The Chanute times. [volume] (Chanute, Kan.) 1897-1913, 1899-09-15
TALMAGE'S SERMON.
"MUSICIN WORSHIP" SUNDAYS
SUBJECT.
Nehemiah Z: OF; "And They Had Two
Hundred Forty and Five singing Men
and Singing Women''-Children of the
Heavenly King.


Copyright 1899 by Louis Klopseh)
The best music has been rendered
under trouble. The first duet that l
know anything of was given by Paul
and Silas when they sang praises to
God and the prisoners heard them. The
Scotch covenanters, bounded by the
dogs Of persecution, sang the psalms OF
David with more spirit than they have
ever since been rendered. The captives
in the text had music left in them, and
/ declare that if they could find, amid
all their trials, two hundred and forty |
and five singing men and singing wom-
en-, then in this day OF gospel sunlight
and free from all persecution there
ought to be great multitude OF men
and women willing to sing the praises
OF God. All our churches need arousal
on this subject. Those who can sing
must throw their souls into the eXer-
else, and those who cannot sing must
learn how, and it shall be heart 10
heart, voice to voice, hymn to hymn,
anthem to anthem, and the music snail
swell jubilant with thanksgiving ana
tremulous with pardon.
Have you ever noticed the construc-
ton of the human throat as indicative
OF what God means us to do with 1t?
In only an ordinary throat and lungs
there are fourteen direct muscles and
thirty indirect muscles that can pro-
duce a very great variety of sounds.
What does that mean? 1t means that
you should sing! Do you suppose that
God who gives us such musical In
strument as that, intends us to keep
1t shut? Suppose some great tyrant
should get possession Of the musical
instruments of the world, and should
| lock up the organ OF Westminster Ap-
hey, and the organ of Lucerne, and the
organ at HARLEM, and the organ at
Freiburg, and all the other great mu-
! steal instruments Of the world-you
would call such man as that mon
ster; and yet you are more wicked H.
with the human voice, musical IN
strument of more wonderful adapta-
ton than all the musical instruments
that man ever created, you smut II
against the praise OF God.
Let those refuse to sing
Who never knew our God;
But children of the Heavenly King
Should speak their joys abroad
I congratulate the world and the
church on the advancement made in
this art-the Edinburgh societies FOL
the Improvement of music, the Swiss
singing societies, the Exeter Hall con
certs, the triennial musical convocatioT
at Dusseldorf, Germany, and Blrming
ham. England; the Conservatives O.
music at Munich and Leipsic, the Han
del and Haydn and Harmonic and Mo
Fart societies of this country, the acad
emies of music in New York, Bro cklyn
Boston. Charleston, New Orleans, Chi
cago. and every city which has any en-
terprise.
Now. MY friends, how are we to &c
eide what is appropriate, especially fo
church music? There may be a grea
many differences of opinion. In som'
of the churches they prefer trained
choir: in others, the old-style pre-
centor. In some places they prefer tn
me.odeon, the harp, the cornet; II
other places they think these thing
are the invention of the devil. Som
would have musicc.n.il instrn I'm =
played so loud you cannot stand it, ant
others would have it played so soft yo'
cannot hear it. Some think musica
instrument ought to be played only il
the interstices Of worship. and the1
with indescribable softness, while
others are not satisfied unless there b'
startling contrasts and staccato pas
sages that make the audience jump
with great eyes and hair on end,1s from
vision Of the Witch Of Endor. But
while there may be great varieties O.
opinion in regard to music, 1t seems Il
me that the general spirit of the WORD
of God indicates what ought to be thu
great characteristics Of church music.
And | remark, in the first place,
prominent characteristic ought TO b.
adaptiveness to devotion. Mu"!c tina
may be appropriate for a concert hal
or the opera house or the drawing
room may be inappropriate in church
Glees, madrigals, ballads, may be as
innocent as psalms in their places
But church music has only one de-
sign, and that is devotion, and that
which comes from the toss, the swing
and the display Of an opera house is
hindrance to the worship. From
such performances we go away say
ing: What splendid execution" did
you ever hear such a soprano?''
(which OF those solos did you like
the better?" When, If he had been
rightly wrought upon, we would have
gone away saying: "Oh, how my soul
was lifted up in the presence Of God
while they we're singing that nrst
hymn II never had such rapturous
views of Jesus Christ as my Savior as
when they were singing that last dox-
| ology."