Democratic messenger., 1889-10-26
BAPTISM OF FIRE.
REV. DR.. TALMAoE ON THE TABER-
NACLE CONFEDERATION.
He breaches In the Academy OF Music
and Describes His Emotions on Be-
holding the Edifce In Which His
Congregation Worshiped
Tumbling In Ruins.

and Describes His Emotions on Be-
holding the Edifice in Which His
Congregation Worshiped
Tumbling In Ruins.
BRooKLyS, n. Y, Oct. 2O.-Thc Rev.
T. DE Wit, Talmagc. y. d.. preached at
the Academy Of Music this morning, his
first sermon after the destruction Of the
Brooklyn Tabernacle by fire. Ills audi
ence was of vast size. aud public interest
was extraordinary. The opening hymn
was:
God moves In mysterious way
His wonders To perform:
He plants his footsteps In the sea.
And rides upon the storm.
DIR. Talmagc's subject was The Baptism
of Fire." and he took as his tex, Acts xx.,
24-."Nonc of these things move me-" lie
said:
But, Paul. have you not enough aillic.
tion to move you: Are you not an exile
from your native land! With the most
genial and loving nature. have you net
In order 20 he free for missionary jour.
ncys given yourself to cclibacy Have you
not turned away from the magnificent
worldly successes that would have crown.
cd your illustrious genius: Have you no,
endured the sharp and s,inging neuralgias
like thorn in the flesh. Have you mol
been mobbcd on the land, and shipwrcck.
cd on the sea the sanhcdrim against you
the Roman Government against you, all
the world aud all hell against you?
"WLat of that =" says Paul. "None oi
these things move mel" II was not be-
cause he was hard nature. Gentlest wo.
man was never more easily dissolved into
tears. lie could not even bear to see any.
body cry, for In the midst of his sermon
when he saw someone weeping her sol,s
aloud. "What mean yc To weep and Ia
break mine heart for ] am ready no, ia
be bound only, but also to die at Jernsa'
lem for the name of the Lord Jesus."-
What then did. Paul mean when he said
None of these things move me-" lie
meant II will not he diverted from the
work TO which have been called by any
and all the adversitics and calamitics."
think this morning express not only
my own feelings. but that Of every man.
woman and little child belonging Ia
Brooklyn Tabernacle. or that was con.
verted there, or comforicd there. or bless
cd there. when ! look toward the blacken
cd ruins of the dear and consccrated spot
and with mn aroused faith in loving God
cry out None Of these things move mc.
When say that, do not mean that ",
have no feeling about il. Instead of stand
ing here to-day in this brilliant auditoii
um. IL would lie more cOnsonant with my
feelings To sit down
AMONG THE Ruins ASD WEEP
at the words Of David: III forget thee
o Jerusalem. le, my right hand forget lci
cunning" Why. let me say to the slrang'
ers here to-day in explanation Of the dccr
emotion of my flock. We lnd there in that
building III years OF religious revival.
believe that hundred Thousand soul.
were born there. They came from nll
parts Of the earth, and we shall never sec
them again until the books are opened
Why. sirs our children were there bap
iized. and at those altars our young men
and maidens took the marriage vow, and
out Of those gates we carried our dead
When from the r"of Of my house last sun
day morning at 3o'clock I saw our church
IN flames, ] said: THAT Is the last Of th,
building from which we buried our ID,
Witt ON that cold December day when il
seemed all Brooklyn wept with my house,
hold" Aud II was just as hard for you
10 give up your loved ones as for MS Il
give up ours. Why, like the beautiful
vines that still cover some Of the fallcr
walls, our affections are clambering al
over the runs, and | could kiss the ashc,
that mark the place where il once stood
Why. now that think Of il. cannot
think 81 II rs an inanimat0 pile, bu, MS 4
soul. u mighty soul, an indestructible soul
I am sure that majestic organ had u soul
for we have oflen heard il speak and sing
aud shout and wall, aud when the soul O
that organ entered Heaven | think Handle
aud Haydn, aud Mozart, AMI Mcndclssolr
and Beeihovcn were nj tho gates To wei
come II. so d0 M, use the words of ~,
text in n hcarllcss way, hut IN the sens,
that We must not and will not he divert
cd fr"m our work by the appalling disas
tiers which have bciallcn us. We will nol
turn aside one inch from our determine
tion 10 do all we can for The present anf
everlasting happiness Of all the people
whom We may be able to meet. None %
these things move me. None Of ihcs'
things move you"
When looked out through the disma
rain from the roof ofmy house and saw
the church crumbling brick by brick an'
timber by timber, | said to myself: Doe
this mean that my work in Brooklyn i
eniedg Does this terminate my associa
tion with this city, where | have beer
more than 90 years, glad IN all its pros
perities, and sad IN all its misior,unes!
And n still small voice came to me.
voice That is no longer still or small, bu
mos, emphatic and commanding, through
pressure ofhand, AMI newspaper column
aud telegram aud letter and cont ribu,ions
saying: Go forward"
have made and now make appeal Il
all Chris,cndom To help us. We want al
chrislendom To help. and will acknowl
edge the receipt Of every contribution
great or small, with my own hand. w
want To build larger and better. We wan
il u national church, IN which people q
all crceds and all nations may find home
i ~ -. la.