The Russellville Democrat. [volume] (Russellville, Ark.) 1875-1898, 1889-10-31
THE BAPTISM OF FIRE.
Sermon by Rev. r. Dewitt Tai
mage on the Recent Fire.
Tho Children OF the Tabernacle VIII Not
SIT sapinely Dawn, Bat WI, God
willing. Rear a New and Grand
err Place OF Worship.

Tho following discourse was delivered
by Rev. T. Dewitt Talmage in the Brook
lyu Academy Of Music the burning Of the
Tabernacle being the Inspiration His
text was:
None o. these things move me.-Acts Ky, 81
But, Faul, have you not enough an ic-
ton 60 move your Are you not an exile
from your native laudy With the most
genial and loving nature, have you not
in order 10 be free for missionary jour
ncys. given yourself 70 celibacyY Have
yen not turned away from the magnifi-
cent worldly successes that would have
crowned your illustrious geniusF Have
you not endured the sharp and singing
ururalEias Ike thorn in the fIeshf
Have you not been mobbed on the land
q; shipwrecked on the sea, the sauhe-
drlm against you, the Roman Govern
ment against You, all the world and all
he'll against your
"Nbat Of that's" says Paul. "None Of
these things move me-" It was not be-
cause lie was q hard nature. Gentlsst
woman was never more easily dissolved
into tears. He could not even bear to
see any body cry, for IN the midst Of his
sermon. when he saw some one weeping
her sobs aloud; "What mean We 10 weep
and 20 break mine heart? For I am
ready not 90 be bound only but also to
die at Jerusalem for The name Of the
Lord Jesus" What then did Paul mean
when be said: None Of these things
move meS' He meant: y VIII not be
diverted flom The work 10 which have
been called by any and all the ADVERSE
ties aud calamjfies."
think this morning / express not only
my own feelings bat that Of every man,
woman aud little child belonging 10
Brooklyn Tabernacle, or that was con-
ver.ed there, or comfaried there. OF
blessed there, when look toward the
lackened rHins OF the dear and conse-
Grated spot aud with an arou4ed faith in
a loving God. cry cut; Mons OF these
things move me"
When / say that do not mean that we
have no feeling about it. Instead of
standing here to-day in this brilliant
auditorium, it would be more consonaRt
with my feelings 10 sit down among the
rims and weep at the words OF David:
III l forget thee. O Jerusalem, let my
right hand forget her cunning" Why.
let me say 10 tie strangers here to-day
ia Cxp1a nation OF the deep emotion OF
nav & Ok, we had there in thst bailding
sixteen years Of religious revival be-
lleve that q 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. sirs our children were
there baptized, and at those affairs our
young men and maidens took the mar
Tiage vow, ard ont Of those gates we car
rieA our dead. When from the roof Of
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 Dewitt on
that cold December day, when il seemed
all Brooklyn went with my household"
And il was Just as hard for you 10 give
mp your loved ones as for as 10 give up
ours. Why. like the beautiful vines that
still cover some OF the walls, cur affections
are clambering all over the ruins, and /
coula kiss the ashes that mark the place
where Is once stood. Why, now that |
think Of it, / can not think % it as an in-
aainate pile. bus IS s. soul mighty
soai, an understandable soul. ! am sure
that majestic organ had a soul for we
have ottea heard it speak and sing and
vail aud when the soul ot that organ en-
tered Heaven l think Handel and Haydn
oven were as the gates 80 welcome IL So
] do net use the words Of my text in a
hssrtless way, hut in the sense that we
must not and viii not be diverted from
our work by the appalling disasters which
have oefallen Us We will not turn
aside one inch from our determination
10 do all we can for the present and ever
lasting happiness o. all the people whom
We may be able TO meet "None OF these
things move me. None of these things
move you."
When looked out through the dismal
rain from the roof o. my house aud saw
the church crumbling brick by brick and
timber by timber. I said 10 myself:
Does This mean that my work in Brook
lyn is eaaeas Does this terminate my
association with this city, where I have
been more than tweaty years. glad in all
its properties aud sad in all its mlsfort-
unesss Aud a stu, small voice came TO
me. q voice that Is no longer still or
small, bus most emphatic and command
ing. through pressure 81 hand and news
paper oalamn, and telegram, aud letter,
and contribution sayiag; Go forward"
have made ana now make appeal 20
all Christendom 70 help rs. we want all
CAFistead3m 10 help. ana will acknOwI-
great or small with nay own hand We
want 10 bnild larger and better. We
want il national church, IN which pso-
pie ot all creeas and all nations may End
s home. The contributions already seat
Ia make a small hearted church forever
Impossible, WOnll not be a sorry
spectacle for angels aud men L, in a
church built by IsVaelitss and Catholics,
a. Well as all the styles q people oom-
moGly called evangelical | shTald, in
stead e She banner Of TIE Lord God Al
mighty, raise a Guttering rag q small
secgartauisnf Il we had three hundred
thOasaad dollars ne would pat them al
IL one great monument 10 the mercy o.
People ask or all silss about what we
shall build. ! answer, i all depends or
the contributions sent ia from here and
from tGe ends Ot the esrih. ] say now TO
al tie Baptists, that we shall have in ita
oapustvy. 1 say % al Episc0palisEs,
We shall have ia our services. as hereto
fore az oar communion table, portions Of
the Liturgy. I say 20 TIE Catholics, we
shall have a cross oFer the pulpit and
probably on tie tower. ] say % the
MsIAojists, We ueaz % sing there Ike
the voices - mighty thu1der5u gS say
% a. denominations we mean 70 preach
reE Eioa as wide as Heaven and as good
IS EoA We have said We bad q total
loss. Bat there was one exception The
only t1iuss we saved were the silver
comment chElicfs tor they happened
q De Ia another baildiug, and I take bat
fact as typical that We are 90 be in com
uunloa VITA ga Christeadorn- Il BE-
lisve in she communion % saints ,i
thilk u AL che Rrooklyn hremea And
81 Insurance companies should search
among yAass r1Ils on ScAermerhorn
street they waal1 not find g splinter as
large as tie tu cad ~ the little finger
marked with b3gorry. Aud it Is said that
the exhgI1ed bricks % the sails q Baby
Ion have ou t1eu tie lester \. standing
fer Neboc1a3ac-aar / declare 20 vou