Peninsula enterprise. [volume] (Accomac, Va.) 1881-1965, 1889-11-02
BREAKINGG GROUND
First Stroke for che New Tai
mage Tabernacle.
ADDRESS BY THE FAMOUS PASTOR

ADDRESS BY THE FAMOUS PASTOR
BROOKLYN, Oct, 2S.-Today took
place the breaking ground ceremony
for the new Brooklyn Tabernacle, on
Clinton street, one OF the most beautl-
full streets in America. Crowds gath
cred in and around the yard where
the ceremony was observed. and
neighboring pastors took part IN the
services. The Rev. I. De Witt ]ni-
mage, D. D., made the following adj
dress:
That begins right which begins with
God. That begins wrong which begins
!.tshout him. From first cut Of spade
till last ring of trowel, from deepess
foundation stone to highest pinnacle,
from this hour, when standing under
the cloudy rafters, and amid the IL
lumined walls of Gods first temple
the world, to the hour when the people
shall gather for dedication services
under the roof of the new Brooklyn
Tabernacle, we want to put all under
the divine direction I'm the begin
ming" says the opening passage OF the
best of books, as though to impress all
ages that we ought to look we'll to the
genesis of every important work.
In the beginning of life, in the be-
ginning of families, in the beginning
of nations, in the beginning OF
churches. They who wait until the
corner stone of church is Laid wait
until the church architecture is fixed,
and the designs are determined and
the employees engaged, and to ask God
to decide things then would be to ask
miracle That may be the reason
why so many auditoriums are deli
aoce of acoustics, and so many build
ings are cold and unsympathctic.
God could not answer the belated
prayers and make the church what it
ought to be without demolition Of all
that had been done. 1t is useless to
ask the Lord to make the church q
blessing to tho people, if already lack
of ventilation has decreed asphyNia,
and disturbing echoes are waiting in
the new corridors ready to spring out
upon sermon and psalm, and the
modes of ingress and egress arc q
provocation. In the beginning, and
\ while yet no architectural plans are
adopted, and no craftsmen are en-
Saged, and all is yet undetermined,
let us implore Divine guidance.
Brooklyn Tabernacle now moves on.
Like the Israelites of old we are led by
pillar of fire by night, and ] remem-
Der that pillar conducted them to tho
Promised Land We put our church
here because it is as near as we can
get to the center of our congregation.
We were central when we planted
our former church where it was,
but Brooklyn has moved on, and
moved up, and moved out, and
so great and grand are the
prospects of our beloved city that the
church now on the utmost city limits
will after while be far this side of
the center, and the tides of our mu-
nicipal life will meet the incoming
tides of the ocean.
We also plant our new church here
because it is street OF gardens and
outrageous trees. The only time that
God is represented as walking on earth
at all, he is said to have walked in
the garden in the cool of the day"
The world started with a garden a1d,
wi, will close with q gazsase II sp and
down me Bible the church is compared
to garden. In the garden OF Geth-
semane Christ wept, and he appeared
to Mary Magdalene in the costume OF
a gardener, and our Lords tomb was
in the garden of Joseph Arinlathea.
What more appropriate place could
we find for our church than street OF
gardensi
AS we break the ground today for
new church let me state What this
church will stand for: Evangelism,
liberty of conscience, Christian patriot
ism, charity, righteousness toward
God and honesty toward man. May
it be great place for the cure of
heartachesl May its windows look
iuto the next world Us we'll as this!
May all the children baptized here be-
come the sons and daughters of the
Lord Almighty! N1ay all the marital
oaths taken at these affairs be kept I'M
til death does them partl May there
Tea revival of pure religion here
which shall roll Oh without Interrupt
ton until Christ dcscends through the
wide opening heavens! May the Lord
,1od of Abraham and Isaac and Jacob,
and Joshua, and Paul, and John Knox
and John Wesley and Hugh Latimer
and Bishop McIlvane take possession OF
this ground and all that shall be built
upon it.
We have but one regret in breaking
ground on this spot, and that is, that
this grand and beautiful tree on 1ny
left must be cut down to make room.
The tree seems sad and its leaves are a
little tremulous, and there are voices
within us which become recitative,
saying: "Woodman, spare that treel"
What America greatly needs today is
not more trees cut down, but more
trees planted. He who needlessly
slays tree is an assassin. The king
dom of God is to be q kingdom of trees:
Instead of the thorn shall come up
the fir tree aud instead Of the brier
shall como up the myrtle tree" And
''all the trees of the wood are to clap
their hands" And iii Revelation the
angel cries out: "Hurt not the treesl"
There must be some good reason for
laying the ak to the root of such q
pillared glory, Or it would not be done
ut all. But perhaps we may atone for
the deed by putting here what Isaiah
calls THE trees of Righteousness, the
planting of the Lord"
And now proceed to the ceremony
of breaking ground for new house Of
God. (Here spade was handed by an
elder of the church to DR.. Talmage,
who with turn of the spade removed
portion of the sod.) In the name Of
the Father and of the Son and of the
Holy Ghost The work is begun. Now