The Maryville times. (Maryville, Tenn.) 1884-1944, 1889-11-06
THE BAPTISM OF FIRE.
Sermon by Rev. T. Dewitt Tai
mage, D. D.
He Discourses About the Destruction Of
the Brooklyn Tsbernacle-The Church
to be Rebuilt-Wliat Fire Does
Toward Refining Men.

Dr.. Talmage chose as the subject VI
his recent Sermon, ''The Baptism Of
Fire." taking as his text: Acts XXX, "a,
"None of these things move me-" He
said: "a ~
But, Paul, have you not enough Attic
ton to move you? Are you not an exile
from your native land? With the most
genial and loving nature, have you not,
In order to be free for missionary jour
neys, given yourself to celibacy? Have
you not turned away from the magnifl-
cent worldly successes that would have
crowned your illustrious genius? Have
you not endured the sharp and singing
neuralgias, like thorn in the flesh?
Have you not been mobbed on the land
and shipwrecked on the sea; the sanhe-
drim against you, the Roman govern
ment against you, all the world and all
hell against you?
"What of that?" says Paul. "None
OF these things move me!'' 1t was not
because he was hard nature. Gentlest
woman was never more easily moved in
to tears. He could not even bear to see
anybody cry, for in the midst of his 81 r.
mon when he saw some one weeping her
sobs aloud, "What mean we to weep and
break mine heart? for am ready not to
be bound only but. also to die at Jerusa-
lem for the name of the Lord Jesus"
What then did Paul mean when he said,
"None of these things move me-" He
meant, 81 will not be diverted from the
work to which have. been called by any
and all the adversities and calamities."
l think, this morning l express not
only my own feelings but that Of every
man, woman and little child belonging
to Brooklyn Tabernacle, or that was
converted there. or comforted there, or
blessed there, when I.look toward the
blackened ruins of the dear and conse-
Grated spot and with an aroused faith in
a loving God, cry out: {gf EG
SNene of these things move ma,
q When say1that, 7 do not mean. thai
we have no feeling aboutit. Instead o.
standing here to-day in this brilliant
auditorium, it would be more consonant
with my feelings to sit down among the
ruins and weep at the words of David
"If forget thee, o Jerusalem, let my
right hand forget her cunhing.r why
let me say to the strangers here to-day
in explanation Of the deep emotion Of
my flock, we had there in that building
sixteen years of religious revival. be-
lieve that hundred thousand souls
were born there. They came from al
parts of the earth and we shall never
see them again until the books are
opened. Why, sirs! our children were
there baptized, and at those affairs oul
young men and 1naidens took the mar
rage vow, and out of those gates we Car
ried our dead. When from the roof O.
my house last Sunday morning at three
o'clock | saw our church in flames,
said: "That is the last of the building
from which we buried our De Witt OF
that cold December day when it seemed
all Brooklyn wept with my household.
And it was just as hard for you to Civ,
up your loved ones as for us to give III
ours. Why, like the beautiful vine
that still cover some of the fallen walls
our affections are clambering all owe
the ruins, and | could kiss the ashe
that mark the place where it once stood
Why, now that think of it, can no
think of it as an inanimate pile, but a
soul, a mighty soul, an indestructibl
soul. am sure that majestic organ ha'
a soul, for we have often heard it speal
and sing, and shout and wall, and whel
the soul of that organ entered Heaven
think Handel, and Haydn, and Mozart
and Mendelssohn, and Beethoven wer
to the gates to welcome it. So do no
use the words of my text in heartles
way, but in the sense that we must no
and will not be diverted from our worl
by the appalling disasters which hav
befallen us. We will not turn aside on
| inch from our determination to do all w
can for the present and everlasting har
p1ness of all the people whom we ma
be able to meet. ''None of these thing
move me. None of these things NOV
you"
When looked out through the disma
rain from the roof of my house and sa,
the church crumbling brick by brick an
timber by timber, said to myself: Doe
this mean that my work in Brooklyn
ended? Does this terminate my ass(
citation with this city, where l hav
been more than twenty years, glad i
all its properties, and sad in all il
misfortunes? And still small voic
came to me, a voice that is no longe
still or small but most emphatic an
commanding, through pressure of hanC
and newspaper column, and telegral
and letter and contributions, sayin.
go forwardw
have made and now make appe;
to all Christendom to helpus. We wal
all .Christendom to help, and l will a,
knowledge the receipt of every contrib,
ton, great or small, with my own hant
We want to build larger and better. W
want it a national church, in which pc,
Pile of all creedS and all nations ma
find home. The contributions alread
sent in make small hearted church TO
ever impossible. Would not l be
sorry spectacle for angels and men if,
church built by Israelites and Cath
lies, as well as all the styles of poop
commonly called evangelical, Shout
instead of the banner of the Lord &c
Almighty, raise futtering rag of sma
actarianism? If we had $500, 900, 900 "
would put them all in one great mon,
ment to the mercy of God. People as
on all sides about what we shall bull
answer, it all depends on the contrib
tions sent in from here and from Il
ends of the earth. say now to all Il
Baptists that we shall have in it ba
tistery. | say to all Episcopalians, v
shall have incur services as heretofo
at our communion table portions of Il
y Liturgy. / say to the Catholics, v
shall have a cross over the pulpit al
probably on the tower. say to Il
\ Methodists, we mean to sing there lii
the voices of mighty thunderings.
say to all denominations, we mean
preach religion as wide as Heaven al
as good as God. We have said we had
total loss. But there was one exec
ton. The only things we saved we
the silver communion chalices. for tn,
happened to be in another buildin
and | took that fact as typical that '
are to be in communion with all Chri:
endom. Il believe in the communi,
nf sa;rfS {.