' How much it meant for them ! The solace of that song, and the voice of their Lord blending with their voices, was the most tender and effectual way of comforting them. It was as the mother soothes her little one by singing. Could they fear since He sang ? For them too the words were a strength as well as a solace.
Take, Shepherd, take Thy prize, For who like Thee can sing?
No fleece of mingled dyes. No apples fair, I bring;
No smooth two-handled bowl,
Wrought with the clasping vine —
Take, take my heart and soul, My songs, for they are Thine 1
Oh, sing Thy song again,
And these of mine may pass As quick as summer rain
Dries on the thirsty grass.
ST. MARK 401
Thou wouldst not do me wrong,
Thou wilt not silent be ; Thy one, Thy only song,
Dear Shepherd, teach to me ! ^
1. They were Israelites. — Eemembering the fact commemorated by the Paschal supper, they might well rejoice. They sang of their nation in bondage, trodden beneath the tyrannical foot of Pharaoh ; they began the Psalm right sorrowfully, as they thought of the bricks made without straw, and of the iron furnace ; but the strain soon mounted from the deep bass, and began to climb the scale, as they sang of Moses, the servant of God, and of the Lord appearing to him in the burning bush. They remembered the mystic rod, which became a serpent, and which swallowed up the rods of the magicians ; their music told of the plagues and wonders which God had wrought upon Zoan ; and of that dread night when the first-born of Egypt fell before the avenging sword of the angel of death, while they themselves, feeding on the lamb which had been slain for them, and whose blood was sprinkled upon the lintel and upon the side-posts of the door, had been graciously preserved. Then the song went up concerning the hour in which all Egypt was humbled at the feet of Jehovah ; whilst as for His people, He led them forth like sheep, by the hand of Moses and Aaron, and they went by the way of the sea, even of the Eed Sea. The strain rose higher still as they tuned the song of Moses, the servant of God, and of the Lamb. Jubilantly they sang of the Eed Sea, and of the chariots of Pharaoh which went down into the midst thereof, and the depths covered them till there was not one of them left. It was a glorious chant, indeed, when they sang of Eahab cut in pieces, and of the dragon wounded at the sea, by the right hand of the Most High, for the deliverance of the chosen people.
2. They sang with a New Meaning. — For Jesus had set ancient words to new harmonies. The very words which had been sung often before, and which had profound meaning on the lips of ancient saints, had never such a meaning on human lips as they had this night. There are some words of God — some extraordinary utterances — that go on disclosing new depths of meaning throughout the ages, and are set to
' Dora Greenwell. ST. MARK — 26
402 THE GREAT TEXTS OF THE BIBLE
music now and again ; but no music to which they are set can give expression to the fulness of their meaning.
It was so with regard to the great Hallel and other inspired utterances. David and others had first uttered them, and ancient saints had repeated them. As the ages moved, they seem to have accumulated meaning ; but not until the Christ Himself came to utter the words did they find full and adequate expression. For instance, " The stone which the builders refused is become the head stone of the corner," Christ had said in so many words before, but He had not sung it until now. " The stone which the builders refused is become the head stone of the corner. This is the Lord's doing ; it is marvellous in our eyes. This is the day which the Lord hath made " — so true of many other days, but not so true of any day as this. " We will rejoice and be glad in it." What ! be glad in it ! Under the very shadow of the Cross, with all the agony and the shame before Him ; and we know by the record how keenly He felt all.
^ In Wesley's whole life there was perhaps nothing that made so deep an impression on him as, when crossing the Atlantic in a great storm, the ship's sails blown away and the seas breaking over the ship, and everybody else screaming in terror, the simple Moravians gathered together with their women and children and sang a hymn of praise to God. It was what Luther always did when evil tidings reached him and things looked threatening. He rang out cheerily the words —
A safe stronghold our God is still, A trusty shield and weapon.^
IV.
Let Us Sing.
1. It is meet and proper that we should sing in the services of the sanctuary. In Solomon's temple, when the sons of Asaph in their white linen raised the tune, accompanied with the great orchestra of harps and cymbals and followed by the mighty choirs shouting back from the galleries in antiphonal service, the cloudy Presence came forth from behind the fine-twined