the soul is awakened, and invited by the spirit of the melody to receive the sentiment uttered in the song. Sweet, affecting music--not the tone of the piano, nor the peals of the organ--but a melodious air, sung by strong and well-disciplined voices, and accompanied by the flute and viol--such music reaches the fountains of thought and feeling; and, 'Untwisting all the links that tie The hidden soul of harmony,' it tinges the emotions with its own hues, whether plaintive or joyous; and it fosters in the heart the sentiment which it conveys, whether it be love of country or of God, admiration of noble achievement, or of devoted and self-sacrificing affection. The power of music to fix in the memory the sentiment with which it is connected, and to foster it in the heart, has been understood in all ages of the world. Some of the early legislators wrote their laws in verse, and sang them in public places; and many of the earliest sketches of primitive history are in the measures of lyric poetry. In this manner the memory was aided in retaining the facts; the ear was invited to attend to them; imagination threw around them the drapery of beauty, dignity, or power; and then music conveyed the sentiment, and mingled it with the emotions of the soul. It was in view of the power of music, when united with sentiment adapted to affect the heart, that one has said: 'Permit me to write the ballads of a nation, and I care not who makes her laws.' When the effects of music and poetry upon the soul are considered, we can perceive their importance as means of fostering the Christian virtues in the soul of the believer. They should be used to convey to the mind sublime and elevating conceptions of the attributes of Jehovah; to impress the memory with the most affecting truths of revelation, and especially to cherish in the heart tender and vivid emotions of love to Christ, in view of the manifestations of Divine justice and mercy exhibited in his ministry, his passion, and his sacrifice.[41] [41] 'The proper drapery for music is truth. It is its only apparel, whether as applied to God, or as used for the cultivation of man.'--_Erasmus._