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Education
in clearest and loftiest strains. “In that day shall this song be sung in
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the land of Judah;
We have a strong city;
Salvation will God appoint for walls and bulwarks.
Open ye the gates,
That the righteous nation which keepeth the truth may
enter in.
Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace,
Whose mind is stayed on Thee: because he trusteth in Thee.
Trust ye in the Lord forever:
For in the Lord Jehovah is everlasting strength.”
Isaiah 26:1-4
.
“The ransomed of the Lord shall return, and come with singing
unto Zion; and everlasting joy shall be upon their heads: they shall
obtain gladness and joy, and sorrow and sighing shall flee away.”
Isaiah
35:10
, R.V.
“They shall come and sing in the height of Zion, and shall flow
together unto the goodness of the Lord: ... and their soul shall be as a
watered garden; and they shall not sorrow any more at all.”
Jeremiah
31:12
.
The Power of Song
The history of the songs of the Bible is full of suggestion as to
the uses and benefits of music and song. Music is often perverted to
serve purposes of evil, and it thus becomes one of the most alluring
agencies of temptation. But, rightly employed, it is a precious gift
of God, designed to uplift the thoughts to high and noble themes, to
inspire and elevate the soul.
As the children of Israel, journeying through the wilderness,
cheered their way by the music of sacred song, so God bids His chil-
dren today gladden their pilgrim life. There are few means more
effective for fixing His words in the memory than repeating them in
song. And such song has wonderful power. It has power to subdue
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rude and uncultivated natures; power to quicken thought and to awaken
sympathy, to promote harmony of action, and to banish the gloom and
foreboding that destroy courage and weaken effort.