Daily Yellowstone journal., 1889-10-27
THE BAPTISM OF FIRE.
Or. TALMAeE's FIRST SERMON AFTER
THE CONFEDERATION.

Attendance.
BRooRLYN, Oct. 2O.-The Rev. 4.
De Wit Talnage, ID. d., preached at
the Academy of Music this morning,
his first sermon after the destruction
of the Brooklyn Tabernacle by fire.
His audience was Of vast size, and
public interest was extraordinary.
The opening hymn was:
God moves IN a mysterious way
Ills wonders "a perform;
!Ir plants Ms i~Jalst-is IN tlcsea,
And r.~lr,uQonJhr storm
DIR. Talmages subject was The Zap
tism Of Iigc," and he took as his text
Acts SX. "a. None OF these things
move mC.' He said:
But Paul, have you not enough
aillictiou 30 move you! Are You not
an exile from your native laudi With
the most genial and loving nature,
have you not, in order TO be free for
missionary journeys, given yourself
to celibacyi Have you not turned
away from the magnificent worldly
Successes that would have crowned
your illustriuus gcnius' Have you
not endured the sharp and singing
~neuralgias, like a thorn in the tleShl
Have you not been mObbed on the
land, and shipwrecked Oh the sea; the
sanhedrim against you, the Roman
government against you, all the world
and all hell against YOU
what Of thatf' says Paul. None
Of these things move me-" 1t was
not because lie was a hard nature.
Geutlcst roman was never more easily
dissolved into tears He could not
even bear 10 see anybody cry, for in
the midst of his erHon when he saw
some n weeping her sobs aloud,
what mean yc 10 weep aud 10 break
mine heart! for | I'm ready not to be
bound only. but also 10 die at Jeru-
salem for the nam1of the Lord Jesus"
What then did laul mean when lie
said, None Of Il csc things movemeg'
He meant, II wi not be diverted from
the work TO which | have been called
by mysnd all ne Universities and ca
lamitlcS.'
"NONE OF Til Sc THINGS MOVE ME-"
l think this morning express not
only my own ceilings but that of every
man, woman and kttie child belong
ing 10 Brooklyn Tabernacle, or that
was converted there, or comforted
there, or blessed there, when | look
toward the blackened ruins of the
dear and c~UusecFated spot and with an
aroused faith in a loving God, cry out!
"Nonc Of these things move me-
When / say that. ! do not mean that
We have uu feeling about il. Instead
Of Standing here today in this brilliant
auditorium, 1t would be more conso
nant with my feelings to sit down
among the ruins and weep at the
words Of David: III | forget thee, o
Jerusalem, let my right hand forget
her cunning Why, let me saytO the
str,.ngers here today in explanation Of
the deep emotion OF my flock, we had
there in that building sixteen years of
religious revival. | believe that a
hundred thousand souls were born
there. They came from all parts
Of tie earth and we shall never
see them again until the books are
opened. Why, sirs! our children
were there baptized, and at those al.
tars our young men and maidens took
the marriage vow, and out of those
gates we carried our dead. When
from the roof Of my house last Sun
day morning at 3 o'clock ! saw our
church IN Flames. | said; That is the
last Of the building from which we
buried our DE Wit on that cold
December day when IL seemed all
Brooklyn wcpt with my household. -
And il was just - hard for you 10
give nap your loved ones us for Us TO
give up ours. Why. li6o the bcauii-
tiful vines that still cover some of tue
fallen walls, u affections are clam
bering all Dyer the ruins, ard / could
kiss the ashes that mark the place
where Il once stood. WHY, now that
/ think OF IT, 1 cannot think O. il as
an lnunimste pile. but us a soul. a
mighty soul, an lHdestructiDle soul.
l ann sure that pajestic organ had a
soul, for we have often heard II speak
and singand shout and wall. aud when
the soul Of that organ entered heaven
L think Handel, and Haydn. and Mo-
Fart, and Mendelssohn, and Beethoven
were at the gates To welcome il. So /
do not use the words of my text in a
heartlcss way. but in the sense that we
must not and will not be diverted from
our work by the appalling disasters
which have befallen US. We will not
turn aside one inch from our determi-
nation ~ do all we can for the present
and everlasting happiness Of all the
people whom we may be able to meet.
4None of these things move me. None
of these things move you" go for
wardr'
When | looked out through the dis
NAL rain from the roof of my house
and saw the church crumbling brick
by brick and timber by timber, / said
10 myself; Does this mean that my
work in Brooklyn is endedl Does this
terminate my association with this
city, where / have been more than
twenty years glad in all its prosperi-
ties. and sad in all its misfortunesi
And a still small voice came 10 me, a
voice chat is no longer still or small
but most emphatic and commanding,
through pressure of hand, and news
paper column, and telegram and let
ter contributions, saying: Go for
ward r
have made and | now make appeal
10 AL ChristcuaUm 10 help us. We
want all ClristendOm TO help, and |
will acknowledge the receipt Of every