The Montgomery advertiser., 1904-11-21
SONGS OF REVELATION.
SERMON OF DEBT INTEREST BY
 MIR. RODGERS.
Vlsiting Minister At Cumberland Press byterian Church Preached to
 Large Congregation---Revtval .-
 to Continue This Week.

to Continue This Week. f
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 ..rha Seven Songs of Revelation was the subject of forctble sermon preached at the Cumberland, Presby- terian church at II o'clock yesterday morning by Rev. W. T. Rodgers. of Knoxville, Tenn, who Is assisting the pastor, Rev. Walter M. Crawford in conducting a revival there.
 Tha Text was Revefution 5:9; And they sung a new song, saying, Thou art the sevenhrn fah lolohosordluohrlu fine seals thereof: for thou vast slain. and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood out of every kindred, and tongue. and people, and nation"
 .-Tha book of Revelation" said Mir. Rodgers "is the book of sevens, There are the seven angels. the seven spirits, the seven candlesticks. the seven churches, the seven stars, the seven golden yfals, and the seven songs. Seven is the Bible sacred number for perfection.
 lserhe power of song has been recog- nized in all ages. 1t is sthe highest and most beautiful mode of utterance. It touches and thrills the soul as noth- ing else can. With martial music the soldier is encouraged to deeds of dar-. Ling. With a soft, sweet song the mother IulIs her sistless babe to sieep. There is d song for the child there Is a song for the shepherd boy. there is a song for the happy, there is a song for the living, and funer- al song for the dead. sometimes think that music will be the language of heaven.
 "Think what terrible loss our world would sustain if all its music and sonw should be plotted out No song for the home, no song for the Sunday School. no song for the church, no music for the organ. or the piano, or the sweet-toned violin, the king of instruments. 4 happy and cultured people are a singing people
 Song of Nature.
 "But I am to speak to you about the seven songs of Revelation. The first is the song of nature. At the birth of our earth. in the morning of creation. the morning stars sang a great an- them. just as the angel choirs sang a sweet song of good will and peace when the babe of Bethlehem was born. All nature sings to him that hath an ear to hear. Emereson has truly said, something always sings, even in the mud and scum of things
 T was once brought very close to God by the song of nature. Late one afternoon I climbed to one of the peaks of the Ozark mountains and looked out upon a wild, but glorious scene which was undisturbed by man. A hundred feet below a crystal spring of water gushed from the mountain side and went winding it's way down lovely valley to the Piney river a few miles away. It leaped from stone to stone. baptizing tree and flower with Its silver spray and sending up wuFha AuNa which the setting sun painted his beau tifu1 rainbows of peace. On either side was the deep tangled wildwood Of which the poets speak. The wild roa- es on the mountain sides covered up every deformity of nature with frag- rant bower of beauty. The honey suclSles laded the air with sweet per- fume and held out their tiny cups from which the bees were slipping nectar to their hearts content. All around me were great butterfIys, with wings of black shot through with bars of gold, or splashed with silver. or yell low tinged with brown, Hitting in the sunlight, like flashes of glory, from flower to flower. The emerald pines formed a dark background and sang that low, sad. murmuring song which strangely moves the heart and which no one has ever described. The great sun, as he sank to his evening couch of gold, was tinging the mountain tops with a splendor indescribable.
 'Tt seemed to me that all nature was singing an evening anthem of praise to its Creator, and that God was there to hear 1t. Like Moses, felt that I was in the very presence of Jehovah. If had had shoes on my feet would have removed them, but was a bare- footed boy. did remove my old straw hat from my chad and I fell on my knees and prayed that God would tune my heart to praise Him like all that beautiful world around me.
 If you have never done so I be- seech you to steal away to the silent groves and. alone with nature and na- ture's God, listen till you catch the strains of heavenly music which Gods creation sings for the man who has an ear to hear 1t. It will thrill your soul with a new joy.
 Song of Redemption.
 The new song of which John speaks is the song of redemption. The old song was the heather song that taught that God was tyrant who delighted in human suffering. All of the gods of the heather were passionate tyranta. TO please them, the mother would throw her babe into the burning arms of Molech or to the crocodile fin the Ganges River.
 The prophets of Baal, in their con test with Elijah. cut and slashed them selves, thinking that when their god should see them suffering that he would be reconciled and favor them.
 The new song teaches that God Is love and that He so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son,