The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1900-04-18
OF others blowing up his own spirit, tho

or OtQorS pl0WluS up HIS OWN bplrlt, TUG
condensed bitterness OF dying away from
bone among strangsrs St' Yet songs In .ad sii
one dying soldier, "tell my mother that
last night there was not one cloud be-
tween my soul and Jesus" Songs In the
night Songs In the night
This Sabbath Icy came. From the affairs
OF 10, 900 churches has smoked up the savor
OF sacrifice. Ministers OF the Gospel
preached In plain English, in broad Scotch,
in flowing italian, In harsh Choctaw. Gods
people assembled In Hlndoo temple and
Moravlan church and Quaker meeting
house and sailors bethel and kings chapel
and high lowered cathedral. they Gang,
and the song flonted Off amid the spice
groves or struck the tcebergs or 9oated OF
into the western pines or was drowned IN
the clamor ofthe great cities. Lunbermen
sang it and the factory girls and the chill
dren In tho Sabbath class and the trained
choirs in great assemblages. Trappers
with the same voice with which they
shouted yesterday in the stag hunt
and mariners with throats that only {
few days ugo sounded In the hoarse
blast OF the sea hurricane, they sang It..
One theme for the sermons. One burden
for the song. Jesus for the Invocation.
Jesus for the Scripture lesson. Jesus fol-
the baptismal font. Jesus for the sacra.
mental cup. Jesus for the benediction.
But the day has gone. It rolled away on
swift wheels OF light and love-. Again the
churches are lighted. Tides OF people
agnin setting down the streets. Whols
families coming up the church aisle. We
must have one more service. What shall
we .preach2 What shall We read? Let 1t
be Jesus, everybody says: lot 1t bs.Jssus.
We must have Que more song. What shall
1t be, children? Aged men and women,
what shall 1t bep Young men and maldens,
what shall 1t be? II you dared TO break
the silence OF this auditory. there would
come up thousands Of quick and jubilsut
voices. crying out: "Let 1t be Jesus! Jesus!
Jesusl'
We sing His blrth-the barn that shel.
tered Him, the mother that nursed Him
the cattle that FED beside Him, the angels
that woke up the shepherds, shaking light
over the midnight hills. We sing His min
lstry-the tears He wiped away from the
eyes OF the orphans, the lame men that
forgot their crutches, the damsel who from
the bier bounded"out into the sunlight, her
locks shaking down over the flushed cheek
the hungry thousands who broke che bread
as It blossomed into larger loayes, that
miracle by which boy with five loaves aud
two fishes became the sutler OF a whole
army. We sing His sorrows-His stone
bruised feet, His aching heart. His noun.
tain Ionelfness, His desert hunger, HE
storm peIted body, the eternity OF anguish
that shot through His last moments
and the immeasurable ocean OF tor
one foaming, wrathful, omnipotsnt surge,
the sun dashed out and the dead, shroud
wrapped, breaking open their sepulchers
and rushing out to see what was the mat
ter. We sing His. .rasurreotion-the guard
that could not keep Him, the sorrow OF Hls
disciples, the clouds pillng up on other
side In 'pillared splendors as He went
through, treading the painless air, higher
and higher, until He came to the foot Of
the throne, and all heaven kept jubilee at
the return OF the conqueror. Oh, is there
anysong more appropriate for Sabbath
night than this song OF Jesus? Let the
angels of God carry 1t amidst the thrones.
Sound 1t out through the darkness: Jesus
the night. song, appropriate for any hour
but especially sweet and beautiful and
blessed on Sabbath night.
Lsay once more Christ Is tho everlasting
song. The very best singers sometimes
get tired; the strongest throats sometimes
get weary. and many who sang very sweet
" do not sing now. but hope by tue grace
OF God we Will .nfter q while 60 up and
sing the praises OF Christ where we will
never be, weary. You know there are some
songs; that are especially appropriate for
theshome circle: They stir the soul, they
start the tears, they turn the heart In on
Itself and keep sounding after, the tune
has stopped, like some cathedral bell
which, long after the tap OF the brasen
tongue has ceased, keeps throbblng on the
air. Well, It will be home song 10
heaven, all the sweeter because those who
sang with us In the domestic circle on
earth shall join that great harmony:
Jerusalem, my, happy home.
- Name ever dear. to me-;
Il When shall my labots have an end
~ 1njoy and peace In thee2
j On earth we sang harvest songs as the
wheat came into the barn and the barracks
were filed. You know there is no such
time on q farm as when they got the crops
In and so In heaven 1t will be o harvest
song on the part OF those who on earth
sowed In tears and reaped In Joy. Lit up
your heads, ye everlasting gates, and let
the sheayes come inl Angels shout all
through the heavens, and mnltitudes come
down the hills crying: Harvest homel
Harvest homev'
The Christian singers ana composers OF
all ages will be there to join in that song.
Thomas Hastings will be there. Lowell
Mason will be there. Beethoven and Mo,
zart will be there. They who sounded the
cymbals and the trumpets IN the ancient
tenn Piles will be there. The 10000 harpers
that stood al the ancient dedication will
be there. The 200 singers that assisted on
that day will be there.
Patriarchs who lived amid thrashlng
floors, shepherds who watched amid Chal-
dean hills, prophets who walked, with long
boards and coarse apparel, pronounclng
woe against ancient aboninations, will
meet the more recent martyrs who went
up with leaping cohorts OF fire, and some
will speak OF the Jesus OF whom they
prophesied and othors OF the Jesus for
whom they died.
Oh, what songl. 1t came to John uron
Patmos!it came to Calvin In the prison, it
dropped to Ridley In the FIRE, and some-
times that song has come to your ear per-
haps, for really do think 1t sometimes
breaks over the bsttlements OF heaven.
A Chrlstion woman, the wife OF minis.
ter OF the Gospel. wus DYING IN the parson-
age near the old chu>,h, where on Satur.
day night the choir used to assemble anl
rehearse for tho following Sabbath. and
she satd: chow strangely sweet the choir
hsarsing there for an hour" "No," said
some one about hor. "the choir Is not re-.
tonight" 'Yes," she said. Il
know they are. hear them sing. How
verysweetIy they sing"
Now, It was not q choir OF earth that she
heard, but tho choir OF heaven. think
that Jesus sometimes sets ajar the door OF
heaven, and a passage OF that rapture
ereets our ears. The minstrels or heaven
strike such tremendous strain tho walls
OF jasper cannot hold 1t.
I wonderland this Is a question have
been asking myself all the service-wii
you sing that song2 Will slne it? Not
unless our sins are pardoDed and ws learn
now to sing the praise OF Christ will re
ever sing it there.
Tho first great concert that I sve- az
landed WAS In New York, when Julien 10