Milford chronicle., 1889-10-25

The Baptism Of Fire" His Subjects His
Text, ''None Of These Things Move
Me''-A Great Congregation Present at
the Academy Of Music.
BROOKLYN, Oct. 2O-The Rev. T. De Witt
Talnaage, d. 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 pub
lie interest was extraordinary. The opening
hymn was:
God moves in a mysterious way
His wonders to perform;
He plants his footsteps In the sea
And rides upon the storm.
DR.. Talmage's subject was 'The Baptism Of
Fire" and he took as his text Acts xx, -;
''None Of these things move me.n He said;
NOT CAST DOWN.
But, Paul, have you not enough afiiction
As move youi Are you not an exile from
your native landi 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 nlustrious geniusi
Have you not endured the sharp and sting
ing neuralgias like a thorn in the heshi
Have you not been mobbed on the land and
shipwrecked on the sea, the Sanhedrim
against you, the Roman government against
you, all the world and all hell against youi
''What Of thatF says Paul. ''None Of these
things move men It was not because be
was a hard nature. Gentlest woman was
never more easily dissolved into tears. He
could not even bear to see anybody cry, for
IN the midst of his sermon when he saw some
one weeping her sobs aloud, "What mean ye
to weep and to break mine hearth for I am
ready not to be found only, but also to die at
Jerusalem for the name Of the Lord Jesus
What, then, did Paul mean when he said;
''None Of these things move mep He meant;
''Iwill not be diverted from the work to which
have been called by any and all the adver-
sities and calamitiesln
think this morning express not only my
own feelings but that Of every man, woman
and little child belonging to Brooklyn Taber-
nacle, or that was converted there, or COM
forted there, or blessed there, when look to-
ward the blackened ruins Of the dear and
consecrated spot, and with an aroused faith
In loving God, cry out: ''None OF these
things move meln
When say that, do not mean that we
have no feeling about it. Instead Of standing
here today 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, 0, Jerusa-
lem, let my right hand forget her cunningV y
Why, let me say to the strangers here today
in explanation of the deep emotion OF my
flock, we had there In that building sixteen
years Of religious revival. 1 believe that a
hundred thousand souls were born there.
They came from all parts Of the earth, and
we shall never see them again until the
books are opened. Why, sirsl our children
were there baptized, 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 roof Of my house last
Sunday morning at 8 O'Clock saw our
zchurch In flames, said: ''That Is the last Of
she building from which we buried our De
Witt on that cold December day when II
seemed all Brooklyn wept with my house
hold" And it was just as hard for you to
give up your loved ones as for us to give up
ours. Why, like the beautiful vines that still
cover some Of the fallen walls, our affections
are clambering all over the ruins, and
could kiss the ashes that mark the place
where It once stood. Why, now that
think Of it, 1 cannot think Of it as
soul. an indestructible soul. am sure that
majestic organ had soul, for we have often
heard it speak and sing, and shout and wall
and when the soul Of that organ entered
heaven think Handel and Haydn, and No
zart and Mendelssohn, and Beethoven were al
the gates to welcome it. So do not use the
words of my text In a heartless way, but IN
the sense that we must not and will not b'
ai,,o,rtad from otlr work by the apuailiDp dis
asters which have befallen US We will moi
turn aside one inch from our determination
/ TO do all we can for the present and everlast
ing happiness Of all the people whom we may
I be able to meet. "None of these things move
mel None Of these things move you'll"
When I looked out through the dismR
rain from the roof Of my house and saw th'
church crumbling brick by brick and timber
by timber, said to myself: Does this NEAR
that my work In Brooklyn is endedl Doe
this terminate my association with this city
where have been more than twenty year
glad in all its properties and sad in all IL
miSfortunesl And a still, small voice cant
TO me. a voice that is no longer stin or small
butroost emphatic and commanding, through
pressure Of hand, and newspaper column anC
telegram and letter and contributions, sayini
HGo forwardi"
Ii AN APPEAL EoR AID
Il 1 have made and now roake appeal to al
Christendom to help US. We want all Chris
tendon to help and will acknowledge tn
receipt of every contribution, great or small
with my own hand. We want TO buil'
larger and better We want It a nationa
church in which people Of all creeds and al
nations may fnd home. The contribution
3 l.. all fahrf -