Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1891-05-08
REV. DR.. TklMAGE.
THE BROOKLYN DIVINE'S sun
DAY SERMON.
SUBJECT, "THE New TABERNACLE"

" ~ tfatSc StONcNf
Joshua w., @
The Jordan, like the Mississippi. has bluffs
on the one side and fats on the other. Here
and there a sycamore chadows 1t. Here and
there willow dips into IT, It was only a
little over waist aeep in December as waded
through It but in the months Of April and
May the SHOWS on Mount Lebanon t6aw and
now down into the valley, and then the Jor-
dan overfows its banks. Then it Is wide,
deep, raging and impetuous At this season
OF the year hear the tramp of forty thou
sand armed men coming down to cross the
river. You say, why do they not go up
nearer the rise Of the river at the old camel
fordi All my friends, il Is because it is not
safe to 60 around when the Lord tells us to
60 ahead. The Israelites had been going
around forty years, and they had enough OF
IL. do not know how it is with you, my
brethren, but Ihave always got into trouble
when went around, but always got into
safety when went ahead
There spreads out the Jordan a raging
torrent, much OF it snow water Just come
down from the mountain top; and see some
ot the lsraelites shivering at the IDEA Of
plunging In, and one soldier says to his COM
rade, Joseph, can you SWIM And another
says: "lf we get across the stream W. will
get there with wet clothes aud with damaged
armor, and the Canaanites will sla sh us to
pieces with their swords before we get up the
other bInk " But it is no time to halt. The
great host marches on
The priests carrying the ark go ahead, the
people follow. l hear the tramp OF the great
multitude TIE priests have now come with
In stones throw of the water Yet still
there is no abatement OF the food Now they
have come within four or five feet OF the
stream; but there Is no abatement of the
Hood. Bad prospect II seems as il these
lsraelites that crossed the desert arc now go
ing to be drowned in sight OF Canaan. But
Forward" is the cry. The command rings
all along the line OF the host. Forward
Now the priests have come within one step
OF the river. This time they lift their feet
from the solid ground and put them down
into the raging stream. No sooner arc their
feet there than Jordan flies.
On the right hand God piles up a great
mountain OF floods; on the left the water
flows of toward the sea. The great river for
hours halts and rears. The back waters,
not being able to flow over the pa assing Is
raelites, pile wave on wave until perhaps q
sea bird would find some difficulty in scaling
the water cliff. Now the priests and all the
people have gone over on dry land. The
water on the left hand side by this time has
reached the sea; and now that the miracu-
lous passage has been made, stand back and
see this stupendous pile OF waters leap. God
takes His hand from that walls OF floods, and
like hundred cataracts they plunge and
roar in thunderous triumph 70 the sea.
How are they 90 celebrate this passage!
Shall it be with musics | suppose the trum-
pets and cymbals were all worn out before
this. Shall 1t be with banners waving? Oh,
no; they are all faded aud torn. Joshua
cries out, II will tell you how TO celebrate
this-build monument here to commemo-
rate the event" and every priest puts a
heavy stone on his shoulder and marches out
and drops that stone in the divinely ap-
pointed place. l see the pile growing in
height in breadth, in significance; and. in
after years men went by that spot and saw
this monument, and cried out one 10 another,
In fulhllment OF the prophecy of the text,
Nv hat meant ye by these stonesY
Blessed be God, He did not leave our church
In the wilderness! We have been wandering
about for year and a half worshiping In
the Academy Of Music Brooklyn, ana the
Academy OF Music, New York. And some
thought we would never reach the promised
land. Some said We hal better take this
route and others that. Some said We had
better go back, aud some said there were
sons Of Anak in the way that would eat us
up, and before the smoke had cleared away
from the sky after our tabernacle had been
consumed people stood on the very site OF
the place and said: This church will never
again be built" We came down TO the bank
Of Jordan, we looked of upon the waters. l..
Some Of the sympnthy that was expressed
turned out to be snow water melted from the
top of Lebanon. Some said' You had bet
ter not go in; YOU will get your feet wet !"
But we waded In, pastor and people, farther
and farther, and In some way, the Lord only
knows how, we got through; and tonight |
90 all around about this great house, erected
by your prayers and sympathies and sacrl-
6ces, and cry out In the words OF my text:
"N hat mean We by these stonesF'
1t is an outrage to build house like this,
20 vast and so magnificent unless there be
some tremendous reasons for doing It; and
30, my friends, pursue you tonight with
the question OF my text, and demand OF
these trustees and OF these elders and OF all
who have contributed in the building OF this
structure, what mean ye by these stonesF
But before get your answer TO my question
you interrupt me and point to the memorial
wall at the side of this pulpit, and say, "Ex-
plain that unusual group OF memorials,
What mean you by those stonesf' BY per-
mission Of the people OF my beloved charge l
recently visited the Holy Lands, and having
In mind by day and night during my alb
sence this rising house OF prayer, lbethought
myself, What can do TO make that place
significant and gloriousT
On the morning Of December the Sd we
were at the foot OF the most sacred mount
ain Of all the earth, Mount Calvary. There
Is no more doubt of the locality than OF
Mount Washington or Mount Blanc. On the
bluff of this mountain, which is the shape OF
the human skull, and so called in the Bible,
''The place Of the skull thero IS room for
three crosses There / saw a stone so sug'
gestive rolled it down the hill and trans
ported it. 1t is at the top Of this wall, q
white stone with crimson veins running
through 1.-THE white typical OF purity tbs
crimson suggestive OF the blood that paid
the price OF our redemption. We place 1t a.
the top of the memorial wall, for above al
song and prayer, shall be the sacrafice o
Mount Cavalry. Look at It, That stone wa
one of the rocks rent at the cruclflxion. Tha
heard the cry. ait is finished" Was eve
any church on earth honored with sucl
q memorialf
Beneath 1t are two tables OF stone whic'
had brought from Mount Sinai where tn
law was given. Three camels were thre
weeks crossing the desert to fetch them
When at Cairo, Egypt / proposed to tn
Christian Arab that he bring one stone from
Mount Sinai, he said, I'VE can easier hrin
two rocks than one for ono must balanc
them on the back Of the camel, and | di
not think until the day OF their arrival hos
much more suggestive would be the two, be
, cause the law was written on two tablets 0
stone. Those stones marked with the word
'iMount Sinai" felt the earthquake that shoe
the mountains when the law was given. Th
lower stone Of the wall is from Mars Hill, tn
! place where Paul stood when he preache
! that famous sermon on the brotherhood Q
/ the human race, declaring God hath mad
| of one blood all nations"
! Since Lord Elgin took the famous statuar
from the Acropolis, the hill adjoining Mar
Hill, the Greek Government makes 1t impoi
sible to transport to other lands any anti9e
uities, and armed soldiers guard not onl
the Acropolis, but Mars Hill. That stone
obtained by special permission from %
liant woman, who received us as though W
had been old acquaintance, and throug
Mr.. Tricoupis, the Prime Minister OF Greec'
and Mr.. Snowden, our American Ministe