The enterprise. [volume] (Wellington, Ohio) 188?-1899, 1891-04-29
THE NEW TABERNACLE
Rev. DR.. Talmage breaches Onos
More In His Own Church.
Tho New Edince In Brooklyn Dedicated
Last. Sunday With Three Great
services-The Eloquent Divine
breaches q Sermon on
Stones" and Their
Significance.

hrst sermon last Sunday evening in the
new Brooklyn Tabernacle, the building
having been dedicated in the morning
at 1890. A great union meeting in
which ciergymen Of all denominations
of Christians participated was held in
the afternoon. Six thousand persons
were present at each Of the services
and many thousands were turned away.
The text was "What mean ye by these
stones"-Joshua iv., 0. The sermon
follows: tl6
The Jordan, like the Mississippi, has
bluffs on the one side and fats on the
other. Here and there a sycamore shad-
ows IL. Here and there willow dips
into II. It was only little over waist
deep In December as waded through
IT. but In the months OF April and May
the SHOWS on Mount Lebanon thaw and
flow down into the valley, and then the
Jordan overhows its banks. Then Il Is
wide. deep, raging and impetuous. At
this season efthe year hear the tramp
Of forty thousand armed men coming
down TO cross tho river. You say, why
do they not go up nearer the rise of the
river at the old camel ford? Ali my
friends, IL is because II Is not safe TO 20
around when the Lord tells us to 90
ahead The Israelites had been going
around forty years, and they had enough
Of II. l do not know how It is with you,
my brethren, but l have always got into
trouble when went around, but always
got into safety when went ahead.
There spreads out the Jordan, rag
ing torrent, much Of It snowy water just
come down from the mountain top; and
I see some of the Israelites shivering at
the idea Of plunging In, and one soldier
says to his coprade, Joseph, can you
swimP" And another says: 'Tf we get
across this stream we will get there
with wet clothes and with damaged
armor, and the Canaanites will slash
us TO pieces with their swords before we
get up the other bank" But IL 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. The
priests have now come within a 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 food. Bad prospect 1t
seems as II these Israelites that
crossed the desert are now 60
ing to be drowned in sight Of Canaan
But "Forwardr' Is the cry. The
command rings all along the line Of the
host. "Forwardp 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 are their
feet there than Jordan flies. On the
right hand God piles up great noun
tain OF foods; on the left the water
flows off toward the sea. The great
river for hours halts and rears. The
back-water, not being able to flow over
the passing Israelites, pile wave on
wave, until perhaps n sea-bird would
find some difficulty in scaling the water
cliff. Now the priests and all the peo-
pie 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 the stupendous pile
of waters leap. God takes His hand
from that wall OF foods, and like hun
dred cataracts they plunge and roar in
thunderous triumph to the sea.
How are they to cele brate this pas
sage? Shall II be with music? suppose
the e-trumpet and cymbals were all worn
out before this Shall II be with BAN
ners waving? Obi no; they are all
faded and torn. Joshua cries out: 'T
will tell you how to celebrate this:
build monument here TO commemorate
the event." and every priest puts
heavy stone on his shoulder, and
marches out and drops that stone in the
divinely appointed place. see the pile
growing in height, In breadth, In sig
nifcance; and, In after years, men went
by that spot and saw this monument,
and cried out one, 10 another in fulfil
ment Of the prophecy of the text
"What mean ye by these stones?"
Blessed be God, He did not leave our
church in the wildernessl We have been
wandering about for q year and half
worshiping 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
90 back, and some said there were sons
Of Anak In the way that would eat IN
up; and before the smoke had cleared
away from the slty after our Tabernacle
bad been consumed, people stood on the
very site Of the place and said: This
church will never again be built" We
came down 10 the bank of Jordan, we
looked of upon the waters. Some OF
the sympathy that was expressed
turned out 10 be snow-water melted
from the top Of Lebanon. Some
said "You had better not go In, you
will get your feet wet" But we
waded In, pastor and people, further
and further, and In some way, the Lord
only knows how, we got through, and
tonight / go all around about this great
house, erected by our prayers and SYM
pathies and sacrifices, and cry out In
the words ofmy text; "Whatmean ye by
these stones2" It's an outrage TO build
. house like this so vast and magnif-
cent unless there be some tremendous
reasons for doing II, and so, my friends,
Ipursue you tonight with the question
ofmy text and demand Of these trus-
tees and Of these elders and Of all who