Highland recorder. (Monterey, Highland County, Va.) 1877-1972, 1900-04-06

tween my soul and Jesus!' Songs In the
night Songs In the night!
This Sabbath day came. From the affairs
OF 10000 churches has smokedup the SAVIOR
OF sacrifice. Ministers OF the Gospel
preached in plain English, ia broad Scotch
In flowing Italian, in harsh Choctaw. Gods
people assembled In Hindoo temple and
Moravian church and Quaker meeting
house and sailors bethel and kings chapel
and high lowered cathedral. They sang,
and The song hoated off amid the spice
groves or struck the icebergs or fioated off
into the western pines or was drowned In
the clamor Of the great cities. Lumbermen
sang 1t and tue factory girls and tho chill
dren In the Sabbath class and the trained
choirs In great assembages. Trappers
with the same voice with which they
shouted yesterday Ia the stag hunt
and mariners with Threats that only
few days ago 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 for
the baptismal font Jesus for the sacra'
mental cup. Jesus for the benediction.
But the day has gone. 1t rolled away on
swift wheels of light and love. Again tho
churches arc lighted. Tides OF people
again setting down tho streets. Whole
families coming up the church aisle. We
must have one more service. what shall
we preach? What shall we read2 Let 1t
be Jesus, everybody says; let 1t be Jesus.
We must have ono more song. What shall
1t be, cbildreDT Aged mon and women,
what shall 1t be2 Yonns men and maidens,
what shall IL be? II yon dared TO break
the silence Of this auditory, there would
come up thousands OF quick and jubilant
voices, crying out: "Let it be jesus! Jesus!
Jcsusl"
say once more Christ is the everlasting
song. The very best singers sometimes
get tired; tho strongest throlts sometimes
get weary, aud many who sang very sweet.
ly do not sing now, but l hope by the grace
OF God we will after n while go mp and
slug the praises OF Christ where wo will
never be weary. You know there are some
songs that are especially appropriate for
the homo 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 somo cathedral bell
which, long after the tap OF tho braZen
tongue has ceased keeps throbbing on the
air. Well, 1t will DO Il home song in
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;
When shall my jabors have an end
In Joy and peace in thee?
On earth we sang harvest songs as the
wheat came into the barn and tho barracks
were filled. You know there is no such
time on a farm as when they get the crops
ia and so in heaven 1t will be q harvest
song on the part of those who on earth
sowed In tears and reapel in JOY. Lift up
your heads ye everlasting gates and let
the sheaves come in Angels shout all
through the heavens, and mnltitudes come
down the hills crying: Harvest homel
Harvest homer
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-
Fart will be there. They who sounded the
cymbas and the trumpets 10 the ancient
TEMPLES will be there. The 40 600 harpers
that stood at the ancient dedication Will
be there. The 200 singers that assisted on
that day will be there.
Patriarchs who lived amid thrashiDg
floors, shepherds who watched amid Chal-
dean hills, prophets who walked with long
boards and coarse apparel, pronouncing
woe against ancient denominations, will
meet the more recent martyrs who went
up with ledping cohorts OF fire, and some
will speak of the Jesus OF whom they
prophesied and others of the Jesus for
whom they died.
Oh. what a song! 1t came 10 John upon
Patmos. 1t came to Calvin In the prison, 1t
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 battlements OF heaven.
Christian woman, the wife OF minis
ter OF the Gospel, was dying in the parson-
age near the old church, where on Satur-
day night the choir used to assemble and
rehearse for the following Sabbath, and
she said: "How strangely sweet the choir
rehearses tonight. They have been re-
hearsing there tor an hour" mo" satd
some one about her, "the choir is not re-
'hearsing tonight" Eyes, she said, Il
know they are. l hear them sing. How
very sweetly they sing
Now, it was not n choir OF earth that she
heard, but the choir OF heaven. think
that Jesus sometimes sets a. ar the door of
heaven, and passage OF that rapture
greets our ears. The minstres OF heaven
strike such a tremendous strain the walls
Of jasper cannot hold 1t.
I wonderland this Is question | have
been asking myself all the service-will
you sing that song? VIII | sing 1t? Not
unless our sins are pardoDed and we learn
now to sing the praise OF Christ will We
ever sing it there.
The first great concert that l ever at
tended was in New York, when julian in
the CRYSTAL palace stood before hundreds
of singers and hundreds OF players upon
instruments. Some Of you may remember
that occasion. 1t was the first one of the
kind at which | was present, and l shall
never forget 1t. | saw that one man stand
ing and with the hand and foot WELD that
great harmony, beating the time. 1t was
to me overwhelming.
But, oh. the grander scene when they
shall come from the East and from the
West and from tho North and from the
South, "a great multitude that no man can
number" into the temple of the skies, host
beyond host, rank beyond rank, gallery
above gallery, and Jesus will stand before
that great host to conduct the harmony
with His wounded hands and His wounded
feeti Like the voice Of many waters, like
the voice of mighty thunderings, they
shall cry: "Worthy is the Lamb that was
slain to receive blessing and riches and
honor and glory and power, world without
end. Amen and amen!'
Oh, IL my ear shall hear no other sweet
sounds may I hear thatl II join no other
glad assemblage, may join that.
was reading OF the battle OF Agincourt
in which Henry V. figured, and it is said
after the battle was won, gloriously won,
the king wanted to acknowledge the divine
nterposition, and he ordered the chaplain
to read the Psalm OF David, and when he
came to the words, "Not unto US, o Lord,
but to Thy name be the praise" the king
dismounted, and all the cavalry dis
mounted, and all tho great host, officers
and men, threw themselves on their faces.
Oh, at the story OF the sayiour's love and
PROSTATE ourselves before Him to-day,
hosts OF earth and hosts Of heaven, falling
upon our faces and crying, "Not unto us,
not unto us. but unto Thy name be the
glory."