The Greenville times. [volume] (Greenville, Miss.) 1868-1917, 1900-04-07
CHRIST THE THEME.
He Brings Happiness Into Every
Life That He Enters.
All Nature Sings His Praises, Says
DIR. TaInage-Hymns Heard In
Infancy Have q strong In-
nuence In After Life.
copyright, 1900, by Louis Klopsch.l
Washington,

| now Onflst brings harmony anu Hicl
ody into every life tina; He enters:
text, Psalms, 1854: "The Lord is my
strength and song
The most fascinating theme for q
heart properly attuned is the Saviour
There is something in the morning
light to suggest Him and something
in the evening shadow to speak His
praise. The flower breathes Him, the
stars shine Him, the cascades pro-
claim Him, all the voices of nature
chant Him. Whatever is grand, bright
and beautiful if you only listen to it,
will speak His praise. So when in
the summer time | pluck flower /
| thing of Him who is 1.-The Rose of
Sharon and the Lily of the Valley"
When see in the fields lamb, / say:
Behold the Lamb of God that taketh
away the sin of the world" When in
very hot weather | come under a pro-
jecting cliff, say:
Rock Of ages, cleft for me,
Let me hide myself in thee!
Over the old-fashioned pulpits there
the minister rose to the sounding
board and then was struck back again
upon the ears of the people. And so
the 10000 voices of earth rising up
find the heavens sounding board
which strikes back to the ear of all
nations the praises of Christ. The
heavens tell His glory and the earth
shows His handiwork. The Bible
thrills with one great story of
redemption. Upon blasted and
faded paradise it poured light of
glorious restoration. 1t looked upon
Abraham from the ram caught in
the thicket. 1t spoke in the bleating
of the herds driven down to Jerusa-
lem for sacrifice. 1t put infinite pa
thos into the speech of uncouth fish
ermen. 1t lifted Paul into the third
heaven, and it broke upon the ear of
St. John with the brazen trumpets
and the doxology of the elders and
the rushing wings of the seraphim.
Instead of waiting until you get
sick and worn out before you sing
the praise of Christ, while your heart
is happiest and your step is lightest
and your fortunes smile and your
way blossoms and the overarching
heavens drop upon you their benedic-
ton. speak the praises of Jesus.
The old Greek orators, when they
saw their audiences inattentive and
slumbering, had one word with which
they would rouse them up to the
greatest enthusiasm. In the midst of
their orations they would stop and
cry out: "Mara thon!" and the peo
pies enthusiasm would be unbound
ed. My hearers, though you may
have been borne down with sin, and
though trouble and trials and temp
tation may have come upon you, and
you feel to-day hardly like looking
up, methinks there is one grand, royal,
imperial word that ought to rouse
your soul to infinite rejoicing, and
that word is Jesus"
Taking the suggestion of the text,
| shall speak to you of Christ our
Song. l remark, in the first place,
that Christ ought to be the cradle |
song. What our mothers sang to us
when they put us to sleep is singing |
yet. We may have forgotten the
words; but they went into the fiber |
of our soul and will forever be a part |
of it. 1t is not SO much what you |
formally teach your children as what
you sing to them. A hymn has wings
and can fly everywhither. One hun
dred and fifty years after you are
dead and "Old Mortality" has worn
out his chisel recruiting your name on
the tombstone, your great-grandchil
dren will be singing the song which
last night you sang to your little ones
gathered about your knee. There is
a place in Switzerland where, if you
utter your voice, there come
back ten or Is distinct echoes, and
every Christian song sung by moth
er in the ear of her child shall have
10000 echoes coming back from all the
yates of Heaven. Oh, if mothers only
knew the power of this sacred spell,
how much oftener the little ones
|
would chime with the songs of Jesus!
We want some counteracting influ-
nee upon our children. The very mo-
nent our child steps into the street
e steps into the path of temptation.
here are foul mouthed children who
would like to bespoil your little ones.
t will not do to keep your boys and
iris in the house and make them
ouse plants. They must have fresh
lir and recreation. God save your chill
rem from the scathing, blasting,
aiming influence of the street!
now of no counteracting influence but
he power of Christian culture and ex-
mple. Hold before your little ones
he pure life of Jesus. Let that name
e the word that shall exercise evil
rom their hearts. Give to your in
truction all the fascination of music
noon and night. Let it be
esus, the cradle song. This is impor-
ant, if your children grow up, but per-
APPS they may not. Their pathway
lay be short. Jesus may be wanting
hat child. Then there will be a
oundless step in the dwelling, and
he youthful pulse will begin to fut-
err and the little hands will be lifted
Or help. You cannot help. And a
reat agony will pinch at your heart.
nd the cradle will be empty, and the :
ursery will be empty, and the world
ill be empty. No little feet standing /
n the stairs. No toys scattered on {
ne carpet. No quick following from {
Dom to room. No strange and won !
fering questions. No upturned face ;
18th laughing blue eyes come for a
iss, but only grave and wreath of {