Constitution check, and other links

The posting of links does not constitute an endorsement of the sites linked, and not necessarily even agreement with the specific posts linked.

• Constitution Check: Would a ban on all Muslims entering the U.S. be valid? -- "As a sovereign nation, the United States government has always had undoubted authority to decide who may enter the country, and the conditions for entry by those who seek it."
• How do perceptions of beauty vary across the globe? -- "The goal of this project is to better understand potentially unrealistic standards of beauty and to see how such pressures vary around the world."
• How Unpopular Is Trump’s Muslim Ban? Depends How You Ask -- "Respondents may be more willing to express socially unacceptable views to a machine than to a person, or automated polls may simply be reaching a differently composed population of respondents."
• Members Of Donald Trump’s Christian Denomination Are Trying To See If They Can Kick Him Out -- "[Rutgers Presbyterian Church] ask appropriate bodies of the Presbyterian Church (USA) to review his standing/membership in our denomination."
• Posting a Status Update? It’s Probably Out of Envy, Study Says -- "...people readily described feeling envy while reading social network statuses, especially statuses about travel and leisure."
• The Islamic Dilemma -- "Unlike Donald Trump, or at least the demagogue he’s playing, most Americans probably don’t want to seal our borders against Muslims. But most Americans do look at Islam and see a problem."
• Theology Is for the Humble -- "Any time we make statements about truths from Scripture we do theology."
• The "pre-born" parking plan -- Please pay your parking fee before existing.
• Title IX exemption fair, leaders say -- "At least 30 Christian schools have received exemption from Title IX provisions requiring equal treatment based not only on biological gender, but also transgendered identity..."
• Writing for an Audience of None -- "Will my writing add to and better the conversation surrounding the topic?"

If my people, briefly

2 Chronicles 7:14 King James Version:

If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.

The broad context

• David is dead (1 Chron. 29:28)
• Solomon is ascending the throne as king of Israel (Chapter 1)
• Solomon is preparing to build a temple in Jerusalem (Chapters 2-5)
• Solomon’s prayer and dedication of the temple (Chapter 6) 
• God fills the temple with His glory (chapter 7:1-11)

The immediate context

• God appears to Solomon (7:12a)
• God attends the prayer (7:12b)
• God accepts the temple (7:12c)
• God will honor the prayer (7:13-16)

Who and What

• God is speaking to Solomon. 
• My people are the Jews.
• This place is the temple. 
• The land is Israel.

Can America claim this promise? Not exactly; perhaps as a general principle that God responds favorably when a people turns to God and humbles themselves.

We learn that God is merciful and gracious. He desires to commune with His people. God's prescription for Israel to humble themselves, pray, seek His face, and turn from wickedness are repeated principles for Christians in the New Testament.

"I think" or "I feel"

Another follow-up to what I've written on "offenses": Offense Welcome: Please Debate This Article

“When 'I feel' began to overtake 'I think' in my classroom, I took a closer look at disagreeing well.”

“I’ve noticed that when you’re discussing things, you rarely preface your opinions with 'I think' or 'I believe.' Do you know what you say?”

The pain passes, but the beauty remains

Pierre Auguste Renoir (1841-1919) was a French impressionist painter who helped launch the art movement called "Impressionism". In the 1890's Renoir began a battle with rheumatoid arthritis, which eventually disfigured his hands and damaged his joints. He was confined to a wheelchair for much of the later years of his life. However, he continued to paint. 

One day while watching Renoir paint, Henri Matisse (1869–1954), a friend and also an artist, asked him, "Auguste, why do you continue to paint when you are in such pain?" 

Renoir replied, "The pain passes, but the beauty remains." 

Whatever one thinks of Renoir the man or his paintings, one must certainly admire his attitude. He had learned a lesson many seem to not learn. "The pain passes, but the beauty remains." 

Renoir is also reported as saying, "For me, a painting must be a pleasant thing, joyous and pretty — yes, pretty. There are too many unpleasant things in life for us to fabricate still more."

Errata for Songs Before Unknown

Errata for Songs Before Unknown:a Companion to The Sacred Harp, Revised Cooper Edition, 2012

• Page 40, Tenth Edition: Change "This book is printed sometime after 1927..." to "This book is printed sometime after 1936..." (B. P. Poyner and the Faust brothers still owned the book in 1936.)
• Page 68, Add "by George Horne of Norwich, England" to "the text is from The Christian’s Magazine, 1760."
• Page 79, Leonard C. Everett: Add "L. C. Everett is probably the son of Nathan Everett and Sarah Holden."
• Page 86, Add "Steven Helwig passed away Sunday, January 21, 2018 in Gridley, Butte County, California."
• Page 94: Add "Elder Johnny Lee died November 1, 2016 and Delorese Lee died February 12, 2017. They are buried at the High Bluff Cemetery, Hoboken, Brantley County, Georgia."
• Page 98, in R. C. Lowry bio: change "Printed versions of this tune may possibly exist to the mid-1800s, or it may have only existed previously in oral tradition" to "The melody of Farther On is at least as early as Orestes by Leander Thompson in The Devotional Harmonist, Charles Dingley, New York, NY: George Lane and Levi Scott, 1849, p. 343. It may have existed previously in oral tradition." (Thanks to Erin Fulton.)
• Page 101, Mrs. E. D. Martin bio: replace with "Martin, Mrs. E. D. is Frances Virginia Delony, a daughter of William Henry Delony and Rebecca Jane Windham. She was a sister of Clarah Delony (1867–1890), of whom she wrote the 387 alto in memory. Frances Virginia Delony was born in December of 1873.  She married E. B. Martin in Dale County, Alabama on November 25, 1894. (Either his initials are in error in the songbook or he perhaps had 3 initials.) Frances died May 13, 1962. She and Edward B. Martin are buried at the Evergreen Cemetery at Elba in Coffee County. Frances and Clarah Deloney were great nieces of Elder John W. Parker (q.v.), a brother of their paternal grandmother."
• Page 124, in Carmei Taylor bio: change "Carmi Wealthy/Welsey Taylor" to "Carmi Wealthy Taylor"
• Page 126, in W. H. Terry bio: change "The location of his burial is unknown" to "W. H. Terry and his wife Amanda Simmons Terry are buried at the Greenwood Cemetery in Montgomery, Alabama."
• Page 130, in W. R. Waldrup bio: change "Religion is Sweet was written by W. R. Waldrup for the 1850 edition of The Sacred Harp" to "Religion is Sweet was published on the front page of The Organ, August 1, 1855. It was added to The Sacred Harp in 1860."
• Page 138, in E. F. Williams bio: change "W. L. Williams (q.v.)" to "W. L. Williams (q.v., pp. 250-251)"
• Page 143, Gathering Home (33): TEXT: replace "Isaac Watts, 1709, stanza 1..." with "Isaac Watts, 1707, stanza 1..."
• Page 144, Sessions (38a): Add a footnote: "Text altered by Rippon from “The Hardy Soldier” by Isaac Watts, which was written circa 1695."
• Page 144, Lenox (40); TEXT: replace "Charles Wesley, 1750" with "Hymns for New-Year’s-Day, Bristol: 1749." Add a footnote "Attributed to Selina Hastings in the 18th century." (Thanks to Gerald Montagna)
• Page 145, The Converted Thief (44); Hymn Meter replace "C.M." with "C.M.D."
• Page 148 Saints Bound for Heaven (60); TEXT: consider replacing "Elliott’s The Sacred Lyre, 1828" with "Social and Camp-meeting Songs, for the Pious (9th edition), Armstrong and Plaskitt, 1827." (Thanks to Wade Kotter)
• Page 150, Minister’s Farewell (69); TEXT: replace "Divine Hymns, or Spiritual Songs, 1794" with "Collection of Sacred Ballads, 1790." (Thanks to Robert Kelley)
• Page 150, Show Pity, Lord (73a); TEXT: replace "Isaac Watts, 1707" with "Isaac Watts, 1719."
• Page 155, Gospel Trumpet (99); Hymn Meter replace "L.M." with "8.8.8.8.8.4."
• Page 162 Morality (136); TEXT: replace "Hannah More, 1803" with "Hannah More, circa 1762; “Florella’s Song” in A Search After Happiness (alt.)."
• Page 162, Liberty (137); TEXT: Replace "Unknown" with "“Anthem for the Fourth of July” (Stanza 2), author unknown, printed in The Weekly Museum (New York, NY), Vol. VIII, No. 373, July 4, 1795, p. 4." (Thanks to Rachel Hall)
• Page 163 Complainer (141); TEXT: replace "Southern Harmony, 1835" with "John Purify’s A Selection of Hymns and Spiritual Songs in Two Parts, 1831 (maybe 1826)." (Thanks to Wade Kotter)
• Page 166 Hark! From the Tomb (Plenary) (162); TUNE: replace "Arranged by A. C. Clark, 1829" with "Arranged by A. C. Clark, 1839."
• Page 168 Star in the East (175); TEXT: replace "Reginald Heber, 1811" with "Anonymous, The Brick Church Hymns, New York: 1823." (Thanks to Gaylon Powell)
• Page 169, The Gospel Invitation (181): Change "Charles Wesley, 1747, with added chorus text that appears as stanza one of Room For All in Songs of the Pentecost, 1894; words credited to L. B. Bates" to "Anonymous from The Psalmist, Stowe and Smith, 1844, Hymn No. 418 (Though incorrectly credited there to Huntingdon’s Collection)" [This hymn, titled "Yet there is room," only shares the first line with Wesley’s 1747 hymn.]
• Page 172, Mission (204): Change tune attribution "Arranged by Andrew Grambling, 1835" to "Arranged by William Andrew Gramling, 1835"
• Page 173, Minnesota (210): Change text attribution "Isaac Watts, 1719" to "Isaac Watts, Horae Lyricae, 1706; chorus by Stanley Smith"
• Page 176, The Christian’s Song (240): Change text attribution to "Love Triumphant, or Constancy Rewarded, Troy, NY: Luther Pratt and Co., 1797" with the footnote that Love Triumphant is generally attributed to Abner Read, though not in the book itself. (Thanks to Gerald Montagna); Add to tune attribution "Alto by Minnie Floyd, 1902"
• Page 178, Restoration New (265a): After "Rippon’s A Selection, 1787," in text attribution, Add "Altered from Sacred Hymns for the Children of God, in the Days of Their Pilgrimage, Part II, John Cennick, London: Printed by John Lewis, 1742; The first stanza of Hymn CXIV on p. 157" (Thanks to Wade Kotter)
• Page 179, Restoration (268a): Change "Alto from The Sacred Harp, 4th Edition with Supplement, J. L. White, 1911" to "Alto arranged from The Sacred Harp, 5th Edition, J. L. White, 1909 (possibly by Rev. A. B. Carrell)"
• Page 181, Cross for You and Me (279): Change "Thomas Shepherd, 1693" to "Stanza 1: Thomas Shepherd (alt.) 1693; Stanza 2: Plymouth Collection of Hymns and Tunes, Henry Ward Beecher, 1855)"
• Page 184, Calvary (300): TEXT: replace "Isaac Watts, 1706" with "Isaac Watts, 1709" [Note: This text was not in Horae Lyricae 1706, but was added in 1709]
• Page 190, Long Sought Home (343): Change text attribution from "Text: F.B.P., circa 1600; This version is from Collection of Sacred Ballads by Andrew and Richard Broaddus in 1790" to "Text: Stanzas one and two are stanzas one and seven (altered) in a manuscript by F.B.P., circa 1593; Stanzas 1-2 and the third stanza in The Sacred Harp, 2012 are found in Collection of Sacred Ballads by Andrew and Richard Broaddus, 1790. Stanza three is stanza seven in Sacred Ballads. The chorus is from The Southern Harmony, 1847" (Thanks to Wade Kotter and Robert Kelley)
• Page 191, Jesus is My Friend (345a): Change tune attribution from "Arranged by J. P. Rees for 1860 Sacred Harp" to "Arranged by J. P. Rees for 1870 Sacred Harp"
• Page 193, I Have No Mother Now (363): TEXT: replace "John Wesley Miller, 1909" with "Arranged from Corolla H. Criswell, in Godey’s Lady’s Book and Magazine, Pennsylvania: January 1856."
• Page 193, Southwell (365): TEXT: add footnote "The text by Seagrave is L. M. and the altered text is C.P.M. The altered text can be found as stanza one of Hymn LXIV (It is finish’d) in A Collection of Hymns for Social Worship, more particularly design’d for the Use of the Tabernacle Congregation, in London (George Whitefield, London: William Strahan, 1753)" (Thanks to Antonio James Higgins)
• Page 201, The Finest Flower (411): Change "Joseph Swain, 1834" to "Joseph Swain, 1792 (alt.)" [Note: This appeared in Swain’s 1792 book Walworth Hymns]
• Page 201, The Loved Ones (413): Change "11s.8s." to "11s.8s.D." To clarify text, add "Margaret Courtney, by 1844; Printed in The Poetical Works of Margaret Courtney, 1850"
• Page 213, Behold A Sinner (479): Change "John Dobell’s Selection, 1810…" to "John Dobell in his Selection, 1810..." [Note: In his book, Dobell credits himself for the 3 stanzas of this hymn, in the place he normally lists the author.]
• Page 216, Peterborough (504a): Change "Ralph Harrison, 1786" to "Arr. of Lavington, from The Musical Instructor, Lewis Seymour and Thaddeus Seymour, New York, NY: Printed by John C. Totten, 1803" (Thanks to Chris Brown and Karen Willard)
• Page 216, North Jersey (504b): Change "The Christian’s Magazine, 1760" to "George Horne, The Christian’s Magazine, 1760." (Thanks to Aldo Ceresa and Gaylon Powell)
• Page 220, Heavenly Grace (527): TEXT Change "A Choice Collection, Occum, 1774" to "James Maxwell, 1759" [This is in Maxwell’s, Hymns and Spiritual Songs, in Three Books] (Thanks to Chris Brown.) TUNE Change "Thomas Willard Loftin, 1911/1927" to "Thomas Willard Loftin, 1909/1927"
• Page 223, Gone Home (550): Change "W. T. Dale, circa 1886" to "W. T. Dale, 1884; first published in The Gospel Shower, 1885" (Thanks to Erin Fulton)
• Page 227, Savannah (583): Change "William Billings, 1778" to "Arranged from a tune by William Billings, 1778" (Thanks to Ron Trial and others)
• Page 306, Footnote 156: Add "J. L. White’s 5th edition, 2 years...(combined 106 years)"
• Page 311, Footnote 207: Add "This song appeared in J. L. White’s 1909 Fifth Edition of The Sacred Harp, page 214 (new section)."
• Page 311, Footnote 212: Replace with "T. W. Carter’s Irwinton first appeared in The Sacred Harp in 1844. A similar tune, called Resignation, is found in the 1854 Southern Harmony (No. 38). Both arrangements are related to the tune Hopewell, which is found in Freeman Lewis’s Beauties of Harmony (5th edition, 1828). N. F. Cheshire’s arrangement of Irwinton in the Cooper revision includes the substitution of texts, change of meter from 8 lines (C.M.D.) to 6 lines (C.M. with two lines of text repeated), and the addition of an alto part."
• Page 316, Index: Change "Amsterdam: 212, 240" to "Amsterdam: 217, 240"

Deliverance

O God of earth and altar,
Bow down and hear our cry;
Our earthly rulers falter,
Our people drift and die;
The walls of gold entomb us,
The swords of scorn divide;
Take not thy thunder from us,
But take away our pride.
From all that terror teaches,
From lies of tongue and pen,
From all the easy speeches
That comfort cruel men,
From sale and profanation
Of honour and the sword,
From sleep and from damnation,
Deliver us, good Lord!

-- G.K. Chesterton (1874-1936)

Quotes from The Easy Instructor

Quotes from The Easy Instructor: or, a New Method of Teaching Sacred Harmony, William Little and William Smith, Albany, NY: Websters & Skinners and Daniel Steele, n.d. (copyrighted in 1798, but apparently not published until 1801)

• "...We know of no objection to this plan, unless that it is not in use..."
• "...so easy...that any person of a tolerable voice might actually learn the art of psalmody without an instructor, if they could but obtain the sounds of the eight notes..."
• "We have, therefore, the pleasure to inform the public, that since subscriptions have been in circulation, for this book, we have been honored with upwards of three thousand subscribers: In consequence of which, we flatter ourselves, that this book will meet with a kind reception."
• "Above all things affectation should be guarded against-for whilst it is contrary to that humility which ever ought to characterise the devout worshipper, it must be an enemy to the natural ease which always distinguishes the judicious performance."
• "Those who have but indifferent voices, will find great benefit, if after faithfully trying an easy tune themselves, they can get a good singer to sing with them..."
• "Beating of time should be attended too before any attempt to founding the notes is made. Counting and beating frequently while learning the rules, will be of great service. A large motion of the hand is best at first, but as soon as the learner can beat with accuracy, a small motion is sufficient."
• "Divine song is undoubtedly the language of nature."
• "Joy is the natural effect of praise, and song the proper accompaniment of joy."

How many shootings, and other links

The posting of links does not constitute an endorsement of the sites linked, and not necessarily even agreement with the specific posts linked.

• ACLU enters Michigan child custody case involving same-sex parents -- "If this were a man and a woman, the decision would be easy. The biological parent has absolute control if the couple did not marry."
• Austin City Council approves gender-neutral bathrooms -- "Basically what this means is that men and women will be able to use any public bathroom they want, as long as it’s a single stall."
• How many mass shooting are there, really? -- Last week Washington Post reported there had been 355 mass shootings this year. Mother Jones's database says there have been four this year.
• I’m anti-abortion because I’m anti-murder -- "And I posted a few things on my Facebook page about the hypocrisy of the pro-choice movement that talks a good talk about the “war on women” but has no concern for the unborn women who are systematically aborted every day."
• Moms Share Their Most Common Breastfeeding Problems -- "Breastfeeding is the most natural way to feed a baby, but it doesn’t always feel that way. At some point, most nursing moms experience challenges..."
• New Study Finds That Office Air Is Slowing Your Brain Function -- "...carbon dioxide levels in offices, though not deadly, are still harmful to your health and negatively affect cognitive function."
• On ‘Thoughts and Prayers’ After the San Bernardino Shooting -- "Prayer—and lament—is the proper first response to tragedy."
• Viking hoard found in field sheds light on England's origins -- "A trove of Viking jewelry and Saxon coins unearthed by an amateur treasure-hunter in a farmer's field may help rescue an English king from obscurity."
• We’ve had a massive decline in gun violence in the United States. Here’s why. -- "In general, though, fewer Americans are dying as a result of gun violence — a shift that began about two decades ago."
• What we lose when we "prayer-shame" politicians after a mass shooting -- "I’ve been exasperated by the way politicians have used prayer, too."

I'm not offended...

..., but would you care if I were?

Yesterday I stopped by a coffee shop situated in the liberal capital of a conservative state, only to be completely confused when I went to the toilet -- labeled "gender-neutral". Now, I'm aware that there are bathroom discussions and debates raging around the country. Also, I grew up in a "gender-diverse" (not neutral) home with only one bathroom. So I understand the concept of a bathroom not being for just one gender. Plus, there are plenty of businesses that only have one bathroom (caveat usor). So I'm not unaware of this business about doing your business. But...

First, the gender-neutral bathroom struck me as a bathroom that is for people who are gender-neutral (as in a bathroom labeled "men" is for men,a bathroom labeled "women" is for women and a bathroom labeled "gender-neutral" is for gender-neutral). I'm not neutral about my gender, so I wasn't sure whether I was welcome. Second, the "gender-neutral" label that they had was confusing, if not a little disconcerting. Does having a half-man/half-woman symbol really give us the information that this bathroom is welcoming for all who apply? Third, there was a "Monty Hall problem". There were TWO doors labeled "gender-neutral". I felt like I was on "Let's Make a Deal". Do I choose door # 1 or door # 2? Is the left bathroom for gender-neutral liberals and the right one for gender-neutral conservatives? "Is there no help for the widow's son?" Finally fate took its course. Door # 1 was locked, so I chose door # 2 (and locked it).

In my opinion, the "gender-neutral" label is political correctness run amok. Why not just call it a toilet and leave it at that? Sam Killermann (doubtless with much sarcasm) suggested there should simply be a commode icon on the door. Makes sense to me! Have a look: 

Seriously, "gender-neutral" may mean different things to different people.* A toilet symbol probably makes people expect to see a toilet behind "door # 1"! Let all single service bathrooms be "first come, first serve". But don't try to make us swallow your political and philosophical agenda as well. 

*For example "relating to, intended for, or common to any gender" is radically different from "noting or relating to a person of neutral gender, neither male nor female."

Christian Harmony 1873, and other music links

The posting of links does not constitute an endorsement of the sites linked, and not necessarily even agreement with the specific posts linked.

• A New Selection of Sacred Music -- Samuel Dyer, 1820
• Archaeologists unearth oldest musical instruments ever found -- I don't endorse the timeline and some of the other mumbo jumbo, but this is an interesting find, nevertheless.
• Christian Harmony 1873 -- Information about William Walker's Christian Harmony
• Deaf singer 'hears' music with help from 'Not Impossible' tech-hackers -- "I look at the world and look for things that we think are impossible."
• Music Director at WJCU Breaks with National Association of Broadcasters in Letter to Congress Supporting Artist Pay for Radio Play -- "The United States is the only democracy in the world that does not pay recording artists for radio airplay."
• Science Has Great News for People Who Can’t Sing -- "It’s a skill that can be taught and developed, and much of it has to do with using the voice regularly."
• The one-hit wonder of ‘Wareham’ – William Knapp -- "William Knapp would be forgotten today if he had not composed one of the world’s most singable melodies, the hymn tune Wareham."

A famous Lewis quote

C. S. Lewis: “I am trying here to prevent anyone saying the really foolish thing that people often say about Him: I’m ready to accept Jesus as a great moral teacher, but I don’t accept his claim to be God. That is the one thing we must not say. A man who was merely a man and said the sort of things Jesus said would not be a great moral teacher. He would either be a lunatic – on the level with the man who says he is a poached egg – or else he would be the Devil of Hell. You must make your choice. Either this man was, and is, the Son of God, or else a madman or something worse. You can shut him up for a fool, you can spit at him and kill him as a demon or you can fall at his feet and call him Lord and God, but let us not come with any patronizing nonsense about his being a great human teacher. He has not left that open to us. He did not intend to.”

With whom did Jesus eat?

Several weeks ago at church meeting we were talking about Jesus being the friend of sinners, and that He ate with “publicans and sinners”. I commented that He also ate with Pharisees, and I could see lights going on in some of the heads – they had not thought of that angle before. We must be careful, lest we be like radio teacher Steve Brown, who acknowledged, “One of my great sins in being Pharisaical about Pharisees!”

To remember only that Jesus ate with publicans and sinners is to miss an historical and theological truth of the Bible. With whom did Jesus eat? Jesus ate with publicans and sinners. He ate with Pharisees. He ate with His disciples. He even ate with (and fed) a mixed multitude of people who had gathered to see and hear Him. Jake Grogan says cutely that Jesus ate with sinners, snobs and saints. That’s a pretty good way to remember it – as long as we remember that both the snobs and saints are sinners also!

More has been written on the subject of Jesus's eating habits than one might suppose. Jeremy Sweets provides a nice brief chart of Meals in Luke’s Gospel. One author titled his book Eating Your Way Through Luke’s Gospel. Others have gone so far to say that "Jesus ate his way through [all four of] the gospels.

Let's notice a few with whom Jesus ate (and drank).

He ate with Pharisees.
Simon: Luke 7:37 And, behold, a woman in the city, which was a sinner, when she knew that Jesus sat at meat in the Pharisee's house, brought an alabaster box of ointment
A chief (unnamed) Pharisee: Luke 14:1 And it came to pass, as he went into the house of one of the chief Pharisees to eat bread on the sabbath day, that they watched him. (check Luke 11:45 and 12:1).

He ate with “publicans and sinners”.
Levi (Matthew): Luke 5:29-30 And Levi made him a great feast in his own house: and there was a great company of publicans and of others that sat down with them. But their scribes and Pharisees murmured against his disciples, saying, Why do ye eat and drink with publicans and sinners?
Zaccheus: Luke 19:2,5,7 And, behold, there was a man named Zacchaeus, which was the chief among the publicans, and he was rich...And when Jesus came to the place, he looked up, and saw him, and said unto him, Zacchaeus, make haste, and come down; for to day I must abide at thy house...And when they saw it, they all murmured, saying, That he was gone to be guest with a man that is a sinner.

He ate with His disciples.
In the fields: Luke 6:1 And it came to pass on the second sabbath after the first, that he went through the corn fields; and his disciples plucked the ears of corn, and did eat, rubbing them in their hands.
The Passover supper: Luke 22:11 And ye shall say unto the goodman of the house, The Master saith unto thee, Where is the guestchamber, where I shall eat the passover with my disciples?
Cleopas and another disciple: Luke 24:30 And it came to pass, as he sat at meat with them, he took bread, and blessed it, and brake, and gave to them.

He ate with a (mixed) multitude.
Feeding over 5000: Luke 9:13-17 But he said unto them, Give ye them to eat. And they said, We have no more but five loaves and two fishes; except we should go and buy meat for all this people. For they were about five thousand men. And he said to his disciples, Make them sit down by fifties in a company. And they did so, and made them all sit down. Then he took the five loaves and the two fishes, and looking up to heaven, he blessed them, and brake, and gave to the disciples to set before the multitude. And they did eat, and were all filled: and there was taken up of fragments that remained to them twelve baskets.

Some other Lucan references to eating:
Luke 11:37 And as he spake, a certain Pharisee besought him to dine with him: and he went in, and sat down to meat.
Luke 14:15 And when one of them that sat at meat with him heard these things, he said unto him, Blessed is he that shall eat bread in the kingdom of God.
Luke 15:2 And the Pharisees and scribes murmured, saying, This man receiveth sinners, and eateth with them.

If Jesus’s eating habits were important enough for God to inspire them into the eternal record, they must be important enough that we are supposed from learn from them. Well, what should we learn?

Let’s notice a few possibilities.

Jesus didn’t eat “at the devil’s table.”
Luke 4:2-4 Being forty days tempted of the devil. And in those days he did eat nothing: and when they were ended, he afterward hungered. And the devil said unto him, If thou be the Son of God, command this stone that it be made bread. And Jesus answered him, saying, It is written, That man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God. After Jesus had fasted forty days in the wilderness and was hungry, the devil appeared with an “offer of bread” – particularly that Jesus satisfy his hunger by turning stones into bread. Rather than eat according to the devil’s direction, we learn from Jesus the wonderful truth of the priority of God’s word and God’s will over the physical and circumstantial. Situations such as sitting down at supper with an unbelieving neighbor are not “eating at the devil’s table,” but we need to learn what is and when to avoid it (Cf. 1 Corinthians 10:21).

Jesus is a friend of sinners.
Luke 7:34 The Son of man is come eating and drinking; and ye say, Behold a gluttonous man, and a winebibber, a friend of publicans and sinners! Though Jesus didn’t eat “at the devil’s table,” he is “a friend of sinners.” Since Jesus is a friend of sinners, we ought to learn from that to be welcoming to those who “aren’t like us”. Jesus sat down with both some immoral sinners and intolerant scribes – those who likely aren’t our first choices for “communitas.” In Jesus ate his way through the gospels, Mark Glanville writes, “We learn from Jesus fellowship meals that our tables should be places of radical welcome, especially for those who feel lonely and on the outside. This is the shape of the Kingdom of God!” What shape does your table take?

Jesus used meals as occasions of instruction.
Throughout the gospels, Jesus’s meals (and examples of food and drink) serve as occasions for teaching. For examples: after his fasting, at his temptation of Jesus teaches about the true bread (Luke 4:1-4); when his disciples pluck grain on the Sabbath, Jesus teaches his Lordship over the Sabbath (Luke 6:1-5); when sending the seventy, he teaches the laborer is worthy of his hire, and to eat what is set before them (Luke 10:1-9); with a story of three loaves, he teaches the importance of importunate prayer (Luke 11:1-13); with the example of feasting in the parable of the prodigal son and his elder brother, he teaches the joy over one sinner that repents (Luke 15:11-32); in the story of the rich man and Lazarus, he shows that faring sumptuously and begging bread are not indicators of one’s spiritual condition (Luke 16:19-31). Some mistake Jesus’s actions as an example to use meals as a pretense to evangelism, while caring little or nothing for the person or persons with whom he ate. Such is far from our Lord’s actions. Jesus did not feign feasting to cover a bare evangelistic outreach. For example, in the Gospel of Luke chapter 11:37ff. Jesus accepted an invitation of a Pharisee and spent much of his time upbraiding the Pharisees and lawyers. Jesus’s overall sharing of meals was ostensibly incidental while yet exquisitely determinate.

Jesus used meals as occasions of fellowship.
Luke 10:38 Now it came to pass, as they went, that he entered into a certain village: and a certain woman named Martha received him into her house. All meals are a form of fellowship, but meals with his disciples were a family fellowship. There are times to withdraw from the world for the singular casual and peaceful fellowship of brothers and sisters in Christ – when we gather together around the word of God, around his praises, around his Spirit, and, yes, around his table.

Conclusion
Jesus did not overlook, whitewash, or excuse sin, but He did not kowtow to either the culture or the religion of the day. He conversed with the Samaritan woman at the well (John 4:27). Jesus forgave an immoral woman who washed His feet (Luke 7:47-50). He healed a Syrophenician woman’s daughter (Mark 7:26-30). He touched the untouchable (Luke 5:13). He entered the tax gatherer Zacchaeus’s house (Luke 19:5). But, in including these “outcasts,” Jesus did not cast out the “included.” He conversed with the Pharisee teacher Nicodemus who came to Him by night (John 3:1ff) and went to eat at Simon the Pharisee’s house (Luke 7:36). He pitied the importunate young rich ruler (Mark 10:17-22), healed the daughter of Jairus, a ruler of the synagogue (Mark 5:22-42) and wept over Jerusalem (Matthew 23:37). There was room in Jesus’s love for all who came to Him (There’s room in God’s eternal love to save thy precious soul; Room in the Spirit’s grace above, to heal and make thee whole. Anon.)

Jesus defied the social and religious establishment. This was not defiance for the sake of defiance, but the defiance of obedience – the obedience to God rather than men, the exaltation of truth above tradition, the being about his Father’s business rather than just being. He ate with saints and sinners, Pharisees and publicans, according to the purpose of his coming, as well as the purpose of eating. Jesus is better than any of us have imagined. He is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think (Ephesians 3:20). He feeds the hungry and sits down at the table of the undeserving. He invites himself and accepts invitations. Perhaps one day you may hear “...make haste, and come down; for to day I must abide at thy house.”

Jesus Fell Asleep, and other links

The posting of links does not constitute an endorsement of the sites linked, and not necessarily even agreement with the specific posts linked.

• Jesus Fell Asleep -- "He didn't deliver me from my trial because the trial itself was my path."
• Mitch Landrieu: Bunny Friend Park shooting 'domestic terrorism' -- "10 of 17 injured under 21 years old"
• Paris Slowly Coming to Terms With a New Vulnerability -- "Paris is only slowly coming to terms with the idea that this assault by Islamic State supporters, many of them French-born, is unlikely to be the last."
• Pastor marries teenage bride with wife’s blessing -- "And while Miller’s ladies are both on board with their love triangle, his church in Mansfield, Ohio, isn’t."
• People Who Use Standing Desks Sit More at Home, Study Finds -- "Standing desk evangelists, you may want to sit down for this."
• Oldest U.S. Graduate Seminary to Close Campus -- "America’s oldest graduate seminary is once again blazing a trail for other mainline Protestant institutions to follow. "
• Religious groups’ policies on transgender members vary widely -- "Many other churches...do not have statements that explicitly address the status of transgender people, although many of these groups condemn homosexuality."
• The Washington Post will allow singular ‘they’ -- "The Washington Post’s ruling is the latest salvo in a style dispute that has seen skirmishes between journalism greybeards on both sides."
• When Calling Someone A Heretic... -- "All heresies are errors, but not all errors are heresies."

Addenda for Songs Before Unknown

Addenda for Songs Before Unknown: a Companion to The Sacred Harp, Revised Cooper Edition, 2012

Butterfield, James Austin (May 18, 1837–July 6, 1891) was born in Berkhamsted, Hertfordshire, England in 1837. He learned to play the violin by the time he was four years old. He dreamed of following music, but at age fifteen his parents put him to work in a trade. He came to the United States in 1856, first lighting in New England but shortly moving to Chicago. He gave violin lessons and taught singing schools, and later established Butterfield and Company in Indianapolis, Indiana. His composed When You and I Were Young for lyrics written by George Washington Johnson of Hamilton, Ontario. The tune was first published by Butterfield in 1866 and later by Oliver Ditson and Company. In 1868 he was made director of the Centenary Methodist Episcopal Church choir in Chicago. He moved to Connecticut for a period of time, but returned to Chicago and his directorship of the Centenary Church choir in 1888. He was the second president of the Music Teachers National Association. Though he is usually remembered as a secular composer, he also composed religious tunes – for example, Victory Over Sin for words by Henry S. Perkins (1833-1914). Butterfield died in Chicago and is buried in Graceland Cemetery, Chicago, Cook County, Illinois. B. L. Andrews used When You and I Were Young as a template for the tune Long Ago, Comrades.
        582      Long Ago, Comrades (When You and I Were Young)

Butterfield, James Austin
A Hundred Years of Music in America, William Smythe Babcock Mathews, Chicago, IL: G. L. Howe, 1889, pp. 647-650

Hitchcock. “Hitchcock” wrote the music for Fairfield, No. 29a. This composer likely is Miles Hitchcock, the son of Asahel Hitchcock (1743-1824) and Abigail Law (1747-1827) – and a nephew of preacher, music teacher, compiler, and composer Andrew Law (1749-1821). He was born February 3, 1767 in Cheshire, New Haven County, Connecticut and died December 9, 1843 in Gowanus, Long Island, New York. He was a merchant in New York City for many years, having arrived there at least by 1798. After the death of his first wife (name unknown), Hitchcock married Caroline Catalina Vanderbilt (1782-1851) on October 24, 1825. She was born in August 1782 and died April 10, 1851. Miles and Catalina are buried at Flatbush Reformed Dutch Cemetery in Kings County, New York. According to The Genealogy of the Hitchcock Family, Miles Hitchcock had at least four children – two by his first wife and two by his second wife. Two compositions by Hitchcock appear in Andrew Law’s Rudiments of Music between 1786 and 1790. During this period, Miles Hitchcock was procuring music plates for these revisions. His relationship to Andrew Law and his involvement in the publication of Rudiments of Music make it very likely that this Miles Hitchcock is the “Hitchcock” who composed Fairfield. It is worth noting that Fairfield, Connecticut is in Fairfield County, a neighboring county to New Haven County, where Miles Hitchcock was born. Wilton by Hitchcock appeared in a variant second edition of Law’s Rudiments in 1786. There is a Wilton, Connecticut in Fairfield County.

            29a       Fairfield

Hitchcock

Thanks to Mary Huffman and Warren Steel for discovery and information on Miles Hitchcock, with additional information from Ancestry.com, Find-A-Grave.com, et al.

Fairfield is attributed to “Hitchcock” in the third edition of Rudiments of Music, by Andrew Law, 1791 (A Companion to the New Harp of Columbia, Marion J. Hatchett, Knoxville, TN: University of Tennessee Press, 2003, pp. 6, 245). “Fairfield first appeared in the variant second edition of 1787-90 [of Andrew Law’s Rudiments of Music].” (The Makers of The Sacred Harp, David Warren Steel, Richard H. Hulan, Urbana, IL: University of Illinois Press, 2010, p. 123).

History of Cheshire, Connecticut, from 1694-1840: including Prospect, which, as Columbia parish, was a part of Cheshire until 1829, Joseph Perkins Beach, Cheshire, CT: Lady Fenwick Chapter, D. A. R., 1912, p. 361.

“Died,” The Evening Post, Monday, December 11, 1843, p. 2

The Genealogy of the Hitchcock Family: Who are Descended from Matthias Hitchcock of East Haven, Conn., and Luke Hitchcock of Wethersfield, Conn., by Mrs. Edward Hitchcock, Sr., East Haven, CT: Press of Carpenter & Morehouse, 1894, p. 158

http://home.olemiss.edu/~mudws/errata.html

Howard, Samuel Lafayette Sr. (December 10, 1860–October 8, 1940) was born in either Muscogee or Harris County, Georgia, the son of James W. Howard and Tinsey Narramore of Muscogee County. He was a composer and singing school teacher, a student of A. J. and J. H. Showalter. He began teaching singing schools in 1886. He was editor of Gospel Banner and an associate editor of Crowning Vocalist and Hymns of Glory. Howard lived with his parents in Muscogee County, Georgia in the 1870, 1880, and 1900 censuses, and was living in Columbus in 1904. The 1900 census lists the occupation of the 38-year old Samuel Howard as “Music Teacher.” Howard married Lydia Dowdell on December 24, 1907 in Lee County, Alabama, and lived at or near Auburn in that county until his death in 1940. In the 1910 census, Howard’s occupation is “Farmer” and he is listed simply as “Prof. Howard”. The B. F. White Sacred Harp added At the Golden Gates to the book in 1950. It previously appeared in The Vocal Class Leader under the title They are Waiting for You and Me, tune by Howard and the words written by G. Beaverson. S. L. Howard died October 8, 1940. He and his wife Lydia are buried at the Pine Hill Cemetery at Auburn, Lee County, Alabama.
            476      At the Golden Gates
 
Howard, Samuel Lafayette
The Best Gospel Songs and Their Composers, A. J. Showalter, Dalton, GA: The A. J. Showalter Co., Dallas, TX: The Showalter-Patton Co., 1904, p. 285
The Montgomery Advertiser, Thursday, October 10, 1940, p. 8
U. S. Federal Censuses, Muscogee County, Georgia, 1870, 1800, 1900; Lee County, Alabama, 1910-1940

Lee, David Jonathan “Johnny” (July 20, 1934–November 1, 2016) Johnny Lee passed away Tuesday November 1, 2016. He was buried Friday the 4th at the High Bluff Cemetery near Hoboken, Georgia.

Obituary, Music Funeral Home

Helwig, Steven (November 18, 1957–January 21, 2018) Steven Helwig passed away Sunday, January 21, 2018 in Gridley, Butte County, California.

Find-A-Grave Memorial

Spurlock, Tom Junior “Tommie” (June 7, 1930—January 24, 2024) … Margaret died March 6, 2020. Tommie died January 24, 2024. They are buried at the Mabson Methodist Church Cemetery in Dale County, Alabama.

Obituary

Find-A-Grave Memorial

Pope, Mattie. Martha Matilda “Mattie” Pope was the daughter of George William Pope and Sarah Missouri Head of Crenshaw County, Alabama, born January 29, 1889. She arranged The Blessed Lamb, a song already in The Sacred Harp on page 454, when she was about 13 years old.. The greatest part of the arrangement of this tune is the change of the initial section from 3/4 to 2/4 time. There are a few note changes as well. Minnie Floyd added the alto part. In her youth, Mattie was active in the singings in Crenshaw County. She served as secretary of the all-day singing at Luverne in 1908 (as well as other years). W. M. Cooper was among the “prominent visiting singers present.” Mattie taught music in school, and taught private piano lessons. She married fellow Sacred Harp singer A. O. Jackson at Luverne, September 7, 1919. They lived in Luverne, Mountain Creek, and Montgomery in Alabama, and Miami in Florida (and perhaps other places). Mattie died in Miami, Florida. A. O. and Mattie are buried in the Laurel Hill Cemetery in Thomasville, Thomas County, Georgia.

            454       The Blessed Lamb (arranged)

Pope, Mattie

U. S. Federal Censuses, 1900-1940

https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/176908826/martha-matilda-jackson

“News of Luverne,” The Montgomery Advertiser, Tuesday, June 9, 1908, p. 2

“Pope-Jackson At Luverne,” The Luverne Journal, Thursday, September 18, 1919, p. 1

“Mrs. A. O. Jackson Dies At Her Home in Miami,” The Montgomery Advertiser, Saturday, November 1, 1947, p. 8

Seeking A. R. Walton, singer, composer and typesetter

Walton, A. R. is probably Arthur Rivers Walton (October 18, 1874–January 29, 1927), the son of George and Elizabeth Walton. He married Gussie May (or Mae) Anderson (1883–1973). The 1900 and 1910 Censuses of Fulton County, Georgia, list him as a house carpenter. When he registered for the draft he was living in DeKalb County and said he was a farmer, but in the 1920 Fulton County Census he is listed as a musical composer. The A. R. Walton mentioned by J. L. White in his “Preface” was also a music typesetter or plate maker. In 1919 Arthur Walton arranged the music for “The Confederate Soldier” written by veteran George W. Simmons, Sr. It was sung by J. L. White at the Old Soldier’s Home on Sunday October 5, 1919 and was to be sung at the upcoming Confederate Reunion (See Atlanta Constitution, October 6, 1919, p. 7). Arthur and Gussie Mae Walton are buried at the Crestlawn Cemetery in Atlanta, Fulton County, Georgia.  One of his tunes, We Wait Thy Blessings, was in the 1909 edition but not kept in 1911.

491a    Just For a Day

498a    Mary

512      Pray On

A. R. Walton notes

World War I Draft Registrations, www.ancestry.com

U. S. Federal Censuses, Fulton County 1900-1920

http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=118352540

Pharisaical about Pharisees, and other quotes

The posting of quotes by human authors does not constitute agreement with either the quotes or their sources.

"One of my great sins is being Pharisaical about Pharisees." -- Steve Brown

"Biblical example is a strong argument in setting forth the ways of God, and it should never be dismissed as insignificant." -- Royce Smith

"How can someone scripturally exhort if he has not taught those things which form the basis of biblical exhortation?" -- Albert N. Martin

"Music is a world within itself, with a language we all understand; With an equal opportunity..." -- Stevie Wonder

"Appreciation is a graceful gesture of gratitude from one to another." -- copied

"Gratitude is the heart's memory." -- copied

"I grant you, one penitent thief was converted in his last hours, that no man might despair; but I warn you, only one was converted, that no man might presume." -- J. C. Ryle

"Those who wait until the eleventh hour to repent often die at ten thirty." -- Unknown

"He that comes to and leans upon Jesus, his finished work, his dying love, will have rest here and heaven hereafter." -- J. C. Philpot

"Opportunity may knock once, but temptation bangs on the front door forever." -- copied

Topsy Turvy

Yesterday I posted about the offense of being called “illegal immigrant” and last week I posted a link to The Coddling of the American Mind. On Thanksgiving Day I read Dr. Everett Piper: A Man Among Boys in which the president of Oklahoma Wesleyan University addressing a situation of a student complaining after a chapel service that “he felt 'victimized' by a sermon on the topic of 1 Corinthians 13.”

These and other like incidents provide strong evidence of the overwhelmingly self-centered society we have become. We are so absorbed within ourselves that we claim the right to find nothing disagreeable and have no one disagree with us. Guilt is neither a culpability we possess nor a shame we should feel. We have turned the freedom of speech topsy turvy into a freedom from speech we don't like, and limited the universality of sin to the rare trait of those who disagree with us.

God help us!