FROM THE LIBRARY OF 
 
 REV. LOUIS FITZGERALD BENSON, D. D. 
 
 BEQUEATHED BY HIM TO 
 
 THE LIBRARY OF 
 
 PRINCETON THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY 
 
 
No. 429. 
 
 A PLE 
 
 FOR 
 
 SACRED MUSIC 
 
 A PREMIUM TRACT. 
 
 BY REV. EDWARD W. HOOKER, D. D. 
 
 PUBLISHED BY THE 
 
 AMERICAN TRACT SOCIETY, 
 
 150 NASSAU-STREET. NEW-YORK. 
 
 D. Fanehaw, Priiittr. 
 
2 A PLEA FOR SACRED MUSIC. 
 
 the .in sic or the i»+ ire oil 
 
 If it were proper here to speak of the music of the pal- 
 lor, we should feel constrained to proscribe the mass of 
 popular songs, and say they ought never to be sung. They 
 are, to an amazing extent, either insipid, vulgar, profane 
 
 centious in their tendency, and in their positi 
 . We have heard christian females sing such songs 
 
 re not only popular in the theatre and the midnight 
 revel, but appropriate to them, rather than to the fireside 
 of a religious or a cultivated family. Not to name others, 
 such a blasphemous effusion as "the Evening Song to the 
 Virgin" — which is a prayer to the virgin Mary — is not 
 unfrequently performed, when a request is made for t 
 sacred song. The popular taste is so far vitiated, 
 young ladies seem to have forgotten that there are some 
 ears to be gratified with pious sentiments, or offended 
 with that which is corrupting in morals, and dissipatin j 
 in its influence on the mind and heart. The deleterioi > 
 effect of fictitious reading seems to have extended to th • 
 musical literature and taste of the country, and made 
 one of the purest sources of enjoyment a channel for 
 the merest sentimentalism, or what is infinitely v. 
 
 We could wish that American females might proi, 
 the reply of an accomplished Swiss lady of our acquaint- 
 ance, who, on being asked to sing some popular song in a 
 large and genteel party, said that tf the members of her fa- 
 ther's family all played and sung, and derived much of their 
 enjoyment from this source ; but that she had never heaMft 
 or sung any other than songs of a religious character 
 der her paternal roof; and she wondered at the taste of 
 a christian country where other and insipid songs were 
 popular." Yet she is a perfect mistress of the piano, aid 
 in the purest taste. Will not the individual 
 
 je hand this Tract may fall, if she possesses this de- 
 d accomplishment, purge her collection cf s< 
 of the accumulated trash which may probably be f< 
 there! And will she not ask herself the question, how 
 ihese same ill affect her, should they crowd 1 
 
 her memory, when her \ < . and when those fn [ 
 
 which have wander* icefully over the keys of her 
 
 t, begin to grow stiff in death! r. s. c. 
 
 No. -129. 
 
No. 429. 
 A PLEA FOR SACRED MUSIC. 
 
 The word of God appoints, and christians have ever 
 maintained, three distinct exercises, embraced in public 
 worship, — prayer, preaching, and sacred song. Each of 
 these, in its place, is important. Christians should sustain 
 them all. On the truth and justice of these remarks, as 
 they apply to sacred music, we base our plea in its behalf. 
 
 When we speak of sacred music for the common use 
 of a christian assembly, we refer especially to composi- 
 tions having the simplicity and brevity of Luther's Old 
 Hundred, Hamburgh, St. Martin's, Duke-street, Dundee, 
 Elgin, Wells, and others like them; tunes which can be 
 adapted to many psalms and hymns ; and which, perform- 
 ed with the variety of expression suited to the sentiments 
 ind character of the poetry, will bear repetition in three, 
 four, or five stanzas, without dull uniformity. Such music, 
 connected with words and performed with proper ex- 
 pression, has an eloquence delightful and powerful; and 
 which may pervade the perfoimance of a common psalm- 
 tune, as well as of an air, recitative, duet, or of a chorus 
 in Handel's Messiah or Haydn's Creation. With this ex- 
 planation, then, in pleading for good sacred music, we 
 shall be understood to speak of that which is practicable 
 by all well trained singers, and within the means of any 
 congregation able to support the Gospel. 
 
 Valuable collections of psalms and hymns have been 
 prepared for use in connection with sacred music, and 
 are found in our places of public worship. These are prin- 
 cipally adapted to musical compositions of the charac- 
 ter already described. They open a wide field for the elo- 
 quence of music. They comprise choice lyrical pieces, 
 
4- A PLEA FOR SACRED MUSIC. (4 
 
 general duty of praise. They are instructions to the use 
 of music in union with " psalms and hymns and spiritual 
 songs," as means of acceptable worship. Ancient saints 
 practised on these. David so much used sacred song for 
 devotional purposes that he was called "the sweet 
 psalmist of Israel." Paul and Silas sang praises to God 
 in the prison at Philippi. Israel at the Red Sea, after the 
 destruction of their Egyptian pursuers, broke forth in 
 most lively songs of gratitude and joy. Sacred song 
 made a very important and interesting part of the temple 
 services at Jerusalem, and occupied the time and talents 
 of 4,000 of the best musicians in the nation. To read the 
 histories of some of the sacred festivals of the Jews, and 
 of the music by which they were rendered august and 
 imposing, cannot fail to move the feelings of any man 
 who has "music in his soul." They help our conceptions 
 of the meaning and devotional spirit of David, when he 
 said, " The Lord is in his holy temple ;" " Enter into his 
 courts with thanksgiving and into his gates with praise." 
 2. The effects of music furnish an argument for its use 
 m divine worship. All men are moved by it, more or less. 
 A single song, used in France, and appealing powerfully 
 to popular feeling, was one of the instrumentalities in 
 bringing on that revolution, which many years since 
 surprised half the civilized world with its terrors. The 
 effects of the first performance of the Hallelujah Chorus 
 in Handel's Messiah were such as to raise the vast assem- 
 bly from their seats, almost unconsciously to themselves. 
 Music not only powerfully affects man, but even the 
 lower animals. If such then be the power of music, it 
 should be regarded as of inestimable worth in aiding the 
 devotions of immortal beings assembled as worshippers 
 of "the Most High God." Let the Church patronize, 
 cultivate, and employ it for the purposes for which it is 
 so eminently adapted ; and what may it not accomplish 
 for the advancement of piety and devotion 1 
 
5) A PLEA FOR SACRED MUSIC. 5 
 
 The christian comes to the sanctuary, burdened with 
 trouble and sorrow, afflicted with some bereavement, 
 or beset with temptations, or oppressed with a sense of 
 unworthiness and guilt before God. How sweetly the 
 soothing influence of sacred sonof will sometimes come 
 over his spirit. It calms the troubled waves of his soul, 
 as did the voice of Jesus the stormy sea, when he said, 
 w Peace, be still!" The christian is thus led to adore 
 a Father who "pitieth his children." "Awake and sing, 
 ye that dwell in the dust," says the Scripture ; and from 
 deepest sorrows thus break tenderest, sweetest songs. 
 The weight under which the soul has been bowed down 
 is removed. The mourner is comforted; the trembling 
 believer established, quickened, strengthened; the con- 
 trite heart sweetly drawn to a reconciled God; and cou- 
 rage is gathered by the christian for the " good fight 
 of faith." 
 
 Eminent christians have testified their experience of 
 the benefits of sacred music, as they have those derived 
 from meditation, prayer and hearing the word. A devoted 
 female missionary, speaking of a Sabbath service in a 
 dark and. dreary land, writes, "My soul was refreshed, 
 particularly in the singing ; and I thought of the bliss of 
 heaven." President Edwards writes, " I often used to sit 
 and view the moon for continuance ; and in the day spent 
 much time in viewing the clouds and sky, to behold the 
 sweet glory of God in these things; in the mean time 
 singing forth with a low voice my contemplations of the 
 Creator and Eedeemer." "I felt God, so to speak, at the 
 first appearance of a thunder-storm; and used to take 
 the opportunity, at such times, to fix myself in order to 
 view the clouds and see the lightnings play, and hear the 
 majestic and awful voice of God's thunder, which often 
 times was exceedingly entertaining, leading me to sweet 
 contemplation of my glorious God. While thus engaged, 
 it always seemed natural to me to sing or chant forth my 
 
6 A PLEA FOR SACRED MUSIC (6 
 
 meditations, or to put my thoughts in soliloquies with 
 a singing voice." 
 
 The deepest feelings of the christian, then, find the 
 most natural channel for their flow in music. This ac- 
 counts for the fact, that in the Scriptures sacred song 
 is .described as the medium of the liveliest joys and most 
 exalted praises of heaven. The most inspiring songs of 
 earth are immeasurably surpassed by those heard in the 
 temple " not made with hands," and from the choir of the 
 " New Jerusalem." There is worship to God perfect; 
 praise offered "in the beauty of holiness." There per- 
 forms a choir "which no man can number," and which 
 has been formed and taught by the Son of God. There 
 are employed harps, M strung and tuned for endless 
 years." Eternity will never know dissonance, nor weari- 
 ness, nor faltering, in the songs of praise before "the 
 throne of God and the Lamb." " The ransomed of the 
 Lord shall return and come to Zion with songs, and ever- 
 lasting joy shall be upon their heads." " And they sung a 
 new song, saying, Thou art worthy to take the book and 
 to open the seals thereof, for thou wast slain, and hast re- 
 deemed us to God by thy blood." " And I heard the voice 
 of harpers, harping with their harps; and they sung as 
 it were a new song before the throne and before the four 
 beasts and the elders; and no man could learn that song 
 save the hundred and forty and four thousand which were 
 redeemed from the earth." 
 
 Now we cannot suffer heartless criticism, disjoined 
 from taste for either earthly or heavenly harmonies, to 
 wrest from us our faith, or discourage our anticipations, 
 that music will minister to the bliss for which we hope 
 in heaven. We do and will believe that " sounds of 
 glory" will help to swell the " amazing joys " of the re- 
 deemed. While the pious soul takes wings from amid the 
 scenes of earthly worship, and dissolves in tenderness 
 and joy under the power of sacred music, there is rap« 
 
7) A PLEA FOR SACRED MUSIC. 7 
 
 ture in the thought, " If so sweet be the songs of Zion 
 on earth, what must be the holy harmonies of heaven !" 
 
 3. We argue for sacred music, because its cultivation 
 and 'performance are within the ability of all. God has 
 given to men musical powers as freely as those of 
 speech ; and early and assiduous cultivation would as 
 fully develope the one as the other. This has been be- 
 lieved by but very few, till of late ; and it still is doubt- 
 ed by many. And those who do believe in the univer- 
 sality of musical powers have been long and slowly 
 coming to this point. But experiment, that sure test 
 of the soundness of opinions, has demonstrated it. Let 
 your child be as early and faithfully taught to sing as 
 to read, and he will make a singer as certainly as he is 
 made a reader. Proper musical education of the young, in 
 past years, would have made our present congregations 
 great choirs of singers. There is at this moment, in all 
 our religious assemblies, a vast amount of musical talent 
 unimproved, " buried 5" and account must be given for 
 this in the last day, as for other unimproved talents. 
 
 There are in our places of worship, every Sabbath, 
 hundreds of listeners, or perhaps inattentive endurers 
 of defective musical performances, who ought to be en- 
 gaged in raising the songs of joy and praise towards 
 the throne of heaven. To many of these, not even now 
 too old to learn to sing the praises of God in his sanc- 
 tuary, we say, " Unbury your talents, cultivate them, 
 consecrate them, and use them in praise of their Giver. " 
 
 Many a man, in common conversation, uses a voice 
 full, clear, musical, and yet has never learned any thing 
 more than Old Hundred, or perhaps a military air. 
 Many a woman, in the social circle, speaks with a voice 
 soft, sweet, melodious, and adapted for the service of 
 sacred song ; but has perhaps never learned more than 
 a popular love song or a nursery lullaby. " These things 
 ought not so to be." It is ingratitude to God, the Giver 
 
8 A PLEA FOR SACRED MUSIC. (8 
 
 of such powers, not to cultivate and employ them in his 
 praise. Scarce a bird is there in all " the firmament 
 of heaven" but raises some notes to the praise of the 
 Creator ; and shall man, whom he has made but M a 
 little lower than the angels," be silent ! 
 
 The question may be asked, rf Is it necessary that all 
 should sing who can 1" But if sacred song be worship 
 to God, then the question is not, " how many performers 
 are needed 1" rather, H who can be excused from the 
 duty of singing, any more than from joining in prayer V 9 
 
 But we reply to the questions stated, as apparently 
 anticipating the danger of having too muck power or 
 quantity in the service of sacred song ; that there cannot 
 be too many voices nor too much music in any reli- 
 gious assembly, if the voices be properly cultivated, 
 and if it be music which is made, and not solemn jargon. 
 The writer once listened to four hundred singers, sus- 
 tained by the powers of a noble organ, in one of our 
 city churches. It was music, in the true sense of the 
 word. Among other tunes performed was that noblest 
 of all, Old Hundred, in which the whole congregation 
 were requested to join with the choir. Two thousand 
 voices were then poured forth to swell the majestic 
 river of song. Yet such was their harmony, and so ju- 
 diciously and admirably were the powers of the organ 
 brought out in accompaniment, that there was not one 
 voice too many, nor one breath of instrumental aid too 
 much. We have read of commemorations of Handel 
 and other great musical festivals, for which were as- 
 sembled the musical talent and skill of all Europe ; but 
 we do not remember to have read of too much music 
 on such occasions. No ; assemble a choir of ten thou- 
 sand, around an organ, if you please, vast as a cathedral 
 or a palace ; let harmony blend and bind all together ; 
 and although the sublimity and majesty of the perform- 
 ances may overwhelm an audience of millions, still, of 
 
9) A PLEA FOR SACRED MUSIC. 9 
 
 music there will not, cannot be too much. John listen- 
 ed to a voice M upon mount Zion," " as the voice of 
 many waters, and as the voice of a great thunder ;" but 
 he appears to have felt no oppression of his senses ; for 
 it was a voice full of the music of heaven. The notes 
 were mighty, and yet sweet and delightful as the glory 
 which surrounds the eternal throne. 
 
 4-. Appropriate sacred music is a 'powerful auxiliary 
 to the preaching of the Gospel. When the minister of 
 Christ has " reasoned out of the Scriptures," pressed 
 truth and precept upon men's consciences ; warned, en* 
 treated, pointed to the " judgment to come," heaven 
 and hell ; then, in the appropriate psalm or hymn, mu- 
 sic, like a voice from heaven, speaks to the inmost 
 soul. The unconverted hearer who has been instructed, 
 convinced and made serious by the sermon, may melt 
 and weep under the pathos of the " lovely song," which 
 speaks of mercy, hope, " the throne of grace ;" and of 
 Christ as the sinner's friend, refuge, Savior, and " the 
 Prince of Peace." The backslider, shown by the word 
 his way of grievous departure, when music falls upon 
 his ear, perhaps in the words, 
 
 " Return, O wanderer ! return, 
 
 " And seek an injured Father's face/' 
 
 may melt like Peter under the tender yet piercing 
 look of his Lord. Under the solemn preaching of the 
 word the deep fountains of the soul become full and 
 swollen ; and thSh music breaks open those fountains, 
 and makes to flow penitence or joy, or both sweetly 
 mingled. 
 
 There are few hindrances to the efficacy of preach- 
 ing liable to exist in connection with public services, 
 which a solicitous minister will more earnestly depre- 
 cate than bad psalmody. Let a sermon, uniting the 
 solemnity and richness of Baxter with the eloquence of 
 Saurin or Massillon, be preceded by psalmody from the 
 
10 A PLEA FOR SACRED MUSIC. (10 
 
 bad effect of which the sermon must recover the assem- 
 bly before it can profit them ; or let such preaching be 
 followed by singing which offends, through discord- 
 ancy, or inappropriateness, or confusion of time, or in- 
 expressiveness, or perhaps through all of these together ; 
 and there is a sacrifice of spiritual benefit, a waste of 
 the toils of a Aveek of study, and a frustration of the 
 ends of preaching, for which the minister might sit 
 down in his pulpit and w r eep. The writer once attended 
 an evening service in one of our city churches, and 
 listened with deep interest to a discourse on that de- 
 lightful text, M Whereby are given unto us exceeding 
 great and precious promises." It was an admirable 
 sermon. The soul of the preacher was in every sen- 
 tence, and gave unction and eloquence to the whole. It 
 should have been preceded and followed with music 
 services in keeping with that sublime thought of Watts, 
 
 " The voice that rolls the stars along 
 * c Speaks all the promises." 
 
 But the singing was mere sound, with scarce an attri- 
 bute of music ; and would have been jeered in the social 
 circle, and hissed in the theatre. Gabriel'himself might 
 preach, and the effect of his eloquence would be marred 
 by a music service so void of harmony, heart and ex- 
 pression. A christian church even, through indifference 
 to sacred music, or parsimony, or both, may neglect 
 this part of the services of the sanctuary, to the embar- 
 rassment, if not utter prevention, of the usefulness of 
 the best preaching ; and to the destruction of the sym- 
 metry and beauty of the whole appointments of the 
 house of God. 
 
 Churches and congregations should be mindful that 
 responsibility rests upon them for all which is lost of 
 the proper effect of the pulpit services, through their 
 neglect to provide suitably for those of sacred music. 
 Ministers share in this responsibility also j for their in- 
 
11) A PLEA FOR SACRED MUSIC. 11 
 
 terest or indifference respecting this part of divine ser- 
 vice will influence their people. And here let it be 
 respectfully, yet earnestly urged upon the considera- 
 tion of some ministers, whether the extensive neglect 
 of the cultivation of sacred music has not been owing 
 to their own failure to press the duty on their people, 
 and to their indifference to it as a part of divine wor 
 ship. Every minister should regard good sacred music 
 as an invaluable means, — along with the faithful dispen- 
 sation of divine truth, — for the edification of his own 
 and the souls of his hearers. If he should be anxious 
 to preach wejl of God and his truth, so should he be so- 
 licitous that his congregation shall offer to the God of 
 truth acceptable sacrifices of praise, — shall sing well 
 M the songs of Zion." 
 
 5. We plead for sacred music, because, as much as 
 prayer itself, it is worship of God. The psalms and 
 hymns in common use embrace all the parts of prayer- 
 invocation, adoration, confession, petition, intercession, 
 thanksgiving, praise, and ascription. In performing them 
 we profess devotional approach to God. All the solem- 
 nity attaches to sacred song which attaches to prayer. 
 Performed with right feelings and in a right manner, it 
 will always be communion with God, the entrance of 
 the soul into the spirit of those in the upper temple, 
 who cry, " Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God of hosts !" 
 
 The cultivation of sacred music, therefore, should be 
 regarded as preparation for a service in which God is 
 to be approached, who is " great, and greatly to be 
 feared, and to be had in reverence by all them that are 
 about him." The feelings, spirit, sentiments, habits of 
 deportment, which should be cultivated in the scenes 
 of musical instruction and practice, must be those of 
 devout seriousness and religious emotion. And the 
 singer should be a christian ; should feel that " the 
 place whereon he standeth is holy ground," that he ap- 
 
12 A PLEA FOR SACKED MUSIC. (12 
 
 proaches M the throne of grace ;" and that he performs 
 services in which God " requireth truth in the inward 
 part." He must not be a mere vocalist or amateur, 
 making an exhibition, delighting the ear and regaling 
 the taste of an audience of dying men. He must, in 
 singing, offer the sacrifices of the heart. His soul must 
 go up in fervent aspirations to God. Singing the songs 
 of the sanctuary is a service scarcely less serious than 
 preaching and prayer. 
 
 To the question, then, " how shall the spirit of devo- 
 tion be promoted in our congregations V J it is one 
 proper answer, " make psalmody what it should be, as 
 a solemn, heart-felt act of worship to God." The spiritu- 
 ality appropriate to prayer and preaching belongs equal- 
 ly to " the service of song." And when performers, as 
 christians, throw their souls into this service, and when 
 the attending assembly join them in sincerity of heart, 
 then will be rf offered up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable 
 to God." Then will holy affections be increased in the 
 hearts of christians ; and the sanctuary will be, to the 
 assembled throng, M the house of God — " M the gate of 
 heaven." 
 
 The limits of this Tract admit but a brief notice of some 
 misapprehensions and erroneous habits of thought among 
 christians; which need correction and removal before 
 sacred music can have its proper place in the estimation 
 of the churches. 
 
 Christian people must cease to regard sacred music 
 as a matter on which they can be indifferent, or of the sup- 
 port of which they can be negligent, and yet be guiltless. 
 If it is appointed of God as a portion of divine service, 
 for his honor and our good, then christians must prize 
 it highly, sustain it systematically and liberally, and ex- 
 pect from it religious benefit steadily and largely. 
 
 Christians must cease to regard sacred in the same light 
 
13) A PLEA FOR SACRED MUSIC. 13 
 
 with secular music. Many probably have so regarded it, 
 because it has been much in the hands and under the di- 
 rection of persons not of religious, and sometimes not 
 even of moral character. How has this happened] Truly, 
 because christians have neglected it ; and other men have 
 taken it up and kept it in existence as a mere matter of 
 taste. Let christians take sacred music into their own 
 hands, consider it as much claiming their care as prayer 
 and preaching in the pulpit ; provide for it in the educa- 
 tion of children and youth, especially, in the art of music ; 
 and select and employ a christian leader of sacred song 
 as much as they do a minister of the sacred Gospel; and 
 they will not then be troubled with the interference of 
 men destitute of religious character, nor will they be de- 
 pendent upon such for the conduct of this holy service. 
 
 Christians must cease to regard music as only appro- 
 priate to the drawing-room, or scenes of gayety and fes- 
 tivity, or to the theatre and the military parade. Music 
 is a heaven-born art ; is one of the richest gifts of a mer- 
 ciful God to a world where sin, confusion, sorrow and 
 tears have so much place. " The children of this world" 
 see its worth; and they borrow it of the church, so much 
 that the church almost forgets that it is one of her right- 
 ful possessions. The first and proper place of music on 
 this side of heaven is in the house of God. Its most appro- 
 priate use is by fr the great congregation," in the worship 
 of "the High and Lofty One w T ho inhabiteth eternity." 
 
 We protest against christians regarding sacred music 
 as an elegant and expensive luxury, a mere superfluity ia 
 religious services. It may be made so, it is true, by hiring 
 foreign and merely professional performers, who serve 
 the church on the Sabbath, and the theatre and the devil 
 all the week. But employ christian men to teach the 
 children and youth, and to train the older members of 
 the congregation, and to conduct the musical perform- 
 ances of the Sabbath; and it is no more an expensive 
 
14 A PLEA FOR SACRED MUSIC, (14 
 
 superfluity than is education to read the Bible; than 
 prayer; than the dispensation of the blessed Gospel. 
 
 Those christians who have not the taste for music 
 which others have, should be considerate of their fellow- 
 christians to whom it is pleasant, and ff for their good to 
 edification." 
 
 Sacred music must not be blamed because it has 
 wrought, in so few places and on so limited a scale, the 
 benefits we have ascribed to it. By liberal patronage and 
 assiduous cultivation make it what it ought to be, and 
 then give it a fair trial. It will assuredly prove its worth. 
 Many religious assemblies know not what good sacred 
 music is, because it has been a neglected and underva- 
 lued part of divine service. When they will make it what 
 they should, and to be in keeping with good preaching 
 and devout prayer, then they will know what it is; and 
 know, too, what a defective and useless service they 
 have long been substituting and mistaking for true sacred 
 music. 
 
 Music must not be regarded as a mere art, and its ef- 
 fects as a species of enchantment not belonging in asso- 
 ciation with religion. Poetry and eloquence are arts; 
 and their power is great as employed for evil purposes; 
 but who argues, hence, that they are to be discarded 
 from all association with religion ] 
 
 Sacred music must not be cultivated and sustained sim- 
 ply as a matter of taste. It has often failed to accomplish 
 its proper effects where it has been considerably cultivat- 
 ed ; probably because pleasure has been sought in its 
 sweetness and power, rather than in the praises of God, 
 of which it is properly the medium. To cultivate and 
 maintain music in Sabbath services simply to gratify 
 taste, would be sin against God; as much as a minister's 
 cultivating oratory, and his people supporting him for 
 the purpose of oratorical exhibitions on the Sabbath. 
 
 The object of sacred song being the praise of God and 
 
15) A PLEA FOR SACRED MUSIC. 15 
 
 the spiritual profit of worshippers, christians should on 
 the Sabbath commend these services to the divine blessing, 
 as steadily as they do the preaching of the Gospel and 
 the administration of the ordinances. Ministers should 
 set their churches an example, in praying for those who 
 lead in the " service of song." The effect may be ines- 
 timably happy. 
 
 The education of the young in sacred music is an object 
 of high importance. Music, as well as the reading of our 
 own language, should be taught in our common-schools j 
 and our children accustomed to sing, as well as to talk 
 and read. Then, whoever becomes a christian will be pre- 
 pared for the delightful work of singing the praises of God. 
 
 Sacred music should be cultivated in christian families, 
 and used in the seasons of morning and evening devotion. 
 A more delightful scene cannot be presented on this side 
 heaven, than when parents, with their sons and daughters, 
 surround the family altar, and devoutly unite their voices 
 in sacred song. Such services will promote domestic hap- 
 piness and kind affections. If there be affliction in the 
 family, grief will be soothed. Pious feeling will be aided 
 in those who are christians^ and their steps quickened in 
 the way to heaven. Thoughtfulness, tenderness of spirit, 
 and anxiety on the subject of salvation, will be promoted 
 in such of the members as are without hope. The 
 question, " Shall I never sing with these beloved ones in 
 heaven V may sometimes come over the spirit of the 
 unconverted one, with force which cannot be resisted, 
 and may lead to earnest seeking of the grace of God* 
 Transfer this family to the sanctuary on the Sabbath, 
 and they are prepared to aid efficiently in the songs of 
 the solemn assembly. 
 
 If there be one occasion when the whole souls of the 
 assembled church should flow* forth to their Lord and 
 Eedeemer, in holier and livelier devotion than on any 
 other, it is the ordinance of the Lord's Supper. And if 
 
16 A PLEA FOR SACRED MUSIC. (16 
 
 there be one channel especially adapted for this purpose, 
 it is that of sacred song". To celebrate the dying love of 
 Christ, in the tenderness of spirit, the sincerity of devo- 
 tion; and in the fervency, gratitude, faith and joy which 
 become souls redeemed, nothing affords such a medium 
 as sacred song. Those lines, 
 
 M How sweet and awful is the place, 
 h» M With Christ within the doors !" 
 
 cannot be felt, adequately, except they be sting, and that 
 in the true sense of the word, around the Lord's table. 
 Sacramental singing, unhappily, is often exceedingly de 
 fective. Christian, let it no more be thus. Learn to sing, 
 that you may be prepared to give honor to your divine 
 Redeemer in the songs of that holy, heavenly hour. 
 Then, amidst that scene, will you make nearest and 
 happiest approaches to the songs of angels and the 
 redeemed before the throne of God. 
 
 On the subject of this Tract, we do not expect to awa- 
 ken in all minds the enthusiasm seen in some who may 
 be called passionately fond of music. But we earnestly 
 desire to awaken christian conscientiousness and feeling 
 respecting it ; and to induce efforts which shall raise it 
 to a higher point of excellence, usefulness and dignity, 
 than it has ever yet reached in our country. An interest 
 is requisite which shall be deep, serious, lively, steady; 
 which shall hold alliance with the spirit of prayer, and 
 with thirst for instruction in divine truth, and for holi- 
 ness; and which, interwoven with all the religious affec- 
 tions, as are the effects of the other services of the sanc- 
 tuary, shall aid the growth of grace in the hearts of 
 christians, and their preparation to enter upon the holi- 
 ness and bliss of eternity. 
 
 A premium, offered by a friend, was awarded to Rev. Edward 
 W. Hooker, D. D. author of this Tract. 
 
A PLEA FOR SACRED MUSIC. 
 
 »2JLXr SHOULD LtEJHUT TO SIJTG. 
 
 Ability to sing is not simply the gift of nature. It is 
 in every case acquired, more or less gradually, by means 
 of instruction, imitation and practice. Imitation com- 
 mences in infancy, and instruction should be given in 
 early childhood. The voice becomes less manageable, 
 in proportion as it is neglected, or suffered to remain 
 out of tune ; and in adult years it is sometimes as dif- 
 ficult to gain new habits in this respect, as to utter the 
 sounds of a foreign language ; and for the same reasons. 
 
 If then nature gives to every one, when young, the 
 power of producing musical sounds, and lessens the 
 power in subsequent years in proportion as the voice is 
 neglected, it is plain that sacred music should form a 
 regular branch of religious education. And if the faculty 
 of singing, when acquired, is gradually lost by habitual 
 neglect, it will follow that the practice is a duty, and the 
 neglect a sin. 
 
 The Scriptures enjoin upon all, of every rank and de- 
 scription, from the prince to the peasant, from the aged 
 man to the infant in years, the solemn duty of praise. We 
 are bound not only to speak in ordinary language, as in 
 exhortation and prayer, to the praise and glory of God, 
 but to sing aloud unto his name. This is the constituted 
 method. The great Head of the church himself says, 
 ' f Whoso offereth praise glorifieth me." As the duty 
 of prayer is universal, so is the duty of praise. "Let 
 every thing that hath breath " — every one that breathes — 
 " praise the Lord." Of course there will be diversities 
 of talent. Those who are the most gifted should lead in 
 public. Others should lead only in private circles, and 
 at the family altar. If any individual has really no voice 
 for speech or song, and can acquire none, he, and he 
 alone, is allowed to be always a silent worshipper ; for 
 where nothing is given, nothing is required. Even such 
 a one, however, is bound to yield the homage of the heart 
 in relation to the exercise : for the duty is absolutely 
 
 Universal. Thos. Hastings. 
 
 No. 429. 
 
20 pages.) 
 
 A PLEA FOR SACKED MUSIC. 
 
 Sacred 'JTTusic must be spiritually performed* 
 
 All good music is performed with adaptation to its 
 object. In secular music, the object is tasteful grotifi- 
 cation, or the display of talent ; beguiling a tedious hour, 
 or giving pleasure to associates or patrons ; but in devo- 
 tional music the object should be to employ the voice in 
 favor of the sentiments contained in the sacred song. Secu- 
 lar motives, habits and associations have here no place. 
 
 Among the constituted themes of song, some are sim- 
 ply didactic. Here we should aim at distinctness, and 
 be awake to the importance of the instructions we con- 
 vey. Some of the themes abound in lively prophetic 
 description. These had better be read than sung, unless 
 the members of the choir can utter them with distinct- 
 ness and effect. Some of the themes are of a hortatory 
 character ; these, too, should receive a distinct as well as 
 a persuasive enunciation. Many of the psalms and hymns 
 contain the language of confession, thanksgiving and 
 praise. And should not the singers really consider and 
 feel what they are presuming to utter in the presence of 
 God among his chosen worshippers % 
 
 But the themes are often of a still higher character. 
 Many of them are pre-eminent for spirituality. Not a 
 few are such as angels utter with veiled faces in the 
 deepest prostration before the throne. Something more 
 than musical elocution is here required. It is a solemn 
 thing to sing such hymns as these ; and demands the 
 most careful preparation of heart and voice. 
 
 As habit has a powerful influence over our religious 
 affections, pious persons should be willing to engage 
 heartily, prayerfully and perseveringly in the work of 
 cultivation : they should do this as a religious duty, and 
 not chiefly for the purpose of tasteful gratification. 
 The members of a choir should be at once devout, vigi- 
 lant, cheerful and happy. There should be mutual con- 
 fidence between them ; they should be of one mind, 
 affectionate and condescending; and should often unite 
 in exercises of prayer in reference to the responsibilities 
 they are assuming. Where all this is wanting, the finest 
 possible adaptation will be of little avail. i™*- 
 
 No. 429. 
 
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