THE INFLUENCE OF SACRED MUSIC.
By George Birdseye
SACRED music has greater claims on the people than any other, as it exerts a more controlling and purifying influence upon the emotions and passions of the human heart than any power other than that of the Gospel itself. It is of great importance in the development of devotional feeling and reverential worship. All through the Scriptures may be found the mention of music, and always as something holy. The Psalms are running over with it. David is always calling for it, "to make a joyful noise unto the Lord." Music might be called the language of the soul. There is no expressed conception of heaven but what, within it, music has its appointed and important place. St. John hears therein, in the Revelation "harpers harping with their harps," and the elders singing a new song to God and the Lamb and the voices of many angels about them. All music that is really music is of God and heaven; and, let the heart be filled with whatever good sentiment it may, music will intensify that sentiment. They who possess the divine gift of music, who can sing well or can play some instrument intelligently, are but few; they who can listen well and enjoy, tho roughly, are many; and to the many comes the consolation that, tho we possess no talent or genius in voice or in fingers, still we may make music of our lives, so that all that we do, all that we say, may be beautiful music, and thus a lasting blessing unto all with whom we associate or come in contact. "So to live is heaven,
To make undying music to the world."
Lynn, Mass.