Los Angeles herald., 1905-09-11
breaches SERMON OF CHEER
Rev. Robert j. Burdette Resumes Pas
tora Duties at Temple Church

An overflowing congregation greeted
Pastor Robert ]. Burdette on his re-
turn and he preached a sermon OF
cheer, taking for his text Psalm 1884
THY statutes have been my songs In
the house of my pilgrimage" saying:
"Sings the sweetest of our American
minstrels, Longfellow,
God sent his singers upon earth
With songs of gladness and of mirth
That they might touch the hearts or
men,
And bring them back to heaven again
"I read a criticism of the great re-
vival in Wales, written by learned
man. in which he said, There was al
together too much singing Too much
singing! Among the saints! 1 Won
dered If the wise theologian ever read
his Bible.
"You can't get away from singing in
1t. King David even set his prayers to
music and sang them at the gates OF
heaven out of a heart that was a bub-
bling spring Of joy, or deep and bitter
POOL Of sorrow. At the dawn of crea-
ton, because there were no men and
women to sing, the morning stars
sang together, and all the sons Of God
Joined in the shouting chorus.
Down to this day the people Of God
have echoed the music of heaven. The
great army Of the righteous has
marched to it's own triumphal songs.
When God led his people out Of bond
age into liberty, while the mighty or
gan of the sea intoned the deep ac-
compartment of the waves, Moses and
the children of Israel sang on the
heights of deliverance, The Lord is
my strength and song
1.-THE women's voices, sweet and
clear, sounded over the tossing waters
in exultant melody, Sing ye to the
Lord, for he hath triumphed glor-
iously!' Deborah sang the psalm of
triumph in the day of victory; Hannah
awoke the silence of the tabernacle
with the holy worship of mother 8
hymn Of praise.
Centuries after the mother of Jesus
echoed it in the home in Bethlehem;
Jesus and the men who gathered about
the passover table sang hymn as they
went out to Olivet, Gethsemane and
Calvary. Paul and Silas sang their
prayers in the Roman dungeons.
LAS we close the book we hear the
hosts of the redeemed singing the
Song of Moses and the Lamb 1t is
the victors' song, the song of deliver
ance, of redemption, of victory! Stand
ing by the sea Of crystal, having the
harps of God in their hands, they who
had gotten the victory over the beast,
they who had triumphed over tempta-
ton and sin, over a goddess world, over
hate and persecution, they take up the
song that was sang by the people of
God, who stood on the storm-swept
shores of the Red sea in ages past and
sing, Great and marvellous are thy
works, Lord God almighty! Just and
true are thy ways, thou king of saints!
Who shall not fear thee, o Lord, and
glorify Thy name?'
""Too much singing? o, foolish
preacher, then what will you do in
heaven, where they seem to do nothing
but sing-where they who had never
been overcome by the world sing the
new song which no one else can learn;
where the sinless and holy creatures of
God sing the old song, and where all
the countless host, the ten thousand
times ten thousand, and thousands .)f
thousands'-'and every creature which
is in heaven and on the earth,' and
such as are in the sea and all that are
in them join in the mighty chorus,
Blessing and honor and glory aad
power be unto him that sitteth upon
the throne and unto the lamb for
ever!"