The New York herald., 1873-09-08
TALMAGE AT THE ACADEMY.

The Pastors Rcturn-The Gospel Well OF
Life-The Sceptic's Fountain of Worldly
Mint Juleps-A Picture or the Tran.
sccndentalis Heaven.
The great religious event in Brooklyn yesterday
was the reOpening Of the services at the Academy
OF Music. During the summer the interior OF
the building has been repanCed, decorated
and generally renovated and yesterday morn
ing, when an audience Of between three
and four thousand people had assembled
to welcome the return Of MIR. Talmage, their
favorite preacher, the scene was a very animated
one. The congregation will occupy the Academy
every Sabbath until their new tabernacle on scher.
merhorn street shall be completed. II Is expected
that 1t will be ready by November.
In making announcements yesterday morning
Mr.. Talmage gave notice that on Thursday even
ing next PASTORS reception would be held at his
residence No. 2S7 Quincy street. and that these,re-
winter, as he desired to have more intimate re-
lation between pastor and people. He Invited all
to call on Thursday ,Ny evening: ssy:ov
was based on the story OF David and the well OF
Bethlehem found in II. samuel, xxlii., 15-"O
that one would give me drink from the water OF
the well OF Bethlehem which is by the gate"
David, hiding in the cave OF AdulIam, wanted q
men ventured through the ranks Of the
Phllistines, procured the water and returned
that morning the people came around the grand
old Gospel well, which, he said, like the one
spoken OF in the text was well OF Bethlehem,
and unless we could get access to it and wash
away our sin and uncleanness we must die. Like
the well of the text 1t was also captured well. Da-
vid remembered when that well OF be thlehem was In
the possession ofhis ancestors, and he remembered
how the water tasted when he was boy and came
and played about the place. We never forget the
boys or girls. There was something In 1t that
quenched the thirst and soothed the brow better
than anything we have found since, ana this MORN
lQQ we think OF tnat Old well OF DOVlOOQ all
THE MEMORIES OF THE PAST
n before on get shese RENT
Of this country, once said to me that his song,
"woodman, Spare that Tree" was sung in a great
early life were SO wrought upon the audience by
that song that after 1t was done an aged man
arose IN the audience, overwhelmed with emotion,
and said 'Sir, will you please to tell me whether
the woodman really spared the tree 2" Well,
David thought OF that well OF his boyhood, and he
wanted drink from it; but he remembered that
the PhilIstines had captured it. When his
three men tried to come up to the well In behalf OF
David, they saw sworas gleamins arSuna u; And
have at times captured 1t. When we come up to
TAKE A Full. OLD-FAsHIoNED DRINK
OF pardon and comfort, don't their swords OF in
dgnaton and sarcasm fash Why, the sceptics
tell us we can't come to that fountain. They say
the water Is not it to drink anyhow III you're
really thirsty, there's the well OF philosophy,
there's the well OF art, and here's the well OF
science" Tney try to substitute for our boyhood
faith an Atlantic Monthly religion. They say
great manv beautiful things about the soul, ana
try to feed our immortal hunger on rose leaves
and mix
MINT JULEps OF WORLDLY sTIMULANrs,
when nothing will satisfy US but "a drink OF the
water OF the well OF Bethlehem, which Is by the
ring is taken from the casket, and the
ep i sTeaSy ST e ed n Ui ,ss
dance They patronize heaven and abolish hell,
and try to measure eternity with their hour glass
sticks. ! abhor it, tell you the old Gospel well
is captured WELL But l pray God that there
pe men WIN IN s
forth, In the strength OF the omnipotent GOO, with
the glittering swords Of truth and hewing the
way back again to that old well. think
THE TIDE is TURNING,
and that the old Gospel Is to take its place again
IN the family, in the university and in the legsla-
The Gospel well, like the one OF the text, is well
by the gate. 1t Is at the gate OF publication, and
we can wash our sins away in 1t. l take the re- ,
sponsibility OF saying that there Is not q man,
woman or child In this house that has escaped
denlement. You have committed a sin worse than
bssphemy, or theit, or murder We bave by our
sin, recruci1ed the Lord, and that Is deicide and
II there be any who dare plead mot guilty" to the
indictment then the hosts OF heaven will be
EMPANELLED AS A JURY
and render unanimous verdict against us
the race wants s NoW sUe Va te you
that the race develops when 1t is without the Cos
pei into Sodom-a Five Points, a Great Salt Lake
upward except as the grace OF God lays hold OF 1t.
Mr.. Talmage further contenoed that the Gospel
well was one Of comfort, anu that It is at the gate
OF heaven. have not yet heard one ntelligbe
account OF the future world from anybody who
does not believe the Bible. They throw such q fog
ABOUT the subject that do not want to 90 to the
sceptics' and
THE Observation-Disclosures HEAVEN
! would not exchange the poorest room In
your house for the finest heaven that
Huxley or Stuart Mill or Darwin ever
dreamed OF. Their heaven has no Christ In it,
and heaven without Christ, though You could
sweep the whole universe In 1t, would be q hell !
They tell US we will do there what we do here. only
on larger scale-geometrize with clearer intel
lect, and with alpenstock Chamber up over the
iccbergs In an eternal vacation Rather than
that, turn to my Bible and find Johns picture OF
that gO0d laud-that heaven which was your