The Laurens advertiser. (Laurens, S.C.) 1885-1973, 1891-05-05
STONES THAT SPEAK.
DR.. TALMAeE breaches IN THE NEW
TABERNACLE.

bouzed by Rocks From Sinai, Calvary
ana Mara HiiI-An Earthly House for
Jesus-.what tie Churols Means.
BRooKLyN, April 2~G.-Sermon OF
Rev. T.. De Witt Talmage in the New
Brooklyn Tabernacle on Clinton avenue
this evening, the building having been
dedicated in the morning at 1880. A
great union meeting in which clergymen
of all denominations of Christians par
ticipated was held In the afternoon. Six
thousand persons were present at each
Of the services and many thousands were
turned away. Text: "What means yo
by these stones?" Joshua iv, 9.
The Jordan, like the Mississippi, has
bluffs on the one side and flats on the
other. Here and there q sycamore shad-
ows 1t. Here and there a willow dips
into it. 1t was only a little yer waist
deep in December as l waded through
1t, but in the months of April and May
the now on Mount Lebanon thaw and
flow down into the valley, and then the
Jordan overffows its banks. Then it is
wide, deep, raging, and impetuous. AT
this season of the year / hear the tramp
of 10000 armed men coming down to
cross the river. You say, why do they
not 60 up nearer the rise of the river at
the old camel ford? All! my friends, it
is because 1t is not safe to 60 around
when the Lord tells us to go ahead. The
%Israelites had been going around forty
years, and they had enough fit. 1 do
not know how It is with you, my breth-
when L went around, but always got
into cofafu uhon + wnnf ahon6
There spreads out the Jordan, a rag
ing torrent, much of it snow-water just
come down from the mountain top; and
/ see some Of the Israelites shivering at
the idea Of plunging in, and n soldier
> says to his comrade, ''Joseph can you
swim9" And another says: "If we get
across this stream we will get there with
wet clothes and with damaged armor,
and the Cananites will slash us Il pieces
with their swords before We get up the
other bank" But 1t is no time to halt.
The great host marches onward. The
priests carrying the ark go ahead, the
people follow. / hear the tramp Of the
great multitude. The priests have now
come within a stones throw of the water.
Yet still there is no abatement of the
fosd. Now they have come within four
or five feet of the stream; but there is no
abatement: !'of the flood. Bad prospect!
1t seems that If these Israelites that
crossed the desert arc nov going to be
drowned In sight of Canaan. But 'tFor-
ward!' Is the cry. The command rings
NIL along the line of the host. "For-
ward!' Now the priests have come
within m step of the river. This time
they lift their feet from the solid ground
and place them down into the raging
stream. No o n are their feet there
than Jordan flies. On the right hand
God piles up q great mountain of floods;
on the left, the water flows Off toward
the sea. The great river, tor hours, halts
and rears. The back waters not being
able to flow over the passing Iraelites,
pile wave on wave, until perhaps a 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 miraculous passage has been made,
stand back and see this %stupendous pile
of water leap. God takes his hand from
that wall OF floods, and like u hundred
cataracts they plunge and roar in thun-
derous triumph to the sea.
How are they to celebrate this passage?
Shall. IL be with music? 1 suppose the
trumpet and cymbals were all worn o 1t
before this. Shall it be with banners
wavlng2 Oh! no; they are all faded and
torn. Joshua cries out: II will tell you
how to celebrate this; build a monument
here to commemorate the event;'' and
every priest puts a heavy stone on his
shoulder, and marches out and drops
that stoue in the divinely.appointed
place. l see that pile growing in height,
IN breadth, in significance; and, in after
years. men went by that spot and saw
this monument, and cried put one to
another, in ful6lment of the prophecy of
the text: "What mean We by these
stOnes?o
Blessed be God, he did not leave Our
church in the wilderness! We have been
wandering about for q year and a half
worshipping in the Academy of music,
Brooklyn, and Academy of Music, New
York. And some thought we would
never reach the promised land. Some
said we had better take this route and
others that. Some said we had better
go back, and 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 Oh 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. Some
OF the sympathy that was ex-
pressed turned out to be snow-water
melted from The top OF Lebanon. Some
said: "YOu had better not 60 in; you
will get your feet wet" But we waded
In, pastor and people, further and fur
Their. and in some way, the Lord only
knows how, we got through; and tonight
go all around about this great house
erected by your prayers, and sympathies,
and sacrifices, and Cry out in the words
OF my text: "What mean We by these
stones?" 1t is an outrage to build q
house like this so vast and so magnificent
unless there be some tremendous reasons
for doing 1t; and so, friends, 1 pursue
you tonight with the question of my
text, and 1 demand of these trustees and
of these elders and of all VIII. have con-
trlbuted In the building of this structure,
What mean We by these s.ones?" But
before / get you answer to my question
you point to the memorial wall at the
side of this pulpit, and say 70 me. tex
PLAIN thaG unusual group OF memorials,
What mean you by those stones?"
By permission ofthe people of my be.
loved charge recently visited the Holy
TanIa ,ou1 hautn0 in ,aiod hy .lou o.J