Peninsula enterprise. [volume] (Accomac, Va.) 1881-1965, 1899-09-09
AcCOMAC G. H. VA SATURDAY. SEPTEMBER g. 1899

cnurch, they sang zion. We're
they overborne with the love and glory
of Christ, they sang Ariel" And In
those days there were certain tunes
married to certain hymns. and they
have lived in peace a great while, these
two old people, and we have no right
to divorce them. What God hath
joined together let no man put asun-
der" Born ms we have been amid this
great wealth Of church music, aug
mented by the compositions Of artists
in our day, we ought not to be tempted
out of the sphere OF Christian harmony
and try to seek unconsecrated sounds.
1t Is absurd for millionaire TO steal.
God Loves Harmony.
I remark also that correctness ought
to be a characteristic Of church music.
While we all ought to TAKE part in this
service, with perhaps few excep-
lions. we ought at the same time to
cultivate ourselves In this sacred art.
God loves harmony. and we ought to
love it, There is no devotion in howl
or yclp. In this day. when there are
so many opportunities OF high culture
in this sacred art, declare that those
parents are guilty Of neglect who let
their sons and daughters grow up
knowing nothing about music. In
some of the European cathedrals the
choir assemble every morning and
afternoon of every day the whole year
to perfect themselves in this art, and
Shall we begrudge the half hour we
spend Friday nights In the rehearsal
of sacred song for the Sabbath?
Another characteristic must be spirit
aud life. Music ought to rush from the
audience Ike the water from rock
clear, bright, sparkling. II all the 9th
er part of the church service Is dull,
do not have the music dull. With so
many thrilling things to sing about,
away with all drawing and stupidity.
There Is nothing that makes me so
nervous as to sit In pulpit and look
off on IN audience with their eyes
three-fo urths closed and their lips
almost shut, mumbling the praises
Of God. During one Of my Journeys
preached TO an audience Of 1000
or 5000 people, and all the music
they made together did not equal one
skylark People do not sleep at q
coronation; do not let us sleep when
we come TO a Saviour's browning.
In order to a proper discharge Of this
duty, let us stand up, save as age or
weakness or fatigue excuse us. Seated
In an easy pew we cannot do this duty
half SO well as when upright we throw
our whole body into it. Let our song be
like an acclamntion of victory. You
have a right to sing; do not surrender
your prerogative. If In the performance
of your duty. or the attempt at 1t, you
should lose your place in the musical
scale and be one G below when you
ought to be one G above, or you should
come in half bar behind, we will ex-
cuse you Still, 1t Is better to do as
Paul says. and sing with the spirit
and the understanding Also"
Congregational Music.
Again, remark church music must
be congregational. This opportunity
must be brought down within the
range of the whole audience. A song
that the worshipers cannot sing is OF
no more use to them than a sermon
in Choctaw What an easy kind OF
church it must be where the minister
does all the preaching, and the elders
all the praying. aud the choir all the
singing! There are but very few
churches where there are 1.-TWO hun
dred and forty and five singing men
and singing women"
In some churches 1t is almost consid-
cred disturbance If man let out his
voice to full compass, and the people
get ND on tiptoe and look over be-
tween the spring hats and wonder
what that man Is making all that noise
about. In Syracuse IN Presbyterian
church there was one member who
came to me when was the pastor OF
another church in that city and told
me his trouble-how that as he per-
sisted in singing on the Sabbath day
n committee. made up of rlie session
and the choir had come to ask him II
he would not just please to keep still!
You have no right to sing. Jonathan
Edwards used to set apart whole days
for singing. Let us wake up to this
duty. Let us sing alone, sing III our
families. sing In our schools, sing In
our churches.
Heavens National Airs.
want to rouse you to unanimlty
in Christian song that has ever yet
been exhibited. Come, now; clear your
throats and get ready for this duty or
YOU will never hear the end Of this.
never shall forget hearing a French
man sing the "Marseillaise" on the
Champs Elysces, Paris, just before the
battle of Sedan in 1870. never saw
such enthusiasm before or since. us
he sang that national mir, oh, how the
Frenclmcn shouted! Have you ever
in an English assemblage heard band
play God Save the QucenY If you
have, you know something about the
enthusiasm Of national air Now, 1
tell you that these songs we sing Sab
bath by Sabbath are the national airs
Of the kingdom of heaven, and if you
do not learn to sing them here, how do
you ever expect to sing the song OF
Moses and the Lamb? should not be
surprised M all If some of the best
anthems of heaven were made up OF
some of the best songs of earth. May
God increase our reverence for Chris
tan psalmody and keep us from dis
grazing it by our Indifference and fri
volity.
When Cromwell's army went into
battle, he stood at the head of 1t one
day and gave out the long meter dox-
ology to the tune of the "Old Hun
dredth," and that great hist, company
by company, regiment by regiment, d.
vision by division, Joined in lee dox-
ology:
Praise Cod, from when all blessings flow;
Praise him, all creatures here below
Praise him above, yc heavenly host;
Praise Father Son and Holy Ghost.
And while the sang they marched,