the key-note to what was to follow by playing something soft and expressive, with perhaps a minor movement in it.

God's "Come" to the unsaved would be prefaced by a clear description of their separation from God, from His infinite stores of love and sympathy, of help and care, from His messages of mercy, His saints on earth, His hosts of praise. Then the congregation would sing "Come, ye disconsolate." After a few words of urgent invitation to accept Christ they would be asked to adopt the great hymn of Toplady, "Rock of Ages," as their own sentiment, reading it with earnest tenderness. Without announcement the choir would sing Buck's setting of these words.

God's "Come" to the indifferent or renegade Christian may be based on Scriptures already suggested. The congregation may be asked to sing "the Backslider's hymn," "Oh, for a closer walk with God," beginning perhaps with the second verse. Or some sympathetic soloist may sing "Weary of earth, and laden with my sin" to the tune found in the hymnal, or with some other fitting setting. The opening of the door that had been partly or entirely closed against Christ may now be given expression in the congregational hymn, " O Jesus, Thou art standing," to Knecht's "St. Edith," or "St. Hulda," as it is usually called.

In the development of God's "Come" to Christians to a profounder spiritual life, one may use Watts' " Oh, for a faith that will not shrink," to "Rockingham," to be followed after a few remarks that lead up to it by a solo or choir rendering of Adelaide Proctor's "I do not ask, O Lord, that life may be," which may soon be followed by the congregation's singing of Doddridge's "Awake, my

soul, stretch every nerve," to Handel's ringing tune, "Christmas."

God's "Come" to the Christian inviting him to service and to conflict for the right should be aggressively developed. The congregation should by this time be able to sing Baring-Gould's "Onward, Christian Soldiers" with great vigour to Sullivan's "St. Gertrude." Before singing the second verse bring out the spiritual unity of the Church, in all lands, in all ages, in all parts of God's universe. The song of praise sung by the saints as they march to victory should be noted in the last verse. What hymnic illustration is chosen for God's " Come " to the reward must depend on whether this military ideal shall be carried on. If it is, by all means sing Dean Alford's "Ten thousand times ten thousand" to Dyke's "Alford." The historic illustrations for this hymn hardly need to be even alluded to. If the more general idea is to be used, let the choir sing Barnby's setting of Tennyson's "Crossing the Bar," or Ashford's duet to the same words. This will illustrate and impress the passing over and the welcome. If the congregation now sings "Jerusalem the Golden" to Ewing's noble tune, the climax will be reached.

Now sum up the invitations of God as tenderly as may be possible to you and then ask the congregation and choir to sing Charlotte Elliott's "Just as I am, without one plea," as indicating their individual and collective reply. The benediction may follow.

In both these programs, I have given only the thoughts that have immediate relation to the hymns. A great deal of illustrative, didactic, and hortatory matter was included in the body of the interspersed talks. I speak of this lest the impression might be made that the talk

immediately about the music was the main and controlling feature. Quite the reverse! The points to be made and enforced are the controlling factors and the singing is simply contributory.

W

II

THE SONG SERVICE

HEN a minister does not feel that he has the mental or musical resources for a full song sermon, he can still get some sort of a unified effect from a song service which has a general subject, but is not developed in a logically progressive way. There may be "Evenings with the Sacred Poets," in the course of which all the leading hymn-writers from Moses to Fanny Crosby will receive consideration. These will give opportunity for congregational singing, solos, hymn anthems, and the like.

One choir I know of sang selections from Bradbury's cantata, " Esther," and the pastor preached a short sermon on that charming character. There are many other Biblical cantatas and even oratorios, such as "Ruth," "The Feast of Belshazzar," "Israel in Egypt," "Joshua," and others, that may be treated in the same way. One pastor who had a large chorus choir divided up" The Messiah" into sections, using Nos. I to 7 inclusive for Advent, Nos. 8 to 17 inclusive for Christmas, Nos. 22 to 32 inclusive for Passion-tide, Nos. 44 to 55 inclusive for Easter, Nos. 33 to 36 inclusive and Nos. 44 and 55 to the end for Ascension Day. This opens out large possibilities with other oratorios.

The subject may be a more general one and treated very much like a song sermon except that there is no effort to arrange the selections in a logical order, and that there is little or no talk outside of the comment upon

the numbers rendered. The choir can reproduce anthems sung in preceding regular services and the soloists can sing effective numbers already rendered. By choosing the congregational hymns with reference to the theme of the service and by appropriate turns of thought bringing some sort of relation between the subject of the evening and the choir and solo contributions, a certain amount of unity may be secured.

Perhaps it will be suggestively helpful to give a report of a Thanksgiving song service I held several years ago. The pastor asked for it during the middle of the week, so I had but one rehearsal with the chorus choir. Several anthems of praise rendered during the preceding month were freshened up and a new one was learned. I went over our solo work during the same time and selected what I could fit into such a service. As two of our soloists were out of the city I sent them word to supply solos, trusting to Providence that they would prove fitting. What they finally brought in had no evident relation to Thanksgiving at all, but I made them serve the purpose. The general idea of Thanksgiving dominated the program, of course, but there was no effort to secure relation between the separate numbers. It is because the materials at hand were so untoward and unpromising that I call up that particular service.

In opening the service I suggested that as the minister was the mouthpiece of the congregation before God in prayer, so the choir was its representative before Him in praise; that as they would consider it irreverent to speak of a prayer as pretty, or pleasing, so I wanted them to look upon the numbers of the choir, not as enjoyable or charming, but as expressive of their own thanksgiving and praise. A few earnest words on the actual divine