalk never would go into a concert
until they had first IN private re
hearscd, although they were MASTER
of the instrument. And can it be tha
we expect to take part in the grea
oratorio of Heaven if we do not re
| hearse here?
But | am not speaking OF the mex
world. Sabbath song ought to set al
the week to music. We want not more
harmony, not IN ,re artistic expression
but more volume in our church music
The English dissenting churches fa
surpass our American churches in thi
respect. An f lglish audience of 100
people will give more volume of sacret
song than an American audicnc &c Off 90
people. do not know what the reasoi
is. Oh, you ought to have heard then
sing in Surrey chapel. l had the op
portunity Of preaching the anniversar.
Il think the ninetieth anniversary
sermon in Rowland Hills old chape
and when they lifted their voices i
sacred song it was simply ovcrwheln
ing, and then in the evening of tn
same day, in Agricultural hall, man
thousand voices lifted in doNolgy.
: was like the voice Of many waters, an
like the voice of many thunderings, an
like the voice of Heaven.
! The blessing thrilled through all the laborir
throng,
And Heavea was won by violence Of song.
Now, | am no worshipper of nois
but l believe that if our America
churches would with full heartiness
soul, and full emphasis of voice sir
the songs OF Zion. this part of sacr<
worship would have tenfold mo
power than it has now. Why not tai
this part of the sacred service and Ii
! it where it ought to be. All the a
= noyances of life might be drowned o.
by that sacred song. Do you tell Il
that it is not fashionable to sing vel
loudly? Then, say, away with Il
fashion. We dam back the great Mi
=: sissippi of congregational singing al
E let IL few drops of melody trick
through the dam. | say, take aw;
:. the dam and let the pillows roar
their way to the oceanic heart Of &c
Whetherit is fashionable to sing loud
or not, let US sing with all possible eI
phasis.
We hear great deal of the art
: singing. OF music as an entertainment
of music as recreation. 1t is hi
time we heard sem mething Of music as