The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1881-03-03
miscellaneous.
REV, 7. DEWITT TALMAGE.
WORK OF TWELVE YEARS IN THE
MINISTRY,
Eome Of the characteristics Of Brooklyn
Pastorate--A City Where Poor sermons
- Are n Drug in the Market.

BURJECT-TwRLFTH ANNIVERSARY CT D @
TOR TALMAGE's PAsToRATE.
Text-Ex. 1927: "They came to Elm
where were twelve wells OF water"
It is astonishing what favorite Scrip
tural number twelve is. Twelve tr bet
of Israel. For tie ancient Tabernacle
twelve was the number in furnishing al
the appointments. Coming down in
history, we find twelve was also mem
sorable number. Twelve Apostles, also
twelve baskets of fragments; twelve le'
Eions of ANGELS; twelve stars for the wo'
mans crown in Revelation; twelve n
gels at the gates; and twelve manner Of
fruits. And here, in my text, the tired
and thirsty Israelite came to an oasis in
the desert, and 10, twelve wells OF clear
sparkling, heaven brewed, God'given
water. .......
To day is my twelfth anniversary aa
your pastor; and the twelve years stand
round us, 80 many wells in which this
host of Gods Israel on the march dip
their can eeRs and bring up instruction,
Congratulation, gratitude and refresh
msnt. If you ask in hard figures as to
our growth ard condition as church, l
have to say that ou financial income for
the year was 500, ,946,65. The current ex-
psnses wore $25,966 81; net gain applied
to sinking fund So. .977, ,7S; contribution to
the poor 1929 65; Sabbath school ColleC-
ton for past three months $3.50; Sabbath
school membership $40. AS to the en-
largement of our church membership,
we have to report we have received dur
ing the past year $50 on profession Of
faith, and 81 from sister churches, maxi
I'll new members. Received during my
ministry Of twelve years, 2.SO3 members,
subtraCting the deaths and dismissals,
our present membership is 1906, You
BEE the twelve wells are filed with d.
vine blessings. thought to rehearse
some of the obstacles which have been
thrown in our way by the fire of 1872
and the hotter fires of persecution and
abuse. But the greatness of Gods good.
ness obliterstes everything, and if I wan.
ted to build a grosn, l know not what
forest l could go to hew the timber, or
from what quarry | could dig the foun'
dation stone, or who would build me an
organ with the tremolo for the only stop.
And 80 shall spend my time this morn.
ing trying to build with twelve founda-
tions, twelve pillars, great, broad, high
deep, massive, heaven piercing Hallelu-
jah, inside of which shall stand an organ
with twelve trumpet stops, all run at full
dispason with water from the twelve
wells of salvation. God help me while
l speak, and keep me from the ortho'
dox, but objectionable sin Of pulpit dull
ness, and God help you to hear and give
heed to the instruction.
In this anniversary sermon l might
state some of the characteristics OF
Brooklyn pastorate. First, it is always
difficult pastorate. There is as much, if
not more, pulp talent in Brooklyn as in
any city on the planet, He who stands
preaching in any pulpit in Brooklyn on
Sabbath day, may know that within a
few minutes walk of him at that mo-
ment are being preached sermons that
Mason, a Whitefeld, Saurtin would
not have been ashamed of. 1t is the
most difficult city ON earth to take pas.
torate. For twenty years the air has
been surcharged with homiletiCs and
full of the electricity OF an eloquenCe
which strikes every time it flashes
From the time it's pulpit quaked with
the power of Dr. Spencer, and Cox, and
Spear and others, it has been possible
for every taste and preference to be graf.
fled. You will stand before men every
Sabbath who have heard the mightiest
themes discussed in the mightiest way.
II you fail in an argument there will be
fiity logiCians in the audience who will
fidget. If you throw out an anchor, or
hoist sail in the wrong way, there will
be ship captains right off the vessel won
dering if you are as ignorant Of theology
as you are of navigation.
again, pa5torate in Brooklyn is con
spicuous. The American printing press
has no stronger force than on the sea.
coast. Every pulpit work, bad or good,
strong or weak, is watched. Take our
and New York reportorial
corps; it is mighty army; many Of them
educated and men of large literary cul-
tuRe. There is no use trying to decry
this influence. The printing press is the
pulpit on the wing. There is hundred
times more preaching done on Monday
than on Sunday.
Then a Brooklyn pastorate is conspic
uOus, because everybody comes here. 1t
is New York in it's better mood. Strang-
ers have not seen New York till they
have seen Brooklyn. If men have com.
mitted business sirs during the day, they |
come oyer to Brooklyn in the evening o
repent of them. Everybody comes to
Brooklyn. Stand at the ferry gates at
10 o'clock Sabbath morning and 7 o'clock |
Sabbath evening, and see North, South,
East, West, and from all countries, come |
over in the person of their representa-
lives. Many of them just landed from
The sea, and they hasten to church to
hank God for their rescue from the nu.
merous ills of life. Every hymn sung,
avery prayer offered, every sermon de
livered in Brooklyn or New York in
lome way makes the circuit of the globe.
Again, a pastorate here is generally
brief one, l bethink myselfof some ten
Or twelve excellent Clergymen who have
oDg held pulpits here, but the great ma
ority have repeatedly changed supplies,
and my short residence Of twelve years
IN Brooklyn is comparatively long. Why
,hese- short pastorstes2 Varions reas-
)ns, known and unknowD. Sometimes
because they we're too good for earth,
sometimes by the established rule of |
heir denomination; sometimes they got
preached out; sometimes they broke
down physically; sometimes overworked
DR. not work anauOh NOT mueh hare of |